Let's Try It Again

Hello Readers, if there are any here.

It has been awhile.  I've been a bit out of it.  This will be a ramble to get the ideas out as quickly as possible.

Braces
I've had the braces for a while, and I am starting to get used to them.  A few times I've needed the dental wax, but I think my mouth has adjusted to the scraping. I'm still annoyed at the cheese-grater like fell of these things.  It doesn't matter how careful I chew, food gets stuck so easily.  Pain, well other than the heavy-handedness of the dental assistant putting in the wires and ties, I haven't really felt pain, just discomfort.  My dentist told me a couple of days ago that she isn't ready to close up the gaps yet because my teeth still need to be repositioned. 

Philadelphia
I was lucky enough to be invited to an educational convention in Philadelphia.  It was a nice experience.  I upload some photos...eventually.

Hamsters
A colleague at work, had a litter of hamsters, one an impulse, I offered to take one.  I ended up spending about $95 dollars on equipment for the little guy (or gal).  We agreed that I wouldn't take one of the hamsters until after spring break.  I finally set up the cage, which was a pain in the neck to do. It looks really cool...from a distance.  However, up close, it has that cheap "Made in some third world" quality.  I'll need to buy some needle nose pliers and wire to secure the cage.  Well, in my excitement to make sure my hamster would have everything, I forgot the buy a water bottle, bedding, and a food dish.  So, with the pet store across the street from my dentist, I went shopping for the hamsters -- The hamsters had another litter of babies right before the vacation and again on an impulse I offered to take another one, so my hamster wouldn't be lonely.  When I left the store, with the few items (water bottle, bedding, food dish and a few chew toys), I spent another $50.

American Museum of Natural History
Basically, it was an informative experience. Not what I was expecting. The museum didn't do a very good job of providing information for the different events. Once paid for, the only information provided on the receipt was the "showtime" and a partial title. It turns out the "show times" were just times given for crowd control purposes. The extra exhibition fees were basically for the decorations accompanying the 5 ~ 10 minute video clips that repeated every few minutes. A greater attempt to let customers know the locations of the special exhibition would have been very helpful. Oh, and avoid the elevators if you can, they seem to be always crowded and move as slow as molasses.


Movies
I'm currently on spring break vacation/recovery.  I went to a couple of movies recently:
John Carter in 3D
The Lorax

Mirror, Mirror
It was a fairly entertaining movie. I didn't laugh as much as others did in the theater, but I did laugh a few times. I thought the movie was a great starring movie for Julia Roberts. I thought Julia was better in the movie than Nathan Lane. I don't know why, but his character really annoyed me. I also thought the actor playing the prince (Armie Hammer) did a very good job. I thought all of the actors really enjoyed working on this movie, I just think Roberts and Hammer did better jobs with what they had to work with. Lastly, I wasn't too fond of the evil queen's "ending", but I suppose when that queen is played by an internationally known movie star, They don't want to out right kill her off -- unless the actress wants the character dead.

Wrath of the Titans in 3D
 This was an enjoyable movie. It wasn't great, but it was entertaining. I believe there was a lot more action in this movie than in the first one. As long as you can suspend belief in what you're watching, I think you will enjoy the movie. My main complaint is the lack of consistency with maintaining the "god/human" balance in Perseus (Sam Worthington). Although, the movie tried to show that Perseus was human by the excessive amounts of moaning and groaning he was doing and the wounds he received.  After awhile, I lost count of how many superhuman feats Perseus went through. I can't even guess at the number of walls he was thrown against or through. A nice movie if you enjoy fantasy movies. After the movie, I was flying solo for dinner at Dallas BBQ across the street. The food was good. The service was also fast. When I was done there, I went across the street to the Venus Diner for a banana split and a slice of apple pie.

Exercise/Dieting
Until today, I was eating like there was no tomorrow, all the while with the idea (lie) that I would start exercising.  If you've been following me on FourSquare, you will know that for the last few months, I've had dinner at one fast food place or another.  And about 3 times per week, I would end with a pint of Ben & Jerry's or Haggen Daaz ice cream.  Today however, was the first time in almost a year, I went to the local park to do a bit of lite jogging.  I followed the plan from the book, "Run Your Butt Off".  It felt good to be back in the park, I'm going to try to keep it up this time.  Today, I did the walk for 4 minutes, and run for 1 minute for 30 minutes (Stage two).  I also ended up jogging for another 6 minutes afterwards.  Tomorrow, I'm going to modify Stage three (walk for 3 minutes and run for 2 minutes). 

Tron: Legacy 3D

The movie wasn't great, it wasn't good, it wasn't bad, it was just nice.  Many people might call it a bad movie.  After a start time of about 35 minutes late, the movie started with a written notice: "This movie was orginally created in 2D.  There are parts that are in 3D.  Keep the 3D glasses on throughout the movie.  I didn't.  I just wanted to see how much of it was in 3D....not much.  I'm not including the parts that really didn't need to be in 3D.  As for the content, that is where the movie will lose a lot of points from the viewing audience.  In my opinion, there were too many plot holes, too many plot points that seem to have just been added-on at the last minute.  And a couple of plot strands seemed to have been left hanging (or not developed).  The saving points were Jeff Bridges, and the special effects.  After the movie, I took a couple of photos of the theater exterior and the city block.  I'll post those photos later.

NYC - Police Museum

This past Thanksgiving really wasn't worth the time to write about it, so I will skip it.

On Saturday, I organized an social networking event.  This time it was a trip to the NYC Police Museum.  To my surprise, someone actually showed up, it was a 56 year old divorce father.  The meeting spot was going to be in the lobby of the museum.  However, we ended up meeting on the train platform at 42nd street.  I was amazed.  We actually rode into NYC on the same Metro-North train.  I was in the fourth car, he was in the second.  After arriving in Grand Central Station, I stopped at the bathroom, and then went to catch the #4 subway for downtown.  42nd street was crowded as usual.  I always go to the front of the train or the back to avoid the crowds.  Anyway, while I was standing on the platform, the was able to spot me from the description I had given him.  It was a good thing we didn't meet in the museum because it was a pretty small museum (despite having three floors).

