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Friday, December 28, 2007

Who Wins in a Fight: Aliens or Predator?

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In respect to the new Aliens vs Predator: Requiem movie, I thought I'd offer up a little analysis as to who I think would win in a fight. I'd also like your output as to who would win, especially from fans of the series! I have yet to see the new movie, but after reading this review over at Film School Rejects, I think I'm going to take some time out to see it!

Alright, lets set some background on our two ferocious foes, listing advantages and disadvantages for each.. then let the battle begin!

Aliens (Xenomorph)

Advantages:
  • Whip-like bladed tail, good extension in close combat.
  • Sharp claws and second jaw very useful in close ranged combat.
  • Can incapacitate from above due to height (7 feet+). Can run along walls and ceilings.
  • Acidic "Blood" can deal damage even if the Alien is hurt.
  • Very Stealthy.
  • Can spit acid (rarely shown)
Disadvantages:
  • Lack of technology
  • Can be distracted by green light, as shown in the novelization of the first Aliens movie.
  • Vulnerable to quick climate changes.
  • Vulnerable to small caliber weaponry.
It looks like we have a pretty formidable beast here, though it does have its weaknesses. My suggestion for a strategy for the Alien would be to use speed and agility to the best of its ability, trying to incapacitate the weaponry of the Predator (ie cut off his hands). Try sneaking around the walls and ceiling to somehow get behind it and get a headshot in using the second jaw or spit acid. The Alien could also use the tail to try to cut off some limbs or impale quickly, before the Predator has a chance to react. Make the Predator come into close range combat, where the advantage lies for the Alien.

Now onto our second competitor.

Predator

Advantages:
  • Extremely resilient, massive trauma may not phase them much at all.
  • Highly resilient against small arms fire and stabbing weapons (Uh Oh Alien Claws)
  • Very strong, quite agile and fast.
  • Ability to see in various modes, such as infrared. This could help in the detection of the Xenomorphs.
  • Advanced plasma blasters on their shoulders... great for long range targeting of prey.
  • Cloaking device. Need I say more?
Weaknesses
  • Vulnerable to prolonged exposure to our atmosphere. (See Below)
  • Infrared vision may not be extremely useful in our environment. (This might not be a weakness depending on where the battle is fought.)
  • Removal of mask makes vision much worse, as well as losing exposure to the atmosphere they are used to. The masks may also contain pain killers and adrenaline like substances, accounting for their high energy stores.
So it really looks like the Predator is pretty stacked. However, the Xenomorph, if it can remove the Predator's mask, still does stand a pretty good chance. But, it still needs to be very careful because of the large amount of weaponry that a Predator may carry. Predator, on the other hand, must be careful not to lose all of its weapons, as many are vulnerable to the Xenomorph blood. If they lose them all inflicting damage, it is possible for the Xenomorph to mount a comeback.

So who do I pick to win this fight?

I'm goin with my Boy. Predator for the win.


Of course, like I said, he still needs to be very careful, as a simple misstep can lead to disaster. It has been proven in Aliens v. Predator that Xenomorphs can take down Predators. Who do you think would win in a fight? Are there any advantages/disadvantages that I've missed? Feel free to comment!

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Women's Hair Loss Movement

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I realize that there are people with this condition, but I had no idea that there was a movement for this. While this is a paid post, I would write about this one still... maybe not on this blog though. Anyway, the Women's hair loss Project chronicles one woman's journey through life while dealing with this condition at a young age. While this is a condition that is normally associated with men, it can also happen to women, and is even more devastating in that it is definitely not as common.

This site about women's hair loss is gaining a lot in popularity and has even been featured on about.com and a major Atlanta newspaper. Read on and support this woman... let her know that she does not have to suffer in silence, and there are many people out there who will support her.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Daddy's Little Girl

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Before I get started on this post, I'm still looking for comments! Only a couple so far :-( I can tell from the site trackers that there are plenty of people visiting.. just trying to get you guys more involved as readers! It helps provide the inspiration to write more. It can be a drag if it seems like you're writing just for yourself. Regardless, I hope that you are enjoying your time here!

Onto the content you're all looking for... B*tchy customers! This one was a doozy, and it happened last Thursday. I meant to write about it sooner but the holidays crept up on me much quicker than I anticipated. Setting the stage... I was upstairs grabbing the posters that we needed for the coming weekend, so that they could be put up. (For some reason, people at my theatre can't seem to find their movie without a poster of that movie in front of the entrance. Too hard to read the ticket? They actually get mad if you don't have it.. go figure!) Anyway, I get a call down to guest services, letting me know that a guest had a pass that was invalid for I am Legend but she wanted to use it anyway. So I make my way downstairs, as I figure it'll be a quick fix. Just explain the policy and the restrictions on the pass, she'll buy a ticket or see a different movie. Simple.

