Useless Observations

Movie Reruns

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

It’s Friday night and as I wait for the chicken for dinner to finish its 30 minute marinade, I plugged in a movie.

It’s a movie I’ve seen a number of times and still find it as enjoyable, and funny as I did the first time.

Of course, I’m not telling you which one; we all have our secrets. Safe to say, it’s not a block buster.

Yet there are blockbusters that I watched once and that was enough (Avatar).

What do I think makes a movie re-watchable?

A meaningful or fun story with a plot. Relatable, desirable characters. Quotable dialogue. The best ones have all three.412cb0b8a9b2e101fceed4c1e20a0962

Though not the movie I’m watching, Tombstone is a movie I can watch over and over.

Historically accurate? Not exactly but… Plot- good guys and bad guys (always works). Characters: Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp, I mean really. Dialogue- “I’m you’re Huckleberry.” “You tell them I’m coming and Hell’s coming with me!”

I know nothing of what it takes to make a movie, and obviously no one in Hollywood needs my advice but I’ll give it anyway.

Good movies don’t always have to wow the audience; they just have to be re-watchable.

“And that’s all I’ve got to say about that.”

 

Day 165

Speed

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

The French aircraft manufacturer Airbus has apparently filed a patient for technology that will reduce the flight time from London to New York to about an hour, hardly enough to pass out peanuts and serve drinks.airbus_patent_fig15

The recently released specs on this new plane shows that the speed will come from a combination of three different engines allowing the plane to reach 3000 MPH. At that speed, it doesn’t take much imagination to envision the world a much smaller place than it has already become.

In comparison, the space probe that recently passed Pluto and captured our imagination was moving at 35,000 MPH. However, other than shots around planets the size of Jupiter, it would never be expected to turn or ever land.

In the other extreme, in the time it would take the new Airbus aircraft to make the Trans-Atlantic flight, I would still be in line at the check-out at Walmart.

 

Day 162

Beach Holiday

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

For whatever reason, July 31st looks like a date that should be a Holiday. It’s been a week since

Bear Lake, Utah

Bear Lake, Utah

the last one in Utah and a few weeks since everyone in the country had one, so why not? We went to the lake.

Bear Lake, that is. The lake that shares residency in Utah and Idaho.

It’s a big deep, very blue lake.

We took up our celebration on the south end beach. And I made the flowing observations of curiosity:

1) Sand sucks. But it’s better than mud or rocks for a beach but it sticks to everything, it adds itself to sun block and sandwiches, and it comes home with you.

2) Maybe it just me, and I know we call them swimming suits, but being on the beach is like showing up to a public event where everyone shows up in their underwear.

3) The games played. I would think games would be water related, but many are not. Frisbee would be better on a lawn and bean bag toss would be better in the living room. There were even floating trampolines people rented to jump on. On, not from. I failed to see the point.

4) We all know we’re getting sun burned, and yet we do it anyway. People’s solar-virgin skin carelessly exposed as if offered as sacrifice or daring the gods to punish for it, or maybe it’s a rite of passage; a self-inflicted, dermal endurance test just because we can. How many times do you get to run around in public in your underwear? Make it count.

5) Everyone packs like 10X the food they need. You would think with all the extra sand being consumed, less food would be needed.

This list is not all inclusive, but enough. Not saying they’re wrong, just curious.

 

Day 158

Ants

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Are ants necessary?Ant-Trail

In the kitchen, in particular.

They do make us wash the dishes every night. Nothing can be left in the sink overnight.

They make us take out the kitchen trash every night.

They make us keep the counters, stovetop, and floor swept and cleaned.

I guess they serve some purpose.

 

Day 157

 

Before it’s gone

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

The age of information is here.

I find everyday more things to learn than I can possibly consume. Sometimes I feel my shaved head is going to burst.

And it’s not just new information either. I am in constant awe of how much I have forgotten from the past when confronted with what I think is a rerun.

Working at my desk, putting numbers into boxes, I listen to documentaries of subjects ranging from anything to everything. This I have shared before.

Gotta love the History Channel

Gotta love the History Channel

Today I listened to ancient bible history and the search for archeological finds that can prove or disprove accounts in the bible. Their findings proved nothing but showed some things likely to be true and some things unlikely to be true. Neither is of much use to me but to make me think.

What actually amazed me beyond the fascinating history was how much I’ve forgotten about my Bible reading. Especially from the Old Testament. What amazed me even more is that the Old Testament is my favorite reading. Apparently it’s been a while since I’ve read.

The story culminated in the recounting of the tale of how Judaism we know today did not come from the traditions practiced during the Kingdom of Israel, but instead emerged from the time of the exile and brought back with the few that returned.

The teachings meant so little to them while in the Promised Land that God had to carry the people away before they learned their importance. While suffering in a strange land, the people questioned, searched, and recalled who they were.

Religious implications aside, I am guilty of this myself.

It is not always the blessings, or good times, that make us strong, ask questions, and grow; but instead, it is when those blessings are absent and times are tough we tend to look inside and decide what is of true value.

We should question always. In good and bad times. Waste not the good times but enjoy them with a keen awareness from where and how the good times roll. Also, waste not the bad times but use them to whittle away the non-essential and find again where the blessings might await.

Tonight we ate out, cheap. We laughed, we talked, and we raised our $2 chocolate shakes to living and loving.

Times are tough, but God is good.

 

Day 148

Let Them Cheer Our Cake

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I watch Downton Abby.

I know. It’s hard to imagine a studly guy like me watching such a show but I like good dramas. I think it’s the writer part of me. I’m drawn to it.

