tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27407117796422609992024-03-24T18:32:36.662-05:00Not Really a BlogRandom musings, idle thoughts, delusions of grandeur, and Latvian films.Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-69555255878122697282023-12-15T09:23:00.000-06:002023-12-15T09:23:26.081-06:00The Picking of SidesWhen I was younger I had a much easier time telling right from wrong and good from bad, but as I aged those lines became blurrier and blurrier. I've been lucky to travel and live in different places for extended periods of time. I was born in Latvia and then my parents moved to Israel. When my parents divorced my mom and I moved to the United States where I've spend the lion share of my life and Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-56166936070787401292021-10-17T10:05:00.002-05:002021-10-17T10:16:43.335-05:00Is it me or is it the movies? Part IVBetween my teens and well into my forties I probably averaged 1-3 movie theater visits per week. It was mostly a way of self-medicating. Trading my reality for a couple of hours in one which wasn't my own. It didn't really matter what movie was playing. It could be triple bill in the Oriental of The Master of the Flying Guiliotine, The Toolbox Murders, and Cleopatra Jones, followed by a walk overAndrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-38084090034041356522021-07-17T08:06:00.000-05:002021-07-17T08:06:06.553-05:00The problem with GREED"Greed is good!" Gordon Gekko, fictional character.
"Greedy people, competing, make the world go round." Paul Krugman, nobel prize winning economist.
“Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Jesus Christ, Savior, son of God.
For the record, I am not an economist or an MBA, but I think I can grasp the basic principles of how Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-43051015245235167782016-11-17T09:22:00.001-06:002016-11-17T09:22:39.288-06:00It's Their Fault!
The election is over. Depending on how you voted it’s either
the dawn of a new era of unimagined prosperity or the beginning of the
apocalypse. The people have spoken and if one thing is clear beyond any shadow
of doubt, and cuts across all demographic groups, political affiliations, ideology
or lack thereof, it’s that It’s Their Fault!
Pick your choice from any of the below list. Multiple
Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-60661726870499138192015-11-05T15:31:00.001-06:002015-11-05T16:21:35.039-06:00Is it me or is it the movies? Part III
An article about a remake of Ocean’s 11 with an all-female
cast appeared in my newsfeed recently. Skimmed through it. Skimmed through the
comments. Some pros. Some cons. The usual casting arguments and the inevitable
personal flame wars. However, nowhere did I see anyone mentioning the elephant
in the screening room. That this is a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad
Idea!
And no. It’s not Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-2564492990208818792014-10-29T16:08:00.001-05:002014-10-29T16:08:16.358-05:00The Lesson
Drama.
2014.
Written by Lauris Gundars, Andris Gauja, Aleksandrs Grebņevs.
Directed by Andris Gauja.
Filmed by Aleksandrs Grebņevs.
Starring: Inga Alsiņa, Mārcis Klatenbergs, Andrejs Smoļakovs, Gatis Gāga, Liena Šmukste, Marina Janaus, Edgars Siliņš, Ieva Apine, Elza Feldmane, Agirs Neminskis.
Andris Gaujas' The Lesson is a feature film which looks and feels like a documentary Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-14916093600978007482014-09-27T10:40:00.000-05:002014-09-28T11:10:01.960-05:00Rocks in My Pockets
Comedy/Drama.
2014.
Written, directed and voiced by Signe Baumane.
As someone who has struggled with depression for most of my life I can say first hand there might not be a lot of fun in depression but there is a lot of funny. Perhaps its the predisposition to seeing doom and gloom even when they are not there that allows for the reverse on rare occasions Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-74551573965851113152013-11-01T13:27:00.000-05:002013-11-01T13:40:13.356-05:00The Counselor tries for cool, but ends up coldSometimes too much of a good thing is not a good thing. The Counselor on paper must have seemed like a cinephile's dream. Start off with an A list cast which includes Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt in the lead roles. Even the bit players read like a whos who of film. Bruno Ganz, Rosie Perez, Ruben Blades, Dean Norris, Goran Visnjic, and John LeguizamoAndrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-84734613481000901062012-06-30T13:18:00.002-05:002012-06-30T13:20:20.824-05:00Further Proof of the Decline of Western CivilizationMy week in bullet points.
