Lunar Eclipse

For those of you that missed the eclipse last week, here's what you missed boiled down to a 30 second video.

Nubrella

An umbrella that won't invert in high winds and is hands free sounds like a great idea right? That's what I thought until I went to their web site and found out that they cost $50 and look incredibly stupid. I will concede the fact that carrying a traditional umbrella doesn't make you look cool, but at least you won't get mocked for carrying one. Unless it's not raining, and even then you won't face the same degree of mockery as you would from one of these new monstrosities. And since I lost my last umbrella to being mangled on a windy day, I had hoped that this might be my replacement, but alas, I find myself disappointed once again. Perhaps one day technology will advance to the point that my umbrella dilemma will be solved. For now I can only dream.

10,000 BC

I have seen a few previews for 10,000 BC now, and while the visuals are compelling, I'm bothered by the fact that there is absolutely no plot or dialogue in the trailers. That is usually a very bad sign. Coming Soon has a plot summary, but it is still not convincing. The other troubling thing to me is that the trailer shows the pyramids of Giza, which everyone should know that the generally accepted date for their construction is 2,560 BC. I know a lot of people don't care about details like that, or that there weren't actually enormous saber tooth tigers in Egypt, but they bother me. It becomes more difficult to suspend my disbelief when there are gross historical inaccuracies. I can deal with a little creative license, but when they are off by 7,000 years on something, it ceases to be creative license. They may as well throw in the Eiffel Tower and the Space Needle at that point.

So, despite the fact that it just looks damn cool, I remain very skeptical and my gut tells me it will be nearly unwatchable.

Freak Out

Jevon Kearse aka "the freak" has been cut by the Eagles. How he managed to go from the most feared pass rusher in the league to a nobody so fast is really hard to believe. I think if he could stay healthy, he could be productive again, but that's a big if. Some team will take a chance on him - some team desperate or a pass rusher. I will be interested to see how much he ends up getting. My guess is he'll end up in Denver. They have really been taking chances on washed up defensive linemen or busts in recent years.

Fomer Mariners In The News

Scott Spiezio is once again making a name for himself. If anyone still exists that isn't glad to be rid of him, this will be what finally turns you. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of this douche bag for DUI, hit and run accident, aggravated assault, and assault and battery. I'm not exactly sure what the difference is between the last two, but I assume that in addition to assault and battery, he was aggravating. But he hasn't been caught using steroids, so he won't have to go before congress.

Eyeball Tattoos

This is really disturbing. A Canadian man calling himself "Pauly Unstoppable" (no I didn't make that up) became the first test subject of a new technique that allows people to get tattoos on their eyes. Not mentioned in the article is why anyone would want to do that.

My favorite part of the article was that everyone involved insists that Pauly won't go blind as a result. I have my doubts though.

NFL News

Well, the combine officially concluded today, and my man-crush on Rashard Mendenhall continues. My greatest fear now is that he did too well and won't last until the Seahawks pick. As is becoming common place, a few little known players shot up the draft board by posting great times in the 40. I still contend that GM's place way too much importance on the combine and I wonder if it is more harmful than helpful. I also think that players should be required to run their 40's in full pads while carrying a football. That would give a much more accurate representation of their on field speed.

What way overshadowed the combine news though was the rumor that I heard on the radio on the way home from work. The guys on KISW were reporting that Randy Moss has reportedly signed with the Dallas Cowboys. That's not right at all. I'm not sure, however, how long he and T.O. can occupy the same field without self destructing. Here's hoping that the rumors are false.

Dog Shoes

According to this story, canine units in Dusseldorf Germany will now be required to wear shoes to protect their paws while on duty. Apparently the drunk Germans have a bad habit of breaking bottles on the street.

Today's Useless Trivia

What city has the zip code 12345?

Bellevue Square

I found myself in Bellevue Square over the weekend. It's been a while since I've been in a mall, and I remember now why I don't like going. Several things did occur to me while I was there. First, there are a lot of boarded up shops. Technically the economic downturn hasn't been in effect long enough to officially be a recession, and since we are in one of the better parts of the country, I found that a little interesting.

Second, of the remaining shops, I have little to no interest in any of them. Seriously, how can an oil and vinegar shop stay in business? And how can a shop that sells nothing but candles turn a profit? It's inconceivable.

Third, about half the women there seem to have adopted the high heels with jeans style. It looks a little strange to me, especially since a lot of the young women look awkward walking in heels. I'm ready to see the end of that style.

Finally, it may have just been that particular day, but there were a lot of attractive Asian women there. That's the one thing that might persuade me to return.

Anyway, I was there to go see Jumper. Not much of a plot to speak of, it was kind of a conglomeration of several recent films. There was nothing original in it. The special effects were ok, but nothing, well, special. The ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying, but Samuel L Jackson did play a pretty good villain despite having the worst looking haircut since Dennis Rodman. His hair was white. Not blonde, white.

The bigger problem than the movie, however, was that apparently some 9th grade class was there on a field trip or something. About 15 or so annoying kids, mostly giggling girls, were sitting close to me. Not only could they not stay quiet or sit still, but apparently they also were unable to refrain from text messaging each other during the film. And every time one of them pulled out her phone, it was like turning on a flashlight.

So the lessons learned on the night were: stay away from the mall, wait for Jumper to come out on DVD, and come to think of it, wait for DVD on all movies. Theaters are simply intolerable anymore.