The museum cost was $8 dollars.  I thought it was interesting.  Basically, the third floor was for a 9/11 exhibition along with a Hall of Heroes (officers who lost their lives in the line of duty since 1845), the second floor was an exhibition on artist work related to 9/11 and other police activities, the first floor had a very small kids zone and an exhibition on the evolution of the NYC police force.

Although we took about 90 minutes to see everything, if you don't stop to read every caption and display, you can finish easily within an hour. I will post some photos at another time.  After the museum, epal was ready to go home, but I wasn't.  I went to the movie to see "Megamind in 3D".  After the movie, I went to T.G.I.Friday's restaurant near Union Square Park.  I was surprised at the prices.   My chicken and shrimp pasta dinner cost $25.05 for a fairly small portion.  I was finished eating in about 6 minutes.  I would have had dessert, but they only had brownie with this or that, or cheesecake.  I walked from 14th Street to 42nd Street before taking the train back home.

Movie - Sorcerer's Apprentice

Today, I decided to go to the mall. While there, I saw the movie, "Sorcerer's Apprentice". I really liked the movie. It was light, entertaining and very enjoyable. I thought all of the actor's did a nice job. My only complaint is that the "mop scene" seemed a bit of an afterthought.

After the movie, I walked around the mall for awhile. Yep, I'm still off my diet. I had Wendy's for lunch, and Chinese takeout for dinner.

Movie Day

Today my social networking event was a bit of a bust...as usual. The one person who said that he would come was a no show.

The event was to see the movie "The Last Airbender". I was surprised. The critics didn't seem to like the movie, but I was sure I was going to love this movie. Unfortunately, I wasn't too impressed with the movie. It was okay, and visually very nice, but for a sci-fi lover, I kept wanting to look at my watch wondering when the movie would end. The movie seemed a bit sloppy with gaps in the plot (and in character motivations as well). I found the older brother annoying. I also thought there was waaay too much arm flapping and rotating. I could go into more negatives, but I'll just end my review here.

After the movie, I sat in the park for a while. This diet was really doing a number in my willpower. Both in the movie and out, I found myself feeling annoyed at those people eating near me. I started thinking about getting a milkshake since it was a liquid. Luckily, I didn't. Well, the 7 days is just about up. The original plan was to have a strictly liquid diet for the first week, and then modify the diet (see previous entry). I should have been exercising, I would have seen better results. However, I need to wait for my doctor's appointment. Hopefully, my doctor will tell me it was nothing, and I'll be free to work out.

Quick Entry

Quick blog entry.

After a week off for midwinter recess, I really don't have anything to write about. I did go to the movies with a social networking group. The event was a movie and dinner event. I thought this was a very positive experience. As usual, the members seem very nice. We met in the lobby of the theater. The Wolfman showing was fairly packed.

The Movie (The Wolfman)
I liked the movie for the style, costumes, and the sets. I thought they were really trying to focus on style, trying to capture the look of the early black and white Wolfman movies. If judge on style, I thought the movie was very good, but if judged on plot...well, that is another story. If you are looking for plot, character motivations, or pacing etc...You might be sorely disappointed.

The Dinner (Italian)
I enjoyed this restaurant much more than the last one. The food was good, and the service was nice. I also like that it wasn't noisy. The group was easily able to hear one another. I also liked that there was space at the table, it didn't feel like we were squeezed into a small space.

Post Date - Monday, February 22, 2010 12:38AM

This and That

The midwinter recess has begun. I'm going to have to try harder to make the most of it. I can't keep wasting my vacation time, to return to work just as stressed as I was before the vacation.

I returned to college to finish my Masters Degree. I'm paying out of pocket to avoid my ever increasing mountain of debt. Paying out of pocket put me in a bit of a financial bind (one I hope to correct by next month). I was able to get the books I needed for my classes. I had to order a couple of books on Amazon.com because the books were sold out in the college bookstore. I'm taking two classes that are both scheduled on Wednesday. Last Wednesday, was the snow day, so I didn't have to go. Considering I hadn't done the read, I was glad for the snow day.

Yesterday (Saturday), I managed to get an early start. I went to a local diner to order takeout breakfast (pancakes, eggs, and sausages). I slept most of the day away.

Today, I also managed to get up and out early (for me). I decided to visit my foster father. After, I went to 42nd street to see "Percy Jackson & the Olympians - Lightning Thief". I read the book and was looking forward to seeing the movie. A couple of websites seem to suggest that this movie will have the same frenzy Harry Potter had...I don't think so. I thought the movie was nice, but as usual, liberties were taken, elements changed, etc...I liked the book better.

After the movie, I walked to 14th street stopping on the way to a comic store and a couple of Barnes and Nobles. It still amazes me how the flagship Barnes & Nobles has such an incredibly small science-fiction/fantasy section of only a couple of bookcases. Luckily, there is another Barnes & Nobles a few blocks away from the flagship store with a greater selection.

My purchases:

Comics
Blackest Night - Secret Six #17
Blackest Night - Secret Six #18
Justice Society of America #35
Fall of the Hulks - Gamma
Incredible Hulk #606
Red Hulk #1
The Mighty Avengers #33

Books
Star Trek voyager - Unworthy
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz*

* I'm not sure why I bought this one. In the past, I have been tempted to buy the sequels "Wicked" and "Son of a Witch". Now that I have the original "Barnes & Nobles Classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" by L. Frank Baum, I might buy the other sequels.


Post Date - Sunday, February 14, 2010 9:57PM

Quick Entry

Let's see if I can keep this blog entry really short and simple.

I'm posting because I haven't posted in a while.