Tuesday June 26th morning in Riga, Latvia
I arrive at the airport at 5am for my 6:35 am flight to Brussels. Drop off the rental car, scan the screens in the terminal, but don't see my flight listed. Take a chance, wait in line at the baggage check in. Get to the front of the line. The slightly bored but polite agent checks and informs me that my flight has been Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-4928153863762142222011-12-30T11:38:00.000-06:002011-12-30T11:38:30.115-06:00Rant: Class warfare, tax cuts and deregulationI'm frustrated. You're frustrated. Everyone is frustrated. Don't believe me? Just read a poll. Any poll. The Tea Party is tired of big government and waste. Occupy [insert location of choice] is tired of big business and big money. The right wants more cuts in spending. The left wants more spending. The young want jobs. The old want more security. Throw a dart and you are Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-63092427926268025922011-06-07T16:16:00.002-05:002011-07-02T11:48:23.844-05:00Red Sea - 1996
st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }
Was looking for something on USENET and found this thing I wrote way back in 1996. Figured might as well add it to the blog.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Just Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-59583052370703146232011-04-06T07:58:00.002-05:002011-04-06T08:00:33.459-05:00There's something about Cancun
The pool at Live Aqua
Those of you who know me know that my tastes usually trend towards the lower end of the creature comforts scale. Not big on linen napkins and room service and pampering. Service staff hovering over me attentively make me nervous. I guess I see myself in their shoes and all things considered you can always blame my Soviet Latvian upbringing.
Some of my best vacation Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-80759492103366447992010-12-04T16:14:00.001-06:002013-03-13T15:27:51.052-05:00Cayman BracI've always had mixed feelings about the Caymans. I've been to Grand Cayman three times. Once for a week and twice as stop overs on cruises. Each time I've had a decent time, but there was nothing there that I couldn't get at half the price somewhere else and no particular desire to come back again. This is not a criticism by the way. Grand Cayman has a lot going for it and a lot of fans. I Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-728687693020392962010-10-20T16:54:00.003-05:002010-10-25T16:32:44.485-05:00Is it me or is it the movies? Part IIComing to you soon in glorious 3D!!!
If I see one more preview for a film in 3D I am liable to throw something at the screen. Enough already. Not that there is anything wrong with making films in 3D, but the films being made in 3D are for the most part nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Shows what Hollywood thinks of their audience. Story? Direction? Acting? That's hard and no predictor of Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-70871222133337722632010-10-19T11:47:00.006-05:002010-10-19T12:05:20.567-05:00AmayaComedy/Drama.2010.Written and directed by Maris Martinsons.Starring: Kaori Momoi, Andrius Mamontovas, Monie Tung, Kristine Nevarauska, and Lau Dan.<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-42516932247057213302010-05-10T15:51:00.003-05:002010-08-01T14:51:42.581-05:00Medibas (The Hunt)Drama.2009.Directed by Andis Miziss.Written by Kaspars Odins and Elvita Ruka.Starring: Andris Keiss, Santa Didzus, Jana Sekste and Guna Zarina.Emir Kusturica is a world renowned Serb filmmaker who makes great surreal and absurdist films. Time of the Gypsies and Arizona Dream come to mind. Medibas tries to traverse the same terrain, but unfortunately Andis Miziss, the director of the film, is no Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-14020178001298553642010-02-06T09:20:00.006-06:002010-11-09T17:25:26.421-06:00Is it me or is it the movies?I love the movies. I've seen quite a few of them. At a rough count lets say 5000 or so. Started having disposable income around the age of 14 and like most at that age had plenty of motivation to escape reality. Hey, at least it kept me away from drugs.
