Here and There Blog

Hi everyone! I'll make this short since Trek Taboo starts in a few minutes! Homer - what date is Gwen? I'm a maybe. Mondo - Home office! Now I just have to find out about London. Matt - Welcome back! Tamale - Sorry about Frankie but that's a no. You still get him. Robert and Mary - so you are checking in! Other Brother - you must still be in the wilds of Alaska! Troyce - It so worked out! And just in case she's reading - Hi to Debbie!

Normally I'd talk about the great day but I have better news to report! I have just been promoted to Director of International Training! Yes, the wisdom of the cookie has come through! So that's it tonight from the coast of Sweden!

Today was another sunny day in Denmark so we decided to take the train to Malmo, Sweden and check out what was going on over there. It was just as sunny so we hopped onto a canal boat and did a quick cruise. This cruise came with a picnic basket of coffee and cakes, so once again it was dessert for lunch! (always a good way to go) At least now I can say that I've seen warm weather here and I even have a slight sunburn too. Go figure that I live next to a So Cal beach but I have to go to Denmark to get a tan! And since I haven't mentioned beer in the last two blogs, it't time for an update. No beer, but white wine, white wine, baileys, butterscotch liquer, and white wine. CT, if you're remembering to read, you are starting to relax and you've quite enjoyed the sun. Tomorrow we get on the ship and start the adventure!

After a long flight but with a bonus upgrade to business on the international segment, Lisa and I have arrived in Copenhagen. For the first time, I am not totally freezing here. It's sunny but windy. Hopefully today we'll meet up with some of the Trek group but if not, there's plenty of walking to do and ice cream to eat! We did manage to remember how to get money, buy train tickets, and get ourselves to downtown CPH without screwing up!

And I'm off! The next post will come from the Baltic!

Land of the Dead is billed as the Ultimate Zombie Masterpiece. While I don’t agree with that hype, as far as zombie movies go, this one’s not bad. More descriptive titles could include Zombies! Armed and Dangerous, Zombies With Guns!, Zombie Armageddon!, or The Undead Learn to Think. Anyone who has ever seen a zombie movie knows that everyone dies. There’s not much hope against the army of the undead. If you’re evil, then your death is a sure thing. Sometimes the hero gets to live, sometimes the hero becomes a zombie. Land of the Dead asks the question, "What happens after decades of zombies becoming the majority of the population?" In this movie, pockets of humans survive in apocalyptic times by living in fenced cities, or for the rich, in the ultra-mall high rise. (You all know how zombies are drawn to malls, right?) We learn that after some time has passed, zombies start to act as if they were still human. Gas station attendant zombie, Big Daddy, has started to pump gas ...

Bewitched is one movie wher you might as well just save yourself the movie. It's really not that good. While Will Ferrell has a few moments where he's just fun to watch, the story and slow moving plot never come together in a fun way. There's no reason for Nicole Kidman's Isabel character to choose the Ferrell character, a fact that's even alluded to in the movie, but we as the audience are not going to buy into the love story. In fact, no one in the theater bought into the movie and when the credits rolled, the final amoebic thought was "huh." While not a remake of the TV series, there movie tries to include elements from the show. Uncle Arthur and Aunt Clara make an appearance, and the witch family of Isabel intermingles with the production of the new show. What is meant to be fun ends up more of a distraction than anything else. I did enjoy the performances of Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. Unfortunately, there storyline is left unresolved ...

I am finally in vacation mode! After another full day of running around and getting all (well almost all) the final work stuff done, I am ready to start looking at a suitcase! I had to call LJ and have her remind me what to pack. Passport - Check. Airline Res - Check. Some clothes - Check. Shoes - Check. Cruise docs. - Ooops! Those were in a filing cabinet and I would have left them behind! 2nd try - Cruise docs. - Check. Camera - Check. United Upgrade Request - Check. (That last one's a long shot!) I'm so ready to go that I kept referring to the flight as departing tomorrow. LJ had to keep reminding me that we leave Sunday. Oh well, I can always use Saturday to sleep.

