I had my own little run in with the afterschool psycho yesterday. She comes rushing over, takes me to one side and launches into a tirade about my failure to let her know that the kids weren't coming to care today. Now fair enough, I didn't let her know, and I didn't know I needed to let her know. So I apologised politely, said I didn't know what was required, and promised it wouldn't happen again. But she couldn't let it go, attacking me on and on, becoming more enraged. This woman has serious personality issues! I actually found her quite laughable in the end. She's heading for a coronary, and I suspect the only reason she still has any business at all is because people tolerate her so they can leave their kids there and continue to work. If there were any viable alternatives out there, I don't think she'd have any business left at all. I think given the sum of money I'm paying her, that I'd be owed some grown-up respect and civility. That's fine, we've started advertising for an after-school sitter, and as soon as we've found someone suitable we're outta there!
As a special treat this weekend we went to see Pirates of the Caribbean : At World's End. We were going to see Spiderman 3, but after all the negative reviews and comments from people we know who've been to see it, we decided to wait for the DVD on that one. Pirate's 3 was vastly superior to the previous installment. As I suspected, it suffered from the first half (Dead Man's Chest) containing most of the plotting and exposition, while World's End suffered none of that, and rocked along at a reasonable pace with plenty of action and adventure.Captain Jack had his character returned to his full glory, and while it seemed he was an out-of-control fool for most of the film, by the end it became clear that there was a plan in motion all along, and he is rather clever in fact.
Captain Teague, Jack's father, is only in the film very briefly, but Keith Richard's is an effortlessly cool pirate lord.
All the character have their own individual resolutions to their stories which is good. There are no redundant characters as such, and they're all interesting in their own way. I found myself looking out for Jack the monkey, or the little crew member quite a bit.
This movie also seemed a lot funnier and we laughed a lot more than the previous one. Overall, a vast improvement. I really hope that if they do another movie, and it was left open at the end for more adventures, that they do the movies as standalones, rather than shooting one extra long film that gets chopped into two installments. I suppose I'll have to go buy Dead Man's Chest on DVD now, since I fully intend to purchase At World's End when it becomes available.
A small warning though if your planning on taking small children, it is over 3 hours long, and your butt will be numb by the end, especially if you have wriggly children on your lap. Also, it's probably worth watching the second film again, because it helps to understand what's going on in this one, unless of course your memory is really good.
What's good:
- Captain Jack in Davy Jone's Locker
- Jack the monkey is pure gold
- The maelstrom battle
- The escape from Singapore
- Jack's mental health issues
- The pirate meeting
- The shocking ending of one major character
What's bad:
- Lots of doublecrosses can get confusing
Got the biggest fright yesterday. Micky found a snake outside the kitchen slithering around. Must have been nice weather for them, because this was the first of two that turned up during the day. Sure I can appreciate that it's coloration is pretty, but I hate snakes. It's the most hideous creature, and I can't stand it on any level whatsoever. Don't even like things that are snake-like: snake-necked turtles are also off my list of animals-i-like. Worst thing is it's so difficult to see, I'm worried I might stand on one outside now. This is a Yellow-Faced Eastern Whip Snake. It likes to live in long grass, forests, leaves, wood piles, and other detritus left about. It is venomous and especially dangerous to small children. Consequently the children have been told extensively to stay away from them and be extremely careful when outside. A couple of weeks previous this kind of snake killed an adult in Queensland. Beeb wanted to hand-feed it. He really worries me sometimes...
I know, don't nag me. I'm well behind everyone else in the world. Someone who hasn't seen Superman Returns?? It kinda came out about the same time that the whole moving country thing started, so I've been pretty busy. Anyway, I've finally got around to seeing it.I enjoyed the movie, it was pretty good, and the effects were well done. My only real complaint with it is pretty much just a remake of the original film, although confusingly it references the earlier films. But the events that happen are much the same as the original film. I was reading the Birthright trade comic the other day, and it occured to me that it would have been a much more exciting and original film, if they had absorbed the storyline from Birthright. It could have been Superman returning to Earth, finding that Lex has raided the Fortress while he has been away and used the crystals knowledge to construct Kryptonian weapons. Then convinced the population that Earth is being invaded by forces from Krypton, turning the world against Superman. It's an awesome book, both for storyline and artwork, and would have been a really excellent movie. Especially since it features elements of Clark's alienation, and seeking his place in the world, similar to what was in the movie. I'm looking forward to the next film, and hoping that it'll be something new and fresh, kind of like how X-Men II was an improvement over the first one.
