I built these planters and mounted them to the deck railing. Yesterday, I put gravel in the bottom, filled them with potting soil, and planted all types of seeds. Oh, the little tubs are mini-greenhouses. I will keep posting on their progress.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Friday, April 09, 2010
Career Counselor's Movie Review: Up in the Air
George Clooney portrays a Corporate Terminator. His outplacement company is hired by major corporations to not only provide job search and career services, but to do the dirty work, too. The dirty work being handle the firing and downsizing of employees. I know this is Hollywood but, I will address this depiction in the movie. The rest is standard boy meets girl and the man who learned better plot lines.
I do outplacement work myself, but I do not get into the firing of employees. I suppose this is an extra service to employers that outplacement companies can bill a sizable amount for, too. Is it worth it? This could be a very valuable service as these people are supposed to be experts in human relations and interactions and they are supposed to know how to deal with dropping the big one. It must be up to the terminator to assist them with the initial shock and awe. This is a business arrangement, though as the company is betting that if you are talking to the outplacement firm (in the film, taking the packet), you are not talking with your attorney.
As some of you know, being whacked is like an earthquake going off in your mind, emotions, and life. The devastation mirrors disaster victims assessing the damage after losing their family and/or homes. The more time you have with a company, the worse it is. It is a horrible, utterly dehumanizing experience. Clooney portrayed the bad news giver as very smooth and confident with all the right answers. I am sure these people are experts at this. This career field probably pays the big bucks these days, but you really have to be the right kind of person to do this work.
The only one that seemed too smooth and slick was when Clooney's apprentice gave it her first shot and messed up badly be going with canned, cliche remarks and enraging the poor unfortunate. Clooney stepped in to save the day by reminding the said poor unfortunate that he could get on with his dream of managing his own restaurant. This calmed his down. Maybe it would work at a time like this in real life. Maybe Alice goes off to Wonderland, too.
By the way, Clooney's apprentice inadvertently almost messed up his good lifestyle of being on the road three hundred and twenty days a year, staying at the best places, driving the best cars, and eating at the finest places (I won't mention the woman here, but you get the point). Yes, his apprentice convinced his boss that they could save eighty-five percent of these costs by SKYPING the victims. Yes, you heard that right. The firm hatchet person sits in Chicago in front of a webcam and flushes someone's world down the toilet via their webcam in Hoboken, or wherever.
Clooney did have a point with this in his protest, at least give them the dignity of a face to face, one to one, mano y manna send-off. I agree with him on this point, at least to us Baby Boomers. The more years you are in the workforce, the more time you are at a place, they might be pulling the rug out from under you, but at least do it with attempted dignity and respect.
Having said that, I think the webcam idea might work with the Generation X. They were born with a mouse in their mouth. They build their first computers by five and program the software by ten. Their whole world these days is social networking, twitter, facebook, and gaming. Whereas we boomers may have friends in the neighborhood or town, they have close friends all over the world, whom they have never met face to face. The live their lives via technology, I supposed technology would be an appropriate avenue of career demise.
Clooney's love story was not enough to hold my wife. She was the one who wanted to see the movie in the first place and just tolerated the movie as events unfolded. I found the movie to be an interesting cluster of ideas along my profession. I would give the movie ***.
George Clooney portrays a Corporate Terminator. His outplacement company is hired by major corporations to not only provide job search and career services, but to do the dirty work, too. The dirty work being handle the firing and downsizing of employees. I know this is Hollywood but, I will address this depiction in the movie. The rest is standard boy meets girl and the man who learned better plot lines.
I do outplacement work myself, but I do not get into the firing of employees. I suppose this is an extra service to employers that outplacement companies can bill a sizable amount for, too. Is it worth it? This could be a very valuable service as these people are supposed to be experts in human relations and interactions and they are supposed to know how to deal with dropping the big one. It must be up to the terminator to assist them with the initial shock and awe. This is a business arrangement, though as the company is betting that if you are talking to the outplacement firm (in the film, taking the packet), you are not talking with your attorney.
As some of you know, being whacked is like an earthquake going off in your mind, emotions, and life. The devastation mirrors disaster victims assessing the damage after losing their family and/or homes. The more time you have with a company, the worse it is. It is a horrible, utterly dehumanizing experience. Clooney portrayed the bad news giver as very smooth and confident with all the right answers. I am sure these people are experts at this. This career field probably pays the big bucks these days, but you really have to be the right kind of person to do this work.