When I get downstairs, there is no one at the Guest Services counter. I walk around, asking the staff if they saw anyone. Everyone says that they saw her walk in that direction at least. Then one of my employees who was in to see a movie let me know that she actually went into the movie. Great. The other manager and I proceed into the theatre to go look for the girl. I wasn't expecting to find her, as the movie had already started, and it was pretty dark in there.

Scanning the crowd as I walk through the aisle, something catches my eye. Two girls who attempted to pull their hoodies over their heads and cover their faces. A bit suspicious, especially since it happened right after I walked by, lol. So I go up to them and ask to see their tickets (The girl who snuck in would not have one). One of them proceeds to pull out her ticket.. and the other proceeds to blow up on me. Ok.. looks like I've found her. I ask her to step out of the theatre so I can speak to her in the hall. She instead screams that I am embarrassing her and her friend. Ignoring that, I insist that they step outside, as I don't want to cause more of a disturbance in the theatre than has already been created.

Once we're outside, she proceeds to scream at me some more, about how its ridiculous that we wouldn't take her pass, how she was told that it was just the first weekend that the movie was out. Trying to be reasonable, I told her that she could check the pass, and it would say that it's not valid on "special engagements", which are typically the first two weekends, not the first weekend. After explaining to her what a special engagement was, she said that its not her fault and she was going back in. I told her that there is no way she is going back in without a ticket. Of course, she has no money. But her friend does! Not good enough though, because she insists that she needs to go home to get money. Fine.. I'm ok with that.

But she wants me to pay for her cab. Whoa. I say there is no way that I am paying for a cab for her to go home and get money. She can leave instead, and I won't escalate the issue. Instead, she wants to get the corporate number. I go to get that for her, and she asks for my name, the GM's name, and the phone number for the theatre. Fine... done and done. She then says she needs my last name...which I tell her she does not need. She then says "Well, I don't want to get racial about it when I explain it, but I guess I have to." WHOA!!!! WTF?!?!? Ok...

After all this, she and her friend proceed to pull out all coins to pay for their ticket. She has the sweetest smile on her face and says "Can I pay here?" (Guest Services). I point to the Box Office and say "Nope. Over there." On her way over there, she says "I hope you two have fun losing your jobs over this." The other manager states her fear at being fired over this. Daddy's little girl proceeds to say "My dad is a lawyer." Struck fear into me actually, having her dad take on a team of corporate lawyers... I say "See you next week, when I'm still here." She pays for her ticket, and I don't hear from her again.

Still haven't heard from him yet, and I know I won't. It's stupid issues like this that make me really angry. Parents, learn to control your kids... this is what happens when they think they're all deserving. I hope her dad laughed at her when she explained this, I easily could've kicked her out instead of listening to her.

Please... keep em coming. One thing about the holidays is that people are actually very nice... so no complaints about the past weekend!

Take Care of Your Teeth

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Taking care of my teeth has always been something that is important to me. I've been through everything possible, from fillings to headgear and braces. Having all of this done, I've come to realize how important it is to have good dental insurance. I'm lucky to be able to get this through the company that I work for at a very good rate. However, people aren't always so lucky. Insurance can be complicated, and expensive, especially if you don't have the right kind of coverage. They can also make you fill out a ton of paperwork, which will make your coverage even harder to get!

When you are considering dental insurance, make sure that you go check out discount dental plans from DentalPlans.com. They've been in business since 1999, providing discount insurance and information for consumers looking to purchase dental insurance. They've partnered with many different companies and have providers in over 100,000 locations throughout the country. This is great if you're looking for somewhere to go to get a quick fix.

Remember, dental insurance is important, but you don't want to get ripped off. Make sure you check these guys out if you currently don't have dental insurance. They could save you tons of money!

This is a sponsored post.

Monday, December 24, 2007

For the Lurkers

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What does that even mean? Well this site gets a good amount of visitors, but doesn't get anymore comments. I don't know why. I do suppose that its the paid posts, but a guy has to make money somehow. I need a little extra to support myself, and this is one way to do it. I still may move these to a different blog, because I do value my readers.

Anyway, to get things off my agenda, I thought I'd link over to a movie review done by a fellow blogger. This one was done by Skittle, and it is for I Am Legend. Thanks Skittle for writing that!

