"So Let it Be Written... So Let it Be Done"

The life and times of a real, down to earth, nice guy. A relocated New Englander formerly living somewhere north of Boston, but now soaking up the bright sun of southwestern Florida (aka The Gulf Coast) for over nine years. Welcome to my blog world. Please leave it as clean as it was before you came. Thanks for visiting, BTW please leave a relevant comment so I know you were here. No blog spam, please. (c) MMV-MMXIX Court Jester Productions & Bamford Communications

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Rocket Launch in Houston

Disappointing.

Sure, the Red Sox had a 25% chance to be the team Roger Clemens decided to "end" his career with. Apparently, they were the second runner-up (finishing ahead of the Yankees and Rangers) in a sweepstakes to land the most celebrated 43 year old right arm in major league history.

It would have been nice for the Rocket to land on the pad that launched his Hall of Fame career in 1984. He's still tied atop the Red Sox all-time wins list with Cy Young, a record easily attainable and breakable, that I thought sure would lure an ego like Clemens has back to Boston.

Plus, no one has worn his #21 in the ten seasons since he left to pitch for the Blue Jays, Yankees and Astros. A uniform number that certainly will adorn the right field facade at Fenway Park sometime in the next decade.

The Astros are paying Clemens $3.25 something million dollars per month to pitch for them for the remainder of the 2006 season. Though there's still a slim chance, in my opinion, that the Red Sox could get him this year. If the Astros tank over the next two months and it appears that they will not make the playoffs, then Clemens could ask for a trade, possibly to Boston.

Here's espn.com's reporting of the Clemens' signing by the Astros.

Monday, May 29, 2006

I...

I AM: usually the last one to go to sleep in my house.
I SAID: "where is the remote control for the DVD player?"
I WANT: to get out of debt. and stay there.
I WISH: I could quit my job at the earliest opportunity - without worrying about how the bills will be paid.
I MISS: being intimate with a woman.
I HEAR: my stomach growling.
I WONDER: if I'll ever be able to move out of New England.
I REGRET: putting my kids through a divorce situation.
I AM NOT: crazy. Yes you are. No I am not. Yes you are. No I am not. OK, maybe a little bit...
I DANCE: only when I'm drunk. And I'm never drunk.
I SING: only in the car and only when I'm alone with the windows up.
I CRY: at the end of certain movies - every time.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: in a good mood. Most of the time I am, though. Generally I'm an optimist.
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: the best roast beef sandwich you'll ever have.
I WRITE: in my blog almost every day.
I CONFUSE: what??
I NEED: a new car. badly.
I SHOULD: not spend as much time as I do on the internet. I should also go to bed soon.
I START: everything I finish.
I FINISH: every book I read.
I TAG: priscilla, nunzia and ~deb.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

What Star Wars Charachter I am...

Your results:
You are Qui-Gon Jinn





















Qui-Gon Jinn
82%
R2-D2
77%
Chewbacca
67%
An Ewok
65%
Obi-Wan Kenobi
64%
Yoda
63%
Padme
57%
Luke Skywalker
56%
Lando Calrissian
56%
Han Solo
55%
Overall, you're a pretty well balanced person.
But maybe you focus a little too
much on the here and now.
Think about the future before its too late.

(This list displays the top 10 results out of a possible 21 characters)


Click here to take the Star Wars Personality Quiz

Saturday, May 27, 2006

SNMR 1.11: "Enemy of the State"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Enemy of the State" (1998, R, 140 minutes) starring Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King, Loren Dean, Lisa Bonet, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper and Jack Black. The film was directed by Tony Scott. I'm actually watching the unrated extended special edition.

The first time I watched this movie was probably in 1999 or 2000 and I still remember how freaked out I was at the end. Freaked out not because the movie was horror movie scary but because the government can really do these things to someone, if they want to. The surveillance technology depicted in this film is very realistic. It makes one question how much personal privacy we really have.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Hot Hollywood favorite Will Smith (Independence Day, Men in Black, Ali) stars with Academy Award winner Gene Hackman (Best Actor, 1971 for The French Connection; The Firm, Crimson Tide) in a high-powered suspense thriller where nonstop action meets cutting edge technology! Robert Clayton Dean (Smith) is a successful Washington, DC attorney, who - without his knowledge - is given a video that ties a top official of the National Security Agency (played by Jon Voight - Pearl Harbor, National Treasure, Mission Impossible) to a political murder! A lethal team of skilled NSA operatives wages a relentless, ultra-high-tech campaign to discredit Dean and retrieve the incriminating evidence! Also featuring Regina King (Jerry Maguire, Boyz 'N the Hood, Ray) in an impressive, star-studded cast - get ready for even more action to explode as Dean desperately races to reclaim his once normal life in this Extended Edition packed with bonus material!


From Martin and Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 350:

If it's possible for a film to be too visually dynamic, then this is it. Director Tony Scott, obsessed with unbridled technology and rapid-fire style-for-it's-own-sake, nearly overwhelms the intriguing story at the heart of this disturbing commentary on the fragility of personal privacy. Will Smith stars as a lawyer who gets sucked into a conspiracy case involving a rogue NSA dirty-trickster who killed a U.S. Congressman. Our hero's life is turned upside down until he meets up with a former agent with lots of answers. When all is said and done, credibility isn't so much stretched as mangled beyond recognition. But it does succeed on a "kick-ass" level.


Will Smith is excellent in the lead role and Gene Hackman has always been one of my favorite actors, ever since I saw him play Lex Luthor in the original Superman movie. Jon Voight makes a good scum-bag. But the real star of this movie in my opinion is the technology. The script is well-written and the action is virtually non-stop. Over the top? Probably. Does it matter? Nope. Not many movies freak me out like this one did. This is a must own movie. I'll give this movie five out of five stars.

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Taking suggestions

In a little bit more than two weeks, I'll be celebrating my first bloggiversary and I am now taking suggestions and will gladly entertain your ideas for possible posting topics for that day. All suggestions are welcome.

---

No post yesterday because G, P and I went out for dinner & drinks last night. A good time was had by all, including our waitress, Indiana Jen, who was an active participant at certain points in our conversation, when she came back to check on our table to see if we needed anything.

---

More May birthdays...

In addition to my daughter's birthday on Monday, I have two other May birthdays to celebrate. My dad turned 62 yesterday and my grandfather turns 97 tomorrow.

Happy birthday to you both.

----

Red Sox v. New York Yankees update:

May 22 - Round five: @ Boston Red Sox 9, New York Yankees 5

May 23 - Round six: New York Yankees 7, @ Boston Red Sox 5

May 24- Round seven: New York Yankees 8, @ Boston Red Sox 6

Red Sox lead season series 4-3

Next series, June 5-8 @ Yankee Stadium.

