Reviews and More

I’m late in posting about last night’s episode of The Sopranos, so I’m not going to give a detailed recap here. I’ll just write out my reactions and hopefully get to posting recaps again next week. Anyway, the latest episode was called “Walk Like a Man” and was number 6×17.

AJ: I’ve always thought AJ was pretty much a dweeb, but I really felt bad for him in this episode. It’s clear that he truly loved Blanca and is devastated by the break-up. It’s totally refreshing to see a male television character become so despondent over relationship problems; usually on TV it’s the female who does the crying and moping. But yeah, watching AJ brought back a lot of painful memories. Who hasn’t been through a bad break-up? And at that age, all the feelings are just magnified tenfold.

Tony: Tony was actually tolerable tonight. He had AJ’s best interests in mind and was genuinely trying to help — albeit in a dysfunctional way (telling him to go get a BJ or hang out with strippers?!). Plus, it was nice to see another Melfi counseling scene. Those therapy sessions were my favorite part of the show when I first started watching, and they’re still incredibly well done.

Christopher/Paulie: The on-going feud between these two goes up a notch or three on the tension scale — and has pushed Christopher squarely off the wagon AGAIN. The look on Paulie’s face as he was driving all over Chrissy’s yard was priceless! He was way out of line when he started talking about Christopher’s daughter though (saying she would end up working at the Bing). I was hoping Christopher would haul off and hit him right there, but obviously that didn’t happen. Instead, Chrissy decided to vent his frustrations on his writing brother TJ (or is it JT?). Doesn’t much matter now, cuz there’s a bullet in the guy’s forehead!

Final thoughts: This was an awesome Sopranos episode and is precisely what I want to see when I tune in! God, I hope the final few episodes are on par with “Walk Like a Man!”

I’ve been reading Agatha Christie books (almost exclusively) for close to a year now. The books are quick and easy, and are usually pretty entertaining. Nevertheless, I’m ready for a bit of a break from mysteries ans would like to start reading something new.

I was fooling around on MySpace today, clicking through my Friends list, then their Friends list, and so on to see where that would lead me. I eventually came to a site that linked back to a book called Moon Age Daydream by Shaun Von Dragen. After reading the description of Moon Age Daydream, I was immediately hooked on the concept and wanted to learn more. It’s just so vastly different than what I usually read that I really want to check it out:

A kaleidoscopic pageant of intoxicating sights, smells and colors draws you into a world of lies, mystery, heartbreak and murder.

I kept digging for more information on this book and subsequently learned that one of the prominent characters is called Izabael. Well, I went to Izabael’s Home on the web and discovered that she’s actually a holy spirit that can “make many things happen.” I’d never heard of Izabael before, so it’s a good thing I was able to find the Izabael FAQ page. Now I have an even better idea of what to expect from the book.

Anyway, Moon Age Daydream won’t be released in hardcover until 10/1/2007, but advanced trade paperback copies are available right now. Check it out!

The newest Entourage episode that aired last night was called “The Return of the King,” and did a lot in terms of pushing Vince even closer to his inevitable reunion with Ari. Here’s a complete recap of what happened on episode number 3×17.

Vince/E: Vince and E get a call from Ari, even though it’s Yom Kippur (the most important Jewish holiday) and Ari is supposed to forget about work until sundown. Ari’s calling because Nick Rubenstein, the son of the Medellín producer, approached Ari at temple and told him that Antonio Banderas walked out on the project. Nick’s father needs someone to step in immediately, and they want Vince to be the guy.

Vince is of course ecstatic and wants to do whatever it takes to get attached to the project. That means involving Amanda, but she has taken the day off, which is why Ari had to contact Vince directly. E calls Amanda and tells her to get in touch with Ari. She practically refuses to do this, so Vince takes over and convinces her.

This leads to a whole tangled mess of missed phone calls, crossed wires, and misinterpreted messages, with the result being that Vince doesn’t get into the project by the time the deadline rolls around. The movie is done; the studio wants to cut their losses and not go forward with the $80 million project.

Vince and E think that Amanda was to blame for not communicating clearly with Ari and accepting the deal early on. Vince goes to a restaurant to fire her, which is when she tells him that Nick Rubenstein is actually the one who should take the blame. Vince had gone too far though (he said Ari wouldn’t have let that happen), so Amanda ends up breaking ties with him.

Drama/Turtle: The boys are at a racetrack and Drama tells the story of how he bet on a horse years ago that paid great odds and allowed him to buy his first Lincoln. He notices that the horse’s offspring is running in the day’s races (at 50-1 odds), and Drama is so confident in the horse’s lineage that he’s willing to drop $1,000 on the race. The horse loses, and when the boys visit him in the stable, the owner says that’s the end of the steed’s racing career.

Drama can’t stand the thought of the horse going to the glue factory, so he buys it. But obviously the boys don’t have anywhere to keep it. It escapes and roams around Beverly Hills, earning Drama a $5,000 fine in the process. In the end, Drama gives the horse to Ed Burns.

My Reaction: I thought the Drama/Turtle storyline was dumb, but I loved what happened with Vince, E, Ari, and Amanda. The whole reason I like this show in the first place is because I like seeing the boys mess with Ari and I like seeing Ari and E constantly battle it out. Amanda is a boring character and just needs to get off my screen now. Let’s get this reunion going! When is Vince going to ask Ari to represent him again??! Bring it!

