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Computer death and movie smorgasbord
Jun. 12th, 2007 07:08 pmMy computer died this weekend. Did anyone miss me? I thought not, bastards.
Same apparent symptoms as its predecessor: Reluctant to power on all week, then Friday just flat out refused completely. The good news was it's only 6 months old so still under warranty. The bad news was there was a 2-day waiting period before anyone would even look at it, according to the girl at Micro Center. GodDAMMIT.
Most people, when faced with a bonus two days off from work, are happy. Me, I spent it fuming over the money I wasn't making (and watching movies. Lots of movies. More later). I tried using Tery's computer at the hospital, but was quickly reminded of the primitive torturous experience that is dial-up. No flitting around the intraweb as the whim takes you, no sir. You've got to be totally committed to that page before you type in that address. ARGH.
So Friday and Saturday were essentially wasted (though I did get a 4-hour nap in before work Saturday night. Luxury!) Sunday Tery suggested we go see Knocked Up (more later). I didn't mind, but Sunday might be a crucial day -- it was the day someone would finally be getting to my computer, and as I suspected it was probably a simple 15-minute fix, I expected to be called any moment to come get it. So it was that as the end credits started to roll, for the first time ever I was the annoying person flipping my phone open to check my messages before the lights came up. I didn't like doing it but it had to be done, even if it was for nothing.
Monday. Now I was getting twitchy. I awoke at 6 a.m. from a deep sleep and the first thought in my head was "My computer had better be ready today." Then it was like Harry Potter DVD release day: I lay awake imagining not the joy of being reunited with my baby, but the various furious rants I would subject the person to who told me it hadn't been fixed yet. Oh, I pitied de fool who told me I had to miss 3 days of work without pay (Monday is normally my day off, but I was hoping to pick up a shift if everything went as planned).
Micro Center doesn't roll out of bed until 10 a.m., so I watched some of The Fisher King on AMC. Even one of my top 10 favorites of all time couldn't calm my nerves. FINALLY 10:00 arrived and I called. Do you know what those fuckers told me? They got to it first thing on Friday and tried calling me then. So who to be angry at? Them for not trying again Saturday, and Sunday, or I don't know, leaving a message? Or T-Mobile for not leaving any indication whatsoever on my phone to alert me?
So I got angry at no one. I went to pick it up without so much as a scowl, because this turn of events was so unexpected.
They did tell me the power supply was fried and suggested the culprit was my surge suppressor. Despite being a fancy shmancy $100 strip, it IS over 10 years old at this point so I couldn't really argue. I went directly to the suppressor aisle to buy a new one, where I found all types and sizes ranging from $5-$100. Why would people buy a $100 surge suppressor when it's recommended that you replace them every 1-2 years? Probably for the same reason they buy CPU towers with transparent panels and neon lights running through them. Me, I just want my work access and porn and I'm happy; I couldn't care less what the tool looks like.
Overwhelmed, I jumped at the chance when a salesman offered help. To my shock and amazement, he made a beeline for an unassuming $10 number. I was skeptical, but he was adamant that they were the leader in the industry (APC was the brand) and offered a guarantee to replace any equipment that got damaged while using their product. I would have looked around some more, but he was absolutely 100% sure this plain-looking strip was all I needed. I was just gobsmacked over not being talked into the most expensive item on the shelf. And at $10 a pop, I'll gladly replace it every year.
~*~
Now, smorgasbord of movies. After dropping off my computer and under the assumption I wouldn't see it for 3 whole days, I detoured to Hollywood Video on the way home, with varying results.
Altered: This caught my eye because it proclaimed it was from the director of The Blair Witch Project. I admit it -- I liked BWP. I think it was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen that never showed you anything and downright impressive considering the shoestring budget. I also insist that anyone who didn't find it scary has never been in the woods at night, which can be pretty damn creepy even when you aren't lost.
Altered, sadly, is nothing at all like BWP. The director went and got himself more of a budget, more no-name terrible actors, and made himself a stupid, waste of time alien horror movie.
( ::Spoily Spoily #1:: )
People need to stop using the "From the director of _____" line to sell movies. And "Terrifying...Disturbing...Horrifying....Heart-pounding" are a few of the promises made by the back of the slip case -- obviously written by 7-year-olds who have never seen anything more frightening than a Teletubby, because my pulse never once exceeded my normal resting rate. 1 out of 5
The Fair-Haired Child: This was much, much better. It's part of the "Masters of Horror" series, which I've found to be better than commercially big horror movies. This chapter is directed by William "House on Haunted Hill" Malone (he also did Feardotcom, but the less spoken about that the better). (Ironically in light of my above statement in Altered, I specifically chose this because of Malone.)
