Sympathy busy

This weekend I went to Santa Rosa to see some people who were in town for a wedding. I didn't know the bride or groom but it was fun seeing all those people who are friends of theirs :)

Other than that, it's just been work. I refuse to tell this internet audience how much I've been working, because everytime I tell someone they become sympathy busy. This is a term I just made up addressing a reaction I get from this hypothetical situation: "Hi how are you doing?" "I'm doing great! I've just been lying out by the pool all day and taking these summer classes. How are you doing?" "I am also doing well, except I've been working x hours a week" "Oh man I totally know what you're talking about. Last weekend I had a paper due in my online class and it took me 30 hours to finish!!! And then I had to go see my friends in the Camen Islands and I had to spend ALL day at the beach and when I got back my boss totally expected me to work 16 hours IN ONE WEEK!!!..." etc.

We all do it of course. When I want to connect with someone who has had a rough day I'll tell them my troubles. But I hate when people play the competition game. Go ahead and tell me how you spent 4 hours counting to 1 million or that you slept till noon for the 3rd time this week. I value you as a person even if you can't relate to my workload.

light-gineer

Well it's Friday night, 10:30 and I'm at home. Am I a geek? Not for that reason alone, because I just now walked in the door from work. And I got there at 9:30 this morning. And every day this week has been 12+ hours. And I'm working this weekend too :) Don't feel bad for me, I'm bragging. Although I do have a lot of energy and nobody to hang out with so that kinda sucks. I'm half tempted to walk down to the bar and see who I can meet, but in this town I'm not so sure I want to know (hint, it rhymes with gineer. (What is light-gineer? (for the SNL fans out there)))

Movie review

Pirates of the Caribbean was crap. That's my review.

It's not the rehashed jokes, I wouldn't have minded that since they were thoroughly enjoyable the first time. Or the CG being a little over done, that is expected from a movie based on a ride where fire is created by shining a light on a sheet with a fan behind it. Even the obligatory whoring out the end with an unsolved mystery to get people to see the third movie would be okay, as long as they gave me a full movie worth the price of admission. Instead, they had one movie idea and decided to make two movies out of it.

I'm not against sequels, I think Spiderman, Back to the Future, Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Toy Story got it right, just to name a few off my bookshelf here. Pirates however, took the Matrix approach -- sacrifice the second movie for a decent third (well, I certainly hope the third is better ;). Lord of the rings arguably falls prey to this too, being one nine-hour movie. But each one has a proper story, a villain who rises to power and then falls, and a resolution.

Watch this episode of Ask A Ninja for a good review of the movie.