the mac the man gave me

so three years ago i started law school. i was excited to start law school because it gave me a reason to buy a laptop.  i had never owned a laptop and it was an exciting event for me.  everyone in law school has a laptop.  without one it would be impossible to gchat and surf the internet during class, which arguably are not necessary, but its pretty much what everyone does with their computers during class.  some take notes, but thats only occasionally when they are waiting for a web page to load.  anyways, i was excited to buy a new laptop, but particularly an imac or the current apple laptop.  why a mac?  because they are better and cooler.  why are they better?  i dont know.  but the commercials tell me they are and everyone that has one tells me that they are better.  you know, you can edit photos and movies and make music and do all sorts of creative and visual arts stuff that i know nothing about.  why are they cooler?  because they just are.  

so i wanted a mac, but unfortunately, the software program that one has to use for law school exams only runs on pc's or the windows operating system.  i suppose that i could have bought a mac anyways and just borrowed someone's pc for my exams, but i figured it easier to just submit to the man and buy myself a toshiba satellite.  it was a fine computer.  whatever.  i was bummed i had to buy it.  i fittingly titled it 'the mac the man made me buy.'  i did however get the 3 year warranty with the computer.  it was a little extra, but i was buying the computer specifically for law school and so i figured i might as well make sure it was under warranty for the three years. 

anyways, at the beginning of last month, april, i had one more month of law school left and my computer totally crashed.  i took it into best buy and they said that it needed a new motherboard.  they would ship it out and have it back to me in about a week.  no big deal.  they took it and gave it back just a few days later.  when they gave it back however, the wireless no longer worked and the volume button was stuck.  i took it back and they said that somehow in the process of fixing the motherboard they must had somehow disabled the wireless.  they said they would need to send it back and so they took it and gave it back 10 days later.  this time when i got my computer it looked a little different.  there were different scratches on it and it just didnt seem like my computer.  i took it home and put in my recovery cd to restore some of the programs and the cd said that it was the wrong computer.  the cd that came with my computer was for the satellite m50 or something that and it said that this was a satellite a40 or something like that.  so i took it back in to best buy and told them that they gave me the wrong computer.  at this point i was really upset. not only because it was getting ridiculous but now i was coming up on finals and i needed a computer.  i argued with the manager and he agreed to give me a loaner computer so that i could have something to take my finals, and because the last two times they messed up my computer.  it wasnt anything i did.  they messed up the wireless and put in the wrong operating system.  so they gave me a loaner and took my computer again.  i was going to blog and rip into best buy and vent about how lame stores like that are and discuss the geek squad and how lame they are because they act all high and mighty even though i know that in reality they know about an ounce more about computers than i do but they act like they know a ton.  but i refrained. instead i just secretly hoped that they would mess it up again because according to my warranty, if there was a problem and they couldnt fix the problem after 4 tries, then i would receive a new computer.  but that was just according to the warranty.  i didnt actually expect them to go through with it or for that clause to be interpreted literally.  but they did take the computer and finally called me after my finals and told me my computer was ready.  i went back in, dropped of my loaner, picked up my toshiba and went home.  i then turned it on and nothing happened.  absolutely nothing.  the computer wouldnt even turn on.  i was amazed.  

so the next day i went back to best buy and went back to the geek squad to talk to another spikey haired twenty year old with either some dirty facial hair or multiple ear piercing.  i showed them the warranty, fully expecting them to tell me that it doesnt apply to me or that when it says 4 they mean, they have to send it in 4 times and then after the 5th time they will consider it and have one more opportunity to fix it and if they cant, then the 9th time i get a new computer and by new they mean one that is from their warehouse that someone else already returned.  the guy said that i was entitled to a new computer, but they would have to send it in and the 'people at the warehouse,' whomever and wherever they are would have to 'approve' it and they would call me.  again, i had my many doubts that i would ever receive this phone call or surely they would say that they fixed the computer so i wouldnt get a new one or something like that.  well, just last sunday, i got a message on my phone saying that they had checked out my computer, it qualified and i could take my receipt to best buy and get a new computer for the same or lesser price as my last one.  i couldnt believe it.  i went to best buy, showed them my receipt, still thought they wouldnt let me get a new computer, that it would have to be a used toshiba or a pc or something.  they said i could get anything that was the price of my old computer or lesser in value.  'anything?'  i asked.  'yes.  anything.'  so i ran and picked up the mac that the man wouldnt let me buy three years ago and took it to the counter.  they accepted the exchange and told me i could go.  i couldnt believe it.  i grabbed it and sprinted to my car and drove away before they could catch me.  my warranty was 5 months from expiring and they gave me a new computer. amazing.  i still have to take the bar, which requires the windows operating system, but apple has the macbook which allows you to run the apple or windows operating system on their laptops.  better.  plus, the man gave me this computer after keeping me down and preventing me from doing so 3 years ago.  definitely cooler.   

