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Messages - stormie

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1
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Netflix
« on: March 23, 2023, 03:57 PM »
Quote from: stormie on April 21, 2008, 11:57 AM
Well, specifically, those with Netflix (or some other similar type rental arrangement). How many movies do you rent at a time? Do you just watch them casually then return them at your leisure, or do you plow through them like you're on a mission? How many movies are currently in your queue? How do you decide which ones to watch (queue management)?

I've got the two-at-a-time deal from Netflix, and have had it for about 6-7 years. I watch two movies pretty much every weekend, then send 'em back on Monday morning. Sometimes, if I get the new movies by Wednesday, I'll watch one that night, then return it on Thursday morning, which may lead to me receiving another new selection in time to view Saturday night. However, this doesn't always work. I think my preference would be to have at least three at a time, so that I could watch one each night on the weekends (Fri-Sun), but I'm too cheap to spend the extra couple bucks on the new subscription price.

As for queue, I've got 142 in mine, with another 20 in my saved DVDs list. And there's really no rhyme nor reason for my method of adding them. If I see an actor or director or song or whatever that appeals to me, I'll add the movie. I did add all the Academy-nominated movies this year (best picture, actor/actress, supporting, foreign, director, screenplays) so there's some method to my madness there. I usually won't read the reviews before I add movies, so sometimes it pays off, sometimes it tragically doesn't. However, overall I'm glad that I've seen movies that I'd never have seen otherwise. The one thing that has me stumped, though, is what movies to move to the top of the queue each week. If I just leave the queue the way it is, there's going to be movies that I really want to see now, but may not see for a year. But if I keep moving some movies to the top of the queue, others will continue to be pushed down and I'll forget about them and likely never see. It's almost like I need to have a marathon catch-up-type weekend, but that'll never happen.

What a time capsule! Two DVDs at a time! Where did the time go?!

2
Star Wars Anthology / Re: Rogue One (SPOILERS)
« on: January 13, 2017, 02:09 PM »
I saw it twice, and am having a hard time liking it.  :'(

It just didn't "feel" like Star Wars. I sorely missed the opening crawl and music. The way the planets were labeled on the screen was weird. The cameos seemed forced (e.g., Evazan, Threepio and Artoo). Vader looked weird and walked differently, like he almost had a hop in his step. Vader's "castle" seemed like something from Batman, complete with butler. The score was underwhelming and forgettable. Leia was completely wrong at the end and unnecessary. She seemed too gleeful when she answered that the plans were "hope." Plus, she looked too CGI. I would have preferred just showing her silhouette from behind, since we ALL know what ship that is and who's on it. When Vader starts cutting up the rebels, I found that also unnecessary. He would just have his troopers board the ship ahead of him and shoot the rebels, like at the beginning of ANH. The characters were okay, but forgettable. Cassian was hard to understand and seemed kind of like a jerk. He and Jyn embracing and almost kissing at the end was dumb and forced. I wanted more Galen Erso. He seemed like the most interesting character. What's the big deal about the Death Troopers? Black with different helmets, but still inept.

But I did like some things. Even though he was CGI, Tarkin was great. He is so integral to the first Death Star, that he was necessary for this movie. I like also that he essentially just steals the DS from Crennic. The battle in space at the end was excellent. I really enjoyed that part. Jedha was cool, but I wanted SO much more of it. The ships were great; TIE Strikers, U-Wings, etc.

3
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NFL 2011-2012
« on: October 16, 2011, 04:50 PM »
What the hell is going on in SF? 5-1.

I have very fond memories of the niners during the 80s and 90s, but for the last decade+ they've been irrelevant. Is Harbaugh a genius or are they just fortunate? Personally, I think it's a little bit of both. Regardless, I find myself a little rusty when it comes to getting excited for the niners...but it feels good!

4
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Camcorder/Video Camera Opinions?
« on: July 28, 2011, 07:12 PM »
I'd suggest taking a look at the Kodak camcorders. I have a Kodak PlayTouch and my wife has a PlaySport. Both are HD camcorders, but also 5MP still cameras. They easily fit in your pocket, and the video and still pic quality is great.

5
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL Off-Season 2011
« on: July 6, 2011, 01:53 PM »
I'm okay with the Heatley trade. I liked Heatley, and his two years here were exactly what we expected from him. There was absolutely no evidence of any of the past ego, and his production was great. However, with the loss of Setoguchi, I think a straight-up trade of Forwards was necessary purely from a speed perspective. Havlat is much faster than Heatley. Other than that, the stats are very comparable.

6
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL Off-Season 2011
« on: June 27, 2011, 12:45 PM »
Setoguchi is a great pickup for the Wild, and the Sharks will miss him (hopefully not too much). However, Burns is a much-needed asset for the Sharks. Good trade for both teams.

7
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 25, 2011, 02:07 PM »
Poor showing last year? Losing in the Conference Finals against the eventual Cup winner (Chicago) doesn't seem like a poor showing to me.

You could argue they choked the previous year when they won the President's and lost in the first to the Ducks, but they aren't the only one-seed to lose to an eight (I'm thinking back to '93 when they were the eight and beat the Wings).

Yeah, I'm a Sharks homer, admittedly, but I don't really like the choker label bandied about so much, especially when SJ has only been around since '91. It's a little insulting to the teams that have been around longer. The playoffs are fun and anything can happen.

