What's the deal with hotel pillows?

I recently returned from a trip where I stayed in three different hotels over three consecutive nights.  All three hotels had crappy pillows.  This strengthens my theory that all hotels have inadequate pillows for my sleeping needs.  Now I realize that this is just a personal preference as some people might like flat, mushy, unsupportive pillows.  But why do ALL hotels think that ALL people like the same type of pillow?  That's just not considerate.  Hotels should provide a variety of pillow types in each room.  They already put four pillows on each bed, so why not put four pillows of various firmness so guests can sleep more comfortably on a pillow that suits their needs?  I don't want to be that guy who brings his own pillow when he travels, but these hotels are leaving me no choice.  I know there has to be some of you out there who feel the same way I do.  If so, join the fight for pillow equality.  No more sleepless hotel nights because of pillow inadequacy.

What defines a Christmas movie?

Every year at this time I get into the debate about what defines a Christmas movie.  I have always said that Die Hard is a Christmas movie, but very few people agree with me.  So let's examine this more closely.

First, for a movie to be considered a Christmas movie, it has to take place during the holiday season.  Die Hard takes place on Christmas Eve.  Check.

Second, many Christmas movies include a staple of the holiday season, Santa Claus.  Die Hard doesn't have an appearance by Saint Nick, but many other holiday classics don't either.  Christmas Vacation has no Santa.  White Christmas, no Santa.  A Christmas Carol, also no Santa.  And those three movies are three of the most popular holiday movies of all time.  So, the inclusion of Santa is not necessary to be considered a Christmas movie.  Therefore, Die Hard is still in the running.

Third, there needs to be classic holiday music of some sort.  Die Hard includes the Christmas classic, "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC.  Plus the movie ends with a rendition of "Let it Snow".  Another check for Die Hard as a holiday classic.

Next, most holiday movies teach some sort of lesson or moral or give advice of some sort.  A Christmas Carol teaches to not be so greedy and Scrooge-like.  It's a Wonderful Life shows the importance of each person in the larger world.  Home Alone stresses the importance of family.  Now I know what you're thinking: what lesson could Die Hard possibly teach?  Well first, Die Hard gives the excellent advice that making fists with your toes helps relieve apprehension about flying.  That's good to know.  Second, it shows that being the right guy in the right place at the wrong time can lead to heroism.  Or maybe it's the wrong place at the right time.  Or wrong place at the wrong time.  Oh, you get the point.  The bottom line is that there is a valuable lesson to take away from Die Hard.  Another check for inclusion in the holiday canon.

Finally, Christmas movies always have a happy ending.  What happier ending could there be than a terrorist plummeting to his death from a skyscraper, hostages being saved, and a man and his wife rediscovering their love for one another?  And Die Hard wins again.

So, anyone who argues that Die Hard is not in fact a Christmas movie need only look at the evidence.  And with that I say, "Merry Christmas and Yipee Ki Yay!"

Thoughts on Time Travel

I was watching Terminator: Salvation this weekend and it got me thinking about some time travel issues that might arise as a result of Skynet's mission to kill John Connor.  Basically, Skynet has tried to kill John Connor on multiple occasions during various stages of his life.  In the first Terminator, they actually tried to kill his mother, Sarah, to prevent him from being born.  This led to John sending Kyle Reese back in time to protect his mom, which actually resulted in his conception, since Kyle Reese ended up being his father.  Another result of this original time travel venture was the Terminator that was sent back by Skynet.  At the end of the film, Cyberdine Systems ends up with the Terminator arm and microchip, which leads them to develop the technology that would become Skynet.  Therefore, it is imperative that John Connor of the future be allowed to send Kyle Reese to the past forcing Skynet to send the Terminator after it.  If that doesn't happen then Skynet may never exist.  So the attempts to kill John Connor at later times in his life could in fact be destroying Skynet's entire existence.  Unless of course, the sentiment that was introduced in Terminator 3 was to be believed, that you can't change the future, you can only postpone.  By that theory, Skynet would eventually be created and the discovery of the arm and microchip only hastened that creation.

Or you could subscribe to the Back to the Future theory of alternate futures.  If you remember from Back to the Future II, old Biff went back to the past to give young Biff the Sports Almanac causing an alternate future to be created in which Biff is rich and murders George McFly.  In this alternate future old Biff would not have traveled back to 1955 to give young Biff the almanac creating the question of how this future could ever exist if that event never happens.  The same could be said about Connor sending Reese to the past leading to Skynet's creation.  If Connor is killed before this happens, how does Skynet get created?  But if an alternate future is created with Connor's death after Reese has been sent to the past, then that has already happened.  It's enough to make your head spin.

If you're still confused after reading this, I apologize, but I'm convinced that there is no clear way to explain this.  If anybody else has thoughts, please share.  Until then, be wary of time travel, for you may end up in an alternate future.

Sometimes it's ok to cry

This is actually a post I thought about writing last week after a lunchtime discussion at work, but I'm just getting to it now.  The conversation centered around E.T. and how some of us always cry at the end.  Then we started talking about other movies that make us cry.  Obviously, the men and women were on vastly different spectrums.  So I thought I would post about the movies that always make me cry and give reasons why it's ok.

First, the movie that started the discussion, E.T.  I lose it every time E.T. looks at Elliot at the end, and says, "I'll be right here."  It's so sad because Elliot is losing the best friend he ever had.  But at the same time, E.T. is assuring Elliot that he will always remember E.T.  It is such a powerful scene and one that I think most of us can relate to.  Most of us have had to say goodbye to someone or something we love, so we know how hard that is.  Also, we've all been a kid and have probably been so attached to something that we don't want to let it go.  This scene is the heart of what makes this movie so great, and why I can watch it over and over again and still get emotional at the end.

