My Love for the Jurassic Park Franchise

When I was a kid I had a love for all things dinosaur.  I had countless dinosaur books, watched any show containing dinosaurs (Denver the Last Dinosaur was my favorite), and loved going to museums to see fossils.  As an adult, pretty much nothing has changed.  I still love anything and everything dinosaur-related.  And that is why I am super excited for Jurassic World to come to theaters next year.

When the first Jurassic Park movie came out in 1993 I was 11.  I knew it wasn't a friendly dinosaur movie like many of the cartoons and TV shows I was used to, but it still had dinosaurs so I was sold.  Unfortunately, my parents didn't want me to see it because of the violence.  That didn't stop me, though.  I snuck into the theater to see it.  I actually had to sneak in twice because the first time I tried to sneak into a sold out show and they were checking ticket stubs inside.  But when I finally saw it, I was in love.  The first time the dinosaurs appear on screen is awe inspiring and magical.  This was the first time anybody had seen such realistic looking dinosaurs on screen.  Not to mention the suspense created in the T-Rex and kitchen scenes.  I was instantly hooked for life.

The Lost World was released four years later, and I didn't have to sneak into this one.  I went opening weekend, eager to see the continuation of the Jurassic Park saga.  While not nearly as good as the original it was still an entertaining film, and the dinosaurs still look amazing.  If not for the scenes in San Diego at the end, it would be even better.

In the summer of 2000 I decided to pursue a part time job at Universal Studios.  When I was hired they asked me what ride I wanted to work at.  I immediately said Jurassic Park.  It was like a dream come true.  I could ride the ride whenever I wanted, I got to dress like Dr. Grant, and I got to talk about dinosaurs all day long.  Most people just wanted to know where the T-Rex was.  But I did pretend that I had a pet dinosaur named Charlie who lived in the bushes by the unload station.  If anybody asked to stay on to ride again I told them they could if they got Charlie to come out.  It did get a little annoying having to hear the narration on the video monitors in the line queue all day long, but hearing the theme music never got old.  It is one of the best themes in movie history, and I never tire of hearing it.  Also, for the rest of my life I can tell people I worked at Jurassic Park.

While working at Universal the first instances of promotion for Jurassic Park III started showing up.  There were teaser posters plastered throughout the park.  Again, I was really excited for another Jurassic Park movie!  And while walking the backlot one day I swear I walked by a soundstage where they were filming the movie.  I wasn't able to confirm it, but I believe it to this day.  The following summer I was first in line again to see the movie.  In fact, a couple months before the movie, my friend and I paid for another movie just so we could see the trailer for Jurassic Park III.  Remember, this was before you could find everything on the Internet.  But while the movie itself wasn't nearly as good as the first two, I wasn't disappointed.  This one had pterodactyls!  And it was still exciting and fun.

I know the science isn't right with these movies, but that doesn't bother me.  They're still about dinosaurs.  They still make me feel like a little kid again when I was reading my books and looking at fossils in museums.  I still watch them whenever they are on TV and still tense up at the exciting parts even though I know what is going to happen.

So when it was announced that a fourth movie was actually going to happen I was excited.  I want to see what happens as Ingen keeps trying to open the park.  I know something will go terribly wrong, but since it involves dinosaurs, I'm all for it.  Whether they make or movie about it or not, I will still dream about it, so this just makes it easier for me.  When the trailer was released earlier this week, I was more excited for that than the Star Wars trailer.  While Star Wars will always be my favorite, there is so much mythology and nostalgia surrounding that franchise that part of me is afraid they will screw it up.  I was content knowing there would never be another Star Wars movie, but I always wished for more Jurassic Park movies.  They can't screw those up.  They are what they are, and what they are is awesome!  And now I get another one and it looks amazing!  I can't wait for June!

Sweet November!

Every year on November 1 my best friend and I text each other, "Sweet November!"  It is the most inside of all inside jokes I have with anybody.  What does it mean?  Nothing.  Why do we do it?  Because it's Sweet November!  How did it start?  Well, it started because of a bad Keanu Reeves movie named, you guessed it, Sweet November.  We liked the title so much that it instantly turned into a joke.  And 13 years later, the joke is still going.  And it still makes me laugh.  I've tried to explain it to other people, but they just don't get it.  Frankly, neither do I sometimes, and that's why I love it.  It's quirky things like this which pretty much define our friendship, and I felt like it was something fun to share today.  Feel free to share any fun inside jokes you have with your friends as well.