Monday, May 22, 2006

Alias 5:16 Reprisal & 5.17 All the Time in the World

Alias 5.16: Reprisal

With the collected Prophet Five documentation at hand, the APO team spreads out across the globe to take photos of the different Prophet Five members. Once they had gathered all the photos and information at the office, they decide that they need to make the arrest simultaneously to avoid tipping the rest of the members off, including Sloane. Jack tasks Marshall to track all their activities so they can coordinate an arrest.

Meanwhile, Sloane talks to Sark and Peyton and proposes that they solidify their position in Prophet Five so they would be less expendable. In spite of Peyton's initial hesitation, she agrees.

Tom visits Rachel in her apartment. She consoles him in his sadness and he leans in to kiss her. When Rachel goes in the kitchen, Tom leaves. Later, Rachel gets abducted by Sark. Around the same time, Marshal is abducted from his home and is brought to Sloane's hideout. With Peyton, Sloane asks Marshall to hack into the government system and locate an underground cavern by accessing the federal ground-penetrating satellite. When Marshal refuses, Peyton tortures him.

Syd and Jack visit Carrie, Marshall's wife, who called them for support in finding Marshal. When Syd reveals to her that Marshal is still working for the CIA, Carrie volunteers to help and provide technical support in Marshal's absence. As soon as Carrie arrives in the APO office, she cracks the password for Marshal's program to track Prophet Five members.

Later, Sloane confronts Sydney in the parking lot as she was carrying Isabelle. Sloane tells her to talk to Marshal, who is determined to not give in. Syd then tells Marshall to do what Sloane says and asks what he wants to tell Carrie. He asks Syd to tell Carrie to finish reading the book "The Littlest Fish" to their son.

Rachel arrives in the same room as Marshal is in. Marshal tells her that he needs her help in doing Sloane's bidding. To ease Rachel's confusion, Marshall tells her that he had spoken to Sydney. Marshal suggests that they leapfrog across the network so they would not get caught in their hacks. With an understanding that Marshal actually wants to get caught, they begin to work on their laptop. Later, Rachel locates the cave that Sloane wanted in central Italy.

Vaughn relays Marshal's message to Carrie, where Carrie figures out that the lead character in "The Littlest Fish" is named Noah. With Sloane's motives, she concludes that Marshal must be referring to NOAA the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-something that Marshal must be hacking currently. Going with this possible lead, Carrie sets up trip wires to monitor government hacks and pinpoint Marshal's location. Later she finds Marshall triggering network security protocols. She narrows his location down to Ixtapa and Jack sends a rescue team.

In the basement, Rachel picks her handcuffs with an underwire and with Marshal, they escape the guard who was sent to kill them. Followed by other guards, they run through a corridor in time to be rescued by the APO Team who just arrived.

At the APO office, Carrie reports to Jack that based on Marshal's tracker, the Prophet Five members seem to be gathering in Zurich. Jack assumes that Sloane must be presenting the information that Marshall and Rachel uncovered -he then assembles a team to strike. Retrieving information at Sloane's safehouse, Rachel mentions that Sloane is going to Umbria. Sydney realizes that he must be going to Mount Subasio.

Climbing the snow-covered mountains, Vaughn propels Sydney down to the icy underground cavern, where she finds Sloane with the Rambaldi amulet. When Syd holds him at gunpoint, Sloane says that a shot will trigger a cave in. Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, Sark sets a timer for a planted bomb.

At the APO office, Tom reports that based on the files in Sloane's hideout, bombs are being planted around the APO office through the subway system. Jack tells them to clear the office while Tom and Dixon sweeps the tunnels for the bomb. Marshal and Rachel are tasked to evacuate civilians. Later, Tom finds the bomb and reports that it can't be dismantled because of the fail-safe components. He suggests freezing the timer with liquid nitro to extend the countdown.

Peyton goes to Zurich and meets Prophet Five members. Standing in the middle of the room and expected to present the amulet, Peyton opens the briefcase and pulls out two semi-automatic weapons. She kills all the members of Prophet Five and their bodyguards who arrived shortly.

When the last of the civilians were cleared out of the tunnel, Jack tells Tom to get out of the train and run to safety. Instead, Tom asked to be patched to Rachel. He tells Rachel that if they had more time, he would have asked her out. Sensing that Tom is giving up his life for this cause, Rachel tearfully replies that she would have said yes. At that moment, the building implodes.

Sloane holds the amulet against the light. He tells Sydney she is not allowed to see it and he shoots the icy ground she is standing on. Syd falls through and is rendered unconscious.

---

Alias 5.17: All the Time in the World

Vaughn finds an unconscious Sydney and administers CPR. In a flashback, Sydney recalls the time when Jack told her that her mother has died and he asks her to be strong. Syd wakes up.

Peyton tells Sloane that she was able to make contact with their ally in Hong Kong, and reveals Rambaldi's Sphere of Life -they have a deal. When Sark asks if they want to go through with this global genocide, Sloane confirms as they look on nuclear missiles.

In the safety of a hotel in Sienna, Sydney remembers her childhood where she assembled building blocks she found lying around. Not realizing that this was part of Project Christmas - meant to test people's aptitude for being operatives, Sydney shows her father what she had done. Jack tells her she is a special girl.

Later Sydney reads a report where two missiles were stolen, and assumes Sloane's involvement. Syd concludes that if Sloane had killed all Prophet Five members, he must have all their assets, and would have bought these missiles from someone. Marshal then hacks into the Russian bank network and looks into the phone records. Via satellite, they were able to locate Peyton.

Vaughn, Dixon and Sydney interrogate Peyton, where she reveals that she does not know where the missiles are stored now but she knows that Sloane is targeting two cities with high civilian concentrations. Jack remarks that Sloane is not interested in devastation -he wants to profit from the reconstruction. Sydney also finds out that Sloane is in Mongolia.

As Syd was getting ready to fly to Mongolia, Rachel reports that she and Marshall are trying to hack into optical satellites to locate the missiles. They later realize that Sloane had hacked into the network with information uploaded from a contact in Hong Kong. With Dixon interrogating, Peyton reveals who their contact is. Sloane and Sark go inside the cave in Mongolia.

Later, Sloane says that the next step is for him alone to do. Sloane journeys down to a chamber that turns out to be Rambaldi's burial place-and filled with awe, he takes the sphere and puts it on top of Rambaldi's tomb. The Sphere of Life glows and activates Rambaldi's Mueller device with the red hovering ball.

Vaughn, Syd and Jack infiltrate the camp set up outside of Rambaldi's tomb. Syd sneaks into the underground chamber and holds Sloane at gunpoint. Meanwhile, Vaughn and Jack get surrounded by Sark and his men. Syd grabs the Rambaldi sphere and the liquid from the hovering ball drops to the ground. When she was about to destroy it, Sark arrives holding Vaughn and Jack at hostage.

