Opinions are like......

I am “sort” of a movie buff, at least I think of myself as one. My tastes tend to run a bit on the eclectic side, but then again, I think half of the universe likes to think their tastes are a bit unique. Who comes out and says “My tastes are completely pedestrian, and I love to swallow whatever bilge mainstream Hollywood wants to send my way”? Probably not many people. SO, I will just say that *I* think that my tastes tend to run a bit off the charts at times.

I will have to start with my dislikes. Acquaintances often tell me that my opinions get in the way of many good films, and that is perhaps a truism, but there are certain actors that I just can’t stand to watch. Among those are the following:

Cary Grant: My dad used to constantly complain about this guy, stating that he was in every movie made between approximately 1960 and 1970. So via overkill, no thanks. I have to say that Dad’s opinions had an effect on me, and I don’t care for the man. I do make an exception for Hitchcock’s North by Northwest though. (None of my rules are so hard and fast that I can’t make exceptions for them……)

Julia Roberts: This hack makes me crazy. I swear that she was in 500 bombs in a row, but somebody in Hollywood loves her sorry butt so much that they just kept casting her in films until she had some success. ( I am talking *post* Pretty Woman.)

Sandra Bullock: A poor woman’s Julia Roberts. No thanks.

Jim Carrey: I have to add the caveat that I think that Carrey is a tremendous talent. The Truman Show is one of my favorite movies. I guess I need to state that I don’t care for “Ace Ventura” style Jim Carrey, but I like “Truman Show” Jim Carrey. I am awaiting The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and really looking forward to it.

Tom Hanks: *GASP* I know, I know. EVERYBODY has to love Tom Hanks. He has as many Academy Awards as Spencer Tracy (who I DO like). When this guy has a bowel movement, they give him an award. I’ll pass.

I need to add that I am totally aware that the previous statements are opinions, and I am not trying to tell you that you should feel the same. As you read this, you probably disagree with every single opinion. And that is completely your right. This is just where I rant. Feel free to link to your blog where *you* rant! As for my ramblings, just smile and roll your eyes like the rest of my friends…..

Stay strong

I despise people who preach and nag on a constant basis, so please excuse me while I do it… This story is about a young girl being far braver than she should ever have to be.

Fragrance?

Fragrance? Yup, you heard it right, fragrance. I know that it is an odd topic, especially for a Friday evening. (The boys are in bed, the spouse is at some scrapbooking shindig, and I am alone with my keyboard.) I tried a new cologne today, Polo Black from Ralph Lauren and I really liked it. It has a very citrusy topnote, although the drydown seems to be much more faint and indistinct. After walking around the mall wearing the stuff for 30 minutes, I decided to buy a bottle in one of them there packages with the deodorant and the valet box. (Queer Eye, here I come…..) And YES, I find it necessary to buy the matching deodorant, because unless you wear the unscented anti-perspirant that stains your pits and your shirts white, the other mens deodorants are all some form of light cologne, which can wind up making you smell like you just visited a French cathouse, to paraphrase my father. (I don’t think Dad ever did anything more than Ice Blue Aqua Velva at most, but I digress……..)

SO, after the purchase is made, I decide to troll the Internet for some sites to see what the minions out there think of it. Think about it, it makes perfect sense, seek out opinions AFTER you make the purchase. Nice job, buddy. What can I say, I seek constant affirmation. I stumbled upon an interesting site at http://www.basenotes.net that has a good bit of information for anyone that is so inclined. It might be worth your time to take a look.

The point of this rant is, whenever you open a men’s magazine (I am referring more to the ones you can buy without having to go into a back room and ask for the mags in the shrink wrap, such as GQ, Esquire, Men’s Fitness, Men’s Health, etc. Sometimes you just barely have to open the magazine and you are aurally inundated with a variety of fragrances. There are usually a minimum of two to three per issue. They always show us some good looking young guy, dressed to the nines, looking as if he is on his way to a board of director’s meeting OR about to bed some model du jour. My question is, do women care? Is this just something being pushed on us by the smart folks on Madison Avenue that we dolts who badly want to be sophisticates puchase in order to chase these fantasies? Or does a fragrance really make a difference? Hmmm. As for Polo Black, my wife said she liked it a lot, so it’s good enough for me.

Last weekend

Last weekend was definitely an interesting one….

I decided to get a little Disneyland time with the wife and I alone, so with Grandma agreeing to watch the little darlings for a while, it was off we went, back to Anaheim. First of all, I am still upset at myself for not checking to see that it was a holiday weekend. (I know that Columbus day is not a holiday for most people now, but it seems that many still manage to get some time off for it.) But I was happy to get away from the desert heat for a little of Orange County’s moderate weather.