Stranded on a Deserted Island: 5 Albums to Take

If you were stranded on a deserted island, what five albums would you want with you to listen to?  I started thinking about this topic a while back, and I still don't know if I'm satisfied with my answers.  But I'm rolling with it anyway.  I'm not sure what got me thinking about this, but I did.  And as I was thinking about it, I decided to put some restrictions on the answers to really make it difficult and make you think.  So the major restriction is that you cannot select compilation albums.  This means no greatest hits collections, no best of genre albums, no Now! discs.  And why only five, you may ask?  Because if I said ten, that would make it easier.  Five really makes you think about what you would want to listen to.

While I was thinking about my five albums, I tried to pick a variety of genres.  I like everything from hip hop to doo wop to R&B to Motown to grunge.  How would I ever pick albums to represent everything I liked?  The answer is I can't.  So I tried to pick albums that I knew I would enjoy the entirety of, while also picking a variety of genres.  In fact, as I'm writing this, I'm still second guessing my picks.  I suppose I should just get it in writing before I take another two months to ponder my answer.  So, here they are, my five albums.

Outkast - Aquemini

This was probably the easiest choice on my list.  Those of you who know me know I'm a huge Outkast fan, so the question really was not if I would choose an Outkast album, but which Outkast album would I choose.  The more I've listened to Outkast recently, the more I realize that Aquemini is their best album.  Although, you really can't go wrong with any Outkast album, but I'm choosing this one because I think it is the most solid top to bottom.

Prince - Purple Rain

Any album with Purple Rain, the song, should get consideration for inclusion.  It's almost heavenly.  The rest of the album is pretty darn good too.  Prince is an amazing musician and this is one of his best albums.  Plus it's a good combination of R&B, funk, and pop.  A nice blend while being stuck on an island.

MC Hammer - Please Hammer Don't Hurt 'Em

Yea, I went there.  I grew up wearing this tape out.  That's right, I had this album on cassette tape.  And I knew every word to every song.  I probably still do.  Plus, I can get some exercise while dancing along to songs on this album.  It's that good.

Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

I almost didn't include this album, but I didn't think it would be appropriate to be stuck on a deserted island and not have any Beach Boys music to listen to.  While I would prefer to have an album with Surfer Girl or Good Vibrations on it, this is their best top to bottom.  Plus it's a nice change of pace from what I have so far.

The fifth album is where it got really tricky.  Did I look for a good doo wop album?  Should I choose a Motown album?  Would another hip hop album be overkill?  So many questions.  But let's break it down.  When looking for a doo wop or Motown album I realized that those groups put out so many albums that most of them contained songs I was unfamiliar with and only one or two hits.  This is where the no compilation rule makes things tough.  So I'm back to picking albums that I enjoy from the first track to the last track.  I considered quite a few different albums, such as Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, Warren G's Regulate, Boyz II Men's II, No Doubt's Tragic Kingdom, and a number of Mariah Carey albums.  As I'm typing this, I'm still having trouble deciding.  But this is what I ultimately settled on.

TLC - CrazySexyCool

Why did I decide on TLC?  Well, I thought it represented a good blend of upbeat and slow songs, plus it's just a really good album.  I thought Snoop or Warren G would have been hip hop overkill, and didn't think I would consistently want to listen to No Doubt, even though the album is good.  So it boiled down to Boyz II Men, Mariah Carey, or TLC.  Boyz II Men was a little too slow overall and Mariah is, well, Mariah, and I couldn't decide on one of her albums.  So I looked closer at TLC and decided this would be an excellent choice.

So that's my list.  I welcome any comments you may have and invite you to try to come up with your own list.

Life Lessons From Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium

I was flipping through the channels tonight and stumbled across Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium.  I absolutely love this movie!  It is full of wonderful, positive messages.  Now, I know what you're thinking, that I only like this movie because Natalie Portman is in it.  But that just adds to my love!  Every time I watch this movie I feel good and I feel inspired.  But that feeling rarely lasts, so I'm hoping that maybe if I write about the lessons learned from the movie, I will actually listen.

"Your life is an occasion.  Rise to it."
There is perhaps no greater message in this movie than this.  If we all just listened to this and rose to the occasion imagine how wonderful the world would be.  Imagine how great we would feel!  I keep waiting for my moment to come, but perhaps my moment is here and I just need to rise to the occasion and grab it.  I need to stop making excuses and just go for it.  And I'm sure many of you could use the same advice.

