So today is the one year anniversary of my first blog post. You can read it here. Actually if you really want, you can read any posts from the past year, look at the archive section on the right column.
Hopefully many of you have enjoyed getting online and checking out what I had to say and show you with pictures. I know that I had the most visits on the day that we announced our baby was going to be a girl. 120 or so visitors that day. I do average about 50 unique visitors a week, so at least somebody is reading this stuff. Thanks to all of you who visit and post comments. Here's to another year of wasting precious minutes of your time.
Ty
Friday, April 28, 2006
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Too Long?
So a few people have mentioned that it might be interesting to discuss long movies. This came because of my earlier post about long songs. Here. Thanks Brooke and Jeff for the suggestion. This post took on a life of it's own, I guess I had more to say on the subject than I initially thought.
I think one of the big questions is what makes a movie too long? There are quite a few movies that are very long that I really like, in fact many are favorites of mine. Then there are movies that are too long and could have been better movies if they were shorter.
So we also have to determine what constitutes a long movie or an average movie. I would say that a 1 hour and 45 minute movie is about average, anything that is over 2 hours I think constitutes a long movie. For me, if the plot can be interesting for over 2 hours, I don't mind sitting through a 2 or 3 hour movie. However if the movie is boring and slows down, a +2 hour movie can be torture. There are also movies that are +2 hours, they aren't necessarily boring, but there could have been scenes cut and not really detracted from the film.
I think in order to tell complicated and interesting stories, a lot of time it takes longer than 2 hours. But it doesn't have to, there are some great short movies too, many of which are some of my favorite animated movies. Toy Story: 1 Hour 21 Minutes, Toy Story 2: 1 Hour 32 Minutes, Finding Nemo: 1 Hour 40 Minutes.
Here are some examples of long movies:
Titanic: Coming in at 3 hours and 14 minutes, it definitely constitutes a long movie. Being the highest grossing film of all time, it's obvious that people enjoyed this long movie. In my opinion Titanic is a great film, it's paced well and I didn't really get bored in it the first few times I had seen it. Now that I have seen it several times, it's actually very difficult for me to watch. I do think that the movie could have been cut a little and it wouldn't have really detracted from the plot or the message. There are a few scenes that could be considered "filler" and don't really need to be included. However even with those scenes cut, I do think it needs to be almost a 3 hour film to tell the story. There is just too much detail there.
King Kong: At 3 hours and 7 minutes, it's another really long movie. I really liked King Kong, I thought it was a brilliant movie. But I have to say that I could have enjoyed it just as much without some of the scenes. Specifically the way too long dinosaur chase scene and the "pit" scene as some have described it. I think King Kong could easily have come in at 2 Hours and 30 Minutes and if the right scenes were cut, I wouldn't have enjoyed it any less. Here is a perfect example of a movie that should have had a "Theatrical Release" and a longer "Extended Release". Then the big fans of the film can get the longer version but for mainstream viewers, the theatrical version would be sufficient.
That leads me to the next movie.
Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King (But really all 3 LOTR films): The theatrical version came in a 3 hours and 21 minutes, the extended DVD was 4 hours and 11 minutes. I really enjoyed both versions of this movie. I didn't think the theatrical version was too long, I thought it was paced well, had good action and kept me interested. In fact it was hard enough to tell the entire story in 3 and a half hours. I was really excited and really enjoyed the extended version as well. However, if a friend hasn't seen it I would show them the theatrical version, I don't think the extended version is for everyone. It's for die hard fans and people who want a little more than just deleted scenes, it's perfect for those reasons.
Braveheart: 2 hours and 57 minutes. This is one of the first long, epic movies that I watched and really enjoyed. I owe Braveheart a lot of credit because it's one of the movies that got me interested in film and it stands as one of my favorites to this day. I wouldn't consider cutting anything out of this film and I don't have a problem watching the almost 3 hour movie.
Gangs of New York: 2 Hours 47 Minutes. A great movie, but does lose some of it's pacing toward the middle of the film.
