Doug's Sounding Board

After one day back at work I can safely say I’m glad to be there! It’s rare that I feel this comfortable in a job after a day.

Romantic Comedy – It’s not often funny but it can be amusing and it felt more like the kind of characters and story I would see in a 30s movie, but done in the 80s. With the right director I think this could have been really good.

Rambo – Unlike some of the Rambo movies, this one isn’t a glorification of war. It’s a lot more gritty, like opening of Saving Private Ryan style, but more so. Yeah rediculous things happen, but the wounds and deaths from the feel more real. I think it’s a good end to the series.

Jumper – This one is a good idea fairly well thought out with good action scenes, exactly what I expect from Doug Liman. It’s almost more like the pilot of a tv-show though. The conversion to a show should be relatively easy and I expect it within a few years.

Republican:

Anderson Cooper kept things rolling for the most part and for the first half it was all very polite between the candidates. McCain and Romney were givent he most time to talk and Ron Paul was cut off several times after one sentence.  After awhile Huckabee reminded the moderator and questioners that the other end of the table would like some questions too and then he and Paul did get more chances to speak which is good because McCain was starting to antagonize Romney and that was getting old fast. I think my favorite part was Ron Paul (you prety much always have to put the whole name) questioning why McCain and Romney were quibbling over something said back in April 2007 when the real issue is that we’re there at all based on faulty evidence and cause. I still think if McCain wins the nomination that Huckabee will end up as his vice presidential running mate.

Democrats:

I was thinking/hoping that Edwards was goign to stay in the race at least through super Tuesday. He didn’t just end his campaign though, he suspended it. That means he retains control of all his delegates and if it’s close you’ll still see him come into play at the end. He might have enough to bring his issues to the table at the Democratic National Convention anyway.

The message of the debate was that no matter which one you choose it’ll be better than the republicans. They also both mentioned that they only differ in a few ways and agree in most things on policy. They both presented themselves well with their similarities and differences, and stopped Wolf Blitzer when he tried to stir up trouble. I still feel positive about Obama but now I also feel more positive about Clinton, and I’m thinking that I don’t want to see Wolf Blitzer moderate any more debates.

This morning I planned to bake some things for work as a parting gift to my co-workers. I decided on this “Death by Chocolate” recipe (it’s not really deadly, but it is very good) and what some people call Sugar-Crack cookies (I should write that recipe up). I surveyed the ingredients, went to the store for what I didn’t have, came home, made the two chocolate pies and started on the cookies. Then I discovered with Nicole’s helpt aht I didn’t add up the butter right so back to the store for that. Then I came to the part that called for baking powder and remembered that I hadn’t picked up any since the last time I discovered we were out, so back to the store a third time! Finally I made the cookies and made it to work, but not before I apparently turned off the DSL modem, oh wait… Now I see the UPS looks like it’s decided not to work anymore so back into straight surge protector it goes.

Anyway, I made it to work and the chocolate pies were devorured along with the cookies. I checked in the last of my code changes, visited with a lot of people, had a goodbye lunch. Things were good. HR person wasn’t made aware until very late that I was leaving today so my exit interview was over the phone. I found the big box of kazoos from our wedding party that was left over and I gave them out throughout the building. I gave away the cube loot people wanted and since cube space was available at the new job so I carted all the stuff I was keeping on cart to the new cube in the new building. I answered some questions at the new job and ran back to the office so I could turn in my badge before the person I needed to turn them in to went home.

I had Dan go with me to Long’s so I could get back into the building after I bought a lot of chocolate to leave on my desk so people wouldn’t have to go cold turkey. Then I said my goodbyes to those still remaining and went home. I’m going to miss working with everyone there and I hope I get a chance to work with them again in the future.

I don’t knoww hat happened, when I left it was find and when I had a chance to check at work it wasn’t, but at the time I thought that my computer had just been excluded fromt eh network since it was my last day. That wasn’t the case though and I just needed to turn everything back on. I’m not really sure how I turned it off to begin with though. Anyway, all better now.