"37 seconds well used is a lifetime."
Why waste any time we have on this planet?  Use every last second to the best of our ability.  I know that's easier said than done, but even time spent deep in thought is time well spent.  Think about that.


Don't be a "just guy"
You know the type of person I'm talking about.  The one who thinks those are 'just' clouds, or that is 'just' a room full of chairs.  They can't see past what something actually is to see what could be there.  I actually think I do a pretty good job of avoiding this, but I feel like too many people around me try to turn me into a 'just guy'.  Try to imagine how much more fun the world could be if you looked past what 'just' is.  I don't have a clip for this, but here is the dialogue.

Molly Mahoney: i knew it. As soon as I saw that suit.

Henry Weston: Knew what?

Molly Mahoney: You're a 'just' guy.

Henry Weston: What's a 'just' guy?

Molly Mahoney: A guy just like you. Same hair, same suit, same shoes, walks around, no matter what, you think it's all just a store, it's just a bench, it's just a tree. It's just what it is, nothing more!

Henry Weston: Alright but, but this

[looks over his shoulder]

Henry Weston: is just a store.

Molly Mahoney: I'm sure to you... it is.

"You have to give people a chance"

This is one that I really have to work on.  Much like Eric in the movie I assume people think I'm weird and don't want to play with me.  I have a hard time making friends.  Perhaps I should take the advice from the movie and give people a chance.  It starts by saying hi.  Again, I couldn't find a clip, or a good transcript of the dialogue, but here's what I found.

Sweetheart, did you spend
the whole day at the store?

I did lots of stuff.

Like what?
  
I built a sculpture,
I got 20,000 paddles
on a paddleball...
and I figured out
how to win at solitaire
every time without cheating.
  
Eric, those are all things
you do by yourself.
  
There were...
people... around.
  
We agreed you could come
back from camp early
if you made an effort
to make some friends.
  
It's not my fault
people don't like me.
  
People love you- once they
get the chance to know you.
  
No, they don't.
They think I'm weird.
  
Because you build sculptures
by yourself.
  
Because nobody wants
to play with me.
  
Have you asked anyone
to play with you?
  
Not really.
  
Well, Eric, you have
to give people a chance.
  
I know what'll happen.
  
You don't, sweetheart.
Trust me, people are
always full of surprises.
Just...
just pick someone.
Anyone. Pick someone
you don't know,
and try to make friends with them.
See what happens.
  
I don't even know how to start.
  
Easy.
Start by saying hi.

"I'm Stuck"

This is totally how I feel right now.  I'm stuck.  But maybe I need to stop thinking about being stuck, and start thinking about how I can stun the world!

Molly Mahoney: I'm stuck!

Mr. Edward Magorium: Oh, to my floor?

Molly Mahoney: No, sir.

Mr. Edward Magorium: Then what?

Molly Mahoney: Like a person. You remember when I was a little girl and I could play Rahmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and everyone was talking about my potential?

Mr. Edward Magorium: Mhm.

Molly Mahoney: Well, I am 23 now and everyone's still talking about my potential but if you ask em to play the song I know best... I'll still play Rachmaninov's Second.

Mr. Edward Magorium: May I suggest you stun the world with Molly Mahoney's First?

"What Mahoney needed was the opportunity to prove to herself that she was something more than she believed."

I think this is true of most of us, myself especially.  I need to believe in myself more, and seek out the opportunities to show myself that I am more than I believe myself to be.  Who knows, maybe I can do something magical.

Now I have it in writing, so any time I forget about these things, feel free to remind me to go back and reread this post.  And hopefully this post can inspire you as well.

Goodbye Old Friend

Today we say goodbye to a good friend.  After 36 years of bringing thrills and smiles to the world, Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain is closing.  For anyone who grew up in Southern California, this is a very sad day.  Colossus was a highlight of the park for much of its existence.  When it opened in 1978 it was the tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world.  And even though Magic Mountain kept building faster and taller coasters throughout the park, Colossus remained an imposing presence.  It's a huge coaster and the giant white frame with red trim still stands out among the steel behemoths that litter the park now.  Colossus was always there to greet you in the parking lot when you first arrived, beckoning you to come aboard.  As a kid, there was nothing bigger.  It truly was a Colossus.

For me, Colossus represents an even more significant memory.  It was my first roller coaster.  When I was younger I was really scared of roller coasters.  One year a friend of mine invited me to Magic Mountain for his birthday.  I went even though I didn't want to ride any of the rides.  All day long everybody was trying to convince me to go on a coaster.  Finally, I relented and agreed to try Colossus.  I've been hooked ever since!  Now I love roller coasters, and I owe it all to that first ride on the white, wooden monster.