Now back to the main topic of the post. I love comments... and they've been dwindling. The readers and bloggers that I started out with are still active for the most part, because I still see them commenting on other blogs. No hits at you guys, I understand that the writing quality has gone down, and so hasn't the frequency. My life is just catching up to me... I can't force myself to stay up late and blog all the time anymore. Luckily I have this night off so that I can blog!

One simple request that I have is... if you're reading this post, leave a comment! I want to compile a list to see who will do it. I'll surely make it worth your while! It can simply be a quick hello. I especially want to hear from those who just stop by the blog and are not regular readers. What do I need to do to make you a regular reader?

I havta get ready to go to church... hope to hear from all of you soon!

Get Tech Support

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So are you guys really good with computers? I'm ok, but there are times when I do need to ask for help. Well if you're in the Toronto area, be sure to givecomputer service Toronto a call for all of your tech support needs. They've got a neat website where you can contact them and have them take care of almost any issue you need dealt with. It's certainly better than not having any computer to work with at all! How can you blog without one? Anyway, Toronto area consumers, have no fear, you've got great tech support available whenever you want!

This is a sponsored post.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Movies this Weekend!

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I'm sorry about the late update folks, but I've been going out to a lot of holiday parties with people from the day job. As I am still a bit strapped for time.. here's the trailers for the movies that are coming out this weekend (wide release). Let me know if you like this format better!

National Treasure 2:



P.S. I Love You
:



Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story -



Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street:



Charlie Wilson's War:



Phew.
I think I did that in record time. Hopefully there are still readers/viewers here. I've heard nothing but good things for National Treasure 2... so I think that ones the one to check out this weekend. I've got a nice customer story for you guys too.. that'll come when I get some more time!

What's in a Host?

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Do you guys have your own hosted blogs, or do you use a service like wordpress.com or blogger.com? I used to use blogger.com, and I still use it for one of my sites, but I've found it much more rewarding to be able to have your own host and domain to customize everything yourself. While this might not be the best choice for people who are starting out, it's something you should definitely consider if you are planning on expanding your blog or website. I've done it and I have nothing to regret at all! If you are interested in getting more information on choosing a host, be sure to check out http://www.webhostingchoice.com. They've got tools to help you decide what you need when you're choosing a host!

This is a sponsored Post.

Monday, December 17, 2007

A little good, a little bad

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That pretty much describes my day today. Work wasn't bad, I managed to fix a few issues that were ongoing, which was good. Had a good lunch, I like lasagna. :-) Then afterwards my group went to go build gingerbread houses, which was a ton of fun. I also ate too many brownies while we were doing that and I feel bloated. I have pictures of the houses, but they are in my work email. I will post them when I forward them to myself. I'm really thinking that I should have done that before coming home and realizing this... You'll have to settle for the generic one that I found for now.

After work, I finished up my Christmas shopping. That was fun. It's always better when you know what you're going to get. It makes it quick and painless. I think I did a pretty good job this year, all I have left to get is a gas card for the adopt-a-family thing that my group is doing. Feels good to help out other people! Even though my car needs to be fed. lol. I found out that I really enjoy driving around, blasting the radio/ipod in my car, and singing along. That's right... singing. I don't sing in front of people very often, but I sing my heart out in the car... :-P.

So I guess that there was a lot more good than I thought. There is still a little bad though. It's an ongoing personal issue that really affects me quite deeply. I've been told many times that it shouldn't, and I've considered it sometimes... that it shouldn't. However, it continues to affect me, and I don't know how long its going to. It's no medical issue or anything really that serious, but I can get too into things sometimes. I have a good memory too, which doesn't help. Life isn't easy though, so I keep on truckin. This blog certainly helps. Just typing these thoughts out is pretty theraputic.

Anyway, I hope that your holiday shopping is going well. Do you find Christmas/Holiday shopping fun? (That was me being PC right there :-D)

On an unrelated note, don't drink coffee at 10:30 PM. You won't be able to sleep. I feel wired...

A Great Fix for your PC!

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I'm a huge tech person. I always like to have the latest technology, and a big reason why I picked the car I have is because of the awesome technology inside. You won't find me traveling in the stone age! Computers fall into this category too. I love having the latest computer that I can afford, and I'm always looking to upgrade! However, you can't upgrade all the time, that gets too expensive. Because of this, you're always faced with the problem of having your computer break down on you. What should you do in this case? An option you have is to call forAffordable Computer Repair.

