News Dump

So apparently a Jew-hater is running for Senator of my state. He has the David Duke endorsement, which always plays so well in California.

Another school shooting since I addressed the topic. I guess I missed the NRA's campaign to make gun owners responsible for their weapons.

The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame tried to dis Brandi Chastain and got called on it. Rightfully so. I won't be posting the offensive image.

A lot of teachers' strikes in the news recently.  I'm not a fan of public employees striking; it seems like bully tactics. When grocery store employees strike, I can shop at a different store. Not so simple when public school teachers strike. That being said, we want good teachers, so we should treat them well within reason.

The little man in NoKo is an annoying b*tch. But he sent back three of ours, so let's keep playing.

Dems gave President Trump crap for calling MS-13 members animals.  Then an MS-13 member got convicted of murder and his nickname is Animal. I can't make this stuff up. 




 

Film Friday: Full Metal Jacket

Vague Description:  Marine recruit goes through boot camp, then comes under fire in the Vietnam War.
Stars: Mathew Modine, Lee Ermey, Adam Baldwin, Vincent D'Onofrio
Why Watch:  Ermey's a scene stealer.  The film does a good job of showing why we lost.
Dissenting Opinion:  I don't buy Gny. Sgt. Hartman's (Ermey's) behavior in his final scene. Platoon did a better job of connecting me to the characters.  Apocalypse Now did a better job of portraying the utter f*ck-up the war was.
Rating:  3 1/2 stars of a possible 5     

Film Friday: Miss Sloane

Vague Description:  Lady lobbyist leaves her firm to work for an opposing firm in support of gun regulation.

Stars:  Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong.  With John Lithgow and Sam Waterston.

Why Watch:  The acting is good.  Chastain is quite attractive.  There's a modern, well-made feel to the film.

Dissenting Opinion:  It kind of went off the rails at the end.  There's also the problem of introducing a sexual component to the story while Chastain remains fully clothed throughout the film.  It wasn't an issue in Zero Dark Thirty because the plot didn't call for a sexy scene.  Here, the plot called for it, so I wonder if she has a contract clause.

Rating:  Three stars on a five-star scale.

Old West Book Tag

(in which I horribly misrepresent the typical frontier town)

Read a book for each:

1.  Bank - The setting is the financial sector or a character is wealthy.

2.  Brothel - A character enjoys sexy times.  (It need not be described; just mentioned.)


3.  Church - Religion or spirituality is an element of the story.

4.  Hotel- A character is traveling.

5.  Jail - A crime happens.

6.  Saloon - A character drinks a lot.

7.  Store - The story is centered on ordinary, every-day happenings.

Consider yourself tagged. 

Book Review: For Those Who Know the Ending

Note: I received a promotional ARC through the First Reads program.

It's a bit of a page-turner.  Once I was able to focus on this book exclusively, I was able to read much more than my usual. Mackay knows how to keep the plot moving.  His characters have a realness to them - not super villains but guys trying to make enough money to pay the bills. Enough closure with the ending, while still allowing the reader things to ponder afterwards.

I liked how Mackay gave us the perspective of a variety of characters.  He also showed us a bit of the primary characters' personal lives without bogging down the plot.  I wonder why some of these people are involved in the underworld; there doesn't seem to be a family tradition like the Mafia.  It would have been nice to get a glimpse at how certain characters spend their time between jobs.  But I enjoyed this one.

Rating:  Four stars on a five-star scale.   

Personal Info Dump

So the madre visited on the 18th with her daughter's munchkins. I played Blackjack with them so they could win some foreign coins. And I gave them candy.  I remember when the madre would drag me places so I tried to make it worth it for them.

Earth Fair was the 22nd.  I got Britt a tomato plant (free from House of Israel) and a rainbow pin.  Snagged a free Avengers poster for her co-worker. Bought a couple used books from the library book sale.  Loaded up on info materials. Bought a Wonder Woman apron for Britt. Scored a free t-shirt from the public transit people.
I wish there would be more attention paid to population control, but whatever.  Plenty of stuff on vegetarianism and recycling and such.

The 26th was Dining Out for Life, so I had an unusually big breakfast - four sides, an Arnold Palmer, and an iced tea. 

On the 27th I finally got around to using my prizes from a contest.  Took the trolley to a haircut place for my free haircut, but they wanted my phone number just to get a haircut. So I left.  Then later I went to McGregor's for Happy Hour and used my gift certificate there. A much better experience than the haircut place.  Had potato skins and wine and watched the draft. 

The 29th and 30th was Art Walk.  Bought a mini painting, a bundle of note cards, and two Dia del Muerte candles. A lot of cool art I couldn't afford.  Some good people watching.             

Somewhere in there I watched Atlantic City and wasn't impressed.  Not a bad film, but I was led to expect awesomeness.


Watched Miss Sloane and wasn't impressed by that one either, but my expectations were lower.  I might review it for Film Friday.


Note:  I'll try to do these on weekends, when people are off having fun.  Probably more negative stuff in future posts. But one can see the title and just skip it.

A to Z Challenge: Z

Aired:  1957 - 1959 (two seasons)
Vague Description:  A wealthy land owner's son doubles as a masked crusader in Spanish California.
Starred:  Guy Williams, Gene Sheldon
Why Watch:  It's a throwback to a simpler era, when TV was for entertainment.  Good guys vs. bad guys, rooting for the underdog, etc.
Dissenting Opinion:  It can be a bit too simple.
Fun Fact:  Guest stars included Cesar Romero and Annette Funicello.