I used to cut school often and take the L into the Loop and get off at Washington. The Loop of those days was quite different. Not quite the Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-62250876683593482202010-01-05T09:42:00.010-06:002010-01-05T13:42:25.880-06:00Banana ShpeelGrowing up, while other kids wanted to be cosmonauts, firemen and policemen, my ambition in life was to be a clown. Hold off on the snickering for a moment (yes, I know some would say I succeeded beyond my wildest dreams). I am not talking clown as in Bozo. If I grew up watching Bozo I too might be scared of clowns. I am talking clown as in Oleg Popov. There was just something about him that Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-43455229669661599282009-12-29T16:01:00.007-06:002009-12-31T14:07:11.903-06:00Chicago Bears: 36. Minessota Vikings: 30.Monday Night Football. National audience. Overtime. Bears win. Against the division leading Vikings. If there's any team Bears fans hate, assuming its not a game against the Packers, its the Vikings. And in Bret Favre you even have the Packers covered. Who could ask for more.Then why am I so unhappy?I am not exactly a huge sports fan. I don't spend much time watching sporting events on TV. I'd Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-72470020975883558392009-11-12T10:05:00.006-06:002009-11-12T15:27:29.239-06:001AmericaI love this country. Myth thought it might be in many ways my experience is that of the American Dream. My mother and I arrived on these shores in 1977 and while not exactly being huddled masses yearning to be free between the two of us we basically had $600 and the clothes on our backs. 30+ years later we are comfortably lower middle class. There's a roof over our heads and money in our bank Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-28748644745256351452009-09-19T07:55:00.018-05:002009-09-19T09:50:43.804-05:009 Hours in ShanghaiI've always wanted to visit mainland China. The closest I ever got was a month in Hong Kong and a couple of weeks in Taiwan. When this opportunity to work in Malaysia came up and I was looking at airfare one of the lower fare flights had a 9 hour layover in Shanghai so that's the one I chose reasoning that 9 hours is better than nothing. Of course I should have checked first if one needed a visa Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-34843976143725552592009-09-11T08:20:00.007-05:002009-09-23T09:32:10.926-05:001MalaysiaThe slogan is everywhere. Posters on buildings. Adverts in newspapers. On the radio and TV. In the news and on the street. On the other end of the spectrum there's a crowd with a cow's head marching on a proposed Hindu temple in a majority Muslim area. Vigilante anti-alcohol activists removing beer from a Seven-Eleven. There's the caning sentence for a Muslim girl for drinking a beer in a night Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-2918794191608351482009-09-10T21:53:00.006-05:002009-09-10T23:10:22.199-05:00The IPhone and II am too poor to be a true early adapter. New technology when it first hits the market tends to be expensive and only as it matures and more and more people take it up the price goes down and the rest of us get to play. Still I have had my moments. Particularly when its media related.I started using computers around 1980. I actually owned an original Pong and I even bought one of the first Radio Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-5550592515122413022009-09-09T21:57:00.006-05:002009-09-10T01:37:24.239-05:00Sipadan -- Mabul They say that 6/7ths of the planet are covered by water. That's a lot of water. I haven't had the chance to explore all of it yet. Maybe just 1/6677 of it, but I've been fortunate to dive in some really nice portions of it. I've been to the Red Sea, Cayman Islands, Cozumel, Roatan, Belize, Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Costa Rica, Phuket and Florida. I even dove within sight of a nuclear reactor in Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2740711779642260999.post-31566280866682584212009-09-08T22:46:00.014-05:002009-09-09T21:37:42.728-05:00Tioman Island & MalaccaThanks to Nunda for first suggesting it and then Adrian, Lisa, Michael, Nesh and Tim for letting me tag along, I got a chance to visit Tioman Island (http://www.tioman.com.my/) and on the way back Malacca (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malacca). To get to Tioman you start out in the port of Mersing. We didn't really spend that much time in Mersing other than park and board the ferry, but that's Andrejshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13212064803235430083noreply@blogger.com1