April Movie Mash-Up

Because I'm behind and feeling lazy today, I'm doing a combo review of three movies I've seen recently.  None of which really merit their own review anyway.

Kick Ass wasn't what I was hoping for.  I hope it was a comedic slant on the superhero theme, but it ended up being perhaps a kid's version of The Watchmen.  It was much more violent than I thought it was going to be, the majority of the violence coming from the little girl.  The story of the average guy and the one with Big Daddy/Hit Girl didn't really meld too well.  Not great.  Oh, and don't take your kids to see this one.

The Backup Plan was probably one of the worst chick flicks I've seen in a really long time.  Okay, maybe not worst, but least likely to actually happen.  I believed Jennifer Lopez's character and her back story, but I came out of the theater almost pissed off at how unrealistic the dude was.  He pursues her more ardently than any guy I've ever met, almost to the point of being a stalker.  When he finds out she's pregnant, he doesn't bail like a normal guy would, which perhaps is modern day heroism, but it's also highly unlikely. 

The Losers was probably the best of the bunch.  It was kind of a relief to see new faces in a movie, aside from Zoe Saldana (StarTrek, Avatar).    I liked that they brought back the comic book graphics element to the titles and in little pieces throughout the film.  I also liked Chris Evans and Oscar Jaenada. They had a Jay and Silent Bob feel to their characters. For a guy movie, it was okay.


 I'm ready for the good summer movies to come out now.

LASIK or Bust

This post will be my story as I recover from LASIK surgery. I’ll update it as I go through the next month since my vision is supposed to improve over that time. I hope anyone who has gone through the surgery can relate and my experience can help anyone wanting to have it!


Day 1 – Surgery Day. The excitement is tempered with nervousness. I have a hard time imagining what it will be like. Will it be like HD versus Digital? Instead of seeing trees will I be able to see leaves on trees?

My sister picks me up and we chat about classes on the way to the doctor’s office. Ava plays with the magazines that have been set out in the lobby. Soon I am taken to the exam room and the prep work starts. I am getting quiet, but Ava breaks the silence as she gets into a mood that cannot be soothed by Baby Einstein. I am finally taken into the operating room. One wall is glass so that those in the waiting room can see. A flat screen TV shows images of the actual surgery to those waiting.

I lay down and the nurses get me in position. The doctor comes in and they start by cutting the flap on each eye. It is the most painful part of the procedure, but it is more uncomfortable than painful. The put what my sister described as a torture device on my eye and pushed on it until all I could see was black. Then in thirty eight seconds the laser has made its cut. I twist my long sleeves in my hand while it works, and then again as they do the same to the other eye.

Then comes the actual vision correction with a different laser. They tell me to look at the blinking red dot, which really looks like a red pulsing blob. Or a Lite Brite starburst made from only red pins. Or a kaleidoscope. Then comes forty three seconds of clicking like a ratchet. There is a burning smell, like smoldering ashes. I try not to relate that smell to burning human flesh. I am afraid that I am looking the wrong way and may mess up the procedure, making the four grand I spent on five minutes ineffectual.

Faster than expected it is all over and the doctor clears me to go. The first things I see in my greased-over vision are the shadows of my sister and niece and I know all is right with the world. I close my eyes on the way home like the doctor says. I go to bed wearing my oh-so-sexy safety glasses that will be my bedmate for the next week. It burns and I cry as Ambien takes me into dreamland.

Day 2. I am almost afraid to turn on the light. Already some of the greasiness and fogginess has abated. On the way to the follow up appointment, I notice that the headlights and street lights are haloed, like they said they would be. It looks and feels like I have had my contacts in to long. They say I have 20/20 vision already and that it will get better from here. I have drops to take really frequently as my eyes heal. I am still having trouble wrapping my head around it. And my life is now changed.

Fiesta 10K Race Report

Race: Fiesta Mission 10K

Distance: 10K

Goal Time: 1:15-1:20

Actual Time: 1:15:35 (12:10 min/mi) Personal Record!


Fiesta kicked off this week in San Antonio.  I think it's related to the Battle of the Flowers, but nowadays, it is a city-wide ten days of partying.  I have never done the more popular events like Oyster Bake or Night in Old San Antonio.  Last year I did the Fiesta Fandango, a 2.6 mile fun run that preceded the Fandango parade downtown.  This year I decided to forgo the ridiculous heat of that and went to the 10K instead. 


There were patchy thunderstorms on my way to the race which held out long enough for me to finish and then pour during the post-race party.  The run was at Mission County Park, the usual location for races put together by the San Antonio Road Runners.  The park follows the river that flows between the stops on the Mission Trail.  If you go far enough, the trail runs right next to Mission Espada, my favorite.  It's been raining the last half of this week, so the river is pretty full and the grass is really green.   Usually the water is pretty low, and the area isn't really well cared for, so the river smells like rancid broccoli.  We lucked out and only the area near the turnaround smelled like overcooked spinach. The trail itself is an easy stretch of gently rolling hills.  Much easier technically than the Cap10K course, but tt was a lot more humid than last weekend. 