Now having Syd at gunpoint, Sloane urges her to give the sphere back. Sloane turns around and shoots Jack. Syd drops the sphere to go over to Jack and Vaughn takes this opportunity to hit the guards and fight with his captors. Syd shoots Sloane several times and Sloane falls into a pool of liquid that came from Rambaldi's device. He dies and Sark picks up the sphere.

Syd flashes back to when she hands her father one of her first paychecks. When she mentions that she started working for Credit Dauphine, Jack tells her to quit immediately. Confused, Sydney argues that she will do what she wants and what she believes is the best for her.

They carry a severely wounded Jack out the chamber where they attempt to perform first aid. Vaughn reports that Sloane died and Sark must be headed towards their contact in Hong Kong with the Rambaldi sphere. Vaughn adds that it is Irina Derevko.

Later, the team receives a report that while Marshall can access launch protocol, they can't stop the initializing sequence. Jack advises them to go to Hong Kong. When Syd wanted to stay, Jack urges that she is the only one who can stop her mother. He adds that he never wanted this life for Sydney, but Sydney is far too driven and strong to let anyone stop her. Syd tells her father that she loves him and leaves hesitantly.

In Hong Kong, Sark comes to Irina and reports that the missiles are ready. When Irina tells him to target London and Washington D.C., Sark goes to a control room where he commands his men to initiate the countdown.

When Sydney arrives, Irina tells her that power is the only currency -and through Rambaldi, they can live forever. Syd and Irina fight furiously. Meanwhile, Vaughn breaks into the control room where Sark is in and they engage in combat. Vaughn shoots Sark and demands for the code to stop the missile launch. With Marshal's help, the launch is aborted. Meanwhile, in Mongolia, the bullet holes in Sloane heal and he is restored to life. As he starts to walk out the chamber, a wounded Jack stops him.

Jack apologizes for not believing in Rambaldi but since Sloane caused Sydney so much pain, he is determined to not let Sloane do it again. When Sloane says he can't be hurt anymore in his immortality, Jack points out that he can keep him in that underground cave with him. He lights explosives and the chamber caves in.

Still in combat, Sydney and Irina end up on a roof deck. Sydney then kicks Irina and she falls on top of a glass roof. When Syd urges her mother to crawl back to her since the glass roof can't hold her weight, Irina insists on grabbing the Rambaldi sphere that rolled a few inches away from her. As she moved forward, the glass shattered and Irina falls through the roof, and dies.

In Mongolia, half of Sloane's body is buried underneath the rubble and is alive -with no one around to hear his calls for help. He talks to Nadia's ghost, who tells him that now, he has all the time in the world and she will not be there to keep him company. She disappears.

Years later, a 7-yr old Isabelle plays by the ocean. As Dixon arrives, Vaughn and Syd emerge out of their beach home to greet him. When Dixon asks Syd for some help in an assignment, Vaughn suggests discussing this after dinner. Meanwhile, Isabelle finds wooden building blocks -the same ones that Sydney played with that made Jack realize Sydney's innate aptitude for being an agent. Isabelle assembles the blocks effortlessly and runs out with Sydney, Vaughn and Dixon for a walk by the beach.

----

Now I'm officially freed from any regular series television program, since this one program I watched faithfully has ended.

Several characters predictably died, one was buried alive and other charachters came back to help close out their story lines. Sydney and Vaughn live happily ever after in a house in the beach somewhere secluded. However, Dixon shows up at the end, after about five years have passed and offers Sydney and Vaughn a simple mission....

Thus opening the door for more adventures of Sydney Bristow, CIA Agent, sometime in the near future.

There was one minor part of the episodes tonight that baffled me because it didn't fit in with earlier events in the series. Marshall's wife Kerry volunteers to help the CIA after Marshall is kidnapped, which she does. She assumes that her husband just designs video games and it is revealed to her through the story line that her husband actually works for the CIA. Hello? Marshall met his wife during season three when she came to work for another government organization that was working with (sort of) Marshall's CIA unit. Hello!!!

Whoever wrote the script should have known this.
Whoever proofreads these scripts before shooting should have caught this.

Happy 9th Birthday, V!!!

I can't believe it. My oldest child is 9 years old today.

I don't feel old enough myself to have a kid that old. Where has the time gone?

Seeing any child being born is an amazing thing, but there will always be something special when it's your first.

V, you will always be daddy's little girl. You will always bring joy to my life and a smile to my face, no matter what. I may not always like the things you say or do as you grow up, but my love for you will never stop. You are a very special person, for who you are now and who you will become.

I hope you will have a wonderful birthday.

I love you, V.

Dad


Yes, I've dated this post to her exact birthdate and time. It's a bit inconvenient to be born in the middle of the night. I should know because I was too. I'll be away from my computer, happily sleeping at this exact moment.

Saturday, May 20, 2006

SNMR 1.10: "King Arthur"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "King Arthur" (2004, PG-13, 140 minutes) starring Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ioan Gruffudd, Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen Dillane, Ray Winstone, Hugh Dancy and Til Schweiger. The film was directed by Antoine Fuqua. I'm watching the Extended Unrated Director's Cut.

This is another in a long line of DVD's that I bought when it first came out and hadn't gotten around to watching it at all until tonight. I bought it primarily because I've always enjoyed the King Arthur legends and because I thought Keira Knightley was excellent in "Pirates of the Caribbean".

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Now, from the producer of "Pearl Harbor" and the director of "Training Day"... Experience the extended unrated director's cut of this hard-hitting action epic! Prepare for more thrills, more adventure and more intensity, as the heroic true story behind one of history's greatest legends explodes onto the screen! It is the valiant tale of Arthur (Clive Owen) and his bond of brotherhood with Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd), and the loyalty of the Knights of the Round Table as they fight for freedom and those they love. Also starring Keira Knightley as Guinevere, this never-before-seen "King Arthur" is a longer, grittier and more explicit motion picture - don't miss it!


From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p.610-11:

This recounting of King Arthur's exploits purports to derive from the "archaeological record," but the plot is actually lifted from director Antoine Fuqua's previous film, "Tears of the Sun," with an overdose of anachronisms - Arthur (Clive Owen) nattering about freedom, Guinevere (Keira Knightley) looking like Xena the warrior princess, "knights" drinking and roaring like Irish soccer fans, etc. Some decent action scenes, but the story is just too silly.


I'll admit, I bought this movie solely because of Keira Knightley being in it. But her character didn't even appear until about 45 minutes into the film. I thought the battle scenes were decent but not on the quality of LOTR. Overall the story had promise but weak writing will kill a good story every time. Even with this extended version, the story could have been told just as well in less time, as I found myself drifting off and having to replay certain scenes. Just seeing the director's cut, I'm not sure what scenes were added from the theatrical release of the film, so it's impossible for me to tell if this version was even necessary... Skin is nice, but would you seriously go into battle wearing Guinevere's skimpy costume? Hardly, I would think.

