Friend's broken back. :(

Jenn and I are pretty good friends. (Jenn is not her real name. With rare exception, I will not use real names for people I know. For example, I simply refer to my girlfriend as g/f.) Jenn and I were actually introduced through another friend. He has a company that does work for the company I work at, and also the company Jenn used to work at. One day, he suggested I meet up with her. I already have my g/f, so I made it clear to him that we’d meet to be friends only, and that’s just what we became. She’s a lot of fun to hang out with. Once in awhile, we go clubbin’. She works in downtown Palo Alto these days, so sometimes we just have lunch in some of its fine restaurants.
It sucks that she recently broke her back by falling onto a curb. She’s been a homebody since, with little exception. Hopefully she heals up quick. It’s been about two months already. She's back to work and all, and seems better, but still in pain. :( So, I’m sending her healing thoughts now. Today’s blog entry is dedicated to her. Best wishes, girl!

Where I live, who I know, where I work

I was using the Internet for meeting people and dating all the way back in 1998. Yeah, I did cybersex, phonesex, and real sex all based around the Internet. It’s ironic that I now shun using the Internet for that purpose now that it is very popular. Maybe that’s not so iconic. Maybe what’s more ironic is that the Internet in some way enabled just about every aspect of my life. I met my best friend Dave through I job that I got by posting my resume on the Internet. I met a close friend Ronie on the Internet. I met my best friend Miriam through Ronie. Most of the girls I’ve ever had slept with were from the Internet. All but one of my girlfriends has been from the Internet, and there is an Internet connection to that one other g/f too. My current job is from posting my resume on the Internet. The house where I live was found through a posting on the Internet. I thoroughly researched cars on the Internet before buying mine; the purchase itself was at a local dealership. Where I live, who I know, where I work…all from the Internet.

My Life - Part 3: Teething

As an infant, I realized that my father didn’t have a fingernail on his right index finger. I found this out because he would use that finger to feel around in my mouth in an attempt to discover if my teeth had started appearing. When I was older, he told me that his finger was lopped off in an accident when he was a kid. Even though the tip of his finger was reattached, the fingernail was lost. Of course, the missing fingernail gave his finger the appearance that the tip was never reattached.
So, my dad would stick that index finger in my mouth to feel for teeth. I really didn’t like it, but there wasn’t much I could do about it, being and infant and all. I still remember the rough and ridgy feeling of his short index finger rubber against my gums, tongue and the roof of my mouth. Yuk. So this one day, my parents were over me. My mother was telling my day, “I don’t think it’s a good idea to stick your finger in his mouth. He’s gonna bite cha,” or something along those lines. Yes, even as an infant I understood the meaning of her words. He sticks his finger in my mouth. I waited for the right moment to finally use my new teeth. For a split-second, hesitated out of conscience. Suddenly I bit as hard as I could! He howled in pain and he yanked his finger away. I remember enjoying my deed, and actually feeling a little proud at my plot’s success. My mom was I-told-you-so’ing as he went to nurse his finger.

I, Robot

It's been a long time since I've read I, Robot. In fact, I was in school. The stories didn't much interest me. Although I admired Isaac Asimov (the writer) for is contributions to literature and science (fiction), I always felt his writing style was too dry.
It's been a couple days since I've seen the movie I, Robot. It uses the original book as a setting, but not as the source of the story. This movie is good, so I'm not sure what movie the critics had been watching. It's not great, for sure. It does have one big plot hole. The movie implies the events were happening everywhere, yet only shows the events as they unfold in Chicago. Beyond that one problem, the story was pretty clean, blending action well with plot, storytelling and character development. Basically, this is an action movie with some intelligence.
Recommended.

very Very brief complaint about comparing Superman to Spider-man movies

I'm not sure what lunatic can say the Superman movies a superior to the Spider-man movies.  The Superman movies were deliberately campy and one-dimensional.  Spider-man makes a determined and successful effort to develop characters with depth and complexity.  The two sets of movies are in different classes. 
If special effects of Superman were put on par to the 2000's, then a modern equivalent to Superman would be X-Men, as both have average special effects for their time, and both are plot driven stories of similar depth. 
IMO, the Spider-man movies are easily the best comic book movies ever made.  They have excellent production quality, good to great acting, awesome action, well developed characters (the ones we care about), etc.  It's a refreshing reminder that movies (even an action-flicks) shouldn't be non-stop action when handling characters that the audience cares about; and that a balance can be reached between plot and character development. 
Superman, X-Men, first couple Bat Man movies are a tier lower.  They are still great movies, but they do lack the story telling of the Spider-man series.  Just watch the first two Superman movies again.  Although they have similar plots to Spider-man, they are pretty flat when held up to the two Spider-man movies.

"Bring me back something French!"

What is the origin of the line "bring me back something french"?  The line was used in `Home Alone`.  I heard it in a British sitcom from the late 70's called `Are You Being Served`, and in a couple of films since.  I have the impression it is a reference to an older film or book, but don't know where to look.   This is one of those rare cases where the Internet doesn't help.  Anyone have any idea?