Last week, I began my return with my first classes. The 5 hour block without only a ten minute break (moving from one class to the other) was the only break. Homework was assigned already. I thought I would be able to get the books on Friday to read over the weekend. Well,

1. The College bookstore closed on a Friday at 3PM on the first week classes started.
2. What materials I did receive, I didn't touch any of it. So, I'll probably be doing it at the last minute as usual.

On Saturday -- there was suppose to be a snowstorm here in NYC, but we lucked out. No snow and the weather was great. Anyway, I went shopping for some school supplies. I was a bit surprised by the poor quality of some of the "college" merchandise. One thing that impressed me was something called a book holder, it was a foldable frame that can hold a variety of books to reduce the strain and fatigue with holding a book. After food shopping, my day was basically done. I did finally see the DVD "Inkheart". I really enjoyed the book, but the movie was crappy, to say the least. The movie had none, none of the charm, wit, or magic of the book. It really felt like the old afternoon movie special for kids. I didn't like the acting, the plot changes, nor the special effects.

Sunday
I didn't do much. Having stayed up late Saturday night, I slept much of Sunday away, so there wasn't much to do beyond making a return trip to the store to get a couple of items.

Post Date - Monday, February 8, 2010 12:12am.

Museum & a Movie

My Saturday was nice. One of the members who attended a couple of previous "Movie & Dinner" group event asked if I would be interested in going to the Rubin Museum. The guy was very nice. He has a very interesting life, and he was more than willing to share every detail of that interesting life. I learned the details about his two marriages, his house, his jobs (past and present), working conditions, plans for the future, and difficulties (past and present). Since the conversation was so detailed, we had only seen about a floor and a half of the 4 or 5 floors worth of exhibitions. Normally, I would have seen most (if not all)of the exhibitions.

After the museum, we ate at a nice Chinese restaurant. My epal's plan was for us to share a bowl of soup, but luckily, the waitress mentioned that one bowl was not enough. Epal had pork and wonton soup, I had chicken wonton soup. It was very cold yesterday here in NYC. I didn't dress for the weather. The restaurant with its wall of windows was very drafty and cold.

After the meal, epal needed to buy a couple of dress shirts for work. He was going to take the train a couple of stops to Macy's in Herald Square. I suggested we walk. I had hoped the walk would warm me up. Yes, even though it was freezing outside. It worked.

In Macy's, we went to the dress shirts department, but epal couldn't find a style and/or size he wanted (I don't remember which). Epal next went right to the young men's department (he's 58 years old). He didn't seem to realize that he was in the young men's department, and was ready to give up because he couldn't find something in his size (medium). After finally convincing epal that there had to be regular men's department, -- I was starting to get confused as well. It just seemed strange that someone wouldn't know that there are different departments, and I tend to get confused very easily. Epal let me ask a clerk for the regular men's department. We found it. The main surprise, a ratty, torn flannel shirt, with bleach stains was being sold for $90. $90!!! Epal finally agreed on two dress!?! shirts with patches on the elbows. I wasn't sure how to deal with the situation. I wasn't sure if the guy would have gotten self-conscious if I started suggesting the shirts were not dress, or how to be tactful without appearing too critical. In the end, I didn't say anything. It was a bit strange, the guy just took two shirts off the rack, checked the sizes and went to the cashier. Didn't even hold it to himself to try visualizing the shirt on. I don't like shopping, but I never imagine just walking in picking items off a rack and walking directly to the cashier.

After Macy's, epal said he wanted to go home to take a nap. Since it was only about 4:20PM, I decided to go to see a movie. I went to see Sherlock Holmes. I liked the movie. The style and pace of the movie was very nice. I also like the setup of Professor Moriarty as the villian for a possible sequel. After the movie, I headed home with a stop at MacDonald's.


Post Date - Sunday, January 31, 2010 3:28PM

This and That

A few random comments considering the time I'm posting (and not editing) this, I hope it makes sense. Since I haven't posted in a while, I thought I should post something quick.


Cell Phone
I'm not sure how or why, but since adding more minutes for my phone, it seems to be okay for the time being. Speaking of minutes, I might have to give up my prepaid phone. When I had Tracfone, I basically had a cell phone. I couldn't do much with it but peck out simple text messages, and make calls. With the Tracfone, minutes would last for months. Now, with my AT&T phone, I seem to be going through minutes like there is no tomorrow. Now, I have (limited) access to the internet. I can check my Hotmail account and send/receive instant messages. I've only done the instant messages once, if I start doing that on a regular basis, my minute usage will only increase. Anyway, I had to purchase more minutes today. I purchased 100 minutes ($100) because the original 25 minutes, and the 25 minutes I purchased last week are gone. I will see how long these 100 minutes last. If they don't last until the (approx.) 10 left in the month, then I will have to sign up for one of those prepaid plans with a couple of hundred minutes that will cost about $30 ~ $40 per month.

Today (Sunday, January 17th), I decided to visit my foster father early and then return home to do the laundry and go food shopping. Well, his lady friend asked me to help her add minutes to the Tracfone I gave your as a present. I was on the phone for about 49 minutes trying to get the minutes added. First the problem was that the "add minutes" option was not on her phone, so I had to jump through the automated system nightmare of trying to get a live person, because the options given didn't fit. And each time I chose wrong, I was bumped back to start again with a 15 minute waiting time to speak to a customer service representative. Next, the problem was me misreading the number on the prepaid minute card misreading the last digit as a "0" instead of an "8". That took another 15 minute investigation. When I was finally finished, the Tracfone message couldn't be removed. I took the battery out, and put it back in only to discover that the phone would now not come on. Hopefully it is just the battery needing recharging.

