I Am Not A Crook!

Alyssa and I knocked out another film off the Top 100 list. All the President's Men with Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. I was commenting to Alyssa that the plot seems straight out of a spy novel or a 24 episode; a paranoid, delusional, power hungry President embezzles money out of campaign funds to hire ex-CIA operatives to spy on the competition. But wait, it actually happened! The American public chose to elect this guy twice! Granted, the level of Nixon's involvement was debatable, but the fact that he resigned before he could be impeached and then stripped of the Presidency speaks volumes.
I also enjoyed the initial skepticism of the national press towards the Post, that only intensified until the facts became public knowledge. The ending was somewhat abrupt but the film was well done and the fact that most of the stuff in the movie actually happened made it all the more interesting to me.

Christmas Time!!

Alyssa and I had finally gotten an opportunity to settle into a nice little routine around here when the holidays came up and smacked us upside the head. Halloween quickly changed into Harvest time which was followed by Thanksgiving and Christmas all around us. But with the changing of the seasons we also get our first chance to do these things as husband and wife.

Saturday we knocked off two firsts, picking out our first Christmas tree together and going to our first Tree Lighting Ceremony (as husband and wife anyway, Alyssa loves tree lighting ceremonies so we had gone to a few before we got hitched) with the Lacks.

Needless to say, both firsts were wonderful. We love the pageantry of Christmas and the good feelings all around. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Modern Times

Modern Times, in case you didn't know, is a Charlie Chaplin film, and number 78 on our top 100 movie list. It was actually decent, considering it was a 74 year old silent movie with outdated crap humor. One interesting thing that Alyssa and I noticed was the obvious age difference between the main characters. Charlie is probably 40 something when this film was made and his love interest was supposed to be a "juvenile" which means what, 16? Creepy. In reality, the actor and actress were only 21 years apart. And apparently they had an off screen relationship as well. And Chaplin married an 18 year old when he was 54, and had 7 kids with her, all of whom are still alive. Crazy. Unless you have a lot of time to kill I suggest you stay away from the Charles Chaplin wiki link, because it will suck you in. In any case, another one down, next up "All The President's Men".

Painting Days

From the moment I bought this house, Alyssa hasn't really liked the paint. It was poorly done originally, wasn't finished in certain areas and was just a peachy orange sherbet type color, which neither one of us was a big fan of. Before we got married she decided to paint the main ceiling in the open entryway, living room and hallway areas to cover up the three different colors of paint with a nice plain white.

Friday she painted the ceiling in our bedroom and today we went on down to Home Depot to pick out our wall paint for the bedroom. And then "we" painted. I hate to paint so she did 90% of the work, I just helped tie in the ceiling, which I can reach without a ladder, and helped tape the trim pieces. And I helped with the touch up work. Anyhow, it turned out great. We were trying for a sandy brownish color and it ended up pretty close to what we were looking for. It might be a little more green than we anticipated but it still looks fabulous and new.

We've also been upgrading the furniture and rearranging the living room. Alyssa and I had our eyes on a three piece sectional couch for literally years, my Nana has the same one so I knew it was comfy and we both like the way it looks. It barely fits in the room, but it actually makes our itty, bitty living room seem larger now that there is a place for more than two people to sit.

And I had been putting furniture together for weeks after the honeymoon, but it has calmed down a lot as we become settled. I'm particularly happy with the TV stand/dual bookcase combo. My side has all of my DVDs and her side has all of her library books. The house has truly become our home, and it's a great thing to experience! (that's me looking great, and topless, in the reflection of the television)

Two Plus Two

Alyssa and I have now been married for two months and two days, and I must say it has been completely incredible. She has completely blown my mind. She gets up with me at 6 every morning, makes my lunch, makes me coffee, and sends me off with a smile and a kiss (or two). She makes dinner every night the two of us are at home, and typically does an incredible job. She's trying new recipes, experimenting with things we know we like and truly being the most amazing housewife ever!

I told her when I came home from my first day of work after the honeymoon, and she greeted me with a full glass of ice water and a bowl of fresh made guacamole that her performance as my wife so far was not only much more than I expected but also significantly more than I needed. Well so far as I can tell, she's only getting better and better as time goes on.

