Empire Falls by Richard Russo

Richard Russo was already a well know and well loved author by the time Empire Falls hit the book shelves, but this is the first of his novels that I had read. It is a very well written page turner, how often can you say that? It gives us a glimpse into the tough, working class life of a Maine town where the main industry is gone and one man controls almost everything that happens. Miles Roby, the owner of the town diner is fighting to keep his head above water. He is divorced, his teen-aged daughter has issues and she is the stable one in the family. What really makes this book so rich is the range of characters Russo brings to life. The dialog is excellent and the plot is well constructed to keep you engaged to the end.

Russo is one of America's best living authors and this is finest work to date.

Noodles & Company

My co-worker Rob won a lunch for six at Noodles & Company and I was lucky enough to get an invite. This is a national chain that opened up in Portland about a year ago. As the name suggests they do everything noodles, from Pad Thai to Mac&Cheese. You can also customize your noodles with meat, chicken, vegetables, etc.

I had a regular Wisconsin Mac&Cheese with Parmesan chicken and I have to say it was very good and a lot of food for $5.95. We also tried the Penne Rosa and the spaghetti and meatballs which were good too. We didn't try them, but the home made soups and salads looked good.

If you are looking for a good, quick lunch place you should give them a try.

Noodles & Co.
100 NW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
503- 223-1057

The Hollywood Economist by Edward Jay Epstein

If I had to sum up what I learned in this book in a sentence I would say, never invest in a movie.

According to veteran journalist Edward Jay Epstein, the studios stack the deck so that only a very few of the most successful movies actual make money for anyone other than the studios and the actors who get their money up front. If you liked the best selling economics book Freakonomics and you are interested in how Hollywood works, this is the perfect book for you. Epstein pulls back the curtain on a lot of Hollywood myths and amazingly answers the difficult question: How do the studios make their money?

He also answers some other interesting Hollywood questions like:

What does it costs to insure Nicole Kidman’s right knee? Nicole Kidman had become so unreliable (not showing up on time and leaving movies after production has begun) that after an on-set injury her knee was basically un-insurable.

How and why the studios harvest silver from old film prints? The studios have 1000's of old film reels lying around that have a small silver content. Instead of preserving these for history they mined them for the silver when prices shot up in the 90's.

Do stars do their own stunts? If you think actors do their own stunts you are sadly mistaken. Given the amount of insurance it takes to get an actor signed, it is amazing they are allowed to walk around without a protective suit on. They lie about doing their own stunts on Entertainment Tonight to look cool.

Why is Arnold Schwarzenegger considered a contract genius? He gets all his money up front and he (or his agent) understands the difference between net and gross.

Why is Lara Croft: Tomb Raider considered a “masterpiece” of financing? Due to tax breaks and incentives from several states and countries to make their movie there, the studio was able to make this $100 million movie for less than $15 million of their own money.

This is a small taste of the interesting facts you'll enjoy in The Hollywood Economist.

Travelling Home

Usually traveling home is where things go wrong. You are ready to get back to your familiar environment and the flight is delayed or something else happens to drive you crazy. Today, we got all the way home before the bad travel incident hit. Up until we got to the cab stand, our trip was great. All the flights were on time, we packed a little lunch, the movie sucked, but I had a great book and the bags were waiting for us when we got to the baggage pick up.

Then it happened. We got in the cab and the driver obviously had no idea where our house was, so I gave him some quick directions. He obviously did not like the way I choose as he started screaming at me that we should go on the freeway and that I was wasting his time to save $2. I told him to shut the hell up and drive us the way I said. At this point he tried to back the cab up and get rid of us at the cab stand, but he was already through the gate. I thought he was going to have an aneurysm, but then he started to drive my route.

As we went down 82nd street there was a guy talking on a pay phone trying to wave down the cab. Our driver started talking to him and the guy was about to in the cab when we said no way. The idiot was going to pick up another fare, the scariest part was the guy was obviously a drug dealer. Who else uses a pay phone on 82nd street at 12:30 in the morning?