indiana jones meets national treasure meets the mummy meets russians that cant shoot well

so we saw a midnight showing of this on wednesday night/thursday morning. and it was only ok. and i dont just think it was ok because there was so much hype and time between this one and the last one that no movie could have lived up to the hype. it was ok because it was just an alright movie. which was sort of a bummer because it had a lot of potential. like when he first meets up with shiloah lebuff. i thought they were great together and there was an exciting scene with them. but, there were just a few random scenes here and there that i thought really hurt the movie. we know indiana is going to live and we know that he is going to do pretty crazy stuff in the meantime, but i felt they just went a little too far at some points. too much shooting and missing and too many times where a green screen was used which just makes it harder to fear that he wont survive because there is the added element of 'this is already fake as it is.' anyways, im not a movie critic and id discuss other things that were disappointing in the movie, but i dont want to give anything away, or destroy it for others.


one other unrelated thought. i was thinking the other day about the phrase, 'it is what it is.' ive used it many times. whenever nellie says it she attributes it to me as though its 'my phrase.' which it isnt, i just used it at interesting moment so she likes to bring it up. but i hear it all the time from everyone so i know im not the only one. first, is it a 'new' or newer phrase. i feel like it is. second, regardless of it being new, it has to be the worst way to describe something or just the dumbest phrase ever. i dont know where it started, but i know that i first started hearing it in reference to a baseball player, manny ramirez. people would say, 'thats just manny being manny.' he is such an odd person that there was no way for people to describe his behavior or make and sense or rhyme or reason to some of the stuff that he would do, so the best they could come up with is, thats just manny ramirez being who he is. you cant explain him or try and figure him out, so why bother. but the phrase is out of control and it bugs me a bit because its just a scapegoat. its an easy and cheap way to avoid having to use your brain and try and be creative and come up with an adjective to describe something. it usually occurs after a certain event and someone will say, 'well, it is what it is.' thanks genius. i know that. i lived through it too. are you wanting to describe it or liken it to something in your life and somehow contribute something meaningful to the conversation? or just remind us that i.e. a huntington beach party is what a huntington beach party is. have you ever thought about it? its a worthless statement in my opinion.

you: man, i hate driving in rush hour traffic, its such a pain.

me: yep. well, it is what it is.

or

yep, well, driving in l.a. traffic is what driving in l.a. traffic is.


i realize that its a way of agreeing with someone and the phrase usually follows when someone has just described something and the person is then remarking that thats just how something is, but i still think its a cheap way of adding to the conversation. you think l.a. traffic is a pain. i agree but telling you that thats just what comes with l.a. traffic, pain. instead of contributing to what i think of l.a. traffic at that moment. anyways, im no grammar person nor is this phrase a pet peeve of mine. i use it from time to time. i just noticed that its use is steadily growing with the masses and i just thought about it and realized that while there are many times when the phrase really fits (which is probably how it got started because it had limited situations where it was of good use), there are also many times where its just being overused and contributing nothing. i say this as though everything i say is a worthwhile contribution to a conversation, its not. i say lame stuff all the time that has no meaning. i cant help it. we all cant help it from time to time. you know, it is what it is.

58 m.p.h.

so are bigger guys/people louder? they always are at the gym. well, not all the big guys there are loud, but it seems like whenever there is someone that is being loud, the person is usually a big guy. but why? its not like what they are doing is more difficult than what i am doing. just because they are doing military press with 110 lb dumbbells in each hand (like the guy today), doesnt mean that he is straining more than i am curling 40 pounds. his arms are 4 times the size of mine. yet he's screaming, 'come on! one more!' and huffing and puffing more than anyone else. but more weight doesnt equal harder. so it cant be that. maybe its confidence. perhaps being confident equals being louder. i dont know if that is an entirely accurate theory. some people are just louder by nature, but i know for example, that i tend to get louder on the soccer field, a place where i feel more confident than say, at the gym. perhaps that is because im not as intimidated on the field and so i dont fear talking or demanding the ball or something. if im playing with guys im better with and i demand the ball and i lose it, im upset i lost it, but i dont worry about what people will think or say to me because they couldnt do anything better with it. maybe its the same at the gym with the big guy, he knows he's one of, if not the strongest in the gym, what does he care if makes a scene? he wants to make a scene. he's in a gym and he's the strongest person in there, he's confident and wants people to notice him. i think we all do it to a degree when we are in a situation where we are confident.