On my way back home, I bought another black messenger bag. This one is closer to what I want in a messenger bag, but not quite. my previous one -- see a previous blog entry with black bag the newspaper and yellowpage phone book in it. This new bag ($20) bought from one of those stands on the streets, is a bit more sporty. It is a bit bigger 9in height x 12in length x 3in width. The previous bag only had a Velcro closure for the main flap. This new bag has a zipper closer for the main compartment, and doubled-clipped closure for the flap. I also like that this bag has a handle for hand-carrying when I don't need it over my shoulder. It has about 10 pockets/compartments, two pen slots, plus the main storage area(with a zippered bottom for a slight expansion). It also has a pipping around the edges so the bag will hold the rectangular shape. Finally, this bag is waterproof. The other bag was just cotton canvas. Sunday was a rainy day, and I had to carry my cotton canvas bag in a plastic shopping bag to keep it from getting wet, which defeats the purpose of having a messenger bag. I just wanted a daypack to keep junk out of my pockets. A backpack is too big when I don't need to carry anything to the movies or the museum.

Social Networking
My membership to the social networking site mentioned in recent blog entries expired January 12th. For three months, I joined this site with the hope of making new friends. In the three months of planning different events like movies, museums, etc...not a single person participated. Not including the circus where my event was posted on another group's site. And the two people who did joined avoided me (politely) like the plague. I was going to let the membership expire. My thinking was why put all of the time and effort into planning events no one shows up for. However now, I thinking that I should give it more time.

On an impulse -- I'm sure you see a pattern. I tend not to do things unless planned or on an impulse. I joined another social networking site. I've heard this site mentioned over the years, but never had any interest in joining. However, on an impulse, I joined about 2 weeks ago. On this site, you answer several questions, creating a profile, and your profile is posted. People with similar interests can find you, or visa verse. At first I was a bit put off by the specificity of the site, but I've grown to kind of like it. You can set search filters for for friends with a search within any state or you can search down to a local search. For the last couple of weeks, I've been chatting online with people who live in my neighborhood. Interesting. One of the reasons for my lack of blog entries.

Work
Nothing's changed. Letting procrastination slowly take over. Letting deadlines build and collide. This past week, I've been working on about 3 or 4 hours of sleep per night. Now, I've developed at wake up at 2AM after falling asleep from exhaustion the minute I touch the couch only to do last minute prep work for the following day. That has to change. Oh, and I have to set time limits on my online chatting. One of the nice things about my new cell phone, is I don't need to be at the computer to chat. I can do it commuting to and from work. There is no longer the need to log it to "check my messages", my phone notifies me when I've received a new text message or email.

College
This Tuesday, January 12th. I return to finish up my Masters Degree. Tuesday is orientation. They sent me the paperwork in the mail. The college even included a scheduled list of classes I need to take in order to graduate. I need to take four classes in order to complete my Masters. Once I've completed the requirements for getting my permanent certification, I stay in college to get my second Masters in school administration. I'd like to see what it's like on the other side.

Movie
I joined another group's event from my previous social networking organization. The event was a movie and dinner. There were about 7 of us attending. Normally, I buy my movie ticket on line, to avoid arriving and finding out it has sold out. This time, the movie was for Sherlock Holmes. I was tired from the previous week, so a part of me wasn't really in the mood for a movie, but I did say I would attend. I had planned to arrive early get my ticket. However, not only did a not arrive early -- I called the organizer to let him know that wouldn't be arriving with the the group. Since the groups usually don't sit together in the movie theater, it really doesn't matter. So, I don't count this event as arriving late. Anyway, when I arrived, and the movie was sold out, so I went to see "Daybreakers". Luckily for me, the movie end at just the right time. My movie finished, I was in and out of the bathroom and in the lobby waiting for the movie group. I'm glad I didn't go to see Sherlock Holmes. I was told the theater was packed. Below is my review of the event:

I didn't see the Sherlock Holmes movie -- it was sold out. I met with the group after the movie. I went to see "Daybreakers" instead. The dinner part of the event was okay. Again, the guys were very nice. The organizer took the time to plan ahead. Unfortunately, the organizer couldn't have foreseen a different atmosphere from the one seen the previous week. This time the place was more cramped, the lights were too low, and the music was too loud. The guys seemed very nice, I enjoyed the conversations. I had more in common with the guys this time around. To be honest, the cheapskate in me was a bit annoyed at having to split the check. I had an expensive $25 dollar burger and fries with a single glass of soda(no water was served). Each person should have known what their own meal should have been. Or, the check should have been passed around so those who didn't know, would have been able to find out.

Well, I think that's about it.

Post Date - Monday, January 18, 2009 6:42AM

Social Networking Event

Today, was the (probably) last social network event I plan. It was basically another wasted effort. My event had the "Science-fiction" theme. My group mission was to find others interested in science-fiction, fantasy, comic books, and graphic novels, movies (with the same themes), etc... Would you believe once again, with a group of about 33, I still had no one who was interested in those themes show up. Oh, I did add "40+ Guys (giving women the option of also attending if they wanted), but no one. I did link up with another group by posting my event on their site, t group has over 1,050 members (their group theme is NYC). From the other group, one one woman showed up. She many came because she wanted to see "Avatar". She seemed bored by the comics, stayed for the movie (anted to sit up near the front), and was gone the minute we stepped into the hallway. At least this one took the time to say good bye before leaving.

Quick summary -the planned schedule

1:30PM - Barnes and Nobles Bookstore (Graphic Novels)
2:15PM - Coffee / Tea in the B&N cafe
2:45PM - Walk over to Forbidden Planet (Comics)
3:00PM - Browse the Shelves at Forbidden Planet
3:45PM - Walk over to the Regal Theater
4:00PM - See the Movie "Avatar"
7:30PM - Dinner (a nearby restaurant)
8:30PM - End of the Event

Although, I had two members RSVP "Yes" for the event (with about 9 "Maybe" RSVP). For the Barnes & Nobles part no one showed. I stayed about 90 minutes. Since you can stay and read the books, it is like a library. When I left, I was about $68.46 poorer.

