TemptingReview of "The Godfather Part II"

As promised, I took the time to review Part II of "The Godfather" trilogy, recently re-released on Blu-ray.  And yes, I was quite wise in waiting until the following weekend to do so, because I haven't been this disconnected from the passage of time since the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which isn't anywhere near as long in single instances.  The second part of the trilogy is a whopping 3 and a half hours - so long, in fact, that I was not surprised to see a literal intermission left right after the 2 hour mark, just like in the theaters, and I took well advantage of this.  I just can't sit through a movie that long, unfortunately.  Doesn't matter how good it might be.

Part II takes a markedly different turn than Part I did.  Instead of "...a bunch of guys talking at a wedding", you now have a movie that is less focused on any "Godfather" or gangs, and more focused on the underbelly of the mob way of life: that on the surface are legitimate businesses that provide the funding for what happens behind the scenes.  The movie has been both praised and criticized: Many people give it flack for its length (myself included), others for the fact that nothing major really happens.  Some herald it as the greatest sequel of movies.  I stand to disagree with pretty much everyone, and agree with certain points from both sides.  First, it IS too long.  I see no reason why this could not have been two separate movies, honestly.  In fact, half of the movie could easily have served as the perfect sequel to the first part: this is where you see, from childhood to Don, the rise of Vito Corleone.  However, as presented, it is intermingled with the struggles of his kid, Michael Corleone, as he is trying to legitimize the family operations as he promised Kay that he would.  The result is an interesting story told, but confusing at times as you are forced to pay very close attention to people and places to make sure you don't lose track of who's who.  It also feels crammed in, like they were purposely trying to make sure it didn't go over 3 and a half hours.

You first are presented with young Vito, who is part of a small Sicilian village.  His father has been murdered by the local don, Ciccio (yes, the same one from Snoop Dogg/JD "We Just Wanna Party With You" song).  His brother has sworn revenge, and as they are carrying the body to its final resting place, gunshots ring out.  The brother is killed.  Distraught, the mother takes young Vito to the Don to plead for his life; she is killed, but he escapes with the aid of some other villagers who are sympathetic.  This is a key moment in the movie; it's unfortunate that this goes by so fast with so little character development.  It's well done overall in terms of impact, but fails in terms of memorable characters or filming style.  Vito comes to America, where he is taken in by a store owner and raised as if he were a son.  The Don in this area, Fanucci, exploits the stores and shops for money and mistreats some of the locals.  Without spoiling events, there are moments here where you can tell that some of Vito's Part 1 tendencies come directly from his interactions with Fanucci.

Where this all breaks down is the fact that it goes way too fast, yet again.  At one point he's a poor young man working at a store; the next they're calling him "Don Vito" with no real backstory or translation as to why they all of a sudden respect him.  I can't spoil the preceding moment of the film that leads to this, but it would make logical sense that he would have been targeted by some of Fanucci's men if they knew what he'd done; if they didn't know, then the people should not be treating him with any more respect than they did before.  It simply doesn't make sense in the grand scheme.  Now, it's possible Fanucci didn't have any men, but if that were the case, it begs the question why Vito took so long to act on his impulses.  You don't get much of Vito's personality; you can't tell if he's a hero, or simply ambitious and wants to take over the role.  Perhaps that's a strength of this part of the movie - the unpredictability of the primary character.  I found it distracting, because I spent too much time trying to figure out the character rather than focusing on what the character brought to the film.

After this, we're jarred back to the reality that is Michael Corleone.  We see that he is trying to build a family and legitimize the Corleone legacy, taking a turn from his father.  Unfortunately, there is a wrench thrown in his plans, courtesy of an assassination attempt while he's in his bedroom talking to Kay.  There are numerous issues with this scene, and I suppose the writers and defenders would chalk it up to simple sloppiness on the part of those involved; but it stands to reason that if they were good enough to manage to shoot inside of an exposed window, that they should not be missing anyone inside, and that they would make sure that they are close enough to get the hit.  The other issue I had was with the fact that it was easily assumed that someone inside was responsible; having those same people comb the grounds for the assassins seemed short-sighted; what's to stop one of them from putting a bullet in Michael's head when he wasn't looking?  Yet Michael is perfectly composed and calm during what simply must be a hair-raising evening.

After this Michael decides to go discuss the matter with Hyman Roth.  He's convinced that a Corleone family member is responsible for setting things up.  This is where the movie starts to take a bizarre and confusing turn.  First, he says that the Corleone family member is responsible.  Then he tells the Corleone family member that Roth is responsible.  There are other family brothers who are named but never shown, and he even tries to say that they're responsible.  This entire time, it's never clear what he's basing any of this on.  He throws out random theory after theory, and the movie never really shows what his logic is based on.  In any event, it's not long before we're jarred back to Vito's storyline, where he has now gained the respect of the town.  We even see him picking fruit, similar to the iconic scene in Part I where he gets gunned down in the street shortly after picking fruit.

Once all of this dust settles we're then brought back to the present, and we see snippets from what appears to be a grand jury, and one of the Corleone family members testifying against Michael and the family.  Michael himself later testifies, denying that he's any sort of Don, and also denying the murder of the cop from Part I.  My issue with the scene is not the scene itself, but the fact that it feels thrown in there with, again, no real backstory.  It's understood that something like this would inevitably happen sooner or later, but it bugs me that there is no buildup to this sort of trial.  No arrest, no reporters, nothing.  It goes from Michael talking at the mansion to him testifying in front of senators at risk of perjury and jail time.

In a sure-to-be iconic scene, Michael is confronted by Kay with the truth: his life and what he says are lies.  He hasn't transformed the family, he's doing the same things his father did to get results, and the family is just as dirty as it had been under his father's direction.  Where Michael sees them as necessary means to an end and strength to protect the family and its members, Kay sees him as someone who would do whatever he had to do in order to avoid taking responsibility for his actions - it's clear she knows about the people he's killed and the deaths that have happened under Michael's direction, and when he explains to her that he just invited someone to come to court (that someone being essentially an intimidator to a damaging witness against him), it's obvious in his eyes that there's no problem and that he didn't do anything wrong.  She wants to leave with the kids and he won't allow it, escalating into a shouting match between the two.  It is then that he tries to apologize for her miscarriage, and she makes a startling (but not totally unexpected) revelation to him that sends him into a violent rage.  The relationship between these two is never quite the same for the rest of the movie.  If I had to pick the best acting of what I've seen, it's these two.  Al Pacino comes off with an energy that's difficult to explain, yet understandable at the same time. 

Michael has interactions with his brother Fredo that set the undertone of the whole movie, from the very beginning all the way until the very last scene.  I can't say much negative here, except that there are obvious issues with the Fredo character as it seems they didn't know how best to create the controversy that ensues.  Without spoiling things, Michael says in an early scene that Fredo is "...weak and stupid", at one point unable to control his consort who is falling down drunk.  The Fredo character definitely exhibits these traits; to hear him talk, you would think that he isn't really weak or stupid, but rather introverted and just not able to properly "lead" anything like his younger brother.  He flies off into a minor rage about the fact that he's been overlooked in favor of Michael, who reminds him gently that it was Vito who made the selection, not him.  Vito clearly had an eye for the characters of his children.  It reminded me a lot of Cao Cao and his struggle in selecting a successor.

