Soaked, screened, TT, Olympics end, Biden?

We just can not get a break in the precipitation.  Since Fay we have not had a dry day to allow the standing water on our property to recede all that much.  We need about a solid week without rain to dry our property out.

So Ali and I tackled re-screening the torn sections of the lanai on Saturday.  It was a project that I was nervous about.  I figured it was going to be extremely difficult to get the new screens tight enough so they would look like all the rest.  It turns out my concern was unfounded.  Replacing the screens took longer than I expected, pretty much all of Saturday, but it wasn’t all that difficult.  The most annoying part was that most of the sections I had to replace had anchoring cable and hardware on them that had to be removed first before replacing the screen.

Now if I was doing the job myself it would have certainly been more difficult to get the screens tight.  With Ali assisting she was able to pull on the screening as I pressed the spline into place.  The end result was great.  If I walked you out on the lanai I don’t think you would be able to tell which screens were replaced.  The one section I could not do is the top corner section.  Instead I used some screen patches to cover up the small tear in the corner.  I’m hoping that will hold up.  I can now add “screen installer” to my resume right below sprinkler and fence installer.

Even though we spent the majority of the day working on the screens and it was getting late in the day, I still wanted to try to get out to see Tropic Thunder.  We both cleaned up quickly and had a lightning fast dinner at Moe’s Southwest Grille as we tried to make the 7:15 showing.  When we go to the ticket booth the girl said the 7:15 show was very full.  We got seats for the 7:45 showing instead but I had the idea to still walk into the 7:15 movie and see if we could find two decent seats.  The 7:15 show was in a ridiculously small theater.  The only seats available were in the first few rows which would have sucked so I reluctantly marched over to the 7:45 theater.  I was pissed we slammed down our food to make the 7:15 movie and now instead we would be twiddling our thumbs for a half hour.  We had decided to go to the Naples theater instead of the nice Coconut Point theater we visited the last few times.  It didn’t take me long to regret the decision.

This theater is normally quite busy and Saturday night was no different.  Ali and I were thrilled when a group of loud high school kids came in before the movie.  They were swearing and carrying on loudly.  Ali said that she was sure I was the same way when I was that age which I agreed with but it didn’t make it much easier to take.  I whispered to Ali, “THIS is why I download my movies….”  Paying 20 bucks to be annoyed by people just makes little to no sense.  Luckily once the movie started there was enough laugh out loud moments that we didn’t notice the little angels.

Yes the movie was funny, very funny.  Mind you it is jammed full of “adult” type humor with truckloads of swearing, something you might not want to take grandma to.  But it was really, really funny.  Robert Downey Jr stole the show with his portrayal of a black man.  I also was SHOCKED by Tom Cruise’s role in the movie.  He did more swearing in his brief role in this flick then in his prior 25 years on film combined.  I liked hearing Tom talk with a gutter mouth, it made him seem like less of a creepy scientologist.  Unlike many comedies, especially Will Ferrell movies, there were many funny parts beyond what they show you in the previews, Ali and I laughed throughout. We both really liked it, I’d give it a solid A.

I watched a good amount of the Olympics over the weekend.  I wanted to fill up on it since it was all coming to an end.  I was amazed that the men’s indoor vball team won gold.  What a feel good story after the tragedy their coach faced at the beginning of the games.  Watching the men’s indoor game is just incredible.  The speed and the power of the game makes me feel like a toddler in terms of my volleyball prowess in comparison to these guys.  I got to watch a variety of other sports like table tennis, mountain biking, rhythmic gymnastics and more. 

I also tuned in to the closing ceremonies, once again expecting it to be a visual explosion.  It didn’t disappoint.  The closing ceremony was nearly as spectacular as the opening.  The worst part was when London put on it’s brief skit for the 2012 games.  It seemed like rank amateur’s following up after a masterful professional.  How about the mayor of London coming out and looking like a sloppy dope?  Button up your suit jacket, bloody hell.  Everything about these Olympics was top notch which is probably why it translated into the most watched event in TV history.  The Chinese did a fantastic job of putting on the games, setting a standard that is unlikely to be equalled anytime again in my lifetime.  I’m glad I had the opportunity to witness it.   As the flame was extinguished I felt legitimately sad. 

So all the hoopla is over and Barack finally named his VP candidate, Joe Biden. I have to be honest, the choice doesn’t excite me in the least.  To pick a stodgy, old died in the wool Washington politician as the running mate for a candidate that is all about change seems counter productive.  I have read why the selection was made, Biden has a long history of foreign affairs experience, something that Obama’s critics dig at his lack of.  Personally, I’m not that interested in someone that has a long foreign affairs resume because frankly, I think we have done a shitty job for the most part with our foreign affairs, especially over the last 8 years. 

It didn’t take long for the McCain camp to dig through Biden’s quotes when he was an early 2008 presidential candidate, bringing his criticism of Obama at that time back into the spotlight.  “Not ready to lead” will be the phrase pounded into our heads over the next few months.  I would have much preferred Hilary on the ticket, it would have represented the best of both worlds in my eyes.  I’m seriously concerned that the democrats could find a way to actually lose an election where the opposing party has driven the country into the toilet for the last 8 years.  It’s hard to imagine people looking around at the current situation we are in and vote for more of the same.  Brainwashing is a republican specialty though, better wrap your head in aluminum foil until after November.