The perfect “Over and Out!”

I was just talking to someone on the phone and thanked her for her help with something.  The rest of the conversation went like this:

Me: Thanks a lot for your help.

Her: Your WEL-come! (in a singsong kind of way)

Me: Alright.  Bye-bye.

Her: Bye!

I hung up and instantly realized THIS IS THE PERFECT WAY TO END A PHONE CONVERSATION.  How many times have I said something like “See you later,” and the other person says “Okay.”  Which is another way of saying “I’m not gonna be the one to say good-bye–you do it,” no doubt because they don’t want to sound abrupt.  Or, I say “See you later,”and they say, “Okay, bye,” which actually does sound abrupt.

In the above example, this woman says “No problem” with a singsong voice, which tells me she’s done talking and I can now gracefully end the conversation.  So I do, feeling unrushed but not having to hang on.

What do you think?  Try it!

Live Free or…Hi, Dard!

In honor of today’s release of Life Free or Die Hard, I thought I’d do a quick rundown of the other Die Hards, all three of which I saw again recently.

Die Hard–In my opinion, the best action movie ever made, bar none. Oddly enough, in a recent article, Entertainment Weekly agreed with me (of course). Why is it so good? It’s not just the awesome action sequences (can you go wrong with explosions and helicopters?). It’s got four big assets that send it over the top for me. One, the environment. Nakatomi Tower gave the perfect rat-in-a-trap vibe. Second, the hero. John McClane wasn’t a stone cold killer robot, like the Terminator (or Schwarzenegger, for that matter). He was heroic, daring, more than competent, and, let’s face it, seriously freaked out most of the time. And he was alone. Third, Holly McClane. It didn’t matter that they were barely in the movie together. She was the perfect woman-in-distress-but-able-to-hold-her-own character. Fourth, Hans Gruber. Alan Rickman pulled off the ultimate villian–cold, evil, and fun.

How ’bout the sequels?

Die Hard 2–Not quite as good as the original, but still pretty good. Even though McClane had the run of an entire airport, we still have the cramped vibe. Holly was present (albeit in a plane running on fumes) but still giving McClane the motivation to do what he does best. And Col. Stuart, although not as fun as Hans, was actually more evil (he crashed a passenger plane to make a point, for the love of Pete! )

Die Hard with a Vengeance–I was disappointed with this one. Pretty much everything that made the original so good was absent. John’s got all of New York City to run around it. He’s got a sidekick this time, Jeremy Iron’s villian wasn’t evil enough, and Holly wasn’t even there. Good action, but we can get that anywhere. In other words, it was good, but it wasn’t Die Hard good.

How ’bout the new one? I’ll let you know…

I’m not a Caf-fiend.

You Are an Iced Coffee

At your best, you are: hyper, modern, and athleticAt your worst, you are: cheap and angsty You drink coffee when: you’re out with friends Your caffeine addiction level: medium

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

 

(P.S I got this from Karin.)

 So, how on-the-money are the wonder pop-psychologists over at the “What kind of Coffee are You” site?  Well, a little.  I usually only drink coffee with friends.  I’m cheap and angsty.  I think I’m a modern kinda guy.  But although I work out I’m not coordinated enough to be athletic.  Am I hyper?… … …

…

…

I don’t know.  What time is it?  I wanna watch TV.

 

 

13 Seconds of A Prairie Home Companion

The plot is less story and more situation–a classic radio show’s last broadcast.  The impressive ensemble cast rambles, but the acting and direction make it all work.  Most funny (and least subtle) is Kevin Klein, who’s noir-style one-liners are killers.

13 Seconds of Ocean’s 13

Not as good as 11, which was the epitome of cool, but much better than 12, which was the epitome of cool-and-we-know-it.  I loved 11, not just because of the heist, but the relationships.  Here it was mostly just heist.  But what a heist!

I’ve been on Vacation

…which is why I haven’t been blogging. Yes, that’s right, I DON’T BLOG FOR FUN. Anyway, my babalicious wife Darcy and I stayed at a nice hotel on St. Pete Beach, close to Clearwater and historic St. Petersburg. Here’s what I learned:

• I now believe, more than ever, that going away with your spouse is not just a nice idea, it’s necessary.
• It’s very hot, and very bright, on the gulf side of Florida in the summer. And it’s still fun.
• Staying on a diet while vacationing is, for me at least, like trying to stay dry while scuba-diving.
• The Matrix movies are, after multiple viewings, still a narrative mess. The second one, in particular, is a great lesson to screenwriters on why it’s better to show your story and not talk (and talk, and talk, and talk) about it.
• I’d forgotten how funny the Rush Hour movies are.
• The novel Catcher in the Rye is, I think, supposed to be a picture of the timelessness of youth’s struggle to make sense of the confusion and fear of the world they’ve been given. Me? I thought Holden Caulfield was a whiner. Maybe I just didn’t get it. Or maybe I’m too old and I don’t like the looks of those teenagers!
• Reading is, for me, probably the most relaxing activity I don’t do enough of.
• Darcy is a sweet and wonderful woman (this is more of a rediscovering).

So there you go. And with that, I’m back on the blogging clock (referred to from here on out as the Clog).

I like to Facebook

It’s funny. A couple months ago, I got my first request from someone to be featured as a friend on Facebook. Apparently the network travels fast, since soon after I started getting requests left and right from friends (and actually a couple people I’ve never met) all wanting me to respond and prove my commitment to the friendship by accepting their request.

I’ve read a little about Facebook in Newsweek recently, how it’s overtaking MySpace, how its popularity and growth is staggering. I feel privileged to have been initiated into this brave new world, and to be recognized as a friend to so many. I’m proud, actually, to have a presence on Facebook.

Here’s the funny thing, and I say this with complete, unreserved sincerity. I DON’T KNOW WHAT FACEBOOK IS. I think it’s some kind of networking thing. But I think AT&T does networking too, and they’re not the same thing. It’s one of those things I think I should learn about, but whenever I think about it I think of something I’d rather do.

Oh well. I’ll get around to it. And what’s MySpace?

Random Things I Discovered this Weekend (Hi-cal edition)

• I might have just reached my snack food, fast food threshhold.  I didn’t know it existed.
• This past season of 24, which we just started watching (we DVRed the episodes) is great so far.
• Resident Evil: Code Veronica X is a frustrating Nintendo game but I couldn’t let it go until it was done. It nicely and paradoxically encompasses my need to accomplish something and my need to waste time.
• My friend Rob and I could probably talk about Lost until a giant plane fell on us.
• The Young Adults group at UPC is really cool (this is more of a rediscovering).
• The original version of Ocean’s Eleven, with Frank Sinatra, isn’t really worth your time.