When we finally got home, I was afraid he would try to keep our bags or something, but thankfully we got rid him without further incident. Bottom line, never take a Rose City Cab.

Last Day in Hawaii

It is always sad when you have to leave Hawaii, especially when it is sunny outside. For our last full day, we decided to revisit some of our favorites.

I started out the day with a yoga class at Hanalei Yoga, which is a great studio in Hanalei, conveniently located next to the Bubba's Burgers. There were only three other people in the class, but it was a tough one and I worked up a real sweat. If you are in Kaua'i I can highly recommend this place, the teachers are very knowledgeable and well trained.

After yoga, we spent the afternoon at Ke'e Beach snorkeling and taking in the sun. It was a beautiful day on the beach.

For dinner we revisited the Dolphin Restaurant and my yoga instructor was our waitress. Turns out it is not uncommon for people there to have two or three jobs to make ends meet. We ordered better this time, starting with the salad bowl and their amazing bread. I stuck with the Mahi Mahi, but I got it blackened this time. We closed it out with a piece of the carrot cake, that I probably should have avoided.

Beach Day

Today was a stereotypical beautiful day in Hawaii, we spent almost the entire day at the beach. We drove out to Ke'e Beach in the morning and stayed until around 4:00 PM. It was a sunny day and the beach was packed out. There were some strong tides and the lifeguard had to help one snorkeler off the rocks, but otherwise it was a perfect day. I got some reading done and listened to a few podcasts.


On the way home we stopped for a Mai Thai at our favorite place, Tahiti Nui and we ordered another delicious pizza. The restaurant was packed out for Friday happy hour and they had some live Hawaiian music.

We got home just in time to watch the sunset over the beach, which was the perfect end to a great day.

Spa Day

We began the day with a trip to Ke'e beach, but when we got there there was no snorkeling due to high surf. We moved back down the coast to Tunnels beach, but the surf was high there too, so we just hung out on the beach and got a little sun. It was beautiful to watch the waves crash right on the shore, they were coming in over my head. Although it rained a little, we hung out under a huge palm tree and got a lot of reading done. Three books down so far.


On the way back we stopped for lunch at Red Hot Mama's and they decided to serve us this time, but not before they made burritos for a few locals who came after us. Still it was worth the wait, they make a great burrito. We got the special carnitas burrito with brown and white rice as well as pintos beans and corn, super delicious. The only thing to remember if you order there is that you can't eat there so be prepared to take your food home or to the beach.

Then spa day began. I stated out with a steam sauna, then a soak in the hot tub. I swam a few laps in the pool, then got back in the hot tub. After another steam I took a yoga class. I have to say for a spa it was a good class. So I am now feeling very relaxed and ready to watch The Frog and the Princess!

Red Hot Mama's
5-6607 Kuhio Highway
Hanalei, HI 96714
(808) 826-7266

Golf Outing

We had not planned to play golf on this trip, but when we checked in we got an offer too good to refuse. The Prince Course at Princeville is one of the best courses at Hawaii, normally it costs $200 per person. We played the course, got rental clubs, a cart, and a day pass to the spa for $155.


When we woke up it was pouring rain and we were seriously thinking about not playing, but at the last minute we decided to go for it. When we got to the course there was a light drizzle which would not deter an Oregon golfer. However, there were at least three serious squalls on the first nine holes and we got pretty wet. The good thing is there are lots of places to take cover. At the start of almost every hole there is a covered area where you can wait out the bad weather. On the second nine the rain held off and there was even a little sun. Unfortunately most of the best views are on the front nine where it was super cloudy.

The Prince course is no push over. The holes are all tight and some of the usual Robert Trent Jones weirdness. You really need to drive the ball straight and hit good approach shots to some small greens. There are also some very beautiful holes, with carries over the ocean and deep crevasses. With all the rain, the greens were very slow, so there is no way you could hit it too hard on an up hill putt. Down hill and side hill putts were a little tricky. The course is over 7100 yards from the back tees, but I was not feeling that up for a challenge. I shot a 93 from the white tees,and Barbara shot 100 from the reds.

