Goodbye stress, hello happy place

I love popping bubble wrap. At a summer job in college we used to roll over the bubbles with our office chairs. It was the most fantastic sound.

Bubble wrap makes a nice stress reliever and allows me to regress the days before responsibilities -- a career, a mortgage, etc. I don't get many things in bubble wrap any more. Schade! (bummer)

I was so excited to see this on Boing Boing! Although you can't roll over the Puchi Puchi Electronic Popping Bubble Wrap Toy with a chair, you still get that lovely sound. You can go to your happy place for just $7.20 (5.12 Euro). Available in five colors.

Valkyrie

The movie Valkyrie is due for release in 2008. It's about the July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler. The main character is Claus von Stauffenberg, one of the leading players in the plot. (The plot also included Dietrich Bonhoeffer*.) Who gets to play the martyred Von Stauffenberg? That chump Tom Cruise. Yes, you read that correctly. How is one to take the movie seriously with him in the lead?

This reminds me of a story I heard in my theology of Bonhoeffer class. Dr. Burtness , a Bonhoeffer scholar, told us that David Soul, yes that one from Starsky & Hutch, wanted to make a movie about Bonhoeffer. And who did he want to play Bonhoeffer? Himself. Oh good lord.

*Bonhoeffer was already in prison in July 1944. After the failed plot the Nazis discovered his involvement. He ended up at Flossenbuerg where he was executed, by Hitler’s specific order, on April 9, 1945. It was just three weeks before Flossenbuerg was liberated. His brother and two brothers-in-law were also executed for their parts in the conspiracy.

Oh, I thought you were....

Sophzilla and I walk in the morning and the evening. We see many people and their dogs. The other day, one of the regular walkers (a human) was wearing black sweatpants and a black, hooded sweatshirt. The hood was up and his face was partially covered. (It was quite chilly that morning.) He looked like a death eater. Good thing the school bus had already passed. There might have been screaming.

Poo Poo on Monday -- Arrested Development

Kelsey, one of my work colleagues, shared this with me. I've only seen snips of Arrested Development. It's completely mental.

In this scene the baldish guy, Tobias, who thinks he's an actor, is auditioning for a store's fire sale commercial.

Death at a Funeral

"Death at a Funeral" is one of the best movies I've seen in ages. It's hysterical. The action takes place over one day at the home of the deceased. One thing after another goes wrong, usually embarrassingly so. I laughed so hard I was almost in pain.

It's one of those movies where you see the character rather than the actor ("Hey, that's Hugh Grant.") Even so, I recognized two of the actors from two of my favorite films: Pride and Prejudice and A Room with a View. And the actor who plays Simon played Steve the Pirate (so incredibly silly) in Dodgeball.

Here is the trailer. I'm happy to report that all of the good bits aren't in the preview.