Today it's time for more news. After 5 weeks of intense agony, suffering, and stress, I have completed my first course in the University of Phoenix Business Management Program! Only a few people knew that I was even attempting this on top of my normal crazy schedule and I made them take the oath of secrecy. They are now free to talk! I just decided that now was the time to complete my degree. I've thought about it for years but due to my schedule, no school would take me except for an online program. I wasn't sure I would have the discipline to do it and at times I was sure that I was on the brink of collapse. Well, I'm still on the brink but that's normal at this point. So, I did class one and I'm signed up for class two in July. I don't know how this happened but I ended up with an A in the class. Homer - the math thing hasn't come full circle yet but I received points for taking the test, regardless of that sad outcome! Yes, Homer had to try ...

The past few weeks have been hectic! Starting shortly after I returned from NYC it has been a non-stop whirlwind of work activity and part of this is all due to that little fortune cookie. Now because this is a work situation, the story will have gaps. (excellent blogger advise on "How Not to get Fired While Blogging at) http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=661&topic=35 So here's the deal. I have always wanted to work in the International Department at my company. Since the office is located in another state, I was reluctant to leave the beach, even for an excellent job. In the past few years, I have decided that when the opportunity would arise, I would be ready to go for it. Three weeks ago, the Director of International Training resigned. I was so excited and ready to go! I opened my mouth and let a lot of people know. Then the tower walls began to crumble and fall. First, I wasn't sure that I would even be allowed to apply. The company I work fo...

It's just the best. I'm not sure what more I can say but know that I say this with all the happiness of a sci-fi geek who has just seen perfection in a genre movie. It's the best. Christopher Nolan - director, we bow down to you! Wow. I was just stunned in the theater. It's a truly good movie. Christian Bale carried off both Bruce Wayne and Batman with believability, style, and determination. Michael Caine, a more polished and caring Alfred has never been seen. Tom Wilkenson, a villian of today without needing a mask or a gimmick. Liam Neeson as a mentor figure. He was so good here, that George Lucas should be ashamed of Qui-Gon Jinn's performance in Phantom Menace. This was Neeson at the top of his form! Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon. It is a perfect cast and they all delivered. Supporting cast: Rutger Hauer, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe - all good. Even Katie Holmes delivered exactly what was required of her. The surprise was Cillian Murphy who plays a doct...

After 7 weeks on the road, I can finally look forward to 7 nights of sleep in my own home! It is a wonderful feeling to wake up and know where you are! Best of all, no matter how tough this week is, on the 26th I'll be on a plane that's headed to Denmark! So now it's time to get caught up with life. Later today I'll go see Batman Begins. I may even have time to remind myself what a beach looks like. I learned a new thing this week. I have an addiction. Not to drugs, alcohol, or any traditional addictions. No, it's far worse.....It's verbal. I state the obvious! I don't know when it took place but I know the process was built up over the past 2-3 years. It might have started slowly, without notice, and then one day every sentence contained an obvious statement. "It's raining. When we go outside, we need to open our umbrellas." Well, duh! If an umbrella is in someone's hand and it's raining, more than likely that person was alread...

Congratulations to Fritz and Max in their first place finish in the Fantastic Feline contest! We know that LJ is proud of her boys! If you want to see more Fantastic Felines and Top Dogs, go to: http://www.laurelburch.com/events/index.htm

Storm Baseball 

Last night saw my return to Lake Elsinore to watch the single A baseball. It was the Lake Elsinore Storm vs. the Inland Empire 66ers. In the wild world of single A, the Storm won, 6-5, with a hit ratio of 12-7. It was the usual excitement of foul balls, misplays, and one impressive home run. We were entertained by mascots, ate our peanuts and cracker jacks, and enjoyed the evening.