I can't understand people sometimes. Why do they feel they have to make other people's lives miserable to make themselves feel better? I arrived home last night to find my wife in tears after yet another confrontation with the lady that provides before and after-school care for the children. The woman had spoke to her a few days earlier, accusing our daughter of french-kissing boys at the school. She hadn't seen it herself, and wouldn't provide any evidence that this had happened, nor would she say who it was (although my wife could hazard a guess) that had made this claim. Micky denies that she did anything, and we believe her.
So to investigate, we spoke with her teacher at school who said she would check into it. She contacted me yesterday to say that she'd found the persons responsible and they had been starting false rumors. She was going to punish these boys. My wife spoke with the care lady again just to let her know what had happened, and this woman continued attacking her about Micky kissing boys. She went on an on about it, and basically implied that were not raising our children properly. She also suggested that she would kick our children out of care if she wasn't satisfied that we had punished Micky for her alleged wrong-doing.
She didn't do anything!! What the hell is wrong with some people. I think this woman has an agenda. She has always been rude to us, and I figure she either has an issue that we're Kiwis, or perhaps we're not rich/good enough for her clicky little group at the school. Unfortunately, if she kicks the kids out then Rob might have to quit her job, which is financially going to burden us. All because a rude, small-minded woman can't admit she was wrong and let it go. Not to mention the effect her attitude has on the children. I've never once arrived at care and seen Micky misbehaving - usually she's looking after the small children. Everybody is upset and stressed because of this person. If she can't cope with children and show love and understanding, then she's in the wrong job!
So to investigate, we spoke with her teacher at school who said she would check into it. She contacted me yesterday to say that she'd found the persons responsible and they had been starting false rumors. She was going to punish these boys. My wife spoke with the care lady again just to let her know what had happened, and this woman continued attacking her about Micky kissing boys. She went on an on about it, and basically implied that were not raising our children properly. She also suggested that she would kick our children out of care if she wasn't satisfied that we had punished Micky for her alleged wrong-doing.
She didn't do anything!! What the hell is wrong with some people. I think this woman has an agenda. She has always been rude to us, and I figure she either has an issue that we're Kiwis, or perhaps we're not rich/good enough for her clicky little group at the school. Unfortunately, if she kicks the kids out then Rob might have to quit her job, which is financially going to burden us. All because a rude, small-minded woman can't admit she was wrong and let it go. Not to mention the effect her attitude has on the children. I've never once arrived at care and seen Micky misbehaving - usually she's looking after the small children. Everybody is upset and stressed because of this person. If she can't cope with children and show love and understanding, then she's in the wrong job!
By the Maker, this week has dragged on something chronic. It's only Thursday, but it feels like this week has been about a century too long. Roll on Friday! We've been flat out changing templates, constantly shunting priorities because she-whose-name-is-not-mentioned keeps changing her mind (woman's perogative I suppose), trying to find somewhere to move, and dealing with Rob's recovery from her 'special project' last week. Incidentally she is doing well, and should be back to full power soon if the return of her usual demeanour is any indication. I can't wait for the end of the week... i'm so tired....
Dammmmnnn! At the 11th hour, the freakin estate agent is mucking us around. Now we may have no office, and nowhere to go. As it is, we're already looking at a weeks delay to get phones and data switched on, and every further delay now will push that out further and further. Now we're trying to come up with Plan Z, but with the local papers commenting today on a severe property shortage in Brisbane, skyrocketing costs for commercial space (it's as high as $600 per square metre now), it's not looking good. Might be a case of working from home for awhile, but even that has logistical problems.