PC Ask Me is the company that is offering this service. They provide fixes for things such as MP3 players, computers, wireless networks, and other peripherals. They can help you remove spyware and viruses, and diagnose what is wrong with your computer, regardless of where you are! Of course you could get a Mac and avoid most of those issues :-P. Anyway, when you call these guys, they access you computer securely through the internet. They can then go in and diagnose your problem, and then fix it if they can. If they can't fix it, you don't have to pay!

Going to their site, you can see the plethora of services they have to offer, as well as pricing plans and even a rewards plan. They help you to take care of any possible issue you might have, which makes their services very valuable! Make sure you check out these guys if you're looking for a company to fix your computer. Best of all, they can fix it from anywhere, you don't have to bring it into a service center a lose your computer for a week!

This is a sponsored post.

Don't Ruin the Holidays!

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This is an open letter to those of you who are out there to ruin people's holidays. You know who you are. Specifically, this is addressed to those of you who go around smashing open people's windows in order to steal their stuff. It's happened again at my theatre, and I see the grief that it brings to people and I hate it. It's the holidays, people! It's time to be happy and make merry. Scumbags like this don't even deserve to have a holiday.

A family outing to the movies turns into a depressing moment tonight. Again I had to call the police and watch a guest walk away disappointed that someone would do this to them. It makes me even more mad that there was nothing I could do about it. I wish we had more security, even cameras in the parking lots to help take care of this issue, but alas we don't. This is the only means I have to express myself to a large audience at this time, so I'd like to say it here.

I despise people who make a living by ruining other people's property and lives. You are scum.

When people go to the movies, they expect to be entertained, not have their stuff stolen. I understand that these people think they are making a living, but that is no excuse. I urge everyone not to leave things visible in your cars wherever you have to go. These thieves have struck over 50 times in the past three months. That's despicable. I really hope that they get caught and are put away for a long time. Maybe missing a few holidays will make them think again about what they've done to these people.

I try not to get angry about stuff like this, but when I could be the next victim, it just hits home a bit more. Do you guys have any suggestions on how to keep your cars and possessions safe? Do you feel comfortable parking your car in large public areas? Let me know!

Cool Stuff for Your Phone!

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There are so many gimmicks available for your cell phone out there. A cool offer online, and then the next thing you know you are being bombarded with spam texts, not to mention you've been signed up for some service that is charging you 5 bucks a month without your knowledge! That's not the case with Mobile17. They've been around for years, and aren't supported by charging you secretly. They're just a nice cell phone service helping you create ringtones and wallpapers for your phone.. free!

This is a sponsored post

Sunday, December 16, 2007

People Don't Like to Be Told They're Wrong

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Now this wasn't something that I dealt with personally but I thought I'd share it anyway. Some background to the story first! A woman comes into the movie, and had purchased tickets online. At the Guest Services counter, a fellow manager was attempting to retrieve here tickets for her. All you need to do (usually) is simply swipe their credit card. If that is in fact the card that was used, the tickets will print out. Occasionally, we do need to enter in numbers manually, but the tickets will still print out.

Unfortunately, after trying all of these methods, we could not retrieve her tickets. She did not have the confirmation page that prints out when you purchase tickets online (I believe), so we weren't really sure what to do. She purchased additional tickets, and went to go watch her movie. I'm sure that the other manager told her that if she got charged for the tickets then she could return and we would be glad to issue a refund. Traditionally, if we can't retrieve tickets, it's because the site didn't properly capture the data and did not charge the card. So things should be fine, correct?

Duh. Of course not. There would be no story without it! Anyway, her husband returns later on and is quite upset. It turns out that he was the one who had purchased the tickets, and he saw the confirmation page and everything. He hands us her card again, and we attempt to retrieve them again. No Dice. He's pretty upset, so the manager there calls for backup. Two of us head there, and we ask if that's the card that was used to purchase the tickets.

It turns out that it was not. The guest had used his own card on a linked account to purchase the tickets. However, his wife's card did not have the same credit card # on it! Linked bank cards do NOT have the same number... so it wasn't our fault we couldn't retrieve them. The card number was different, so the system did not recognize it! We did end up refunding the tickets onto the card, w/o the service charge (we don't charge that, the website does). However, the guest was still pretty insistent that the card #s were the same, and said that he would be sure to check it when he got home, not accepting our reasoning for the issue.

I don't understand how hard it is to accept something that you are wrong about if it solves the issue. I know that I am the same way sometimes, but I still can't figure it out! What explanations do you guys have? I'm no psych major or something like that... so I'd love to hear your responses!

Got Bad Credit?