Here's a little taste of our nights in Paris on the honeymoon. This is looking at the back of Notre Dame from the East on the bridge in between Ile St. Louis and Ile de la Cite or something like that. (French spelling is definitely not my strongest academic discipline.)

The Apartment

Alyssa and I got through our 21st film of the AFI top 100 on Saturday, "The Apartment" starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. I enjoyed it, Alyssa had seen it previously and wasn't interested in paying complete attention to it, due to its less than uplifting story. Essentially, Jack Lemmon is a pushover, he takes a bunch of crap for an extended period of time before he realizes, screw it, it just isn't worth it. Shirley is the love interest, and wow, I have to say, you can see the much, much older, Shirley MacLaine in the young, beautiful elevator operator, and she really has aged very well. It's nice to see the young woman be improved by age.
And that's all I have to say about that.

Quick Catch Up

Sooooo... It's been a while but I thought I'd take a quick second and update the movie list. We watched "Spartacus" a week or so ago. It was blah, though seeing Kirk Douglas as a bad ass was interesting considering I'm most used to seeing him as a decrepit old man at The Oscars. We barely even watched it. Oh well.
I've been trying to consider the reason certain films have been included in this list, like the silent movie we watched the other day. Or the other month really, we're kind of slow. Anyway, at the time "Spartacus" was released, it probably blew people's minds the same way "Jurassic Park" or even more recently "Avatar" did. Which is great, but forty years from now "Jurassic Park", in my opinion, will still be appreciated for the original, interesting and entertaining story, as well as the great acting by the old dude that played Santa in Miracle on 34th Street (the remake). But "Avatar" and so far as I'm concerned, "Spartacus" just don't have that staying power. Though the blood, sex, blood, sex and sex "Spartacus" television show on Starz would argue that.
Epic storytelling is great, in every medium, if it is interesting, and original, and entertaining. When it is lacking (for my one regular reader) one or more of those elements it will fail to stand up to the test of time.
Perhaps my generation, myself included, is used to a faster pace or a story that doesn't seem so unnecessarily drawn out. Or we just don't have the patience to stick with a 3.5 hour long movie. Though I've watched "Dances With Wolves" multiple times without any problems. "Spartacus" did nothing to pull me in to the viewing experience, which is a shame because there really is a decent story to be told there.
"Spartacus" gets 2 thumbs down from Alyssa and I, or at least 2 thumbs sideways. We didn't hate it, we just didn't care.

Anyway, the point of this post was to mention the movie and to let any readers I may have out there that I know it has been a while and yes, I do intend to continue blogging here. I need to let all the stuff from the wedding and honeymoon sink in a little bit, not to mention actually upload pictures to the computer before I can blog about it.
So when we get really settled in, I can start working on those types of things rather than building Target furniture, which we love, and hanging pictures, which I don't love, though I do love seeing them on the wall. Unfortunately, moving in and becoming settled takes a while, so just keep on waiting. As much as I love typing and telling about myself, ultimately life is more important, especially when I have such a lovely, wonderful, beautiful, intelligent, gorgeous, hardworking new wife to share it with!

The Honeymoon Begins

After one hell of a tiring trip to Paris, Alyssa and I have begun to settle in nicely. Today we went to Notre Dame and wandered around the interior of the church, we will be returning after the US vs. Algeria soccer game to wander around the Bell Towers. In the meantime, we've treated ourselves to a fine Parisian lunch at our little apartment, emphasis on little. There is an annoying little dog yapping occasionally downstairs but for the most part it has been wonderful! Much love from Paris!

Home Improvement!

No, not the tv show, Alyssa and I have been doing some serious upgrades around here. First, Josh and I decided to redo the floors in the bathrooms. We ripped out the very old looking linoleum and threw in some nice tile floor. Then, because Alyssa is going to move in soon and has always hated our sink, I replaced the kitchen sink for her. After that she took it upon herself to paint the ceiling, with help from her mom and bro. And on Saturday, while she was out getting crazy at her bachelorette party, I put together one of her Christmas gifts. I know Christmas was six months ago but she didn't want me installing a shelf and bench combo while I had roommates. I guess she didn't think Josh and Vorp would appreciate it as much. Anyhow, to offset all that domesticating I went ahead and got a new beer fridge from my work. Alyssa loves it (not at all) but she said I can decorate the garage since she is taking care of every other aspect of personalizing our home. Also, I have less than two weeks until I'm married, and I have all of fifteen days until I land in Paris! We are both very, very, ready.