COASTAL AREAS OF CALIFORNIA - OREGON - WASHINGTON - BRITISHCOLUMBIA - AND ALASKA....THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH STATUS IS CANCELED FOR CALIFORNIA - OREGON - WASHINGTON - BRITISH COLUMBIA - AND ALASKA... It's good to know that today's media is so excited for another tsunami, that newscasters managed to panic coastal residents for thousands of miles. My neighbor came rushing out her house to call out "tsunami" in 3 hours! She was ready to evacuate. We could not convice her that while we are near the beach, it is a good mile away, with a major freeway inbetween us and a nice rolling hill. She was still ready to go to higher ground, bathrobe and all. Luckily, the Weather Channel has announced the cancellation of the alert. I guess I can sleep now and not have to worry about being washed away.

I finally felt an earthquake in Carlsbad! The only reason I felt it is because I was so tired this morning that I was still sleeping and when the walls and room started moving around, I couldn't ignore it. It was a short earthquake about 1/2 of a second but at least I didn't miss it this time!

Where is Mondo? I am pretty sure she returned from NYC but it's been awfully quiet on the blog without her! I expected at least a small comment about the infamous subway ride or a brief "Spam!" I am tired today! I did the Yuma run for work a day late and since I refuse to spend the night there on a weekend, I powered the 200 miles out there early this morning and just returned home a few minutes ago. Now I'm about 1000 miles past due on the car's oil change so it's off to Quick Lubes in the morning. What a day! Spam, spam, spam, spam!

Thanks for all the well wishes! Today the universe decided that I should just stay put and do the usual work routine. How very uncooperative of it! On a more fun note - it is now less than 3 weeks from this year's Star Trek cruise! I leave on the 26th for Denmark and the Baltic Blast Cruisetrek!

Who knew that so many people could relate to the fortune cookie story? I'm hoping that my cookie's encouragement will have a happy ending and then I'll be able to tell the tale. All is well but hopefully in the near future, all will be great!

In the last few years, I have had uncanny luck with my fortune cookies. It has been a strange thing but I've had good and bad fortunes and they always seem to apply. Back in January, I was stunned when I opened my cookie and there was no fortune inside. How could such a thing happen? This was not good. But the cookie was wise not to provide false hope at the time because as we all know, shortly after that my world was turned upside-down. What cookie wanted to be the bearer of bad news? Last night I decided to have chinese food for dinner. This was the first time since my missing fortune that I've ventured back. I got my orange chicken and mu-shu chicken and took it home. I hadn't even thought about the cookie but there it was, rolling out of the bag. I ignored my cookie. I ate my food. That little cookie was still there. I broke down and decided to see what the cookie had to say. "Take That Chance You've Been Considering" Hmmmm. The wisdom of the coo...

It's back to work and back to life on the road. Tonight finds me in a hotel in St. George, Utah. Normally, I enjoy being here because it means I'm on my way to go hiking in a National Park. This trip, I'm totally tired and just sitting in my room. I wish the afternoon thunderstorm would arrive so I'd have something to look at. Such is life. I'll power home in the morning and maybe even get to see a movie this weekend.

After getting stuck in a subway door and seeing Spamalot, the rest of the trip doesn't even compare to those adventures. The Yankees/Red Sox game was fun. I experience the full spectrum of Yankees fans and their dedication to the team. The guy behind us was so dedicated that he was kicked out within the first 10 minutes for profanity and when he snuck back in and started hurling insults at the cop, the fan was put in handcuffs and forcibly removed from the park. 16 minutes into the game and he was gone. What a waste of ticket money.

This is the first time I have ever been lucky enough to see a Broadway play with the original cast. Spamalot is not only a spoof of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but a spoof of Broadway musicals too. This is a new treatment for a favorite fan film and I think that most people will love it! Starring in the play are David Hyde Pierce/Sir Robin, Tim Curry/King Arthur, and Hank Azaria/Lancelot. They're all great and have wonderful stage presence. Both Hyde Pierce and Azaria play multiple roles. All of the basics are included. There's Finland, the coconuts, the Knights of Ni, the French Taunter, the Black Knight, and of course, the Killer Bunny! It is a musical and it's filled with old favorites, (the tale of Sir Robin) new songs (mostly Broadway spoofs) and some surprises. The characters are not quite the same as in the movie. They've been updated for this decade and sly politcal satire abounds. Sadly, Sara Ramirez was not in the cast on our day. Ramirez has b...