Reflections
I was looking through my account at Classmates.com when I noticed that 87 people looked up my profile. Eighty-seven lookups in ten years. Averages to a little over 10 views a year. I can guarantee you that each one of those 87 people had the same question on their minds that I have when I see an old classmate’s name on the list: “I wonder what he looks like now.”

Well, I know what I look like now, which is why I don’t post any photos. When I see myself in the mirror I see a guy that crawled out of the shallow end of his family’s gene pool and I’m thankful that I’m married to one of the best women on planet Earth. What she sees in me is beyond me.

Thank You, GOD, for giving me such a great wife.

IMHO #2 – WORLD TRADE CENTER
When I first heard that Oliver Stone was going to direct a film about the 9/11 tragedy, I started to think about the various conspiracy theories that would be present in the film (“The US planned it!” “There were no terrorists!” “It was all for oil!” “Didn’t you see Fahrenheit 911?”).

Oy.

Well, there are no conspiracy theories in this movie at all. It’s surprisingly patriotic (the first shot is a blurred shot of an alarm clock which creates a basic red, white and blue color palette) and emotional (One of the trapped Port Authority Police officers has a vision of Jesus Christ which inspires him to stay alive and another off-service Marine feels “called” by GOD to help at Ground Zero and ends up finding the two officers buried in the ruins.). Stone does a masterful job of juggling the POV’s of the story – from the trapped officers to their respective wives to the rescue volunteers. His eye for reproduction is uncanny. Every shot of the WTC ruins were eerily accurate.

Nicolas Cage turns in a decent performance as an everyday “Jes’ Folks” type of guy. Maria Bello and Maggie Gyllenhaal also turn in decent performances but aren’t given much more to do than cry and look worried. (Then again, what else could the family members of those missing people do on that horrible day but weep and worry?)

So far, there have been two major films about the 9-11 tragedy: United 93 and World Trade Center. Of the two, I think that United 93 is a much more effective film and has a much deeper emotional impact.

Final Grade for World Trade Center: B

(I don’t include Fahrenheit 911 here because it wasn’t a film and I don’t think it’s a true documentary. I think it’s a big, steaming bowl of elephant urine. If you want to see a fascinating documentary about the 9-11 tragedy, two French documentary filmmakers were shooting a film about a FDNY company when the planes hit the towers. It is a riveting documentary. Even thinking about it gives me the chills. As soon as I find out the name of the film, I’ll post it.)

AUTHORS WANTED
I like to read. A lot. Well, when time allows.

When I was 18, my aunt sent me a copy of Strangers by Dean Koontz as a Christmas gift.

I was hooked.

Over the next two years, I purchased every Dean Koontz novel that I could (from the old Kroch’s and Brentano’s on Wabash in downtown Chicago). From there, I went to Stephen King and then to other sci-fi/ horror novelists.

Over the past sixteen years, my tastes have changed a bit. I’ve stopped reading Koontz save for a few exceptions (his Frankenstein trilogy has been very interesting). His writing can be either too melodramatic or reads as if he’s trying too hard to be funny. I still read King, but his fiction is starting to read the same. I can look at a King novel and anticipate the next plot turn pretty effectively.

(In fairness to Mr. King, I think some of his work is phenomenal and, considering his reputation for the strange and bizarre, surprisingly rich in character development. I recommend “All That You Love Will be Carried Away,” “The Jaunt,” “The Man in the Black Suit,” “Crouch End,” “Dolan’s Cadillac,” “The Man Who Loved Flowers,” “The Last Rung on the Ladder,” Hearts in Atlantis, The Long Walk, On Writing, and Bag of Bones (except for the last 50 pages))

My problem now is that I haven’t been able to find an author to follow. The last novel I read that really jazzed me was I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb. I’ve read Lamb’s other works, but he hasn’t published anything new lately.

Any suggestions for an author or novel???

PAIN & GAIN
The common proverb for weight training is: “No pain, no gain.” I’ve quickly learned two things about this maxim: it’s right and it’s wrong. (Keep in mind that I'm not a medical professional in any way.)

As my workouts have increased in intensity there has been serious discomfort during the workouts, such as having to stop for a breather during a set because I’m not strong enough yet to finish it. My heart rate shoots through the roof when I circuit train because I’m not taking very long rest periods in between sets (45 – 60 seconds max). At the end of my workouts, I’m usually dripping with sweat, which is a very good thing.

The soreness that comes after the workouts is there as well, but I’ve learned to appreciate it. I know that it’s there because my muscles are healing and getting stronger for the next session. I saw an ROTC student with a t-shirt from the U.S. Marines that read, “Pain is weakness leaving your body.” I keep that in mind when a sore muscle decides to sing out a bit.

But the NPNG philosophy is also wrong because that type of mindset can lead to serious injury. Pain can be an alert that something is wrong and that you should BACK OFF and let your body heal. Some years ago, my back was sore but I ignored it and tried to workout. When I tried to do bent-over rows with dumbbells (where you bend over and pull the weight up to your chest), my back decided to scream out a heavy metal version of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” I could barely walk for a few days. Sleeping was a horror because my back would stiffen up during the night and getting up from my bed was murder.

Don’t even ask about going to the bathroom (I know you won’t, but still. . .).

So if you’re exercising, taste the pain and enjoy it and use it.

And respect it.

SMALL VICTORIES
I’ve lost five pounds in less than one month. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it’s a start. One rose can smell just as good as a bouquet if you take the time to appreciate it.

IMHO #1: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

To make a long story short is impossible as far as this movie is concerned since most of this sequel is a setup for POTC 3. While Johnny Depp does another great job as Capt. Jack Sparrow (all eccentricities are present and accounted for as well as a touch of Buster Keaton-esque slapstick), the story doesn’t really go anywhere until the last half-hour. The sad fact is that this last thirty minutes serves to whet your appetite for the third film.

Note to director Gore Verbinski: Robert Zemeckis did this exact thing – ending film #2 with a “teaser” for film #3 – with Back to the Future 2 & 3. It stunk then and it stinks now. To see how a trilogy should be set up, see Star Wars: Episodes 4-6 and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Each film can stand alone and fits within a larger story arc.

Final Grade: C+ (for Depp’s performance).