My purchases:
101 Things to Do With A Slow Cooker
Green Lantern - The Sinestro Corps War
E. E. Knight's Dragon Rule (Book Five)
United States Puzzle - 55 pieces
The Global Puzzle - 600 pieces

The last two where more impulse buys (picked up on the way to the cashier). Whenever someone used to ask about my hobbies, instead of saying I don't have any, I would always say jigsaw puzzles, but to this day, I have complete few (if any). However, I do remember liking jigsaw puzzles. When I saw the global puzzle (with pieces shaped like the countries), I really liked it. Although my geography skills are not what they should be, I shouldn't have any problems finishing the global puzzle. However, realizing I'm not the sharpest knife in the draw, I decided to start off with something easy like the United States (hopefully without looking at the box).

Next stop, was Forbidden Planet the local comic shop (and about $10 poorer)

War Machine #11
Justice Society #34
Astonishing X-Men #33

At $2.99 apiece, I tried to find comics that wouldn't have me returning for the next issue. Being the cheapskate that I am becoming in my old age, I really don't like buying comics that are basically the same shape and size (about 15 pages including pages of advertisements). After about 30 minutes, I received a call from one of the members from the other group who had RSVPed "Maybe". She arrived only to see the movie "Avatar". From the way she was staring at the comics, I knew she was only there to see the movie.

Last was the movie. I thought I was being smart to get to the theater early, but the theater was PACKED!!! Although I avoid the ticket line by purchasing my ticket online, there was still a long, very, very long line to get into the actually theater playing the movie. The line extended down the hall, around the corner to the back and then wrapped around and ended near the theater #8 doors. I offered the lady with me to select the seats she was comfortable with...she wants to sit in the near the front...crap! As soon as we sit down, and the theater is full, the lady starts wondering out loud if there are better seats in the back, and noticing (or thought she noticed available seats in the back. During the 2.5 hour movie, the lady was a bit restless twisting and turning in her sit. As soon as the movie was over (and the first credits hit the screen), the lady was up and ready to leave. As soon as we made it into the secondary lobby, the lady tells me she has to go. I was actually glad the "event" was over. I wasn't in the mood to eat, so I just headed for home.

Oh, the movie "Avatar" was very good. I LOVED THE SPECIAL EFFECTS!!! I thought the characters were very well acted.

Above is a short slideshow of a few pictures I took during the event.

Post Date - Sunday, January 3, 2009 4:13AM

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

Saturday, December 26th
Today (despite the rain), I ventured out for a bit of scouting. I organized a social networking event for tomorrow. Unfortunately, I didn't plan well by putting the event so close to Christmas. I just knew I wouldn't be doing anything, and thought there would be others like me. Well, at this moment, there will probably two others who will be joining me to see the circus.

Anyway, my goal today was to scout around the neighborhood for planning purposes. Since I'm not good with directions, I wanted to look around the neighborhood. I also wanted to try finding a place for dinner that wasn't too expensive. The circus is set up behind Lincoln Center. When I did an online search, I kept getting expensive places. Well, with the walk around, I was able to find a couple of nice places.

After scouting out the neighborhood in the rain, I stepped into Barnes & Nobles. I didn't buy anything because I have another social networking event planned for Jan. 2nd. It involves a book club/ book selection in B&N (more details at another time). After B&N, I went to the movies.

I saw "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus". I don't know why, but I thought the movie would be empty. But, maybe due to the rain, and/or this movie being Heath Ledger's last movie, the theater was PACKED!!! PACKED!!! I really don't like going to crowded movie theaters, and today's was one of the reason.
1. There was just too many people in that theater.
2. The theater was poorly designed. This was a disappointment I was not expecting. I just assumed that a theater about two blocks from Lincoln Center would have been better. I think in order to pay for the rent, the theater tried to cram as many seats in as physically possible. How small? I'm 5'8" tall. Sitting, my knees just touch the seats in front of me. Unfortunately, when someone sat in front of me (as usual it was someone very tall), the seat kept banging my knees. I don't believe I've ever been in a theater where the seat in front touched my knees. Halfway through the movie, I had to sit sideways to stop my knees from getting banged by the guy who kept trying to get comfortable in small seats.

So how was the movie? I thought it was going to be much better. Visually, the movie really looked nice. The premise was also an interesting one, but the execution was poorly done. Since Heath Ledger died before the movie was finished, other actors were brought in to finish his role. Nice idea, but having other actors play one character was a bit unsettling. For me, it was difficult to get a sense of the Ledger character, because different actors were playing the character at different times during different character moods. Since Ledger didn't end the movie, the character who ended the movie didn't feel like the character who started the movie. I know about character growth and development in a movie, but when there are different (in this case three different) actors, playing that character, there was (for me) a certain "disconnection" from the character. There was also plot points that were distracting. The character discovers there is magic (to a certain extent) involved in the mirror, although the actor is written to be initially surprised, but quickly starts acting as if he is hired to wait tables in a restaurant.

After the movie, I headed over the Staples to buy a calendar. For Christmas, I received a cover for personal planner. Yep, just the cover($10). I should have been a bit annoyed having spent about $60 on a gift. However, I liked the gift. It was something that reminded me about needing to get organized. Since I will be returning to college to finish up my Master's Degree, having a personal planner would be very useful. So the positive of the gift was that it was something that I could really use. I also liked the idea that the color was black.

I better go. Once again, this was much longer than I was planning to write. And to think I got online just to send a quick email to those who RSVPed "Yes" my contact information for the circus. Here it is 8AM. Now, I'm tempted to buy the phone (see previous blog entry) just to feel like I accomplished something this morning.

Bye for now. Today, is the circus. I get to try out my new binoculars.

