The Crystal Skull

My parent’s came up to visit for Memorial Day weekend and since we didn’t have any baseball this weekend, we decided to head out to a movie.  Mom and Dad wanted to take the kids to see the new Indiana Jones movie.  It seemed a good idea, and we were wanting to see it anyway, so we set out this morning to the theater.  They started showing the movie at 10 am, but we went to the 11:15 showing instead.

I was very impressed with the movie on the whole.  I don’t want to give it away to anyone who has yet to see the movie, so I won’t go into details.  One of the main plot devices in the movie has been a problem with some viewers, but when we look back at the previous movies, is the current item any more unbelievable than the items in the predecessor movies?  Holy fire melting Nazi’s when they find the Arc of the Covenant, Indian priest’s chanting a word and burrowing into your chest, a Nazi collaborator rapid-aging because he drank water from the wrong cup?  Are any of those more “far-out” than axxxxnx?

So I didn’t have a problem with the plot device.  The movie itself didn’t have any of the blockbuster scenes that the previous movies had.  Yes, I know the wxxxxxxxx scene is there, but it doesn’t come close to the previous movies, especially with the cool scenes of the second and third movies.

Finally, the ending came, and I must admit that it wasn’t the “pass the legacy” ending I expected when I found out that Mutt was realy xxxxx xxxxx xxx.  I expected this movie was going to contain more of a setup for the new adventure star to take over, and while it was to some extent, it wasn’t nearly as much as I expected.

One thing I was very happy about came after the credits.  Yes, with the recent trend of putting a cool scene afte the end of the credits, we stayed for all of them to make sure we didn’t miss anything.  I was overjoyed that Spielberg and Lucas didn’t put a special scene after the credits.  Not that I have a problem with that method as such (I loved the one after Iron Man).  And not really that I have a problem with Lucas/Spielberg doing it.  It just seems to me that Indiana Jones wasn’t right for that kind of scene.  So, I’m glad they didn’t do it.

Really there were only two problems I had with the movie.  First, the opponent isn’t Nazi, it is Russian, and we aren’t pre- or during WWII, but during the cold war.  To me, that just didn’t seem like Indy.  Indy should be facing off against the Nazi’s.  Second, during the scene where Indy was being interviewed, they refer to him as Colonel Jones.  While it wasn’t a huge deal, I didn’t like that he was in the military in the war.  Everyone is more than welcome to their own opinion of Indy, but I don’t see him (at least the movie version) as someone who would fit in well with the military.  Now don’t get me wrong, I think he would fight the Nazi’s any and every way he could, but just not in the military.

One last thing.  I read today that the Russians are upset that this movie is portraying Russians in a bad light.  Well, I was very surprised that anyone would say this after seeing the movies.  Granted, the “Cold War” era russians are the bad guys, but there is much more disparagement of the American McCarthy-ism.  In fact, if it weren’t close to true, it would have been funny.  But the bad portrayal of Russians pales in comparison to the light shed on our own ugly past.

Call for help:  If you’ve seen the movie, I’m trying to remember the conclusion of the following quote:

“When academia descends into hysteria…” - If you remember it, please pass the info along (TIA).

CC

“Walker luck”

I play in a simulation fantasy league called IBL, the Internet Baseball League.  My team is, of course, the Carolina Cajuns.  What “Simulation” means is that we actually play out the games.  Each player that qualifies is given a card with a set of numbers on it for different outcomes.  We use a private IRC server that generates random numbers to determine the outcome of the play, the batter from 0-499 and the pitcher from 500-999.

So I played my first series earlier this week.  Actually, I played my home and away games (3 games each), and I had a very difficult time getting a win.  I only won 2 out of the 6 games, which is very frustrating because I am supposed to have a good team this year according to some of the other owners.  The problem is that I have what we call in our family “Walker luck.”

“Walker luck” is somewhat like Murphey’s Law applied to randomness.  My dad is probably the founder of “Walker luck,” and I probably inherited it from him, so he is to blame. :)  The idea is that when you need to roll/generate a random number, and you need it to be anything but a 4, you will roll a 4.  There isn’t any question or doubt in our minds, it will happen.

So, this translates to my fantasy baseball league in several ways.  The most frustrating is when I need to roll a 3-digit number between 265 and 332 for a positive outcome (home run or walk), I will generally roll a 264 (high fly to right field) or a 333 (strike out).  Same goes for my pitchers.  When I need to roll a 763 to 920 for a strike out, I’ll roll a 762 (deep fly, possible home run) or, more likely, 921 (walk).  That is what Walker luck is all about.

I was grateful to roll well enough in two of my games to win them, but I didn’t keep that much luck in my week 2 games that I played on Friday (just home games).  I lost all three of those, and “Walker luck” was in full force.  I rolled a “wild play” which means we have to consult a special chart with an additional roll, and it will often end up in an injured player.  Well, it did, and it wasn’t my player.  Sounds like “Walker luck” was not hurting me, right.  Well, that is how “Walker luck” works; it strings you along so you can fall farther or harded with the rub comes.

Yes, it was the other guys player who was injured.  Unfortunately, it was his pitcher, and it was only for one day.  That means the lineup that I had set up to bat strong and well against a left handed pitcher was gone when he brough in a right handed pitcher for long relief.  Not only that, it was the worst of his starters for the series.  Even worse, it was my best pitcher throwing.  So, “Walker luck” gave my opponent a chance to bring in a better pitcher, who my lineup wasn’t ready to face, all when my best hurler is on the mound.  Well, 10 long innings later, we lost 3 to 2.

