Watchmen: Nudity and Nihilism

I try to go out to see a movie at least once a week. I probably would go out more often but it’s nearly $13 a pop and like most people, I like the idea of saving money by working the Netflix queue.

But last night I was excited because I had some time off to see Watchmen. It’s a big special effects pic that boasted a pretty cool trailer and some good reviews. It is based on a comic book series created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons between 1986 and 1987. I wasn’t aware of the comic book series but I figured that the movie would give me everything I needed to know about the backstory.

I sat down in my comfy $12.50 seat. The trailers were pretty good. The Hangover is coming soon. I read the script a couple of months ago and loved it. Can’t wait.

And then IT started.

Fifteen minutes into Watchmen, I wanted to leave. The tone was dark (in the Batman Gotham City style) but there were no sympathetic characters, the plot was confusing, the acting was painful (Malin Akerman should get an automatic Razzie for this one) and there were long stretches of overwritten dialogue and voice-overs which were completely pointless.

And to top it off, a naked blue guy was walking around. And when I say naked, I mean NAKED. Apparently when Dr. Osterman got locked inside some sort of whooziwatsits radiation contraption, he was blown apart and then (lucky him!) he was somehow able to recreate himself. I suppose when you have those sort of powers, you are not going to reform yourself into an overweight ugly old man. Yep, he did what most guys would do; he made himself into a well-endowed muscle hunk that glows blue and has no sense of shame.

Why was this guy walking around naked? Shouldn't there have been a law against that??? Ethereal blue beings must wear at least a codpiece when they are talking to other people. Something like that.

Nobody even mentioned his nudity. I expected someone to at least say, “Dude, we know you’re well hung and you’re proud of your meat but for the love of decency, there might be children walking around!”

I feel sorry for all the teenage boys who went home and sadly compared themselves to that glowing 12 inch dong. As you might have guessed, that piece of anatomy was a little distracting.

The other disturbing aspect of this film was the misogyny. I am usually very tolerant of graphic images but did this film really need to show a pregnant lady getting shot in cold blood and a very violent rape scene? It’s a good thing I wasn’t eating popcorn. I might have upchucked the whole bucket.

Half way through the movie, I was red-faced angry and wondered if it was still possible to get my money back.

Against my better judgment, I stayed. Part of me wanted to see how bad it could get and part of me hoped that the conclusion might at least have some decent special effects. As it turned out, it got even worse and the conclusion had a let’s-destroy-New York City blast that seemed very familiar thanks to other nihilistic movies.

What a train wreck. Or a hot mess, as my coworker likes to put it.

Some movies should have a warning.

FOR TRUE FANS ONLY.

Family time

This past week, I did the family thing and visited my brother's family up in Fremont, California.

My brother wasn't there because he was running around Asia on a business trip but I had a lot of fun far away doing, um, stuff.

I played on the Wii fit. It told me my (metabolic?) age was 48. Wii fit, therefore, sucks.

I attended spin, step and yoga classes. I don't usually attend classes at the gym but my sister-in-law can be very convincing.

I don't recommend the step classes. There was a lot of arm flailing and spinning around while trying to step up and down on a small platform . It required a certain amount of coordination which most guys simply don't have.

I watched Son of Rambow. A gem of a British film about two kids who try to make a film about Rambo's offspring. Check it out.

And I got to ride in my bro's Smart Car. It's like being in a pretty cool golf cart. Apparently these vehicles have good crash test ratings but I wouldn't feel very safe in them riding on the California highways.

And I had a lot of fun photographing my niece. I love photography and she loved posing so it was quite a good match, dontchathink?

I spent a lot of time potty training the new pet in the family, Teddy Bear. He is a very cute little Yorkie Poo who likes the convenience of an indoor toilet.

It was hard to get mad at him. He loves everyone and just wants to please.

I even got a chance to go to the local veterinarian undercover while he got a vaccine.

I gave the clinic a B+. The technician didn't ask for restraint while Teddy was getting his shot, he moved, she let go for a brief second and the syringe and the needle were just hanging there in his back. Not exactly a smooth move but she did manage to get all the contents of the syringe under his skin.

At our clinic, we have someone restraining the pet while he/she is getting a vaccine unless the pet is very calm. And we definitely don't let the owners restrain just in case they don't do a very good job and the pet moves which, in a worst case scenario, could cause the tech or vet to vaccinate the owner.

Yep, it has happened. And owners are really not happy if they get vaccinated against dog diseases.

Here is the incontinent little puppy.

Getting dirty in the fountain ...

Could be another Marley in the making!

The Cambodia Update

As some of you may know, I spent a couple of weeks in Northern Cambodia in the fall of 2008. During this time, I met Svay Savong who is the founder and director of a school which provides free English instruction to children. You can check out his website at http://www.savong.com.

One afternoon, I travelled with Savong to a remote village. Everyone came out to see me and greeted my arrival with enthusiastic smiles. Apparently, I was the first foreigner to visit them and they all made me feel incredibly welcome.

Cambodia is very poor and terribly corrupt. There wasn't much to this village except for a few palm leaf shacks and some clotheslines. There was no running water, no toilets and the drinking water came from this hole in the ground.


Amazing isn't it? Next time you turn on that faucet, you should feel very grateful!

With Savong translating, I told the villagers that I would help them build some pumps so that they could have a fresh supply of drinking water. After being off work for several months, I didn't know how I was going to get the money but after I gave them my word, I knew I couldn't let them down.