I'm going to give this film just two out of five stars. Maybe I'm missing something? Maybe repeat viewings will make it better, but I doubt it.

No Triple Crown winner this year

I missed the race due to V's birthday party.

Your winner in the Preakness Stakes is Bernardini.

Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner, broke his leg shortly after leaving the gate and needs major surgery. Needless to say, that horse's racing career is over.

Which is sad if you like horses and racing. Kind of puts a damper on the winning horse's 5 1/2 length victory. If there's to be no Triple Crown winner, you'd like to see the Derby winner get beat fair and square and not pull up lame with an injury.

The people who run the Belmont Stakes (on June 10) must be bummin'. No chance of a Triple Crown again and now this race is just another event on the racing schedule.

Here is espn.com's story of the race.

This is the espn.com story on Barbaro's injury.

Thursday, May 18, 2006

What gender is my brain

Stole this from Kayla's blog, linked at left. I'm too lazy to copy the link for you now...


My brain is 33% female, 67% male, according to this test...


Your Brain is 33% Female, 67% Male

You have a total boy brain
Logical and detailed, you tend to look at the facts
And while your emotions do sway you sometimes...
You never like to get feelings too involved

Wednesday, May 17, 2006

On chance meetings, interesting advertising and gas prices

So I'm standing in line at the grocery store deli counter near my apartment tonight after work and I hear a voice I had not heard in over 16 years. Standing to my right was a guy named Jim, whom I knew a lifetime ago (back in my college days) when I worked at the K-Mart in North Billerica, MA. He ran the Receiving Department and therefore the main stock room (and still does, apparently) which was near to the Sporting Goods Department, where I and a goofy chap named Steve used to work (He is now the manager of that department, last I heard).

Anyway, this guy Jim, looked and sounded exactly the same as I remembered him: bald with a thick, full, black beard (but with a few patches of gray, now) and loud (even standing there in line with his wife/girlfriend). Jim, though didn't remember me, even as I recited to him things that only people who worked there at that time would know. Part of me was glad he didn't remember me but the other part of me was a tad disappointed.

---

At the grocery store I needed to buy some cheap cat food. Cat food with the words "excellent taste" and "the taste cats love" boldly emblazened on each box. Now I want to know HOW the folks at Purina know this cat food tastes good and HOW do they know cats love it? They must have talking cats on their panel of advertising gurus or taste testers. For it is my experience that cats will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough, no matter what the taste. And these tasters of the food, were they really feline or were they actually human? Did they like this cat food better than another flavor of theirs or better than a similar flavor from a different manufacturer?

---

Gasoline is once again inching up near $3 a gallon here in southern New Hampshire, with no signs of a decline, since the summer driving season will soon be upon us. I went out of my way tonight in order to go to my favorite station, which always has the cheapest (if not the most then pretty darn close) gas around. I paid $2.89 9/10 per gallon for (87 octane) a whopping total of $49.00!! A station less than 1/3 of a mile down the street from where I was had similar gas $.04 higher per gallon. Craziness...

Alias 5:15 No Hard Feelings

Jack tells Dixon that Syd, posing as Anna to infiltrate Prophet Five, has put a tracker on the chip that she's delivering to Peyton. He tasks Vaughn, who is still in Hamburg, to transfer the Prophet Five documentation.

Syd hands the chip over and remarks that her superiors must be happy. Peyton replies it's an inconvenience and throws it in the wine glass. Having lost track of Syd, Marshall locates her via satellite. Vaughn follows Syd to the airport and secretly hands her a cell phone with a new tracker.

In Zurich, Sloane tells Prophet Five that he's finished translating Page 47. He says that "the circle' will be completed once the chosen one takes a rose from the San Cielo monastery in Italy. He also points out that their plan might not succeed because Anna is only posing as Sydney. Just then, Syd arrives as Anna and meets Sloane. She tells Sloane that she had killed Sydney Bristow. Sloane in turn tells her that she has to retrieve an artifact.

Marshall tells Rachel that he flagged a message from Korman, the man who supposedly killed Tom's wife. When Rachel says Tom softened after seeing Korman's family, Marshal notes that Korman has no family. Rachel asks for 24 hours to investigate before Marshal notifies Jack.

Dixon arrives in Hamburg and asks Vaughn how he faked his death. Vaughn explains that Prophet Five wanted him dead, so Jack arranged to inject him with sodium morphate, putting him in a coma until he was administered the antidote. As Dixon hands him a photo of Isabelle, Jack calls and asks them to be Sydney's back up in Italy.

In Italy, Sydney discreetly chats with Vaughn at a newspaper stand. Vaughn tells her that there is no record of a monastery, so Syd asks them to stand by until she meets her contact. Sydney sees Sark in a betting parlor.

Rachel, in her car, sees Tom and Korman talk. When Korman leaves, Rachel approaches Tom and demands an explanation. Tom confesses that Korman, acting on orders from "The Cardinal," killed his wife. Korman asked Tom to retrieve his CIA-impounded car in return for information. Rachel hacks into the Federal database and locates the car. Tom delivers it to Korman.

En route to Italy, Sloane, thinking he's talking to Anna, asks how she killed Sydney. After she says she shot Sydney in the back, Sloane tells Peyton he wants to be the one to kill Anna.

At the parlor, Sark tells Sydney that the one-time monastery is now the La Fossa maximum security prison, and the rose is located in the Northwest isolation wing. Sark then triggers an explosion and pretends to rob the cashier. The police take Sark and Sydney in custody.

As Syd and Sark arrive at the prison, Vaughn and Dixon go underground to rewire La Fossa's internal surveillance network and give Marshal access. They locate Sydney in the isolation wing. Sark fakes illness to escape from the guards and hacks into the system to open doors for Sydney. Sydney runs down to the basement and sees a mural of Page 47. An old man shows her a rose tattoo on his wrist.

Sloane arrives at the facility and asks the warden to release the two Americans. Peyton intercepts the guard's phone call and gives approves the release of Syd and Sark.

The old man gives Sydney an amulet, calling it Rambaldi's greatest gift and curse as it is a defiance of nature itself. Syd says she has to stop the people looking for it. The old man assures her that she can't and says it's is only a matter of time before "the light ends." She runs back to her cell.

Peyton takes Sark while Sloane waits for Sydney in her cell. He tazer her and grabs the amulet. Sloane tells her that Sydney deserved better than an anonymous bullet and strangles her. Syd pushes him away.

