Noggin Thought

Here’s a good post on procrastination. It’s almost exactly how I feel. I view procrastination as lying to ourselves. If I say I don’t want to take out the trash now I’ll do it later, I’m just lying to myself to make me feel okay with my decision. The reality is that I’m not going to want to take out the trash later, but I know I don’t want to now. Then later becomes now and I still feel the same way.

I do like the viewpoint in the post. I never thought of it as burdening my future self with the problems I failed at today, but that’s what it is. And also setting up a pattern of procrastination that my future self is more likely to follow. Either way I don’t agree with it. I feel that if something needs to be done, do it! It’s much better that way, because who knows what else may come up later that you didn’t know about now.

Robert Downey Jr. was an excellent Sherlock Holmes. I enjoyed the movie on many different levels.

It was funny. I found myself laughing at times that I wouldn’t have expected. This was due, in large part, to Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the eccentric detective. Also the chemistry between Dr. John Watson, played by Jude Law, and Sherlock Holmes was completely natural. They really seemed like friends that loved the thrill of the case, despite the constant perils and life threatening situations.

It was action. Not too much action though. I think the trailers painted it as an action thrill ride. It wasn’t like that at all. The action scenes were definitely there but didn’t detract from the story; they helped to advance it.

It was smart. Sherlock Holmes was not a superhero detective. He was very intelligent. That was apparent in how he handled assailants and how he solved cases. Maybe not so much with women, but that just adds to the character.

There was one issue I had…well, sort of. The action scenes were quite loud and the quiet scenes were very quiet. Hopefully all of the Blu-Ray versions aren’t like this. Ooh doesn’t like loud TV unless it’s something she’s watching but that’s a whole other post, which isn’t necessary. So the extreme volume differential between scenes was quite distracting because I had to keep raising and lowering the volume. I hope it wasn’t like that in the theater.

It also stars Rachel McAdams, and Mark Strong.

If you want a smart, funny, somewhat action-packed, mystery. See it. If you don’t, see it anyway!

I went hiking with Ooh and some of her friends in the Santa Monica Mountains this past weekend. It was something I’ve never done in Southern California before. I don’t know why they’re called the Santa Monica Mountains, they’re no where near Santa Monica. We weren’t even in LA county. We drove past Malibu all the way to Ventura County before we even ventured up the road to the trailhead. It seems a little arrogant for Santa Monica to claim mountains that aren’t near it’s location. I might have to have a talk with Santa Monica. When we got there it was a still a nice day with moderate temperatures (in the sun) and a slight breeze. So we began our 6 mile adventure.

Our path started from the Sandstone Peak Trailhead. From there we headed to a fork and it was decision time. To the left was Sandstone Peak to the right Mishe Mokwa Trail. We wanted to see the peak but we came for the trail, the peak would have to wait.

Mishe Mokwa Trail was outstanding. Maybe it was the time of year, I don’t know. Obviously I’m not the seasoned hiker. There were many different colorful flowers, cool rock formations like Balanced Rock at the Echo Cliffs, and miles of mountains. The trail varied from cliffside to forest, and hard packed dirt to loose and rocky. Loose and rocky didn’t work to well for me because I chose to wear my Vibram KSOs that day. They are great for barefoot-like trekking but small rocks don’t agree with the bottoms of my feet. It’s okay, I’ll be fine. After about 3 miles Mishe Mokwa Trail connected to Backbone Trail.

Backbone Trail was not as enjoyable as Mishe Mokwa Trail for a few reasons none of which are the trail’s fault. It was starting to get cold and windy and time was ticking away. And 6 city folk on a mountain trail with no cellphone reception is how horror movies start. Now I wasn’t concerned with some mountain beast playing a cat and mouse game with us but I was looking forward to the warmth of the car that we were still miles away from. And the damn small rocks were no picnic when trying to walk downhill in Vibrams. Backbone Trail was closer to the peaks so there was more open space. Still had great views, including a few of the ocean. And it took us to Sandstone Peak, the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains (more like Ventura County Mountains).

Well all 6 of us made it back to the car…even though 8 of us started the hike. The other 2 had to leave early…or did they?

My feet were only slightly angry the next day. I would recommend that hike if you have an entire day. We started a little late so it didn’t allow us to enjoy the second half. So I’m telling you to take a hike!…in the Santa…I mean Ventura County Mountains.