The only one that seemed too smooth and slick was when Clooney's apprentice gave it her first shot and messed up badly be going with canned, cliche remarks and enraging the poor unfortunate. Clooney stepped in to save the day by reminding the said poor unfortunate that he could get on with his dream of managing his own restaurant. This calmed his down. Maybe it would work at a time like this in real life. Maybe Alice goes off to Wonderland, too.
By the way, Clooney's apprentice inadvertently almost messed up his good lifestyle of being on the road three hundred and twenty days a year, staying at the best places, driving the best cars, and eating at the finest places (I won't mention the woman here, but you get the point). Yes, his apprentice convinced his boss that they could save eighty-five percent of these costs by SKYPING the victims. Yes, you heard that right. The firm hatchet person sits in Chicago in front of a webcam and flushes someone's world down the toilet via their webcam in Hoboken, or wherever.
Clooney did have a point with this in his protest, at least give them the dignity of a face to face, one to one, mano y manna send-off. I agree with him on this point, at least to us Baby Boomers. The more years you are in the workforce, the more time you are at a place, they might be pulling the rug out from under you, but at least do it with attempted dignity and respect.
Having said that, I think the webcam idea might work with the Generation X. They were born with a mouse in their mouth. They build their first computers by five and program the software by ten. Their whole world these days is social networking, twitter, facebook, and gaming. Whereas we boomers may have friends in the neighborhood or town, they have close friends all over the world, whom they have never met face to face. The live their lives via technology, I supposed technology would be an appropriate avenue of career demise.
Clooney's love story was not enough to hold my wife. She was the one who wanted to see the movie in the first place and just tolerated the movie as events unfolded. I found the movie to be an interesting cluster of ideas along my profession. I would give the movie ***.
Saturday, April 03, 2010
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Elaine and I Went to See
Marshall's Review
I suppose there were three reasons that we went to see Alice in Wonderland:
1. Tim Burton film
2. Johnny Depp
3. 3D
1. Tim Burton film
Burton does make lovely, though strange and different movies. His masterpieces are painted with lovely brushstrokes and exquisite attention to detail. All of his movies are superbly made, though all are not good stories. So it was with this one. I never read Through the Looking Glass as I had no interest. Not long after starting the movie, I realized that whereas I was aware of the plot and the characters, personally, I did not find the story interesting. Having said that, if you are a Lewis Carroll fan, you may get more enjoyment from the storyline. I will say that Burton brought the characters and images to life, beautifully, though.
2. Johnny Depp
When he first shows up as the Mad Hatter, I was wondering how much Jack Sparrow (Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow) was in this role as another three bricks shy of a load person. Ah, but Depp soon dispels that and the Mad Hatter is it's only persona and character. I forget about comparisons and was interested in seeing this person unfold to find out why he is who he is. Can't say enough about Depp's acting skills. In a alternate universe where good looks is associated with good acting, more craftsman like Depp are needed.
3. 3D
Truth be told, the main reason I went to the movie was out of curiosity as to how Burton would utilize 3D and I had high expectation. This is the second movie I've seen in 3D, Avatar the first and twice, and I am sad to report that 3D is nothing more than a gimmick to get me to buy the ticket for a movie that I would have waited to come out on Bluray. First and foremost, 3D was not used properly in this movie. There were several scenes in Avatar where 3D came close to getting you believe that you were watching what seemed almost like a stage play with real live actors/characters on a huge spectacular set in front of you. On the other hand, Burton used regular film technique and just added 3D depth. Rather than using the medium to its fullest potential, it seemed to be just an add on or in. Yes, several times things came out in front of the screen, but most of the time, the effect was used to add depth, and not that well. There was never a moment where I believed I was watching a real portal to another fantasy world with events unfolding.
Which leads to, you get the 3D effect at the expense of color. Burton uses color so majestically in his movie: Big Fish, Sleepy Hollow, Willie Wonka, to name a few. The colors from start to finish are dull, faded, and muted. Sad that you get a gimmick trade-off instead of pop off the screen colors.