In the APO office, Marshall remotely triggers an alarm to distract Sloane. A guard arrives and tells Sloane to leave. Guards refuse to let Sydney leave and beat her. Vaughn arrives to rescue her.

Tom meets Korman, who retrieves diamonds from his car. Tom asks why a hit was put on his wife. Korman says that Tom was the actual target. As Korman drives away, Tom presses a button on his watch and Korman's car explodes.

In Sydney's apartment, she and Vaughn watch Isabelle sleep. The phone rings - it's Sloane. Sloane tells her that he knew "Anna" was Sydney all along and, thanks to her, they have everything they need.

---

I must say I'm a little upset about how they justified reviving Michael Vartan's charachter, Vaughn. Though I'm glad they did, since I didn't want him written out of the show in the first place. But it leads me to wonder, if the show weren't ending, would they have bothered to bring Nadia OR Vaughn back at all? I don't suppose we'll ever know....

Which reminds me, the series finale is a two hour episode which will air on MONDAY, MAY 22, at 9:00 EDT instead of the regular Wednesday. I certainly hope they tie up any remaining loose ends and finish the series as they should, the right way with a great, exciting show. I would guess that Lena Olin (Irina Derevko) will be back for the final episode since she walked out of the vault with (one of the devices) they were hunting for, while Sydney was giving birth to her baby a few episodes ago.

Monday, May 15, 2006

On local flooding and days off from work

The ex called me last night after my kids had gone to bed. She told me that many towns in southern New Hampshire had already decided to close schools today due to the floods we've been dealing with in the last day or so. This includes the town she lives in and where my kids go to school.

She was going to pick them up as usual today but I told her that it would be unsafe to have them with her since she will have just worked a twelve hour shift and would need to sleep. Having two young kids wandering practically unsupervised around the house while she's trying to rest is not good. Plus, kids have needs. They need drinks and snacks and attention. So I told her that I would call out of work today and would keep them with me until early evening.

Seroiusly you don't need to twist my arm these days in order for me to want a day out of work.... I'll happily do it...

Normally she would drop them off at school and be able to go home and get the sleep she needs, picking them up when school is done.

For those of you not living here: It has been raining in central New England since last Tuesday (May 9) and the forecast is more rain all this week, until Tuesday, May 23 when we should finally see the sun again.... I haven't really been out all weekend to assess the damage, except to go to church and to order a birthday cake for V's party next weekend.

Don't get me wrong, I like rain and all (we certainly need it) but this is rediculous. However, so far my apartment, which is on the ground floor is fine. I did lose power for about 2 1/2 hours last night though. When I moved in, my mom gave me an oil lamp and an extra bottle of oil for it. I'd never had an occasion to use it until last night. You would think I'd have matches handy but I didn't. Fortunately I had an old book of matches in the beast that I was able to use.

Reading by the light of the oil lamp was the only thing I could do for a while last night. I felt like I was living in the 1800's. No electricity, no tv, no DVD, no radio, no internet. How did those people survive??? What did they do for entertainment????

14:51 update - Why is it when you are off of work the day seems to fly by but when you are at work the days seem to drag on and on and on and on....

In about an hor or so I'll be going to take my kids back to their mom's house. As you can expect, they were extremely disappointed to have to spend an extra day with me and NOT have to go to school.... ;>)


Other miscellaneous stuff @ 22:00 - I got an art book in the mail today that I ordered from the Science Fiction Book Club. I flipped through the book and this artists drawings are incredible. However, I must return the book. Upon closer inspection, I found that the cover has three razor blade slices in it, likely the product of a careless warehouse drone slicing open a new case of books in order to meet rigorous shipping demands. I emailed SFBC and asked them to send me a postage paid label so that I can send the damaged book back and get another copy of it. I'm sure not going to pay $20 for a damaged book, nor should I have to pay for return postage since I'm only returning it due to their screw-up.

I also got in the mail today an issue of a magazine that I subscribe to that I went out and bought a copy of, since I thought my subscription ran out and I don't want to miss an issue... So it'll be back to the book store and evil empire tomorrow to return a few items purchased over the weekend.

I found out today by looking at my on line checking account that I spelled out the wrong amount of money on the rent check I recently wrote, accidentally shorting my payment by $94.05, even though I wrote the correct dollar amount in the appropriate little box on the check . So unless they ask me before June 1, to correct the error, I'll just add this amount to June's rent.

As I believe I noted in a previous post, my beast has a transmission fluid leak. When I had the oil changed on Friday, I was told the leak is behind the pan and not the gasket as I had hoped. It would cost me at least $300 to have the transmission dropped so the leak could be found and plugged. $300 I don't have and am not willing to pay, even if I did have it. So the search for another vehicle intensifies, since it definitely won't pass the very thorough NH state inspection with such a leak. I'll just regularly check the fluid level and let it ruin parking lot spaces wherever I go from here on out....

Sunday, May 14, 2006

Happy Mothers Day



Thanks mom for all you have done and do for me.

Thanks, K for being a great mom to our kids.

For all of you mothers, soon to be mothers and "hopefully someday I'll be a mom" ladies out there in bloggerland, I wish you the happiest of Mother's Days.

Saturday, May 13, 2006

SNMR 1.9: "Her Alibi"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "Her Alibi" (1989, PG-13, 94 minutes) starring Tom Selleck, Paulina Porizkova, William Daniels, Tess Harper, Patrick Wayne and James Farentino. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford.

This film will always be special to me for several reasons. For one of my film classes in college we had to analyze a scene in a movie from the perspective of how it was shot and why it was edited in the way that it was. I chose the scene in which Tom Selleck's charachter gets shot. In the late eighties and early ninties I was also a big fan of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Calendar. Paulina Porizkova was one of those SI models featured in those calendars... Plus I absolutely love the house in which Tom Selleck's charachter lives.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

Mystery writer Phillip Blackwood (Tom Selleck) has writer's block. He hits the courtrooms for inspiration - and is zapped with a doozy. A mysterious Romanian beauty (Paulina Porizkova) arraigned for murder arouses both his creative and amourous impulses. Is she guilty? Who are the gray-suited fellows shadowing her? Blackwood's smitten. Hopefully cupid isn't packing heat.
Selleck and Porizkova team in this frothy blend of mystery, comedy and romance directed by Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy). With charm in such abundance, you'll have the crime of your life. Because in Her Alibi, falling in love can be murder.

From Martin and Porter's DVD and Video Guide 2006, p. 501:

This clever comedy mystery presents Tom Selleck as a suspense writer who provides an alibi for a beautiful murder suspect (Paulina Porizkova). Fans of director Bruce Beresford may think this ditty is beneath him, but only a curmudgeon can resist its daffy charms.