Pearl Harbor: 3 Hours 3 Minutes. Good movie, but it could have been shorter and I really wouldn't have cared. Too much "love triangle"
Shawshank redemption: 2 Hours 22 Minutes. One of my favorites. The story and mystery keeps you interested through the whole film.
The Godfather: 2 Hours 55 Minutes. Often considered as the best film ever, it's also one of my favorites. I do have to say there are some scenes that could have been cut to help with minor pacing problems. Although I don't have a problem watching this entire film and enjoying all of it.
I know a lot of you want to comment on this, so let me know what you think. Tell me some of your favorite long movies and why they are good even though they are long. List some movies that are long and should have been shorter.
I think one of the big questions is what makes a movie too long? There are quite a few movies that are very long that I really like, in fact many are favorites of mine. Then there are movies that are too long and could have been better movies if they were shorter.
So we also have to determine what constitutes a long movie or an average movie. I would say that a 1 hour and 45 minute movie is about average, anything that is over 2 hours I think constitutes a long movie. For me, if the plot can be interesting for over 2 hours, I don't mind sitting through a 2 or 3 hour movie. However if the movie is boring and slows down, a +2 hour movie can be torture. There are also movies that are +2 hours, they aren't necessarily boring, but there could have been scenes cut and not really detracted from the film.
I think in order to tell complicated and interesting stories, a lot of time it takes longer than 2 hours. But it doesn't have to, there are some great short movies too, many of which are some of my favorite animated movies. Toy Story: 1 Hour 21 Minutes, Toy Story 2: 1 Hour 32 Minutes, Finding Nemo: 1 Hour 40 Minutes.
Here are some examples of long movies:
Titanic: Coming in at 3 hours and 14 minutes, it definitely constitutes a long movie. Being the highest grossing film of all time, it's obvious that people enjoyed this long movie. In my opinion Titanic is a great film, it's paced well and I didn't really get bored in it the first few times I had seen it. Now that I have seen it several times, it's actually very difficult for me to watch. I do think that the movie could have been cut a little and it wouldn't have really detracted from the plot or the message. There are a few scenes that could be considered "filler" and don't really need to be included. However even with those scenes cut, I do think it needs to be almost a 3 hour film to tell the story. There is just too much detail there.
King Kong: At 3 hours and 7 minutes, it's another really long movie. I really liked King Kong, I thought it was a brilliant movie. But I have to say that I could have enjoyed it just as much without some of the scenes. Specifically the way too long dinosaur chase scene and the "pit" scene as some have described it. I think King Kong could easily have come in at 2 Hours and 30 Minutes and if the right scenes were cut, I wouldn't have enjoyed it any less. Here is a perfect example of a movie that should have had a "Theatrical Release" and a longer "Extended Release". Then the big fans of the film can get the longer version but for mainstream viewers, the theatrical version would be sufficient.
That leads me to the next movie.
Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King (But really all 3 LOTR films): The theatrical version came in a 3 hours and 21 minutes, the extended DVD was 4 hours and 11 minutes. I really enjoyed both versions of this movie. I didn't think the theatrical version was too long, I thought it was paced well, had good action and kept me interested. In fact it was hard enough to tell the entire story in 3 and a half hours. I was really excited and really enjoyed the extended version as well. However, if a friend hasn't seen it I would show them the theatrical version, I don't think the extended version is for everyone. It's for die hard fans and people who want a little more than just deleted scenes, it's perfect for those reasons.
Braveheart: 2 hours and 57 minutes. This is one of the first long, epic movies that I watched and really enjoyed. I owe Braveheart a lot of credit because it's one of the movies that got me interested in film and it stands as one of my favorites to this day. I wouldn't consider cutting anything out of this film and I don't have a problem watching the almost 3 hour movie.
Gangs of New York: 2 Hours 47 Minutes. A great movie, but does lose some of it's pacing toward the middle of the film.
Pearl Harbor: 3 Hours 3 Minutes. Good movie, but it could have been shorter and I really wouldn't have cared. Too much "love triangle"
Shawshank redemption: 2 Hours 22 Minutes. One of my favorites. The story and mystery keeps you interested through the whole film.
