Right There in Nebraska

My twitter buddy @pafford almost convinced me to move to Nebraska with this cute little song by The String Beans (video and lyrics below). It's from their album Oodles of Noodles (Amazon has the solo MP3 for 99 cents).




RIGHT HERE IN NEBRASKA
Smack in the middle of our great nation,
Is a state which requires some explanation,
To east and west coasters who’ll come up and ask ya,
“Is there anything of interest in the state of Nebraska?”
La... la...dee... da... right here in Nebraska! And there’s more...

It’s true we don’t have mountains covered in snow,
But we do have the world’s biggest live chicken show.
We’re the makers of Spam... we invented Kool Aid,
And this is where the first Rueben sandwich was made.
La... la...dee... da... right here in Nebraska! And there’s more...

Our insect... the honeybee, our bird... the meadow lark,
The strobe light, our invention, works best in the dark.
As governments go, we’re a freak of nature,
Cause we have the only one-house state legislature.
La... la...dee... da... only in Nebraska! And there’s more...

On Arbor Day, when you plant a tree,
Remember that it started in Nebraska City,
We were once called a desert, but that name didn’t take.
Since we have the country’s largest underground lake.
La... la...dee... da... right under Nebraska! And there’s more...

We have the world’s largest forest, all planted by hand,
And more miles of rivers than any state in the land.
The College World Series calls Omaha home,
And this is where the buffalo used to roam.
Until we shot them... right here in Nebraska! And there’s more...

We were the first state to finish our I-80 section,
And the first to pit two women in a gubernatorial election.
We invented 9-1-1 emergency communication,
And we’re the top producer of center pivot irrigation,
La... la...dee... da... right here in Nebraska! And there’s more...

Our woolly mammoth fossil is the largest ever found,
And our monumental “Car Henge” is bound to astound.
We have a few museums that you could call “odd,”
Dedicated to fur trading, roller skates, and sod.
La... la...dee... da... right here in Nebraska! And there’s more...

We built the world’s largest porch swing, indoor desert and rain forest,
And anyone who visits is sure to adore us...
So pack up the kiddies, the pets and the wife,
And see why Nebraska is called “the good life.”

Back in Time Reviews: Mortal Kombat (1995)

If you're of a certain age you spent a lot of time in arcades "back in the day," and one of the games you played was Mortal Kombat. You loved it so much that Hollywood decided you'd love a movie about it, too.

Yeah, not so much.

It's not a BAD movie...well, maybe it is. But along with its badness there is a certain quirky likability. It's the dorky, sweet cousin you wouldn't want to live with but is fun to visit.

How do they turn a violent fighting game into a feature length movie? With a contrived situation, of course. The IMDB short description: "Three unknowing martial artists are summoned to a mysterious island to compete in a tournament whose outcome will decide the fate of the world." (Cue the cheesy, intense music. Then scream "MORTAL KOMBAT!")

Fortunately there's plenty of action, some clever lines, and enough beefcake/cheesecake for the casual movie watcher to stay entertained. Most of the special effects look dated but in some ways that just adds to its dorky charm (similar to Voyages of Sinbad). We consider it a guilty pleasure like the empty calories of a chocolate bar.

The Commander's Rating: Three out of five Vulcan salutes.
Pros: Mindless action flick (if that's your mood). Wacky humor. Talisa Soto. Robin Shou. The best exercise soundtrack this side of "Jock Jams."
Cons: Christopher Lambert (Seriously? He's the ancient Japanese god of thunder and lightening?) Dorkiness.
Recommendation: A fun watch when you don't have anything better to do - like wash the cat, do some laundry, watch some paint dry... Ok, it's better than that. It's fun when you're in the right mood.

Do I Know Who I Am?

The Johari Window is a method of assessing personality awareness.

Arena (known to self and others) witty

Blind Spot (known only to others) clever, friendly, intelligent, kind, modest, responsive, sympathetic

Façade (known only to self) helpful, loving, searching, sentimental, tense

Unknown (known to nobody) able, accepting, adaptable, bold, brave, calm, caring, cheerful, complex, confident, dependable, dignified, energetic, extroverted, giving, happy, idealistic, independent, ingenious, introverted, knowledgeable, logical, mature, nervous, observant, organised, patient, powerful, proud, quiet, reflective, relaxed, religious, self-assertive, self-conscious, sensible, shy, silly, spontaneous, trustworthy, warm, wise

Dominant Traits

100% of people think that CmdrSue is friendly
100% of people agree that CmdrSue is witty

All Percentages

able (0%) accepting (0%) adaptable (0%) bold (0%) brave (0%) calm (0%) caring (0%) cheerful (0%) clever (50%) complex (0%) confident (0%) dependable (0%) dignified (0%) energetic (0%) extroverted (0%) friendly (100%) giving (0%) happy (0%) helpful (0%) idealistic (0%) independent (0%) ingenious (0%) intelligent (50%) introverted (0%) kind (50%) knowledgeable (0%) logical (0%) loving (0%) mature (0%) modest (50%) nervous (0%) observant (0%) organised (0%) patient (0%) powerful (0%) proud (0%) quiet (0%) reflective (0%) relaxed (0%) religious (0%) responsive (50%) searching (0%) self-assertive (0%) self-conscious (0%) sensible (0%) sentimental (0%) shy (0%) silly (0%) spontaneous (0%) sympathetic (50%) tense (0%) trustworthy (0%) warm (0%) wise (0%) witty (100%)

Created by the Interactive Johari Window on 15.12.2010, using data from 2 respondents.
You can make your own Johari Window, or view CmdrSue's full data.

