Rampant Bad Ideas Amok

New England is up to its old tricks again after two days of teasing us with some long overdue snow melting. The roads this morning were frozen as all that former snow was solidified overnight in yet another attempt at soul crushing by Mother Nature. We’ve taken Her best shot over this winter though and know deliverance is just a few days away.

This turn in the weather led to some truly disturbing thought processes in Panama. My wife asked if it didn’t make sense for her to stay in Panama for another month. We’ll both be flying down there is April to finalize some bank documents on our future second home and when she heard the melting had come to a screeching halt she had second thoughts about abandoning tropical climes. She claimed it would save us some money but I disabused her of that notion.  You can’t put a price on soul mate time.

Cali-Daughter and WingMan Shortly Before Red Eye

I blame my Cali-daughter for the change in weather. She’s back on the right coast this morning for a coordination meeting with her New York office. Winter came back just to show her what she’s been missing out on. She had the unenviable pleasure of taking the red eye flight, complete with unruly child in the seat behind her. I’ve taken quite a few of these flights and it’s akin to sprinkling your morning cereal with broken glass. On the upside I get to see her and maybe even her brother this weekend.

I was back at the movies last night seeing the sci fi movie Chappie. I really wanted to like this but failed. I’ve been a big fan of South African director Neill Blomkamp since I saw District 9. He explores the well tread territory of a self-aware robot but the transition he chooses is so flawed as to defy adequate condemnation. The film includes his usual breathtaking special effects and gore spattered fire fights which are the only things making this watchable, well that and Dev Patel.

Patel plays the inevitable brilliant scientist who creates Chappie only to run afoul of dastardly Hugh Jackman in one of his rare bad guy turns. Chappie’s education falls into the hands of what might be the two most annoying characters in cinema history. I guess they’re rock musicians trying to be actors and I truly hope their band is successful because they had no business being in this movie. Their turn as a pair of gangsters and the huge amount of time Blomkamp stays with them really sunk the movie for me. I know this is science fiction but the plot has to make some kind of sense and I could have looked beyond the gaping plot holes if not for the soul grating presence of Ninja and Yolandi. Pass on this.

Having These Two as Major Players?!
Bad Idea Hall of Fame Decision

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