Eighty Years (or so) To The Big Zero

So I’ve been on a classic kick lately regarding movies.

So many people I know talk about these older movies like they are the stuff that dreams are made of so I figure now that I have netflix why not give them a try.

I rented Matise Falcon, El Cid, Rambo (2008 version), and The Graduate and watched them over the last couple days.

First Maltise Falcon:
“When you get slapped, you’re gonna take it and you’re gonna like it!” Wow! Bogat was the man. I laughed so hard I had to stop the movie and pick it up a few moments later. The romance was rather forced and didn’t make any sense but Sam is no sap that’s for sure. I liked this movie much better than Casa Blanca which I didn’t like all that much.

Rambo (2008 version):
This movie wasn’t as bad as the critics made it out to be. I liked this movie even though the goody goody church goers were total idiots. And listen, I’m all for women’s rights and equal treatment but women seem to forget one very, very crucial fact about themselves and behave as if it doesn’t matter in the world. That fact is - woman have vaginas. And I have to tell ya, ravishous pirates and war fighting rebels love vaginas. Now they will take any vagina they can but foreign white women vaginas are like crack to a crack addict. They see one they have to take it. If I was a woman there is no way in hell I would be going to war torn Burma on a peace mission with my church group. Fuck that! And that goes for third world countries as well. Ladies please stop ignoring your vagina and perhaps Rambo can live in peace for a change.

What was also interesting was watching the deleted scenes and seeing how Sly took parts of those terrible scenes, re-edited them into another scene and put that into the movie. It was a straight forward storyline if a bit unreal in some parts (sex in this movie was all forced. The poor asian girls got gang raped by a couple hundred soldiers but the white woman who they captured and had tired up for 10 days wasn’t so much as touched. And it wasn’t because the rebel leader was saving her for himself (he liked little boys) it was because… well actually I can’t think of a reason why she wasn’t treated poorly like all the other people/woman/men in the movie. Her fellow church companions(men) were fed to pigs - alive. And yet the rebels just left her alone and took a half dozen asian women instead. They were so polite. I’m not calling for her raping, I’m just saying that when you establish rebels as sex crazed men who rape and murder for sport (they bet on who would die first), having one glaring contradiction for no good reason doesn’t make any sense for your movie. In the writing world it’s called, being true to your universe. Or something like that.) Regardless of that minor clearly editoriral (and probably actress mandated) plot line (I don’t blame her either. I don’t want to act out a rape scene.), Sly is clearly getting better with his directing. Acting is still the same. And no it wasn’t a mini-nuke that went off in the forest it was a tallboy bomb (video of the explosion from the movie). Found this very interesting site on the kill count statistics of the Rambo movies. Notice the body count keeps going up and the sex “scenes” are still at zero. Sexual assaults aren’t included in this stat but still no joy for Rambo. He loves his knife. That’s all he has now.

El Cid:
I can see where Charleton Heston got his props from. This movie, although long (it took two days with a day intermission to finish), was good. The white knight rides out against an army and they scatter. That last scene was worth the price of admission. We should do that with our dead warriors. Strap them into a horse and send them out in front of the army. And since we’re now fighting the same enemy as Spain fought one thousand years ago - Moors (ie radical Muslims driven by religious fervor and power) - it just might work. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the Al Qaeda speech delivered at the beginning of this movie explaining why the Muslims should be rulers of the world. What the?! What was worse was how the Muslim Kings in Spain and surrounding territory, who were peaceful, just went along with this radical crazy Moor. Even the good Muslim King was attacking and burning villages until captured and set free by Heston. Only then did he go for peace.
But seriously, watching El Cid strapped to his horse and seeing the horse listing to one side and being “guided” by nearby knights on horse back as it ran out was so messed up. I can’t believe it worked. That was surely another time ago. Spain. And yet some things are still the same.

I now realize why monarchies can never last. The power is too concentrated and politics way too toxic for such a small group to overcome. But it also explains why monarches whether in government or religion are so dangerous. Everyone simply falls in line with the one at the top and any rational decent or questioning by those below is met with violent opposition/exile and most likely death.

