Clothes:
Talleyrand Tan reversible smoking jacket (m) - $185 (I’ve been wanting a smoking jacket for a while, and this being reversible to a casual blazer is pretty cool)
Calvin Klein Three-Button Tan Corded Micro-Suede Blazer (40R) - $179.99 (a classic in a color I don’t have yet)
10-lot Eterno Italy Men’s Italian Dress Shirt & Tie Sets - Neck Size 14.5 - $99.99 (an amazing deal… 10 dress shirts, 10 ties, and 10 tie clips)
Old School Conservative tshirt (m) - $17.95 (Quite appropriate for ‘08)
Obey gravity, It’s the law! tshirt (m) - $14.95 (Well, it is the law!)

Electronics:
Asus Eee PC 4G - $399.99 (This little laptop is awesome; I am considering liquidating a computer or two to purchase it)
Sling Media Slingbox SOLO - $179.99 (pure awesomeness… TV on the road)
Western Digital Elements WDE1U5000N 500GB 7200 RPM USB 2.0 External Hard Drive - $117.99 (I always can use hard drive space)
Intel Pentium 4 2.8 Northwood 2.8GHz 478 Processor - $76.99 (an upgrade to my media center pc)

Toys: (Yes, I like toys)
Settlers of Catan Treasure Chest Set - $309.99 (Only if you win the pick 6 before Christmas)
Power Grid Board Game - $35.95 (Haven’t tried this one yet; it’s well reviewed)
Ticket to Ride Board Game - $25.74 (Likewise; this one is a new game for me)
Apples to Apples Crate Edition - $23.95 (A smart party game)
Carcassone: Abbey and Mayors Expansion - $11.95 (I own every other expansion to Carcassone… except this one: It comes out later this month)
Waboba - 6 euros (aprox. $9) (OK, so this would have to be imported, and wouldn’t get much use… but, it is really cool)

The Asus Eee PC is a small form laptop running a custom linux disto (it is Windows compatible) selling for $399. Weighing in at a minuscule 2 lbs, it sports a blazing fast 900 mhz Intel Processor (OK, so its not blazing), 512 mb ram, a 4 gb solid state hard drive, and a 7″ 800 by 480 display.

OK, so the specs aren’t terribly exciting… I was running a 900 mhz PC five years ago… but it fills the rare combination of a very portable device, and the open structure of a PC. This has the potential of being the perfect little computer for playing on the internet, keeping tabs on e-mail, and enjoying media on the go. Considering it goes for the price of an iPod touch, and has so much more capability, I think it would be an excellent tool for any hobbyist who wants an ultra mobile PC.

Asus Eee PC (Asus)

I watched Blade Runner on DVD at home yesterday evening. It was the first time I had ever seen the film, and I had no spoiler information.

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott depicting semi-retired blade runner Deckard (Harrison Ford) taking on the assignment to kill four escaped replicants (artificial human-like machines).

I was expecting to see a top science fiction film, something that potentially inspired the Matrix. Instead, I was treated to the slowest movie I’ve ever seen. Despite all the depth fans of this film claim it has, it completely escaped me. Here’s what I got out of it:

1) Drecker has been dragged into service for one last mission
2) Drecker kills some robots whom demonstrate various levels of human likeness
3) Drecker falls in love with one robot whom initially didn’t realize she was in fact a robot. It didn’t hurt that she was hot.
4) Drecker finishes the mission, and runs off with his new fugitive love machine.

The one thing I did enjoy was the depiction of 2019 Los Angeles.  Considering it is a mere 11+ years away, I can already tell there is some serious errors.  Between the flying cars, the off world colonization that is so vast it leaves LA into a wasteland, and the austere nature of the world depicted, it was by far the most interesting part of the film.

This is the first film that I’ve watched in the top 100 that I’ve been disappointed in, and I question its inclusion in the list. I give it a 1 1/2 out of 5.

1) Patriots - Colts lived up to it’s billing, and the Patriots look awfully tough to stop. Still, I doubt they’ll go 16-0. The NFL has far too much parity, that I won’t be surprised if a team like Buffalo or Baltimore upsets them. As for the Super Bowl, they are the clear favorite to win through the first half of the season.

2) Seahawks - Browns: Who’s calling the plays for Seattle? The Hawks could use a significant offensive shakeup, as they are trying a lot of things that aren’t working. They opened a play with a pass to their under performing running back with a cast on his wrist. Let me repeat that for those who missed it… they started the game with a pass to someone with a cast on. *shakes head* Thankfully for the Hawks, they play in the NFC Worst.

3) Sonics File to Move: Anyone who didn’t see this coming when the current ownership group bought the team a couple of years ago is blind. I say good riddance… we’ll have more college basketball on the tube.

Monday - Random Topic of the Weekend

Tuesday - Sports

Wednesday - Technology

Thursday - What’s Hot

Friday - Beer

This isn’t set in stone, but should provide a good guide to narrow the discussion. Now… to start writing regularly.

I watched Yankee Doodle Dandy on DVD at home Sunday evening. It was the first time I had ever seen the film, and I had no spoiler information.

Yankee Doodle Dandy is a biographical musical surrounding the life and works of George M. Cohan (James Cagney). Because the works of Cohan have strong patriotic themes (”Yankee Doodle Boy”, “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Over There”), the movie carried a strong patriotic theme as well. Clearly this would have been an uplifting film when it was released the summer after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I don’t typically enjoy musicals, but I will happily make an exception for Yankee Doodle Dandy. There were several points where I found myself laughing, and I was engaged in the film through its entirity. I even have had several of the songs from the film stuck in my head the last few days. It certainly belongs on the list, and if it is any indication, I’m in for a treat as I begin my journey through the top 100. I give it a 4 out of 5.

I saw Psycho at the Admiral Theater, on Friday, as part of their classic film series.  It was a fantastic atmosphere for catching the film, and while it didn’t use the original reel (opting for a DVD projection), sitting in the balcony with fresh popped popcorn and an adult beverage certainly added to the experience.  It was the first time I’d seen this film, and I went into it with no spoiler information.

Psycho is the 1960 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, which centers around Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), a young woman who embezzles from her employer and while on the run stays at a quiet off highway motel and interacts with its lonely owner Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins).  It’s famous for the very abrupt Shower Scene, when the movie quickly turns from a story about a girl on the run to a story about a maniac serial killer.

I enjoyed the film and found it quite deserving of its place in the top 100.  Expecting to see a horror film, I was quite pleased that Psycho is much more intelligent and suspenseful then just the slasher films it may have inadvertently spawned.  I’d give it a 4 out of 5.