The Godfather: 2 Hours 55 Minutes. Often considered as the best film ever, it's also one of my favorites. I do have to say there are some scenes that could have been cut to help with minor pacing problems. Although I don't have a problem watching this entire film and enjoying all of it.
I know a lot of you want to comment on this, so let me know what you think. Tell me some of your favorite long movies and why they are good even though they are long. List some movies that are long and should have been shorter.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Famous Mormon's
I saw this site the other day and I thought it was pretty funny. It's a Famous Mormon's site, dedicated to listing and giving information on Famous Mormons.
Click Here to check it out.
I thought a lot of you might think it was interesting and kind of funny. It happened because Susan (Brooke's Mom) and I were talking on Sunday about how there is actually quite a few famous people who are LDS, or were LDS. I didn't realize there is actually an internet site dedicated to the subject. Some might surprise you and some might not.
Of course many people are aware of Mitt Romney, the LDS Governor of Massachusetts. He has been in the news a lot lately, there is a rumor he might run for President in the next election. So here is my question for today. Is America ready for a Mormon President?
My answer: Not yet and probably not for a while, if ever. While I don't think there is anything wrong with having an LDS President, I just don't think that mainstream America could handle it. Could you imagine all of the questions and rumors? I know there is a long history of religious presidents, in fact it seems a candidate must be religious in order to get the votes of mainstream America. Of course the majority of the population is Christian, so it's a key demographic.
I think we will have a Woman President before a Mormon President. But who knows, Mitt won the election in the liberal state of Massachusetts, so maybe he will get his chance.
Click Here to check it out.
I thought a lot of you might think it was interesting and kind of funny. It happened because Susan (Brooke's Mom) and I were talking on Sunday about how there is actually quite a few famous people who are LDS, or were LDS. I didn't realize there is actually an internet site dedicated to the subject. Some might surprise you and some might not.
Of course many people are aware of Mitt Romney, the LDS Governor of Massachusetts. He has been in the news a lot lately, there is a rumor he might run for President in the next election. So here is my question for today. Is America ready for a Mormon President?
My answer: Not yet and probably not for a while, if ever. While I don't think there is anything wrong with having an LDS President, I just don't think that mainstream America could handle it. Could you imagine all of the questions and rumors? I know there is a long history of religious presidents, in fact it seems a candidate must be religious in order to get the votes of mainstream America. Of course the majority of the population is Christian, so it's a key demographic.
I think we will have a Woman President before a Mormon President. But who knows, Mitt won the election in the liberal state of Massachusetts, so maybe he will get his chance.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Hate the News
While listening to the excellent new Tool single, Vicarious, I was thinking about some of the lyrics. The song is a satirical approach to the things we view on TV and from what it seems to me, mostly the news we watch on TV. Here is an excerpt of the lyrics.
Eye on the TV
'cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor
It happens to be
'cause tragedy thrills me
Whatever flavor
It happens to be
Like:
"Killed by the husband"
"Drowned by the ocean"
"Shot by his own son"
"She used the poison in his tea
"He kissed her goodbye"
That's my kind of story
It's no fun til someone dies
I was thinking about it and thinking that I really do hate the news. It seems like it's not news unless it's a tragedy. Rarely do we see anything positive on the news anymore and in fact I don't even watch the news anymore. I used to watch every morning and actually occasionally in the evening. Now I turn it on for noise in the morning, to help me wake up, and I don't even come close to watching in the evening. So I was wondering if there ever was good news on TV, or if it has always been like this because I can't really remember. I do think there are good stories out there and good news to report, but it seems as if the media doesn't think we want to see that. Is that what we are telling them?
All I know is that it seems to be all politics, war and crime and that's not really uplifting to me. I mean there is a point to where we as a public need to be informed of these negative things, as unfortunate as it might be. But I just wish there could be some better stories pursued, maybe there are and I just don't see them because I don't really watch the news. I am enjoying the fact that I won't have to see Katie Couric on the Today show for those occasions that I actually watch it.
