Apologies

My apologies for the lack of blogs this week. I have been major busy this week.

I am just finishing up something at work, I had midterms this week (plus an additional week of homework to finish because of next week's vacation), oh and getting ready for vacation too.

Anyway, I might have time to watch a movie tonight, so I should get a quick blog in tomorrow. I should have some free time now that this job at work is finishing up.

Just a few more things for school to do and some last minuted things around the house.

Can't wait to go on vacation - it's long overdue.

Double Monitors

I am a pretty big technology buff - although I don't get too crazy into things. I just love how far we as a society have come in such a short time. Now I wasn't around when we just had black-and-white televisions, or hell just radios, but I was around when there was no internet, no iPod, no CD's/DVD's, no digital cable, etc.

It's hard to imagine a life without these things nowadays. I can't really imagine myself growing up in the 50's knowing what is going to be available in the future. We complain so much today about doing things (and believe me, I may be one of the worst), but imagine doing them in the 50's or even the 70's - things would have taken forever: like book reports, laundry, the dishes, etc.

I am glad I am living in the technological boom age. Although my paycheck does not allow me to partake in a lot of the things that interest me, I have been able to sample a few things here and there. I am now the proud owner of the Wii, and it's amazing - I just wish there was more time to play it. I have had an iPod for about five years now, and recently purchased the iPod Shuffle for working out - I can't even imagine grabbing a Discman anymore.

The whole point of this story is to let you know my amazement of my new double-monitor computer. Since coming to work at my new job, a lot of my estimating jobs get taken off via-computer. However, the way my office is setup - I have not been able to view my computer monitor while working on drawings, which is pretty much a necessity. So, we recently purchased a double-monitor card and a second monitor for my office, and my friend Mark installed it for me on Monday.

Technically I am still not all the way setup yet - as a shelf will have to be built near my drawing table for the new monitor to be placed, but already I can tell how much easier my work-life is going to be. It's amazing. Just another technological breakthrough making people's lives easier.

I know we have given up a lot of things in our lives that children, young adults of yesteryear have truly cherished - but I feel the good definitely outweigh the bad when it comes to technology. Heck even my father owns an iPod, an HD television w/surround sound, and he even played a Wii game with us a few weeks ago - and hell didn't freeze over ---- yet.

Rensselaer and 21

I'm back.

I'd hate to disappoint the dozens of loyal fans (or maybe it's just one) my blogs - I know they get you through the day.

Anyway, I spent the last three days in my companies home office of Rensselaer in a training session. I learned a lot that should help me in my job - although it was pretty boring, and cramped, at times.

I did get to spend some time with my friend from high school, Zac. We went to dinner in downtown Albany and then he showed me his house. It was good to see him, it had been a long time.

On Wednesday, I managed to find some time - although that time is usually for sleeping during work nights - to sneak off and see a movie. So here is my review.

I went to a late-night viewing of 21 at a very close to my hotel movie theater. It was, by far, the most intriguing of all movies they had showing at the theater - so I grabbed my Goobers and water and went to the movies.

21 has characters that include: Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess), Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), Choi (Aaron Yoo), Kianna (Liza Lapira), Jimmy Fisher (Jacob Pitts), Prof. Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) and Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne).

Campbell is an extremely bright 21 year old, who has been accepted into Harvard Medical School. He is up for a Robinson Scholarship, that selects one student and pays their entire medical school bill. The administer of this scholarship tells Campbell that everyone applying for the scholarship is the top everything in his/her school - to win, you have to do something that really jumps out.

In a class at M.I.T., Campbell impresses his professor (Spacey) and is recruited to join his card counting group, which consists of Jill, Choi, Kianna and Jimmy. At first he is reluctant, but when he realizes he can pay for his own medical school by making money counting cards, he accepts.

The rest of the movie plays out pretty well. Choi, Jill and Kianna each go to separate black jack tables and if a table is hot - flash a signal to either Jimmy or Ben to join in at the table. A quick well placed key word in a sentence, and Jimmy or Ben know exactly where the card count is at when sitting down. They are the big players - the one's that make the money by placing larger bets.

Of course there is the inevitable jealousy that Jimmy soon shows when Ben starts out-performing him, and thus earning Rosa's praise. Also, the attraction between Ben and Jill - and finally the falling out between the players and their 'coach'.

The ending is pretty good. Definitely has some twists that you may not see coming - I figured on a few of them, but was not expecting a couple.

The movie is pretty entertaining. Sturgess is a newcomer that more than holds his own with the veteran Spacey and Fishburne. I was also very impressed with Bosworth - who in earlier projects I have not enjoyed very much.

I would recommend this movie - it is pretty interesting how they can do the counting of cards, and how they signal each other to the hot tables. You never truly lose focus on the film, it keeps you into it for its entire length, which is what a movie is supposed to do.