Speaking of, Vito is now up to bat.  We're shown him leaving his small village and branching out into the olive oil business.  From a small storefront in the village to greater distribution, he ends up back in the same place where Don Ciccio gunned his mother down in front of him.  The scene is predictable, but the Don is so old he doesn't remember the name nor Vito's face.  You can't help but feel a sense of justice when this scene concludes, even though it's a bit gruesome.  Definitely not for the faint of heart - but if you recall from the first movie, Vito Corleone's empire started with the olive oil distribution and expanded into what it became with other ventures.  It's nice to see that evolution, though a bit haphazard.

After reconciling with Connie (his sister), who agrees to come live with the family, she convinces him to forgive Fredo for his sins.  There is a loving embrace that takes place at their mother's funeral, and it seems all is well in the family, except for a statement Michael had made earlier to Tom: that he would not rest until he had disposed of all of "...his enemies".  This meant Roth, who had just returned to the states, the Corleone family members that had conspired to assassinate Michael, and one other - who I won't reveal.  Suffice it to say that the picture above is telling of what was going through Michael's mind, and the way he executes each of these people is rapid, at times unpredictable, and cold.  It's the last killing that is a bit surprising.  I won't spoil it, but if you ever watched "New Jack City" and saw the scene between Nino and G-Money near the end, it felt almost the same.  You're left wondering: did Michael do it because he felt he had to?  Or was it out of anger that he acted?  The final scene (depicted above) hides this emotion perfectly.

The message of the movie is simple: they show a contrast between Vito's rise and Michael's, yet similarities in approach.  It's also obvious that Michael is bothered at what he ends up doing at each stage, yet he justifies it to himself constantly by saying he's being strong for the family.  In an earlier scene with his mother, he makes clear the distinction between "the family" (meaning Corleone) and his wife/kids.  He doesn't refer to them as part of the family.  It's easy to miss that small note, but clearly his priorities are split between the two.  I felt it was a good - though TOO long - movie.  Better than the first?  I don't agree with that necessarily.  If this were a standalone non-Godfather movie I'd feel it were one of Al Pacino's best.  I think that as good of an actor as he is, there's just no comparison to the Vito Corleone character, whether old as part of Part I or young as part of Part II, there is a magnetism that Vito has where he stands out; Michael lacks this, and perhaps that's intentional.

Elimination Chamber: How WWE Spoiled Ziggler's MITB Outcome (Maybe)

It occurred to me that WWE may have, purposely or inadvertently, spoiled the ending of Dolph Ziggler's MITB run. The way I see it, Swagger winning the Chamber means that Ziggler's cash in can only result in four possible outcomes.

In the current scenario, Swagger has won a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, held currently by Alberto Del Rio, at Wrestlemania. At the Elimination Chamber PPV, Dolph Ziggler stated that he would cash in his MITB "before Wrestlemania". Now either that was a botch, or the outcome has already been determined, because it doesn't make sense otherwise. Let's assume that Swagger/Del Rio is going to proceed as planned, and the recent borderline racist gimmick he has seems to point in that direction. That means that Del Rio will still be champion come Wrestlemania, which seems to indicate that Ziggler won't be. His MITB expires at Wrestlemania, if memory serves me, which means if he doesn't cash in before or at the event, it's a wash. That means we can only go a select few ways at this point without WWE pulling a major swerve job (which they HAVE done in the past).

Let's take a look at what these outcomes are.

1. Dolph Ziggler Turns Face. If Ziggler turns face, then the current plan would make sense. There was some news chatter about the idea that some in WWE want to turn Ziggler into a face due to his current popularity. While I think this is a huge mistake given his whole #HEEL methodology (something he made famous, BTW), and given potential future feuds with WWE stars would be extremely less exciting with him in the face seat, it would restore continuity to the storyline at least, because he could then cash in against Del Rio, turn face, and go against a heel Swagger (even though it cuts directly into Swagger's current gimmick). Still not a desirable option and I hope WWE is smarter than this.
2. Dolph Ziggler Cashes In But Does NOT Win. In this outcome, Del Rio/Swagger is allowed to go forward as planned, but I can't see this being beneficial for any of these guys. It leaves Ziggler with nothing to really look forward to and Swagger in a position of being guaranteed to lose to Del Rio, which would drop his steam severely. It also puts Ziggler in a worse position than Cena, since Ziggler would more than likely actually lose his match unlike Cena where he just didn't get the title but still won.
3. Dolph Ziggler Cashes In But Loses The Title Back To Del Rio Before Wrestlemania Somehow. I seriously hope WWE doesn't go down this path, because it would be a repeat of his last WHC title "run" where he was essentially a champion in name only and didn't get a chance to really run with it.
4. Dolph Ziggler Cashes In After Del Rio/Swagger. This is also problematic, because it means Swagger is guaranteed to lose that match (we believe he will lose anyway, but this outcome pretty much guarantees it), as it's extremely doubtful that they would let Swagger take it, Ziggler cash in on him, and then Swagger turn his attention back to Del Rio rather than try to get the title back. Whereas if Del Rio wins but is decimated in the process, it opens the door for Ziggler to take the title, freeing Del Rio from the main event hunt long enough to continue the feud between him and Swagger. Ziggler is then freed up, as champion, to go against people like a returning Christian, or Jericho, or more long term, Orton.

Now technically, #4 should not be possible since the MITB should be expired. But since it's WWE I wouldn't put it past them to do something like this. What worries me more is the fact that these outcomes are the only possibilities I can see unless they pull a major swerve. Swagger's return and newfound gimmick have thrown a wrench in things, which may actually be a good thing...unless they go with #1.

TemptingReview of "The Godfather" by Francis Ford Coppolla

It's a sure bet I spelled the man's last name wrong, but you get the idea.

You're probably in a state of pure shock that I am just now getting around to watching "The Godfather".  In truth, there's a good reason.  I really got burned out on movies in general, opting to watch certain ones that I already knew must be good, such as Scarface and Back To The Future (odd mixture, yes).  But I really did take a liking to the acting skills of Al Pacino.  Back in the days of HD-DVD, I ended up buying pretty much every movie he had except Godfather (which hadn't yet been released on the high definition formats), and really took a liking to Scent of a Woman and Carlito's Way.  I was determined to watch this movie eventually; and yes, it took me half a decade to get around to it.  But I got there.

I watched this with Blu-ray as I felt I wanted the best possible picture quality, so I'll start there first.  I never did see what the VHS or DVD or even big screen versions of this movie looked like for comparison, but I felt that this transfer was rather muddy.  Scenes were quite dark and there was noise all throughout the movie.  This wasn't the normal "age grain" that you might intentionally put in a movie; but to put it in perspective, Scarface was also filmed as an aged film was it was substantially cleaner.  I also had issues with the audio; while it was Dolby True HD and my stereo readily picked it up, there was some blending challenges where the spoken audio was too low and the music and effects were too loud.  The very first scene, where Vito is speaking to a visitor, caused me to crank the stereo quite a bit just to understand the guys talking, and then when the wedding music came in, I jumped at how loud it was.  This was disappointing, to be sure.