If you are a golfer this course is well worth the effort to play. Hopefully the spa trip tomorrow will be the icing on the cake.

To end the evening we rented District 9. I have to say this movie was a lot better than I thought it would be. When it first came out it sounded like a typical Hollywood movie, with all the over obvious parallels to South African apartheid. As the movie goes on, you can forgive this and enjoy the action and the tension that builds. I can see why, in the expanded 10 movie format, this would get a nod for best picture from the Academy. This is the kind of popular, teen friendly movie they were hoping to add.

Rainy Day in Paradise

The weather has not been cooperating very well on this trip so far, we have had more rainy days than sunny. As a result, we had to spend more time in the car driving over to the other side of the Island where the weather is better.

We started out the day with breakfast at the Wake Up Cafe in Hanalei, which just happened to be across the street from where they are shooting the George Clooney movie, Descendants. I thought that part of town would be a mess given all the production trucks we saw moving in yesterday, but it was clear and easy access. So back to the Wake Up Cafe. It is a great little dinner with very reasonably priced food, which is saying a lot for Hawaii. I had the Hanalei Quesadilla, which was a breakfast burrito and Barbara had the Hang Ten, two eggs, bacon and toast. The food was great as was the service and for the first time we paid less that $25 for breakfast.


After breakfast we ventured in to Kapa'a to see a few sites. The first stop is a short drive inland to the Lacy 'Opaeka'a Falls in Wailua. This is a 151 foot waterfall that flows all year round and is a beautiful site. They have a turnout off the road with a lookout point so you can see the falls and the Kamokila Hawaiian Village, which is tourist trap you can avoid. However this is the river you can canoe along to get to the Secret Falls. We took a kayak trip that hiked into it last time we were here and it was well worth the trip to swim in the falls.


After the falls, we tried to go visit the Kauai's Hindu Monastery, but it is only open to the public from 9-12 AM. The temple is built from 4000 hand carved stones shipped over from India, some stones take up to seven years to carve. The monastery has been there since the 1970, but the temple is just getting finished this year. It is supposedly the only stone temple being built any where in the world.

After the tour, the sun came out for a little while and Barbara went down to Hanalei Bay for some snorkeling. She heard from a few people that a surfer had been attacked by a 15 foot Tiger shark that day, so she cut her time a little short. Sure enough, we saw the surfer on the news that night and he had a big chunk of his surf board missing. A marine biologist who was diving in the area said, he thought the shark mistook the surfer for a turtle he was tracking. Pretty scary stuff.

We finished the day with dinner at our favorite place, The Dolphin in Hanalei. It is a great restaurant with the best seafood we have had on the Island. The prices are not cheap, but the service and food is great. They have added a sushi bar since the last time we were there and the sushi we tried was pretty good. I would still recommend going with the charbroiled fish, preferable the Mahi-Mahi or Dorado; the Walu, a flaky Hawaiian white fish; or if you like a meatier fish their specialty is the Teriyaki Ahi. They also have a great salad and the civiche is a great appetizer as long as you are hungry.

Wake Up Cafe
Aku Rd., Hanalei
Kauai, HI
(808) 826-5551

Himalayan Academy
Kauai's Hindu Monastery
107 Kaholalele Road
Kapaa, HI 96746-9304
(808) 822-3012

Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant
5-5016 Kuhio Highway
Hanalei, HI 96714
(808) 826-6113

Today we got a workout

The day did not start off too well, as it was raining when we first got up. We hung around the room for a while before deciding that we'd go ahead with our kayaking trip as planned.


We went into the town of Hanalei and rented two kayaks, this is better for your relationship than trying to handle a double kayak. We then proceeded up river for about an hour or so. It was a really nice trip with beautiful vegetation, some bird watching and a lot of paddling against the tide. When we finally got to a place that the water was too shallow to continue we started to head back. That is when the rain came on. At first we pulled in under some over hanging branches and got a little shelter, but after a while it became apparent it was not going to stop, so we started paddling again. I thought we'd travel a lot faster this time as we were going with the tide and the wind was at our backs, not so much. It still took a lot of paddling to get back to the boat rental place. When we did get back my legs were a little stiff and it took a few minutes of walking to feel normal again. I am sure my arms will be sore tomorrow, but it was worth it.