As for failing to close out games, sure there were some that went that way, but they also came from behind in some, too. The LA series had a couple great comebacks. The problem is that most games were one-goal games, so the advantage can turn abruptly.

8
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 25, 2011, 01:07 PM »
There was no choke. Choking is when you lose to an inferior team or miserably fail to play up to your potential. The Canucks are a better team than the Sharks and SJ gave them all they could handle.

Seriously, I'm a little tired of this choker talk. All teams have had their fair share of choking in the playoffs. The Sharks have been good in the regular season for several years, yet whenever they don't win the Cup, they're labeled as chokers. They've only been around for 20 years, for crying out loud. The Canucks have been around for 40 and have never won the Cup, and until last year, it'd been nearly 50 years since Chicago had sniffed the Cup. I think the Blues and Caps, as well as some others have never won a Cup, either. Each year, the Sharks entertain and give fans hope in the playoffs.

I have no regrets about the Sharks' season. I'm just sad that's over already and now have to wait months for the season to begin again.

9
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 23, 2011, 01:12 PM »
Killing a 5-on-4 is one thing, but three continuous 5-on-3s against the Canucks is literally impossible...especially after they were able to stave off the 5-on-3s on Friday night. Playing with fire you will get burned. The most telling statistic from Sunday's game, though, was the Sharks' inability to score on any of the power plays the Canucks gave them in the first period. The Canucks ability to adjust their game is a marvel, though.

10
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 19, 2011, 07:49 PM »
Yeah, Eager sort of went overboard, to say the least. I think Marleau started everything by trying to pick a fight with Bieksa, and then getting his face familiarized with Bieksa's fist. Marleau's NOT a fighter, but I think he was trying to get his team going. Instead, Eager took it upon himself to be personally offended that anyone would touch the delicate flower that Marleau is.  :)

But...

As a Sharks homer, I can't help but try to rationalize it all. They were losing 3-2 and playing a little flat. Marleau's been maligned by everyone for not being tough enough. Eager's been there before and he's a big presence on the ice (for good or bad). The Sharks need something to light a fire under them. If it takes Eager to get them going, then so be it; however, if it's just going to result in penalties then they need to rethink. It goes without saying that if the Sharks lose Friday, they're toast, but if they come out invigorated, then I might tend to think Eager's outburst was the catalyst.

11
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 13, 2011, 02:02 PM »
I believe home ice allows the home team to make line changes after the visiting team...I think. This makes for better matchups.

Also, every rink is different, so most teams are built with their own rink in mind. Some have notoriously fast ice and boards, like the Red Wings'.

Add to those the crowd noise, and I believe home ice is a definite advantage. The Shark Tank is extremely loud.

My girls and I walked to the Arena (we live about two blocks away) last night before the game, and the crowd outside was electric. Nothing beats game 7s in hockey. It was fun to be a part of it, even though we didn't have tickets.

12
JD Sports Forum! / Re: NHL 2010-2011 Regular Season
« on: May 11, 2011, 12:40 PM »
Game 7 should be a classic. If I were a betting man, I'd probably put straight-up money on SJ, though I won't be surprised at all if Detroit wins. I do believe that beyond the scope of the playoffs, this game is a lot more important for San Jose than Detroit.

Go Sharks!

13
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Japan
« on: March 13, 2011, 04:20 PM »
Quote from: JediJman on March 13, 2011, 12:07 PM
Quote from: solrac on March 13, 2011, 03:54 AM
We got the tsunami here in San Diego and some dumb ass 59 year old woman and a few of her family members got pulled in to the sea and had to be rescued. A few boats got thrashed and a bait barge/Pier broke apart.

Why was the woman a dumb ass?   ???

Because the entire West Coast had the tsunami warning for several hours, but people still disregarded it and headed for the beaches to watch. There was no reason other than her own stupidity that she should've been close enough to the water to get pulled in by the tsunami. And yes, the CA coast DID get the tsunami. At a fraction of the magnitude that Japan received, and with hours of warning, but it did, indeed, hit the CA coast. Initial estimates are $50 million in damage from the tsunami in California.

14
JD Sports Forum! / Re: MLB Offseason 2010-2011
« on: December 14, 2010, 10:51 AM »
Lee signs with Phillies for five years, $120 million.

All those "experts" that were crowning Boston as the team to beat now need to rewrite their columns. The Phillies' rotation is now probably the best rotation...ever. Barring some weird injury or tragedy, I don't see how Philadelphia can NOT win the Series in 2011.

And I've got to give it up to Lee. Instead of just taking the money, he went where he had the best shot at winning a title. Though with $120 million, he's not exactly suffering.

As a Giants fan, though, this signing scares the hell out of me. But good job, Phillies.

15
Watto's Junk Yard / Re: Good Story on CNN About Star Wars Fans
« on: December 10, 2010, 02:18 PM »
Her mom handled it right by listening to her, talking with her and encouraging her to do what she wants, no matter what others say.

However, I can't help feeling a little less sympathetic toward the mom because she blogged about her child's extremely common problem at school and seemingly made it much more than it was. The type of pressure to fit in that Katie felt is something that almost every second-grader goes through. Applying the "bullying" label to it is making it out to be much more than it is. All kids want to fit in. All kids notice differences in people and other kids. Pretty much all kids don't have the ability to articulate these feelings. This is what happened.

Like I said, the mom handled it right by listening to her daughter and encouraging her. That's all that needed to be done. Bleating online that her child was possibly "bullied" is just sensationalizing it.


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