This was a surprisingly good movie. And there is this huge scene where they are on a mountain side coming up against a castle and there are thousands of soldiers on horses and catapults, and siege towers and knights with polearms marching in formation. They are all dressed in armour and flags and moving in step. The background is a massive castle with walls stretching entire coastline for at least half a mile protecting itself from the sea and then out into the country side to encompass the city. It’s a very impressive scene. Then you remember. This was made before CGI. That was an actual castle with an actual wall. Those were really thousands of knights, and horses and catapults in that scene. They were real. The scale takes on even more weight then. Hollywood spared no expense back then. I wonder what the cost of El Cid was back then($6 million dollars) (*adjusted for inflation. grr!!!) and what it would cost to make it today? (I couldn’t let this go. Here is the answer: $41,573,557.19*

And finally The Graduate:
Why was this movie so popular? Was it the “affair” between the younger man and the older woman? The acting was very good but nothing I haven’t seen before. Hoffman’s character, Ben, was almost an idiot savant in his behaviors. He was a younger version of RainMan. Does he act this way in all his movies? Perhaps it was made during a time of rebellion when most young people were fighting against lockstepping into their parent’s careers. This movie surely spoke to that. Again it was another movie where love was based on so little. Maltise Falcon is the worse offender. At least El Cid had a pairing that was true and they appeared to know each other for a while, but in The Graduate, they went on one date and Ben wants to marry her.

Mrs. Robinson was so bitter. The women, Elain, was a sheep, to even go along with the arranged marriage. Especially after nearly saying “yes” to Ben not a couple hours before. And we don’t get the moral of the story until the very very end, “It’s too late!” shouts Mrs. Robinson. And Elain (her daughter) shouts back, “Not for me!” and she runs out of the church with Ben, after just getting married. The ring is still warm from being in Chester’s pocket. Chester was the poor sap picked by Elain’s father.

But the most confusing thing about this movie, is that Ben and Elain throw everything away to be together. Ben traveled all across the country to stop the wedding, and failing that, he steals Elain away from the church and when they catch the bus just down the street and are finally sitting in the back seat they look excited and happy for about 10 seconds, then sit quietly. They don’t touch. They don’t look at each other. They aren’t smiling. They are just sitting there. And the credits roll. Why?

Shouldn’t they be estatic? Shouldn’t they be at least kissing, or one kiss of triump, or perhaps she should rest her head on his shoulder, or him on hers, something! I was left at the end of this movie thinking they both realized they had made a terrible mistake in rejecting their parents’ wishes but are now committed and can’t go back so they might as well stay together.

It was a huge uplift and then an immediate crash of “be careful what you wish for”. Is that why this movie is so popular? Is this why the movie is showered with awards?

I liked the movie but that final scene didn’t make any sense. Their behavior was so strange and out of place. What happened?! I suppose the moral of my story is I don’t understand love at all, especially if it’s suppose to look like what happened on that bus.

***

I like classic movies. But at times I think these classics are mentioned more on nostalgia than actual merit. They are mentioned because they break new ground at a new time, just as Star Wars did in its day. Star Wars was a decent movie but if you go back there are problems with it and the main character is such a baby and whiner.  It’s not really as good as I remember it when I first saw it. I think it’s similar to when people recommend ‘the classics’.

So I have a few more classics in the queue but I’m going to intersperse them with more modern movies I want to see. Seeing all classics in one netflix delivery was a little too much.

Speaking of classic - Jobs are down. Banks are down. Economies are down. War company profits are up! At least the important people are being taken care of.

Thinking out loud

…. and he purchased the information to prove it.

Today while I was out I got a message in my voice mail which I checked when I got home.

On the message it said “Hello this is Kristy from the Barrack Obama campaign wishing you a happy birthday and we hope we can count on your support in November. Again happy birthday and thank you.”

So that got me to thinking. I’m not the only person with a b-day on this day. Did they call all those people as well? Are they spending how many man hours and how many dollars per day to call all the people in America on their b-days just to wish them a happy one and “hope to count on your support.” messages? That’s a lot of calls.

Had stir fry for lunch. Grouper for dinner. Saw The Forbidden Kingdom at the dollar theater.

Getting hooked on this really great show from the USA network called Burn Notice. If you haven’t seen it check it out. It’s very fun and entertaining and what is most amazing is the main actor is 40 years old. He looks amazing for 40. And the main actress who plays the female love interest (so far in season one at least) is 38. She’s thin as a rail (the camera adds ten pounds so imagine what she really looks like) and so she really needs to eat a burger.