"Sunrise" Live Diary

Sunrise is a 1927 silent film, Alyssa and I haven't exactly been looking forward to it. Though I'm willing to bet I get a couple more "I love that dress" comments from her.

As a side note before we get started, has anyone ever explored the idea of cutting a new sound track over silent movies? Actually writing some dialogue? Or would that be too much of a betrayal of the original intent of the film?

On with the show!

3:30 This is miserable! There is a reason we stopped making these.

4:22 "Woman of the City" is 1920's speak for "tramp" apparently.

5:30 I'm trying to remain openminded and everything but really i just want it to be over.

6:40 Wow! a silent whistle.

7:25 I'm sure I'll get little argument on this but, ultimately, it is the man's fault, not the homewrecker's if there is cheating going on. Or the woman's fault if the roles are reversed

9:30 It's interesting to me that the written words look like somebody took a crayon to the screen.

12:35 Cheater! Out with the woman of the city while your wife and baby sit home alone.

14:00 "Couldn't she get drowned?" damn, that tramp is ruthless.

16:00 Alyssa and I are both trying to talk ourselves into 2x speed the rest of the way.

17:00 Wow, it looks like she's convinced him to kill his wife.

18:20 I actually got "Jaws" music this time.

18:40 Nice cinematography and good call by Alyssa, the pure innocent wife and mother is bathed in light while her adulterous husband creeps up in the dark.

20:40 Amazing that his wife takes care of him even after he's running around on her.

24:00 So sad. This guy is really creepy.

25:00 The dog knew, always gotta listen to your animals.

26:45 Wow, dog came for her.

28:30 Really, really ready for this to be over.

30:00 I think she's starting to get the drift.

31:00 Straight up frankenstein guy. Very creepy.

31:30 I guess he couldn't do it.

32:30 "Don't be afraid of me." (even though i very nearly tried to drown you five minutes ago)

36:00 Gosh women put up with a lot of bullshit back in the day.

37:00 His wife is supposed to be some sympathetic figure. I think she's just pathetic. Leave his sorry ass already.

38:30 Maybe it is because the film is black and white but his wedding band really sticks out on screen.

39:35 Ohhhh, I take it all back, he got her flowers! What a nice guy. He's really sorry about the almost murdering her thing.

41:15 A wedding, reminding them of their young and happy days. Maybe he was wrong in trying to kill her, but surely it isn't too late for redemption.

42:50 Personally, after the attempted murder he's irredeemable. Alyssa agrees. Such a good example of the mentality of men towards women back then. He can do anything, and a good wife will always take him back. Screw that, how about some personal accountability? Don't be a complete and total D-bag in the first place and you won't need to tearfully beg and moan for forgiveness.

47:00 apparently she's forgotten that 20 minutes ago he was going to kill her.

And I stopped watching for a while, did some laundry and took a catnap.

Essentially, he remembers why he married her in the first place, she forgets that he tried to kill her, they fall back in love, she almost drowns on the way back, he thinks she did, he goes crazy, she gets found, he gets happy.
Finis

Titanic Two

Starting this 1:35 in.

1:35 wow! nice starting point. Steamy windows and mostly naked people.

1:37 Not to make a gross generalization but Women have the most backasswards logic. It doesn't make any sense, that's how i know it's right.

1:39 a huge ship can't exactly make sharp turns.

1:40 That's one mean looking iceberg.

1:41 uhoh. lot o' water pouring in.

1:42 I would not want to be the poor guy stuck in the engine room filling with seawater while the doors closed.

1:44 Billy Zane still a jerk.

1:47 The dumbfounded looks on the Captain et al. when informed of the certainty of sinking is priceless.

1:51 Damn engineers! Going around telling people the ship will sink then saying not to panic.

1:52 Ehhhh. 1 hour until sinking + 4 hours until rescue + 28 degree water = bad situation.

