Bloggus Interruptus

Holy cow. I didn't realize it's been so long since the last post, but I have been crazy busy. We are majorly short handed at work and I've been transfered to Jackistan  Jacksboro to fill the gap. You know most of the time I feel like The Little Dutch Boy running around putting my finger in the dike. (If you're a fan of Showtime's Californication, there's a funny joke there.) It's been several years since I worked at that location but luckily I found several of my favorite co-workers are still there. That really eases the pain since I know I'm helping them out by being there.

One of the downsides is trying to get up to speed on how they do things and where everything is. If you ask me where something is in our Bridgeport location I can tell you exactly where it's at. I've long forgotten how it's laid out in Jacksboro. Every location operates differently, contrary to corporate opinion, and paperwork is no exception. There's also different codes, passwords, schedules, ect, that I have to know. That didn't use to be a problem because I had it all stored in my PDA. But when I upgraded it's OS a while back all that was wiped out. So now I'm back to re-entering it all over again. Yea... (Yes, I do have it backed up now.)

Another downside is the commute. Besides being twice as far, there's no good way to get there from here. My only option is FM1810, a narrow winding road thru the country with some steep drop offs sans guardrails. The scenery is beautiful, but the hazards don't give you much opportunity to enjoy it. The last time I worked there I wrecked my Explorer when I slammed into a deer... twice in one week. Yesterday I had a coyote with a death wish that I nearly plowed into on wet pavement. That's a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when the anti-lock brakes kick in.

When the supervisor told me I was being transfered he said it was temporary. I asked him how long was temporary? A week, a month, 2 months? All he could tell me is it was temporary.

Sigh...

OK, enough doom and gloom. How 'bout a quick review or two?

I've found a new DVR worthy series on Starz, Spartacus: Blood and Sand. It's from a favorite Producer/Director/Actor of mine, Sam Raimi (Hercules, Xena, Spiderman, Army of Darkness). It's the story of a warrior that breaks allegiance with Rome when he finds out his land and village are being sacrificed to invaders so the Roman army can move to fight a lesser, more political, battle. He is captured, thrown into slavery and forced to fight in the arena for sport. His only hope is the promise from his owner that he will be reunited with his wife who was also thrown into slavery. Spartacus is shot in an over the top (very) graphic novel style. Think "300" with all the slowmo battle, animated background and blood splatter. There's a lot of CGI. Altho I think they need to dial back the blood splatter. It's a bit too far over the top.

The cast is excellent, but mostly unknown to American audiences, with the exception of Lucy Lawless who is as hot as ever. The series is definitely for adult audiences with lots of graphic violence and very graphic sex. You can catch it Friday nights with an encore Sunday nights on Starz. If you liked 300, Gladiator or Rome, you'll like Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

HBO films has hit another one out of the park with their latest offering. Temple Grandin is the true story of an autistic girl from New England that overcame mountains of adversity to become a very successful writer and designer of livestock handling facilities. She also earned a Masters degree and is now a college professor. Clare Danes plays the title role and gives a stellar performance. You'll be seeing her at The Emmys, mark my words.

This film gives you insight into how autistic people see the world and how their minds work. Temple's skill in    turning her disability into an advantage is astounding. Her mind works in pictures where ours works in words. She can see things that ordinary people can't or simply overlook. She see's things the same way a prey animal like a cow or horse does and uses that to design more humane and efficient feedlots and slaughter houses. "Nature is cruel, we don't have to be." She also has the ability to store even the most minute detail in her mind and recall it when needed. A sort of photographic memory, if you will.

The film is inspiring, informative and very entertaining. I highly recommend the whole family watch Temple Grandin.
Currently running on HBO.

TCM is celebrating it's annual "31 Days of Oscar", showing only films that have received an Academy Award. Some of this weeks offerings include: Sunset Boulevard, It Happened One Night, 42nd Street, My Favorite Wife, Topper, An American in Paris, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Duel in the Sun, The Diary of Anne Frank, A Day at the Races, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Dirty Dozen, Serpico, The Reivers, The Manchurian Candidate, From Here to Eternity, Titanic and many, many more. All of them are shown uncut and commercial free.

Must see stuff for the serious movie buff or anyone that just wants to watch a really good movie. My only criticism is that TCM is still broadcast in Standard Def.