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If you have bad credit, you should definitely check out bad credit loans. They've got tons of information for those of you out there who do have bad credit. Oftentimes people just sign up for any offers they get in hopes of repairing their credit, but this site offers you a way to find a deal best suited to your needs, so that you don't fall further into the black hole of debt! This site could save you a ton of grief, so please check them out before making a decision on your credit options.

This is a sponsored post.

Got Bad Credit?

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If you have bad credit, you should definitely check out bad credit loans. They've got tons of information for those of you out there who do have bad credit. Oftentimes people just sign up for any offers they get in hopes of repairing their credit, but this site offers you a way to find a deal best suited to your needs, so that you don't fall further into the black hole of debt! This site could save you a ton of grief, so please check them out before making a decision on your credit options.

This is a sponsored post.

Friday, December 14, 2007

My Biggest Critic

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You might be wondering who this is. Is it Matt? Is it Mrs-Mandypoo? How about Skittle? Well.. those people have actually been pretty supportive of me. So its definitely not them, lol. Having a critic is not always a bad thing. Where would we be without critics to help us form ideas on movies before we go see them? Siskel and Ebert, and now Ebert and Roper are essential to some people. They're always at least good for a laugh, or a nice review.

That being said, my biggest critic is my lovely girlfriend. She reads my blog on an irregular basis, and while I was stuck in traffic on the way to work, she offered up some criticism. She said that I need to have some better posts. I agree. So I asked her what she wanted to hear about on the blog. She said that I should include the stories I have of kicking people out of theatres, and other fun customer service issues. That's all well and good... unfortunately I haven't had any huge issues recently. I think its the holidays coming, people have been more tame.

So, do you agree with her? I'm always open to criticism, as any good movie should be, right? Let me know what you think. Like I said before, criticism is not always a bad thing. Learn to make it work for you. I hope that you will provide some so that I can become a better blogger!

If you've made it this far, how about some of my favorite responses on the phone that I've never used? (The "Movie Theatre is Closed" edition)
  • Are you open? - "I answered the phone, didn't I?" - Can also be replaced with "Nope, they just pay me to sit here and answer the phone."
  • Hello, thank you for calling! Unfortunately, I have no staff here due to the blizzard, so NO, we are not open.
  • Wow you guys are open? - Yes. I dragged my butt out of my house, shoveled the driveway, and drove here to show you and 5 other people a movie. Your shock that I am here does not help my mood.
I just hope that one of those doesn't actually come out one of these days. lol. You ever had any funny responses to the phone at work?

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Do you Buy Electronics?

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If you do, you might want to check out this site. ABT electronics is an electronics website that offers many products. Included in their products are the Scotsman ice makers. When you navigate over to their page, you'll find that it is very clean and well organized. A leader in the field of online electronics, they allow you to shop for all of your appliances and electronics in one site! That makes things really convenient. They also make it a point to show you the savings right when you get there so you know you'll get a good deal. So what are you waiting for? Go check out their website and get yourself an ice maker today!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

3 Things you Want in a Movie Theatre

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I've been thinking about this, and I think that it could make a great movie idea... well maybe not great but it's something that I would like to see as a documentary. If I had enough money to just do whatever I wanted and not have to work for a living (wouldn't we all love this), I'd like to build my own movie theatre. I'd document all the steps that were involved in design, picking a location, all the equipment, and everything else involved. While I do run a theatre now, the decisions are not so much up to me as the corporation as a whole!!

I know that a lot of people are frustrated with their experiences at the movies, and there's not a whole lot you can do as an individual except try to provide the best service. If I had my own movie theatre, I'd try to address a lot of these things. Not having to worry about money would play a big part in this, as it would be difficult to provide everything people want and maintain a budget! Trust me, I know. I budget all the time and it is very difficult to stay within that.

What kinda things would I have in my theatre? I'd like to have couches for seats, for one. They'd be on steps to provide stadium style seating, but with a comfortable couch to watch on instead of a theatre seat. That way you could cuddle up, stretch out, and watch the movie in pretty much any position you wanted to! Of course there is no hanky panky. I can't believe I just typed Hanky Panky. I'll try not to do that again.

I'd also serve better food. I'd stick with the traditional popcorn, soda, nachos.. but I'd try to add some other stuff too. I'm a coffee fiend, so I'd definitely have a cafe there. I'd also like to include ice cream. How about a home cooked meal? That could also be an option. There's a lot to try, of course, but it would be a lot of fun to be able to experiment with a menu.... maybe I've been watching a bit too much Kitchen Nightmares though.