After the paddling we decided to check out a little bar in Hanalei called Tahiti Nui and ordered a pizza from Tiki Man Pizza. It is an old school place with the best Mai Thai I have had on the Island for only $7.50. They also have great pizza. We had the Spicy Hawaiian, which had ham, pineapple and jalapenos. It was super tasty, the only draw back, it was $23 for a medium. I checked on-line and the reviews for the rest of the food were not very,good, so you should probably stick with the pizza. While we were there, they were getting ready for a movie shoot with George Clooney. The art department had been there for a few hours setting it up and just as we were leaving the director arrived and told them to put it back the way it originally was. You've got to love movies.

We finished out the day with a swim at the beach by the hotel and watched the sunset.

Tahiti Nui Restaurant and Bar

5-5134 Kuhio Hwy
Hanalei, HI
(808) 826-1788

Kayak Kaua'i
Hanalei, Kaua'i,
Hawaii 96714
(800) 437-3507

Visit to the other side of the Island

Today we drove down to the South side of Kauai to see the Waimea Canyon. Try to imagine the Grand Canyon, but greener and in Hawaii. It is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's about a 20 mile drive from the airport to the foot of the canyon, then it is 19 miles to the top. The thing is, you can only drive about 25-30 miles per hour as you go up the road to view the canyon, but there are plenty of great views on the way. The first one is at the 13 mile marker, where you an join the hordes of tourists to see the amazing view. It is well worth the drive and the hassle. You'll want to hang out here and take a lot of pictures, it is amazing.


From here on out the crowd thins out. We stopped a couple of times on the way to the top and the view is great and there are a lot less people, but the big pay off is at the top. At the 19.2 mile point you can park and basically get a 360 view. On one side is the canyon and on the other is the valley that leads down to the ocean. There are a couple of trails you can hike out for a mile or two, but they are not for the faint of heart. If you hike down a few hundred yards, you'll see everything you came for and it is well worth it.


The ride down is a lot faster, but it is worth stopping at the Waimea Lodge if it's around lunch time. They have a pretty good Kalua pork sandwich and the prices are not too bad considering they are the only place for miles around. They also have a small museum there that has an interesting history of the area and an area you can camp if you are so inclined.

On the way back to our room, we made two important stops. One was at the Cost Co. where we got a huge bottle of rum for $20, about half of what we paid in the grocery store. And the second was at a little beach north of Kapa'a where we went boogie boarding. The first place we stopped was a little hairy with waves breaking five plus feet, so we moved down to the kiddie/tourist area where we were less likely to drown. After about 30 minutes or so, we had been duly punished by the waves and decided to get out and live another day.

The Sun Finally Shows

We began the day with a two mile walk to Paradise Cafe in the Princeville shopping center to get a little breakfast. We ate there last time we visited and it is still in fine form. I had the spicy omelet and Barbara had biscuits and gravy with her bacon and eggs. Everything was great except the overcooked bacon.


After we walked off our hearty breakfast the sun made an appearance and we made our way out to Ke'e Beach, one of the best snorkeling beaches in Kauai. By the time we got there it was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was shining and the surf was up. Barbara finally caught up on the sun bathing and swimming time she had been looking forward too.

On the way home we were hoping to stop at one of our favorite little places to get a burrito, but the folks at Red Hot Mama's decided they wanted to close early. Us arriving at 4:12 PM, "Can we order?" RHM: "We're closed." Us: "What time do you close?" RHM: "At 5:00 PM" at which point they look at their watch. RHM: "Uhh, yeah, we're closing early today."

So, with no RHM burrito, we decide to try the Mexican place by Paradise Cafe in Princeville. In short, it it not great. We both tried the tacos and they were a little greasy and hard to eat. The service was also pretty bad. I don't think we'll be going there again.