Well that is what's on my mind today, leave a comment and let me know what you think. Hope everyone has a good weekend.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
10,000 Days
I was able to obtain the 10,000 Days album last night in it's entirety. I haven't had a ton of time to listen to it, 1 and 1/2 so far. It's very good, so anyone who is interested it is readily available online now and available in stores on May 2nd. I like to support my favorite bands, so I will be purchasing the album on May 2nd, besides the copy online isn't the quality I would prefer.
Update: After now listening to the album several times through, it is amazing. Again it's refreshing to have some new music that is good and thought provoking (see post above). Anyone who is interested in the band or this kind of music will enjoy it. Of course I understand that Tool isn't for everyone, in fact it's probably not much of interest to many who read this blog. But I have been excited about it for a while and it's what I am listening to lately, so it's up on the blog. So far my favorites are Vicarious, The Pot and Jambi. Good stuff.
Update: After now listening to the album several times through, it is amazing. Again it's refreshing to have some new music that is good and thought provoking (see post above). Anyone who is interested in the band or this kind of music will enjoy it. Of course I understand that Tool isn't for everyone, in fact it's probably not much of interest to many who read this blog. But I have been excited about it for a while and it's what I am listening to lately, so it's up on the blog. So far my favorites are Vicarious, The Pot and Jambi. Good stuff.
Monday, April 17, 2006
Vicarious
So the big news today is that the new Tool song Vicarious leaked on the Internet yesterday. Thanks Josh for the heads up. Of course, I downloaded it and have listened to all 7 minutes of it, instead of just the 30 second teaser.
Jeff mentioned in a comment on my earlier post that it's " 30 seconds of a 7 min song !!!", I am not sure if those exclamation points means that a 7 min. song is a good thing or a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. I tend to enjoy long, epic songs and long, epic movies for that matter. I know a lot of people have attention span problems when it comes to music. I blame MTV, American Idol, the radio and pop music for that. It seems that according to those outlets music has to fit a mold, and that mold doesn't exceed 3 minutes, if it does, it's edited. We now have an attention span problem because we aren't exposed to the entire songs being played. (Don't we need long songs to fill up our 40GB of space on our iPods?) Forget "Radio Friendly" music, does anyone even listen to the radio anymore? I know I don't, I hate it. Half the time MTV cuts the videos they air because they don't have time in between their reality shows to actually air music videos anymore.
I know that + 5 Min. songs can bore some, but the 7 Minutes of Vicarious was awesome and I enjoyed the whole thing. I just think that regardless of how long a song is that it's refreshing to hear something that is good. Not all good music has to be long, but I do think there is a place for it and it's a shame when it's edited. Seems that good music is rare these days and again I blame those mentioned above for "over producing" music and taking away the art of it.
Oh and by the way, if you do hear Vicarious on the radio, it will be edited for time to make it more radio friendly. Download it online for the full version. You know where to reach me if you need a link.
End Rant....(Well until next time)
Post in the comments some of your favorite long and short songs.
Here are just a couple of mine.
Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven 9:37
Tool: Pushit 9:55
Don Mclean: American Pie 8:32
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 2:02
U2: Desire 2:58
Bob Marley: Three Little Birds 3:00
Jeff mentioned in a comment on my earlier post that it's " 30 seconds of a 7 min song !!!", I am not sure if those exclamation points means that a 7 min. song is a good thing or a bad thing. I think it's a good thing. I tend to enjoy long, epic songs and long, epic movies for that matter. I know a lot of people have attention span problems when it comes to music. I blame MTV, American Idol, the radio and pop music for that. It seems that according to those outlets music has to fit a mold, and that mold doesn't exceed 3 minutes, if it does, it's edited. We now have an attention span problem because we aren't exposed to the entire songs being played. (Don't we need long songs to fill up our 40GB of space on our iPods?) Forget "Radio Friendly" music, does anyone even listen to the radio anymore? I know I don't, I hate it. Half the time MTV cuts the videos they air because they don't have time in between their reality shows to actually air music videos anymore.