Finally, I'd like to have personal screening rooms! For an extra charge, of course, you can choose to screen your own movie in an extremely private setting. Now you could do this at home, but I'd find some way to make it unique. Wouldn't you like to be able to watch a movie with a loved one or your family in private, with no one to bother you at all? Ok, so maybe that one isn't as feasable, seeing as you can already do it at home, but it would be something to experiment with, and I already said that I wouldn't have to worry about money. :-P

I personally feel that a theatre experience is a great thing to do. I'm pretty biased though, working in the industry. How about no commercials... I know that there are a lot of people out there who would LOVE that one. No commercials at my theatre... no sireee bob. I'm not the best one to decide what should go in a really people friendly theatre. That's you guys! What are three things you would like to have in a movie theatre?

How do you decorate?

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Hi folks, Joe here again. I've been thinking about sprucing up this blog, maybe moving thigs around, trying a new layout, who knows. But that's not what I'm here to talk about. I'm wondering how you guys decorate your places for christmas (or your blogs). One very "green" way to do it is to use LED rope light. This type of light takes very little energy to power, and provides the same effect as those traditional lights that we're used to! If I were putting up a tree this year (we're moving, so we didn't put one up), I'd probably give these things a try. Anything to save a little bit will help a lot in the long run.

This is a sponsored post.

Movies This Weekend!

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Hey, we've finally got a slew of movies coming out, a couple of which I am actually interested in! This is a bit late, but I fell asleep, so please forgive me. Let's see... where do we start...

Edit: I can't seem to get an internet connection... so this is later than planned.

Alvin and the Chipmunks - Alvin and his buddies make their live action debut with the help of CGI. They help cause mischief in the life of their guardian, Dave Seville (Jason Lee). What better than a bunch of talking chipmunks??

How I think it will do - This one definitely appeals to the kid in me. I just can't wait to hear 'ALLLLVIIIIIN' screamed about on the big screen. And they did a really good job integrating the CGI chipmunks. This movie looks to be really cute. Let's just hope that it does better than Garfield, right? I'm giving this one second this weekend, but it should do ok through the holidays!

I Am Legend - Will Smith plays a brilliant scientist who cannot stop a deadly virus that has either mutated or killed most of mankind. Somehow immune, he is the last living person that he has seen for the past 3 years, and must work to find a cure for the disease using his own immune blood.

How I think it will do - This one is my pick for tops this weekend. There is so much hype behind this movie, and who kicks butt on aliens or mutants better than Will Smith? With some good reviews already behind it, let's just hope that Will Smith ruining the ending doesn't affect its performance at the box office. I don't think that it should, but hey, some people are really picky about those kinds of things. My top choice movie this weekend.

Perfect Christmas - A feel good movie about Christmas, this one stars Gabrielle Union as a single mother of three, who is so busy raising her kids she forgets to take care of herself. Determined to have a good Christmas, she brings her kids to meet Santa. One of her kids is determined to make her mom happy again, and tells Santa that all she wanted was a compliment from a man. Santa turns out to be an office supply worker who provides Union's character with that, and much more.

How I think it will do - This is like I said, a feel good Christmas movie. It will appeal to the african american crowd as its aimed, and also to those looking for a christmas movie. Think Diary of a Mad Black Woman but at christmastime! :-)

Of course there are other movies opening this weekend. Once again we've got a large slew of limited releases.


Half Moon
Look
The Kite Runner
Goodbye Bafana
Youth without Youth
Arranged
Changing the Odds
Shotgun Stories
Nanking

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Make sure you're Covered!

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We've all had the experience of buying insurance... well for the most part anyway. It's there to protect us in case something happens to us, our cars, our home. When you're getting insurance, you want to make sure that you have a proper coverage. I know that I did when I go my new car. I gotta protect my new baby right? Anyway, car insurance and house insurance are very important, and not something to take lightly. Don't forget to check out the cheap insurance offered here. It might just be the thing to save your life, or your investment!

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In the Spirit of Christmas

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I like working at the movies. I went over that in a recent post, the top 5 reasons I work at the movies. Pretty obvious. Here's an example of why I do!

Its Friday night, and its late. I'm just waiting for the last movies to get out so that I can go home. Earlier in the night, a woman had called saying that she had lost her purse. I couldn't go looking earlier because the movie was still going on. However, I assured here that if I remembered later, I would go look, and if I couldn't, our night cleaning crew would turn it in if they found it. I hung up, and did not expect her to call back.

