I was browsing amoung Flickr Groups, and found a neat little project that someone has going. The Flickr World Map has 36,539 cities and each time it will load 1200 random ones. It’s pretty nifty.

Click Here to see my smart backyard friends.

I was reading in my Biology book, and it said that Mourning Doves make their nest on the ground. I always thought that they were pretty stupid birds.

It turns out that the ones in my backyard are a little above average. They made their nest in a tree. Maybe their babies are going to be smarter. And their [future] smartness must come from the mom, because the dad looked pretty dumb when he helped build the nest. He stood on the mom’s head and busied himself by jabbing her in the eye with sticks. Despite the fact that they made their nest only 4 feet above the ground, in plain sight, does not make them dumb. Compared to where they should have made their nest, it makes them look very smart. But then again, the options in Arizona are:

1. On the rocks. Bad move because it rained a lot this spring, and rocks get really hot in the day, and really cold at night. Plus, there is always my little sister factor to take in.
2. In the grass. That’s where my Biology book said that Mourning Doves nest. Wait, what grass? I’m in the middle of a desert!
3. On a cactus. The cactus wren makes its nest on a cactus, but they must also be equipped with feet that have no nerves.
4. On a fruit tree. Bing! It seems like the best option from the bird’s point of view.

So that right there explains how my birds are better than yours.

If you ever happen to be rescued by a lifeguard, you should know that there is a big difference between what he/she says and what he/she means…

Says: Please try to kick.
Means: If you don’t kick, we’re both going to drown out here.

Says: You’ll be alright. You’ll be on land in just a minute.
Means: I’ll be alright. I’ll be back on land in just a minute.

Says: How long have you been in the water?
Means: I’m making some small talk so I can catch my breath before I tow you to shore.

Says: Grab the tube (the tube is the red floaty thingy).
Means: Dude, if you don’t grab the tube…

There is also the instance of being talked to even if you aren’t about to drown…

Says: Oh, you aren’t about to drown?
Means: It was getting pretty hot up there in the sun.

Says: Stop running!
Means: Lifeguarding has its off-hours privilages that I’m not about to give up.

And you know that some guards are just dying to see what happens if you break the rules…

Rule: One person at a time on the diving board.
Guard: This is better than WWF Wrestling!

Rule: Bathing Load ___ Persons.
Guard: I like crowd surfing.

Rule: You must be — inches tall to go down slide.
Guard: That kid just broke a luge record!

So now you know the flipside to a lifeguard’s words…

This is a lot harder than it looked at first. I’m doing a research project on the Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet, and I don’t even know what some of the benefits are. Diverticular Disease? Renal Disease? yeah.

Johnny Got His Gun
by Dalton Trumbo

It was written between World War 1 and World War 2, but it was not published until after WWII ended. Dalton Trumbo was a member of the Communist Party, and publishers were worried about the sales of an anti-war novel at a time when Liberty Gardens, Uncle Sam, and pro-Democracy ideas were the focus.

This book shows the realities of war. The book is divided into two parts calld “The Dead” and “The Living”. The first part is very depressing. John realizes that he has no arms, no legs, no hearing, no sight, no mouth, and no ability to talk. He is a living mind trapped in a dead person’s body. He fades in and out of consciousness. The book is hard to follow because it is known for little punctuation and long rambling sentences. It isn’t polite English, but war isn’t polite either. Tales about his life before the war are told, but they always end in bitter remarks about how he’ll never be able to do that again.

He tries to commit scuicide, but realizes that there is no possible way for him to kill himself. He is on forced breathing, he has a feeding tube, and he doesn’t have arms or legs. After that, he begins to think. And he tries to keep time.

Only great authors can keep the reader interested in a man that is unable to move or communicate. Excitement comes when John is able to calculate the time between nurse visits, days, and nights, after failed attempts. This brings us to the second part of the book.

In “The Living” things begin to be brighter in John’s life. He figures out that if he moves the only part of his body that he can move, his head, against the pillow, he can tap in Morse Code. He taps SOS every waking hour, hoping that someone will realize and bring him out of loneliness. The nurse thinks that he is crazy, and she gives him a tranquilizer. Enter the chapter about pretty colors, nice music, clouds, and strange people. Then, one night, he gets a new nurse. She finally understands and gets a doctor to look at him. The doctor asks, “What do you want.” He wants to be taken out and about. He wants to show the women that he is their son. He wants to show the girls that he is their brother. He wants to show the men that he is their future. He wants to show the boys that he is war. War is not glorious.

If all of those thousands of boys like him are killed or injured or tortured in a foreign land, for the sake of someone’s democracy, is it really worth it?

I have just discovered the online version of 20 Questions. It is amazing. It can usually guess what you’re thinking of in under 20 questions, or just a little over. The things that it absolutely did not know are: shower head, and waterpolo court. But I give it credit; it’s a computer. They have a pocket size version. I want to take that on the next roadtrip.