( ::Spoily Spoily #2:: )
Despite being less than an hour (55 minutes), minute for minute this far surpassed Altered for fright value, IMO. 3.5 out of 5
The Fountain: This is the Hugh Jackman/Rachel Weisz vehicle that looked stunningly beautiful in the trailer, with not much indication of a plot. And that's exactly what it is -- beautiful cinematography, beautiful CG effects, beautiful Hugh, and what seems to be an attempt at a plot that will give you a brain aneurysm if you concentrate too hard.
( ::Spoily Spoily #3:: )
The music is terrific, the visuals stunning, the story a messy hodge-podge of crack-induced mythologies and philosophies. If ever I could have been saved by the "From the director of _____" advertising, it would have been here: This is the lovechild of Darren "Requiem for a Dream" Aranofsky, a similarly confusing movie that also looks like the result of a wacky tobacky all-nighter. Tery informed me as the ending credits rolled that I was henceforth no longer allowed to pick movies for us (Ryan came over to see it too). 2 out of 5, just because Hugh is so very, very pretty.
Last but not at all least (thanks to Altered), we saw Knocked Up. Do I need a summary of this one? Doughy loser Ben somehow hooks up with supermodel material Alison and they make a baby together. Suffice to say that this review should begin with the phrase "Speaking of the result of a wacky tobacky all-nighter..."
( ::Spoily Spoily #4:: )
I had such high hopes. I read review after review on Fandango proclaiming this to be "the funniest movie in years." People left the theater with "sides aching from laughing so hard." Yeah, it's funny, if you're into stoner humor, fart gags and endless jokes about male sexuality. While I enjoy those things from time to time, I need a little more to get me through 2 hours. Judging from my mostly silent fellow theatergoers, I wasn't alone. It did feel good to tell Tery that I was laughing on the inside, however (her excuse for not laughing at my movies) 1.5 out of 5
Boy oh boy did I miss my computer.
Same apparent symptoms as its predecessor: Reluctant to power on all week, then Friday just flat out refused completely. The good news was it's only 6 months old so still under warranty. The bad news was there was a 2-day waiting period before anyone would even look at it, according to the girl at Micro Center. GodDAMMIT.
Most people, when faced with a bonus two days off from work, are happy. Me, I spent it fuming over the money I wasn't making (and watching movies. Lots of movies. More later). I tried using Tery's computer at the hospital, but was quickly reminded of the primitive torturous experience that is dial-up. No flitting around the intraweb as the whim takes you, no sir. You've got to be totally committed to that page before you type in that address. ARGH.
So Friday and Saturday were essentially wasted (though I did get a 4-hour nap in before work Saturday night. Luxury!) Sunday Tery suggested we go see Knocked Up (more later). I didn't mind, but Sunday might be a crucial day -- it was the day someone would finally be getting to my computer, and as I suspected it was probably a simple 15-minute fix, I expected to be called any moment to come get it. So it was that as the end credits started to roll, for the first time ever I was the annoying person flipping my phone open to check my messages before the lights came up. I didn't like doing it but it had to be done, even if it was for nothing.
Monday. Now I was getting twitchy. I awoke at 6 a.m. from a deep sleep and the first thought in my head was "My computer had better be ready today." Then it was like Harry Potter DVD release day: I lay awake imagining not the joy of being reunited with my baby, but the various furious rants I would subject the person to who told me it hadn't been fixed yet. Oh, I pitied de fool who told me I had to miss 3 days of work without pay (Monday is normally my day off, but I was hoping to pick up a shift if everything went as planned).
Micro Center doesn't roll out of bed until 10 a.m., so I watched some of The Fisher King on AMC. Even one of my top 10 favorites of all time couldn't calm my nerves. FINALLY 10:00 arrived and I called. Do you know what those fuckers told me? They got to it first thing on Friday and tried calling me then. So who to be angry at? Them for not trying again Saturday, and Sunday, or I don't know, leaving a message? Or T-Mobile for not leaving any indication whatsoever on my phone to alert me?
