Walkabout 2009: Day 4

Ugh. We spent almost the whole day on the train from Mulhousse to Antibes. By the way, if you want to imagine Mullhouse, think of a French Garland.

No pictures and nothing much to report.

Although the day did end with a nice meal looking out at the Mediterranean Sea. I had the scallops, of course.

Even More Updates

Sorry for the lack of updates and pictures. We are staying at Vanessa's aunt in Antibes. There is only her computer (and its French keyboard) to post updates. Mine currently has no internet and my only camera battery is dead.

But I have spent much time swimming at the beach and eating and drinking what the local restaurants have to offer.

Seriously, old Antibes is about as charming a town as I could imagine. I hope to have more comments and pictures once we get to Paris.

Quick Update

Sorry for the lack of updates. Free WiFi is not as plentiful as I had hoped.

We went to Cannes and Nice yesterday.

At our next hotel I will upload more pictures and blog entries:

Quick Update

I'm sorry that I haven't had the time or even much WiFi to upload more updates and pictures. They will be coming as soon as time becomes available.

Oh, and there is the small issue of my leaving my camera battery charger, my extra battery and my Euro Plug adapter in the hotel in Strasbourg.

We're headed down to Antibes today by way of bullet train. Cool, huh?

Highlights so far - touring Notre Dame in Strasbourg (an really Strasbourg in general) and a personal tour of a winery in Alsace.

Walkabout 2009: Day 1

Bennigans -- The Last Thing I Saw Before Getting On the Plane

There's not really that much to say about day 1. The flight was lovely. The dinner was much better than expected. However, the breakfast was not that great. An omelet is just not expected to sit around for 8-9 hours.

Movie Monday: Star Trek

As many of you may have surmised by now, I'm a bit of what they call a nerd. I might not have turned out that way had I not discovered Star Trek in the Fourth Grade. Much of the ensuing years were spent watching each episode over and over and reading any book that came out about Star Trek -- not the fictional books, but the ones about the show. I was giddy like a school girl when each movie came out.

So I came to this Star Trek with excitement. Star Trek + JJ Abrams to me sounded like a no -miss deal. The reviews were all stellar (ha, get it?). This was gonna be great!

Well, it wasn't. At least it wasn't to me.

Maybe my brain is still fried from a JJ Abram's other time travel vehicle -- Lost. But I just didn't get into this movie.

Everything was there. All the characters, lots of big action scenes.

And let me be clear, I'm not one of those Trekkies that's offended by this movie, or sad there were no Klingons.

I just didn't think it was that great.

There were just all these little things that bothered me: [Spoilers Follow]

• So, old Spock just happened to be right by where Kirk was abandoned. How convenient.
• What did Future Romulans do for 25 years? How was the crew paid during those 25 years? What do I have to do to get a band of henchmen?
• What was up with JJ's hand held camera that kept getting (intentional, I'm sure) lens flare from all the bridge lights that were pointed at the camera?
• Kirk goes from a cadet on Academic Probation to Captain of Starfleet's shiniest, newest Starship? Really?
• What the hell happened to Winona Ryder??
  

So, to sum up:

• 0 breasts
• numerous beasts
• Romulan-Fu
• Giant Ice Creature - Fu

Academy Award nomination for Michael Giacchino for his amazing score for both this movie and Lost. While watching a particularly emotional scene I couldn't help be be impressed with his ability to wring out every drop of emotion with his music. I wonder if Lost would be half as popular with an average musician.


B-

King Wally says check it out.

Zoë's First Confirmed Kill

File Under: Stuff That Was A Big Part of My Life in the Early Oughts That We Can Say Goodbye To This Week If We Still Cared

It turns out no one wants to pay $6.50 for a Guinness and



Greggo is back on VigorFit.











I read the Dallas' snarky blogs, so you don't have to.

And I agree 100% with Eric Celeste.

Animal Cruelty Is Funny

Especially when it's cats.

Oh. So That's How My Savings Disappeared

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Would Someone Please Tell the Fake Jim Halpert to Stop Popping Up On My Computer

I know. I get it. Pop-Up adds are one of those modern day inconveniences like identity theft and hausfraus gabbing away on their cellphones in the passing lane.

But must I be subjected to this doucher's toothy grin every fucking time I click a link?

And the add is for JoshMadCash.com. And supposedly this is Josh. Except when I downloaded his picture, it said neil2.gif. So, I'm sensing something may be up there.

Movie Monday: Caprica

I'm not going anyplace you frakking dirt eater.


Caprica is the pilot episode of a Battlestar Galactica prequel that takes place 58 year before the fall of the 12 Colonies at the hands of the dirty, sneaky Cylons.

Have I lost you yet?

It is the story of rich software industrialist Daniel Graystone (Eric Stolz) -- think Steve Jobs/Bill Gates -- and attorney Joseph Adams (Asai Morales). Their paths cross when both lose daughters in a terrorist train attack. Graystone, being a software guru already working on a cybernetic entity (the future Cylons) for the military, hopes to bring both daughters back using his expertise.

The setting is Caprica. At the start of Battlestar Galactica, it was the Capitol planet of the the unified 12 colonies. But the First Cyclon War has not taken place yet, so The Colonies are not so unified -- yet.

OK. Now I know I've lost you.

But I'm not sure that should be the case. This is not a story of space battles and shiny robots. It's a story of us 10-20 years in the future, and the issues we all deal with now and in the future -- racism, religious zealotry, a corrupt military industrial complex and, of course teen angst.

Yeah, that's right. At times, especially the first third of the movie, Caprica feels more like One Cylon Hill than Battlestar with all it's teen angst.

But my biggest complaint is the shoehorning of the Battlestar mythos into this story. You see, Joseph Adams and his son William are Tauran immigrants who "Capricanized" their original family name of Adama, to the more palatable Adams. So we get to see Admiral Bill Adama before he gets that terrible case of acne.

I'm not going to lie and say this is the best thing I've ever seen. Like the Battlestar Galactica pilot, Caprica is on the slow side and very dark. But it does what a pilot is supposed to do -- introduce us to a new world and makes us want to see more. I certainly want to see more. But I'm geek. They already have me.

• 2 beasts
• 18 breasts
• holo-fu
• holo orgies
• holo virgin sacrifices

Academy Award nomination for Alessandra Toressani for playing a character named after my puppy.

B

King Wally says check it out.

Note: Caprica is currently only available on DVD. It will not be broadcast on SciFi until fall with episodes to follow in 2010.

CSI:Wallagio

The Culprit -- "Muddy Paws" McZoë


The Crime - Hole Digging During A Thunderstorm


The Victim - (Name Withheld)