Next up is Field of Dreams.  I know what you're thinking, "Why the heck would Field of Dreams make you cry?"  Well, at the end of this movie Ray Kinsella meets his dad, as a ghost of course.  Earlier in the movie we hear that Ray regrets the final conversation he had with his dad, and also that he refused to play catch with his dad.  Now he has a chance to make up for it.  And how does he choose to do it?  By asking his dad to play catch, of course.  Any boy who has ever played catch with his dad knows how powerful this moment is.  I can probably speak for the majority of men who most likely want to go play catch with their dad after seeing this movie.  It gets me every time and the tears start flowing.

Third, we have Backdraft.  This one doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, but it still gets me every time.  At the end of the movie, during the warehouse fire, Bull (Kurt Russel) is trying to save Axe (Scott Glenn) as they dangle perilously from a rafter.  Axe, who has been responsible for setting the fires throughout the movie, says, "Let me go, Bull."  To this Bull utters, "You go, we go," which is the signature phrase of their firehouse.  This simple phrase shows that Bull cares more about saving Axe's life than punishing him for what he has done.  Ultimately, Axe falls to his death and Bull is rescued by his brother.  I have no life connection to this movie, it just pulls at my heartstrings.

Finally, I present you with Finding Neverland.  For those who might not be aware, this movie is about how J.M. Barrie found the inspiration to write Peter Pan.  Johnny Depp plays Barrie (a little treat for the ladies) who starts spending time with Kate Winslet's character and her family, who become the inspiration for the book, or play.  Throughout the movie we see that she is very sick, and most likely dying.  When the play premieres, she is too ill to attend.  So Barrie brings the play to her and presents a stripped down version in her house so she can see how her children became immortalized.  It is such a sweet moment orchestrated by a person (Barrie) who cares very deeply for her and her family.  I love how Winslet so wonderfully portrays the surprise and delight of seeing the play for the first time.  Bring on the waterworks.

So, as you can see, sometimes it's ok to cry.  I hope you enjoyed my list.  Feel free to share your own in the comments.

Top 10 Obscure Halloween Costumes that I Dream of Pulling Off

As Halloween approaches there is a lot of talk about costumes.  Many people try to come up with creative costumes to show off to their friends.  I'm no different.  I am always thinking of clever costumes that others have most likely never seen before.  Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not.  Past costumes of mine have ranged from Jack Nicholson to Nemo to Flavor Flav (before Flavor of Love).  But there are some costumes that I haven't pulled off yet.  Here is my top ten:

10. Denver, the last dinosaur - a cartoon classic from the late 80s/early 90s, he's your friend and a whole lot more

9. The Great Pumpkin, or Charlie Brown's ghost costume - Since no one actually knows what the Great Pumpkin looks like, that might be hard to pull off, but the Charlie Brown ghost would be easy to pull off.

8. Madame Leota from Disneyland's Haunted Mansion - because I think it would be cool

7. Norm from Cheers, complete with bar and stool; although, most people would say I'm more like Cliff, either one would do

6. Mark Twain - I'm sure it's been done before, but how often have you seen it?

5. Tron - this one is probably less obscure now that the new movie came out, but I still think it would be cool.

4. One of the Gummi Bears, the cartoon version, not the candy - bouncing here and there and everywhere

3. Secret Squirrel - Enough said

2. The DNA guy from Jurassic Park

And, finally, the cream of the crop, the holy grail of Halloween costumes, at least in my opinion.
1. Grape Ape - yes, that's right, Grape Ape is my number one

 As you can tell I'm a big fan of cartoon characters.  They just seem to make great costume ideas.  And I left other classics such as Huckleberry Hound and Quick Draw McGraw off this list.  But hopefully I've inspired you to search for your own obscure costumes for future reference.  Happy Halloween!

55 Word Story

Have you ever tried to write a 55 word story?  It's harder than it may seem.  Here's what I came up with tonight.

The bobble head sat on the shelf nodding silently.  He could see the sailboat on the opposite shelf.  As he went to take his first step to freedom and a life at sea, he was suddenly stopped.  Alas, his legs would not move.  He could only nod.

Yea, I sing in the grocery store. So what?

For those who know me, you know I'm not against busting out in song just about anywhere I go.  And those who have worked camps with me know that sometimes I just make up songs to sing.  It's part of what makes me unique.  And it's how I try to make life more fun.  I realize that I don't have the best singing voice in the world, but that doesn't stop me.  I get songs stuck in my head and the only way for them to get out is for me to sing.  I may be in my car, I may be in the shower, I may be in the grocery store, it doesn't matter.  I'm singing.  Yet, for some reason, people seem to think this is odd behavior.  I get weird looks from people all the time when I sing in public.  Now, I'm not belting out songs at the top of my lungs, mostly it's just softly under my breath (except in my car, of course).  But people seem to find this odd.  Am I bothering them?  Am I ruining their shopping experience with my dulcet tones?  Really I'm just trying to make my experience more enjoyable.  And none of my campers have ever complained about my singing.  Well, they haven't complained a lot.  Perhaps I'm the only one who does this.  Maybe others keep their singing prowess to themselves.  If that's the case, I challenge you all to let loose, have fun, and sing a little throughout the day.  It's fun, trust me.  Don't confine yourselves to karaoke nights.  Let your inner Whitney Houston out.  And if people give you weird looks, just look at them and say, "Try it, it's fun."