So I got angry at no one. I went to pick it up without so much as a scowl, because this turn of events was so unexpected.
They did tell me the power supply was fried and suggested the culprit was my surge suppressor. Despite being a fancy shmancy $100 strip, it IS over 10 years old at this point so I couldn't really argue. I went directly to the suppressor aisle to buy a new one, where I found all types and sizes ranging from $5-$100. Why would people buy a $100 surge suppressor when it's recommended that you replace them every 1-2 years? Probably for the same reason they buy CPU towers with transparent panels and neon lights running through them. Me, I just want my work access and porn and I'm happy; I couldn't care less what the tool looks like.
Overwhelmed, I jumped at the chance when a salesman offered help. To my shock and amazement, he made a beeline for an unassuming $10 number. I was skeptical, but he was adamant that they were the leader in the industry (APC was the brand) and offered a guarantee to replace any equipment that got damaged while using their product. I would have looked around some more, but he was absolutely 100% sure this plain-looking strip was all I needed. I was just gobsmacked over not being talked into the most expensive item on the shelf. And at $10 a pop, I'll gladly replace it every year.
~*~
Now, smorgasbord of movies. After dropping off my computer and under the assumption I wouldn't see it for 3 whole days, I detoured to Hollywood Video on the way home, with varying results.
Altered: This caught my eye because it proclaimed it was from the director of The Blair Witch Project. I admit it -- I liked BWP. I think it was one of the scariest movies I've ever seen that never showed you anything and downright impressive considering the shoestring budget. I also insist that anyone who didn't find it scary has never been in the woods at night, which can be pretty damn creepy even when you aren't lost.
Altered, sadly, is nothing at all like BWP. The director went and got himself more of a budget, more no-name terrible actors, and made himself a stupid, waste of time alien horror movie.
( ::Spoily Spoily #1:: )
People need to stop using the "From the director of _____" line to sell movies. And "Terrifying...Disturbing...Horrifying....Heart-pounding" are a few of the promises made by the back of the slip case -- obviously written by 7-year-olds who have never seen anything more frightening than a Teletubby, because my pulse never once exceeded my normal resting rate. 1 out of 5
The Fair-Haired Child: This was much, much better. It's part of the "Masters of Horror" series, which I've found to be better than commercially big horror movies. This chapter is directed by William "House on Haunted Hill" Malone (he also did Feardotcom, but the less spoken about that the better). (Ironically in light of my above statement in Altered, I specifically chose this because of Malone.)
( ::Spoily Spoily #2:: )
Despite being less than an hour (55 minutes), minute for minute this far surpassed Altered for fright value, IMO. 3.5 out of 5
The Fountain: This is the Hugh Jackman/Rachel Weisz vehicle that looked stunningly beautiful in the trailer, with not much indication of a plot. And that's exactly what it is -- beautiful cinematography, beautiful CG effects, beautiful Hugh, and what seems to be an attempt at a plot that will give you a brain aneurysm if you concentrate too hard.
( ::Spoily Spoily #3:: )
The music is terrific, the visuals stunning, the story a messy hodge-podge of crack-induced mythologies and philosophies. If ever I could have been saved by the "From the director of _____" advertising, it would have been here: This is the lovechild of Darren "Requiem for a Dream" Aranofsky, a similarly confusing movie that also looks like the result of a wacky tobacky all-nighter. Tery informed me as the ending credits rolled that I was henceforth no longer allowed to pick movies for us (Ryan came over to see it too). 2 out of 5, just because Hugh is so very, very pretty.
Last but not at all least (thanks to Altered), we saw Knocked Up. Do I need a summary of this one? Doughy loser Ben somehow hooks up with supermodel material Alison and they make a baby together. Suffice to say that this review should begin with the phrase "Speaking of the result of a wacky tobacky all-nighter..."
( ::Spoily Spoily #4:: )
I had such high hopes. I read review after review on Fandango proclaiming this to be "the funniest movie in years." People left the theater with "sides aching from laughing so hard." Yeah, it's funny, if you're into stoner humor, fart gags and endless jokes about male sexuality. While I enjoy those things from time to time, I need a little more to get me through 2 hours. Judging from my mostly silent fellow theatergoers, I wasn't alone. It did feel good to tell Tery that I was laughing on the inside, however (her excuse for not laughing at my movies) 1.5 out of 5
Boy oh boy did I miss my computer.