She did call back, and at midnight. She said that the night cleaning crew turning it in was unlikely, and it made her uneasy. She then asked how much she would need to pay me to look for it. I was floored. I quickly informed her that I don't need to be paid by her to look for it. Her act of generosity surprised me though, and I told her I'd take a moment to go look right now. I did have other work to do, but she really seemed distressed, and I knew it would be better if I looked. I went in, and the movie had just ended. I located her purse right where she said it would be, and picked the phone back up, informing her that it would be there tomorrow when she came to pick it up.

I had the next day off, so I figured that another manager would give it to her, and they did. However, when I came in on Sunday, I was informed that there was an envelope for me. I opened it up, and there was a thank you note from her, saying that she knew that it was late, and I was tired, but she really appreciated the extra effort to go and find her purse for her. It made me feel really good about myself. Then in the bottom of the envelope was ... money. She said that I should put it towards holiday cheer. I have never been so surprised at work in my life. I wish I had her address so I could return it.... because while I appreciate the offer, it's not necessary, its' my job!

Since I didn't have her address, I took some and bought my staff pizza tonight. I still have roughly half of it left, and I'm not quite sure what to do with it. What do you think I should do?

This story has put me in a good mood. I have noticed that the mood around here has changed though... and I'd like to know what you guys liked in the past that brought you here, and what still brings you here. Please leave a comment and let me know, because while this is my blog on movies and some personal stuff, you are the readers! What don't you like, what you do like, please let me know! I hope everyone's holidays are going well, I know that mine just got better because of today!

Get a Loan?

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Borrowing large amounts of money is strange to me. It was really weird when I signed for the loan on my new car. I know, pictures coming matt. I can't find the cable to my camera though... Anyway, to get a loan you should be sure that you can pay it back. I know that I planned for months before I went out and made the purchase. There are several different options for loans. You have unsecured loans, secured loans, and many more. You can find cheap loans here. Make sure you find the perfect loan for you when you are considering financing a big purchase.

This is a sponsored post.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Movies This Weekend!

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Or should I say... Movie this weekend. Once again, we've got one major release. This one is quite the doozy though, and I'm definitely looking forward to screening it on Thursday if I can. It's gonna be a strong performer, so lets get to it!

The Golden Compass - Based on Philip Pullman's best selling novel. This is the first in the Dark Materials trilogy. A fantasy adventure, it takes place in an alternate universe where souls are manifest as animals and talking bears fight in wars. Lyra is in the middle of it all, and is kidnapped by a group known as the Gobblers, who hope to guide her in their quest of saving not only their world, but ours as well.

How I think it will do - I think this one is gonna do great. I know there was a lot of controversy about what the underlying tone of the movie might mean towards religion, but I look at it as another great fantasy movie. I'm a huge fan of these, and it really reminds me of The Chronicles of Narnia, which I really enjoyed. If this one lives up to my expectations, it should be excellent. I'm going to definitely try to watch it tomorrow! With no competition, its' a slam dunk for the number one movie this week.

Well, that's all for now, I won't mention the indies this week cuz I have a bit of a story to tell. I tried to post this yesterday but couldn't seem to get an internet connection working well enough.

So on to the story. As some of you may know, I just got a new car! I really like it, and I can't wait to give it a car wash and wax... and get some other stuff for it. Anyway, the weather here isn't cooperating, but that's beside the point. The point of my story is.. a car got broken into in the theatre parking lot tonight. That doesn't happen often, but it did tonight. What concerned me was that the car broken into was.... right next to mine. I'm hoping that they saw I have a security system so they didn't do mine, but the car next to me had its window smashed pretty bad.

The moral of this is not to leave anything that could be stolen out in the open, especially in your car. While I consider the parking lot of a theatre to be fairly safe, this just shows that anything can happen. I had nothing visible in my car and I think that's why it wasn't targeted. The lady next to me had a bag visible, and I think that's what happened. Needless to say I got out late tonight, and my heart was pounding when I left, hoping that the person who did it didn't come back and get mine, seeing as it was the only one left in the lot.

Everything was fine though! :-) Have you guys had any scary experiences happen in the parking lot somewhere? What would you do to prevent your car from being broken into?

Don't let this discourage you from going to the movies! Most of us have security at some point, and a lot of them have it all night! I might make a request for that now....

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

iDrive for the Win

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I've had a problem with backing up my information before. You may have heard about it, when I was trying to adjust my template on this site. I somehow managed to screw it up, and basically destroy all my widgets. I was lucky that all the posts did not get deleted, but things have never really been the same. I wish I had known about online backupfrom iDrive. They give you a good amount of space absolutely free! 2 gigs to be exact. If you're looking for an affordable online backup system, this is the stop for you!

This post brought to you by iDrive!