1:54 Nice four piece band playing during the evacuation.

1:55 Let's lock the second class citizens into their area until we get the first class folks off first. so nice.

1:57 Kate "You unimaginable bastard!" I couldn't have said it better myself.

1:58 Alyssa has pretty much given up watching entirely at this point, too sad.

2:02 He's gotta be expecting to never see her again. "I'll just wait right here."

Did Leo do this before or after "Romeo and Juliet" a couple of "star crossed lovers" to be sure.

2:04 "Dahnuh, dahnuh, dahnuh, dahnuh." I want to see Jaws swimming around down there.

2:09 I like the mean looking point by Tommy. I'll find you bellhop dude.

2:11 nice MacGyver move there. Improvise.

2:11:56 "keep order I say!"

2:13 "Orpheus" was a nice touch there by the band.

2:15:35 I never liked that sissy.

2:17 Rose was a wee bit naive here. Of course my maniacal ex-fiancee has reserved a spot for the guy that I left him for 20 minutes ago.

2:19 Brings to mind the women who won't leave their abusive husbands. "But I love him." She just can't save herself.

2:20 Typically a bad idea to run below decks on a sinking ship, but I guess fleeing a gun wielding psychopath is the exception.

2:22 dumb kid sitting there freezing and screaming

2:22:40 Did we really need a slo-mo action shot of them fleeing? I guess so, it did win Best Picture.

2:25 I've never seen the benefit of shrieking shrilly in a high pressure, high anxiety situation. In what way did that help Jack to concentrate?

2:27 Fabricio's "Bastardo" has to rank pretty high on Simmons' Unintentional Comedy Scale.

2:28 Zane grabs somebody else's baby and pretends it is his own to sneak aboard a lifeboat. Alyssa's take; "F***ing D***"

2:30 Nice little Violin solo, showing some of the intricate detail that went into both the ship and the film.

2:32 according to Wikipedia, all members of the 8 piece orchestra died.

2:33 I would not have enjoyed being the manservant of the dude sipping the brandy as the water came up.

2:34:35 Actually Leo it would have been better for Rose to have gotten off on one of the many lifeboats she had the chance to board.

2:37 Gotta respect the steadfastness of the clergy. Seemingly performing Last Rites while the ship is sinking around him

2:40 I imagine a 200+ foot fall into freezing water would not be fun.

2:40:25 Now you show Rose's mom as a sympathetic figure? Oh please.

2:41 With her head hanging over the railing like that I was envisioning decapitation on impact.

2:43 Really great effects of all the people falling. I'd be so pissed if some jackhole knocked me off because he couldn't hold on.

2:44 Wow, for a street artist Jack sure knows a lot about the physics of a sinking ship.

2:46 Impressive leverage on those punches!

2:46:45 is it rude to say her squirming onto the floating door reminded me of a beached whale?

2:48 Nice try Kathy. A much higher percentage of British died in the sinking, possibly due to the sense of chivalry still embraced by the majority of upper class British males at this time. Not really represented in the movie though.

2:53 Kind of a Zombie feel to the rowing through the frozen, floating, corpses.

2:55 The disc chooses this moment to start screwing up.

2:55 It's okay.

2:57 And....Rescue!!!

2:58 Bearded Scientist Sidekick Guy makes strong appearance. Stroking beard while old lady pronounces judgement on the lifeboats that didn't come back.

2:59 I feel like this music makes more sense in "Braveheart" than in "Titanic"

3:00 Keep walking Billy Zane, Keep walking.

3:02 So who got the necklace, did she have it in her coat or what?

3:03 Strong Bill Paxton, Strong.

3:04 Ohhhh, old lady had it all along. That was stupid.

3:07 Alyssa "another pretty dress"*

*alright, I said it not her. She did say the rest of them though.

And Scene.

A Blog of "Titanic" Proportions. Part One

Trying a new idea for the blogs on AFI's Top 100 Films, the running diary. I'm afraid there will be kind of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 feel to it. I know it is a bit auspicious of me to attempt this for the first time on the longest freaking movie in the Top 100 but...why not? (Didn't get the time stamp thing down until 40 minutes so I'm not sure exactly where the first stuff landed)

Opening Credits have the most pretentious crap music playing over them, my first thought is Jimmy Cameron is such a d-bag. And Celine Deon is stupid.