As for the movie itself, well...I did a lot of reading and researching on the movie before purchasing it, and I found a very distinct split between people who watched it.  Some people loved it to death, others simply couldn't stand it.  The ones that didn't like it all had the same word to describe their experience: boring.  They talked about how it was just "...a bunch of people talking at a wedding" and I found that a bit challenging to believe.  So I watched for myself, and guess what?  Those people REALLY have a short attention span, because while the whole wedding scene does dominate the first part of the movie, the rest of it is nothing but, and there's plenty of action to see.  The problem is that the action is strategically placed to enhance the storyline and plot, rather than just action for the hell of it (aka Bourne Trilogy).  When someone dies, it's for a reason, and the back story tells you about some of this and then uses the actual action to make it impact you.  Here, it does a good job as long as you're patient.  Sometimes, I think these action movies have people desensitized to a great story.

That doesn't mean it was all roses.  Part of the issue I saw was with character development.  With the exception of Vito, Mike, and to a lesser degree Tom, there was very little of it in this movie.  People are introduced with little fanfare, some are killed off with very little emotion (which I suppose is the point).  A character is killed in a car, presumably intentionally so, and presumably because he is at fault for a key scene in the movie involving Vito.  But the character looks different from the Vito scene to when he's killed, and it happens so far later that you almost forget it was him.  It's really the only time you connect the dots.  In a later scene, a man is stuttering his way in front of Vito but you really don't know why or who this guy is, but it's revealed much later that he's basically an assassin who has done jobs for Vito in the past.  He ends up killed, but reasoning behind the scene where he's killed is never explained (it's mentioned, but not confirmed and has no background to try and validate it).  Mike, after the incident with Vito, is shipped off to Sicily to protect him from backlash, and he goes through a series of danger spots that, while appear to be closely true to the book with some variations, just don't make sense because they don't have any pre-staged plot development.  There is a botched attempt on his life resulting in the death of another character; the person who tries to kill him is assigned as his bodyguard, but we don't ever learn why this person tried to kill him (yes, I know, it's revealed in a sequel).  The person who really died is seemingly important to him, and they are just snuffed out with no emotion on Mike's part afterwards (yes, I know, it's revealed in a sequel).

Beyond the character development problems above, there are plot development gaps.  For example, Vito steps down and Mike takes over, but this happens immediately after a peace meeting with all of the Dons where Vito is calling shots.  There's no build up to this event at all, and really no logic since Mike is fresh back from Sicily and has no reason to take up this charge.  Then Mike just starts offing people fresh off the heels of his dad calling for peace, including members of his dad's entourage who are apparently traitors (they don't reveal it until the very end).  He intuits that one of these people, who is actually a family member by marriage, is aligned with Barzini somehow, even though there's simply no way he could have figured it out.  He's just like "you think you can fool a Corleone?" Apparently, he did...since neither Vito nor Sonny ever connected the dots!  

Another example of this plot development disconnect involves a run-in with local police.  Guards (who are part of Corleone's entourage) are supposedly placed strategically to protect Vito from an attempt on his life.  Mike shows up to visit but notices there are not only no guards, but no staff whatsoever except one person who seemingly has no clue about what's going on.  There's no evidence of how much time has elapsed here, but he frantically calls for guards.  Outside, police show up and assault him, with the chief claiming that he's well within authority to arrest all of them, until a Corleone lawyer arrives and states that they're all authorized to own handguns and act as guards for Corleone.  The problem here: We assume the guards were armed.  We also assume that this authorization was indicated by the guards.  So why'd they get arrested?  Why did they not fight?  And why did the police leave (I'm trying not to spoil the scene) if their job was to ensure Vito's lack of safety?  Shouldn't they have left a few cops in place to prevent any further protections?

So...while the first part of the movie is filled with a lot of talking and singing, laughing and getting married, the second half is filled with plot gaps, character development issues, and a very methodical pace.  Even granting that, it came across to me as a very deep, detailed presentation of the back story that spawned a culture of "gangster".  It was a solid movie and well presented for those that are patient and don't require instant gratification.  It's long though - well over the standard.  I believe I saw it was nearly 3 hours long?  Yeah.  So you may need to space these out if you plan to watch all three.  I intend to watch part two next weekend, and I'll review it as well.

My Seattle Move: Wednesday, January 4

I have arrived in Seattle, more or less.  The move was a partial success...there were a lot of things I left behind that I really should not have, and it's proving difficult to get furniture into a 3-story townhome especially since the companies don't deliver on Saturday.  I really need to get a desk, a couch, and a real bed (currently on an airmattress and it's not fun).

I haven't updated in a while because (A) I was on the road in some rather unappealing conditions - in fact, I think I may have nearly lost control of my vehicle in Oregon - and (B) I wanted to at least get past my first day on the new job.  It was mostly uneventful.  I was surprised that all of my OnBase knowledge came flowing back so well and so quickly.  I helped to fixed two of the outstanding issues, working on two others today.

But my "move" isn't done yet.  Now I have to schedule UHaul to drop off a pod, schedule a flight to go back to San Diego, and get that coordinated so the rest of my stuff can join me.  I'm likely going to have to do a hotel room too because I fear it will take me longer than the one day to complete.  There's not a lot but I need to pack it up, and some of it is rather heavy.

My Seattle Move: Tuesday, December 27

So I've been cranking away as best I can.  I got a lot done over the weekend, still a lot to do.  I found out that I will get the money that I was hoping to get, but won't be able to even use it until Thursday - which means I go forward with my initial plan to just junk all of my current furniture and exercise equipment (except the dumbells) and buy new when I get to the new place.  I also got almost all of the required stuff out of the way - renter's insurance is transferred effective 12/31, internet is scheduled effective 1/2, electricity and gas should be on effective 12/31 (which will let me warm the place up a bit), and then other utilities.  SDG&E will terminate on 1/2, I have to call Time Warner and get them to cancel on 12/31 (if I wanted, I could cancel them anytime, logically, since I have unlimited 4G through Verizon).  The only thing remaining is auto insurance which I have to deal with separately - but I can manage that part.  I have to call Allstate and get a quote for that.  I have to call the local agent and find out about a $16 charge that is pending, but other than that I should be fine on auto insurance.  I just need it for 1 month or so until I get settled in; it's required to drive in WA and I wouldn't have it any other way since I have no idea what the driving conditions are out that way.

I have to give it up to the Altima.  Right now, there are four crates in my trunk, 95% of my clothes surrounding them, and my Insignia 42" LCD.  All in the trunk.  Mind you, these aren't tiny crates; I mean they're nearly two feet long, 15 inches wide, about a foot deep.  And I got 4 in there WITH a TV and a bunch of clothes!  By the time I finish packing I will have unfortunately a total of 8 crates to contend with.  I plan to have the junk haulers take literally everything else that isn't a computer or cabling.  That goes down tomorrow.    I won't then have a couch to sit on or a coffee table to work on.  The iMac is packed and ready to go, I have to get the Thunderbolt Display from work, and I'm almost done getting all of the stuff ready for the junk haulers.  That's Wednesday.