AM 7sits, 4push
PM 7sits, 4push

Thinking out loud

http://www.drhorrible.com/

Do it now. Stop what you’re doing (except breathing) and click on the link above and watch these episodes.

They are only available til the end of this weekend. Don’t delay. Why are you still reading this? Watch the episodes. Sunday midnight it’ll all be over.

Thinking out loud

Think before you speak…

Here are six reasons why you should think before you speak - the last one is great!
Have you ever spoken and wished that you could immediately take the words back… or that you could crawl into a hole?
Here are the Testimonials of a few people who did….

FIRST TESTIMONY:
I walked into a hair salon with my husband and three kids in tow and asked loudly, “How much do you charge for a shampoo and a blow job?”
I turned around and walked back out and never went back.  My husband didn’t say a word… he knew better.

SECOND TESTIMONY:
I was at the golf store comparing different kinds of golf balls.
I was unhappy with the women’s type I had been using.
After browsing for several minutes, I was approached by one of the good-looking gentlemen who works at the store.
He asked if he could help me.
Without thinking, I looked at him and said, “I think I like playing with mens balls”

THIRD TESTIMONY:
My sister and I were at the mall and passed by a store that sold a variety of candy and nuts.
As we were looking at the display case, the boy behind the counter asked if we needed any help.
I replied, “No, I’m just looking at your nuts.”
My sister started to laugh hysterically.
The boy grinned, and I turned beet-red and walked away.
To this day, my sister has never let me forget.

FOURTH TESTIMONY :
While in line at the bank one afternoon, my toddler decided to release some pent-up energy and ran amok.
I was finally able to grab hold of her after receiving looks of disgust and annoyance from other patrons.
I told her that if she did not start behaving “right now” she would be punished.
To my horror, she looked me in the eye and said in a voice just as threatening, “If you don’t let me go right now, I will tell Grandma that I saw you kissing Daddy’s pee-pee last night!”
The silence was deafening after this enlightening exchange.
Even the tellers stopped what they were doing.
I mustered up the last of my dignity and walked out of the bank with my daughter in tow.
The last thing I heard when the door closed behind me, were screams of laughter.

FIFTH TESTIMONY:
Have you ever asked your child a question too many times?
My three-year-old son had a lot of problems with potty training and I was on him constantly.
One day we stopped at Taco Bell for a quick lunch, in between errands.
It was very busy, with a full dining room.
While enjoying my taco, I smelled something funny, so of course I checked my seven-month- old daughter, she was clean.
Then I realized that Danny had not asked to go potty in a while.
I asked him if he needed to go, and he said “No” .. I kept thinking “Oh Lord, that child has had an accident, and I don’t have any clothes with me.”
Then I said, “Danny, are you SURE you didn’t have an accident?” 
“No,” he replied.
I just KNEW that he must have had an accident, because the smell was getting worse.
Soooooo, I asked one more time, “Danny did you have an accident ? This time he jumped up, yanked down his pants, bent over, spread his cheeks and yelled “SEE MOM, IT’S JUST FARTS!!”
While 30 people nearly choked to death on their tacos laughing, he calmly pulled up his pants and sat down.
An old couple made me feel better, thanking me for the best laugh they’d ever had!

LAST BUT NOT LEAST TESTIMONY:
This had most of the state of Michigan laughing for 2 days and a very embarrassed female news anchor who will, in the future, likely think before she speaks.
What happens when you predict snow but don’t get any!
We had a female news anchor that, the day after it was supposed to have snowed and didn’t, turned to the weatherman and asked:
“So Bob, where’s that 8 inches you promised me last night?”
Not only did HE have to leave the set, but half the crew did too they were laughing so hard!

Now, didn’t that feel good?
Pass it on to someone you know who needs a laugh and remember we all say things we don’t really mean, so think before you speak!!!!!

(Needed all of those. Wanted to share.)

((PM Situps 7, PM Pushup 3, AM Situps 7, AM Pushups 3)

Thinking out loud

AM Situps - 7
AM Pushups - 3

So I’m getting really pissed off right now. Why even have a resume if every single job you go for as their own applications in their own format that must be filled in fully with every minute detail of your life.

