I had a sucky day...

This helped.

Summer Escapism

We have a friend in the movie biz down here. Despite the downturn in our economy and the huge unemployment phenomenon, his job is quite secure. In fact, he says he's never been busier. Why? Because when the chips are down, people like to escape. Your house is in foreclosure? What better way to avoid the stress than head to the movies! Lost your job? Grab a 1500 calorie bag of popcorn and enjoy the luxurious air conditioned, plush velvet seating of the multiplex.

So here are my recommendations for this summer's sure-fire hits at the box-office. There's something here for everyone.


Perhaps you are in the mood for a heartwarming romantic comedy...


...Or in the mood for an inspirational drama...




...Or, in the spirit of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Lord of the Rings," perhaps you wish to explore some emotions you are not sure what to make of...


...Maybe you are looking to escape the summer doldrums and head to the theater to be scared out of your mind. What could be scarier than the horror of Julie Andrews?


...If you're looking for a good drama with social commentary and some serious acting chops...


...See some of your favorite actors as you've never seen them before...


...Or, if you're looking for a good monster movie, this one is sure not to disappoint...


Have fun at the movies!

(Some people have WAAAAAY too much time on their hands.)

Another Day at the Office

Rarely do I get a reaction quite like this...
This is CLASSIC!!!


Be sure to watch the remix, too.

Wayne Is Sick...

By Royal Decree

Apparently, King Wayneman thinks I'm slacking. He has decreed that I post something.


"It's been too long since your last post," he says.

"My mom will worry, and call, and leave frantic messages on your phone because you haven't blogged in a while," he says.

"You'll lose your fan base," he says.


Well, the fact of the matter is, I'm tired... and uninspired... and grungy. I have been trapped in an anesthesia rotation, waking up every morning at 5:15 for the past 2 weeks, wearing blue paper bonnets and booties in a room that feels like the arctic circle, putting in I.V.s, and intubating people before they get eye surgery...And then they go to sleep, and I sit there watching monitors go "beep. beep. beep." and hope that they don't stop their incessant beeping, because then things are going to get exciting, which is NOT what you want during anesthesia. It's all for the sake of learning, folks. But let's just say, I'm very happy I chose dentistry instead of medicine (and more specifically: anesthesiology).

So "fan base," pardon my lack of enthusiasm. I still have two more weeks of this ahead of me, and I feel like doing an angry dance!


Wouldn't it be great to be that cool? As it is, I would look a lot more like this guy, but wearing scrubs, a blue bonnet, and paper booties.

What are the Chances?

Let's talk probability here...

What are the chances that Jack Bauer of Fox TV's "24" fame would EVER be able to save the world? It's one of my favorite shows, and I'm sure I'll get sucked in for another nail biting seventh season, but I have some problems swallowing a few of the logistical details involved in a show that is supposed to kick terrorist butt in real time.

Seasons 1-6 have a cadence that typically plays out like this. Bear in mind, every character is shouting these lines:

"Jack! You are so rogue! Thank you for saving our bureaucratic butts again by doing something so NOT by the book!"

"Agent Sharp! THERE'S NO TIME! It's 5:00 pm and I have to get to the Port of Los Angeles from our downtown headquarters by 5:22 or a nuke-u-lar bomb is going to explode in one of the 20,000 containers being stored there! I'll take the SUV, while you head to Beverly Hills in the chopper to protect the President from the assassin that is plotting to take him out at the gala this evening! Hurry! You only have five minutes!"

[End scene with a *beep* *boop* *beep* and the layout of various vantage points of relevant characters would include a shot of the president in his tuxedo at the gala in one box, somebody sinister checking out the site on his sniper rifle in another box, Jack Bauer rushing into a black armored vehicle, and somebody arabic-looking shutting a massive shipping container holding a nuclear war head with 22 minutes on the clock.]

...And then there would be a bunch of fighting, and a bunch of bad guys would get their butts kicked, but in the end Jack would save the day, and the President would be just peachy. And everybody would finally learn how to pronounce nuclear properly...Whew!!! That was close!

---

Here's how I think it would really play out, again with a lot of shouting...

"Jack! How come we keep letting you back in here? Weren't you arrested, like, 12 times by our agency last year?"

"Agent Sharp! THERE'S NO TIME!!! I need to pee really bad! I've been trying to escape terrorists for the last 6 hours with no bathroom breaks, and I finally escaped when I bit through one of their necks and he bled out... Come to think of it, I sure hope the terrorist I bit didn't have AIDS or Hepatitis or anything...