Monday, December 3, 2007

Box Office Report: November

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November was a packed month for me, and I wish I had more time to do everything, but here is a little recap on how this month was for me!


My blog is worth $16,936.20.
How much is your blog worth?



I increased a bit over this past month!! My technorati ranking increased back to its previous level of 30, which I had before I picked up this domain name. Of course I am always looking for link exchanges, as long as the blogs are quality! Please let me know if you would like a link exchange. I usually try to comment on blogs that I have linked to, but I have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to. I'm going to try to do that again, and my feed reader should help! It's a great way to keep up with people's blogs!

I'd also like to thank you guys for letting me finally make it over 5000 hits on the sitemeter. It's been a great ride, and I hope that you guys have had fun with me. There's a lot more to come, and I know that there are some things that I wanted to write about and didn't get to yet. I have all these things in the back of my mind, so don't worry, I didn't forget about them!

Now for a famous blog for the month. These are always so tough to pick. I think I have a pretty good idea of one that I'd like to feature for this month though. I think he deserves it a lot. You might remember a past featured blog known as Blog Cabins. Well he's been doing really well, even being linked to the movie bible IMDB! He's started a great project known as the LAMB, which I am proud to be a part of. Fletch, congratulations on being featured again!

Check out the LAMB!!!!

Now I'd like to get those ideas to Fletch that I said I would but never got around to!
  • Set up a feed through feedburner so that we can all get updates when a new blog gets added to the Lamb!
  • Perhaps an email newsletter???
Good stuff. Also, my alexa ranking is now 1,293,486, which you can see at the bottom of the page. I'd like for that to increase, however, is there anything you'd like to hear about?? I'd love for you guys to see stuff that you like here, so just let me know and do my best to provide a post for you! That's all for now, gotta update on the other blogs in my network!

Get Your News through DigPortal

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Well, that is if you're from the Greensboro area. They've got a nice, crisp looking website that looks to provide a lot of entertainment and local news. I know that that's what I'd like a website to be like in my area. It's actually a very nice looking site with a lot of information on the front page. It's pretty much a one stop wonder for people who are from the Winston-Salem, Greensboro area of North Carolina. I actually thought this was first about cigarettes, because that's what I normally associate with the name, but that's not the case! You definitely need to check out this website to see a nice design with a lot of information.

This post brought to you by DigPortal.

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Some Cool Things I did this Weekend

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Folks, I apologize again, but my schedule has been so busy lately. I know I said I'd try to provide more regular updates, and I'm going to try again starting now. How does a Box Office Update sound? Lame? It's ok, I'm going to do one anyway ;-) (Later on Tonight!)

Just thought I'd mention some cool things I've come upon recently!

Scented Gift Cards. They smell like popcorn! Get em at one of your local theatres, they make a great gift! Another tip about em. If you spend a certain amount of money, I think it's $50, you get a free popcorn and drink coupon for yourself! So treat a loved one to the gift of movies and you can get free snacks next time you go to the movies yourself.

There was nothing truly eventful happening at the movies this weekend. However, I did try to go see a movie, and couldn't see it for two reasons:
  • Parking in Downtown Boston can be near impossible to find!
  • There was a fire alarm at the theatre. I never made it in, but I saw the fire trucks and the crowd and decided to avoid it altogether.
I've had to deal with my share of fire drills, and they're no fun at all. Imagine having a thousand angry guests... all wanting to finish their movies and then getting a free movie on top of it. I understand they're angry, and it's disruptive, but if we did have a fire, didn't we just get everyone out successfully? I don't know, I think our crew usually does a good job of informing people of the situation and trying to keep everyone calm.

I have no problem giving everyone a free movie. Hey, its usually not our fault that an alarm gets triggered, but we like to keep people happy. My main issue is I can never get my staff to our designated meeting area. We end up stuck near the doors because people are crowding to get back into the theatre. I can understand that they're anxious to get back it, but it might not be safe, and that puts my staff in the most danger, seeing as they're now closest to the building. I have to make sure they are ok as well. Something about the mob mentality makes people press closer and closer towards the doors, and people don't walk back in, they RUSH in... causing more chaos. Blah.

Anyway, I also bought a new car this weekend, and went to the car show! You can find an update about that soon over at one of my other blogs, I'll let you guess which one ;-).

My Terriers lost twice this weekend. ::tear::. Anyone else like hockey?

I have no internet, so I can't post this now. Hopefully I will have some tomorrow, when I try to post this. Busy day at work, gotta work on a difficult translation trace program. (Don't ask) Until the update!