For those of you who couldn't tell, Titanic is not in my top 100.

Nice! cameo by Bill Paxton as deep sea diver scientist guy. Hoop earring, bleached blond hair, waxing poetic about a shipwreck.

Alyssa, "What the freak is a microsecond."

Me, "don't know. Less than a second"

One cool thing about Cameron is how he always embraces the most technological advances in his work. I don't know if those deep sea diver thingys are real or not but the T-1000 in Terminator 2 was bad ass. And Avatar was in 3d for those of you that didn't know.

"Snoop Vision" written on crazy bearded helper scientist guy's robot viewer thingy.

Kate Winslet has large breasts. Even in a drawing.

Jurassic Park ripoff alert. Helicopter close up over the ocean with inspirational music playing over.

If I remember correctly "old" Rose got nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress. She didn't win, which makes sense considering she had 15 minutes of air time. Dorky Scientist bearded guy sidekick should have gotten a Best Supporting Actor nomination, IMNSHO.

Wow, for as much as we make fun of people's dress in the 80's, mid 90's fashion is GAWD awful!

I wonder if people being checked for lice upon boarding will ever make a comeback?

Leo...It could have been young teenager envy, but I hated Leonardo DiCaprio at this point in my life. Nowadays, every time I see a new movie he's in I'm impressed anew, That guy can act. Not quite as much in Titanic though.

Billy Zane, I don't know what it says about a person that the acting performance of his that I like best is when he played himself in "Zoolander". "Zoolander" didn't make the list of top 100 by the way. Does that mean he's a nice guy in real life and just good at portraying a self-obsessive jerk, or that he's a self obsessive jerk that didn't realize Zoolander was meant as a spoof.

Running and crying not a good look for LB(that's Large Breasted) Kate, though Leo seems to disagree.

37:40 She very much reminds me of a porcelain doll.

38:45 Jump! Jump! Jump!

40:00 Leo, "You ever been to 'sconsin?" Great pickup line kid, right up there with "What's your sign?"

41:40 Alyssa is distracted by the wardrobes from this time period. I've already gotten a couple of "I love that dress!!" comments.

47:00 or so. Nice necklace. Pretty impressive.

50:31 Creepy sketch of baby breast feeding.

55:00 Loogie Hawking, good times.

57:00 Kathy Bates, oh so sweet, a little overboard on the obnoxious American though. (get it? "overboard" ahahahaha)

1:00:50 "Are you of the Boston Dawsons?" "no, the Chippiwa Falls Dawsons."

1:03:52 Kate just Eye F***** the S*** out of Leo. "To making it count"

1:05:30 Alyssa "I want a dress like that. Not the corset part, though"

1:08:19 Was Leo responsible for guys having horrible hair with ridiculous bangs around this time period? Though I'm pretty sure JTT had similar hair to this as well.

1:10 Ballerinas are very impressive.

1:11 Billy Zane is a jerk.

1:13 Wait a minute, she's marrying Billy Zane so her mom doesn't have to get a job? Weak.

1:20 Sorry, missed the last seven minutes reading about the Titanic on Wikipedia. Much more interesting. "ahhh, ahhh, ohhh, ohhh", Sweet keyboard backing Celine, "Near, Far, Wherever you are, i know that my heart will go on!" or something like that, I never could really understand her French-Canadian Warbling.

1:22 Ahh kissing.

1:25 Kate's a little randy for Leo, their relationship has always kind of creeped me out a bit considering she's married to somebody else but talks about Leo like he's the greatest thing ever.

1:25 Creepy! Kate just said she doesn't need another picture of her as a porcelain doll, funny considering i compared her to one 40 minutes ago. (no I haven't memorized this movie, I've only seen it once, though I did catch the end of it on cable while i was napping on the couch the other day, but not that part)

1:26 Kate is not shy about taking her top off. Which I can appreciate.

1:28 Hearing a pretend 100+ year old woman say "erotic" is not attractive.