Day Two in Paradise

Unfortunately the weather is not quite what we had hoped for. So far it has been overcast and a little rainy here in Kauai. The sun has made a couple of appearances late in the day, but otherwise it is bordering on cold. We began our day with a nice walk over to the Princeville St. Regis hotel which is a beautiful hotel right on the ocean, about a mile and a half from us. It is has an opulent lobby with lots of places to get a drink and enjoy the view. They also have a very expensive spa if you are looking for a massage. In fact, everything is really expensive there, but it is very nice and the service is great if you can afford it.


For lunch, I went to my old favorite Bubba's Burgers and got the double Bubba with a side of fries. They also have great onion rings, terriaki burgers and hot dogs, so there will be lots to go back for. There are three Bubba's Burgers on the Island and they are very popular. If you go there right at noon, you are probably in for a long wait.

After lunch we checked out the resort pool and hot tub, all very relaxing and a great place to read. Unfortunately the sun only made a brief appearance so it was a little cold after we got out of the water.


We had an excellent dinner at a Tapas restaurant called BARacuda. It is a nice, open style place with great patio seating in the small village of Hanalei just a few miles north of Princeville. There are a lot of restaurants and shops in this little strip, but this is the best one we have tried so far. I can highly recommend all the tapas we tried: Banderillas, grilled flank steak skewers with honey and chipotlé chili oil; House cured chorizo sausage with grilled apple; Grilled pancetta wrapped sea scallop with roasted garlic and creamy lentils; and Kailani Farms Mesclun greens with baked goat cheese and sherry vinaigrette.

Bubba's Burgers
5-5161 Kuhio Highway
Hanalei, HI
(808) 826-7839

BAR Acuda
5-5161 Kuhio Hwy.
Hanalei, HI
(808) 826-7081

Bar @ 5:30
Dinner @ 6:00
Closed Mondays

Back in Paradise

Today we started our long anticipated trip back to Kauai for a 10 day vacation. You have to endure a little punishment before you get to the pleasure, and our was a 6:00 AM flight to San Francisco. Thankfully the flights all went well and we even got to see a good movie on the way to Hawaii. In fact, I can now cross Crazy Heart off my must see Oscar list. I am sure we missed out on a lot of cursing, but it was still a very powerful movie and Jeff Bridges deserved his best actor award. I still can't get that song, Feels like Flying out of my head.

The Lihue airport in Kauai is a treat, it is easy to navigate and gets people in and out fast. We got our Ford Focus and were on the road north in less than 30 minutes. We had booked a condo in the same place we stayed at two years ago, the Hanalei Bay Resort, except this time we got a little bigger place. Prices have come down a little in Hawaii as this place is less than the place we got last time and quite a bit nicer. I was a great view of the mountain and you can see the ocean too.

We started the eating extravaganza with lunch at the well reviewed Scotty's BBQ, where they have a very good pulled pork sandwich. They also have great views of the ocean from every seat. We ate there last time we were here and it is still as good.

After lunch we went down to the beach and Barbara went snorkeling although it was a little rough and hard to see any fish. We had our first and probably last drink at the bar down by the beach, as a Mai Thai was $15! Still the view is worth it. We had an early night, pacing ourselves.

Scotty's Beachside BBQ
41546 Kuhio Highway
Kapaa, HI 96746
(808) 823-8480

Super Dog

This is not a post about how great my dogs are (they are great) this is a review of a hot dog place appropriately called Super Dog. Girl Jessie has been wanting to try this place for a while, so she led a posse of seven guys across town to the park blocks by PSU to eat some dogs. The most popular dog in our group was Chicago style, but of course a couple guys went all out and got the chili cheese dog. You can get one dog, chips and drink for $5.95 or two dogs, chips and drink for $9.95. I went for the straight Nathan's dog and put my own condiments on it. I was very pleased with the dog and I loved the toasted bun. Everyone else was also pleased except for boy Jesse who ordered a sloppy Joe and was sad to find out there was no dog in it. Super Dog also has a good beer line up, which would make it a good weekend stop.