Never Take Friendship Personal–Anberlin


Love it, Love it, Love it!

Catchy rhythms, nice lyrics, and good sound. I saw Anberlin in concert a couple years ago, when they were playing as the opening band for a not-so-famous band. That’s pretty low. I hated them. They put on a horrible show. Now with their new album they are topping the charts at Smartpunk.com and Purevolume.com. They have been on tour with My Chemical Romance and other such famous bands. I guess their concert performance talents should have improved in a couple of years. I would deffinately see them in concert now.

But this review isn’t about the tour, it’s about the album. I’ll make the assumption that their first national tour was with Relient K. Their songs are deeper, a little darker, less punk, and more serious than Relient K’s songs. [It's freakin' hard to write a music revew...]

They sound like…what do they sound like? They sound like underground alternative [I guess]. There is no punk in this album, which is disappointing for me, but to make up for that the last track, “dance, dance Christa Paffgen”, has a bit of a techno feel to it. And the rest of the album is fast, heavy on the bass, some good riffs.

Deffinately recommended! Personal taste says that they beat U2. They beat them like Bucknell beat Kansas. That’s too close of a win though. They beat U2 like North Carolina beat Oakland(96-68). If they had a bigger fan base they could have walked away with all the Grammys, but it’s all rigged anyways.

10. Helicopter Pilot It is the hippest way to travel, and it’s fun to be in a helicopter. Doing Grand Canyon Tours would be the number one job, but working for people like Donald Trump, or even the hospital would also be okay.

9. Graphic Book Creator I wish I could draw well, because I could think of some awesome superheros. I could even promote books that are just novels for females in the US. It could be Desperate Housewives, graphic novel style!

8. Google Employee People who work there always seem to be in their own little highly connected geek world. They always get to do stuff first, break all the records, and talk in Geekish to their coworkers. Even if they are from two different branches of Google, they can still talk to each other in Geekish and understand each other. I bet company Christmas parties are great there. Google is a big corporation that is loved by all–geeks and nongeeks alike. Some big corporations such as Walmart and McDonalds aren’t well liked.

7. Author Dan Brown, Lemony Snickett, and Terry Pratchett are all strange and insightful people. They get to join the likes of Mark Twain, Shakespeare, and Edgar Allan Poe. That is deffinately something to boast about to the [possibly future] inlaws.

6. Director/Actor If I was a screenplay writer, I would have to end up being a director and an actor (ahem, actress) just to make sure everything was conveyed perfectly. Heck, I would even have to do some of the filming. Plus, you can live on Rodeo Drive, and make a lot of money.

5. Rockstar/Band Member The music scene is another little cliché that is intimate and friendly and can make you a lot of money. I was reading through some thank you notes on some of my CD inserts–Mae says: Thanks, Relient K. Relient K says: Thanks Anberlin. Anberlin says: Thanks Mae. They all know each other and use each other’s amps and tour together. Then they brake off and tour with big bands like My Chemical Romance, who bytheway was at Edgefest touring with bands like Taking Back Sunday and Pennywise, and yeah. They’re all connected.

4. Band Recruiter/Record Signer I don’t even know what to call this job, I don’t even know if such a job exists, but it would be a cool job to have if it does happen to be a paid position. Going to local concerts and listening for good bands. Working for Virgin Records, or Tooth and Nail Records. Traveling the country and going to University towns to listen for possible record signing deals. That is the bomb job.

Against the Ropes

Director: Charles Dutton
Starring: Meg Ryan, Omar Epps

I’m glad that I didn’t waste money to see it at the theater. It was fine to watch it on Showtime, but not in theaters. I kept waiting for something bad to happen, a twist, a something. It was predictable. I guess that the boxer Luther Shaw’s win streak was supposed to inspire awe or emotions or something. It really didn’t move me.

Jackie Kallen(this movie is inspired by her life’s story) grew up around boxers(not the dogs). She grew up and is now working as a secretary for the owner of a boxing arena in Ohio. This owner also is a manager of other professional boxers. He is a chauvinist, and Jackie is pretty fed up with him. Some stuff happens, and he offers her a boxer’s contract for $1. She takes it, just to prove that she can be a woman and still be an able manager.

The next day she wants to visit her new boxer (she took her friend along too). He lives in a seedy part of Cincinnati, and he deals drugs for a living. Her new boxer is high and tries to rob her when she arrives. A rival drug pusher comes in and starts beating all the other thugs up. Although Jackie should busy herself by running for her life, she is instead watching the fight with interest. Enter Police– the thug who was whooping everyone is hauled off to jail.