Some movie trivia from IMDB: Paulina Porizkova has been married to Ric Ocasek (lead singer for The Cars) since 1989. Tom Selleck is twenty years older than his co-star. The film is set in New York and suburban Connecticut but was filmed in Baltimore and surrounding locations. Academy Award winner Randy Newman sings the song over the beginning of the end credits.

I've never been a big fan of Tom Selleck in general, but this movie is quirky enough that I can deal with him. Part of the comedy in the story is Selleck's character narrating the story as if it is happening through the eyes of his detective character in the book he is trying to write. The script is decent and holds enough suspense to keep you guessing in some parts while being predictable in others. While not perfect, this is a funny, cute, underrated movie that is worthwhile to rent and inexpensive enough to own. I'll give this movie four out of five stars.

Thursday, May 11, 2006

Rubber Game

Round four: Boston Red Sox 5, @ New York Yankees 3
Boston leads season series 3-1

NEXT: Yankees come to Fenway for three, May 22-24.

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Comebacker

Round Three: @ New York Yankees 7, Boston Red Sox 3
Boston leads series 2-1

Honestly folks, they play 19 times a season. Did you think the Sox would win them all? 'Course not.

Alias 5.14: I See Dead People

At the APO office, Marshall reports to Jack that a microchip found in Renee Rienne's body contains encrypted data with an incomplete algorithm. He discovers that "Andre Micheaux" is etched on the microchip. Unbeknownst to them, their conversation is being recorded.

Jack and Sydney conclude that Vaughn might have info about the chip since Renee and Vaughn's father had known each other. They agree that Vaughn must be contacted..

In Zurich, Peyton tells Sloane that Sydney is heading to Nepal to meet someone regarding the chip. When Sloane advises that Prophet Five send someone to intercept, Peyton introduces Anna - now Sydney's doppleganger. Sloane briefs her but comments that she's hardly Sydney and reminds her that she's dispensable. As Anna leaves, Sloane has a vision of Nadia, who tells him that he's just as dispensable.

At APO, Tom decodes a message hidden in a magazine. Rachel, feeling insecure, interrupts him. Tom assures her that she's a good agent.

Anna arrives in Nepal and deceives an escort expecting to meet Sydney. He tells her that Vaughn is excited to see her and his hideout is just a few minutes away. She kills him and gives his distinctive scarf to an accomplice.

Marshall discovers that the whole APO office is bugged. He meets Jack at a parking lot and shares the news that Sloane have placed the office on passive surveillance. They conclude that Sloane must have installed a backdoor access to APO's security system before his rights had been revoked.

Sydney arrives at the airport and is picked up by Anna's accomplice. Jack phones and informs her of the security breach and the possible intercept. When the impostor suggests that they help a stranded stranger, Sydney elbows him and tries to grab the wheel. The stranger fires gunshots at them and the jeep veers off the road and into a ravine.

Trapped under the jeep, Sydney watches as Anna takes the chip from her backpack. Anna says she's going to pay Vaughn a visit and sets the jeep on fire. Sydney escapes in time.

In Zurich, Sloane tells Peyton that Rambaldi was influenced by a 14th century cleric named Joseph Pinara and that he needs Pinara's manuscript to help him decode Page 47. He directs Peyton to a private bookseller in Geneva. When she retrieves the book, the clerk calls a superior and reports that someone is trying to make contact with him.

Anna arrives in Vaughn's hideout and tells him about the chip. Vaughn points to a scar on his shoulder, and says his father told him was from a bike accident. He lets Anna open the scar. Embedded is another chip with Renee's name on it. Combining the microchips together, they input the data in a computer and discover a map pointing to a Hamburg bunker. Vaughn suggests going with Anna, who immediately calls for transportation. Sydney arrives in Vaughn's hut to see the helicopter depart.

In the APO office, Jack tells the team that Vaughn is alive. He shows them a photo of Vaughn and Anna at the Hamburg airport, and says that he's with Sydney's clone.

Anna and Vaughn stake out a jewelry store near the bunker. When Vaughn suggests they do what they did in Cartagena, Anna says she'll follow his lead. Anna holds up the shop owner as Vaughn enters the bunker. As he picks up a file, Anna arrives and points a gun at Vaughn. She pulls the trigger -- but Vaughn had taken out the clip. They fight. Vaughn, weakened from his seclusion, falls first. As Anna is about to kill Vaughn, Sydney arrives and shoots Anna dead.

In Zurich, Sloane tells Peyton that he needs to make peace with the past. He goes to a church with a Prophet Five guard and leaves a matchbook by the candles. As he leaves, Sark arrives to pick up Sloane's message.

Syd and Vaughn realize that files contain Vaughn's father's research on Prophet Five. When Anna's phone rings, Syd answers. Pretending to be Anna, she sets a meeting with Peyton. Before Sydney leaves, she embraces Vaughn and says goodbye once again. Later, Syd, posing as Anna posing as Syd, hops in the car with Peyton and hands her Renee's microchip.

---

Vaughn is alive (as I figured he'd be) but HOW??? are they going to justify it?? Better be good, I'll tell ya!!! I'm annoyed with this show right now....

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Administering a beating

Round two: Boston Red Sox 14, @ New York Yankees 3.
Red Sox lead season series 2-0.

Too bad this only counts as one win. The Red Sox really ought to save some of their offense for tomorrow and Thursday.

Monday, May 08, 2006

Genealogy & grandparents

Yesterday, upon leaving my parent's house, I was reminded of how little time I spend on one of my hobbies. That would be the family historian and genealogist on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. (I have a 2nd cousin once removed who is the last male of my family to still reside in the mother country, England. He keeps the records over there and does a great job of it- better than I do here.)

I was given care of three audio cassettes, two cancelled passports, an expired driver's license, a social security card and a Salvation Army minister identification card. All belonging to my paternal grandparents, one of whom is deceased (2001) and the other of whom will celebrate his 97th birthday later this month.

My grandfather is the patriarch of my family, the last living link between three large, otherwise separate families. Recent health issues now have him permanently in the infirmary of the residence in which he lives. He's doing as well as a man of his advanced age can be expected to be doing, but is no longer able to take care of himself independently the way he would like to.

This is a man who used to always wake up at 4:30 AM, get dressed in slacks, shirt, necktie, dress shoes and look otherwise impeccable.... To do nothing. For the last 10-12 years or so he has been legally blind, with his mind basically intact...

Personally, I never expected him to last this long after his wife of almost 70 years passed almost five years ago at the ripe old age of 94. She was his life. She was his soulmate, his best friend. And most definitely the sweetest woman I have ever met.

I've often said that, if these people - my grandparents- don't get into heaven then no one does. Which is quite the task, since they've set the bar so high...

Anyway, for symmetrical purposes, it would be nice to see my grandfather reach the mystical century mark in 2009, even if he doesn't remember it.

Sunday, May 07, 2006

D-OH!!