I filled out an application today (still working on it - 11 pages) that wanted to know EVERY address I’ve lived in for the last 10 years. Apartment numbers and everything. How the fuck does that qualify (or disqualify) me for the position? If I lived in Idaho for a few years does that count against me?

But you have to fill it out because in LARGE CAPITAL shouts it says “THIS APPLICATION WILL NOT BE PROCESSED UNLESS ALL INFORMATION IS FILLED IN.” So now I’m thinking, do I really need to dig up all my old addresses? I don’t even remember them or have any records that far back. But if I don’t give them something will I be disqualified? What if I call the HR person and ask them? I know the answer they will give is a CTA so they won’t get in trouble.

I’m thinking should I even bother with this job? The ineffeciency in some of these application processes is very poor. How much money is lost coming up with these forms?

This sort of paperwork should be used for when you are in the final four or have the job. But to put every applicant through this process is a huge waste of time for everyone. (IMHO)

Well now I have a headache. I’m gonna go watch the last dvd of Elfen Lied.

Thinking out loud

I got this email from a relative who generally speaking is a decent person. But they are rather right of center on a lot of issues and so basically swallow most of the verbage that comes from the Republican base without question. The email was basically a petition to start drilling here, start drilling now and the tag line - Pay Less! (http://www.americansolutions.com/) This is my reply.

— Start of Email Reply —

“What about renewable solutions like solar and wind? What about spending billions on advancing unknown technologies that haven’t been invented yet on a consumer scale?

We’re spending 12 billion dollars per month* in that country for a resource that will be burned away and in the meantime it’s killing our planet because of the way we use it.

12 billion. Per Month. (How much is a billion? If it was a billion minutes ago Jesus Christ would still be alive.) We’re talking 12 billion. How many indoor ski resorts need to be built in the desert?* 

What if we turned that money around to this country - not for oil companies - but for the innovative part of our nation, the inventor, the entrepreneur, the research? What if we didn’t allow automotive companies to purchase battery companies and kill the technology so they could continue making gas cars and then later sell that battery company to an oil company who effectively buried the technology. (See “Who Killed the Electric Car.”)

What about stop going for the quick fix and look at the long term consequences of our decisions? What about seeing a bigger picture beyond the immediate and realize that drilling for oil here still doesn’t resolve the larger issue - Energy is still needed 200 years from now.

How is it that we’ll go 9 trillion dollars in debt for war (defense contractors) and yet won’t spend a dime at home to implement universal health care for all citizens? Why is a person’s health/life subject to the mechanics of profit in this country? Hey, let’s start small. How about a national voting standard? Paper ballot. Scan machine. Exact same design and layout. Across the entire nation. No matter where you go the ballot looks exactly the same. They do it with Wal-Marts, Targets, Publix, Starbucks all over the place. Our government can’t fix this simple problem? Perhaps they don’t want it fixed. Perhaps it’s easier to manipulate when there are so many varieties. (See Hacking Democracy)

I will not support any effort that advances the status quo and puts even more money into the pockets of corporations that already have most of the money anyway. There is a drain of money in this country and it’s heading upward. The recession we are experiencing has everything to do with our National Debt, but also in the practices of corporations who milk the system for as much money as possible regardless of the consequences. They basically pulled an Enron (See “The Smartest Men in the Room.”) on the nation. And the money they made isn’t going anywhere to help people. It’s being hoarded. It’s not going back into the system. Why is it that congress gets a raise pratically every year* and yet minimum wage has barely moved? If minimum wage had risen equally with the pay of CEOs it would be 23 dollars an hour*.

Here’s something every AMERICAN (and person on the planet) should see. It explains a lot of why things are the way they are.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dmPchuXIXQ - Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBZne09Gf5A - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjUrib_Gh0Y - Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BVNN1wqw3k - Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPPFgHF9VR4 - Part 5
(I recommend the entire movie but it may be too much for some. So if you see nothing else check out the videos above.)

There are a lot of great things about this country. Our enslavement to corporate interests disguised as national solutions is not one of them.

