My Memorial Day Weekend

I had myself a busy Memorial Day Weekend. Saturday, I went down to hang out with Shocker and some of his friends in Speedway. We walked Georgetown Road and watched all the crazies. That place is nuts...like a mini-Mardi Gras. It gives you a view of a segment of society I don't want to be a part of. Anyway, I stayed down there for most of the evening, then went home showered off the grime and then to bed.

Sunday, I went to the 500. Had pretty good seats (just outside of turn 1 in the SW Vista). The first 70 laps were a little boring because Dan Wheldon was driving away from everyone. The last 100 laps were really good though, and the finish was amazing!!! Without a doubt the best finish I've seen in person. Unbelievable! Then it was back home to shower off the grime, then out to New Lisbon for a cookout/party for my study buddy. Got some good food, played some croquet (I'm no good) and some ultimate frisbee (I'm ok). It was fun and good to see friends. Then back to Indy and another shower.

Monday, took it easy in the morning and early afternoon. Then I went over to my brother's for supper (burgers on the grill). Then we went wiffle ball hunting. It's a shame that wiffle balls are so hard to find...not the fake, but official wiffle balls. Luckily Walgreen's had them. The back to his place for some Home Run Derby. My sister-in-law played too...it was good for a chuckle. In the end, I hit a monster homer and won 1-0. Then my brother and I put in some video games hours. Back home and another shower.

There it was. Lots of time spent outside and lots of sweat (it was frickin' hot this weekend)...and lots of fun!

Movie Review: The DaVinci Code

I went yesterday afternoon to see the DaVinci Code. Going in I had read a few reviews (mostly mediocre) and had heard from my family (Mom/Dad and sister) who had seen it. This is probably good because my expectations had been lowered going in as opposed the their previously high state. Here's my overall thoughts of the movie: A very good film, well done, keeps you guessing (if you haven't read the book), and makes you think. The one character felt preachy, but in actuality the Tom Hanks character defends Christianity/the church (and by the church I mean the Roman Catholic Church as it is intended to mean in the movie...not all of christianity in general). In the end, Tom Hanks has a little monologue that I think is really really good (I won't ruin it...but its good). The final rating: 3 out of 4, a should see (big screen if you haven't read the book, rental if you have).

(WARNING: I assume everyone knows the controversy, so if you don't and want to be surprised by the movie DO NOT read further)

A note on the controversy. It still cracks me up that conservative groups continue to be up in arms over this. I don't understand why Jesus marrying and having a child is such a big deal. Is Jesus not the example for our lives? If so, why is hard to believe He was an example for the married life? Humanizing Jesus does not take away from His actions/teachings or His divine standing (at least not to me), but does make Him more real. And as the occasional doubting Thomas I am, making Jesus more real is a serious thing and not just a trivial item.

Here's an interesting stat: Mary Magdalene is mentioned more in the Gospels than 5 (maybe 7) of the disciples (my Dad...a minister...gave me that one). In other words, she is a very important person in the life of Jesus.

There it is. Hope you enjoyed the read...feel free to chat me up to get further details on my thougths.

Move Review: MI3

So last Friday, I went to watch Mission Impossible 3. Here's the general opinion of the movie....close but still so far away. I grew up watching the TV show (along with Twilight Zones and Perry Mason), and have been very disappointed that the movies haven't captured the coolness of the TV show. In MI3, the second major sequence finally captured that coolness...but then they dropped it and fell into a similar idea from the first movie and it just stunk. It was far superior to the second movie (which was a very mediocre action movie). Here's my final grade: C, 2 out of 4, wait for video or completely pass.

There it is, now you know. Up next...the Da Vinci Code (hopefully).

I've joined the IPod Age

As many...or at least several....ok I know at least 1 person knows (thanks for the comment Benson)...I had been looking to get an IPod. I figured with all the studying and time in a lab over the next couple of years, a personal music player would be beneficial. Anyway, I made a decision and am now the proud owner of an IPod. I went with the 30GB IPod Video (black version). I found it onsale online through Circuit City and could pick it up at a local store. So I did. Here's why I spent the extra bucks and went with this version over the Nano.

1) I can put every song I've ever heard on it. I don't have to fiddle with moving songs on and off as much (which is a plus for my laziness).
2) I like the size. I actually found the nano too small. Maybe it's just because I'm not small, but I thought this was more comfortable to hold and whatnot.
3) I might want video capabilities in the future (you never know).
4) This is the newest of the IPods and should therefore be supported for longer and not become obsolete as quickly (as with the older Mini's or Photo).