Jackie sees talent in him, so she bailed him(Luther Shaw) out. She offers him a contract; he refuses. She stalks him; he says that he’ll think about it. He thought about it, and accepts the contract(surprise!). So he begins training with a previously retired boxing training named Felix. After some bad mouthing from the young ‘un, they start to work.

Meanwhile, all the other boxing managers are mad because Jackie is a woman boxing manager(You should be feeling worried about this point. What is she going to do about this???). They don’t let her sign Luther Shaw for any fights, so she heads to New York.

He wins his first match(hey, Surprise!), and the next 14 matches(woo-hoo! This is where I start looking for a twist. After 14 wins, something is bound to go wrong.). He takes on a major guy, and wins. Jackie starts spending more time with the press then with Luther, and he gets mad. So do a lot of other people that she let down.

Pretty soon, he is able to fight against the defending Middle-Weight Champion. Only thing is, he isn’t ready and he has to fight the champ in 3 weeks. Jackie was given a bad deal because she’s a woman. Big night comes, Jackie disappoints some more people, Luther wins the fight. Yay, Luther….it’s another surprise…The End.

So, if nothing better happens to be on tv, watch it. Or read a book. Because you wouldn’t be out of the Movie Buff’s Circle is you didn’t. Even Rocky XVII (for those who forgot their Roman Numerals, it’s 17) is probably/or will be better.

Bride and Prejudice

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Staring: Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson

The Jane Austin classic, “Pride and Prejudice,” is made into a movie to fit modern audiences, with a little Bollywood style thrown in. It is made by Indians, and if you have ever seen a Bollywood movie before, you can suspect that there will be a lot of dancing and singing thrown in. You can enjoy a classic, get a douse of Indian culture, and pick up on some hip dance moves all in one! Sounds like a deal to me. I would, however, recommend knowing the traditional story line before seeing it. You will miss a lot if you don’t.

I went to see this movie on opening day with my mom. It was only playing in one theater way up in North Phoenix. Now we’re seeing it move all over the state. I suspect that it will attract an almost cult-like fan base–like Napoleon Dynamite.

The Bakshi family lives in a small Indian community. Middle class, four daughters, and aging parents. Balraj Bingley, an Indian businessman made rich in the UK (pronounced: yoo’-kee), is coming back home for a traditional wife, which everyone hopes will be Jaya Bakshi (Eldest Bakshi daughter–corresponds with Pride and Prejudice’s “Jane”). Mr. Bingley brings his rich American friend Will Darcy with him. Will Darcy is there on business; he owns a hotel chain and hopes to add a local hotel to his venue. Mr. Bingley’s snide sister is also with him.

The Bingley/Darcy entourage needs to travel south for business. They invite Jaya Bakshi and her sister Lilita Bakshi to go with them. While Jaya and Bingley are off doing something, Lilita and Will get to know each other. They make sharp remarks to each other about the hotel that Will is wanting to buy. They clearly don’t like each other. Lilita meets Johnny Wickham on the beach, and takes a liking to him. Then the Bakshi girls go home and Bingley/Darcy go back to America (pronounced: Amree-ka).

Enter Mr. Kholi (Austin equivalent: Mr. Collins). He is pretty gross and repugnant, and he is visiting from L.A. to get a traditional bride from his home town. He is also a business man made wealthy in America. Johnny Wickham is also in town, and Lilita invites him to stay at the Bakshi house. Mr. Kholi tries to lure Lilita in by using his wealth and the possibilities of living in “Amreeka.” She turns him down, but is determined to go home with a wife. He take’s Lilita’s best friend.

The whole Bakshi family is invited to go to the wedding in LA, and Mr. Kholi sends them the tickets. Will Darcy also lives in LA. The wedding is being held at one of his hotels. He is much nicer in his home town and takes Lilita on a tour of Los Angeles. Lilita falls in love with this side of Darcy, and upon seeing one of his hotels, she is in heaven. At the wedding, she is introduced to his sister, mother, and fiancé. He tries to explain that she is not actually his fiancé, but the woman that his mother wants him to marry.

The Bakshi family heads home, but they have some downtime in London. Surprise, surprise, Will Darcy is on the same flight as they are, only in first class. Because he now in love with Lilita(she lost interest at the wedding), he volunteers to trade seats with Mrs. Bakshi, so he and Lilita can sit by each other on the long flight to the YooKee.

Lucky (the youngest Bakshi daughter) secretly meets up and takes off with Johnny Wickham. When Will Darcy finds out about this, he and Lilita go off on a search around London to find them. Darcy and Wickham have a bad past together.

Back in India, the Bakshi family moons around during the rainy season. Then, surprise! Mr. Bingley returns to seal an engagement with Jaya. Will Darcy is still in love with Lilita, and came back to see her. Her love for him is renewed, and they too are engaged. True to the classic story, there is a double wedding, but in India.