SO, we have a room reserved at a hotel called the Katella Palms. I have never stayed there before, and lately we have been doing the Disney properties, but trying to keep the cash in supply, I decided to go with a lower cost hotel. We pull in, it’s a bit away from the main “strip” of hotels near the park, but it’s near a strip club. (I tried to sell that as a bonus to the wife, but she didn’t see it quite that way…) But as an aside, I am pretty sure that an evening at the strip club is probably cheaper than a day at Disney. Although after dropping all the cash at Disneyland, at least you get a couple of rides.

But I digress.

We pull into the hotel, and it looks a bit older, but not too bad. After all, they have Internet access, coffee pots in the room, and a friendly shark in the lobby. (I am not sure what makes a shark friendly….) So I bring in the laptop and decide to do a little surfing and forgo doing the park for a while. I will make a long story short and let you know that the “Internet Access” didn’t work, and I was told that “sometimes it doesn’t work in the rooms”. SIGH. So they have it in the lobby, and if you can pick it up in the rooms, well then bully for you. Well, at least I saved 10 bucks a day.

So, I decide to charge up the cell phone and the electric tooth brush (Yes, I know it’s lazy, but I really like the Sonicare). BUT, only one plug in the room actually works. (I guess to get multiple plugs you have to upgrade your room to a suite. So, in order to use more than one appliance, I had to unplug the light and just let the tv light the room.

That was just the room. If you want to hear me bitch about the ESPNZone later, I will. I just thought I would share some of my weekend!

There was quite an eventful evening the other day....my entire family was staying at Disney's Grand Californian for the (then) upcoming Chocwalk fundraiser for the Children's Hospital of Orange County. So, as another fun-filled day at Disneyland comes to a close (I use fun-filled with a heavy dollop of sarcasm, since with two very small children, it poses a variety of challenges at times.) we head off to our hotel room for some rest & relaxation. We were already exhausted due to our littlest one (15 months) deciding the previous night that he DOESN'T need to go to sleep, no matter WHAT we say. Unlike at home, you can't just let him scream it out in his crib, since there are some others in the hotel that may not be thrilled with that option.

SO anyway, due to some poor culinary choices (It is quite difficult to eat healthily at Disneyland) I did not get to sleep right away. Some people hang out with Jack Daniels, I was hangin' with my buddy Al K. Seltzer. It eventually takes hold and I manage to find the "sweet spot" on the pillow (you know the cool spot that you get when you turn the pillow over) when all of a sudden the alarm clock starts to go off. Alarm clock? It's 2 AM. Why did we set the alarm clock for 2AM?

Suddenly the fog of late-arriving sleep fades and I realize that it is NOT an alarm clock, it is the fire alarm, accompanied by a voice announcing that this is not a drill, to proceed to the exit in a quick manner and don't use the elevator. (The fourth floor is not always the best choice...) You haven't lived until you have dressed yourself, grabbed your children and your iPod (I AM civilized) and carried them down stairs hoping to God that you aren't marching them down to a collective doom.

People were orderly (but too slow for my tastes) and thankfully others knew where the stairs were, since I sure as heck didn't. We finally arrived in the lobby and were herded out into Downtown Disney as it was closing. It was quite the menagerie, with an entire hotel standing outside, many with robes on or whatever could be grabbed in the brain fog of panic + fatigue. I do remember the sneer of a couple of "teenagers" who were walking past us chuckling at our predicament. It is funny how your mind switches gears so quickly from fear to anger as you contemplate the various reasons for the evacuation.

After a few minutes, we were allowed to re-enter and we marched back up the stairs to our rooms. Thankfully, the children went right back to sleep. I can't say the same for the adults. I just hope that if someone pulled a fire alarm, they got a REALLY big kick out of it. I can't say that I did. So bedtime finally came around 3:30 or so, and we had to get up for the ChocWalk at 5. More to come.

Interesting......I was perusing the USA Today this morning (No, I wouldn't pay for it, but it was delivered to my hotel room....) and immediately went to the sports section. I am one of those "typical males" that gravitate to sports to read about all of the highly overpaid athletes who wouldn't give me the time of day due to some unrequited dreams of glory from my youth. (There is very little to explain my favorite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, except that I am still seeking out punishment for heretofore unexplained sins.

But I digress.

In an article entitled Futbol-mad Mexico ready for football that details the upcoming NFL game in Mexico, there is a quote given by a Carlos Copernicus that states "We're not going to conquer the world with weapons. We do it with the numbers of our people." (USA Today, Friday, September 30, 2005)

I found it very thought provoking. I hearken back to the oft used quote "We will take you without firing a shot" that is often credited to various Soviet Premiers (Kruschev, etc) and I wonder if this isn't a more accurate statement than anything uttered during the cold war. It certainly wasn't what I expected from the Sports section...