I'm coming up on my LASIK surgery and I'm in the period of time before the surgery where I can't wear contacts.  So this was my first and last race with my glasses.  They didn't do me much good.  They fogged up in the first half mile.  I hooked them in the collar of my shirt and raced the rest with blurry vision.  I tried to imagine what it would be like to not have to have glasses or contacts to see.  I won't have to imagine for long.  

Adding to the difficulty of the humidity, I forgot my headphones at home.  Normally I hardly pay attention to the music that is playing, but it's helpful for times when I need to push myself.  A lot of my inner monologue during the race was coaching myself to keep up the pace.  I put a lot of stress on myself to PR again this weekend.  Between that and the weather conditions, I did not have nearly as much fun as I did in Austin.  But I did PR again!  Another minute off my PR time, shedding 7 minutes over last year's PR of 1:22.  Most likely that will be my fastest 10K time as we get into the summer races where it's really too hot for me to keep a pace like that. 

I hope to take a few weeks off of racing to finish out the semester at school, have my vacation in Orlando, and regroup my training plan.    It was a good race, and I did well, but I need a time out from race weekends.


Official Results
Race Photos 
Scotty's Report

Date Night

The Fosters are a normal American married couple.  Their kids wreak havoc every morning as the family gets ready to go to school and unsatisfying jobs.  Phil and Claire try to keep the romance alive by a ritual date night, but it just adds to the monotonous day-in-day-out routines they follow.  Then, one date night Phil makes an attempt to change a routine by taking Claire to a new restaurant.  They take the reservation of a no-show and end up in a whirlwind set of events that makes a date night they will never forget.


Date Night is honestly one of the best adult movies I have seen in a really long time.  I don't even know what to compare it to because it is so unlike any movie I've seen.  I really hope that it earns some Best Comedy of the Year awards, but it has earned them.

Tina Fey and Steve Carell are at their best.  They have great chemistry together and fantastic delivery.  If you go see the movie, make sure to stay all the way through the credits to watch some hilarious outtakes.  They use adult humor, mainly lots of sexual references, but in an adult manner.  Not the kind of adult humor portrayed in a childish way like some of Will Ferrell's movies (Old School comes to mind). William Fitchtner, Ray Liotta, James Franco and Mila Kunis round out the rest of the cast.  And of course, Mark Wahlberg's muscles had several cameos. 

Forgive me a brief rant.  I'm getting really tired of "stupid" humor movies. Just like the "rugged" look encourages average guys to sport the "mountain man" look, "stupid" humor encourages the twenty- and thirty-something men to have absolutely idiotic jokes.  You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled blog.

I loved that this movie addressed an issue that is common for couples in long term relationships.  Getting into a routine is an inevitable step for adult couples.  But then the routine becomes the defining part of daily life.  Breaking out of it becomes very difficult, especially as the routine starts to span years.  The movie shows a unique adventure that most couples probably won't ever experience, but the point is the same.  Sometimes all it takes to change a routine is getting a little more dressed up than usual, trying a different restaurant.  Just taking a chance.

It's a great movie, an excellent date movie, and one that will be going on my shelf as soon as it's available.

Clash of the Titans

I grew up with the original Clash of the Titans.  This, along with the Seventh Voyage of Sinbad, were the awesomely bad clay-mation fantasy flicks that we watched over and over during my formative years.   From the first time I saw the trailer for the remake, I knew what it was before they even showed the title.  I wanted to see it even then.  Throw in the hunky Sam Worthington, and I am definitely down.  (On a side note, I first saw Sam in a great film called Bootmen. Anyone else seen that?)

Overall, the story follows the general gist of what I remember from the original.  But where they definitely veered from the original was making is a man versus gods battle and I think the story is poorer for it.  In the Greek stories, rebelling against the gods was just not done.  In what I know of the mythology, there is no question that the gods exist, that they play a role in human lives, and that some lucky few are favored.  Disbelief in deity or refusal of deity is something that is prevalent in today's society.  I understand why they changed that part of the story to make it easier for current audiences to relate to the story, but I don't agree with it.

Other details that bothered me: that Cassiopeia says Andromeda is more beautiful than the gods, but Io is more beautiful than Andromeda by far; Cassiopeia was supposed to offer up Andromeda for sacrifice without issue, because Cassiopeia is vain beyond belief; Perseus' patronage by Zeus and Io, when I thought he was supposed to be sponsored by Athena. 

It was awesome that they gave a nod to the original by pulling out a little clockwork owl out of a trunk of weapons.  I kept hoping to see it somewhere in the rest of the film, but it didn't make a reprise.  Pegasus was an amazing animal, even without the CG wings.  He was perfect.  Ralph Fiennes did an awesome job as Hades.  He is such a good bad guy for such a good looking man.

I also want to personally thank Lindy Hemming for her costume design. I absolutely love that period Greek costumes mean short skirts for men.  It provided such great eye candy throughout the movie.  Gemma Arterton as Io was also exquisitely dressed.

This was a well done epic movie, though not quite on par with Troy or Avatar.  I still plan to add it to my collection, on the shelf right next to the original.