The sale at my parent's church on Saturday that V, M and I volunteered to help out with raised over $1000.00 for their missionary effort.

After we helped to clean up, ex indeed met us at my parent's house where she took the kids to their cousin's birthday party. They got back to my apartment at 21:00. I told V and M that IF they slept in until 8:00 this morning, then we would not go to church. Incentive indeed, as my clock read 8:05 - into my room pops V to advise me that they had slept until the required time, so that we were not going to church today. She was right, as at 7:45 I got up to pee and both V and M were still sleeping.

When the kids left for the party, I told them that I would bring their sneakers and dirty clothes back with me to the apartment. Of course when I got home they were nowhere to be found.

So this morning we went back to the parent's house to retrieve the forgotten items. We spent the afternoon there. When we got home, after the kids and I were all in our jammies, I realized that I only had ONE of V's sneakers.

She hadn't yet put her shoes in the hall closet. The missing shoe wasn't in my car, either.

D'OH!!

I didn't feel like driving back to the parents domicile to retrieve the missing shoe, so decided to go to the open 'til midnight evil empire to get her another pair. They didn't have many sneakers in her size (13 1/2). And the ones they had were canvas, which she wanted nothing to do with. So drove we to the evil empire Supercenter, open 24 hours, where the selection was much bigger, but still not quite right. They had more regular sneakers in her size, but none we liked until she found a pair that look like her other sneakers but were a size 1. These she ended up choosing, even though they are half a size too big for her feet. I figure better a little too big than the other way around. Since evil empire Supercenter also carries groceries, we did a little necessity food shopping while we were there.

We could have driven down to the parent's place to get the missing shoe but figured on less gas wasted if we just go to the store at the end of the street...

I hate it when I forget important stuff. Makes me feel like Homer Simpson.

Oh well. Gotta go change the sheets on my bed. G'night, all.

Saturday, May 06, 2006

SNMR 1.8: "The Game"

Tonight's SNMR feature is "The Game" (1997, R, 128 minutes) starring Michael Douglas, Sean Penn, Deborah Kara Unger, James Rebhorn, Peter Donat, Carroll Baker and Armin Mueller-Stahl. This film was directed by David Fincher.

I remember first renting this movie and watching it in 1998. Since then I've watched it many times. I've always been a fan of Michael Douglas' films. He is a very versatile actor and one of my all time favorites.

From the DVD's dust jacket:

"There are no rules in 'The Game.' And that will make life very difficult for Nicholas Van Orton, a successful businessman who is always in control. Van Orton lives a well-ordered life - until an unexpected birthday gift from his brother destroys it all. Like it or not, Nicholas has been enrolled in a game - 'a profound life experience' that begins quietly but soon erupts in a rush of devastating events. Van Orton has to win this deadly game or lose control of everything in his life."

From Martin & Porter's DVD & Video Guide 2006, p. 428:

"Corporate Executive Nicholas Van Orton (Michael Douglas) has lost focus, he's successful, but just going through the motions - both at home and at work. Then brother Conrad (Sean Penn) comes up with a surprise birthday present that sends Nicholas straight to his own personal hell. This clever, thought-provoking film packs the kind of punch evidenced by so few of its brethren and invites second and third viewings. The cast is marvelous, and the "game" unforgettable.
This is one of my all-time favorite movies. The writing is excellent and the pace is quick. This is a movie filled with suspense. You'll be on the edge of your seat wondering what madness will come next. When I first watched this film, my initial reaction was simply, WOW!!! Michael Douglas once again is excellent in the lead role and the supporting cast is wonderful. If you haven't already, go rent this movie! I'll give this film five out of five stars.

And the winner is...

I don't know much about horses, nor do I follow horse racing in general. But I always try and watch the three Triple Crown races, probably because there hasn't been a Triple Crown winner in 28 years. Or because most of the horses have really weird names. Or maybe a combination of both.

Only eleven horses have ever won the Triple Crown. This current drought of a Triple Crown winner is the longest gap between winners. The last to do it was Affirmed in 1978.

This year's Triple Crown contestant is Barbero, (pictured above) who blew away the other nineteen horses in the field by winning the 132nd Kentucky Derby by 6 1/2 lengths, in 2:01.36. In the 10 or so years since I've been consistently watching these races, I don't think I've seen a more dominant victory.

So it's on to the Preakness Stakes on May 20, at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, MD.

Here's the story from ESPN.com.

And your winners:
Win: Barbaro (2:01.36)
Place: Bluegrass Cat
Show: Steppenwolfer

Friday, May 05, 2006

Friday randomness

My cats were lying in really cute poses just a few minutes ago and I wanted to share them with you.






My kids, as usual, are here with me tonight. This is May, so V got to pick her movie tonight. She chose "Quest for Camelot" which is an animated movie that came out several years ago, I guess. I had bought on DVD when I was living at my parents house almost three years ago, sometime after ex and I got separated, apparently for someone's birthday. I hid the DVD in one of the filing cabinets I have but rarely use. So, last weekend while trying futilely to arrange & organize some of the crap floating around my apartment I found this movie inside one of my folders inside the filing cabinet. It's got a good voice cast but the movie is rather lame. V and M liked it well enough so it works for me.

Today was quite boring at work. The cleanroom supervisor had the day off and he left us a note with stuff to do for the day. These things included setting up a cleanroom for Monday and breaking down another cleanroom that was used yesterday. My partner in crime, J and I had these things done by 9 AM. On to the back room where we steadily but ever so slowly were cleaning dirty machine parts. Since the owner of the company and his son left early today, my friend R, a senior manager, let us leave at 3 PM instead of 4 PM with our regular eight hours on the time card.

Ex and I had agreed to meet today at the post office where my mailbox is because I was going there anyway and she was going out with the girls tonight. However, she called me while I was waiting for her that she was running late. We then decided that she would just bring the kids to the apartment, since I had no further errands to do in that part of town and didn't want to sit in my car waiting for her.

It's my turn to post next on God vs. Darwin. Since dabich posted today and weekends are slow for bloggers stopping by to read stuff, I probably won't post my next piece until Tuesday, to allow for people to actually read & leave comments on her post. If you haven't joined in the discussion there, may I suggest you do so, now. So far the site has been received well based on the number of comments left after each post. What are you waiting for? Go! Come back here and read this boring stuff later.

Tomorrow is a busy day for V and M. We are going to volunteer at the annual spring sale at my parent's church from 9 AM until noon. Of course, being a volunteer, we get to go early and help set up and stay after to help clean up. In addition to helping out at the sale, I get to perform my annual role of auctioneer. I do this primarily because no one else seems to want to do it. Ex will pick V and M up at my parents house afterwards so they can go to their cousin's first birthday party. Ex will drop them back to me sometime on Saturday evening, depending on how things go at the party.

