Tag Archives: DSL

Dinner with Andy and Rondi

Last night Allison and I went to visit our friends Andy and Rondi at their new house. It’s a great ranch and they’ve already done so much work to it. Andy took us on the tour of the house which includes a great huge basement. I have basement envy at the moment. It’s much worse than the table envy that Andy has.

Speaking of the table that is where I am writing this post from, the new lift top table, (see yesterday’s Photo-A-Day.) because for some reason I cannot get onto Verizon this morning. I am going to check that soon because I have a feeling that because I called the other day to see if I could cancel my DSL service (so I could get on my family’s wireless network) they canceled the service even though I went back and forth with the guy about the $99.00 cancellation fee (I got into a year long contract before my dad got ComCast and we set up the wireless network. I was into the contract for 34 days, 4 days more than when I could have canceled for free.). So I don’t know what is wrong with Verizon but it would be my luck that they canceled it on me even though I told them not too.

Back to last night. Allison and I went to Andy and Rondi’s for dinner and games. Dinner was great with a salad with crasins, walnuts and feta, and mashed potatoes and BBQ chicken. Mr. Tubb’s BBQ sauce apparently is under pressure because it exploded on my hand when I opened it, but its tasty stuff because his life is in it. What a weird tagline for a BBQ sauce. When you are in the grocery store sometimes pick up some Mr. Tubb’s BBQ sauce and read it, but be careful contents are under pressure.

After dinner we played Catch Phrase or rather Smack it (what Allison calls it.). The guys won that one, and then we played Taboo, and the ladies were the winners there. We ended up talking to about 11:45 and then made our way home. We had a great night hanging out with Andy and Rondi and were the first people to see the fireplace get used in that house, ever. And it was just cool enough last night that a fire made things very toasty and cozy. Congratulations on the new house guys, we look forward to spending more time with you guys soon.

Got some pictures too. You see Andy reads the blog almost as often as I post so of course there are gonna be pictures.

Grilling like manly men.

The final scores of Taboo. Rondi said many times, that’s gonna be on the blog, and well this thing did make it onto the blog. 🙂

Birthday Day

Today after my ride, Allison and I headed to Framingham to the Premium Cinemas to go and see Sahara. First impressions: The movie was a great action movie, so much good about it. Characters: Admiral Sandecker, William H. Macy did a good job as Sandecker however Sandecker dyes his beard to keep any grey out of it. Macy’s beard was grey. He did have the trademark cigars however and that is important. I don’t think the movie Sandecker was tenacious enough, but he did still get the job done.

Rudi Gunn: Okay you got the glasses right but Rainn Wilson is a bit too pudgy to be playing Gunn who is a skinny little pencil pusher on the outside but a tough former Navy guy when pushed. Gunn seemed confused when with Pitt and Giordino but then again most everyone is. They are a tight pair. However his scientific knowledge was shown very well.

Giordino, Okay I had my doubts about Steve Zahn as Al Giordino, he was awesome, but he wasn’t the Giordino that I have come to know in the Dirk Pitt Series. But that was not necessarily a bad thing. Zahn made Giordino come alive but a different Giordino. And that was okay. Zahn provided much of the movies humor and Gunn provided the rest but playing the straight man to the manic Zahn and the ever confident Pitt.

Dirk Pitt, Matthew McConaughy was fantastic as Pitt. They got the look down and the mannerisms and the eyes they got the eyes right. Dirk Pitt’s eyes are a huge part of the books, whether they are soulful or dangerous and of course Opaline green. McConaughy played the ever confident and never rattled Pitt so very well, it made me believe that he stepped off the pages of the book.

The story: The story was a big deviation from the book but it was a great story in itself. It is impossible to pack every character and plot twist from a Cussler novel into a mere 2 hours and 7 minutes, but the adaptation of the book to movie was done very well. It had many of elements that make a Dirk Pitt novel so great. Multiple plot lines and many characters, lots of actions and impossible odds. That is was makes Pitt such a great character, he always goes for the impossible. One thing I didn’t particularly like was a transition that was all too quick and that had to do with the land yacht. The chemistry: I think the only character who was really wooden was Penelope Cruz, she’s the poor man’s Catherine Zeta Jones or Selma Hayek. Although I think that Selma Hayek and Penelope Cruz would have been interchangeable in this role. But oh well. The core four, Sandecker, Gunn, Giordino and Pitt had great chemistry, they had the bickering and bantering down pat. The scenes with Pitt and Giordino were great, it really felt like they were friends from back when they were in kindergarten. That was one of the great things about the movie. And there were lots and lots of explosions, but the way the explosions happened were like nothing I’ve seen before in movies. The Soundtrack: Seventies rock and roll, you can’t beat that, it was a great choice for the feel of the movie. I would certainly see this movie again and will definitely see it again when it comes to the Route One Cinema Pub, Dad and I are going to see it then.

The location: The Framingham Premium Cinemas as always was great, we got a plate of appetizers and all the popcorn and soda that we wanted.

After the movie we went to Jordan’s furniture to look for a lift top coffee table. They didn’t have a good selection so we went to Bob’s Discount furniture and found one that we liked and bought it. It should be delivered on Friday. No more sitting on the floor for dinner. We then headed home and went to Cardi’s Furniture to see if any of the tables were better but didn’t find one. And then we went to the Memphis Roadhouse for a rib dinner. It was really cold there but luckily they shut off the overzealous fan just as we left, one hour after we asked the fan to be turned down. Way to be on top of things.

When I got home Tara and I set up the wireless Router so that she and Erik could have Internet Access and so could Mom and Dad. I’m actually writing this entry on my laptop wirelessly. Too bad that Allison and I are locked into a year long contract with Verizon for DSL. Oh well, live and learn.