Saturday, March 25, 2006

Def Leppard 'High n' Dry'



Since I write about my nephew Preston all the time, I thought I would post a pic.

About 20 years ago, I watched ‘The Godfather’ for the first time and I was not entirely pleased. Although I thought it was a good flick, it just moved like the stone lips of Lincoln on Mount Rushmore… It didn’t move at all. I thought the movie ran at a terribly slow pace. I sat there looking around for something else and my mind started to wander. I liked it all right, but I never saw it again or any of its sequels.

With the power of Netflix, I thought that I would give the film another chance. Perhaps I had to mature a bit more to fully appreciate it.

I received ‘The Godfather’, ‘The Godfather Pt. II’, and ‘The Godfather III’ in one delivery from the United States Postal Service last week. I was excited to get them and was looking forward to see if my feelings about the first one had changed.

I can tell you that my feelings have in fact NOT changed. Lincoln’s stone lips do not move and neither does this movie.

Please keep in mind that I am not a Philistine indifferent to cultural values (yeah, I just watched ‘The Squid And The Whale’). I understand that ‘The Godfather’ is one of the classic films of American Cinema (Christine). I got bored with it again. The film is WAY to long and it seems to plod along like a slug.

Part II was okay but still just as boring. And since I saw the third installment is considered one of the worst sequels in Hollywood history (according to Entertainment Weekly magazine), I haven’t been all that gung-ho to see it.

Now that I’ve said my piece about ‘The Godfather’ flicks, I’m watching my back for guys with piano wire.

Now for something entirely different…

I live pretty close to the Guilford Battleground Park. A few months ago, they posted a slower speed limit with crosswalk paddles in the middle of the road. The paddles tell you that pedestrians have the right of way and you must stop for them, it’s a state law. They are fairly unobtrusive and easy to miss with just about every street legal vehicle in all weight classes.

For some reason, they couldn’t keep those paddles up. Apparently, they are very popular targets for motorists in all kinds of makes of cars, trucks, and vans.

Just about every week, a motorist passing through would tear one of the paddles down. Of course my first thought was that drunk drivers wheeling through in the middle of the night were taking them out of action. I even followed a person early one Sunday morning that did their darnedest to take one out of commission by weaving back and forth over the centerline.

Today, my nephew and I were driving through and I noticed that all of the paddles had been removed. They posted up signs warning of the upcoming crosswalk. At the crosswalk, the long abused paddles were attached to the signpost. The park, city, or state had given up the fight.

I explained my thoughts about this to my father, a law enforcement officer with something like 30 years of experience under his belt, and his comment was… “People are stupid.”

After two knee surgeries (from on-the-job injuries), he finished out his law enforcement career as a bailiff in the courts of downtown Greensboro. When the courts were in recess, the deputies would gather by a window and watch motorists mow down the same types of paddles around the courthouse crosswalks. They would hit them sober. They would hit them at slow speeds. They would hit them at high speeds. They hit them with their eyes wide open.

So… I’m inclined to agree with my father’s assessment about most of the motorists licensed and unlicensed out there… They are stupid.

But how stupid can you be to hit one of these signs?

They’re brightly colored and they’re made with reflective materials. The paddles are bigger than most 8 year olds.

I just don’t get it.

I don’t care if you’re built like “Haystack” Calhoun; if you’re using a crosswalk, watch your ass.

8 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:54 PM

    I'm seriously considering a Netflix subscription once my shows get into summer reruns. I just renewed my Blockbuster Rewards membership, and I'm renting movies like a fool. (Rent one/get one free on Mon-Weds, so the boy can get one for free and watch Spongebob ad nauseum).

    Anyway, put Murderball at the top of your Netflix queue. I'm not much of a documentary chick (though I have seen two in the past two weeks -- I also rented March of the Penguins), but this movie kicked ass.

    I never much enjoyed the Godfather movies, either.

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  2. Anonymous12:07 AM

    You broke my heart, Eugene. You broke my heart!

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  3. Bebo... Even with the on again, off again throttling, I still LOVE Netflix. I highly recommend it. And be sure to include me on your buddy list.

    And Bebo, it takes a lot of guts to come forward with your feelings towards the 'Godfather' flicks. Believe me, I'm feeling the wrath even though NO ONE WILL POST THEIR DAMN COMMENTS HERE! They choose to email, the chicken shits.

    Yes Brad, I know that's a line from 'The Godfather II'.

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  4. Anonymous7:32 PM

    I'm not a chicken-shit, Eugene.

    You're a Philistine with no appreciation for the finer aspects of pop-culture.

    So there. :-P

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  5. Anonymous4:53 PM

    I am just impressed Eugene figured out how to put a pic up on the site!!! Way to go, E!

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  6. Christine... I wasn't calling you a chicken shit because you leave your comments here instead of emailing them.

    Jeez sweetie... :)

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  7. Well... Hey anon... These blogger folks make it idiot proof for chimps like me. Look for more in the future.

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  8. Anonymous8:03 PM

    Oh I know it wasn't directed at me - I just wanted to get in one more chance to call you a Philistine. (There, counting our phone conversation this makes 3. I'm kinda digging this.)

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