There's just something magical about Colossus.  You get on and start heading up that first hill and all you hear is the loud clickety clak of the chain pulling you up.  It feels like it takes forever as you keep going up and up.  When you finally reach the top the train slowly inches its way over until gravity takes care of the rest and down you go.  The rest of the ride is full of ups and downs, twists and turns, as the car shakes you side to side.  It is by no means a smooth ride, but that is part of the charm.  You don't mind getting shaken around because that's what makes this ride so much fun.  It's a throwback to the roller coasters of yesterday, just on a bigger scale.  As you get to the end of the ride and you are riding the wave of humpbacks through the middle of the coaster generating lots of airtime, you can't help but smile and laugh.  It's the most wonderful feeling.

During my many trips to Magic Mountain, Colossus was always the ride that I made sure to go on, no matter how long the wait.  No matter how awesome the new coasters were, Colossus always remained my favorite.  It's nostalgic and historic and it was the staple of the park for the longest time.  When I heard the announcement that it was going to close, I was immediately filled with sadness.  I couldn't believe they would actually close such an historic ride.  I'm even more upset that I wasn't able to get out there and ride it one last time.  But for 36 years it has brought endless joy to countless numbers of riders.  So for that I say thank you, and goodbye, old friend.

The Funny Thing About Cell Phones

When cell phones first came out they were rather large, as you can see in the following picture.

Naturally, the size didn't matter that much with these first phones because it was such a novel concept that just having one was cool.  People didn't worry about carrying them around.  So few people had them anyway that having it with you all the time wasn't that important.  But as the technology improved, and demand rose, they started shrinking.

As you can see in the picture above, the phones gradually got smaller, which made carrying them around in your pocket that much easier.  In fact some flip phones were downright tiny.

The biggest selling point for many phones was how small they were.  The status symbol went from having a phone to having the smallest phone.  And then smart phones started popping up.  With the smart phone craze came touch screens and video capability.  Suddenly, small wasn't good anymore because it's hard to watch a video on a small screen.  So now, the bigger the screen the better, which means phones are getting bigger and bigger.  

I think that picture sums up our attitudes over the years better than anything else.  I find it really funny that people are back to carrying around bigger phones just so they can see pictures and videos on a bigger screen.  Personally, I don't want to carry around anything bigger than an iPhone with me.  Even that seems big at times.  But I'm really curious as to how big we might actually get with these things.  I guess only time will tell.

Similarities between Leverage and The A-Team

 

As many of you know I am a huge fan of The A-Team.  In fact, huge may be an understatement.  It is my all time favorite show.  Another of my favorite shows is Leverage.  And every time I watch Leverage, I can't help but think about how it has borrowed some story lines from The A-Team.

Clearly, the premise of both shows is very similar.  They both involve criminals who operate on both sides of the law while trying to help the little people and take down corruption.  One of the signature lines from The A-Team, "I love it when a plan comes together," is often uttered by characters on Leverage.  And there are some episodes that are very similar in nature.  Here is just a brief overview.

Both shows had episodes involving diamond smuggling.  In The A-Team they actually went to South Africa to get involved.  The Leverage team worked the case from the U.S.

Another similar episode involved boxing.  B.A. had to infiltrate an illegal boxing ring in The A-Team, while Eliot had to get in the ring to stop a corrupt fight promoter on Leverage.

Next up we have a mob wedding.  Both groups had to get involved in a mob wedding.  The A-Team had to try to stop the wedding and rescue the bride, while Leverage was trying to con the bride's mob boss father.

Both shows had an episode where a character had to pose as a homeless man as part of the con.

There was an episode of each show where the crew is stuck on a hijacked plane.

The Leverage crew went after a corrupt incumbent mayor, while The A-Team tried to prevent a corrupt incumbent sheriff from getting re-elected.

Both crews went after a corrupt car dealer.

Both shows had an episode involving the music industry and a character posing as a music producer.  In fact, The A-Team got involved with the music industry in a few episodes.

And, finally, both crews had to deal on multiple occasions with a team of their evil opposites.  The Leverage crew actually had to team up with their opposites for one episode.

I'm sure there are many more similarities, and I could go into excruciating detail comparing the two shows, but I won't.  The bottom line is that it's clear that Leverage was inspired by The A-Team, which is probably why I liked it so much.  So if you haven't seen either or both of these shows, I highly recommend them.