So that's basically it for today with a preview of what my tomorrow will be like.

Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Thursday, May 04, 2006

How observant am I?

Your Observation Skills Get A B+

Your senses are pretty sharp (okay, most of the time)
And it takes something big to distract you!

Just for fun...

because green does not use or endorse the using of tarot cards in any way, shape or form. However, he was curious as to the result he would get. This was stolen from althea. Visit her blog if you want to take this quiz yourself.


Which Tarot Card Are You?




You are the Hermit card. The Hermit has chosen a solitary spiritual path. He shines light on his inner self and, by this means, gains wisdom. The Hermit's home is the natural world and it is by being in tune with that world that he learns the laws of nature and learn how they operate within himself. His path is a lonely one as he lives in silence and has for companionship only his own internal rhythms. But those crossing his path are touched by his light and wisdom. Though often alone, he manages nevertheless to instruct those who meet him and guides those who chose to follow him on a path towards enlightenment.

What Rejected Color Crayon I am

well, not really since I typed in three different colors and got three different results. This one was clearly the grossest, so that's why I went with it...

(stolen from my good friend, mm. (Returning the favor) Thanks sweetie!

You are

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Alias 5.13: 30 Seconds

After the APO team discovers that Anna Espinosa uses a call center in India to route her calls with an encryption key, Sydney and Renee head to Jaipur to remove the key so they can intercept Anna's calls.

Posing as a perfume entrepreneur looking to use the call center, Sydney places a "free sample" by one of the desks that scans the Wi-Fi signal in the building. Working from the outside, Renee tells Sydney that the router that Anna uses is inside the building. Renee barges in as a robber and holds everyone up at gunpoint. Using the commotion to her advantage, Syd removes the encryption key from the main router.

Sloane meets with Ehrman, his Prophet Five contact, in Barcelona. Sloane points out that the cure for Nadia may actually be fatal -- she has to be dead for 30 seconds before the drug can be administered. Ehrman tells him to trust Rambaldi, who engineered the cure for Nadia's condition. He gives Nadia the medication and she wakes up from her coma.

When Anna's line goes active, the APO team hears Kelly Peyton talking to a Moritz Koller, whom they locate in Zurich. Via satellite, they zoom in on his suitcase and find Page 47 of the Rambaldi manuscript. They later learn that he is an art historian who freelances for criminal organizations.

Sloane tells Jack that he was forced to fund research to find Nadia's cure. After Sloane departs, Jack asks Dixon to investigate Sloane's recent activities and to focus on Barcelona.

Jack and Dixon share their suspicions regarding Sloane's with Syd. She reserves judgment until they find proof. Jack then grants Sloane a leave of absence. He also asks if Sloane knew about Anna and her contact with Prophet Five. Sloane denies any knowledge.

Syd tells Nadia that she had never seen Sloane so devoted to anyone. Just then Syd receives a call from Jack, who says he's tailing Sloane. Nadia joins Jack. They follow Sloane to a storage facility, where he retrieves Nadia's clothes. Jack confirms that Sloane's alibi -that he was researching cures in Barcelona - holds.

Meanwhile, Tom and Renee contact Moritz. Renee lures him and they take him into custody. Moritz reveals that he's to meet Anna the next day, and that his Page 47 is a fake. Syd advises them to continue the meet with Anna.

In Sloane's home, he opens the suitcase containing Nadia's clothes. He lifts a panel and removes the original Page 47 of the Rambaldi manuscript. Sloane quickly hides the page underneath a mat on his desk when Nadia arrives. She expresses a desire to live with him.

After a warm talk, Sloane makes dinner. Nadia wanders into Sloane's office, where she accidentally finds Page 47. Hurt and horrified at the finding, she throws the page into the fireplace. Sloane lunges for the page, shoving Nadia onto a glass table. She dies when the shards pierce her neck.

The APO team, joined by Renee, moves to ambush Anna in Ghana. A car arrives, but plows into a marketplace. They inspect the car, but Anna is nowhere to be found. Renee then consults with Syd - except it's really Anna - who slits her throat.

Sloane tells Ehrman that he's betrayed his loved ones. He also points out that death is a necessary sacrifice in proving Rambaldi's prophecy. As the chosen one, Sloane assures Ehrman that he has selected the road to follow. Ehrman welcomes him into Prophet Five.


---

I must admit I am disappointed that they would go through all of the trouble to bring Nadia back to life only to have her bleed to death in the same episode!!! GRRRR!! Though there is one charachter that they need to bring back (who hasn't made an appearance recently) and that is Julian Sark, played by David Anders.

Three weeks left in the series.... should be interesting, if nothing else....

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Couldn't resist...

I love these quirky little tests - especially when they ring true for me.

Stolen from lccb's blog:

Your Life Path Number is 11

Your purpose in life is to inspire others
Your amazing energy draws people to you, and you give them great insight in return.
You hold a great amount of power over others, without even trying.
You have the makings of an inventor, artist, religious leader, or prophet.
In love, you are sensitive and passionate. You connect with your partner on a very deep level.
You have great abilities, but you are often way too critical of yourself.
You don't fit in - and instead of celebrating your differences, you dwell on them.
You have high expectations of yourself. But sometimes you set them too high and don't achieve anything.

Monday, May 01, 2006

In and out

Important programming note for regular readers and the occasional passer-by:

Due to the overall importance of an income large enough to pay the bills on a monthly basis and my ever growing inability to meet them, I need to cut back on my blogging a wee bit and concentrate on refocusing my career and job hunting. (These two are not necessarily the same thing.) And since I'm not moving to Dallas in the near future as I'd hoped, I need to rectify this situation sooner, rather than later.

Don't worry though, I'll still be posting here, just not every day for the immediate future. At minimum, you'll still have regular ALIAS updates, (through the end of the series) and my SNMR feature, which I like writing, even though there aren't as many comments (hint, hint) as I'd like to see on those posts. I'll still contribute to God vs. Darwin when my turn comes up in the current rotation, since it is proving to be a popular read, as there are still many issues to discuss on these topics. I'll also be keeping up as best I can with certain blogs from my list on the right.

Since I'm cutting back on new reading material, especially for you regulars, posting every day as I have for almost a year now has left you with lots of archives to read for the first time or to catch up-on, if you've dared to even begin....

And although I've already sent her an email on the matter, I'd like to publicly thank saur kraut for she knows what.

Red Sox vs. Yankees, game 1: @ Bos 7, NYY 3

Ed. Note 5/2: based on comments received so far, apparently some people have taken this to mean that I'm bowing out of the blogging bit entirely. Nothing could be further from reality. I'm just not going to leave a post here *every day*, for the forseeable future, so that I can focus on other matters. I'll still be floating around somewhere. You can't get rid of me that easily...