Movie Review: Yes Man

"Yes Man", starring Jim Carrey is the type of movie Jim Carrey should make. It's funny, it allows him to be goofy, and in the end, it all ends well for him. Carrey needs to stay away from the more dramatic roles...and stick to comedies. Do what you are good at.

"Yes Man" follows Carl Anderson (Carrey), as a divorced man who doesn't do anything. He doesn't take any chances, he doesn't do anything outside his normal routine. He's unhappy in just about everything. Then he attends a conference on the concept of saying Yes to everything. Terrence Stamp is hilarious as the leader of the Yes conference. After the conference, Carl starts saying yes to everything, and his life changes for the better, for a while. Along the way, he meets Allison (played by Zooey Deschanel) and falls in love.

I laughed more during "Yes Man" than I have during any movie lately. There was some typical Carrey humor, and some fairly crude humor, but overall, the humor was well done. If you like Jim Carrey, then I think you'll like this. Nuke said that if you liked "Liar, Liar", you like this, and I agree with that. Though a word of caution...this movie is more adult than "Liar, Liar". I ended up giving this one a 4 star rating, so I think it's definitely a should see movie.

I'm Thinking Arby's

Is there a better fast food place then Arby's?

My answer to that question would be an emphatic NO! For my money, no fast food place can compete with a good Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich and Curly Fries. Sure, Wendy's has its moments, as does KFC. But Arby's brings its A game daily. My current favorite is the French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub. For some reason, it's better than almost any French Dip you can get at a any of the chain restaurants.

Another reason Arby's is the best is their kids meals. Rather than put a stupid plastic toy in them, they put a game that actually challenges the brain. One time, the kids got a nice glider toy in their kids meal. Another time, David got a small DK book on Arctic Animals...he still likes to look at that book.

Well, now that I'm hungry...I'm thinking Arby's.

Book Review: "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel"

A couple of weeks ago, we were in Barnes and Noble and I said to my wife..."I need a good adventure book." She went straight to the teen section and pulled 3 books. The one I chose was "The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel", by Michael Scott.

My wife is a genius! "The Alchemyst" is a fast paced adventure, full of magic, warriors, myths and legends. Michael Scott uses just about every legend, from ancient Egyptian Goddesses, to Atlantis, to King Arthur to weave a terrific story set in and around 2007 San Francisco. Being that Scott is Irish, some of the mythological beings are of Irish Lore, and require a little digging if you want to find out more.

"The Alchemyst" follows twin 15 year olds, Sophie and Josh Newman as they discover a world of magic and mystery after they witness their friend Nick Fleming and his wife Perry get into a magical dual with the infamous Dr. John Dee. When Perry is captured, Fleming tells the kids that they are in grave danger because of what they have seen. He tells them he is really Nicholas Flamel, one of the great Alchemysts of all time, born in Paris, France in 1330. From there, the story takes off and doesn't stop, even on the last page. I can't say more without giving too much away.

Every character in this book, with the exceptions of Sophie and Josh, are based on myths and legends from around the world. For example, Nicholas Flamel, did live in Paris in the 1300's, and was rumored, along with his wife Perenelle, to be immortal. This rumor got started because upon their deaths, their tomb was raided and found empty. If you remember, Flamel was also mentioned by J.K. Rowling in the first Harry Potter Book. The use of characters and legends we all know make for a very fun read. It's also fun if you don't know them...you can do research if you are a nerd like me.

"The Alchemyst" is the first in a planned 6 book series. Books 2 and 3 are available now, and I'm already working on Book 2, "The Magician". If you are a fan of books like Harry Potter, then I think you'll really like "The Alchemyst".

We are a Conservative Nation!

That title line may come as a shock to anybody who has watched recent US elections. But it doesn't to me. I've been arguing since 2005 that we haven't had very many real conservative candidates in recent years. Basically, it's been a choice between far left liberals (democrats) and moderate liberals (republicans). And, frankly, the democrats are better at being liberal than the republicans are.

But a recent Gallup Poll found that 40% of Americans describe themselves as conservative. Only 21% of Americans describe themselves as liberal, while 35% say they are moderate. Given that 60% of all moderates are really liberals who won't admit it, that means there is still 54% of the vote available to anyone who would run as a straight up, unabashed fiscal and social conservative.

I'm talking real conservatism here, based on the Constitution and the idea of limited government and freedom for the people. If we get a candidate like that in 2012, Barack Obama won't stand a chance of a 2nd term.

Back from Vacation!

We got back from our week long vacation this afternoon around 3 p.m. We made good time today...as a man, I love to say that.

