Trivial Matters

Went out into the winter today. I didn’t want to drive on the ice so I walked down Cedar Hills to the Panera Bread for breakfast. Of course, the sidewalks were just as icy and slippery, but I did not fall. After breakfast, I ventured over to the auto parts store to see if they had chains for my Mom’s car. She called in sick to work because she didn’t want to drive, which is understandable. But, no chains at the store (or so I thought).

Decided to see a movie, and the only new release playing at the local cineplex was The Day The Earth Stood Still. I’d read the reviews and knew it was going to be bad going in, but I didn’t realize just how much they could screw it up. First off, someone tell me how Kathy Bates becomes the Secretary of Defense. I would have bought National Security Advisor no problem, but SECDEF?!?

The environmental message was entirely lost in the FX. Hell, the only reason I knew it was there was because I had read that it replaced the anti-nukes message of the original. Will Smith’s son is a horrible actor. I don’t hate the kid personally, but flashing puppy dog eyes is not acting, and his mood changes were too abrupt even for a hormonal pre-teen. Keanu was… well, Keanu. Can’t fault him for that. To be honest, the only performance I liked was the interogator’s.

After the movie, I walked back up the hill to the apartment and double-checked Mom’s tires. Turns out I had the wrong size, so I checked online and the auto parts store did have a set for her. So I ordered them through the site and went down to pick them up. Installing them took some time (and several adjustments), but now she’s ready to drive to work. Which is good because my AT orders came down today and I have to report to the Unit tomorrow, so she’s driving. (I guess I’ll have to get a set of chains for when I’m in Forest Grove after next weekend. God, I can’t wait to move back out. This was supposed to be temporary.)

I also got a call from TNT. They sent me more info on the races, including URLs for each race’s website. I checked them out and have a better idea of the race courses. More to come on that.