An entertaining journey through the wasteland that the world has become after the war with the machines. 9 is the last of a group of dolls (don’t know what else to call them) created when humanity was dying out. It isn’t explained why humans couldn’t just retreat and regroup like any other apocalyptic movie we’ve ever seen. For some reason dolls with souls was the only way to survive.

This movie suffered only because it couldn’t decide whether to appeal to kids or to adults. Adults want things to be explained. Maybe some character development and back story. Kids want it to be fun. Scary (animated) visuals take it out of the small kids realm. And style over substance may put adults off. I liked it despite the shortcomings because I went into it with no expectations; a by-product of reading some of the reviews before viewing. I enjoyed the action and the pacing of the story. And the stylized visuals was enough to keep me interested until the end.

See it for the visuals, don’t expect a deep story.

Voice acting by Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, John C. Reilly, Crispin Glover, Jennifer Connelly, and Elijah Wood

This article here disturbs me.

I know people don’t really “get it” until after 25 but many of them still aren’t getting it. There is something wrong with each of these statistics.

The first, eating, doesn’t distinguish between eating alone or with others. So, let’s assume that it’s with others because what you do when you eat alone doesn’t really matter. When you’re with others, it’s rude! If you want to read a text here or send a text there and it’s not continuous, I don’t see a problem with it. But I would guess this refers to text conversations. A text conversation is like a phone call, would you accept a non-emergency phone call while having dinner with someone else? You’re thinking yes aren’t you, you disrespectful ass? I don’t want to have dinner with you, because you’re probably talking to someone else. If you don’t have anything to say to the person you’re with, so what. Look at the TV, look at the sunset, look at the person, or just enjoy your meal in silence.

The second, using the toilet, really? Now, I’ve been known to read a book or on occasion surf the internet during extended time sittin’ on the throne. But communicating with others…not the time for that. Would you want someone to stand there and talk to you while you’re using the toilet? I didn’t think so.

Lastly, having sex…ok you people have problems. There is no way we should be that disconnected with our partners and at the same time so connected to someone else. Pornstars don’t do that and it’s just a job for them. A few questions come to mind. Is the sex that bad that you choose to do something else during? Really that’s the only question. Now I see why women aren’t satisfied and men try to have multiple partners. Neither one of you is focused! Society is breeding losers who receive awards for good effort. That’s bullshit! Stay focused on the task down below. Give it your all. Don’t just be in the game. Pound the competition! And ride it out for the win.

Based on the numbers the people under 25 are worse than the people over 25 but the lesser of two evils doesn’t make it any better. And the last statistic should be zero.

I’ve been playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for the last couple of weeks. This is how late hours of my nights are spent. At about 2230 (sometimes earlier) I move my comfortable chair in front of the TV, fill up my water bottle, make sure my snacks are close by, strap on the headset, and power up the 360. Ooh used to laugh at this setup, now she’ll occasionally watch for a few minutes and ask questions about the game. It’s a slow process but she’s getting cooler day by day. Eventually she may play a game. I’ll keep you posted but don’t hold your breath.

Bad Company 2 multi-player is great. It’s so enjoyable that I haven’t even touched the single player campaign yet. I used to play Modern Warfare 2 multi-player almost every night. Even though there were numerous frustrating things to deal with. There were the little bitches that would use the Lightweight Marathon Commando setup; which means you can move faster, sprint forever, and knife enemies from farther away. One would think, well if it’s part of the game then you just have to get better to defend against it. No. I don’t care if you are a Commando you can’t run through bullets and kill me with one knife thrust; which would be the last option in war. Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t do it so neither can you. Then there were the whores that would use dual shotguns. Again, one might think, it’s part of the game, deal with it! But in this case the shotgun was accurate and lethal at large distances while being wielded with one hand. It was bullshit! I got tired of signing on to play and hoping to not run into people using the bitch setup. Now, I don’t deal with that. Occasionally I’ll have teammates that are a little lost or do stupid things but it’s been much more bearable.

In Bad Company 2 there is a Squad Deathmatch gametype. It’s simple, there are 4 squads and you kill members of the other squads to reach 50 kills the fastest. Used to play something similar in MW2 but I rarely play Deathmatch now, and I definitely don’t play MW2. Now I play the Rush gametype which is attacking/defending bases and the Conquest gametype which is securing bases. It’s so much more rewarding to play a game where teamwork matters. I can revive and heal teammates when I’m a Medic; I can provide ammo when I’m an assault trooper; I can spot the enemy and call in mortar strikes when I’m Recon; and I can repair vehicles when I’m an Engineer. All in all very good, balanced gameplay.