Monday-Friday: 11am - 7:30pm
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

SUPERDOG - SOUTH PARK BLOCKS
1438 SW Park Ave
Portland, OR 97201
503.243.5045

Battery Life iPhone app

Ever wonder how much time you really have left on your iPhone battery? Seems like it's full one minute, then at 20% the next time you look. Now you can be sure. Download the myBatteryLife app and you will be able to tell how much talk time you have on 3G and 2G, how much Internet time, and how much audio and video playback time you have left. It is a great tool if you are in the airport wondering if it's worth getting that one more charge before you get on the four hour flight.

Master's Recap

That was probably as interesting a Master's as I can remember. The lead up to Tiger's return was huge. I thought his press conference on Monday was great and helped set the table for his return, he answered a lot of tough questions and looked like the Tiger of old. It was also nice to see the warm reception he received from the fans. Then on Wednesday the TV spot we made took off with over 2.5 million views on YouTube. Of course the real action was on the golf course and I am still amazed that Tiger was able to play so well on Thursday and Friday after taking five months off from competitive golf. I had in my mind the US Open after his father died, his first major back, and he missed the cut. I really didn't know which way this would go. It was great to see him and a lot of other great names all in contention for the weekend.

Saturday turned out to be more like Sunday this year. The golf was amazing, with Phil almost making three eagles in a row, which instantly got him back in the game. Despite some serious problems off the tee and lackluster putting, Tiger was still in the top five and only a couple of strokes off the lead. We all expected Sunday to be amazing. Lee Westwood could win his first, well deserved, major. Phil could win his third green jacket and overcome a terrible year with both his wife and Mom battling breast cancer. KJ Choi was the steady Eddie who would not go away. Fifty year old, former champion Fred Couples was still very much in the mix. And finally Tiger could pull off the most improbable win ever.

Unfortunately Sunday was not as dramatic as we'd hoped. Phil pretty much ran away with it and was never in much danger on the back nine. Tiger's tee issues continued and his putting was terrible. KJ had two bad shots that pretty much killed him. The crowd favorite, fifty year old Fred Couples, was right there until he put one in the water on 12. Lee Westwood stuck around, but Phil was just too good. His second shot on the 13th hole, was so good that he deserved to win on that shot alone.

One thing I do feel sure about, Tiger will win the US Open at Pebble Beach and the Open Championship at St. Andrews this year.

Lincoln Restaurant

Another weekend, another James Beard nominee. Lincoln Restaurant is located in a burgeoning strip on N. Williams Ave. that has several good restaurants and other shops. They, like many places in town, are going for the local ingredients served in creative ways theme. The food and drinks are great. We had an excellent Bruschetta with grilled lamb, blood orange, pine nuts and mint creme fraiche, that was hard to eat, but very tasty and a Arugula salad with buttermilk blue cheese, shallot, walnuts and dates that was amazing. We were not very adventuresome on the entrees, both deciding on the Hanger Steak with Cornmeal onion rings. It was a hearty meal that soon filled us up, with another meal left between us. We finished it off with a grilled walnut and date cake that was topped with a great salted carmel ice cream.

I will say that the food, the cocktails and the service were all excellent, but I am not sure why I would choose Lincoln over any of the 100 other places exactly like it that have now sprung up in Portland. Maybe the way you survive is by becoming a neighborhood staple.

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 5:30 PM - close.

Lincoln Restaurant

3808 North Williams Ave.

Portland, OR 97227

(503) 288-6200

Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley

I first heard of Walter Mosley when I read an article about him in the LA Times. His book Devil in a Blue Dress was making quite a stir and it was rumored that it was going to be made into a movie with Denzel Washington playing the lead role of Easy Rawlins. The thing that interested me was his depiction of life in post WW II Los Angeles, which I had never heard much about before. Turns out it was a great time to be an Angelino, especially if you were black. There were lots of good paying jobs in the military industrial complex and there were lots of ways to spend your money.

