Tonight we took one more step toward picking all the crap finishings for our condo. While this delights my wife no end, it’s hard for me to get excited about it since the place is still over a year from being ready and, frankly, I don’t give half a shit about bathroom fixtures or backsplashes at the best of times. Still, it went about as well as I could have hoped. I don’t think I hate anything. The things that I would’ve liked to get but couldn’t were beyond my control and not a function of cost. We’ll spend a little less than I thought we might (I was giving my wife lowball targets hoping that she’d at least stay within shouting distance of them). So, there you go. One more trip back there to finalize things and fork over some dough and we’re all set.

In other news, I’m thinking about switching back to digital cable, just so I can get the PVR. This VCR thing is getting on my nerves.

Basketball again tomorrow night and my middle finger’s still feeling kinda sprainy.

Crash (imdb | rotten tomatoes) was one of the big buzz films from the 2004 TIFF, and we only just now got around to seeing it. Pretty good; the cast so was so huge that no one got much focus, but that’s how we’re meant to see these people (and the city they live in): superficially. Each character (save one or two) shows up just long enough to make a few racial slurs or discriminatory gestures; it would’ve been interesting to see director Paul Haggis do a side project with just one or two of the storylines, to see how far he can take them.

Worth the rental.

Speaking of which, because we’re out of Zip movies at the moment, we got these from Bay Street Video, who have a new website. New to me, anyway; I haven’t been there enough lately to notice the URL on the cases.

Last week I watched Mississippi Burning for the umpteenth time, and it still leaves me bewildered that we were once so fucked up.

Apparently some of us still are.

Watch two movies so far this weekend. Would’ve watched three, but Zip’s copy of Vera Drake had a scratch in it the size of a golf pencil. More and more of Zip’s DVDs are arriving like that; I can usually rub the marks out but this one was worst than most. Anyway…

I don’t even remember where I heard of Eulogy (imdb | metacritic), but there it was on my Zip list and they sent it to me kind of unrequested. It has a great cast (including Zooey Deschanel, who I’m loving more and more) and had some very funny moments, but it was really uneven. It’s good rental material when you’re in the mood for a slightly quirky comedy.

On the other hand, it was pretty tough to miss all the fuss about Alexander (imdb | metacritic). Pointless fuss, too; it really wasn’t very good. Everyone overacted, with a few minor exceptions. The action sequences were nothing we hadn’t seen in Braveheart, Troy or Lord Of The Rings. I couldn’t really recommend this one to anybody. Wait for it to show up on NBC some night.

I feel like such a slob, being all lazy and indoorsy on a beautiful day like today.

Last night I bought a few rounds for some co-workers — good guys, all — and then met up with Nellie and CBGB at ye olde Rebel House for some more drinks and food. Then, as usual, Nellie invited them back here for the usual: a 30-second cleanup of the apartment, a nip of scotch and 3 or 4 DVDs from our library for them to borrow.

Your very own Vicky Pollard

…to see:

• the aristocrats
• broken flowers
• dirty love
• the exorcism of emily rose
• a history of violence
• lord of war
• an unfinished life

…to buy:

• belly . star
• the constantines . tournament of hearts (oct 11)
• elbow . leaders of the free world (sep 27)
• foo fighters . in your honor
• living things . black skies in broad daylight
• metric . live it out (sep 27)
• pelican . the fire in our throats will beckon the thaw
• tinariwen . amassakoul
• wolf parade . apologies to the queen mary (sep 27)
• the zephyrs . when the sky comes down it comes down on your head

Obviously next Tuesday is a big day: three new discs.

My pod neighbourhood at work, big enough for eight people, typically has six people in it. Today…just me. And my boss isn’t around (not that he’s a taskmaster; there’s just always someone coming to talk to him), and the pod right over the wall from me is empty.

So I’m just sitting here, sans interruption, blasting The Duke Spirit on my headphones, plowing through tech articles and research papers like nobody’s bidness.

Oh, and every time I look up I see this picture pinned to my wall and it makes me giggle in a smarmy way.

Eesh. Feel like I haven’t blogged anything more than 20 words in a while. It’s been busy at work this week, plus basketball started Tuesday and we had work drinks last night. I have more drinks coming tonight, though this round is really more about plying the big technical brains with alcohol. Then we’re supposed to be meeting CBGB afterwards. At some point this weekend we have to decide on the upgrades we want for the condo ’cause we have our design meeting on Monday. Speaking of Monday, it’s when I should probably get my ass in gear and take a look at the textbook.

It’s definitely fall. I almost froze this morning on the way to work.

The oh-so-sweet SF yesterday asked me if I was losing weight. I love her for saying it, but she’s just SO wrong. It’s quite the opposite. I haven’t had the time or inclination to go for a run in ages, and on Tuesday night I felt like a buffalo getting up and down the court. Sad.

Here’s an indication of how easy the last course was: All 34 people got an A of some kind. I don’t expect any trouble with this IT strategy course either, but I’m very curious to see everyone’s research papers. We’re supposed to pick specific emerging technologies as they relate to our industry, and some of the topics that people have chosen are things that my department and I have been looking at in depth, so it’ll be interesting to see if they come with any new insights.

OK. Have to get some work done before everyone else gets to the office.

Amanda got mugged.