I know that + 5 Min. songs can bore some, but the 7 Minutes of Vicarious was awesome and I enjoyed the whole thing. I just think that regardless of how long a song is that it's refreshing to hear something that is good. Not all good music has to be long, but I do think there is a place for it and it's a shame when it's edited. Seems that good music is rare these days and again I blame those mentioned above for "over producing" music and taking away the art of it.
Oh and by the way, if you do hear Vicarious on the radio, it will be edited for time to make it more radio friendly. Download it online for the full version. You know where to reach me if you need a link.
End Rant....(Well until next time)
Post in the comments some of your favorite long and short songs.
Here are just a couple of mine.
Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven 9:37
Tool: Pushit 9:55
Don Mclean: American Pie 8:32
The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 2:02
U2: Desire 2:58
Bob Marley: Three Little Birds 3:00
Friday, April 14, 2006
Happy Easter!
I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter Weekend! Hopefully everyone enjoys the weekend, let's hope we have some nice weather, here in Utah at least. Kelsey has her Birthday this weekend too, so Happy Birthday to you!
30 seconds of the new Tool song "Vicarious" was released today. Check it out at The Tool Page (In the Forums). Makes me even more excited for the full song to be released Monday and the entire album next month.
Today all I can really think about it getting done with the work day so I can enjoy my weekend. The weather has been great this week so Brooke, Hailee and I have taken a walk around the neighborhood each day after work. I enjoy it because I ride my bike along side, and I think Hailee enjoys it although by looking at her face it's hard to tell. She seems to be mostly expressionless as we walk around the block.
30 seconds of the new Tool song "Vicarious" was released today. Check it out at The Tool Page (In the Forums). Makes me even more excited for the full song to be released Monday and the entire album next month.
Today all I can really think about it getting done with the work day so I can enjoy my weekend. The weather has been great this week so Brooke, Hailee and I have taken a walk around the neighborhood each day after work. I enjoy it because I ride my bike along side, and I think Hailee enjoys it although by looking at her face it's hard to tell. She seems to be mostly expressionless as we walk around the block.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Random Crap
Well I realized that I haven't been keeping up on the blog that well lately. I know it's mostly been pictures of Hailee, not that anyone has complained. But I figured I would start putting up more posts and maybe it will be more interesting for those of you who do visit the blog. Hopefully it will provide an opportunity for the blog to be more interactive, so that we can have comments other than "Hailee is so cute", of course as a proud father I don't mind comments like that. Anyway, there will continue to be numerous pictures of Hailee, but I wanted to start posting some other stuff too. Mostly what I will be posting is random stuff, posts about music or movies and just what I am thinking about today. But as the title says "This is a blog of my random thoughts and anything that I feel like writing", so there you go.
So today I was thinking of a few things. I was writing a letter to Bryce and telling him how Hailee was doing and how she was getting stronger. I was just thinking how crazy it is how we are born, I am talking about the condition in which we are born. I mean we can't even hold up our own heads when we are born, we can't do anything by ourselves. So there is just no way we could survive without parents. But how animals are different, a animal can have a baby animal and abandon it, the animal baby actually has a chance of surviving where a child wouldn't. Is that weird?
I was also thinking that I am way excited about the new Tool CD coming out. If anyone is interested go here. A lot of people know that although controversial they are one of my favorite bands. (Maybe I will post someday on why they are controversial, but why you should listen to them anyway) There is just such a lack of good music lately, everyone has a gimmick or is just in it to make money. I blame American Idol for a lot of it, although listening to Kelly Clarkson is one of my guilty pleasures. It's refreshing to listen to a band like Tool, they are original and they really focus on the music. The songs are epic and interesting, check out their last album Lateralus, it's great. I have been listening to a lot of Tool lately gearing up for the new album. The problem with Tool is that they only release an album every 5 years or so, but luckily for me in this time of crappy music, 2006 is a year they are going to release a new album, next month in fact. So I am excited.