two other things from the gym:
1. i saw a guy there that was using gardening gloves as his workout gloves. gotta love that. they were big and yellow and no mistaking that they are generally used for weeding. i respect it though. he probably went to buy gym gloves, noticed that they were a cool $20, or $22.50 if you pay for the 'cool' ones where they cut off the fingers for you. he probably, and rightfully so, thought that they were ridiculously overpriced and just picked up the $1.99 yellow ones that are stapled together with a cardboard piece of paper on them that says, 'yellow gloves.' the guy also was sporting a flat top. needs to be mentioned. im also pretty sure that the guy threw out his back doing lat pull downs. my back hurt just watching it. but, at least his hands were clean.

2. i respect the old guys (and young sometimes, but usually old) that wear tank tops and have more hair on their shoulders and back than they do on their head. its not a normal respect because its something i would never do, nor would i date a girl that was fine with a guy publicly sporting that much hair, but they are doing their own thing and wearing their coat of fur loud and proud and you have to respect that. plus, the guy is like 70 and he can still do a pull up.

finally, the other night we went to espn zone. they have a baseball throwing game where you get into a cage and throw a baseball into a screen and it tells you how hard you throw. anyways, i did three throws and topped out at 58 mph. 58. i was really bummed. major league players throw consistently at at least 30 mph faster than that and top out with their fastball over 35 mph faster. thats a lot. my shoulder killed the next day and im sure i threw out my arm and all i could do was 58. thats what 8th graders throw in little league. which was the last time i played organized baseball. that means i cant throw much harder than i could at the time of my retirement. i mean, it makes sense. these guys make millions so they better be much better than me, otherwise i could or any average person could be doing what they are doing and they shouldnt be making they money they make. but, at the same time, you dont, or i didnt think the gap between the players and i was so great. i know i cant throw a curve ball or a slider or throw 90 mph, but i figured i could at least top 60 and maybe even break 70. granted these people throw balls all day and have been for their whole life and i throw a ball once every month, maybe. but i should still be able to walk up there and throw a ball over 70 mph. just like i should be able to walk out onto a football field and outrun a cornerback in a nfl game and catch a touchdown. i mean, im fast, compared to no one, it just makes sense. well, i guess it doesnt. ill just have to sadly face reality that im not coming out of retirement any time soon.

already off

not that anyone really reads this blog, and even if they do, im not sure that anyone made it through my long post about movies, and even if they did, i doubt they really cared about what i thought or had to say about movies. but if they do, and did and do again, they probably shouldnt. well, i dont think im off on everything, but so far i am. i saw ironman last weekend and it was really good. i had a great time. i didnt think it would be that good. i thought it would be a flashy and action filled movie that didnt have much substance. and by substance i mean pretty hollow characters and a pretty weak storyline. granted, none of these superhero movies have intense or deep storylines where you really have to pay attention or youll lose what is going on, but ironman proved me wrong. robert downey was really good. he did a great job and his character was great. he really carried the film. and as a bonus, gweneth paltrow looks great in the film. she's looked ugly for years in my opinion but the makeup people did a number on her and she doesnt look rail thin, so she's a pleasant addition. anyways, i do recommend ironman. a really fun time at the movies and i think worth the money. not that my suggestions or recommendations have much credibility since im already changing them, not that i really recommended ironman, i just didnt have huge expectations and it was a nice surprise. i do still have massive expectations for batman. there was a preview before ironman. that show is going to be incredible.