After I returned to the United States, I posted my pictures on my blog and asked friends and family to help donate to my Cambodian Good Water fund. It didn't take long to raise sufficient money for three pumps, with each one costing about $200. I was very happy to tell Savong the good news.

Unfortunately, he didn't have good news for me.

The village was now gone. A wealthy man had hired some people to clear the land. The villagers were dispersed and nobody knew where they were now living.

Although it made me very sad, it wasn't much of a surprise. In Cambodia, people with money can do what they want even if it means clearing a village and letting entire families fend for their survival. I can only hope that they are all doing well.

As I had already marked the money to make pumps, I asked Savong if he could find other families that needed fresh water. It didn't take long to find them in a country where it is estimated that two thirds of the people have no access to clean drinking water.

I sent him my digital camera so he could document the construction. He also told me that he would get some signs made to thank me and my co-donors for the generous gifts.

Here is one of the signs. Although I wanted him to put an American flag on it since some of my supporters were American, he wasn't able to get that done.

I hope they don't mistake me for the Dr. Phil on tv! With his money, he could probably buy the entire country of Cambodia.

If you ever go to Cambodia, you can see these pumps all over the countryside. Next to each one is a sign indicating who put up the money for their construction. I am very proud to have made a contribution to this beautiful country with such great people!

It didn't take long to build the pumps.

And here are the lucky families who can now get clean fresh water. I'm sure these pumps will make an enormous difference in their lives.

Savong also runs a small orphanage. Since he spends a lot of money just trying to feed the kids, I offered to help build a bathroom and toilets which were badly needed.

This week they started construction and hopefully by next week, they will be done.

I want to thank everyone who helped make these projects a reality. I realize that our economy isn't very good and Cambodia seems like a world away, but I can assure you that even the smallest contribution has made a big difference in these people's lives.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

More updates later. Stay tuned!

Why I hate Dr. Nick Trout

As some of you may know, I'm putting together a book proposal about my veterinary experiences. I've been planning it since last summer and I'm finally finished.

Now it's the waiting time. Waiting to see if anyone is interested.

Hello? Anyone?

As part of my proposal, I had to find out about my competition. Books that are similar. Books that someone might pick up instead of mine and for that, I had to do a little research.

I came across a book by Dr. Nick Trout called Tell me Where it Hurts. Broadway Books. 2008.

It tells the story of one imaginary day at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston where Dr. Trout is employed as a staff surgeon. Although the day is fictionalized, the cases are quite real.

Why do I hate Dr. Trout? Because this is one very well written book and I'm just a little bit jealous!

Dr. Trout does a great job at leading us through his chaotic and stressful day. He starts off with a bloated Shepherd at 3 a.m. and has to deal with frustrated owners, perplexing cases and inexperienced interns.

One of the main reasons why I loved this book so much was because Dr. Trout is able to convey in a very eloquent way what being a veterinarian is like. To me, it was very comforting to know that someone else feels the same way I do.

One of the most important lessons I have learned has been to quietly and privately savor every small victory, every subtle moment of success, every surgical decision that went my way, every animal that leaves the hospital feeling better, to wallow in it and to file it away on a dusty, neglected shelf in a tiny library in your mind. It is not about being self-absorbed, it is about learning to absorb the professional and emotional bumps and bruises that fill our working days because for every impossible fracture that comes back together, every cancer in remission, every paralyzed dachshund that scampers out of your office, you are only seconds away from a dozen anxious phone calls, oozing incisions, dirty margins, and bones that prefer not to heal. These are not disastrous, they are not failures, they are a normal consequence of what we do, but somehow their impact has more weight and longevity, like a loudmouth or a bully shouting over the fading whisper of success and lingering like an echo.

This book is worth checking out if you want to read about the challenges that a veterinarian can face in his/her daily duties. There are a lot of emotional highs but as Dr. Trout points out, there are some deep lows too.

Bikini Fashion Show

There are certain perks to living in Los Angeles.

You don't need to smoke to get your lungs filled with carcinogens.

You have plenty of time to admire the beautiful scenery while you are stuck in traffic.

And occasionally, you get invited to pretty cool events like a bikini fashion show in Hollywood.

A friend of mine has a very slick website business called Vonderland Studios (http://www.vonderland.com.) They recently completed the website for our vet clinic. Check it out at http://www.szantovet.com.

They also did a website for a clothing company called Diane's beachwear. You can have a peek at their sexy stuff at http://www.dianesbeachwear.com.

To launch the new website, Diane's put on a fashion show in Hollywood. A group of us were invited as VIPs which meant that we could drink free vodka for an hour.

Anything (ANYTHING!) for free is a good thing these days. Even house vodka. I wasn't complaining especially when I ordered a vodka/redbull after the open bar closed and it cost me $15.

Ouch!

It was good to get out of my apartment, listen to some good music, see the beautiful people and indulge in a little alcohol.

Does this look like a fire hazard to you?

Here is a look at some of the designs. I had my crappy camera so the quality isn't as good as it should have been.

In other words, no telephoto!





And here are the Diane girls. You like?

It's already summer in SoCal. Get it while it's hot.

BMW commerical

This short is fairly old but it is still one of my favorites.

For some reason, I wanted to watch it again today.

If you haven't seen it, enjoy.

Dusty is stylin'

Dusty got a new hair cut today.

It is a faux-hawk.

I think it makes him look younger and more ferocious.

After his spa-day, he came home and pigged out on a large bowl of food.

And so far, no barfing!

He's sleeping/snoring/dreaming right now.

Very content.