Been a bit since my last Netflix update. Doing pretty well in getting the movies in and out. No more of my multi-month holding onto the discs. Last check of FeedFliks was $1.42 per movie. Not too bad.
Not watching TV (about 6 months free as of this post) helps a great deal.
Given the length of time I won't post a complete list but hit the highlights:
Finally watched Clint Eastwood's "Man With No Name" trilogy. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly is now firmly in my Top 20 favorite films. Eli Wallach is one of the most underrated actors of all time. Great score and brilliantly shot and edited - especially the climatic standoff (spoiler alert):
The only other movie I gave 5 stars to was Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog which just more awesomeness from Joss Whedon. Stars Neil Patrick Harris as a wanna-be superhero, and Nathan Fillion (Mal on Firefly - another Whedon awesomeness fest) as his nemesis - Captain Hammer. And Felicia Day is their common love interest.
Ever so funny - there are several lines that just crack me up. And there is singing - good singing - but hilarious.
A small taste:
I've watched 49 movies since Election, including 6 foreign films which I'll post separately. Grand total is 110. Again totally off pace but not ready to concede defeat.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
#28 - Broken Windows Theory
Quick post to declare #28 completed. Finally got around to fixing the windshield of my car - and as typical of things that I put off / decide to just live with - fixing it was much easier than I thought. Well, easy for the good people at Glass Doctor - I did no actual work other than read a magazine in the waiting room.
Though a small victory, it does show me how just taking care of things as they arise is a better philosophy most times than simply living with it. I see this a lot with my job as a programmer. Nothing degrades a computer application faster than a "quick hack" mentality. Each hack - easily justifiable on its own because of time / cost / ease of implementation - makes the next even uglier hack even easier to justify. The code is already crappy what's one more mess? Jeff Atwood has a compelling and eloquent article on the subject here.
I think one point of this list is to fix some of the "broken windows" in my life. I know I feel more motivated when I'm working ahead of my schedule, but if I'm behind on some task (like cleaning) - it is that much easier to let it slide further. To tell myself I'll attack it all at once - which leads to entire weekends of housekeeping rather than the hiking I would have enjoyed so much more.
Anyway, I feel a sense of wholeness when I look at my intact windshield. And that's a positive thing.
Though a small victory, it does show me how just taking care of things as they arise is a better philosophy most times than simply living with it. I see this a lot with my job as a programmer. Nothing degrades a computer application faster than a "quick hack" mentality. Each hack - easily justifiable on its own because of time / cost / ease of implementation - makes the next even uglier hack even easier to justify. The code is already crappy what's one more mess? Jeff Atwood has a compelling and eloquent article on the subject here.
I think one point of this list is to fix some of the "broken windows" in my life. I know I feel more motivated when I'm working ahead of my schedule, but if I'm behind on some task (like cleaning) - it is that much easier to let it slide further. To tell myself I'll attack it all at once - which leads to entire weekends of housekeeping rather than the hiking I would have enjoyed so much more.
Anyway, I feel a sense of wholeness when I look at my intact windshield. And that's a positive thing.
#86 - Grandma's Potato Salad II: Christmas Edition
Back in December for the office Christmas party I made my second attempt at my Grandmother's potato salad. You can read about my first successful attempt here.
This second go-around was a lot less complicated since I got a bunch of really nice pots - including an 8 qt stockpot - for my birthday. So, I was able to boil the 5 lbs of potatoes in one fell swoop. I'm still a slow chopper but I had gained a lot of confidence since the last time and there wasn't as much minute by minute worrying this time. I was in the potato salad zone.
I'm pleased to report that this time the finished product tasted much closer to true even before setting up than the previous batch. Unfortunately not many people tried it at the party. So I had a bunch left-over - so I was able topig out effectively deal with the situation.
It passed the parents' taste test too - so 2 for 2 on potato salad with one attempt remaining.
This second go-around was a lot less complicated since I got a bunch of really nice pots - including an 8 qt stockpot - for my birthday. So, I was able to boil the 5 lbs of potatoes in one fell swoop. I'm still a slow chopper but I had gained a lot of confidence since the last time and there wasn't as much minute by minute worrying this time. I was in the potato salad zone.
I'm pleased to report that this time the finished product tasted much closer to true even before setting up than the previous batch. Unfortunately not many people tried it at the party. So I had a bunch left-over - so I was able to
It passed the parents' taste test too - so 2 for 2 on potato salad with one attempt remaining.
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