There is it. I've enjoyed it so far, and now I just need to get a protective case with belt clip (so I can carry it with ease).

Thanks for reading.

Next big decision...

is which IPod do I want? There are only 3 model types sold in stores now: The Shuffle, the Nano, and the Video. I really don't want the shuffle, too small, no screen, and holds less songs. The Nano is tempting and of the currently available models my most likely pick. I like the idea of an on-board hard drive of the Video (compared to the flash memory of the Nano), but the cost is outrageous and I currently have no need for the video capabilities, but in the future I might. Also, the video stores 7,000 or 15,000 songs. I couldn't name that many songs. So it seems like a bit of overkill to spend the money on something I likely won't use all of (again, this is short term thinking). Alright, so it seems obvious that the Nano is my best choice from a store.

The other option would be to buy offline where I could get a slightly older model (the mini or a normal IPod) for a little cheaper. The concern here is: it's an older model (less support and less up-to-date) and buying offline can be a crapshoot. I've had no problems yet, but you never can be too sure. I personally think the older 20 GB IPod would be my preference, but the above concerns might hold me back. When spending this kind of money, I want to make sure its for the best piece of equipment I can get.

It's also been advised to get the extended warranty on any IPod I get (by 1 consumer and 1 employee of a place...both had experience with breaking). Any thoughts on what IPods are good?

Video Gaming....

OK, I've not really been working over the past several weeks. Instead, I've been hanging out, bowling, and playing video games. With my future departure from the state, my brother and I swapped some video games. With the plethera of these games and God of War (which I bought), I've had plenty of things to do. Here's a list of the games that I've beat in the past couple of weeks.

Sniper Elite - 3rd person shooter that places an emphasis on sniping (right up my alley). The follow the bullet camera for headshots was frickin' sweet.

God of War - greatest hack-n-slash ever. Unbelievably fun. I see why it was considered Game of the Year by many places last year.

Indigo Prophecy - very unique. Think of playing a character in a movie, and thats how this game feels.

Call of Duty 2: Big Red One - awesome first person WWII shooter. Gives you the feel of being in a squad, but not in command of the squad. Fun stuff.

Almost done with...Rygar - another hack-n-slash game. The story sucks, but the gameplay is ok. I'm getting a bit annoyed with it.

Well, I still have a couple of other games left, but for the time being, I think I'll settle for some mutliplayer action with my brother. Gaming is fun!!

PS. Today is my final day as a non-Doctor! How's that for cool?

It's a Family Affair

Today is a family day. It is the Young'un's (aka. my sister) graduation. She will receive her elementary education degree today. I've spent the past 2 days with my parents (and bowled 11 games too)....they made me do some outside house/yard work, though. Anyway, today will be a gathering of family. Laughs will be had, I will answer repeat questions (doing well....yep, going to Colorado....nope, still single...etc. etc. etc.). And then we will go our separate ways only to do it again in a week (when I get to graduate). It's nice having a good family and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't trade mine....but if you have a good offer, I'm listening!

Enjoy.

Book Review: Deception Point

I just finished (as in last night) Deception Point by Dan Brown. Another really good book by Dan Brown. I must admit, that I have truly enjoyed all 4 of Brown's books. It is amazing how he can weave a great story and get action into a book that is set in a single day. That's right, all of his books occur within 24 +/- hours. And it's actually believable (unlike a TV show that tries the same premise....what kind of phone does that guy have anyway?). Anyway, the book was good and got you hooked fairly quickly with the characters and leaving you guessing at the end of each chapter what was going to happen next. Some of the twists were predictable. I'm not sure if that is due to my beginning to see how Brown does it, or its really that predcitable. Anyway, it's another good book by Dan Brown. I give it 3 of 4 stars and a should read rating.

A note on Dan Brown. I am amazed how worked up people continue to get over the Da Vinci Code. It is an amazing read. The controversial claims are used as a centerpiece for the book, but I never felt preached to about those claims. I never assumed the claims as fact (and I didn't feel them presented that way). One of the reasons the book is so popular is the controversy. Regardless, it's a great book and should be a great movie.

Ok that's all for me. I've started reading "War of the Rats" by David Robbins (a historical fiction about the battle of Stalingrad in WWII).