the bachelor

so i got sucked into watching this tonight at nellie's house and i had just a couple of random thoughts/questions. i have only seen two episodes this season. this episode was down to the final 3. he took them to barbados and had a day-long date with them. i wonder how much of this show is actually staged and scripted. my sister lindsey was sort of involved in a reality show a couple years ago in vegas. she said that it was hardly reality and very much scripted. granted, you could tell just by watching it that it was scripted, but i wonder how much. at the end of the show he eliminates 1 girl. there are three girls left. one is the blonde bimbo from malibu that isnt as attractive as the other girls and pretty much an idiot. she is 22 and im sure she has been on this show this long because she is sleeping with one of the producers. the other girl is a brown haired girl that he should be with only because she is the mature, respectable girl. she says 'like' like every other like word. but if he was really in it to find a legit marriage material girl, she is the one to pick. but he's a guy so he is going to pick the other girl that is also blonde and you can tell he really wants. its hard to say if she is even into him. probably not. it seems a little forced. just because he has picked all of these girls doesnt mean they are actually picking him. anyways, at the end of the show, he eliminated the brown haired girl. which made me wonder how scripted it really is. i wonder if he told them he already knew he was going to pick chelsea in the end so they said to have him eliminate the brown haired girl because the other one is a bimbo and creates more controversy because it will be so shocking if you pick her so you have to keep her because people will be dying to watch just to make sure you dont pick her....and she's sleeping with one of the producers.

speaking of sleeping, the other thing i was wondering is if he is actually shacking up with 3 different girls in 3 consecutive nights. at the end of each of their dates he gives them a card which 'is from the producer' that basically tells them that they have booked two different hotel rooms for them, but if they so desire and want to have any chance at winning, they can sleep in the luxury suite with him. they all went to the luxury suite of course and all acted like they were going to or willing to throw themselves at him once the cameras and lights went off. wouldnt it be funny if once the cameras went off they were just like, 'well, thats a wrap, im just going to head off to my own room now, ill see you tomorrow.'? is it purely naive and stupid to think that he isnt getting busy with 3 different women? i know this isnt something to lose sleep over and dwell on, but they definitely imply that he is, and if he is, is everyone alright with this? im sure he is, hopefully not, but are the ladies? he proposes to one of them at the end of the show. how does that go over?

him: will you marry me?

her: um, remember how last week you slept with two other women?

him: oh. right. yeah, vaguely i suppose. was that just last week? man, i swear that felt like it was so long ago.

her: no. it was just last week. you sure you love me?

him: what? love? you? oh yeah. totally. wanna just forget about that other girl stuff?

her: no. not really.

him: right. yeah. i can see why you wouldnt. wanna just put this engagement ring on anyways for sake of the show and then we will break up after the show is over?

her: (crying) yes.

producer: and...cut. great. thats a wrap. lets cut everything but that first and last line. thanks guys.

summer movie preview 2008

so i did this last year and i figured i would do it again. i realize that its only april and so summer wont be starting for another month or so, but finals begin in 2 weeks and then there is this exam in july called the bar that i have to take. anyways, im told i should study for it, so i dont know when ill really get a chance to sit down and give my two cents on summer movies. not that anyone should care about my movie thoughts. im no movie buff, although i do consider myself a movie snob. i would attribute most of that to my college roommate dave. he's the 'best boy' ever. he's also the movie buff and through our years of living together he tutored me and trained me to reject theater trash and other types of movie vomit. speaking of dave, he works in santa monica for a cable station called the 'soundtrack channel.' its a small channel that is trying to expand and grow. id tell you what exactly he does but i never remember. however, he does do the 'stc news' and all of their hollywood headlines. you can watch all of them on itunes under soundtrack channel podcasts: stc news. dave has always wanted to be on tv and majored in film to help jump start his tv career (it had nothing to do with film or love for writing) so i know how much this means to him which is why im giving him this plug.

speaking of plugs, i saw the movie 'run fatboy run' the other week. it was fantastic. the main actor is outstanding. he was also in 'shawn of the dead' and 'hot fuzz.' he's really great. i cant get enough of him. he's the best british export since ricky gervais, muse and posh spice. plus, its a fun story. props to david schwimmer (he directed it). its the first time i have respected him since he was in 'wonder years.' he spent so many other years being a complete whiney and annoying loser and forcing me to not watch 'friends' that i was sure he wasnt capable of doing anything worthwhile for the rest of his life. he's proved me wrong. matt leblanc has yet to do so though.

anyways, last year i organized them by how likely it was that i would see movie. given that ill be studying for the bar this summer and probably wont even see my girlfriend most days, i doubt ill see many, if any of these movies. im sure there are many movies that i am overlooking, but here are some thoughts about a few that i was able to see online:


who funds this stuff?

