BITS-N-PIECES

If anyone went and voted for my friend Travis' group to get that grant (see THIS POST ) well I want to thank you for doing so.  And further, I wanted to let you know that his group did in fact get enough votes so they succeeded in getting the grant!

So I'm sure Travis, and everyone involved with his group, thanks you as well!
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Finished up the West Wing last week.  Watched the entire 7 seasons in a little over a month.  This was the third time I had seen the entire thine (having watched each episode as it aired and then watching the entire seven seasons back in August of 2008).  And it still stands up even 15 years after it's first episode premiered.  It's simply one of the best drama I've ever watched.

Oh it has it's problems, sure, especially after Aaron Sorkin left at the end of Season 4.  Season 5 was actually a big stinker.  But by and large, it's an amazing show.  I teared up again, at the last couple episodes of the last season.

And I'm still amazed at how prophetic is was especially in the election in the last season which aired in 2006: it pitted a younger, somewhat inexperienced man of minority (Matt Santos) status running against an older, moderate Senator from the south west who had been in Washington DC forever (Arnie Vinnick).  Santos chose as his VP an older experienced man of the party who had been in DC forever and Vinnick chose a governor of a small state who appealed to the Republican base.  Sounds amazingly like the 2008 presidential election.

But still I can't say enough what a great show it is.  I'm looking forward to watching it again, but I want to wait another 5 years or so.  This time around, I remembered big events, but had forgotten a lot of the smaller stuff, and that's some of the best stuff of the series.
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Last night, A Local Celebrity, Mr. David ParisPeking and I went to see a movie.  And in contract to the sheer awesomeness of The West Wing, Thor: The Dark World was...well simply put, horrid.

There was no character development.  Little plot.  Just a lot of scenes of 'action' and 'explosions' and destruction.  And even people who appeared in it like Hannibal Lector, Darth Vader's wife, the 9th Doctor, the Borg Queen and Captain America could save it. And a nice slow shot of Thor's smooth muscley torso, while quite pleasing to the eye, couldn't save the movie either.  But why in Odin's name, were the mythological Norse gods using laser guns, and grenades and shit?  Come on, why not just have some god there throwing magic laser beams or something?  Stupid.

The best part?  The first extra scene shown during the credits with the Collector getting an Infinity Gem.  I'm pretty sure I literally squeed.  I know I smacked ALCMDPP on the shoulder, even though he had no idea what I was talking about.  Marvel's doing this foreshadowing stuff so well, I'm honestly impressed.
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Oh and the trailers shown before the Thor debacle werent too bad either.  I got my first look at the next X-men flick coming out next year.

(this is comic book cover from the storyline that the movie based on.  One the best storylines from entire X-Men comic book run)

Looks actually pretty darn good.  Except that they're sending Wolverine back into the past instead of Kitty Pryde like they did in the comics.  That kinda  pisses me off, but I'm not surprised.  I mean with Marvel EVERYTHING'S got to be about Wolverine.  I'm just glad they've not titled it "Wolverine: Days Of Future Past!  guest starring the rest of the X-Men"  But just wait, give them time...
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So, last Saturday, I got the treadmill delivered.  I used it Sunday.  Then Monday and Tuesday, I took to actual walks, outside.  Wednesday I did nothing.  Thursday, after work, I got my cut and color.  I was telling my stylist Linda, about all this, and I told her my plan was once I got done with her, when I got home, before I got a shower (to wash all the little hairs away), I'd take a half hour walk on the treadmill.  Yep, that's what was gonna happen, that was "The Plan".

Unfortunately, mom didn't know about "The Plan".  While I was still at the stylists, she called and asked if I was doing anything for supper, cause she needed to take her sewing machine up to Chambersburg, and wanted to know if I wanted to go along.  And if I did, then we could eat at Rosalie's.  And really, who am I to say no to Mama Polt.  So instead of walking on the treadmill for a half hour, I came home, showered, and then rode to Chambersburg where i stuffed myself on hot homemade bread and a huge amount of pasta.  *SIGH*  Like that's not the polar opposite of my original intent.
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However, Friday, upon getting home, I jumped on the treadmill right away.  For a half hour.  I had the speed up to 3.6 MPH.  I used the incline, increasing it and decreasing it periodically between 0 and 2.5.  I ended up walking 100 vertical feet too!  I had my iPod playing and I was singing my lungs out, arms pumping to keep up with the speed.  Yeah it was a blast!

But afterwards..the left side of the back of my neck was all sore.  Tight and painful.  That shows how out of shape I am: I injure my neck while walking on a treadmill. :(  I guess I'll have to be more careful next time in how I'm holding my head or in how I'm throwing my arms around while singing "I Will Survive" (shut up, dont judge).
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And of course I have to finish this with The Obligatory Bits-N-Pieces Eye Candy!

POLT