Friday again It is Friday once again and this week has felt like it has dragged so long. Add in training class today and I will be asleep before lunch time even comes.

I did manage to have some fun last night playing pool. I hadn’t played in over a year…and this would make my sixth or seventh time of playing. I managed to impress myself with some of the pockets I made (is that the right term?), and my partner as well. It was funny though…I made a little wager on the fourth game and my partner told me that it didn’t matter what I got when I won, I wasn’t going to win. The look of determination on his face was hilarious. What happened? I won. Now I need to figure out what I want to claim from it. I have been told that the ante will be upped for the next round of games. We shall see!

Now, if it is raining outside and you need to find something to do, check out the following movies…something might perk your interest.

The Break-Up (PG-13); Wide release
Pushed to the breaking-point after their latest, why can't you do this one little thing for me? argument, art dealer Brooke calls it quits with her boyfriend, Gary, who hosts bus tours of Chicago. What follows is a series of remedies, war tactics, overtures and underminings suggested by the former couple's friends, confidantes and the occasional total stranger. When neither ex is willing to move out of the condo they used to share, the only solution is to continue living as hostile roommates until somebody caves. But somewhere between protesting the pool table in the living room, the dirty clothes stacked in the kitchen cupboards and the sports played at sleep-killing volume in the middle of the night, Brooke begins to realize that what she may be really fighting for isn't so much the place but the person.
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Joey Lauren Adams, Ann-Margret, Jason Bateman

12 and Holding (R); Limited release
In the suburbs, three close knit 12-year-olds--introverted Jacob, precocious Malee, and vulnerable Leonard--start down the path of self-discovery and begin to distinguish their own voices from those of their parents. Sparked by the tragic death of Jacob's twin brother, the trio band together as they grapple with feelings of revenge, the burden of grief and the indelible experiences of growing up.
Starring: Conor Donovan, Zoe Weizenbaum, Jesse Camacho, Linus Roache, Annabella Sciorra

District B-13 (Banlieue 13) (R); Limited release
Set in a futuristic urban jungle, gangsters run the streets and a neutron bomb is set to blow. In a race against time to stop the explosion, two men, experts in extreme jumping sport Parkour, literally hurl themselves from one building to another fusing martial arts to acrobatics with jaw-dropping effect.
Starring: Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle, Tony D'Amario, Bibi Naceri, Dany Verissimo

Peaceful Warrior (PG-13); Limited release
Arrogant, talented Dan Millman seems to have the perfect college life: a stunning gymnast's body of incredible strength, handsome looks, good grades, plenty of money and a shot at the Olympic qualifiers in men's gymnastics. Still, Dan wakes up almost nightly from terrifying nightmares and odd visions he can't explain or dismiss. One night, awakened by yet another nightmare, Dan goes for a run through his foggy neighborhood and comes upon a well-lit service station. Behind the counter, an old man seemingly moves without regard for space or time. One moment, Dan is paying for his snacks, the next the old man is on the roof of the station. Stunned by the impossibility, Dan begs the old man, whom he instinctually names Socrates, to share the secret of his abilities in order to achieve his goal of Olympic Gold. The old man puts him through a regiment that changes his diet, training, and lifestyle. Before long, his life is ruined, and he loses his friends, his girls, and is almost thrown off his Gymnastics squad. Thus begins a journey of discovery for Dan that will shatter every preconceived notion he has about academics, athletics, and achievement, Guided by Socrates, Dan will consider a whole new ideology--one that values consciousness over intelligence, strength in spirit over strength in body. But in order to succeed, Dan must somehow let go of all of his expectations--and simply live in the now.
Starring: Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Paul Wesley, Ashton Holmes

Typhoon (Taepung) (R); Limited release
A modern-day pirate plans a massive attack on North and South Korea.
Starring: Dong-Kun Jang, Jung-Jae Lee, Mi-yeon Lee, David McInnis, David No

Hope you have a good weekend!

The Four Reliances
First, rely on the spirit and meaning of the teachings, not on the words;
Second, rely on the teachings, not on the personality of the teacher;
Third, rely on real wisdom, not superficial interpretation;
And fourth, rely on the essence of your pure Wisdom Mind, not on judgmental perceptions.
~ Buddha


Beauty, truth, friendship, love, creation – these are the great values of life. We can’t prove them, or explain them, yet they are the most stable things in our lives.
-- Jesse Herman Holmes


Have the courage and the wisdom and the vision to raise a definite standard that will appeal to the best that is in man, and then strive mightily toward that goal.
-- Harold E. Stassen  ¶ 6/02/2006 04:48:00 AM