Post Date - Sunday, December 27, 2009 8:09AM

A Day at South Street Seaport

Yesterday, I planned a social networking event. The plan was to spend the day in the South Street Seaport area. I thought it was a nice event. Unfortunately, there was a no show. It was a bit disappointing for the only other"Yes" RSVP to not show(and not contact me). Anyway, I followed the plan. Starting first at the Bodies Exhibition. Unfortunately, picture taking was not allowed. I found the audio tour helpful, I liked being able to choose from two settings (one for adults / kids), I ended up listening to both. The tour was about two hours. From "Bodies" I headed over to the South Street Seaport Museum. For $12, it was okay (not great, but okay). Lots of old maps and old toy models of boats. Staying for two hours was a bit of a stretch, but I managed. Next, I headed over to the two boats included in the S.S.S.M fee. The boats were also nice. I called it an end to the "Day" about 4PM. I skipped dinner at UNO, the area was overflowing with Santas(SantaCon?!?). SantaCon is an area event were people meet dressed as Santa. Since it was still early, I decided to see a movie. At first I went to Union Square, but nothing was starting at that time, so I settled for a movie on 42nd Street (Ninja Assassin). Before the movie, I took a walk around Bryant Park, they had a shopping village and ice skating rink. I'll post photos later.

Guggenheim and a Movie

Yesterday, I joined one of those social networking groups for a visit to the Guggenheim Museum. The place was much more crowded than I was expecting. The meeting time was 2PM "Across from the ticket booth". I arrived about 1:30PM. The museum was packed, I was so glad I paid online (even though it was more expensive to do so), I waited for the others to get their tickets, and about 15 or 20 minutes later started exploring the Kandinsky Exhibition. I'm not really a fan of abstract art, but the museum event gave me a reason to expand my cultural (and social) horizons. I really didn't think much of the art, but I did enjoy the museum experience. The audio tour made it a much more enjoyable experience. The museum's strict photography policy was a bit annoying. You could only take pictures from the ground floor directed up to the ceiling. The last piece was on the top floor (the Guggenheim has a spiral construction). The last piece was of a single sheet of gold-like plastic sheet similar to the silver blankets marathon runners receive when then cross the finish line. That's it. The large room had only the roughly 3ft. x 3ft. sheet of gold on the floor(with one edge flipped up as if someone accidentally kicked it up). I asked the staff member and he told me that the piece was exactly the way the artist wanted it. The concepts were way over my head.

After the museum, the group decided to go for coffee, but there was a bit of indecision about where to go. The group eventually settled on a cafe in a Barnes and Nobles. The conversation was again waaay over my head. The members talked about the art and the symbolism, motivation, etc... The the topic changed to politics and old New York Monday. Again, the conversation was way over my head. I had nothing to offer the conversation, so I just listened, however, I enjoyed just listening.

I excused myself about 5PM. I also had my own meeting. I think I mentioned here that I recently signed up to host my own group. I signed up at a moment of boredom. I'm hoping to expand my social skills and meet new people with similar interest. I thought that by starting my own group, I could find people who shared similar interest. So far, I'm not having much luck. But, it is still too early.

Anyway, I went to the meeting spot, knowing that no one would probably show. And no one did. I posted a movie selection on my group's polling page. I have 4 votes for A Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, but no one showed up. Good thing, the movie was sold out. I had to settle for the movie I really wanted to see, "2012".

I really enjoyed "2012". Although the ending was a good one, there were one or two things that didn't set well with me. I don't want to spoil the movie for those who have not seen it, so I won't provide details.

After the movie, my plan was for the group to eat dinner at a nearby Japanese restaurant. The restaurant was very nice, I would like to return again, but hopefully not by myself.

I took a few picture during the day, I'll put them into a slideshow and post them at another time.

Post Date - Sunday, November 29, 2009 11:32AM

Quick Entry

Another attempt to clear out my draft folder. However, considering I have report cards to do, I'll have to keep this brief.

Tuesday, August 19th


I met a new epal in Union Square Park. In a matter of seconds I knew we had nothing in common. I arrived at the meeting spot about 10 early. After about 10 minutes of reading my newspaper, I look up to see some guy staring at me. It turns out to be the epal. He is a teacher as well, but I got the impression that he was treating the job as a temporary situation. We had nothing in common and he wasn't interested in talking about school, students, or teaching in general. Epal suggested that we sit on a bench in Union Square Park. I wanted to walk, but I agreed to sit. That was a very long 2 hours. Very long.

After about 2 hours, we went our separate ways. He went shopping at a clothes store in the area, I went to Radio Shack to buy some credits for my Napster account. AFter, I went to the movies to see District 9. I liked the movie. However, I was highly annoyed at the coming attractions. EVERY SINGLE ONE WAS A PREVIEW FOR A HORROR MOVIE!!! I'm not a horror movie fan.

Wednesday, August 20th
I finally got of my lazy *** and went to apply for reenrollment in college. I need to finish up my Master's Degree. Unfortunately, I was too late for Spring 2010.

Post Date - Wednesday, November 4, 2009 7:55PM

The Maid

A crazy week to an end. This blog entry will be a bit sloppy for the sake of time and lack of planning.

This week started and continued like many others, disorganized and stressed. I had a three-day weekend to get organized, but blew it. I didn't do much of anything. but on the last day with a momentarily impulse of boredom, I signed up for a social networking group...as an organizer.

Quick explanation. Social networking groups are groups made of everyday men and woman who come to getting based on the interests of the group. If you can name a topic or interest, there is probably a group. For example, single mothers who knit, there is probably a group. Wine tasters in the city, yep, there are about a couple of hundred groups.

Well, for the last couple of years, I've signed up for various groups with mixed results. I've also tried looking for friends online, also with mixed results. Nothing seemed to fit with what I wanted. My personality is a bit of an irregular size. And like clothing, my personality/interests doesn't really come in regular sizes. Shopping off the rack has yielded mixed results. I don't drink or smoke. I don't like sports. I like movies, but don't go very often, nor can I recall details of actors or actresses that play in them. I like comics books, but I don't read them very often, and I couldn't tell you much about the backgrounds of the characters or their creators. I like reading science fiction, but I couldn't tell you the last author I've read. I like walking, but I couldn't find most major landmarks on a map. I've lived in NYC for most of my life, but I'm the first one to get lost downtown. I think you get the picture.

