I volunteered for a tour of duty at work and am traveling around Alberta helping out with various computer things. I don’t mind the work considering the Free vehicle, free meals, free hotel, free fuel… you get the idea. It also gives me the opportunity to see parts of my province I have never seen before or haven’t seen since I was a kid.

I am enjoying the work but I am enjoying the free stuff more. The hotel I am staying in has everything. Pool, Hot tub, food, exercise room, king size bed, kitchenette, and you can still smell the fresh paint on the walls. It’s just that new, I didn’t actually smell the walls.

Tonight really took me back a few years. I decided to go for a swim. Being a few years older, several pounds heavier, and a whole lot more self-conscious. Lucky for me the pool was empty. So in I went… the water was the perfect temperature and just enough chlorine to not quite melt my skin off. Off in the corner was the water slide. A perfect three turn spiral, solid tube from top to bottom, and that perfect trickle of water coming out the base. Now I haven’t been on a waterslide in 10 years and nearly 50 pounds. I forgot how fun waterslides are. The rush of air as you glide down on your back in the darkness, around and around. However being as it was 10 years and 50 pounds ago I didn’t take into account the fear that has been instilled in those years and the amazing speed you can build up with those extra pounds for gravity to pull on. There I am flying down at what I was sure at the time was mach 3, screaming with glee, then skipping across the water at the bottom filling my nose and lungs full of water. So what to do now that I am gasping for air as the water flows from my lungs? Grin like a fool and go again, What else?! It was so much fun and I am sure who ever was working the front desk was getting a good laugh on the Closed circuit cameras.

If you haven’t done something like this in years… now is the time. Go find something you liked to do as a kid and do it, it’ll add years to your life and a smile to your face.

Alrighty, 6 more, let’s get down and dirty.

BloodRayne - Starring that Terminator chick (Kristanna Loken) and a cameo by Meat Loaf, also starring Michelle Rodriguez, Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen and Billy Zane. Apparently I have been watching a lot of bad movies lately and this is another to add to the list. There was a poor story, enough blood to fill an Olympic size swimming pool and loads of gratuitous nudity.

The story follows Rayne (Loken) who is half vampire, half human on her quest to kill her father. She spends her time along with Rodrigues and Madsen running around and spilling as much blood as humanly possible in a 90 minute movie. What ever you do, do not see this movie! I can not stress this enough, this is 90 minutes I will never get back.

Dirty - This story features two cops, Clifton Collins Jr.and Cuba Gooding Jr. It follows these two dirty cops around for a day as they try and get higher in the "food chain" and not realizing they are being set up to be killed. Interesting story and worth seeing but not worth the purchase. Also worth watching because of the unbelievable things they get away with just for being cops.

Friends With money - Starring Jennifer Anniston, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Greg Germann, Jason Isaacs, and Simon McBurney. It is a story about three married women, their husbands, and their lone single friend (Anniston). It follows Anniston and her single life as she compares herself to her six seemingly happy married friends. The real life situations make it a worthy rental, but don’t buy it as I probably won’t see it again.

Running Scared - Starring Paul Walker. A story about a low level mob guy (Walker) who get told to dispose of a gun used for killing some dirty cops. The gun winds up in the hands of a kid and Walker has to find it before the mob finds out it wasn't disposed of. Not a bad flick, not a good flick, only slightly entertaining. There is a lot of swearing, shooting and nudity. I would suggest it as a rental but only if your desperate.

Freedomland – Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Julianne Moore. A white boy goes missing in a local community of Blacks and as the search goes on the Black community takes offence to their being blamed for the crime and being confined as the search is conducted. Again not a top notch film but still a great story of racism in our time and how it should not be tolerated. Rent this one.

Layer Cake – Our future James Bond, Daniel Craig stars as a drug dealer trying to get out of the business gets pulled back in by an international drug ring. Great story and a great supporting cast. Colm Meaney should really be in bigger budget films, he is awesome. This is a definite rental and maybe a purchase if you like this kind of film. Based on the trailers so far and this film Daniel Craig is going to make a phenomenal Bond… now I just hope the next two months pass quickly.

In TV news I am now going back in time. I have been watching the first two seasons of Quantum Leap. You know, that show that Scott Bakula was on way before taking control of the Enterprise. I remember watching some of the episodes when I was a kid but rewatching them now they are so much better.

I love lazy sundays! Gives me loads of time to catch up on my movie watching.

First we have The Sentinel starring Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas. Oh and it also featured Eva Longoria's ass as she contributed nothing but that for this movie. The story wasn't all that bad though. The story follows Sutherlands character as he try's to catch someone plotting to kill the president. Douglas is a suspect and goes on the run. The story is decent enough... pick this one up as a rental.

Next we have Miami Vice. What can I say about Miami Vice...

1) This movie sucks more than Jenna Jameson on her boyfriends birthday.
2) This movie sucks more than a gay vampire.
3) This movie sucks more than drinking the last bit of milk from the carton only to find it is expired.

I don't know why everyone even liked the last shoot out. It sucked too. Ohhhh blood on the camera... GAY!!! Nothing like 2 groups of people shooting at each other hiding behind cars for 10 minutes. I feel sorry for myself and anyone who had to sit through this nightmare. Don't buy it, don't see it, the only way to make up for it is to buy seasons of the REAL Miami Vice on DVD.

Alright, I am done venting... The picture below is from Drumheller, Alberta. Beautiful day, hope you all enjoy it.

Three more movies to cover... I was hoping to do eight but my week got too busy.

Stick it - The story is about a punk girl who used to be on her way up and heading to the world championships of Gymnastics. She turned her back on it and now after causing some trouble is forced back into the gym instead of going to jail. Don't ask me how swapping gymnastics for juvy solves the problem but it does make for a funny movie. Think of this as "Bring it on" but with real gymnastics and no pom-poms. Hopefully this ends up on TV soon as it isn't really worth renting or buying. Still a good laugh if you can rent it on a cheap night.

Over the hedge - Very, VERY cute animated movie. Loads of criters, jokes, good story, lessons learned, and fun for everyone. The voices lent to this film were amazing too... Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, Eugene Levy... let me catch my breath... Avril Lavigne, Catherine O'Hara, Allison Janney. Wow!! The story follows RJ, a raccoon (Willis) who after a long winter is in search of food and takes some that doesn't belong to him. He meets some new friends and learns a little about himself along the way. Definitely go out and pick this one up for the kids. They will be able to watch it over and over again.

16 Blocks - Not at all what I expected. I pictured your typical Bruce Willis shoot'em up cop movie. It still had that but more a of story behind it and a twist that made it that much more interesting. Basic rundown is Willis must take a witness 16 blocks from the precinct to the court house to testify for a trial. Well let just say some people don't want the witness to make it there. Rental or purchase, it'll be worth your money.