R is for Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raiders of the Lost Ark is currently # 8 on my flickchart list.

I remember being at "Lums" in Rutland with my brother, Justin, and probably my dad having lunch with Nana and Grandpa in 1981 after "Raiders of The Lost Ark" (the correct, true title) had come out.

Gramps had recently seen this with my cousins Marc and Lars. I clearly remember him telling us about the Swordsman scene, reenacting it and laughing, deeply and honestly, at the scene and his own retelling.

To this day, I try to buy all the toys based on the scene...

And, Dean at Springfield Punx made both of these. He had the Indy done and I asked if he would ever consider creating the Cairo Swordsman...and he did!  I need to ask Lee sometime if Gramps had any real "Simpsons" knowledge.

 

And the fan made posters....

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I am using my flickchart list and blogging about the highest ranked movie for each letter of the alphabet.  

Click HERE and become my flickchart friend!

Why not jump around the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and find some new blogs to read!

Film Festival Friday, December 28, 2012

I had a longer post prepared for this in my head.  However, the need to clear the driveway every few hours as well as pack for a trip this weekend has cut down on my time!

I also have not watched as many movies as I thought I would this break.  The biggie, however, was seeing Jack Reacher last Saturday with my three cousins (we think the last movie we all saw together was Return of the Jedi in 1983!)

Subbing in for my absent brother was The Armchair Squid.  He missed lunch (which was packed with shared recollections and a whole lot of Reacher talk) but met us at the theater.  He has not read any of the books while the rest of us had.  He claims there was a lot of giggling and chatter among the four of us.

All in all we agreed it was a good movie and Tom Cruise did a fine job.  We are eager for more!!

Currently #90 on my flickchart list

Film Festival Friday: November 30, 2012

I realize that I had two double-feature days this past week!  And I spent more time in the theater this past Saturday watching movies than the rest of the entire year ("The Avengers" notwithstanding!).

We did a double-date lunch and a movie with one of my cousins on Saturday.  After an underwhelming lunch at The Essex Bakery and Cafe, we braved the crowds and went to see "Skyfall".

Currently #108 on my flickchart list

I did enjoy the movie but I struggle with it as a "Bond" flick in general and this new "realistic" Bond in particular.  I am an unabashed fan of Pierce Brosnan.  I am fine with the quips and gadgets of the past.  There was not enough "secret agent double O-7" in this.  And the villain seemed to harken back to the Roger Moore era.  But all in all, it was a satisfying "man movie".

When we went to pick up our kids, both Lars and I thought there was a chance our only cousin-in-common would be free and interested in seeing "Red Dawn".  When Lee proved to be unavailable  perhaps saving himself for a guy's night of "Jack Reacher", Lars and I went ahead on our own.

Currently #214 on my flickchart

A fun, if predictable, updating of the movie from my youth.  It hit all the right notes and most of the cast was pretty good.  I continue to enjoy Chris Hemworth's non-Thor roles and Josh Hutcherson hasn't disappointed me yet.  The secondary lead, Josh Peck, is a former child actor trying to get his bearings.  He left me slightly under-impressed.

Yesterday, while I was recovering from my night out, I hit Redbox for two different sort of movies.

Currently #91 on my flickchart list

I had intended to watch "Quantum of Solace", which Lars had loaned me, but saw this when I went to rent my second feature.  I always enjoy Denzel Washington and he did not let me down here.  It had a certain gritty-realism and believe-ability.  My next movie...not so much.

Currently #199 on my flickchart list

Nan and Wikes went to see "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter" during a Girls' Night Out when it opened.  It had piqued my interest and I zeroed in on it for my day off once I scheduled it.  So I toasted up my Stouffers French Bread Pizza (my work day off staple) and popped this one in.

I got what I expected...a fun romp that takes it self just seriously enough (in terms of characters and acting....not so much the action, especially the horse stamped scene!)

Apparently they are still playing baseball...

from si.com

I would SO love a Nats-Os World Series!!

As Lee said on The Facebook, for Phillies fans, "Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth win games on back to back nights with game-ending homers. It's 2009, right? RIGHT?"

30 Days Of Comics: Day 7: A Comic You Gave As A Gift

Fables: Volume 1: Legends in Exile

I have been swapping comics with Lee for a while now and have started giving some to The Armchair Squid to try and hook him, but this is the first comic collection I ever gave as a gift.

