mahalo.

Really good, actually.

I have already watched the Firefly series, so I went into the movie knowing all the characters and the backstory. But I had heard from others that watched the movie first, and they all say that you can watch the movie w/o watching the series first and not feel like you were missing something. After watching the movie, I totally understand, and I think how they did it was really cool. They managed to compact the whole series and most of the characters personalities probably into the first fifteen minutes or so.

From there on, the story just had good flow. Not only in how it progressed, but in how it managed to tie together pieces that you didn’t even realize were pieces until you reached the end of the movie.

There’s speculation that there might be a gunman running around the Capitol, police are still looking for this possible gunman, but in the meantime, CNN has a “DEVELOPING STORY”.

Rep. Jack Kingston of Georgia says staffer from his office taken to the hospital after being “shaken up” by reports of gunman on Capitol Hill; staffer was not shot.

Wow, someone did get shot. I wonder how long the person was lying there writhing in pain before they were able to get him/her to the hospital..

Oh wait, no, they didn’t get shot, they saw the shooter?

Hm… no. Looks like they heard gunshots nearby.

Wrong again. They were shaken up by “reports of [a] gunman” on Capitol Hill.

Stupid CNN Developing Story FUD.

here it is. the time of the year when i can be semi-productive. over the last couple of weeks, we’ve closed out all the season finales of shows that i watch. 24, csi: miami, alias, the o.c. (yeah, that’s right), the west wing and desperate housewives (yes, that one too).

more notably, the west wing and alias had their series finales. it’s an interesting thing, to watch a series end that you actually care about. i think the first one for me was st:tng, although with the movies that followed, it didn’t really seem like an end. but this time, there isn’t going to be a west wing movie, and there isn’t going to be an alias movie. especially w/ the west wing, which basically ended w/ the term of a single, great president, i’m already a bit nostalgic for the good old days when aaron sorkin was around. it’s great to know though that he’ll be writing studio 60, which will continue to start bradley whitford and timothy busfield. along with those two, amanda peet and matthew perry will be on the cast as well. bringing along actors from your previous series to the next feels like a recipe for disaster… but for a writer like aaron sorkin, i have a lot of hope.

and to replace alias? well, j.j.abrams is still directing lost. quite frankly, although i really disliked the series initially (it moved slower than a snail), the end of this second season has been pretty good, and i think come next season, it will take the place of alias in my tv lineup =).

when 24 ends though, i don’t know what i’ll do. and why did the chinese have to go and capture jack? i’m not a huge fan of china or anything, but i mean, do they really deserve what jack’s going to do to them next season?

After my fourth year in college, I went on this health nut rage where I ate well and exercised like a madman. I would run 3.5 miles five times a week with a 1 mile sprint every Wednesday. I went go to the gym every morning during the weekdays. I would eat very little fatty foods and very little sugar. During that time, I also managed to voluntarily give up a bunch of bad habits. Video games, junk food, TV, procrastination… it was an amazing rebirth of sorts. It even continued into my 5th year. I had to regulate my schedule because of school, but I went to the gym three times a week, ran once a week, biked once a week and played hockey twice a week w/ a clinic on Tuesdays and went swimming on Sundays.

Since I started working, I slowed down significantly. I would go months at a time with no exercise other than my hockey twice a week.

However, it seems that every year, around the time of Bay to Breakers, I get my motivation back. Every year, around March/April, I start going to the gym 2-3 times a week, running 3 times a week, playing hockey twice a week just so I can finish that darn 12K race in the hippiest, farthest left leaning city in the US. It’s not a bad thing… just a thought of what an interesting motivator it is. I also notice that nowadays, I’ve managed to balance some more sense into this physical exertion madness. Unlike my younger days, I have actually started playing more video games, and have only cut down slightly on the junk food. It’s a happy balance. We’ll see how long it lasts.

In other news of the world, 24 is still going on. I actually didn’t like this season as much as the others. This time… it’s been way over the top. I don’t mind the killing off of all the characters, but Jack vs the military and the President is a bit much. We’ll see though. Considering that all of the baddies are still alive, I’m expecting a big finish.

Speaking of baddies Charles Logan has an entry in wikipedia. I like this quote in particular:

Charles Logan has been described by commentators as perhaps the most ineffective evil president in American history. He is a horrible puppet who is almost completely incapable of achieving evil acts. Despite his best efforts he is not good at effecting evil.

And last but not least, the Sharks are in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. They are up 2-0 in their series and it is excellent. It looks like we may be heading towards an all-California conference finals of the Sharks vs the Ducks. By name alone, I like that matchup.