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The Rundown
Sat, Oct. 4th, 2003 08:42 amFriday's word count: 406. Inadequate. Must, somehow, do better today, between the laundry, the puppet show, the U-District Saturday market (maybe) and dinner. Oy.
Action-hero Fluff
Word came through at The Company that despite its best intentions and our best efforts, there will be no bonus this quarter. I am shocked...not. When The Company first announced it was going to a quarterly bonus model, most of us were skeptical. It was a noble thought, but the fact is that since that announcement, we've continued at a bi-annual schedule, pretty much. I wasn't counting on the cash so, happily, I'm not disappointed. (This was the wisdom of my Eastern European forebears. We know they had no expectations. There's no word in Yiddish for "disappointment.")
In lieu of a bonus, my group lead, the VP of R&D, took our team to the movies and we saw The Rundown yesterday afternoon. Basically, it's the story of a guy who's been working as hired muscle for years, and is trying to get out of the business. He takes one last job--retrieving his loan-shark boss' trouble-magnet son from the Amazon rain forests--to garner enough cash to finally realize his dream: owning a restaurant. There are complications, of course. The son is after an artifact called El Gato del Diablo which, as it happens, ruthless gold-mine owner Christopher Walken also wants. Rosario Dawson wants the idol to inspire her people--enslaved in Walken's mine--to rebel, and is tough-girl stage dressing for the boys to rescue. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The Rundown is not great cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining (despite plot holes and awkward direction), and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) was more appealing than I expected him to be. He does have charisma and a certain amount of comic timing. He didn't project intelligence exactly, but he certainly didn't come across as a slaw-jawed muscle-man. And unlike other action heroes I could name, he speaks clearly and appears to be actually thinking about his character. I just wish he'd been given the opportunity to smile. Once. If he's willing to stretch himself a little bit, he may have a career as an actor ahead of him after all. He just can't make another Scorpion King. Really.
The Joys of Self-Pampering
The knots in the back and shoulders continued yesterday to an excruciating extreme. In an effort to stem the pain, I stopped at Broadway Market for a stint at The Massage Shop and got a 30-minute treatment. I felt 100% better afterwards, bought myself a beautiful new, mustard yellow sarong, and then came home, lit candles all around the house, stretched out on the couch with a glass of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and had a pleasant, quiet evening.
Rhetorical Questions of the Day
Why does the word "quadragenarian" make me feel older than admitting that I'm 41 does?
Why am I afraid of calling the plumber?
Why does Red Cat insist that the best place in the house to be petted is the master bath?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Action-hero Fluff
Word came through at The Company that despite its best intentions and our best efforts, there will be no bonus this quarter. I am shocked...not. When The Company first announced it was going to a quarterly bonus model, most of us were skeptical. It was a noble thought, but the fact is that since that announcement, we've continued at a bi-annual schedule, pretty much. I wasn't counting on the cash so, happily, I'm not disappointed. (This was the wisdom of my Eastern European forebears. We know they had no expectations. There's no word in Yiddish for "disappointment.")
In lieu of a bonus, my group lead, the VP of R&D, took our team to the movies and we saw The Rundown yesterday afternoon. Basically, it's the story of a guy who's been working as hired muscle for years, and is trying to get out of the business. He takes one last job--retrieving his loan-shark boss' trouble-magnet son from the Amazon rain forests--to garner enough cash to finally realize his dream: owning a restaurant. There are complications, of course. The son is after an artifact called El Gato del Diablo which, as it happens, ruthless gold-mine owner Christopher Walken also wants. Rosario Dawson wants the idol to inspire her people--enslaved in Walken's mine--to rebel, and is tough-girl stage dressing for the boys to rescue. I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The Rundown is not great cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but it is entertaining (despite plot holes and awkward direction), and Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) was more appealing than I expected him to be. He does have charisma and a certain amount of comic timing. He didn't project intelligence exactly, but he certainly didn't come across as a slaw-jawed muscle-man. And unlike other action heroes I could name, he speaks clearly and appears to be actually thinking about his character. I just wish he'd been given the opportunity to smile. Once. If he's willing to stretch himself a little bit, he may have a career as an actor ahead of him after all. He just can't make another Scorpion King. Really.
The Joys of Self-Pampering
The knots in the back and shoulders continued yesterday to an excruciating extreme. In an effort to stem the pain, I stopped at Broadway Market for a stint at The Massage Shop and got a 30-minute treatment. I felt 100% better afterwards, bought myself a beautiful new, mustard yellow sarong, and then came home, lit candles all around the house, stretched out on the couch with a glass of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur and had a pleasant, quiet evening.
Rhetorical Questions of the Day
Enquiring minds want to know.