Spending your money on good times and the trouble that can sometimes bring is where Easy Rawlins comes in. He is a part time private detective and the kind of guy who knows everyone in town. If you have a problem in the Watts neighborhood, he is the guy you come to. Devil in a Blue Dress is the first of almost a dozen Easy Rawlins books that now exist and it is worth reading, not only because it's a great book, but it also gives you a base to understand the reoccurring characters you will see throughout the series.

The author Walter Mosley now lives in New York, and has created several detective series including Bad Boy Brawly Brown and Fearless Jones, the NY and Southern versions of Easy Rawlins as well as children's books and a sci-fi series. I was not a big fan of crime genre until I started reading Mosley's work, but now I am hooked.

Riot in the Streets

There was a small demonstration just outside our office today. A bunch of kids in black hoodies blocked of the intersection of NW 13th and Everett and then dumped over trash cans and a couple of dumpsters in the street. They were protesting police brutality and the death of a you black man a few years ago. It took quite a while for the police to show up and at first it was just one bicycle cop. Eventually a horde of bicycle cops showed up and after some shouting back and forth the kids left. Luckily my car was not on the street.

TMZ was right

It can now be revealed that TMZ.com was right, we were in Florida shooting a commercial for Tiger Woods return to golf a couple of weeks ago. I guess we were naive in thinking we could somehow keep this out of the news, but I was surprised how fast it was posted on their website. We finished shooting at 11:30 AM and this was up by 1:30 PM.

If you somehow haven't seen the spot yet you can see it on the Nike Golf YouTube page.

The Blind Side

My catch up with the 2010 Oscar winners continues with The Blind Side. My first question is how did Sandra Bullock win an Oscar for this role? My second question is can I get the hour and a half I wasted on this movie back?

Sandra Bullock plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a rich Southern bell who is married with two kids. On the spur of the moment they decide to take in a very large African American kid who has just enrolled at their son's expensive private school. He has terrible grades, but the coach has talked the principal into making some concessions to help the football team. Problem is, the kid is not a very good football player. Not to worry, one speech from Bullock converts him into an NFL caliber player.

Based on the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first round NFL draft pick, the movie takes a few liberties, but is basically true to what really happened. The story is not the problem, the problem is the super cornball Hollywood execution. The acting is terrible and the schmaltz is so thick you can cut it with a knife. The only good part of the movie was the closing credits, one, because the movie was over and two, because they showed some interesting pictures of the real Michael Oher and his family.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut is one of the best American writers to ever live and Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is his most popular book; have I started a post like this before, because this sounds familiar. I have read almost everything Vonnegut has written and there are books I love equally, but you have to read Slaughterhouse-Five because it is a great book and you should have read it in high school. That is where I read it, freshman English with Ms. de la Garza. I was a little surprised that they made us read such a weird book, and I am not sure I altogether got it, but I got it well enough to write a half ass report that got me a B. I re-read the book after college and while it was still weird, it made a lot more sense.

This is an American classic, add it to your reading list now. You have a reading list, right?

World Record Founders Day

As you know Wieden+Kennedy, the people who pay me to make ads, founded our company on April Fool's day. As is tradition we closed down the office at noon to celebrate 28 years of being in business. This year everyone divided up into teams and tried to set a world record. We got flip cameras to record the records and then posted them to an Internet authentication site to make sure they were real. Unfortunately I spent the entire day at Nike trying to get some work approved, so I missed out on the fun, but it sounds like it was pretty cool.

One group went down to the Taco Bell about half a mile away, and tossed a burrito from person to person all the way back to the office, to set the world's record for longest burrito toss. Another group set the world record for the number of times they could make a mattress salesman to say the word mattress on a call with Mattress World before he got mad and hung up. The day ended with a show from comedian Aziz Ansari who plays Tom Haverford on the NBC show Parks and Recreation and music from a really weird band that undressed down to their underwear as the show went on.

Another Founders Day complete with no deaths.