What’s sad about this is that none of this is new. It’s been known about for a very long time now the direction things were going (See 1976 movie Network) and yet it wasn’t stopped.  People were protesting and up in arms it seemed almost daily during the 60s and 70s because of the wars, civil injustices, and eventually high gas prices in late 70s. I remember waiting in line for gas on US 1 at the gas station across from the bowling alley in Stuart, FL. I remember people complaining and being mad. What I don’t remember is a peanut president who had an idea about renewable energy being driven out of office with laughter and slick media images of hostages being freed, and the bold initiatives and leadership he started washed away in the short term memory of public apathy. Just think if twenty years ago we had changed the course of our energy policy instead of snuggling back up to the teet of oil where this country would be? Where the world would be?

-Me

References and resources
12 billion per month - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/10/studies-iraq-costs-us-1_n_90694.html
Million, Billion, Trillion  - http://www.tysknews.com/Depts/Taxes/million.htm
Ski Resort in the desert - http://www.snopes.com/photos/architecture/indoorski.asp
Who Kill the Electric Car - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Killed_the_Electric_Car%3F
Hacking Democracy - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Democracy
Minimum Wage - http://www.drummajorinstitute.com/congress/billdescrips/?billid=9  (Check out the column to the right.)
Congress pay raise - http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/agencies/a/raise4congress.htm (BTW - our elected representatives get life long health insurance just for serving, even one term. That’s why there is no health care crisis. The important people are already taken care of.)
The Smartest Men in the Room - http://www.reelviews.net/movies/e/enron.html
Network (1976) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_(film)
Jimmy Carter address to the nation (July 15, 1979) - http://inspirationalspeakers.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/jimmy-carter-energy-and-the-national-goals-a-crisis-of-confidence/
I pulled a select quote from his speech in case you didn’t want to read the entire address he gave.
“In little more than two decades we’ve gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. This is the direct cause of the long lines which have made millions of you spend aggravating hours waiting for gasoline. It’s a cause of the increased inflation and unemployment that we now face. This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation.
The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts and we simply must face them.

What I have to say to you now about energy is simple and vitally important.
Point one: I am tonight setting a clear goal for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977– never. From now on, every new addition to our demand for energy will be met from our own production and our own conservation. The generation-long growth in our dependence on foreign oil will be stopped dead in its tracks right now and then reversed as we move through the 1980s, for I am tonight setting the further goal of cutting our dependence on foreign oil by one-half by the end of the next decade — a saving of over four and a half million barrels of imported oil per day.
Point two: To ensure that we meet these targets, I will use my presidential authority to set import quotas. I’m announcing tonight that for 1979 and 1980, I will forbid the entry into this country of one drop of foreign oil more than these goals allow. These quotas will ensure a reduction in imports even below the ambitious levels we set at the recent Tokyo summit.

Point three: To give us energy security, I am asking for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in our nation’s history to develop America’s own alternative sources of fuel — from coal, from oil shale, from plant products for gasohol, from unconventional gas, from the sun.”

—– End of Email —-

Thinking out loud

I saw Mongol at the artsy theater the other day. Part 1 of a two part series on the life of Genghis Khan. It was refreshing to watch a movie without special effects and driven by story and character and environment rather than computer graphics and gee-whiz. It was a very powerful movie. I can say this, when those people make a promise they keep it. Most telling line, “You’re nine years old son. Time to pick a wife.”

Saw a documentary called C.S.A (http://www.csathemovie.com/) It’s an alternate history of the United States if the South won the Civil War. It’s told as fact and done in a history channel type format. Everything about this movie was compelling and on another level kinda sad. The South was one clear victory away from getting French and British support during the War which in this version is what turned the tide against the North. It goes through History with the slant that slavery still exists and that institution colored every step of American policy. From the enslavemet of the Chinese workers in California, to the annexing of Mexico and Americas to not getting into the war against Hitler (because the idea of white supremacy was a pretty good idea, according the the politicians who lived their lives and are in power because of that idea) this movie had it all. The Slave Shopping Network. Runaways (a version of Cops) and others. But the commercials is what made this show so powerful. And then…. well when you watch it be sure to check out the credits. Not everything you see is so far fetched and many of the products actually exist(ed).

I applied for another job today. I’m trying to get one job in per day.

Very tired and kinda floating around right now. Too many distractions. Just waiting for something to drop. Perhaps my testies.

We’ll see how it goes.

Thinking out loud

Apparently you can eat too many carrots. I’m not feeling very well at the moment. (It’ll pass after I get some sleep, I’m sure.)