Thursday, is when the shredding company will pick up my box that needs to be shredded of 5-some years of data that isn't critical but needs to be shredded.  I will have that in my car on Thursday, they will come to my place of work to pick it up, and I will pay them $60 to make it go away.  You might think me crazy for paying so much, but realistically...the risk of identity theft is so great it's a small price to pay.  Plus I simply do not have time to go down to a shredding facility, unfortunately.  I'm working on very short timing here and every single minute counts.

Today I'm doing what packing I can of small personal items.  All garbage is gone, so now it's just sorting things out into crates in prep for the move.  I won't have the day tomorrow, only the evening, and the junk haulers will need a clear path to get all of the stuff out, so I'm forced to speed things up, and likely will be working through the evening until 10.  Problem is, the light in my bedroom died today, so I won't have any adequate lighting at all to work with :(

My Seattle Move: Monday, December 26

Some companies make their employees work this day, and they get a three-day-weekend.  Mine wants to make sure you get both Eve and Christmas off, even if they fall on a weekend.  SO we got Friday and Monday off in addition to the weekend.  Unfortunately, instead of Christmas cheer, I get to continue packing.  Yay.

So yesterday I figured out that my Altima's trunk space is larger than I thought it was.  In theory - THEORY - I should be able to fit six full crates in the trunk alone.  I don't think I'll need that many, but it's nice to know I can pull that off.  I plan to put four in there, then some clothes on top and around for cushioning (I'm heading into the mountains, you know), then have the Insignia LCD on top, and some more clothes.  That seems a dangerous bet but I don't really have a choice.  The AQUOS alone is likely to fill up my back floor pretty good, then I've got the Thunderbolt Display and iMac, both of which have massive boxes.  That doesn't give much room for the stereo or the laptops, or the keyboard, or the printer...*sigh*.

Today I'm going to have to get as much done as possible, because I have to work Tuesday - Thursday.  According to research, I very well might get caught in pouring rain...or worst, a blizzard, when I hit the mountains.  Stories of people getting caught and dying due to hypothermia.  For some reason, on a major interstate, I find the likelihood of that remote.  However, I have to be ready for the possibility.  The tentative plan to prepare for this is to stock up on some food items, just in case I have to be stuck somewhere or shack up somewhere.  I have a spare jacket in the back seat, and I'll be double layered on the clothes since it'll be cold in any case.  Worst case, I can use the car's battery power to run a hot kettle for hot water.  The car is virtually new - I just hit 10,000 miles, so I'm not worried about breakdowns.  Got the oil and filter changed on it, tires checked out, fluids topped off.  I have to buy tire chains today or tomorrow from Autozone.  Apparently they're required in certain areas even if you don't end up using them.

I've never used tire chains because I've been stuck in this hellhole of sunshine for the majority of my conscious life.  I've been in snow before, many times, back in Arkansas and Texas, but I was a kid then.  TO me snow was a plaything, now I have to treat it as a life-or-death situation, and I'm on my own.  I'm going to ask a friend if she would not mind keeping an open line of communication with me during the trip.  I'm going to enable Google Latitude so she can follow my progress, that way if something were to happen, she will know where my phone signal died off, and it should be reasonably easy to locate me from that, as I would not go that far from my car...unless I'm thrown from it, in which case, well, que será, será.

Research also indicates that for the most part, the freeways should be reasonably clear of snow IF there are a good amount of cars driving continuously on it, due to the heat generated from the tires impacting the paving, keeping the snow melted.  That doesn't do much if it rains heavily and it certainly doesn't do much at night when it's even colder, and visibility drops.  I'm not interested in a coastal pleasure cruise.  My sole objective is to get up here to my new apartment and settle in, not looking back.  Period.  I've dealt with a lot worse than a snowstorm...having nearly died on five separate occasions...so there's no fear.

So today, I have to dump a bunch of stuff into the trash outside from yesterday.  I will have a little bit more, but for the most part, everything "trash" is gone and/or bagged and tagged.  The bulk of today will be unwiring all of my electrical stuff and packing up my DVD/CD library.  If I make good progress, I will then move on to boxing up some of the "keep" piles.  It's amazing...I moved here with 7 crates full of "stuff".  After my cleanup process, I will have likely about 3-4 crates full.  Everything else was junk that I just kept.  Lots of paperwork, but I plan to scan most of it when I get to my new place.

Hired a junk hauler who will take all furniture away.  I'll just have to buy new furniture and a new bed.  That's scheduled for Wednesday, so I have to get stuff packed and out of the way before then if possible.

Internet service is established at the new place, got a decent deal, need to make sure I've got money ready for the installer.  I also had to buy a DOCSIS 3.0 modem, that's on its way, should be here Wednesday unless they use OnTrac, in which case I'll get it tomorrow for sure.  It hasn't shipped yet though.

Gas service is also active at the new place.  I was pleasantly surprised they got it done at 11pm on Saturday.  The Electric service company which is a different utility is closed except M-F, and likely closed today, with no way to request service online.  So I will try them today, if not then tomorrow, but I need service active no later than 12/31 which is when I'm planning to be there.  Electric has to be on before the internet can be installed, logically.

Tomorrow I have to go through and start scheduling cancellations for SDG&E and Time Warner.  SDG&E can probably stay active until after I've moved, but I think they need me here.  I have to figure that all out.

My Seattle Move: Sunday, December 25

First off, Merry Christmas to those who are actually getting to enjoy the event.  I'm not.

So yesterday I got a lot done.  I didn't realize how much garbage I had just stacked and boxed around the place that I just never got around to cleaning up.  Not really "clutter", just boxed nonsense that was no longer valid.  Credit card statements from cards I'd gotten rid of over 5 years ago; that kind of thing.  I think I just was in such a haste the last time I moved that I didn't take time to sort stuff out, which isn't unexpected.

So anyway, the closet is completely clear.  I have to check the garbage bin to see if there's room - I ended up filling up half of it yesterday and it was already half full.  Problem is, between Christmas wrapping and tree cleaning I suspect I won't be able to discard anything until at least Tuesday.  My plan is to get the living room in a position that I can pack stuff up.  I had to make a hard choice yesterday, because my paycheck situation is still an unknown.

Right now I know I have enough money to physically move.  I've got gas money, plenty for the drive, I've got the prorate rent from my current place plus the transfer fee ($200), and I've got the rent for the new place which is full because of my start date.  Total it will be around $2700.  (For reference, if I hadn't done it this way, it would have been well over $4500).  But I also have to pay a junk hauling service, which I estimate around $400, and then if I were to move stuff I would be looking at minimum $900, whether I do a truck myself or hire a mover.  I don't want to sit in an UHaul truck for over 20 hours, and I don't want to waste gas in an inefficient drive.  The movers could be an option, but I would have to pay the day the stuff is delivered, and I'm not 100% sure I will have the extra funds needed to pay them.

Instead, I decided to just let the junk haulers take everything that is furniture away - meaning I will need to buy all-new furniture after I get there.

