Wine for the Confused

Update on Raymond (And More)

Raymond: Day 10,255

So, it has been quite a while since I have written anything. And I have a few free minutes at work this morning. So I thought I would take advantage of them, and update people on my thoughts and doings.

I saw the Watchman movie the other week. I really liked it. But I think you get more from the movie if you read the graphic novel and then watch the movie. Otherwise I believe the movie assumes a little too much and leaves some holes open. But I read the whole novel about a month before the movie opened and I was pleasantly surprised and I enjoyed the film.

I also saw “I Love You, Man” this past weekend. I found it to be a really funny and enjoyable movie. The tone of the movie was light and I was kind of surprised the MPAA gave it an R rating. But it does have some language and talk about sex, which I guess may be inappropriate for some teens. But other than that, it was one of the better comedies I have seen in a while.

Work has been good, while we were slow for a while, thing have really picked up and we are doing all this work with a technician out on extended sick leave. So in an economy that is so depressed and with an unemployment rate that is reaching 11% in California it is good to see that we are doing okay, and at least turning a profit, instead of just breaking even at the end of the month.

With business doing better I am getting interested in going back to school; although everyone else and their second cousin is probably doing the same thing. I really am getting interested in pursuing an MBA. CSUN offers a MBA program for working professionals, which seems like it could work for me. Only thing is that I need to take the GMAT which is supposedly this daunting 3 ½ hour exam that you have to take to get into any MBA program. And oh yeah you have to pay something like $250 to take the test! Sheesh. So I have some study guides and I am off to the races. Reading, writing, and reasoning does not worry me at all, however math makes me break into cold sweats.

A thing that made me laugh recently was the quote “"Tracey's learning style is more tactile, kinetic." from “30 Rock”. I remember learning about all that stuff back in Freshmen English. Back when I didn’t enjoy the company of girls quite as much and they sure didn’t appreciate mine. Anyway, “Tactile-Kinetic” was a fun way of talking about the less academically tuned students. And then 10 years later to hear that applied to Tracey Jordan on a TV show. Probably the only good thing I got out of Freshmen English.

Did you know the human body is pretty much genetically limited to how long it will live? There are these little tails on the end of our DNA. And every time a cell divides you lose a little bit of that tale. So cells exposed to outside air can divide about 52 times, and cells inside the body can divide about 70 times, crazy.

Enough for now, although I do wish to blog more and more often, I have a tremendous amount I want to write about Theology and the Christian Life, and the infighting that occurs in the North American Church. I am just fascinated how so many people think they have all the answers. And while I do believe me are blessed with God’s words in the Bible, I am sorry the Bible does not have all the answers. The same way early Christians did not have all the answers, you had to look for truth. The Gospels and the letters of Peter and Paul certainly do help but don’t apply to every situation today. And it is not that I don’t have a high view of scripture, but I just don’t think the scripture is to be our only source of truth.

Well, this all belongs in future posts, more later.

Movie Review: “Body of Lies”

Okay, I should probably admit I going into this review that I am already a fan of many of the principles involved in this film. I thoroughly enjoy Ridley Scott as a director, and I tend to think Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the best actors of my generation, and despite his occasionally trouble causing personality I think very highly of Russell Crowe as a performer. So I went into this film a little bit biased and also on a bit of a spy movie kick. In the last week or so, I have also screen “The Good Shepard” and “Syriana”. So CIA flicks are the hot thing with me right now.

Anywho, I found this movie to be fun and entertaining. Not overly action filled like other Scott movies but also not a methodically plodder like “Shepard” and “Syriana”. I found the plot for the most part believable and the acting to be very good as well. DiCaprio again brings the signature intensity to his role that has become a hallmark of his acting, and Crowe falls right into the character of a schleppy CIA spymaster with a nice southern accent. The supporting cast keeps thing believable and moving especially thanks to a great performance by Mark Strong as the Jordanian Head of Intelligence, although his costuming in this movie kept me thinking of Andy Garcia’s character in the Ocean’s 11 movies.

The movie is not an over ambitious action flick, nor a highly detailed spy thriller but a good mix that makes for an enjoyable movie overall, I recommend it.