I recommend it but only if you like working with a team to reach a common goal. Bitches need not apply.

I need less time. Whenever I have plenty of time to do a few things I barely get them done. When I have plenty of things and not much time, I plan and manage the time so effectively that I usually have time left over. I just think it’s funny. I don’t want more things, that I know for sure. But less time may not be so bad. We’ll see. Maybe I will shorten my available waking hours in the day. I don’t know what I’m going to do with those hours yet. I don’t need extra sleep. I get my 7-9 hours every night. Okay, maybe I do want more things. I’ll find more things to do, but only if they provide some return on investment; a little extra money maybe, or some enlightenment. Or maybe more time with friends. I have been neglecting my friends a bit lately.

I’ll get started on this soon. Now I have a wedding to go to. Haven’t been to one of these in a year, might be fun. It’s an Indian wedding so lots of color.

I was looking forward to The Hurt Locker ever since I saw the preview many months ago. And I think every one else was too because I had to wait a long time to get it from Netflix. I’ll start by saying, I like movies about war. I don’t really want to explain why. I could try to give a lengthy explanation about it but it doesn’t matter. I’ve never been to war, and I don’t want to go. So don’t call your local recruiter and tell ‘em about me. Needless to say (don’t quite understand that phrase, but I think it fits here), I really wanted to see this.

The plot is very simple, a glimpse into the life of an elite Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit in Iraq. We see what they deal with on any given mission. The man watching you from the balcony could be the bomber. The man herding goats could be a sniper. Then there’s the bomb in front of you that could blow up. The director does a wonderful job of putting us in the field with the EOD unit and showing what they have to do to cope. Everybody isn’t built the same. Some need the adrenaline rush to feel alive. Some don’t know whether they can make the hard decisions. And others still can’t figure out where they are in their lives and don’t realize that it’s time to take that next step.

Having never been to war (and still not wanting to go), I think the world we are shown is very real. And if this is what they have to go through in 1 month, I couldn’t imagine being stationed their for 1 year. I have the utmost respect for these people that do, everyday, what I couldn’t imagine doing once in my life.

Brilliantly directed by Kathryn Bigelow, with top performances by Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie.

See it.

Children of Men takes place only a few years in the future (about 21 at the time of release). It’s a harsh world that Alfonso Cuaron has created but not unlikely given the events leading up to it. It’s been 18 years since the last birth and humanity is facing extinction as everyone continues to age. Out of this dystopian, war-torn landscape appears a young woman who is 8 months pregnant. The underground rebel group called the The Fishes wants to keep her away from the government’s prying eyes. And the mysterious scientific, research group called The Human Project wants to study her to save mankind. This all hinges on Theo Faron played well by Clive Owen. He is an activist turned cubicle drone and turns into the unlikely protector of humanity’s future.

Cuaron is successful at creating a future that no one would want, and he weaves through it with this story of savior and protector that is ultimately believable because it has to succeed. I appreciated a realistic world where cars may not start when trying to make a fast getaway; where you can’t find shoes that fit because you didn’t have time to pack; where you lose a few friends along the way. Little things like that helped to draw me in and make me want to see them survive. It also had one of the more moving scenes that I’ve come across in a movie, where they walk right through an intense fire fight between rebels and soldiers.

The movie also stars Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Juliane Moore.

See it.

Yesterday was much better all around and it started with Souplantation for lunch. I had none of the same after CrossFit workout pains as on Monday. I could eat there 2-3 times a week and be happy. One of the best parts is that I ate more food for this lunch but still felt much better. I even had some bread. Deal with that Jody Maroni!! If you’ve never had Souplantation ya gotta try it. They’re in 15 of our 50 states so hopefully you have one near you.

Definitely sore today…that’s what happens when you do 150 deadlifts (135 lbs) and 150 push-ups in 15 minutes. But it’s a good sore. It’s an ‘I accomplished something so I should be sore’ kind of sore. Normally I would be CrossFitting again tomorrow but it’s off to Mammoth for another snow-filled weekend excursion. No Ooh this weekend, well she hasn’t gone once this season, but there’s always next season.

Lastly, I have been assured by my friend that his Toyota Camry will not unintentionally accelerate during this trip.