What do I think of the state of 3D thus far? Anyone remember the GAF View Master? This was a goggle type thing that you put film wheels into, looked in the eye pieces, and saw people, objects, and places in 3D. The only difference between the View Master and 3D movies is the View Master showed still images and the films, well, moving pictures. Oh, by the way, not only did you get 3D, but the colors were gorgeous, too. Sadly, the View Master went the way of the dinosaur. Can you image young people today being remotely interested in click a film wheel to watch static pictures and reading the description? Boring, the internet and video games are so much more exciting.
I submit that this 3D fad is nothing more than an updated GAF View Master. It is just a marketing ploy to sell tickets, new TV's, and new Bluray players. I may change my mind where someone does a movie right and uses the medium to its fullest potential, but that day is not today.
Based on the above, if you want to see an entertaining movie, leave the 3D aside, go see Alice in Wonderland. I give it ***.
Marshall's Review
I suppose there were three reasons that we went to see Alice in Wonderland:
1. Tim Burton film
2. Johnny Depp
3. 3D
1. Tim Burton film
Burton does make lovely, though strange and different movies. His masterpieces are painted with lovely brushstrokes and exquisite attention to detail. All of his movies are superbly made, though all are not good stories. So it was with this one. I never read Through the Looking Glass as I had no interest. Not long after starting the movie, I realized that whereas I was aware of the plot and the characters, personally, I did not find the story interesting. Having said that, if you are a Lewis Carroll fan, you may get more enjoyment from the storyline. I will say that Burton brought the characters and images to life, beautifully, though.
2. Johnny Depp
When he first shows up as the Mad Hatter, I was wondering how much Jack Sparrow (Sorry, Captain Jack Sparrow) was in this role as another three bricks shy of a load person. Ah, but Depp soon dispels that and the Mad Hatter is it's only persona and character. I forget about comparisons and was interested in seeing this person unfold to find out why he is who he is. Can't say enough about Depp's acting skills. In a alternate universe where good looks is associated with good acting, more craftsman like Depp are needed.
3. 3D
Truth be told, the main reason I went to the movie was out of curiosity as to how Burton would utilize 3D and I had high expectation. This is the second movie I've seen in 3D, Avatar the first and twice, and I am sad to report that 3D is nothing more than a gimmick to get me to buy the ticket for a movie that I would have waited to come out on Bluray. First and foremost, 3D was not used properly in this movie. There were several scenes in Avatar where 3D came close to getting you believe that you were watching what seemed almost like a stage play with real live actors/characters on a huge spectacular set in front of you. On the other hand, Burton used regular film technique and just added 3D depth. Rather than using the medium to its fullest potential, it seemed to be just an add on or in. Yes, several times things came out in front of the screen, but most of the time, the effect was used to add depth, and not that well. There was never a moment where I believed I was watching a real portal to another fantasy world with events unfolding.
Which leads to, you get the 3D effect at the expense of color. Burton uses color so majestically in his movie: Big Fish, Sleepy Hollow, Willie Wonka, to name a few. The colors from start to finish are dull, faded, and muted. Sad that you get a gimmick trade-off instead of pop off the screen colors.
What do I think of the state of 3D thus far? Anyone remember the GAF View Master? This was a goggle type thing that you put film wheels into, looked in the eye pieces, and saw people, objects, and places in 3D. The only difference between the View Master and 3D movies is the View Master showed still images and the films, well, moving pictures. Oh, by the way, not only did you get 3D, but the colors were gorgeous, too. Sadly, the View Master went the way of the dinosaur. Can you image young people today being remotely interested in click a film wheel to watch static pictures and reading the description? Boring, the internet and video games are so much more exciting.
I submit that this 3D fad is nothing more than an updated GAF View Master. It is just a marketing ploy to sell tickets, new TV's, and new Bluray players. I may change my mind where someone does a movie right and uses the medium to its fullest potential, but that day is not today.
Based on the above, if you want to see an entertaining movie, leave the 3D aside, go see Alice in Wonderland. I give it ***.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
I Visited my Parents Yesterday
My Mother is in the hospital recover from some microsurgery and should be released soon. This is good news. The bad news is, she cannot take care of my Father and herself, so my Father will be going to the nursing home not far from Dave for a little while until Mother is stronger.
So, thank you for your prayers. All told, things seemed a lot worse during last week.
My Mother is in the hospital recover from some microsurgery and should be released soon. This is good news. The bad news is, she cannot take care of my Father and herself, so my Father will be going to the nursing home not far from Dave for a little while until Mother is stronger.
So, thank you for your prayers. All told, things seemed a lot worse during last week.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
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