1:30 Alyssa informs me she's gonna be leaving soon, and that we'll have to finish viewing it tomorrow night. About twenty minutes ago she started reading because knowing that the ship is gonna sink is bumming her out. I've stated on this blog before that her only requirement to liking a movie is a happy ending, and having seen Titanic before, she knows Kate and Leo are not getting a happy ending. She's pretty freaking sweet.

Until next time...

Best Photo Ever

For those of you who haven't yet seen it, I wanted to post this photo. I love this girl SO much and it is great to see photographic evidence that the feeling is mutual. Neither one of us knew this shot was being taken so I'm fairly confident she wasn't just mugging for the camera. This was at the wedding reception for Josh and Megan, which by all accounts, was the most enjoyable and well done reception many of the guests, myself included, had ever been to. I'm getting married in 43 freaking days. Let's hurry it up already, I'm tired of waiting. And I'm most definitely ready for two weeks of Paris.

Can I Get A Witness?

Had today off from work due to stitches being removed from my head. Since I had a weekday off Alyssa thought it would be a good idea to apply for (and get) our marriage license. While waiting in line at the CoCo County office, a young couple in front of us was informed that they needed a witness in order to get married today. No one had come with them because the oh-so-helpful county worker they had talked to on the phone told them a witness would be supplied for them. Sooooo, in exasperation the groom to be turned around and making eye contact with me asked "you wanna be our witness?" I was quick to voice my assent.

The officiant came out in her robes, took us into the ceremony room and performed a two minute wedding ceremony which both Alyssa and I were thrilled to be a part of. We signed off on their license and were on our way!

It was so affirming to see another couple get married in such an intimate, personal way. It may seem less romantic to some, but to me it was an incredible experience.

Laptop Fun

This is the first blog update I've done using my new laptop. It's an HP Pavilion Notebook. I bought it Thursday from Costco (Yay Warehouse Stores!) and I like it very much. Unfortunately, I don't have wireless at my house so i had to run one hell of a cable from my router. In two months, when Alyssa moves in we will be getting wireless. She's already made it very clear to me. She has a laptop as well.

The keyboard is pretty nice, only a few typing screw ups thus far. I'm digging it. The main reason I got it is for the honeymoon. I have a Mino HD flip cam and a Sony Cybershot camera, so taking a laptop with a 320 Gig hard drive will allow us to clear more space off of the video camera and the memory cards for the Sony. Allowing even more footage to be taken without having to pony up more bones for extra memory cards.

A Perry Wedding

Security Detail

Josh and Megan got married last night! Crazy stuff. It's very weird to see a buddy I've known for over twenty years being all grown up and married and stuff. Especially knowing my own marriage is only two short months away. Joshy asked me to be one of his Best Men, which I was thrilled to be and got to deliver one of, count 'em, 6 speeches by the bridal party. Her sister, his sister, her best friend, her brother, his cousin, and then me. Save the best for last I guess. Essentially I said this; though I can't remember exactly due to nervousness and a being a little bit drunk.
As I've been the best of friends with Josh for over twenty years, this speech will be more about him than his bride. Sorry Megan, but we all know everything else this day has been about you, as it should be, so you can bear with me for a couple of minutes.
While Josh, and I for that matter, may have a tendency to be a bit longwinded, when Josh gets to the point it can be counted on to have significance. He weighs his decisions carefully and doesn't rush into anything, except this wedding. Being Josh's close friend I felt obligated to assure myself of his reasons for this marriage and his commitment to it. When Josh told me of his intention to become engaged to Megan, I asked him a very simple question, "Is this the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with?" and I'm happy to say his immediate and confident response was, "Yes, without a second thought in my mind, Megan is the woman for me."
Having heard him tell me about 25 times in the few short months since they started their courtship that "something was different" about Megan, I was completely assured that he was moving forward with an intelligent and Godly purpose and simply told him, "I couldn't be more happy for you!"
And truly, I couldn't be. Living with Josh has given me the opportunity to observe firsthand how they've grown in their relationship and how they are learning to accommodate each other in everything. Megan has shown herself to be a wonderfully caring and compassionate person, almost to a fault at times, and Josh has slowly adjusted his life to fit around her. I told Josh at his man shower that his job from this point forward is to make Megan happy. That doesn't mean to give her everything she wants as soon as she wants it but simply to have thoughtful consideration towards her in everything he does and always find a way to do things that takes her feelings into account.
I love you both very much, and am so thankful to be able to be a part of this day with you. Congratulations to you both! To Megan and Joshua Perry!