Yesterday afternoon I was talking to Nicole on the phone and suddenly she interrupted what she was saying with “Oh shit! I just heard gunshots!” About 15 minutes later she called back to report that there was a shooting in the street in front of our house and that the guy that was shot was in the Staples parking lot about a mile away. The next update was Nicole realizing that she couldn’t get me because the whole block was now a crime scene and the sheriff told her I’d have to take a taxi.

Well a co-worker was nice enough to drop me off at the corner on their way home and I was told that I couldn’t cross to my house because it was all a crime scene. I told them I lived one house away but that didn’t help and said I could go home if I could find a way into my yard without them seeing me. I thought about crossing behind my neighbor’s house but I would still have to cross to my house in view of the street and I didn’t want to have the cops irritated at me. So I called Nicole and told her the details I heard a sheriff tell the camera man from fox-35/kion-46 who was there filming and asking questions. I decided to ask how long they thought it would be.

When I asked another sheriff how long he thought it would be he asked if I was the taxi guy and I said I was. He went to check but he got caught up in helping the CSI. T alked to the camera man for awhile, learned that channels 35 and 46 share a building and that his footage goes to both of their stations. I also learned that kion-46 is owned by Clear Channel but that it is up for sale as Clear Channel is trying to sell off all their tv stations. I learned that they used dogs to track the suspects to Dougmar, a street off the opposite side of the block, that there was a bullet lodged in teh house directly across the street from ours, that the victim was in critical-critical condition which I think means they weren’t expecting him to live and indeed he died at 1AM.

After more chatting and watching the ksbw-8 reporter show up without a camera man and just trying to make due with a digital camera the sheriff returned and I asked again if I could make it to my house. He decided I could cross my neighbor’s yard in front while he paralleled be on the sidewalk. About halfway across the CSI questioned why I was there and he explained for me that it was ok and I had been waiting patiently (for about an hour and a half) as I crossed the dividing picket fence between our yards.

The block was closed off for almost 8 hours, ending at about half past midnight.

Last night on the way to the store sheriffs on foot approached us as we were about to go to the store and they asked Nicole about everything she might know to establish timelines. When we got back from the store they were still canvasing the neighborhood.

Today in the paper I learned that the shooter was 16 and they are working on charging him as an adult.

Well, it’s still as money so anywhere money changes hands should be ok, but outside of post office vending machines you don’t find it so much. Yesterday I decided to try it in the vending machines at work. The snack machine just dropped it through, but the Coke machine happily reported it was a dollar. I was surprised since it’s not the newest vending machine and it wasn’t indicating what kind of money it preferred.

I’m leaving VeriSign (last day is next Friday, Feb 1), and while I’m sad I’ll be leaving my co-workers, I am excited to be moving on to a new job at Full Power (starting Monday, Feb 18). That gives me two weeks off before I start. It’s still local and in fact my commute will be shortened by a few hundred feet!

Rocky III – Still working my way through the Rocky movies again. Mr. T starts out pretty menacing but halfway through he turns into a charicature of himself. The central story of a man overcoming loss of  confidence brought about by learning his accomplishments were a lie works though. Not as good as the first two though.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street -  Visually it was great throughout. As a story it starts off a bit slow but it still doesn’t take too long to drag you in. I don’t have experience with the stage production to compare it against and from talking to those that do I think it comes off better for it. It’s clear there is much pride in the mechanism. By the end I was taking great enjoyment from the dropping bodies.

Snatch -  A bunch of quirky characters that have occasional moments but they don’t really shine until they are all brought together in the last quarter. That’s enough to make it all worthwhile.

Carefree -  I hadn’t seen the Fred & Ginger movie before and I was delighted to see familiar sets from past movies used again. This is one of their later films and the chemistry on screen shows for it. Goo dhumor, good dancing, and I love Ginger Roger’s slow laugh.

I’ve watched the first three episodes of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and so far I’m surprised at how well it holds up. After the pilot I thought I’d give it a chance and aside from one thing I thought didn’t fit I think it’s well thought out and it seems like there is a notion that this is going on a planned path. I like how the characters are protrayed and I like the story so far.  wherever it’s going.

It seems like an eternity in coming but there’s only one more year to the Bush administration!