That is what “Walker luck” is all about.  It is a very good thing that I enjoy the fantasy baseball league I am in because otherwise the frustration generated would drive me away from it permanently.

CC

Father-Son Outing

Last night I took my older son out for our father-son outing. My older daughter and I go to the game store on alternating Tuesdays, so I decided the off Tuesdays would be a good time for a Father-Sod outing. Since we missed two weeks ago, I decided to splurge a bit.

We ended up at the local “fun park” for a night of Deer Hunting video games and Go-Carts. Of course, we also did the obligatory Skee-Ball and Hoops to get some tickets so he could get a prize for his brother and sisters. But the highlight of the night was definitely the go-carts.

My son may not be the best at some things, but he learns fast. Let me explain. As a father, I want my son to learn to work hard for his victories in life, so I’m not afraid to beat him at different games, including go-cart racing. However, I’m also wary of destroying his confidence and desire to try, so I do my best to keep him close, but not “letting” him win. Given that he is almost thirteen years old, finding this fine line is becoming harder and harder.

So, back to yesterday. Fortunately it was a school night and we had the go-carts nearly to ourselves. We started out the first race and my son was determined that he would get the lead car. So he was in front and I was in back starting out. About half way through the first lap, I was able to pass him and a couple times through the course I could tell he was falling behind. I would slow a little, or ride the “outside” lane and let him get close. In the end, I won that first race.

We played some Deer-Hunter then returned for round 2 of the race. This time, the first car in the lane was pink, so my son (remember he is almost 13) graciously let me go first. Again, through the first lap or two, he was having some trouble keeping up. I let him stay close, then decided to let him pass. At this point, let me say I’m not positive who was playing whom. Suffice it to say, he was able to hold the lead and win the second race. He was excited and I was happy to see him enjoying his victory.

So, we jumped back into line for the final of our 3 races, the ultimate tie breaker. No pink cars this time, so my son was glad to jump in the first car. He got a bit of a false start and the attendant made him wait until I was ready before starting. We had a great duel, racing neck and neck for most of the track.

Now, you have to understand. I’m not a small man. My son on the other hand is nearly paper thin. (Growing like a week, eating us out of house and home, but shapely as a walking cane.) So this race is truly a competition between brains and brawn. I mean my son is flooring the accelerator trusting the muscle of the motor to speed him along the course. I am also flooring my accelerator, only I have a different trust. As I listen to the motor sputter and cough at my weight, I know in my head that the downhills are my friend as the added weight will help me speed up faster. I also know that I can take the corners tighter since the weight will help me retain traction while my son fishtails and bounces.

So on we go, passing the lap marker. There is the yellow light marking the final lap. I know this is my last chance. I follow closely on my son’s back bumper and near the end of the track, I make my move on the inside of a hairpin curve. He turns into the curve, unaware of my inching up on him and we collide. He spins to the side and I am facing him in a T-bone.

Now, those of you familiar with go-carts and racing, will understand that this means I win. The simple fact is that after this type of collision the car in my son’s position will run into the wall and need to be turned to get back into the race. Well, that’s the normal outcome from someone who races more regularly. My son on the other hand, stayed in the race and won because of his inexperience.

When he first started to spin, he pulled his foot off the accelerator and slammed on his break. A no-no to anyone with any driving experience. However, in this case, it prevented his sideways cart from hitting the wall and allowed him to turn back into the raceway without any trouble. He pulled away from me and easily won the race.

Congrats to the winner. We celebrated at Baskin Robbins (no, it is not on my diet) where he chose some decidedly nasty flavor that only children enjoy (whether to torment their parents or because they really like it, I’m not sure).  I, on the other hand, chose the mature selection of Rocky Road in a chocolate and candy sprinkle coated waffle cone.  What?!?  I had to console myself on the loss.

CC

Kakuro

So I learned that the puzzles that I enjoy doing in my (limited) spare time actually have a real fancy Japanese name. No, I’m not talking about Sudoku, although I love them as well. No what I’m talking about is Kakuro. If you are like me, you have only ever heard these called Cross Sums or something like that. I guess the folks over at Dell decided way back when that we Americans were too stupid to “get” a catchy Japanese word (Psst - Nobody tell them about Sudoku).

Anyway, the idea behind Kakuro is that each group of cells (squares) below or to the right of the number listed, when added together equal the total (the number listed). Hence the phrase “Cross Sums”. The only other rule is that within a set of numbers, no number is duplicated, and only single digits are used.

The key to solving Kakuro is knowing your addition. For example, if there are two squares and the number given is 17, you know that the squares are either 8 and 9 or 9 and 8. Nothing else sums up to 17. Or, if the number given is 4, the two squares are either 1 and 3 or 3 and 1. These examples are called 17 over 2 and 4 over 2 respectively. Those are the easy ones, but what makes the game hard is when you have the number 23 over 5 squares. There are a number of different options, 1+2+3+8+9 or 1+2+4+7+9 or 1+2+5+7+8 or …. Well, you get the picture.

Anyway, it takes some thought and logic to figure out these puzzles. I really enjoy them. If you like them and knew them as Cross Sums, now you know what they are really called. If you never heard them before, give them a try and see if you like them. (You can do a Google Search of “Cross Sums” to find several other websites that have them, and even a Wikipedia article on Kakuro.)

CC