Archive for June, 2012

Movie Review: Goon


20 Jun

I admit it. I loved Goon. Sean William Scott is one of my favorite young actors, and this role was just perfect for him. Allison Pill was adorable. Jay Baruchel was having fun. Liev Schreiber was also great, but honestly, my favorite bit of casting was Kim Coates as the coach.

This was a fun hockey movie, examining the role we all associate with hockey but rarely make movies about- the goon, the enforcer, the guy whose sole job is to give and take hits, give and take punches, to protect his more skilled teammates from those hits and punches.

Celebrate Juneteenth


19 Jun

Happy Juneteenth! Don’t know what Juneteenth is? I’m not surprised, but I am saddened. It is the anniversary of the day slavery officially ended in theUnited States. It’s a few months after the Civil War actually ended because that’s how long it took the Union Army to arrive inTexasand order that the roughly 200,000 slaves in that state be freed.

We are still not a society without prejudice. But if we want to start getting past that, then there are days we as a nation need to celebrate. I think the end of slavery is certainly worthy.

#MythBusters (ep 192)


18 Jun

Apparently, if you are going to shoot with a gun in each hand, you should fire simultaneously. Still, that puts firing two guns at the “as effective as” one gun point, using twice the ammo.

But I have a methodology question. They are taking their number of points and dividing it by the time it took. When not firing simultaneously, shouldn’t it take twice as long? One shot at a time, with two guns, should take twice as long as one gun, or simultaneous fire with two guns.

So is it really less effective? Or does it just take longer?

Blog Feature: @Squirrelers


16 Jun

I have been reading Squirrelers for quite some time. I may have started reading it just for the name, I don’t really remember. Squirrelers is an incredibly well rounded and diverse personal finance blog. As an example, the last five entries are about visiting theme parks, long term insurance, graduation speaches, gold as an investment, and what companies get back when they give stuff out for free.

My favorite posts, though, are when he writes about family. And my all time favorite is from last December, when he wrote about the benefits of spending an afternoon in his daughter’s classroom.

Your Money Friday: The Money Talk


15 Jun

There comes a point in every long term relationship where the partners need to sit down and have “the money talk”. What are their respective financial situations? For some people this conversation comes very early on, and for others it doesn’t come until after engagement or even marriage (though I’d recommend it happened before that).

It’s not an easy conversation to have, as money can trigger strong emotions in many people. The key to having a productive conversation about money with your partner? Each partner should remain calm and open, to remember this isn’t about judging, but about moving forward.

Movie Review: Captain America


14 Jun

I was surprised by the sadness of the ending. I know Cap came about in WWII, and they had to bring him forward to the modern day for The Avengers, but I was not expecting them to basically make him lose everything right before the end of the movie. His best friend dies- he at least gets revenge for that. Then he crashes the plane and remains buried under ice for almost 70 years. Sure he’s still alive but everyone he loves is dead. That sucks, and is an unusual note for a super hero movie to leave us on.

Movie Review: Thor


13 Jun

I actually expected Thor to be a worse movie than it was. That’s a ringing endorsement if I’ve ever written one. Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth were both adorable. The storyline wasn’t great, and I thought that maybe more time should have passed on Earth for Thor to learn humility, but it still worked for what it was.

Of course, we know Thor is back for The Avengers, so we did wonder if they had meant Thor 2 to come out before that movie, since this one ends with Thor supposedly being trapped inValhalla, with no path to Earth.

#LAKings #StanleyCup Champions


12 Jun

Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings, StanleyCup Champions. Last night they won the Cup on home ice. That has to be an amazing feeling. Additionally, this marks the first time LA will ever get its name on the Cup, and the first time an 8th seeded team won the Cup. Kings, you have much to be proud of.

As a Devils fan, this was not the outcome I was hoping for, but how much can I really complain? After missing the playoffs entirely last year, New Jersey battled through the Flyers and the Rangers to reach the Cup finals.

#MythBusters (ep 191)


11 Jun

I understand that in some circumstances, you could bring a knife to a gunfight, but I think I would skip that experience anyway. As for the myth about reaction being faster than action, I understand why they tested it the way they did, but I remember that myth always having the reactor being the more skilled- so I think skill and skill differential might matter.

Chinese rocket arrows are cool. No, they aren’t super accurate, but I don’t think that would have prevented them from being used. Warfare did not used to be quite as bloody as it is nowadays.

Stanley Cup Finals: #NJDevils vs #LAKings Game 5


10 Jun

Game 5 back inNew Jerseywas a tense one. Both Brodeur and Quick were really on their games. Not certain whether or not to call them highlights, but there were two notable fights during game 5- one right in front of Brodeur, where his mask came off and someone pulled his sweater over his head, and one in front of Quick which resulted in matching penalties and the final two minutes of the game being played 4 on 4.

The Devils won and are the first team in the playoffs to force the Kings to go to 6 games.

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