Hard decision.  The only real key part of my furniture set is the TV stand, which happened to be perfect for what I was doing.  Unfortunately I will no longer have that luxury, and in the new place I may just need to re-think my entertainment unit setup...wall mount and shelf where possible.  That leaves my two LCDs, stereo, media library, and computer equipment that I have to deal with, plus the crates of other stuff that I'm taking, and my clothes.  If I can get all of that stuff figured out I'll be good to go.  Unfortunately, my Altima is only so big...

My Seattle Move: Saturday, December 24th

I am getting closer to the end of this ride, unfortunately my place looks no better than when I started despite the substantial progress I made.  This past week was simply to clean up known garbage, which I got done (and there was a lot to do).  But now I have to actually do some packing and moving of stuff one room at a time (maybe faster as I'm running low on time).

I have to be cleared out and on the road no later than 12/30.  Unfortunately, today and tomorrow, and Monday for most companies, are holidays including mine.  That means (good) I have some extra time where I don't have to work.  It also means (bad) that I don't have access to the companies that I require to assist me.  Being single, I'm on my own with most of this stuff, and I'm going to need to get with the program.

So far:

• The kitchen is all packed and ready to go, except for some paperwork that isn't kitchen related.
• The patio is free of all items including the cable and dish that were left out there when I canceled.
• All known garbage has been removed.  There may be some papers that I don't have to keep throughout the place.
• The garage has been cleaned and swept; I have a lot of tools and detailer stuff that were always in the crates, so functionally the garage is ready to go.

Remaining are the following items.

1. Return the work phone.  Can't do that until Thursday.  I have to forward it to my replacement who I am training all next week. 
2. Finish CRM updates, this will take time because I can't do it while training.
3. I found a local USB drive that I can use to give them the demo software.  I need to make that available to them somehow.
4. Need to contact the mover that gave me the lowest quote and see if he can still meet the timeline he quoted (1/7) for delivery.  What it unfortunately means is that I won't have any furniture - including a bed - when I arrive.  I have a plan for that.
5. Need to forward USPS from two addresses, one is the primary, one is a mailbox facility.  That has to take effect as soon as I get the new address which is likely not to happen until Monday.  Then I can update USPS.
6. Need to update billing addresses across the board.  There are a LOT of accounts.
7. Need to sever SDG&E service likely after the new year. 
8. Need to see if Verizon Wireless has to change the cell # when the service address changes.  Don't really care if they do - only one person has that number and they have an alternate they can use in the meantime.
9. Pack up the Thunderbolt Display from work, I'll likely do that on Wednesday so that I don't have much to pack Thursday.
10. Box up the iMac and the two MacBooks.
11. Find a home for my stereo system and its speakers/stands.  I will have to buy some speaker wire when I get there and re-think that layout because of the way the fireplace is in the new unit.
12. Box up all media including software, DVDs, etc.
13. Clear out crates and re-use them for all of my electronic stuff.
14. Figure out how much I can cram into the Altima.  I intend to take everything that's valuable myself, and let the movers take stuff that I don't really care much about.  
15. I will likely just buy a bed after I get there.  There is a place that has a really nice one and I need a new one anyway.  Haven't had a foundation or frame in over 6 years.
16. Submit "holdover" payments to all of my credit cards to make sure they're settled.
17. Open an account at a new bank locally.  Citibank has no branches in that area which boggles my mind; neither does USAA which is my fallback bank.  The only "big" banks out there have all screwed me over at one point or another.
18. Deposit final check(s) here before I leave - that's if I get them before I leave.  If I don't, I have to go to Sacramento to reach a branch which is not a happy idea.  My final check should be substantial enough to hold me over until my first paycheck.
19. I have to decide what I will do with the 401k.  If I roll it over I avoid taxation.  But I don't know how that tax law applies after I'm out of California.  I assume I would only owe Fed tax, but I need to confirm.  I also would prefer to have at least limited access to the funds should I run into any sticking points with the relocation.
20. Return the work computer to Joe Cravo.  He can decide what he feels should be done with it - it's a powerful machine that should be put to good use.
21. Figure out auto insurance lapse; Wawanesa only covers California and Oregon, not Washington, so I likely will not be able to use them for coverage anymore which is unfortunate - they have given me the best price of anyone. Allstate claims they can beat the price, but if I have to work with that chick it's not happening.  My new company happens to be an insurance provider and may give me better pricing, but I'm debating whether to have my personal information accessible in that manner.
22. Transfer Renters Insurance policy; I can do this online via Allstate but they need to know information about the new place, so I may not be able to do it until after the new year.
23. Cancel all California registrations - business registration, vehicle registration, voter registration, etc.  They will likely send me a jury duty notice next year, which I have an excuse (not a California resident).
24. Research winter vehicle care.  The Altima that I have, as I understand, is sold specifically in California because it meets California emissions standards.  But I don't know whether it's designed to handle the different conditions in Washington state.  Have to look into that.
25. Research travel conditions when I get there.  I need to familiarize myself with the drive and the freeway system.  I plan to do that on 1/2 if I can make everything else work out.  If I don't get everything done as far as the packing and moving go, it means I will be forced to come back down here again which I am not looking forward to.
26. I may stay in a hotel the first week I get there, just because I won't have any furniture or anything.  Still on the fence about that because it's another $700 that I would rather not have to spend.

Whew!  What a list. If I can't get everything done in one shot then I may just have to do two trips.

10 Things: Issue #6

10 Things I Hate About Moving

1. The total cost, especially if it's to another state.
2. The timing - meaning scheduling certain things to happen at certain times.
3. The driving...driving a UHaul or whatever truck for 20 hours is NOT comfortable.
4. Being single, because then you're on your own for pretty much everything.
5. Having to coordinate a place to sleep fresh after a holiday.
6. Deciding whether to take furniture, sell it or give it away.
7. If single, having to be at the place of pickup AND the place of delivery when you won't have exacting dates for either.
8. Trying to coordinate all pieces when you still have to work every day, and the weekends are holidays.
9. Getting gas, especially for UHaul trucks.
10. Leaving behind whatever friend(s) you do have.

Preparing for the move

I am actually relocating to the Washington State/Bothell area.  I start a new job in Seattle on 1/3.  Unfortunately that means I have to figure out a way to uproot myself and get up there BEFORE that date; of course, with the holiday season surrounding this is not an easy task.  I've prompted movers but all of them are quoting 1/7 and after which doesn't work.

I could just move my clothes and bathroom accessories and live rough for some days, but I don't feel I should have to do that.

I got one quote for expedited service; $5000 is just not going to work when I feel it should be $2000 at the most.  One guy said that "logistically" it didn't make sense to move one even for more money because their drivers all take off for the Christmas season, and while I get that, it would seem to me that in this economy, some drivers would jump at the opportunity to make extra money to keep their families fed.  But maybe I'm short-sighted.

So what I have decided is to figure out if U-Haul can hitch me up and I can take a short trailer, and just do the move myself.  It will slow me down though - it's only a 4-cylinder car - and I had estimated 18 hours to drive.  The complex is closed past 12/31 and not open again until 1/3, which means if I want keys to even put the stuff in the new place, I have to be there no later than 5pm on 12/31 with all of my stuff if I'm moving it myself.  Last day of current work is 12/29.  The only way that can work out is if I get hitched up, trailered, cleaned, and packed all by 12/30...out and on the road by 9am.