My husband and I don’t always agree on how to spend our money. For instance, he would love to keep building up his motorcycle collection or buy a new car every couple of years while I would rather buy Gucci loafers and Cartier watches. We usually work out a compromise and just buy something for the house (like a new computer or flat screen television). This isn’t as exciting, but it keeps the peace. One expenditure that we never argue about, however, is travel. We love our vacations and can’t wait to go someplace fun every six months or so.

Of course, we’re not the kind of people that like to sit on a beach for a week straight and call that a vacation. We would much rather go out and do something fun and adventurous, preferably something we’ve never tried before, like bungee jumping, parasailing, snowboarding, scuba diving, white water rafting, or biking. And since there’s a chance we could get seriously injured from any of these activities, we have make sure we’re covered by a good travel insurance policy.

It’s not that difficult to find affordable travel insurance these days. Moreover, you don’t even have to use the same company each time, so you’re always free to shop around for the best rates. The important thing is to read carefully through the policy to make sure your planned activities will be covered. So if you’re going to spend a week in Banff, it would be smart to get ski insurance before you hit the slopes.

Anything can happen while you’re on vacation, so make sure you play it safe by having a solid travel insurance policy behind you. When you know you’re covered, you’ll be able to enjoy your vacation without the nagging doubts or the “what ifs”. Trust me, that kind of peace of mind is worth whatever the insurance policy costs!

I usually enjoy Adam Sandler movies, so I’ve been meaning to rent Click for a while now. This film was released in 2006 and was another $100 million hit for the popular comedian. However, Click received decidedly mixed reviews: most professional critics panned the effort, while fans seemed to enjoy it. I didn’t even know what the plot was about before I watched it, so I really had no expectations going in.

Sandler stars as an architect named Michael Newman. He seems to be the typical suburban workaholic who’s always working late, bringing work home with him, cancelling family vacations, and showing up late to his kids’ swim meets. He also seems to be going through the motions with his wife Donna (played by Kate Beckinsale), and, just for good measure, doesn’t spend enough time with his parents (played by Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner) either. Michael just wants to make partner at his firm so his family can have the kind of lifestyle he always “dreamed of having.”

One night, Michael gets fed up with all the different remote controls on the living room coffee table. He can never figure out which one operates the television, so he finally decides to go and get a universal remote instead. Of course, the only place open at the time is Bed, Bath, & Beyond. They probably wouldn’t have a remote, but he gives it a shot anyway.

Once inside the store, Michael bypasses the Bed and Bath sections, and comes to a door marked “Beyond.” He goes in and finds a guy named Morty (Christopher Walken) behind a counter. Yes, Morty says, they do have a universal remote. It’s brand-new, hasn’t been released yet, and isn’t even for sale. Morty says he will give the remote to Michael because he looks like a good guy who just needs a break. The only catch is that Michael can never return it. Michael agrees, and walks out of the store with the remote.

Upon returning home, Michael tests out the remote and sees that it controls the TV perfectly. But he then discovers that it can also control other things, such as the volume of the dog’s bark, the actions of other people in the room, and even time. Soon Michael is fast-fowarding through all the “boring” parts of his life: traffic, showering, illnesses, family dinners.

At first, Michael is thrilled that he can go on “autopilot” and just get to the good stuff, but then he realizes that he’s actually missing all the things that are important in life. The rest of the film then deals with the specifics of Michael’s epiphany and what he does to change things.

My Reaction: First of all, let me just say that I know the film’s plot and characters are recycled. I mean, I’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol, so I know how these stories about second chances and profound change go. But — for some reason, I still found myself enjoying Click. Yes, there was some stupid, sophomoric humor along the way (it’s an Adam Sandler movie after all) but I was actually surprised at how much I liked the film as a whole. It’s a cautionary tale and it’s somewhat depressing if you can see yourself as the workaholic, but there were still a few powerful scenes in there.

That’s not to say that the movie was without weak points. I thought it was overly long, and didn’t like that the whole remote control episode was explained away so glibly at the end, but those things didn’t bother me during the movie — only when I considered everything afterwards.

Overall, I give Click 7.0 stars out of 10. It’s a bit different than most of Adam Sandler’s other movies, and I think it works. Rent it if you haven’t seen it yet!

For the past 10 years or so I’ve been working hard to pay off the student loans and credit card debt that I accumulated while I was in college. I recently got everything taken care of and am now in the best financial situation of my life. I’ve got no debts to speak of, my savings account is growing, and things are finally looking up.

But I have to admit that thinking about my future does scare me. After all, I am self-employed so I won’t have a pension or a 401k to look forward to when I retire. I know I have to start planning for my retirement now — and simply earning a return of 5 or 6 percent in my savings account isn’t going to cut it. I want to start making more aggressive investments that yield at least a 10 or 12 percent return.

I’ve considered various investment vehicles in the past, including money market funds, annuities, forex, and even precious metals, but haven’t actually put my money into anything yet. The main reason is that I don’t understand all the ins and outs of these different investments and would want to talk to a financial expert first. Hopefully the expert would be able to recommend the best ways to invest my money based on my goals, available funds, and preferences.

I’m in my early thirties, so there’s still time for me to build up my portfolio and make sure I have enough money to allow me to live comfortably after I retire. The key, however, is to get started as soon as possible, which is precisely what I plan to do now.