More Wedding Fun!

Brad Lewis and Amy Worgull got married on Saturday, the second of about ten different couples I know getting married this calendar year. It was a blast, I got a little drunk, did a little dancing, ate a lot of food, and had some delicious pie for dessert! They seemed very much in love and full of joy to be wed. Three cheers for them. As a side note, my date is now only 90 days away. Very exciting for both Alyssa and myself.

Also I was finally able to go on my first bike ride of the season, first since November actually, a nice little 25 mile jaunt from my house out to the summit of Palomares Canyon and back. It was just as much fun as I'd recalled, and competing against both my fellow riders and myself was a blast.

Bachelors!!!!!

Josh's Bachelor Party was this weekend. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Easy Rider Was No Easy Ride

It has been quite a while since Alyssa and I last got a movie done from our Top 100 list. She had already seen Easy Rider and was hesitant to watch it again. After seeing it for myself, I can see why.
It was definitely interesting. There was a whole lot of social/political commentary going on throughout the movie, and a lot of attention paid to the very prevalent in 1969 culture clash, of old-timey American values and free loving drug abusing "hippies".
The music was incredible, starting off with back to back Steppenwolf; "The Pusher" and "Born to be Wild" and also featured some Hendrix, The Band and other classics.
While I'd like to think that my cinematic tastes have begun to rub-off on Alyssa, I fear that hers are also beginning to rub-off on me. Before we met her definition of a good movie was one that made her happy at the end and mine was one that made me think. This movie most assuredly encouraged thought, but to call it a happy ending would, in my humble opinion, be completely missing the point.
Overall, I'm glad to have watched it and am even more thrilled to cross one more title off of our list!

More Carmel

Most of my recent Carmel posts have been centered around the work we've been doing there, mainly because every time we go down there it is to work. My last trip included a day of roughing in plumbing drains, vents and water pipe for the new master bathroom. It went pretty well. Not too hard of a day's work all in all. The contractor has finished the exterior of the addition and added the nice new copper gutters with rain chains in place of downspouts. Because of the natural viscosity of water it trickles down the chains and looks a little bit nicer, I think, than regular downspouts.

Honeymoon Plans

Notre Dame

Alyssa and I have finally decided on where we are going for our honeymoon! Our wedding is exactly four months from today and (literally) getting closer every day. haha.

I'm super excited to take Alyssa to Paris for the first time. I've been lucky enough to have gone a few times before, but seeing this beautiful city again will be wonderful through the eyes of a newbie. I think Paris is the perfect place to take my bride to be. She's a history major who speaks french and is Catholic. How much better could it be. Rome will be next of course but definitely not this trip. I had to plead with her to get two weeks in Paris! We've reserved a cute studio apartment literally a block away from my favorite restaurant in Paris, Chez Janou. I figure we'll have dinner there at least five times over the course of our two weeks. I'm hoping to make a trip up to Belgium for the Tour de France on July 5th, but we'll see if it works out.

To say the least we are both very ready to be wed. It's been over a year engaged already and it's time to get this show on the road. The picture above is from my last time in France.

Tahoe Trip + Cave Rock

Went up to Tahoe for the 19th? annual Martin Luther King Jr. weekend with the Palomares Elementary crew this past weekend. It was a total blast as always. We stay in a nice little cabin about 5 minutes from stateline and spend our days and nights drinking and gambling and playing board games and cards and hiking and sledding and dicing and drinking. (I've just been informed I've set a new blog record for most ands in one sentence.) Anyway during a break in the snow storm on Sunday, Josh, Megan or Megosh as I like to call them, my brother Brian and myself took a drive and then a hike to the top of Cave Rock. It was a fearsome show of nature's strength. The wind felt like it would blow us off the top and was actually causing the snow to fall upwards around the rock it was blowing so hard. Here's the video with my Christmas present from my folks, a new Mino HD Flip Camera!