Learn more about the Johari Window with Perspectives on the self in communication: the cognition continuum and the Johari Window. (Special Issue: Advanced Technology.): An article from: Technical Communication.

Back in Time Reviews: Keeping the Faith (2000)

Do you have a movie that you totally love but it feels like no one else you know feels the same way? One of those movies, for me, is "Keeping the Faith." Hubs likes it but I *LOVE* it. Starring Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, and Jenna Elfman, and directed by Edward Norton, any well-boiled-down synopsis starts to sound like a joke: "A priest, a rabbi, and a blonde walk into a bar..." Well, ok, actually it starts with the priest going into the bar, but you see where I'm going here.



The center of the conflict is a love triangle. Father Brian and Rabbi Jake have been best friends forever, but back in middle school they had a third musketeer, the athletic, aggressive Anna Riley (not just a blonde, but a Mick - the joke just keeps going) who had to move away when they were all young teens. Now she's back in town and looking to reconnect with her former best friends. Romantic sparks start to fly.



What makes this movie work is Norton's gentle touch as the director. Although the humor could be outrageous it is done in a sweet, teasing way rather than over the top. Although many of the topics are rife with emotional conflict (family pressures, betrayal, deciding whether to leave the priesthood) they are navigated with an integrity that honors the underlying issue without wallowing in melodrama over it.

Sweet, sweet movie.

The Commander's Rating: Five out of five Vulcan salutes.
Pros: Gentle humor. Anne Bancroft, Eli Wallach, and Milos Forman in supporting roles. Enough "best guy friends" scenes (basketball, etc.) to keep men from categorically hating it as a chick flick.
Cons: It might be subtle to the point of bland, depending on your tastes. Guessing not everyone will roll on the floor laughing over the Rabbi trading cards the way I did.
Recommendation: Excellent for girl's night, for any man with emotional depth, or to snuggle with your significant other if they are up for a romantic comedy that includes a priest.

Back in Time Reviews: Galaxy Quest (1999)

"Articles on sci-fi films should focus on the deep philosophical roots of the work, not the creepy sexualized fan culture it inspires." ~ Fake AP Stylebook


The great thing about Galaxy Quest is that it's a geek tv show inside a geek movie all covered over with a fondant of satire. The basic concept is that a short-run 80s science fiction TV show called "Galaxy Quest" is living a half-life in the convention circuit, like Star Trek in the 70s and Battlestar Galactica in the 90s. (Yes, feel free to cite other examples in the comments: Lost in Space, etc.) There is the friction among the cast members that you would expect in such a situation - inequality of their star power, the serious actor who feels this has ruined their career (think Alec Guiness), the co-stars who seem trapped in this life and sort of aimless. The twist comes in when the lead actor Jason Nesmith (a la Bill Shatner) who played Commander Taggert on the show (a la Captain Kirk) tells his co-stars that he has actually been on an alien ship - and that the aliens believe they are really the characters from the show. Without giving too much away we can just say "hilarity ensues." Sort of a modern geekling Comedy of Errors.


When I consider the impact of movies one of the metrics is "quoting." Do I still quote this movie 11 years later? Oh, heck yes. Pretty much every character has a line worth repeating at some point. You will find yourself teasing your friends in tense moments with Guy's, "Did you guys ever WATCH the show?" Frustrations at work will be met with Gwen's voice in your head saying, "Look! I have one job on this lousy ship, it's *stupid*, but I'm gonna do it! Okay?"

One of my other metrics for a movie is the number of high profile actors. As you may have noticed often there is an INVERSE relationship between the number of 'stars' and the quality of a movie. Somehow Galaxy Quest manages to defeat this curse. Which stars am I talking about? Probably some of your favorites. Tim Allen (voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story), Sigourney Weaver (Ripley from Alien), Alan Rickman (Snape in Harry Potter), Tony Shalhoub (Monk from the TV show Monk), Sam Rockwell (Zaphod Beeblebrox in the latest Hitchhiker's Guide - not his best role, but one of his sci-fi ones), Daryl Mitchell (Dexter on The John Larroquette Show), Enrico Colantoni (Eliot from Just Shoot Me!), Patrick Breen (Reggie from MIB), Missi Pyle (Mrs. Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), and Justin Long (pretty much every movie that's come out for 10 years, also the Mac in Mac vs. PC ads). And that was just listing one thing from each actor's resume. I could write a whole page on Alan Rickman alone (or, as Kevin Smith calls him, Hans-f'ing-Gruber).


So, in summary - hilarious geekgasm of a movie. Highly recommended.

The Commander's Rating: Five out of five Vulcan salutes.
Pros: Every last little bit of it. Concept, script, actors - it's all brilliant.
Cons: If you aren't a geek you won't get it. If you haven't been to a science fiction convention you won't get parts of it. 
Recommendation: If you're a geek and haven't seen this, GET ON IT. If you're not a geek but know a geek, watch it to understand them a little better through the power of humor. If you're not a geek and don't know a geek, well, you're probably not reading this blog.