Need to see if I can at least make Eugene, OR that first day.

Return of The Franchise

You might be wondering why, after over 3 years, I decided to start writing again.  Well, there are many reasons.  Most notably, there's a lot to say.  Most of it is best suited for a blog, rather than a video.  There are too many thoughts, too many opinions, and too many ideas.  I need an outlet for what goes through my head, because as I age, it's getting increasingly difficult to manage everything mentally.  I'd like to start by simply updating everyone as to where I am at this point.

When I started the blog, I was working at a loan company.  I believe I was an auditor at the time.  While I liked the company, I really didn't enjoy working for/with certain people.  Additionally, the company was hit hard by various laws passed as a knee-jerk reaction to a relatively benign situation, and they had suffered mass layoffs as a result.  From a peak of over 700 employees to just north of 60, it was clear that the company was in dire straits.  I very well could have stuck around, waited to be laid off and collect a windfall, but that would have meant tolerating a very poor situation.  I'm really not a tolerant type.  If something annoys me, I can't simply ignore it and hope it goes away.

So I began a new career, with a new company.  I also have my own online service company online at Franchise-Net Media, LLC.  Underneath this company are three branded services: Tempting Reviews and Tempting Guides, both of which are a YouTube channel, and Public Engagements which I'm just starting.  I plan to branch out into other consulting-type servies such as book publishing.  I have written and published a book which is for sale right now on Amazon, "True Stories of a Common Man", which is a brief look at how I got to where I am.  A friend of mine was rather surprised that I would write such a book, but in my world I wanted to have something already out there that spoke to who I am, in the event something were to happen to me.

What do I hope to accomplish with the blog?  Not sure.  I think it will simply be a running diary. I will play it by ear, and hopefully everything will turn out alright.

Until next time,

The Franchise

Buying That First Home: The Finish Line

So my agent followed up with the selling bank regarding the proposed deal. He called me back to inform me that the bank accepted the arrangement! So it's only a matter of time now; closing is scheduled for August 28th. For the record, here's what my deal entails:

• Original asking price was $227,000. I initially offered $230,000 with a $1,000 earnest money deposit and a $12,000 concession, for a net asking of $228,000.
• The bank counter offered at a $235,000 asking price with a $2,350 earnest money deposit and a $8,000 concession, for a net asking of $229,350.
• We accepted the counter offer and I put the earnest money into escrow.
• My broker got conditional approval on financing, contingent upon all of my credit cards being paid of (~$3,000 owed).
• My agent submitted an amendment asking for an additional $3,000 in closing (no offer price increase, which made me a little nervous)
• The bank had to follow up with the investor (don't understand that piece) for the response - approved!

So when I close, my credit cards (which are the bulk of my separate accounts) will be paid off, leaving only my car and mortgage to pay, and I'll own my first house.

Before folks start cheering, I still have to get the appraisal results. The property might have depreciated so severely as to not make it worth while, or there might be bums during the walkthrough or anything else imaginable. I'll have to sit on my hands and wait and see.

Jury Duty...

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I got summoned back in February to go to Jury Duty. I was asked to postpone until August. So I went today.

Before, when I was paid hourly, I could easily get out with a letter from HR stating that they would not pay jury pay. Unfortunately, that doesn't fly now that I'm salaried, as part of it is paid by my company. However, I still managed to make do. Before I reveal the magic, I just had some observations.

First off, I think the current process for JD is unnecessarily bureaucratic. They send you a notice in the mail to show up on a certain day at a certain time to wait to possibly be called to serve on a jury. Why not just send a notice telling you that you've been explicitly selected for a trial, and must show up to court by a certain date unless you have a viable excuse? Get rid of the interstitial waiting period, it's a waste of people's time and not worth it. $15/day? For potentially 8 hours x 20 days worth of serving? Seems as though it hasn't caught up with the economy.

There is one good thing about JD: there is always at least 3 sexy females up there waiting right along with you. It's a prime place to get phone numbers - if you're into that sort of thing. Me, I like looking at them, not necessarily talking to them (because they're always stuck up anyway).

Anyway, how I got out of it: generally trials are quoted at 3-7 days long. That's business days, of course. That means, if your company pays less than 7 business days, you're in a good spot. Using mine as an example, they pay "a week" - which equates to 5 business days. The possibility that the trial could go 7 business days is the catch. That means two business days your company is not paying. That's money not going to bills/expenses. That's your hardship, and even if they require you show up at the waiting room, you won't get assigned to a trial.

Now, your company may pay 10 days or even unlimited in some cases. You're screwed. Accept it and get ready for trial. But if your company pays little to no days for jury service, you have an out.

DISCLAIMER: The above presentation does not apply to Federal jury service which does not acknowledge financial hardship as an eligible excuse reason. Only County jury service allows for financial hardship.

Review: Final Fantasy IV DS

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

In continuing with tradition, I intend to post one review a day, until I'm caught up. Then it's all full steam ahead. Tune in tomorrow, when I review a custom bed cover.

For now, Final Fantasy IV DS.

Final Fantasy IV is actually the sixth Final Fantasy game, but the fourth to be released as part of the official series. If you didn't know, the Final Fantasy games (with the exception of X and X-2) have little to do with each other and are not true sequels. Think of them as separate books under a brand; each one tells a different story, even if they might use slight pieces concurrently (such as spells). There were Final Fantasy games released on GameBoy, as well as "Mystic Quest" which didn't really count, but since it held the name, I list it here.

Back in the days of Super Nintendo, Squaresoft released this game as "Final Fantasy II". There were two separate versions, referred to as "Easy Type" and "Hard Type". The SNES version was allegedly the "Easy Type", though I can't fathom why that was...*cough*EvilWall*cough*...Final Fantasy IV was then re-released on the Final Fantasy Chronicles game set along with Chrono Trigger, replete with new CGI cutscenes to further the gameplay. This version was allegedly the "Hard Type". As if that weren't enough, Square Enix (as they were now called) released Final Fantasy IV on the Game Boy Advance - again, allegedly the "Hard Type". And now here we are.

But wait - this isn't the same as either previous version. This is a remake, not a port. The game has been converted to full 3D. Some of the spell and summon names have been changed. And Square Enix has added some features to the game to make it just enough "new" as to make it interesting. So I'll go down the list of good and bad, and then elaborate.

*** THE GOOD ***

• The difficulty is now more in line with some of its latter forefathers, especially with the Active Time Battle system. Bosses such as the Mist Dragon (the first "boss" you'll encounter) are actually challenging if you don't know what you're doing. New gamers might actually get whooped repeatedly. Veteran gamers who understood the patterns will find challenge, but not nearly as much as new gamers. Oh, and by the way...Dr. Lugae? He's no longer a pushover. That's all I got to say about that.
• Certain characters who where difficult to use because they just weren't useful were given additional skills to help them contribute in battle. One character's ability was so blatantly useless as to be laughable, yet he was one of the final characters in the game. This has been changed to where his skills contribute almost as well as Rydia's spells.
• "Augments" add a whole different dimension to the game. With these, you can effectively take the natural skills of other characters and apply them to anyone you want. SO for example, you could have Cecil set up with Counter, Kain set up with Draw Attacks, and have Cecil cover, which effectively makes Cecil a tank while Kain is free to dish damage. That's just one example of the various combinations you can employ to go through the game.
• Item limit is removed - no more relying on the Fat Chocobo to store excess Elixirs.
• Summons, now referred to as Eidolons, have been powered up substantially. In the older ports there came a time when your summon could barely do the damage of Fire 1, so by the time you got Fire 3, there was no point in using Ifrit. (There is a negative to this though, more later)
• The graphical detail of the game is top notch for the DS, especially in certain caves and dungeons. It's clear they put some work into making the game as visually appealing as they could.
• The audio has been remixed, and even improved in some areas. FFIV's music had always been quite good, but the remixes are even better (negative here, more on that later).