what happens in vegas - i know this is a chick flick so i was going to put it there, but i had to bump it up to this category because it looks like crap. but sadly it will make money. plenty of girls will see every chick flick that comes to the theater. plus it has ashton which all girls like, even though he slapped every girl in the face by hooking up with demi moore. still so strange. it also has cameron diaz. i dont think she has looked that attractive since 'the mask.' it looks terribly stupid and predictable from the previews. i bet, after they both do so much to try and get the other person to file for divorce, that they actually end up liking each other and falling in love. maybe they wont though, maybe it will end with ashton taking the money, shacking up with a woman twice his age, while cameron diaz (a prettier, but not pretty woman that is his age) sits in confusion on the street wondering why he is with the older woman.

you dont mess with the zohan - here's the problem. when i was in jr. high i went with my friend chris jahnke and saw 'happy gillmore' on the opening weekend and we laughed. so i cant get mad when i see another adam sandler movie coming out because i once thought he was funny so surely other people do too, but they cant be over the age of 14 right? does any adult find this guy funny? if they do, would anyone claim him or her as their friend? i'd stay away from someone like that. they have nothing to contribute to a solid friendship. nothing.

tropic thunder - ben stiller and adam sandler should just get on a boat together and go to an island alone together where they can live in peace and wont bug anyone.

meet dave - eddie murphy. and to make things better, he has a mini eddie murphy living inside of him. how did the conversation for this movie go?

producer: you know eddie, you just arent quite the star you used to be. you cant carry a film on your own anymore.

eddie: yeah, youre probably right. how about we have mini me as a supporting character?

producer: mini me? the midget from austin powers?

eddie: no. i mean, me, just small. living inside of big, main character me.

producer: yeah, that will probably work. it sounds as crappy as everything else you do that sells to whoever your audience is. did we ever figure out who these people are that see your films?

eddie: no. not yet.



oh, i dont know:

bangkok dangerous - the tagline from the preview was, 'nothing is more dangerous than a hitman...that hits back.' that sort of makes me upset inside because i could come up with something like that. this movie would be the best if it has the song 'one night in bangkok' throughout all of it. thats such a great song. how can you make a movie with bangkok in the title and not have that song in it? i think its impossible.

the happening - its another m. night shamalyhanahdananan movie. there will probably be a twist of some sort. it has mark whalberg in it so it has my attention. i know that sounds gay, but he's great. if it wasnt for him i wouldnt even think about seeing it. that sounds even more gay. moving on.

redbelt - the only reason i bring this up is because it has tim allen in it. everything he does is usually terrible (except for all the toy story's and the first santa clause). im not saying this movie will be good, it probably wont, but its totally unlike anything else he has ever done, which is respectable that he is branching out.


para todos:

speed racer: ok, when i first saw the poster i was a little upset and bummed. everyone knew eventually that someone would make this movie and i was expecting something different. like a racy pg-13 movie with fast cars and crap actors. but then i realized i already have 'fast and the furious' in my life to fill that void. and i actually think on the big screen and even on imax, that this could be a very visually entertaining film. i cant say that i think it will be brilliant, but definitely good on certain levels. i know i wouldnt be upset if i had to take a 10 year old to see it.

wall-e, kung fu panda and space chimps - alright, these are three of the animated films that are coming out this summer. first, wall-e. ive heard some people say that they dont think it looks that great and arent really excited about it so they might not see it. really? thats like the beatles coming out with a new album and people saying they arent sure if they are going to listen to it because they didnt like 'rubber soul.' i feel like with the track record of pixar, you have to see it. some say they didnt particularly care for 'ratatouille' so they might not see this one. but that is what is sad in my opinion. pixar just does brilliant stuff. if you dont see it then you arent appreciating or paying much attention to the movie. they put so much effort and creativity into every movie that nothing is left out and every line or scene is carefully planned. its a shame when even if you dont necessarily like the movie (like 'cars') that you cant at least appreciate the attention to detail.

