pointedview

I only log in to HSX maybe once every two years or so, but on those rare occasions, it's usually informative. Click the LJ-cuts below to view the planned abominations, potential successes, and my thoughts on them. :)

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( Development )

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We got a Roomba! I've wanted one for a long time, and when I saw a terrific deal on Woot.com, I couldn't resist.

( Okay, so maybe it's more like a cross between Simon and a Cylon (Silon?), but it's still nifty. )

I'm less concerned about it attacking the cat than about its ability to pick up the cat's hair. As long as it obeys the Three Laws, we're fine. They can even have a plan so long as that plan consists of keeping the floors clean. :)

It's charging now. I think the fact that the manufacturers programmed it with full Cylon pulse glow is hilarious. I can't wait to use it for the first time. Glee!

Happy Fourth of July to all those observing it. It's a historic one -- the first Fourth of July with a black president. We've come a long way. There's farther to go, but there's no denying that we've made progress.

Total credit to leighbc for sharing this. If she hadn't, I might never have known about it. Comedy gold from Jon Stewart, ladies and gentlemen. I didn't expect to laugh this hard on the morning of the 4th of July.The snippet from the Trinity Cathedral priest is especially good. For those not familiar with South Carolina, Trinity is the big cathedral in Columbia.

Content found via The Huffington Post:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Shut Up, Mark Sanford
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

Public Enemies felt strangely flat. It was almost like a movie of a movie. I can see the film that they were trying to make, but I almost feel like it needed to be in the hands of a different director, like Martin Scorsese, to achieve its intent. The cinematography made me feel distanced from the whole thing; my husband concurred. I had difficulty caring about the characters ... I felt uninvolved and removed. I certainly never felt like I learned anything at all about Melvin Purvis.

It wasn't a terrible film, it just didn't live up to the potential I'd hoped for from the trailers. It was okay, but not great.

Regarding performances, I thought it might be Johnny Depp's Oscar turn, but after seeing it, I don't think this is it, although he was very good, as usual. There's no question that he's remarkably talented, and to go from as cartoony a role as Jack Sparrow to something as pragmatically steely as this shows his tremendous range. I thought Marion Cotillard did a beautiful job of managing her accent, allowing just the faintest tinge to creep in here and there to remind us that the character's father was French. However, the real star performance in the picture, in my opinion, is Billy Crudup's portrayal of J. Edgar Hoover. He was excellent, and, wow, what a shift from Dr. Manhattan. I didn't recognize him at first even though I knew from advance press that he was playing the part.

Like I say, it wasn't bad. I just didn't think it was Michael Mann's best work, and, in hindsight, I would've been just fine with catching it on HBO.

I'm still waiting for the Great Summer Movie of 2009.

Did someone serve a slow-acting hallucinogenic at a gathering of Republican governors that's only now taking effect? Sanford and Palin must've drunk a lot of the crazy punch -- their rambling logorrhea is uncomfortably similar.

Sarah Palin resigns (CNN)

Text of Palin's speech (Alaska.gov)

Sanford confesses affair (YouTube)

The level of self-destruction is getting comic-book bizarre. If I didn't know better, I'd say the Brotherhood of Mutants was involved. :)

Fun read:

TV Tropes

Start with Jossed, and explore. Just be warned that I completely fell into all the lovely hyperlinks ... I looked up from reading and it was an hour and a half later. I couldn't resist the temptation to add just one item ... certainly Jack's storage facility in the Season 3 episode of Alias, "Breaking Point," qualifies for the Crazy Prepared list. :)

In under the wire:

Happy birthday, Scott!

I love the feeling of positive anticipation. Sometimes, I think I get almost as much mileage out of looking forward to something as I do the actual event.

This week:

• I get to go to lunch with my aunt tomorrow at Alon's! Woo!


• I have Friday off with my sweetie! We plan to do absolutely nothing!


• We have reservations for this fabulous deal at Aria.


• Barring anything throwing her flight schedule off considerably, I will get to meet the awesome organfailure in person on Sunday! *wiggly-toed joy!*


• Also on Sunday, things are looking good for an instance run with the gang in Warcraft!

... or be stopped. This just gets worse and worse. He has to have had a mental breakdown to be experiencing this kind of logorrhea. That's the only possible excuse I can find for being so extraordinarily hurtful to his wife and four children. At the time of this writing, 86% of respondents to The State's poll want him to resign. Why can't he save South Carolina some money (by not having to initiate an investigation), and what's left of his dignity by doing the right thing?

AP Newsbreak: SC gov 'crossed lines' with women

SC gov's life unraveled by forbidden romance

He is "trying to fall back in love with his wife," but Chapur is his "soul mate," he says? Sir, could you please embarrass your wife and sons some more? I don't think they've had quite enough yet. Sheesh, what a cad. Jenny should either have him committed for psychiatric evaluation or kick him to the curb ... or both.

Edit: 10 SC Senate Republicans call for Sanford to step down.