I cooked a new recipe the other day. It was:

Yellow Rice with saffron
Chicken in a can
chopped carrots
chopped celery
1/2 onion (chopped)
can of mushrooms (when I remember to add them, which I haven’t yet so the can I purchased for the first attempt at this recipe will be for the third try.)

I liked it so much that I cooked it again this Sunday. I went a little overboard with the carrots and celery and it’s like eating rice with small legos in it. Good news though. This time I cooked the rice perfect and they weren’t hard and brittle like before. Before it was the proper amount of carrots/celery but the rice had a hardened center which crunched when I bit down.

But this delicious meal wasn’t enough for lunch/dinner. I’ve been trying to eat healthier (hence the new recipe) and instead of my usual bowl of butter and salt I had a bowl of carrots while I watched some movies.

You know how you can feel sick and in your gut you know exactly what it is that’s causing the problem? Well I do and it’s carrots. They are rising in my throat as I type.

I think I’ll be visiting the porcelain throne sometime during the night. Good thing it’s shiny clean.

(Updated: Good night sleep did the trick. Although I had weird dreams about sacrificing and fighting and colonialism and betrayal. Must have been the Howard Zinn documentary I watched. )

A Whole New You, Thinking out loud

The city put a freeze on all hirings. It also dissolved all unfilled positions currently on the books so that doesn’t look good. The interview for the 9th has been canceled. (I did find out that 52 people applied, 30+ who were qualified, and only 15 interviews granted. I was one of the ones that got an interview. Fairly decent odds. I hope the other job positions are similarly stacked in my favor.) 

No sweat though, I have several more paragraphs before the poison sets in.

In the meantime I got a $50 shirt and $20 tie from Men’s Warehouse so whatever interview I do get I’ll look very spiffy. (I had a $50 gift card for Men’s Warehouse otherwise I would have bought them elsewhere.) Did you know they make really nice shirts there?

Took my English placement test today for Barry University. It was an article titled “Why We Must Put Up With Porn”. I had an hour to write the essay in response so I was only able to write two pages. (Just so you know the porn part in the article was a ruse. The article was really about the First Amendment. ssh. Don’t tell anyone. :wink:) I think I did well. We’ll see.

Thinking out loud

I’m unemployed.

I woke up this morning around 9:30 am and nothing changed. The world did not end. My head was cloudy from sleep but within minutes it all came back. I didn’t have to go to work. Really. I wasn’t required to drive into town and do anything. Except for the mortgage, student loans, credit cards, utilities, car loan, gas, food, there’s no reason to look for another job.

Wierd, though. I’m still not here yet.

Didn’t get up in time to mow the lawn but did clean the kitchen and bathrooms for the house appraiser today. Not any regular cleaning either, but a medium mid-level deep clean. When I get the appraisal back and I get some of these boxes out of here, I’ll go in and get a barracks style cleaning on the rooms - toothbrush and all. I was underwhelmed by the appaiser. My cleaning efforts meant nothing. I was expecting a white glove, or at least them to touch the shiney smooth surface of my stainless sink. Or the ultra clean walls of the shower. He looked around, nodded his head a lot and took pictures. Inside I was screaming, check out the reflection in that steel! Look at that white porcelain! See how clean it is? Look, I’m wiping this toilet down with a slice of white bread. See how clean it comes up? It’s ok, you can eat it, honest! Eat it! Ok, ok, I’ll take a bite first just to show you.

Head nod.

It’s a lot of money and I just didn’t see a lot of value in it. I’m hoping the 13 page document I get from them will justify the cost and help the realtor and myself set a fair and decent price. Or it’ll determine that I shouldn’t sell and I’m going to be here for a while. We’ll see.

I have an interview for that City Job next week. Looking forward to that. I’m heading to Men’s Warehouse and getting a really nice shirt and tie. Have word that sport jacket would be *too* dressy for the interview and besides it’s very hot.

I added a new page to the right hand side called Ear Wig. It’s the music recommendations people submitted from a previous post. Thanks for the suggestions. I’ll pick some at random and give them a try.

Right now I’m going through the 400 page web application for FAFSA.edu.gov to get money for college. I’m on page 127.

Gotta get back to it.

PS(Saw this movie called Manderlay. It was good. It was shot like a play and took a bit to get into with that format but more than that the story was very interesting. Check it out.)

The Credit Trap, Thinking out loud