so, lets compare them. pixar or wall-e would be like 'arrested development' (which did btw, announce a movie coming out in '09. i already cant sleep thinking about it) where everything is planned and its brilliant but on many levels so that you continue to appreciate it long after you have seen it. it lasts. kung fu panda is pure crap trying to hide behind a big name star. they figured they could make something that wasnt funny, but put a 'funny guy' in the main role and people would laugh and not realize that what they are watching isnt good. the problem is that the main guy's ship has sailed, well, its about to pull away from the dock and leave the harbor. im not sure if jack black could ever carry a comedy, but he really cant now. kung fu panda is like when they gave chevy chase a talk show. that was real bad and based on faulty logic similar to kung fu panda. animated films are big, jack black is funny, this will work. talk shows are in, chevy chase is funny, this will work. im probably being too hard. im sure it will be a smashing success. either way, it wont be as bad as 'space chimps.' i dont even know what tv sitcom i would compare this to. maybe 'freddie' the short lived freddie prince jr. show. just watch the trailer. the jokes are bad. so bad that im not even sure that a child would laugh at them. at every moment you can think to yourself, 'i could have come up with that.' and you could have, unless you arent over 9. so why would you want to pay money to someone that is doing something that you could do, but you never bothered to do it because you realized that it wasnt anything unique or brilliant? you also didnt bother to do it because you dont know someone that will pay you 20 times what you are making now to make the lame show.



for the ladies (and some dudes):

mamma mia - i should see this because i love the 'abba' music. but im sure i wont. i could listen to 'abba gold' every day. i never saw the musical which is still upsetting to me. problem is, it comes out on the same weekend as the new batman, so the only part most of america will see of this movie is whatever is on the poster when they are waiting in lines to get into batman.

another sisterhood and more pants - my brain shut off just trying to think of something to say.

made of honor - nellie said the other day that she really wanted to see this. dont get me wrong, some chick flicks are great. i really enjoy some. sometimes its not a terrible thing when a girl drags you to one. some of them are entertaining with a decent and not entirely predictable story line and good supporting cast. i feel like i dont need to see this since i saw 'my best friend's wedding' a few years back. either way, im glad i have the legitimate 'i have to study' card and can pull it at will this summer. it will come in handy for this movie, but not nearly as much as this next one:

sex and the city - alright, ive never seen an episode of this show so i cant really knock it. it might be good. maybe its well written and some guys had to sit through so many episodes with their lady that they enjoy it. it might be pretty good, but having never seen it and just seeing the previews, it looks like the mother of all chick flicks. its almost worth going to as a guy, only because you could pretty much drag your woman to anything after she took you to this. 'no honey, we are going to the van halen concert, or we are going to watch all 7 games of the nba finals....remember 'sex and the city'?



blockbusters:

ironman - um...its a marvel movie. too hard to predict in my opinion. action? yes. stars? yes. they will always come because fans will always go see it. will there be a plot? perhaps. will the jokes be terrible or legit? impossible to say. many moments where the movie just gets ridiculous? of course, no idea if it will be too much. but its a 'blockbuster' so its supposed to just be fun and exciting. of course its a little concerning it comes out so early in may as though it cant compete with other movies on later summer weekends. im guessing most reviews will be 'eh, it was fine.'

incredible hulk - again, a marvel movie. its hard to exactly say what it is that makes some of these respectable and a good time, and others that just arent any fun at all. its the difference between any spiderman movie and a fantastic four movie. on many levels, its the same movie, but in one of them you can tell that they put thought into it and actually tried to make a movie with a decent plot and didnt just rely on 'cool effects' with 'sexy stars' to get through the movie. its entertaining, just not memorable and you usually arent happy you spent money on the movie. you arent upset and wanting your money back, but you arent completely fine with having given your money away. im not sure if any of this makes sense, but i think ironman will be along the same vein as fantastic four while incredible hulk will be like spiderman.

indiana jones - so this should be fantastic. not just because its an addition to an already classic trilogy, but because it has kept harrison ford away from making movies like 'hollywood homicide.' its also prevented him from being in the news with that calista flockhart. how is it that they are together again? she's hideous. anyways, i dont know what to say about this movie. how can you not want to see it? its george lucas at his best, by producing it. its speilberg at his best by directing it. and its harrison ford as indiana jones. he's the all american hero. it should be just a great and enjoyable time at the movies, which is what 'summer movies' are all about.

chronic(what)cles of narnia - i didnt particuarly like the first one. many people did though, so i think im in the minority. im not terribly excited for this even though it looks good. i recommend it though because im sure it will be good and most people will like it, i just will probably use the 'bar study' excuse.