Ok so here are some recent movies that I have seen that are good, maybe I will get around to writing reviews, they just take a lot of time.
V for Vendetta: this was a great movie, good story with some nice twists.
King Kong: I got the DVD and watched it again, it's still good, but still too long.
Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire: Again, watched the DVD and loved it again, the best in the HP series so far.
Music I have been listening to lately.
Panic! At the Disco: Pretty good, sort of punk style band.
U2: Again because of lack of recent good music, I return to some older music that is good. I have lifted my ban on listening to Bono.
Rise Against: Punk stuff with a little edge, it took a couple times through for me to like them, but I really do now.
Tori Amos: Again, good stuff that took me a while to like, but on a cool rainy day, Tori just fits.
So today I was thinking of a few things. I was writing a letter to Bryce and telling him how Hailee was doing and how she was getting stronger. I was just thinking how crazy it is how we are born, I am talking about the condition in which we are born. I mean we can't even hold up our own heads when we are born, we can't do anything by ourselves. So there is just no way we could survive without parents. But how animals are different, a animal can have a baby animal and abandon it, the animal baby actually has a chance of surviving where a child wouldn't. Is that weird?
I was also thinking that I am way excited about the new Tool CD coming out. If anyone is interested go here. A lot of people know that although controversial they are one of my favorite bands. (Maybe I will post someday on why they are controversial, but why you should listen to them anyway) There is just such a lack of good music lately, everyone has a gimmick or is just in it to make money. I blame American Idol for a lot of it, although listening to Kelly Clarkson is one of my guilty pleasures. It's refreshing to listen to a band like Tool, they are original and they really focus on the music. The songs are epic and interesting, check out their last album Lateralus, it's great. I have been listening to a lot of Tool lately gearing up for the new album. The problem with Tool is that they only release an album every 5 years or so, but luckily for me in this time of crappy music, 2006 is a year they are going to release a new album, next month in fact. So I am excited.
Ok so here are some recent movies that I have seen that are good, maybe I will get around to writing reviews, they just take a lot of time.
V for Vendetta: this was a great movie, good story with some nice twists.
King Kong: I got the DVD and watched it again, it's still good, but still too long.
Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire: Again, watched the DVD and loved it again, the best in the HP series so far.
Music I have been listening to lately.
Panic! At the Disco: Pretty good, sort of punk style band.
U2: Again because of lack of recent good music, I return to some older music that is good. I have lifted my ban on listening to Bono.
Rise Against: Punk stuff with a little edge, it took a couple times through for me to like them, but I really do now.
Tori Amos: Again, good stuff that took me a while to like, but on a cool rainy day, Tori just fits.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Hailee Rocks!
Here are more pictures of Hailee for everyone to see. Brooke really liked how she looked in this dress and hat, but I had to include a picture of her without the hat because it just doesn't look like her.
Now that Hailee is eating baby food, it's time for her to have a high chair. She does pretty good sitting up in it as long as she isn't in it for too long. Of course Mom is very happy because she loves to eat.
Hailee Rocks!!! Pay special attention to the shirt she is wearing, the greatest rock band of all time.
I know she takes after her Dad because she loves to rock. Hailee does really enjoy listening to music and I have even made her first mix CD, which she loves to fall asleep to.
Now that Hailee is eating baby food, it's time for her to have a high chair. She does pretty good sitting up in it as long as she isn't in it for too long. Of course Mom is very happy because she loves to eat.
Hailee Rocks!!! Pay special attention to the shirt she is wearing, the greatest rock band of all time.
I know she takes after her Dad because she loves to rock. Hailee does really enjoy listening to music and I have even made her first mix CD, which she loves to fall asleep to.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Hailee 5 months old today.
Today Hailee is 5 months old. Time has gone by pretty fast for us so far. She has accomplished a lot in her first 5 months of life and is growing like crazy. We have some new pictures we will be putting up soon.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Happy Birthday Dayton!
Happy Birthday today to Dayton! Yes, I was planning to put up the Birthday post earlier, but I don't get online much on the weekends.
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