In the show we watched tonight, the rich people, the ones living in the Big Houses are having a horse race and the people of the village, the peasants, the poor people, come to watch. And cheer them in their ridiculous sport.untitled

One of the themes of the show is to show the differences of the two peoples; the People of the Houses and their servants. The People of the Houses act as if they are worth something, deserving of being served and the servants have no choice if they wish to be paid and fed but to serve them.

Why, in this arrangement, if you were of the village, would you go out of your way to cheer the Privileged in their games. It would seem to me that the interest in them would be nothing but contempt. Yet, they did and enjoyed doing so.

I’m so glad we’re not like that now. Then I think of our celebrities.

Why does anyone care what an actress does outside off screen? Or any celebrity doing anything outside the thing that made them known. An actor may play a king or president, but it doesn’t make them a leader of political thought. A quarterback might be able to engineer a final drive, but it doesn’t mean he’s a genius.

Even good peopled actors, like the cast of Harry Potter. Why? They aren’t wizards. They can’t do the things they do on stage. Why clamor about them?

Why do we peasants cheer for those who look down upon us and boost their egos even higher?

Why?

Hero syndrome? Fame envy? Herd mentality? Paying it forward?

I don’t know. But it shows that we are not much different, in that regards, today than yesterday.

 

 

Day 147

Evolution of Revolution

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Evolution.

It’s a real thing. And without discussing monkey to man, there are examples in nature where species have obviously evolved for survival.

A Sting Ray- A shark that decided that hanging out on the bottom was cooler.

A Sting Ray- A shark that decided that hanging out on the bottom was cooler.

A trip to the local aquarium revels animals in so many different varieties it dizzies the mind. Obviously, there is no one design of aquatic animal but instead many with specific designs. These animals have learned to survive deep depths, limited food sources, great temperature ranges, and whatever other variable you can think of.

We watched a film on the Galapagos Islands. Again, animals were introduced and the ones that survived were the ones that evolved and learn how to feed.

We attended a street fair yesterday. The majority of the vendors seemed to be ordinary people who had turned interest into opportunity. They spent long hours under their sunshades, talking, showing, and selling their wares. My guess is that most have a “day job”. These people, however, spent their Saturday to follow their passions in order to move ahead, gain some extra income, and possibly live a better life. Some are already doing it.

Am I witnessing an evolution?

I know many are unhappy with the plight of the middle class. Some with the treatment of employees by corporations and employers. Some by the difficulty to earn a “living wage” at jobs that they have trained for, dreamed for, and spent a lot of tuition money learning about.

As the industrial revolution era ends and a new revolution begins. I believe those who evolve and figure out where the new feeding grounds have located will be those who succeed. Those who continue to adhere to the rules of yesteryear, might find the future to be a big deep ocean.

 

Day 146

I’ve Only Done Windows

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , 5 Comments

Hey Kids,

I’m not one of the early pioneers. I started out in the computer world using Windows 95. I played a little in DOS but I can do nothing beyond what I have been explicitly told to do.

My first personal machine was a Windows 98 computer, from right around that same year. It was hot. Pentium II 266 processor. 64MB (yes MB) of RAM. It seemed like over kill then. And a 4 GB hard drive. It was as much as I could afford, saving money by putting it together with a lot of help from a friend who know what he was doing.

Today I spent a little time reminiscing about the old days of computing. I came in mid-stream of the computer revolution but it was still exciting times.IMG_20150717_202434_168

I hadn’t spoke of these things for a very long time and Windows 95 was forever ago.

Yet walking through a second hand store, in the book section I found the ultimate throwback to those times: Windows 95 for Dummies.

I confess, I could’ve used this book.

When did you enter the computer world?

 

Day 144

To Pluto and Back With a Few Stops.

mikemjensen Useless Observations, Writing Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

Hey Kids,

pluto-july-13-2015

Pluto July 13th 2015.

We reached Pluto today. We, as in our little probe droid we hurled out to space in 2006. We now await pictures of all kid’s favorite planet, next to Uranus. And yeah, I said it. Planet. I’m with Captain Picard. No matter what you say to me, there are 9 planets and 4 lights. Resistance is not fu-tile.

I’m watching a thunderstorm roll in with its lightning and all. One of the best things about the hot summer nights. I hope it’s a big one. The other day we got .99” of rain. More than our average rainfall for the entire month of July. We normally get about 14” of rain in a year so 1” in a night= big deal. Hence the blog mention.

Came home to a notice from the power company. They want some money or no more power. They’re so demanding. I quote King Theoden from The Lord of the Rings. “How did it ever come down to this?” I guess I’ll pay them tomorrow. Something anyway.

Snap Chat is pretty fun. My “handle”, User name” or whatever is writerfish. Look me up. I’m spending all my time talking to myself right now. I need some friends.

Apparently tonight is random thought night.

I’ve been playing and learning video editing lately. I feel so Hollywood. I wish I was good at it, but I’m good enough to get a crappy job done. Hope I never lose my day job. But then again, I would love to lose my day job, but only for more money elsewhere.

Enough rambling tonight. I think I need to get back to work. I need to finish this book I’m working on; its taking way too much time. Maybe my grandkids can finish it for me. I have another Christmas book that needs to get finished too, and hopefully before Valentine’s Day.

Have a great night and thanks for sitting up with me.

 

Day 141

Standard

mikemjensen Useless Observations Tags: , , Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

I think that the valuable, well paid employees of the very near future will not necessarily be those who fought for raised minimum wages, or attended universities, or paid their union dues.

They might identify with these traits, but,I-Love-My-Job-Employee-Engagement-300x206

The valuable, well paid, sought after employees of the future will be the individuals who are willing to work. Harder, longer, smarter.

Within the field of people struggling to raise their own standards, the standard will always be disappointing.

To the person always stretching, improving, and working; the standard is insignificant.

 

Day 130