*** THE BAD ***

Yes, there are some not-so-good things to this, I'm sorry to say.

• Eidolons. Remember how I just got done praising them for what they bring to the table now? Well, there's a new problem. With the exception of the Four Fiends there's really no point to using them over spells except to watch the scene. This has more to do with how slowly it takes Rydia to call them than anything else.
• Some tracks were remixed with added instruments that totally kill the spirit of the original song/atmosphere it was used in. Troia comes to mind.
• The "sudden death" set of notes was removed. This is what plays the moment someone dies as part of the story, usually at a point when Cecil is yelling their name out. I have no idea why they removed this.
• Cecil's "Darkness" ability was nerfed. On the SNES version, he didn't have this ability. On the PS1 and GBA versions he did. It sent out a wave of dark energy to hit all enemies and caused you damage when you used it, but it was quite useful. Here, it just makes his attacks stronger and takes energy when you attack, but you can only hit one enemy.
• The ability to equip weapons has been altered. Characters who could easily equip certain weapons no longer can or the way they equip said weapons has been changed. For example, Cecil could always equip a bow and arrow as an alternative to a longsword, which was particularly useful in one specific cavern, but now he can only equip daggers and swords, making him effectively useless when you get to that part except to Cover. Plus, depending on how you equipped Rosa's bow/arrow combination, her power went up a bit. This has been removed as well.
• Because everything is in 3D it makes navigating caverns and towers extremely difficult. I'm sure this was intentional, but because you can't change the camera, you can't easily tell which way you're going. Some might actually like this as it forces you to learn the paths all over again, but I don't care for it. The camera is almost directly in front of you, you don't get a "top down" view and can't tell which path leads to a dead end and which does not. I don't mind the camera angle, as long as I can move it at will. This also causes a minor annoyance at one castle where someone is eavesdropping on the throne room: in the older version you can clearly see the perpetrator as they jump up momentarily. This adds suspense that is missing on this version.
• A brief cutscene plays before almost every special ability. It detracts from the fluidity of combat to have to watch Kane for two seconds before he executes the Jump command. I really wish you could disable this.
• The placement of "Switch Rows" has nearly cost me battles. It should be on the left rather than right under "Defend". Because I'm used to fast paced battle, I'm used to pressing right to defend and left to switch rows. No idea why they would change this.

So...do I recommend this game? Absolutely. My negatives are personal nitpicks based on my extensive knowledge of this game, for the most part. I would say if you're a vet like I am who remembers the game from SNES, just don't expect the exact same experience. Square Enix has tried hard to freshen the game in quite a bit of areas. A lot is the same, but a lot has changed, including the names of things.

Buying That First Home: The 'Dream Team'

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

For the record I'm working with a REALTOR and a broker to get this home taken care of. I met the broker by way of the REALTOR. I have to admit...once we found a house and got a contract signed, my agent kicked it to the extreme; calling early or late as needed to give me status updates about the progress of the purchase. The broker is not only working to get the financing done, he's working to get the best rate possible.

I was told recently that the two of them are working to not only get the lowest rate, but to also get more money on the loan and pay off all of my various credit cards. My credit is clean, but I do have a couple of credit cards carrying balances at present. When it's all said and done, I won't have to bring any money to the closing table, I'll have the house and all of my credit cards will be paid in full. That will only leave my car payment - which will get paid off by the time tax day comes around in 2009.

Don't get it twisted...the broker has quite the attitude problem, and doesn't like to talk to you the customer, only to your agent...but the two of them together are quite effective as a team. It's too bad all of my friends are broke, or I would absolutely recommend the two of them for anyone trying to buy a home.

Buying That First Home: Bank Drama

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I got a call from my agent, who got a call from my broker. It seems my financing has been approved!...with a contingency. Ugh.

Before I go into the contingency it's important you get a little background. My credit report is pristine. I have no negative accounts. I did file Chapter 13 BK back in 2004, was discharged this month. I really did it because at the time, my income far exceeded my debts - even though I wasn't really delinquent on anything, I just needed a reprieve. By the time the BK was near discharge, my income had tripled, so it was significantly easier to deal with the debt, plus the biggest loan I had on there was a private loan from Sallie Mae - but the school closed before I finished. California's Student Tuition Recovery Fund made that go away and gave me all of my money back. Also, I had managed to open some credit card accounts to get some positive account history going on. I have three credit cards that I've had for over two years.

So now you know the history. The contingency is...the lender wants all of my credit cards paid off. That's no easy task, at least not in the short timeline they want it done. I can pay off my credit cards in roughly a month, give or take...unfortunately this has to be completed by July 29th. Not happening. It's not a lot being asked...it's the timing of it all.

So, my guys are going to work with the list agent and bank to see if they will do one of the following:

1. Accept a loan price increased by $3000, offer a $3000 credit at closing, and set a requirement that the credit be applied to pay off all credit card balances, with an agreement from the lender that we're doing that; or
2. Excuse the earnest money deposit (which is just shy of $3,000) so I can put that towards the credit cards instead, and close with no money out of pocket.

I actually prefer the first option, because the bank will still get the earnest deposit, which they should get. The second option is dangerous, both to me and the bank, because the bank doesn't benefit at all except they get the house off their books.

So...I continue to wait while I play this juggling act between banks. Fun.

Review: Flavia Fusion Coffee Maker

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

There was a time when I could down 6 cups of coffee or so, and I desperately needed that much coffee in previous jobs where I would work a 6am shift. In my current job under previous management, the workload was stressful enough that I still required that much coffee to stay energized enough to continue contributing to the team. Under my current management, I've toned it back to one cup of Breakfast Blend every morning - nothing after that except water and non-carbonated drinks. Quite impressive, if I do say so myself.

Anyway, I have had three separate types of coffee machines. The first was a one-cup machine that came with a cup. You put grounds in the top, poured hot water in another area, and it spit out a cup. Of course this meant constantly purchasing bags of coffee grounds or grounding my own beans - neither of which I was inclined to do. The problem I always encountered was the loss of freshness after some time (the grounds). And of course, during this time I was drinking more than one cup, so it was quite inconvenient. That machine was trashed.

Second machine was a much spiffier take on the same methodology, but it supported up to 8 cups from one ground load. It also supported push button, so you could just press your cup to the button and get coffee. Quite nice actually - but then (ironically enough) I toned back to the one cup, making this option overkill. I also grew somewhat lazy, as I just want to set it and forget it. So I got to researching various automated coffee makers.

