July 2008
Monthly Archive
July 31, 2008
Posted by wolfdreamer under
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My best friend directed me to a site that has been around for a while, but I never actually took the time to browse it: Roller Coaster Database. According to the site, it has information on every roller coaster ever made.
I did a search on one of my favorite parks, Kings Island, and found a page that shows how the names of the roller coaster have changed. I think I mentioned in a previous post that Paramount was no more, so the new owners dropped the movie names. This is what they came up with:
July 30, 2008
Man, does it feel great to be back at the computer again, putting my thoughts into words. If you’re not a dedicated writer, it’s tough to understand how defeated you feel when writer’s block takes over and you’re stuck.
I’ve been readmitted into WVSU and I am taking two classes this fall towards a Social Studies certification: Geography and a Sociology class called “Social Problems.” I’m really excited about both classes, which is amazing. I remember hating Geography in 7th grade and trying my best not to learn anything at the time. I remember being shocked in high school when I finally realized that Egypt was in Africa.
That Geography teacher is one of the best I’ve ever known. Her name is Mrs. Downey and she still teaches the same subject at the same school. A month or so into my seventh grade year, my grades were already slipping towards failure in two of my major courses (I was just barely Cs in English and Science). She kept me after class one day and asked one of the most important questions I have ever been asked by a teacher: “What do you love?” I paused, and she continued. “You love to draw, right? You love art?” I nodded. “Tell you what, you bring at least three of your school grades up to Cs or better and I will buy you a hundred dollars worth of art supplies.” It was the first time any teacher had ever made a promise to me other than, “If you don’t sit down, I’m calling your mother.” The greatest thing is that I kept my end of the bargain and she kept hers.
I found a folder in my drawer yesterday that had a collection of report cards from elementary school. One of them was from the second nine weeks of fourth grade. In the teacher’s comments it says, “I would like to schedule a conference as soon as possible to discuss my concerns for Jason.” Other information shows that I had trouble working independently, working neatly, and listening attentively. This was an improvement over the first nine weeks when I also had trouble following directions and completing assigned work on time.
Third nine weeks wasn’t much of an improvement. Teacher comments: “Jason has not shown much growth in his behavior and study skills.” And yet again, I did not work independently or neatly, follow directions, or listen attentively.
It is important to note that my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Copley, was also one of my favorites, especially after looking back, because regardless of my faults (and there were many) he still cared about me, treated me with respect, and always tried to make me smile. My mom has a picture of Mr. Copley and I standing together, him squatting down a little so he can get his arm around my shoulders. Our smiles are big and honest.
As I said, it feels good to be writing again. I haven’t thought about Mr. Copley or Mrs. Downey for a while and here I am writing about them. I have a lot more to write about and will try to get it posted in the next day or so. I still need to write about my rekindled interest in WWII that was spawned by a recent marathon of Medal of Honor games, courtesy of my little brother.
Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”
July 17, 2008
Everyone who knows me or reads my blog knows how much I love books and movies. When the two are combined, hey that’s just great. I just read on IMDB that a move based on the novel The Time Traveler’s Wife is coming out some time this year. It stars Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams. I don’t want to give away too many details, but here is a basic plot summary for the novel from books.google.com:
“A dazzling novel in the most untraditional fashion, this is the remarkable story of Henry DeTamble, a dashing, adventuresome librarian who travels involuntarily through time, and Clare Abshire, an artist whose life takes a natural sequential course. Henry and Clare’s passionate love affair endures across a sea of time and captures the two lovers in an impossibly romantic trap, and it is Audrey Niffenegger’s cinematic storytelling that makes the novel’s unconventional chronology so vibrantly triumphant. An enchanting debut and a spellbinding tale of fate and belief in the bonds of love, The Time Traveler’s Wife is destined to captivate readers for years to come.”
I’m really excited about this. If it is done right, this could be an Oscar contender. It is directed by Robert Schwentke, same guy who directed Flightplan. It will be interesting to see how he handles the scenes in which Henry passes through time. Parts of the book are also a little controversial and I’m curious to know if any of that will be included in the film.
Since we’re on the topic of movies, I have been obsessively browsing the web site Flixster, which is kind of like Facebook for movie-lovers. It’s funner that I thought it would be, reviewing movies, completing movie quizzes, and listing my favorite movies and actors/actresses.
I highly recommend this site to all movie lovers. It’s easy to navigate and has a lot of excellent features, including a movie theater with 100+ movies you can watch with limited commercial interruptions.
Here is a list of 140 of my favorite actors/actresses (not really in any order). Hopefully this works:
July 7, 2008
I’ve done it again. This method may only work for people who love movies and who love to read. That’s me. WARNING: This post might just be the result of desperation for something to write about.
I know how much some people love to watch political debates. I personally hate them. Too often, the conversation steers away from the topics and onto how much the candidates hate each other. So, how to get my healthy dose of debating and arguing? Movie reviews.
