I Love You Man

Niki and I enjoyed I Love You Man but we weren't blown away. I feel cheated because I think it would have been a lot funnier if most of the jokes weren't ruined by the commercials. Therein lies the rub with comedies. How do you convince people a movie will be funny without giving them examples? Somebody needs to work on that.
Perhaps the best thing about I Love You Man is that we were never confronted with Jason Segel's trouser snake. Anybody who has seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall will know what I mean. We watched that with my mom. It was awkward.

Softball? Eh

I have been told I'm going to join a softball team. I wasn't really given a choice. One of Niki's coworker's husbands is on a team that is in desperate need of players. I will take pretty much any excuse to get out of the house and I could use some exercise so I guess I can't complain. At least it is (a lot) cheaper than hockey.
This is a rebuilding year for the team so expectations are low. They don't expect much from me so it's OK if I suck... And I WILL suck. Guaranteed. Bring on the beer.

Chickenfoot

Chickenfoot, if you haven't heard, is the new "super group" featuring Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith. They have an album coming out Aprilish but you can listen to two songs (Down the Drain and Soap on a Rope) on their official website. It should be interesting to hear what they come up with. No word yet on whether the rest of the songs will continue the apparent shower theme.

Panera Bread

After years of curiosity, we finally tried Panera Bread. There is one about a block from our apartment so it just seemed like a good idea. I don't know what took us so long.
I tried the 1/2 sandwich and soup deal with the Italian Combo Sandwich (roast beef, smoked turkey, ham, salami, Swiss cheese, peperoncini, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions on ciabatta) and French Onion Soup. Of course I skipped the special sauce on the sandwich and opted for the balsamic vinaigrette instead. Niki tried the Chicken Caesar Sandwich. We both got a chocolate chip cookie as well.
Everything was extremely good. All the ingredients (esp. bread) were very fresh and had good flavor. I'm a big fan of French Onion soup and this was some of best I've had. The cookies were far better than I have come to expect from a fast food counter and reminiscent of Mrs. Fields.
If you haven't yet tried Panera Bread, I strongly suggest you waste no more time. I was very impressed and expect to be a frequent customer.

Taco Town!

Somebody was crazy enough to actually make a Taco Town taco. Check out the link for pictures of the process... and the aftermath.

Prime Real Estate

How cool would it be to live on Van Halen Ln? I really hope there is a 5150 Van Halen Ln address. BTW, this property is walking distance from my apartment.

Who watches the Watchmen?

We did! As a fan of the graphic novel, I thought the movie was amazing. Niki and our friends who aren't familiar with the source material thought it was good but not overwhelmingly so. Everybody agreed that the soundtrack kicked ass.
It is easily the most faithful adaptation from print to film ever. There were several small subplots and back stories that were left out but the vast majority of the story was included. It was already 2:45 so a few omissions is definitely forgivable. There was also a slight change to the ending but I think it was necessary.
Judging by complaints I heard, I think it is necessary to understand the purpose of the story to truly appreciate it. This is not meant to be an action film (graphic novel). There is action (which was done very well) but that's not the point. Watchmen is all about reconstructing the world with the presupposition that super heroes really exist. Instead of creating a caricature of a super hero, it tries to explore the ways life would be different in this alternate reality. How would a being with god-like powers have a normal relationship? Would law enforcement agencies welcome their help? How would modern history be different?
I think just about anybody who liked the graphic novel would love the movie. I can't really speak for anybody else because I can't unread it.

It's all about the Benjamins... or is it?

We finally got around to watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Breeg.. er.. um... Button. Yeah, Benjamin Button. Anyway, I was expecting it to be very good after all the hype and award nominations. Not so much. It had it's moments but was quite boring overall. I liked to concept but I don't think it was fleshed out all that well and the protracted love story was just tedious. Maybe I would have liked it better if my expectations were lower.

Another one for The Big Book of People I Hate™

I hate anybody who walks up to an elevator button which is already clearly illuminated and thinks jabbing the button several more times will make the elevator arrive faster. And don't even get me started on the jackasses who can't wait for people to get off the elevator before they board.

Square Root Day

Today is a very special holiday. Square Root Day only occurs when the day and month are both the square root of the last two digits of the year (3/3/09).
I'm just not sure how to celebrate. Some holidays are pretty clear cut. How else would one celebrate the resurrection of Christ but by searching for eggs and eating chocolate bunnys? It's obvious. Square Root Day is a little harder to figure out. I think I'll just drink heavily.
Anyway, enjoy it as much as you can because it won't happen again until 4/4/16. Party on.