Usually, I sit around waiting for invitations or activities that don't come, so I end up sleeping away the weekend. When I'm not working, the days of boredom just bleeds into the next.

Anyway, last Sunday on an impulse, I signed up as an organizer of a social network group. Strange isn't it. Someone who doesn't socialize, who keeps to himself, who has few if any interests, signs up to lead a social networking group. So how did it go.

Well, signing up during a moment of boredom isn't a good reason to sign up. Also, not really knowing what kind of group I wanted also didn't help. I came up with the idea of a Guy's Group for doing various activities on the weekend. Problem, within minutes, women started quickly signing up. By Monday morning, I had about 20 women signed up and about 12 men. Initially, I kept the group's options opened for both genders. But then I changed my mind. I reworded the group's title and message to make it more of a men's group. Then, I had a couple of guy's drop not wanting to belong to a gay group, and women leaving as well. However,....

I was still getting women who wanted to join. One member suggested that I just delete all the woman. But, the idea of being in an exclusive group with a "No ______ Allowed" doesn't appeal to me. So, I then searched a found a couple of similar groups (one almost exactly like the one I had just created the day before)...

Still didn't work. So, now, I've given up for the time being. If there are really people out there bored on the weekend and just want a reason for getting out of there homes, then I don't feel right putting up a "NO _____ Allowed" sign on the door.

I chose the first event to be a visit to a comic convention(also a last minute impulse). I had only one RSVP "Yes". He eventually cancelled because no one else was going. I also agreed a few days before I created my new group, that I would attend that event (movie and dinner).

Actually, I was so exhausted from work, that I really didn't want to do anything but sleep this weekend. It would mean that Saturday would have me up and running early for a Saturday for me. Anyway, the one guy who joined cancelled, so that just freed me up to just attend the other group's event as a member not an organizer. Although I wasn't too thrilled with the movie choice "The Maid", it was another one of those, "it's either that or sleeping away the weekend" choices.

I arrived at the theater about 20 minutes early. The organizer's meeting plan was to have the members look for a tall guy with a black cap. Well, after waiting about 20 minutes, I went to see a movie I really didn't want to see (I paid for my ticket online). The movie was "The Maid". I thought it was a comedy, but I was wrong. Although, several people chuckled throughout the movie, and laughed a few times, I was bored. The maid had basically one "thing", she locked the other maids out of the house. I was bored. I was also annoyed that I was sitting through two hours of a movie I didn't want to see. After the movie, I went to the diner in Greenwich Village (mentioned a few times in previous blog entries).

When I got home, I checked my email. The organizer of the group had sent me an email (10 minutes after I had left home) saying that the other guys had cancelled.

Before doing this blog, I did a bit of online shopping for the man purse I mentioned in a previous entry. I'm a bit tired of carrying around my backpack. While shopping for the maurse (man purse), I found a nice looking wait pouch. I've wanted something to carry the stuff I carry around class for a while now. However, I really didn't want a fanny pack.

Well, I think that's about it.


Post Date - Sunday, October 18, 2009

Indianapolis - Day 3 (The Zoo)

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Today started very early with a 2AM departure. The group using the back room in the basement left very noisily making at least 7 trips up and down the stairs through the front room where I was trying to sleep. Also a new arrival to the front room turned on the air-conditioner full blast. In a matter of minutes it was like an ice box.

About 12PM, I was on the bus for downtown. The plan was to use the last tickets in our downtown tourist booklet to go to the zoo. Since INpal had to go to church, I wasn't sure what time he would be finished, so I started off alone.

We ended up meeting at the zoo about 2PM. The zoo combined an aquarium within the zoo. I thought the zoo was very nice. We saw a dolphin show, which was okay. To me, the dolphin show seemed a bit short. The lights were low, and the action was a bit too fast for my slow hands. I really didn't get any good shots at the dolphin show. While in the zoo, INpal picked up the tab for lunch, which was a nice surprise.

Later, we went to see the Harry Potter Movie in IMAX. The "IMAX" experience was a bit of a waste. They gave out 3D glasses, so I assumed the whole or most of the movie would be in 3D. Actually, only about 10 minutes of the beginning was in 3D. Yep, that's it, only 10 minutes of a 2.5 hour movie. Yes, I felt a bit cheated. The movie was long but it was enjoyable.

After the movie, INpal and I went for dinner. Unfortunately, most of the places were closed due to it being Sunday. It took a bit of driving, but eventually we settled on KFC/Taco Bell. After dinner, INpal returned me to the hostel. After giving him a couple of NYC souvenirs, we said good bye.

A couple of months ago, INpal mentioned that he would not be available for touring after Sunday. In Indianapolis, schools open around the beginning of August. Instead of changing my plans, I decided to just hang out and explore on my own for the next couple of days.

* The attached photo is of a snake display at the snake house in the zoo.

Post Date - Monday, September 7, 2009 11:22PM

Big and Tall

Today I went to a local mall. First stop was the movie theater to see of anything was playing. I was in luck, Ice Age 3 - Dawn of the Dinosaurs was showing within 5 minutes. The movie was cute, I enjoyed it. I also liked the theater being only about 1/4 full.

After the movie, I did a quick price check on portable DVD players. Then, to my surprise, the restaurant Panda Express was back!!! Well, the name was changed to China Max, but everything seemed the same. Same workers. Same food. The only change seemed to be a more of a fast-foodish look with the display menus.

After lunch, I went clothes shopping at JCPenny. After about 45 minutes of trying to find something I could wear, I was about to call it quits with a pair of shorts and a single shirt. Then, on the way out I discovered their "Big and Tall" section. I've never needed this section before. Oh, for those of you who don't know me....I'm not tall. After my vacation, I'm really going to have to start exercising. I left about $98 poorer. The damages:

1 belt
2 shorts
2 short-sleeved shirts
2 Tee-shirts
I was going to buy my underclothing here, but came to my senses. I knew Target would be much cheaper.