I cannot believe it! Disney has finally got their ass into gear and is releasing The Muppet Show Season 2. Release date is August 7. No sign of it yet on the local release lists, but I'm hoping it's going to be released here the same date. I can't wait!The set will feature the following:
EPISODE 1: Don Knotts
EPISODE 2: Zero Mostel
EPISODE 3: Milton Berle
EPISODE 4: Rich Little
EPISODE 5: Judy Collins
EPISODE 6: Nancy Walker
EPISODE 7: Edgar Bergen
EPISODE 8: Steve Martin
EPISODE 9: Madeline Kahn
EPISODE 10: George Burns
EPISODE 11: Dom DeLuise
EPISODE 12: Bernadette Peters
EPISODE 13: Rudolf Nureyev
EPISODE 14: Elton John
EPISODE 15: Lou Rawls
EPISODE 16: Cleo Laine
EPISODE 17: Julie Andrews
EPISODE 18: Jaye P. Morgan
EPISODE 19: Peter Sellers
EPISODE 20: Petula Clark
EPISODE 21: Bob Hope
EPISODE 22: Teresa Brewer
EPISODE 23: John Cleese
EPISODE 24: Cloris Leachman
Luckily before this film came out I was already a fan of Mike Mignola's Hellboy, having read most of the graphic novels that were out there. The stories are often well written, pulp adventures with moody art, featuring lots of solid blacks, and strong primary colors. The film is based on a combination of the first two books - Seed of Destruction and Right Hand of Doom.After a short introduction that quickly explains Hellboy's origins, as well as introducing the villains, it fastforwards to present day. Introducing Agent Meyers (a new character not in the books), who has been selected to work as Hellboy's liason. Professor Broom is old and sick, and is grooming a replacement. Abe Sapien is the red monkey's sidekick, as well as Liz Sherman, a pyrokinetic love interest. Events set in motion by the recently returned villains, Ilsa the immortal nazi she-bitch, Kronen a nazi scientist with a body modification fetish, and Rasputin a russian occultist, seek to manipulate Hellboy into releasing the Ogdru Jahad, cthulu-like gods to bring on armageddon.
Sounds a bit much I know, but lovecraftian references aside, it's pretty much monsters fighting with some story. It's a pretty good movie, fun with some occasional laughs thrown in. The production values are pretty good, with the creatures, and locations looking top notch. I was surprised to learn that the Sammael creature was actually men in suits with some enhancements. The extras on the DVD are pretty good, certainly on par with the Lord of the Ring's sets - extensive behind the scenes video, galleries, interviews and production arts are on disc 2.
Overall good fun, don't take it to seriously and you should enjoy it.
We've finally settled on new premises (after a lot of searching), coupled with an increased workload now we're a 2-man team, it's been a really busy time. At least my relationship with difficult co-worker has improved - he's been a bit more patient and reasonable lately. I was surprised to hear him object to my offer to leave the other day - I thought he'd be glad to be rid of me. Perhaps once you get past the territorially pissing he actually likes having me around?
The new office is small, but for what we're paying for it (ie: bugger all), and given its in the heart of the city, it's pretty good. It certainly has character, growing in the crack between two buildings, featuring polished wood floors and actual opening windows, something that feels a bit more like a design studio. It's definitely more interesting than the space we're in now, which looks like a converted 80's cafeteria.
We need some kind of time machine right now - we're close to running out of time to move, but we still have to organise furniture, moving phones, DSL, and servers. Service providers require a minimum of 2 weeks which doesn't help, and it's a struggle to move without having any service disruption. It looks like we're going to have to make a run to IKEA for some of that crazy furniture that they make so well. I don't think we're going to have much chance of getting a lot of our larger items into the building. The boardroom table might have to stay at the foot of the winding stairwell.
The new office is small, but for what we're paying for it (ie: bugger all), and given its in the heart of the city, it's pretty good. It certainly has character, growing in the crack between two buildings, featuring polished wood floors and actual opening windows, something that feels a bit more like a design studio. It's definitely more interesting than the space we're in now, which looks like a converted 80's cafeteria.
We need some kind of time machine right now - we're close to running out of time to move, but we still have to organise furniture, moving phones, DSL, and servers. Service providers require a minimum of 2 weeks which doesn't help, and it's a struggle to move without having any service disruption. It looks like we're going to have to make a run to IKEA for some of that crazy furniture that they make so well. I don't think we're going to have much chance of getting a lot of our larger items into the building. The boardroom table might have to stay at the foot of the winding stairwell.
