Breach – 4 out of 5 – based on the story of Robert Hanssen, the FBI agent convicted of spying for the Soviet Union, and Eric O’Neill, the operative who helped catch him. This thriller is a fantastic character study with fine performances from Ryan Phillippe as O’Neill, Laura Linney as Agent Burroughs, and Chris Cooper, who is excellent as Hanssen. Highly recommended.
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Indian summer
Yesterday the temp reached a record high of 91. That’s really hot for October. We usually average in the 70′s as fall begins to settle in. This week however has been unseasonably warm with Friday being the hottest. We went to the annual chili cook-off last night, and it cooled off a little as the sun went down. But as the night grew, so did the crowd. Eating spicy food, lots of warm bodies in a tight space, and no air flow made for a pretty uncomfortable evening. Christine and I normally hit each booth and sample every chili; we’ll skip one if we already know we don’t like it. However we couldn’t finish the final stretch after filling up very quickly on chili and soda.
Bulger benched
Rams name Frerotte starter for injured Bulger against Arizona
All season, Bulger has insisted he was healthy enough to play. It’s unclear how much time Bulger will need to heal. He originally suffered the injury in Week 1 against Carolina, and was sacked six times in the second week of the season against the 49ers. “I was never going to pull myself out, I know that much,” Bulger said. “It’s real easy to play hurt when you’re winning, but it’s just not in me to pull myself out when we’re 0-4.”
NFL coaches need to start thinking like MLB managers. If your quarterback is struggling, and your team is not scoring points, you go to your “bullpen”. You’re not permanently replacing your starter; it’s a move to get the offense going again.
Jocketty out; LaRussa next?
Jocketty out after 13 years as Cards’ GM (ESPN.com)
St. Louis won six NL Central titles, one wild card and two NL pennants under Jocketty. After failing to spend much on free agents last winter, the Cardinals faded to a 78-84 record this year and a third-place finish behind Chicago and Milwaukee.
Injuries to key players didn’t help either.
Hamilton and Dawson
Hamilton is the 2 yr old son of my cousin Rowena and her husband Dave. He happens to have his own website: Hamazahn.com. The site has been updated by my cousin Ren, who’s now had time to catch up with family since his return from his world tour (see the journal of his travels at Global Transmission). Ham’s website features lots of great pictures and stories told by Hamboy himself (transcribed by the Godfather).
And not to be outdone, Hamilton’s younger brother Dawson (seen here with his mom) just celebrated his 1st birthday on September 20. Be sure to also check out Daws’ own website, Dawboy dotcom.
love my 4 day work week
Working 10-hour days can be very trying at times. But I learned that I can get more done in the office in 10 hours, and I absolutely love having an extra day a week to do whatever I want. I don’t know that I can go back to working 5 days a week.
Telecommuting, cell phones and the Internet are just some of the other tools that can offer more flexibility to the outdated idea that we should all be at the office from 8 to 5 on Monday through Friday
new Foo
The latest album from one of my favorite bands was released today. Echoes, Silence, Patience, & Grace is the Foo Fighters’ sixth studio album. I had pre-ordered this on iTunes at the beginning of August. However, this morning, I didn’t get an offer to download the album as soon as it was available. So, me being impatient like an avid gamer buying Halo 3 at midnight, I immediately purchased it when I woke up this morning. Little did I know that Apple would send me an email this afternoon telling me my pre-order was available for download. Thank goodness I wasn’t billed twice; I was able to cancel the pre-order. I gave it a listen while eating lunch at my desk. It’s new and different. Dave Grohl shows he’s capable of writing great music. The album rocks when it wants to, and the soft stuff is very good too (check out their live DVD Skin and Bones; this acoustic set is one hell of a concert). Granted all of this is from one listen; it still needs to grow on me. I’m listening to it now as I write this, and I must say I’m liking what I hear. Here’s the first single, “The Pretender”:
Prison Break
This series should’ve ended midway through the 2nd season. With that being said, putting Michael Scofield in the Panamanian prison Sona (along with Agent Alex Mahone, Captain Bill Bellick, and fellow fugitive T-Bag) has put a new spin on the premise of the show. The odds are against Scofield, given he knew exactly what he was going to do at Fox River. In Sona, there are no guards and no rules. Should be a good season.
Accepted
Accepted – 4 out of 5 – Justin Long is charming as Bartleby Gaines, a high school grad who’s been rejected by every college he applied for. So he and his friends fool everyone by claiming they’ve been accepted to the South Harmon Institute of Technology, a college they made up. Classes include skating, meditating, and anatomy (above). Things quickly get out of hand when other students realize how easy it is to get into this school. Bartleby’s best friend Schrader (played by Superbad‘s Jonah Hill) earned the movie another star for screaming early on.
wine glasses
wine glasses
Originally uploaded by Teny Jr.
taken inside the Tremont