Next stop was Target. I finished with a $267.65 hole in my pocket. My list:

1 pack of undershirts
2 pack of underclothes
1 pack of socks
1 Sony DVD portable player
1 3Yr. service plan for DVD player
5 DVDs
- Epic Movie
- Disaster Movie
- Eragon
- Spiderman 3
- Jumper

Back home, I ordered Chinese takeout for dinner (Beef with Broccoli). Now, I'm about to call it a night.

Oh, the Amazon company called me to tell me that the man purse would not be available until the end of July, so I had them cancel the order. I might go shopping downtown on Wednesday for a new backpack. As for my sneakers, I don't think they stink, so I'll be keeping them a bit longer.


Post Date - Monday, July 13, 2009 11:36PM

Transformers 2

Today an epal and I went to see Transformers 2 in Brooklyn. I did not realize it, but she pointed out that we've known each other for about 3 years. Wow, time flies.

Today started out with me in a bit of a panic, I missed my comfort train which would have allowed me to arrive early. I was debating whether or not to call to saying I would be about 10 minutes late, but with an internet search of the travel route, I had time to arrive on time...but cutting it close. I arrived with about 5 minutes to spare. Once I got out of the train station, I see that a message was left on my cell phone saying my epal would be about 10 minutes late. One of the down sides to doing the walking activity with a woman is that my mind is always locked in chivalry mode. I wasn't sure if I should buy her ticket or not, with a guy that thought would never have entered my mind. Not being sure if she also brought her ticket (she was the one to suggest the theater and meeting time), I decided to pass on buying the extra ticket and maybe being stuck with the ticket.

So, how was the movie?

Strange thing, being a big fan of science-fiction movies and block-buster movies, I should have loved it, but to be honest, I really didn't think the movie was that great. It was nice, and it was entertaining, but it wasn't that great. The movie was long , loud, and a bit excessive at times. Also, the audience was a bit too loud, and too interactive. Usually, I wait a couple of weeks to see a movie. I tend to avoid crowds and avoid going when a movie just comes out. I also tend to get distracted by things going on around me (ie a cellphone being checked, a conversation going on, people getting up, etc...). I was also a bit unsure of what to expect from the theater. I waited until the last minute before I bought my online ticket, at that time I also checked the theater reviews. To put it mildly, the theater didn't get many positive reviews. However, I didn't have an alternative, and I hadn't made the movie selection, so I didn't say anything about the online movie reviews. The theater was a bit cold, but I came prepared for that. The movie at 2 and a half hours was too long. I also thought there was too much cursing by the supposedly robots from outer space. It was a bit unsettling to hear robots going on and on about "punk ass this and bitch ass that". It was also a bit difficult to follow the action scenes with the robots looking fairly similar. It was helpful to have the good robots each have a different color, but the bad robots started to blend together after awhile with almost each one being silver. The last thing that probably shaded my review was the active audience participation, they clapped, cheered and rooted for the heros in the movie. It has been a long time since I've been to a movie with active audience participation(not including movies attended with my students). Oh, I thought Tony Todd did a very good job as the voice of the villain robot. He has a very distinctive voice like James Earl Jones. Lastly, I was going to end with a comment about seeing woman changing her baby's diaper while I was walking out, but I think I'll attach a link to the theater's reviews instead.

After the movie, my epal and I went to a Chinese restaurant --not to the cheap takeout places that I usually go to but a nice sit down place. The prices were higher, but the food was better. I had sweet and sour pork. The food was good, however, they were a bit skimpy on the rice. The bill came to about $21 for the two of us. It was a nice place. The service was quick and the staff seemed nice. I took a business card to remember the place.

After the Chinese meal, my epal suggested ice cream for dessert. Not sure what to order, I finally settled on a banana-split only to be told once the scoops were decided that the guy was out of bananas. I settled for a sundae. My epal had a couple of scoops of ice cream. I don't remember what our order came to, but the ice cream was good.

From the ice cream place, my epal suggested a walk to the Brooklyn promenade. I don't think I've ever been to the Brooklyn Promenade, so that was nice. It would have been nice to walk along the promenade, but since my epal seemed tired, I didn't suggest it. However, we did have a very nice conversation. My epal also suggested another walking activity in the Brooklyn area, since it is something I wouldn't do on my own, I am interested in doing it.

It was a nice day. I didn't get to take many pictures, but I still enjoyed myself. Oh, and I found out my epal likes texting, which is nice. Most of the people I know don't like texting.

Well, I better go. I have to return to school tomorrow(actually it is now today) to finish packing up my materials for the summer. It was a nice start to my summer vacation.


Post Date - Monday, June 29, 2009 1:38AM

Star Trek

I went to see Star Trek today. I enjoyed the movie despite the giggling girls who spent most of the movie laughing and clapping(loudly) at any violence that appeared.

Another wasted weekend of unproductivity. Having slept Saturday away, I decided to go see the Star Trek movie before it was no longer playing in theaters. I went to the early matinee showing which was only $6 as opposed to the regular $12.50 ticket. I thought the movie was nicely done, I found it very entertaining. I thought the actors were all well-casted. It was also nice seeing Leonard Nimoy is Spock again. Normally, I don't like "time travel" plots, this one wasn't bad. Yes, it did raise some questions, but I was able to sit back and enjoy the movie for its entertainment value. If the movie was poorly done, then I would not have excused the questions raised.

After the movie, I ate lunch at Yoshinoya (a Japanese fast food restaurant). I had a large beef bowl with a side of vegetables.

After lunch, I went to visit my foster father and then returned home. I did my laundry. I also ironed my shirt for tomorrow. It has been a very long time since I've ironed my clothes the night before. Now, I need to finish up this blog entry and turn my attention to prepping for tomorrow. I also need to cut my hair, it's been long, very long overdue. The gray hairs seems to be blooming in full patches...lucky me.


Post Date - Sunday, June 7, 2009 8:58PM