[Jack trails off in thought and then shudders visibly]

"Plus, I'm dying of thirst because I haven't had any thing to eat or drink since yesterday, so I thought I'd stop at a 7-11 and pick something up on the way to the Port of Los Angeles to deactivate the nuke that's about to go off in 20 minutes! So you can see... THERE IS NO TIME!"

"Jack, do you really think you can get through traffic in 20 minutes during rush hour? Seriously?!? And then, once you get there, you have to rifle through about 20,000 containers that all look the same! Not to mention, with the government cut backs, we don't have enough in the budget for the fuel costs of maintaining all the SUV's and helicopters, so we only have the Smart Car! You'll have to take that! The bathroom is down the hall to the left, but you have to jiggle the handle a little, or the water keeps running!"

[End scene with the *beep* *boop* *beep* as Jack does the pee pee dance down the hall, the arabic looking bad guy is licking mustard out of his grizzly looking beard as he shuts the shipping container, the President is assuring the First Lady that, "No. That gown doesn't make your butt look big," and the sniper is singing "99 bottles of beer on the wall..." as he waits for the sniping.]

After the commercial break, all of Los Angeles gets nuked. The End.

---

Here's what's coming this season...




Great. Looks like I'll lose another 24 hours of my life watching that!

Just Because I Haven't Laughed Very Much

The past few days have been emotional, and I've been wavering between feelings of grief and numbness. I need to laugh a little. This little ditty has been like a year of therapy all wrapped up into one little You-Tube Clip.

Wayne's cousin (and one of my best friends... That's right! I LIKE my inlaws!) Kelly posted this on her blog with the warning "You'll laugh until snot runs out of your nose." And HOW!

So, Kelly thanks for the "Little Help From My Friends." I needed that.

Worth Seeing

I'm not one to waste your time with my opinions about movies, but this one was worth blogging about...

When first I saw the previews for Disney Pixar's Wall-E, I was very lukewarm about seeing it. A post-apocalyptic robot didn't really do it for me. But one of my patients gave me a generous gift certificate to AMC movie theaters as a graduation present, and I wanted to use it to take the whole family out. This was the latest family flick, so I was willing to give it a try.

Much to my surprise, I could not stop smiling throughout the whole movie. It was interesting, astoundingly beautiful, thought-provoking, and above all else: charming! There was very little dialogue in the beginning of the movie, but it was hysterical watching the personality that was able to be conveyed with so few words. And once the female counterpart was introduced (she was akin to the i-pod... he was the sony walkman cassette player), I was amazed at how the writers and animators were able to demonstrate such emotion on ROBOTS! How did they do that?

I also enjoyed how they were able to get across a somewhat political message without making the whole thing too agendized. Without giving away one of the main plot lines, let's just say it was a point well taken, but I never felt like I was being preached to.

Bottom line: I have a new favorite to add to my list. I loved this movie!

Our Neighbor?

Moving to LA LA land, we were fairly certain at some point we'd run into celebrities somewhere: I work at the hospital that Britney Spears was seeking psychiatric treatment... Rumor has it that Owen Wilson lives down the street... I was 5 feet away from the red carpet of the Juno movie premier when I came for my interview... So far, no sightings.

However, there is this car that parks in front of our apartment complex with the license plate "WEE MAN" proudly displayed.

Could this be our neighbor? Wee Man of Jackass fame? Johnny Knoxville's homey? MTV's answer to affirmative action? Delightful.

MTV is about 6 blocks away. Perhaps he was looking to live close to work. If he is our neighbor, I only have one thing to say: "STAY AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN!" If they start piercing their butt cheeks together, I know who to blame!

Our Morning Banter

Poor Wayne. This is what it's like being married to a dentist...A daily dialog that goes something like this:

What Did You Call Me?!?

A New Era for Ergonomics

I think I should use this when I work on my patients. That would be some sexy dental work!

Wanna Hear the Most Annoying Sound in the World?

...Maybe it's not as bad as Lloyd Christmas in the Mutt Cuts van, but annoying, nonetheless. You will need to pause my music player to fully appreciate this video. (You can see the top of Nate's head at the center top of the screen, hidden behind a music stand.)

This is a recording from the orchestra Christmas concert at Nathan's middle school. He is mortified that I am posting it. Brace yourself...It's a bit painful. The good news is, they must have improved because they had a regional competition yesterday and ranked second. So congratulations, Nate. We enjoy hearing you practice. (It must have paid off.) What can one say when one hear such sounds, except, "OUCH!"... I mean, "Lovely." Love ya bud.

Nathan made a post on his blog about this event. You can read it by clicking on the link below (see if you can spot the point where I sneakily edited a line without his knowledge. Heh, Heh, Heh!)

http://pielord.blogspot.com/2008/04/cmea-music-competition.html