Overall, we had a great week off. We saw a lot of family, ate lots of good food, and I got to play a fair amount of golf. Though, my play was terrible. However, even a bad day of the golf course is better than my best day at the office. ; - )

Some of the highlights of my week:

• Playing Nintendo Wii with my wife and kids.
• Taking my kids to Melgaard Park in Aberdeen, SD.
• Celebrating Amanda's birthday with family on Sunday.
• Sleeping in!
• Achieving pro status as a bowler on Wii Sports.
• Eating 16 buffalo wings at Shenanigan's in Aberdeen, SD...and not breaking a sweat. I've still got it!
• Going to a Bull Head Fish Fry at Buffalo Lake in extreme Northeast South Dakota. It was DELICIOUS!
• Taking my dog for several long walks.
• Playing 54 holes of golf.
• Seeing most of my mom's side of the family yesterday.
• Learning about GPS guidance systems on Tractors from my cousins who are engineers/farmers. Yes, I am an engineering nerd!
• Reading a new book...blog post to come on that later in the week.

Lots of other really good family times, too numerous to mention.

One other really good thing about vacation is I totally don't pay attention to what is going on in the world, which is probably a good thing. I hear that we sent some Gitmo Detainees to Bermuda. I don't even know what to say about that. I also read that the Iranian President probably stole an election...why are we surprised about that? Free elections in Iran are a joke, anybody with common sense knows that.

Anyway...it was a great week! It's good to be back home, though getting up early and going to work tomorrow will be tough. I'm sure I will have a lot to catch up on, and we have a busy week ahead on the home front. But having such a great week last week makes everything seem worth it.

I'm Wiik

We're staying with Amanda's parents this week, and they have a Wii. This is the first time I've played Wii, and I think it's great. The problem though is, I'm a wimp! I've been doing a lot of Wii Bowling, Wii Tennis, Wii Baseball and Wii Golf. I haven't tried Wii Boxing yet. Anyway, I'm so sore! My right arm and shoulder are as sore as they were when I first started working out. It's sad and pathetic, I know.

My review of Wii Sports is that the Bowling and Tennis are great fun. The bowling is actually a fair facsimile of the real game. Tennis is a lot of fun, and not too hard to pick up. Golf on the other hand is ridiculous! If you have ever swung a golf club, you will struggle at this game. If you swing too hard (too hard = faster than 25 mph), the ball goes crooked. You also only have 4 clubs to choose from. I would love to try Tiger Wood Golf. As far as baseball, I'm as bad at the Wii version as I am at the real version. Yesterday I got no hit by the computer.

The other fun game we've been playing is Big Brain Academy. It's a series of Brain Activities, designed for all ages, but especially for kids. Yesterday, I took the Brain Test and got a C++. It's tough, because it's based on speed and accuracy. I can usually figure out which picture is different, or which complex shape matches, but I have to take my time. Anyway a really fun game.

The best part of the Wii, is that the whole family has been playing together. I think that this Christmas, my family may have to get a Wii.

Great Faces. Great Places

We're on vacation this week in South Dakota, visiting family and friends and having an all around good time. Both my wife and I grew up in South Dakota, and we think it's a great place. However, I get lots of comments from people about South Dakota, mostly negative. So, I'm using this blog to educate people about South Dakota.

First, to dispel a few myths:

• Yes, it is a different state than North Dakota.
• Yes, there is electricity and indoor plumbing.
• No, South Dakotans don't all ride horses and buggies.

Ok, now that we've got the most common misconceptions cleared up, here's some facts about South Dakota.

• Population - 804,194
• Capital - Pierre (pronounced Pier)
• Largest City - Sioux Falls
• Best City - Rapid City (just throwing that in there to tweak a certain reader from Sioux Falls)
• Highest Point - Harney Peak - 7,242 feet
• Lowest Point - Big Stone Lake - 966 feet

South Dakota's State motto is Great Faces. Great Places. So, let's list off some of the Great Faces.

• Bob Barker
• Tom Brokaw
• Sparky Anderson - former Detroit Tigers Manager and baseball hall of famer
• Adam Vinatieri - 4 time Super Bowl Winner
• Cheryl Ladd
• Catherine Bach (a.k.a. Daisy Duke)
• Mike Miller - former NBA Rookie of the Year and 6th Man of the Year
• Jake of jakesrandomramblings.blogspot.com

Those are just a few of the big name South Dakotans. What's even better about South Dakota are the Great Places...here are my favorites:

• Mt. Rushmore
• Deadwood - lots of history and you can play Texas Hold 'em
• Any golf course in the Black Hills...it's just beautiful
• The Black Hills in general...you could spend the whole summer there and never run out of things to do
• Cedar Shore on the Missouri in Chamberlain
• Glacial Lakes area in NE South Dakota
• South Dakota State University in Brookings

So, there's South Dakota in a nutshell. It's a great place to visit, it's a great place to live. I love coming back here as often as we can.