The Days to Kill in The Kingdom of Heaven

A nice day, all in all.  I woke early, spend an hour or so reading Flipboard, then went out and met Tony for breakfast.  From there, we went to Barnes and Noble - I picked up a Jack Kornfield book and a book on art.  After that, we saw "Three Days to Kill" with Kevin Costner.  It was an enjoyable movie, based on a story by Luc Besson.  Then, from there, I came home, had an apple salad for lunch, took a nap, and then spend the evening alternately reading and then watching Ridley Scott's "The Kingdom of Heaven" with Orlando Bloom and Eva Green.  I guess this was a weekend for movie.  I enjoyed it and I am looking forward to the week to come.

Brilliant But Bleak

Saturday was spent with my friend Tony as he bought a new car. I was the designated chauffeur, which meant I spent most of the day sitting around, people watching, sports watching, and drinking car dealership free coffee (which happened to be Starbucks for the most part). Tony eventually settled on a new Ford C-Max Hybrid.  It is kind of a cool car.  Not necessarily the car I would have chosen, but we are different people. Tony liked it, but like most people he was crashing into a little buyers remorse today.  We'll see how that goes.

Sunday I met Tony and Ty in Fremont for breakfast at the Classic Diner, then Tony and I caught "The Counselor", the latest Ridley Scott film, written by Cormac McCarthy.  Outstanding film.  Typical McCarthy in tone and subject and masterfully directed by Ridley Scott.  I would recommend it if you are a fan of both, otherwise beware that it is a rather bleak film. Brilliant, but bleak.

From there, I came home and loaded up the laundry - five loads worth.  I headed down to the laundromat in Campbell, loaded the big machines up, and spent the afternoon doing laundry and reading SciFi magazine, with a brief stop at the sporting goods store (they did not have what I was looking for) and then Nob Hill for a grocery run.

Home, folded and hung laundry, a simple dinner of a big green salad, an episode of Elementary, a call to the ranch, then an episode of The Walking Dead. I exchanged some text with TR, who had a long day and remained tightly in my heart and my thoughts through the day.  Life sometimes gives us long days.  I know I have had my share, so I can relate. I often wish I had the ability to bring peace to other people - but it is beyond my ability.  All I can do is love and be compassionate.

I'm going to wrap the evening up with another episode of Elementary (I've got two more on the DVR), then perhaps some reading in "The Name of the Wind", and maybe a spot of prayer or meditation, or perhaps both.  Tomorrow is another day at office where I get to pick up that particular set of burdens.  But, for tonight, I am going to leave it laying right there.

I think I fought off a low grade cold or flu over the last week because I was low energy during the day and then flat out sleepy at night.  I went to bed early multiple times through the week.  But, tonight, I feel pretty good - my energy level is about where I would expect it to be at this time in the evening, in this time of the year.  That is kind of a good feeling.  I am curious to see if the energy level runs constant through the week.

Prometheus - Excellent

I saw Prometheus today, which, for me, was one of my most highly anticipated movies of 2012. It did not disappoint.  As I've mentioned before I am a huge fan of Ridley Scott, so I fully admit to being biased, but I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.  Noomi Rapace turns in another stellar performance as Dr. Elizabeth Shaw, playing off of Michael Fassbender as "David" the artificial person.  Don, Tony and I saw it in IMAX 3D at AMC Saratoga 14.  It was definitely worth the extra ticket price to see it in that format since it is a hugely visual movie.  I promised several people that I would not spoil it for them, so I may wait a while to write a bit more about why I liked it, but for now, let me simply say it was an excellent film.

The day has been good - I deliberately set out to take it easy through the day and I have been successful at that - tomorrow is going to be a work at home today, but after 55 hours last week, I felt the need to have at least one day where I wasn't working - in any shape or form, and that is my plan into the evening. Right now, I am watching "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" on IFC, another enjoyable film.  Finally, I have "Coriolanus" with Ralph Fiennes and Gerard Butler in the wings for later tonight or tomorrow. T.R. is out this weekend, on an impromptu trip to Wilmington, NC with family and friends, planning on returning on Monday, and is having a good time.

Sir Ridley Scott

One of the cool things about attending events like Wondercon is a chance to see some artist you admire in a panel setting. Such encounters can happen informally (while wandering the halls, or standing in line at Starbucks) or in the panel settings, which range from the small and intimate to the big and burly. Today, I was fortunate enough to attend a panel with an artist whose work is always inspiring - Sir Ridley Scott.

He was at Wondercon promoting "Prometheus" with the writer and a pair of cast members, and he spoke briefly and took a few questions and showed the trailer - a typical type junket. However, since I consider Blade Runner to be one of the greatest films ever made, it was a thrill for me just to see him in person. Alien scarred my psyche, Blade Runner made me question what it means to be human - and who knows what Prometheus will do to me.  It was a very cool geek moment and, for me at least, the highlight of the trip.

It has been a nice little vacation - alternating between interesting and restful, which is what a vacation should be. It rained most of the day today, but I would characterize it as a rather light rain - nothing of epic proportions, which is what I was hoping for. I spent the day wandering the vendor floor and in the presentation panels, with a few breaks for a late lunch and an early dinner.  There is in insane line at the Starbucks here in the hotel - thirty to fifty people deep, literally all day long.  They are like legalized crack dealers with a monoply on the street corner.

I am sliding into the night following a nice hot bath. I am looking forward to a conversation with TR, who is getting ready to travel as well on her side of the earth.  Then, I think I am going to wind my way into the evening doing some reading.  Oh, I was going to pick up a copy of Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund booth, but there was a bit of a crowd there when I stopped by, so I figure I will swing by tomorrow.  I hope it is still there, but if it isn't, I am sure I can find something else worth picking up and adding to the collection.

Sum of a Friday

Well, all in all, it was an indifferent Friday. I slept in later than usual (which often leads into my indifferent days), spent some time online, then went out and ran a couple of errands, caught a movie (Body of Lies with Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio, directed by Ridley Scott), then met some friends for an early dinner at Holdens. After dinner, I ran a few more errands and then circled home. Spent some time on the telephone talking to my mother, and then went out for a nice long walk through the neighborhood.

In hindsight, after I starting writing this entry, there were several high spots during the during - a good morning conversation with someone dear to me, the movie (I always like Ridley Scott movies, he is a very good director), the conversation with my mother, and then the walk. It is a beautiful California night out there - a pure fall night - cool and crisp, and I left just at the trailing edge of twilight and made it home well into the dark.

Then I decided that a nice root beer float would be a fine finale to the evening, so here I am, drinking my float and writing. That is not a bad way to wind your way toward the end of an evening. I have been contemplating writing all day, but the ideas are just kind of swirling about, not entirely formed, so we will see if I actually decide to do any creative writing tonight or not. Meanwhile, let me continue to enjoy this float.