Word to audience: the Starbucks brewers are a blatant rip-off. They probably paid $50 wholesale for each yet try to charge $300-$400 for something you can get elsewhere at $100 that does a better job. And then had the nerve to assume that their brand name would make those machines fly off the shelves. Nuh uh.

In comes Flavia Fusion. Our job has the enterprise Flavia machines in the break rooms. They're simple and efficient to use. Different sealed coffee pods are put in, coffee comes out roughly 30 seconds later. Of course, the enterprise versions are tapped directly into the water line, so coffee is nearly instant. There are also sensors so it doesn't shoot coffee if there's no cup, and a reservoir for used pods that's easy to dump. LCD screen so you can more easily make selections, and we've found it saved money hand over foot vs. the old pot version.

Flavia Fusion is a personal version of the same. It does not tap into the water line and does not have an LCD screen, but the pods are still used. What's more, you can brew nearly anything: hot tea, hot chocolate, coffee of various strengths and flavors, cappuccinos, mochaccinos, lattes including tea-based lattes, and espressos. Because each pod is sealed and separate, your drinks will never get mixed together or anything - every drink is like a fresh pot was brewed. It takes roughly a minute to warm up the first time if it's been off for a while, then 45 seconds to brew the first cup, so altogether maybe 2 minutes to your first sip. It seems like a while, and I much prefer the enterprise version, but you won't even notice it if you brew coffee in the morning.

Some issues I have:

• No timer. The enterprise version doesn't have one either, but it would be nice for the Fusion to just have the ability. If you get up at roughly the same time every morning and have roughly the same routine, it'd be nice to just leave a cup and a pack in there and schedule a hot coffee for the next morning so you don't have to do it.
• No hot water function (this was resolved with the newer Fusion Deluxe, but Flavia will not upgrade you)
• Discontinuation of various drinks. Like Darjeeling - I know people were claiming it's too similar to Earl Grey, but a tea specialist such as myself can clearly tell the difference. Darjeeling is a morning tea, like English Breakfast, while Earl Grey is a midday-to-early evening tea. They're not the same.
• No reservoir for used pods - this is a nitpick, but it would really be helpful.
• Water reservoir holds about 3 cups worth of drinks. To me that's just pathetic.

I still recommend it for those who drink coffee, tea, or like specialty drinks. I believe it to be a great investment...it's saved hundreds of dollars while providing quality drinks.

Movie: "Wanted"

NOTE: This is a migrated entry.

So I was invited to go see this movie a little while back. Mind you, it's been years since I've actually gone to a movie theater to watch a movie. This one seemed interesting. However, a number of issues ruined the experience.

First, the theater smelled like urine. Yes, urine. As though it'd never been cleaned. And this is AMC - once known as the best movie theater in the United States, now just a pale shadow of its former glory, as Edwards Cinemas and the drive in easily make AMC look small time. Second, the actual showing room was extremely tiny - I'd say maybe 50 seats. That's pathetic for a movie like Wanted, and made me think they just didn't care. Yet "WALL-E" gets a huge theater and is half empty. Great. The only seats left were two rows from the screen - horrible on your eyes and senses. Especially since AMC still uses analog film reels and projectors to show the movie.

To the movie itself: I said it before and I'll say it again. The first 40 minutes of the movie felt like a cross between "Office Space" and "The Matrix". There were red staplers, offices, training, running, etc. I was really not impressed at first. As the movie progressed the plot fleshed itself out quite nicely, but the first bit was rather painful. Apparently this was a movie adaptation of a graphic novel, so I didn't expect much, however I did expect more than what I got. "Sin City", I felt, did a much better overall job at fluidity and continuity than this one. This felt like some frat boys got together and slapped a storyline together, which added to the lack of impression.

Do I recommend it? You might like it...but personally I say it's a rental. Not worth the theater visit.

When you just don't feel like doing anything.

NOTE: This is a migrated blog posting.

A new day, a new blog category. Personal thoughts, feelings, opinions, whatever...just information I felt like sharing.

I'm going to work in reverse order, starting with today.

The boss - Senior VP - had informed us previously that she noticed certain concerns about attendance from the team. Likely not me, since it's next to impossible for me to take PTO. Anyway, my colleague took the day off...again...so I was pretty much on my own. I was called upon to assist in some projects, meanwhile I had my own tasks that needed to be completed (I fell behind due to the additional tasks that I've been asked to join in on). Meanwhile, I'm (re) training a co-worker from another department on our current solution that I administer - he's a standup guy, I know it'll be in good hands - but it was another task to do today.

Once I got past all of that, and came home, I ate my food, then shortly thereafter, I began to feel ill. Nauseous, just "ill". As though I'd just gotten off a 3-day cruise or something (I get seasick). To be honest I've felt a general "ill" feeling for about three weeks now. Part of that is due to the heat - I'm absolutely intolerate of sweltering heat (Anything over 20 degrees Celsius, basically). Part was my bed - I'll never own a memory foam mattress again, basically. The other part...I don't know. Thank goodness for GABA or I'd never get sleep.

So now I'm up at 9pm, watching Law & Order, and still feeling ill. My stomach isn't upset, but it feels like I've got some indigestion. That could have caused my nausea; not sure. I have a very picky stomach; one day I can pig out on things, the next they make me sick, then I can go back to eating them again.

Oh well. Time to find out if el cuerpo humano can self heal.

Buying That First Home: Moving Out

So I need to get prepared to move out of my apartment. Even if the house does not go through, I gave notice and my lease is set to expire on August 2nd, with a walkthrough scheduled for no earlier than July 27th. That means I've got a little under a week to get everything situated. Because of the small snag in financing I delayed doing any sort of packing or anything, as I didn't know for certain whether I'm going into the house or if I'm going to another apartment for one month while the process resolves itself. Believe it or not I'm still not certain.

However, that does not mean I can't do at least some initial packing, knowing good and well that I will be moving somewhere in the near future. So, starting today, I'm going to box up anything I haven't touched since I moved here, including a lot of my kitchen utilities and media. I've only been here a year and haven't accumulated much, so it's doubtful I'll have too much to throw away - and I couldn't in any case, seeing as the rest of the tenants see fit to fill up the garbage bin every day, preventing me from properly discarding what I've got. You wouldn't believe how many Amazon.com boxes I've got sitting in the middle of my living room waiting for their turn.

The bedroom is going to be the hardest to move, I can already tell. With the new bed I just bought, that makes two mattresses and a boxspring, plus the frame, two side tables, a utility cart, my ironing board, filing cabinet, flat panel, game system, and the contents of my master closet...a nightmare, to be sure. Then there's always the concern about moving to a house - no security this time. Everything is entirely up to me. The house has been vacant for months - what's to stop someone from trying to break in and take my things when I'm away at work? I've got quite a few valuables...and I can always do homeowner's insurance, but I'd rather not even have to worry about such things. In an apartment at least there is some measure of security: I'm on the second floor, we have a security patrol, neighbor watch, etc...not to mention there are people here with much nicer things who actually leave their blinds open for the world to see.

Oh well. Time to get on with it.