Think about it. The reviews are almost always on topic and if you read enough reviews of the same movie, you get a nice argument between people who love the movie and people who hate it.
For example, I was browsing reviews for the movie Surf’s Up (It was on, I was bored). A lot of the reviews complimented the movie’s script and its creative mockumentary style. There were also some rave reviews from people who loved penguins, surfing, and John Heder. However, I stumbled onto this hilarious little gem from flixster.com that just made my day:
“HORRIBLE. Lets put together two things I am sick of: Reality TV and Penguins…F. ME. CAn I give it 0 stars?”
Not that I agree with his review, but it was just really funny to me that it followed one that said, “The mockumentary stuff is really very well done,” and right above one that says, “incorporating the mockumentary film style with the animation genre was just brilliant.”
This just reminds me of going to see a movie with a big group of friends. Inevitably, someone in your group is going to hate it when everyone else loves it, or vice versa. The car trip home is unforgettable because no one stops talking (or arguing) about the movie. That’s why I love movies so much. I just don’t think I’m at that stage in my life where I can argue about politics without getting a headache and wanting to scream until my lungs explode. But movies, I could go on and on.
Try it some time. Go see a movie with some friends and argue about it as long as possible. You’ll feel better and I’ll bet your appreciation of the movie will skyrocket.
Until later — “There’s no turning back now that you opened up to your mind.”
July 3, 2008
I must be a real weenie when it comes to minor forms of pain. Allow me to explain…
My ears have been bothering me since we got back from the beach. Since I spent most of the vacation in water, I assumed it was just water stuck in my ears. Today, though, I was having trouble hearing and a little bit of pain in my left ear.
So, I did the smart thing and went to Health Plus. The doctor looked in both ears. “They’re a little pink, and you have some wax building up in there. We need to flush out your ears.”
Hmm, sounded harmless enough. A few minutes later, a nurse walked in with a spray bottle that had a long tube on it with a plastic disc and a much tinier tube at the tip of it. Again, it didn’t look so bad. The nurse politely asked me to hold this oddly-shaped white plastic tray under my ear as she gently slid the tiny tube into my ear. As she squeezed the nozzle on the spray bottle, my ear filled with water and a felt just a slight stinging. She sprayed again and again. “There’s nothing coming out,” she said. After a few minutes of me grabbing the side of the seat, she finally cheered, “Oh, there we go. That’s a big chunk of wax.” (I clean my ears, I swear. Doctor said the buildup could be due to the infection.) Simple enough, right?
However, when she slid the tiny hose into my right ear and squeezed the nozzle, I immediately felt pain on the inside of my ear that grew worse with every squeeze of the nozzle. “Ow,” I whispered, figuring the pain was normal.
“Does that hurt?” the nurse asked. I could only mumble my answer as my eyes began to get glassy and I could hear (or maybe feel) a ringing in my ears. “Are you okay?” she asked.
“I don’t know.” I sat back in the seat and closed my eyes for just a second, hoping to ease the pain. I didn’t open them again until I heard the nurse shouting for one of the girls in the hallway.
“I need someone to help me get this chair back, he just passed out.” After a few minutes of embarrassing stares from nurses walking in and out to check on me, the doctor wandered in and checked both of my ears again.
“This right one is still a little clogged, but the left one looks good. Want to try to finish the right one?” Was he serious? Sure, why not, what’s the worst that could happen? I’ve already embarrassed myself by passing out during an ear cleaning.
After giving me some time to relax, the nurse sat me up carefully, handed me the plastic tub, eased the tube into my ear, and squeezed again. After about the fifth squeeze, I felt that familiar wave of nausea again. As if on instinct, in a series of swift motions, the nurse pulled the tube away, scooted the trash can over next to me, and then back away.
I puked. Couldn’t help it. And the embarrassment got worse with every heave. Once the doctor got word that I had vomited, that was it. I lay with my knees up, breathing and relaxing for about thirty minutes until they finally gave me permission to check out and go home.
Here is my confession. This is the third time this has happened to me. I passed out when I had to have lead removed from under my thumb nail and the doctor injected me with a local anesthesia to numb my thumb and then walked off for a few minutes to give it time to work. I was out in just about a minute and a half. Something similar happened when I had to get debris removed from under my toenail. I didn’t actually pass out this time because I felt it coming and managed to bring my knees up and breathe through it.
Why? Why me? I don’t have a low threshold for pain. I walked away from being hit by a car while riding my bike. I once tumbled down a rocky hillside and walked home looking like I had just fought Edward Scissorhands. I was able to stay conscious when I twisted my ankle, which was definitely the worst pain I have ever felt. So why did something so simple make me dizzy and nauseated?
Can any medical experts out there answer that question for me, or do I remain a mystery.
