What do Utah, Brains and the Goo Goo Dolls Have in Common?

I've spent all week at brainshare, a Novell technology conference. It's well known for nerdy commercial spoofs (SuSE), free food and spifs, and a Thursday night tradition called "Meet the Experts" (a.k.a "beat the geeks") in which customers who have consumed one too many beers asks all sorts of questions to the techies about why things were done the way they were done in our software products. Each year on Wednesday night, they have a band and a comedian perform. This year it was the Goo Goo Dolls. Turns out, they sing a whole lot more than I thought I remembered.

Oh, and I got to try a $65 bone-aged filet mignon at Spencer's. Yummmmmmy!

Say Anything

It's always nice when you make a movie connection- an actor in some movie you recognize played in a really old movie. It's strangely (for me) even far more interesting when I find a connection that I should have known but discovered through http://www.imdb.com

I was watching "Say Anything" and discovered the father (John Mahoney) played Martin Crane in the TV series Frasier. Why didn't I see this?

Daylight Shavings

Damn you, Spring forward. You always screw me over..

Everything Is Illuminated

I was listening to the soundtrack and dug up the final letter narrated in the movie:



Jonathan!
I have reflected many times upon our rigid search.
It has shown me...
...that everything is illuminated in the light of the past.
It is always along the side of us...
...on the inside, looking out.
Like you say, inside out.
Jonfen, in this way, I will always be along the side of your life.
And you will always be along the side of mine.
Our families will be with us, and our families' families.
Your grandfather.
And perhaps, in some way, my grandfather as well.
It is possible I will never know why Grandfather did this to himself.
Perhaps he wished to bury his life...
...along the side of his past.
But I must tell you, Jonfen...
...in this moment, he seemed, as if for the first time in his life...
...contented to be where he was.
Jonfen, I am sending you this...
...because we have shared something to exist for.
And, of course, in case anyone comes searching.
Alexander Baruch Perchov
Sammy Davis Jr. Jr.!

House, MD

The show has gotten progressively worse, but I still appreciate the dialog writing:


House: Your turn?

Chase: Do you have to do that?

House: You mean cheapen everyone's attempt at a human moment by identifying the real calculations that go into it?

Chase: Yeah.

House: Yeah, I do.