I just completed My Favorite Universe, a course taught by Professor Neil deGrasse Tyson. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Ph.D., is Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History and Visiting Research Scientist and Lecturer at Princeton University. His lecture ranged from black holes to the search for life on other planets. It was another of the exceptional college courses available from The Teaching Company.

I am about halfway through Great Ideas in Philosophy. It is one of the longer courses available as it is made up of 50 lectures. (Most have about 12-20)



In other news, life has been serving up a lot of lemons lately and rather than sit around with a sour look on my face, I am choosing to make lemonade. We are taking some hits in the computer business right now, but we realize it is a direct result of our inaction previously so we went out and made things happen. Funny how it works that way. In doing cold calls yesterday, we got a few new clients and already have appointments set up for today.

This weekend is my 20th year high school class reunion. I didn't lose the weight I had planned on - but oh well. Some of these people I have not seen in 20 years. It will be interesting to hear how their lives have developed as well as laugh together at how we have let our bodies go during the two decades.



A little bit of everything in this post. I watched School of Rock last night and was pleasantly surprised. I like Jack Black, but for some reason, the previews made this look like a typical sell-out, take the money film. Turns out it was a cute little film ala every rebel against the system movie ever made - Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Revenge of the Nerds, Meatballs etc. A formula, for sure, but one that works.

RATING 7 out of 10

I also watched Gods and Generals the other day and just now remembered to blog about it. It was the prequel to the film Gettysburg - which was one of my favorite war movies and certainly the best set in the Civil War era. This film (G&G) focuses on the life of Stonewall Jackson and is just a bit too preachy, a bit to sappy, a bit to politically correct and a bit too boring. The portion of the film that focuses on the war itself, the strategies, attacks, defenses and fighting is brilliant. The portion that focuses on the tortured soul of General Jackson is like a poorly written soap opera. (How's that for a redundancy?) Cut the length in half and you have a damn fine war movie. Robert Duvall's General Robert E. Lee is far superior to the Martin Sheen one of Gettysburg. It was nice to see the tie-in of Jeff Daniels and C. Thomas Howell reprising their roles as brothers Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Sgt/Lt. Thomas D. Chamberlain. Heck, it is good to see Howell in anything... contrary to the sighting of Ted Turner as a good ol' boy soldier at the party (he has had a cameo in both films.)

RATING 7 out of 10

- posted by Chris @ 8:05 AM