A few years ago, Lee left a job that made him unhappy but paid him well. It was not his choice, but as a result of some layoffs the company made in an effort to appear more profitable to possible investors.

I wanted to buy him something to read and cheer him up so I grabbed this collection. I absolutely LOVE this series and since Lee is the most well-read, literate individual I know AND he likes comics, I thought he might get a kick out of its premise.....the "fairy tales" of old were based on "real" individuals who were alive and well living in New York City today.

Well, it turned out I was wrong, as he is more of a "capes and tights" fan and he told me he didn't even really try to read this.

C'est la vie! Either way, it fits today's category none-the-less!

LTF FTW!

Found this on Lee's tumblr. Very funny!

Just Because Lee Mentioned Him A Few Days Ago...

found on Geek Orthodox by Reis O'Brien

Happy Birthday!

Tampa Bay Devil Ray (and Red Sox nemesis) Evan Longoria turns 24 today. He has run up an impressive resume for such a young player. However, I will always remember when he turned up in our Fantasy Baseball league in 2008 that Lee called him EVA Longoria. To me, he will always be Eva.

Lee....in about 24 hours from now....

I think this way about myself but since Lee is buying and selling homes tomorrow, I thought of him.

Original from http://xkcd.com/

Happy Birthday Lee!

Happy Birthday Big Guy!

You can wish him a Happy Birthday on Twitter HERE or on Facebook HERE!

What I Am Reading...Now!

Thanks for the suggestion Lee!

(Why not click the link and follow him on Twitter? or better yet click HERE and buy his condo!)

PS Nan wondered if you like this authour because his name reminds you of what you were called when you live in New Awlins?

Snakes...Why'd it have to be snakes?

Dean at Springfield Punx made both of these (I even stole his title for this post). He had the Indy done and I asked if he would ever consider creating the Cairo Swordsman...and he did! I really want to find a way to print them out on some good paper and add them to the collection. I need to ask Lee sometime if Gramps had any real "Simpsons" knowledge.

The Joys of Home Ownership

Now, I am nowhere near as articulate as Marc in general, nor can I upload photos like Lee, but I want to share this weekend's home improvement project horror story.

Nancy and I decided that it was time to replace all of the outlets in the house that were near a water source with GFCI outlets.

It seemed relatively straight forward. I had already replaced about a dozen standard outlets throughout the house, several light fixtures, and three ceiling fans. I felt confident that I could do this.

Our first obstacle was determining which switches in the panel shut off which rooms in the house. We had found out over the years that some of the wiring is a little bit squirrelly.

We figure out how to shut off the kitchen and we get to work on the first outlet, which shares a box with a light switch. We had bought new outlet covers to deal with the larger size of the GFCI outlets. It all goes well until I attempt to attach the new cover. I give it one turn too many and crack the casing.

I yell and unlike Marc, I curse a whole lot (as Logan is asleep) and then move to the other side of the sink to work on a single outlet.

I remove the old outlet cover and I hear some skittering down the wall...it turns out that this box was sort of floating with a minimal attachment to the drywall and the two small clips holding the box in place fell off as I took off the cover. And instead of using any sort of electrical tape, the wires were taped with masking tape...brittle, decades old masking tape.

I do my best to fix the floating box, but this, coupled with the change in the size of the GFCI outlet gave us this wonderful, non-flush look...

So I quit for the night as this project took way too long and I decide to tackle the bathroom in the morning.

The plan in the bathroom is two-fold. Where we have two switches and one outlet now, I am going to tie off one switch (for use as a venting fan this spring), move the other switch, and add the GFCI outlet.

I wish I had taken more pictures because the wiring was insane. I finally figure out which wire goes where (including one that goes way out to the foyer!), move everything around, get the box looking pretty good, when it becomes obvious to us that the tile around the box will not allow the outlet cover to fit snuggly. Nan spends about an hour chiseling away pieces and finding some extra long screws, but this one...this one came out pretty good. I changed over to a flat switch, blanked out one slot and put the GFCI in rather nicely.

Bottom line, a project that should have filled me with pride and taken about an hour, ended up leaving me ashamed and took up the larger part of two consecutive days...and I still have one outlet to do!

Hey Lee!

No you don't!*

*EDIT: You changed the punchline