the dark knight - alright, i already raved about this movie in another post. nellie and i were fortunate to see the first 10 minutes as a preview of 'i am legend.' it looks phenomenal. seriously. now, im supposed to do nothing but study for 15 hours a day in preparation for the bar and according to everyone i talk to, bar study requires about that much time for 2 solid months. knowing that, and having fully committed to that by paying a few grand for a bar prep course, i will see this movie opening weekend. i think everyone should make an effort to see it in the theatres this summer. having only seen 1o minutes, im guaranteeing everyone will like it. if you dont, ill personally come sit down with you after im done with the bar and explain to you why you have poor taste in movies.

anyways, there are a ton of other movies. a steve carrel comedy and a mike myers one as well. both could be great and also just as easily pretty terrible. there is another 'hellboy' coming out and another 'mummy' movie to complete the much anticipated trilogy. there is also a will smith movie called 'hancock.' i usually enjoy most of his stuff so im sure it will be pretty good, this post is just getting too long and its one of those things where there will always be more movies to talk about so instead of trying to cover them all, ill just quit here.

dear del taco

hi. how are you? im good. thanks. as you know, i frequent your fine franchise often. well, it has tapered off in recent years, but dont be offended, ive tapered off with all fast food. its not you. its me. and its no so much all of me as much as just my bowels. they just dont react like they used to after i eat at your fine establishment. but i do think you are great. really i do. ever since i first met you back in high school i felt you were superior to taco bell. your chicken soft tacos really sold me. they were only 79 cents. what a deal! especially since taco bell's were well over a dollar. which is a big difference in high school when you only have about $1.50 for lunch (sadly, not much has changed). but i appreciated how cheap you are. and your fries. so good. just like they were straight out of a bag and out of the oven. im actually pretty sure they are since i can buy the exact same tasting ones at the supermarket with the same zig zag shape. but im not going to go through the effort of buying the bag, turning on the oven, waiting, putting the fries in, waiting, taking them out, waiting, and then eating them when i can head to one of your many convenient locations and get them in a fraction of the time. sure they might not always be hot and sometimes are soggy, but they are cheap and its easy and i dont have to wait.

anyways, i write this letter to discuss your shakes. mainly your strawberry shake. i was introduced to your shake a couple years ago. recently, as im sure you have noticed, there has been a shake revolution of sorts at fast food chains. they all put whip cream on them. some even add a cherry. they usually come in clear containers. they have larger straws. sometimes even colored ones. the flavors range from traditional fruits to cereal flavors. and you have joined the revolution. i cant blame you. peer pressure is hard to resist. we all fall to it during our lifetime. you have whipped your top, domed your lid and made your container clear.

but you still add fruit chunks to your strawberry shakes. and i think the chunks are bigger. lets just be honest with each other: we both know the fruit isnt real. it isnt any more real than those balls that you put in the soft tacos that you claim are chicken. chicken doesnt come in balls and it it shouldnt be gummy. same thing with your tacos. i mean seriously, you are selling tacos for 39 cents. do you really think we, the consumer, think anything inside a 39 cent taco is real? we know the meat is powder filler and dirt chunks. the lettuce is just soft plastic pieces colored green and the cheese is hopefully fake because there is no way fast food chains are treating their dairy properly; we hope its fake and not being shipped all over the country in the back of warm semi's. but that's the thing: i dont care. if i did, i wouldnt go there. i dont go to your restaurant looking for real food. i go looking for a meal that will taste good and flush me out later. so why are you putting the 'fruit' in there? no one is thinking that you used actual strawberries to flavor your shake and that its evidenced by the fact that some strawberries werent grounded up and they somehow ended up whole in the bottom of your cup. we all know that they came from a bag in the freezer and before that they came from some factory in peru.

but even if you dont want to give up the gimick and want to continue to try and fool your customer, its just impractical to have them in there. why? because the strawberries sink to the bottom where the bottom of the straw sucks up the shake. the strawberries clog up the straw. we, your consumers, suck and suck until our jaw hurts and cheeks our numb. you are losing out on a valuable 'post wisdom teeth operationee in need of a shake' consumer market. if we cant do it, there is no way they can either. the 2 inch strawberry doesnt go up the 2 cm hole. it cant happen. something went wrong in r&d and somehow this was overlooked. im not sure what happened or how it was missed, but it was. its an easy fix. just remove the strawberries. no one wants them. no one eats them at the end. they just get in the way. you can do this. i know you can.

sincerely,

kent

p.s. love the addition of the $1 churros. they are great. they dont cost $5 like at disneyland and they dont have a bitter after taste like the ones at 'el pollo loco.' i think they are using sourdough. dont worry, im sending them a letter too.