Mishmash Musings

We almost never go out for New Year’s Eve. I hate how crazy everything gets and how potentially dangerous the roads are because of stupid drunk drivers, so I usually convince my husband to just stay home.

But this year, a few other couples are trying to get us to go out for dinner, dancing, and drinks at some restaurant. It’s out here in the suburbs so we wouldn’t have to deal with the long commute to the city, but still… I’m just not too keen on the idea of getting dressed up to go out.

I need a good excuse to get out of it, though. Maybe I should tell them I have Plantar Fasciitis and that dancing would be impossible. Or maybe I’ll just tell the truth and say that I would rather stay home with a pizza and a couple bottles of beer. What can I say, I have simple tastes!

NASA has released a new, detailed report about what likely happened to the astronauts aboard the space shuttle Columbia, which broke apart and disintegrated upon reentry back in 2003. All seven astronauts aboard the vessel were killed in the disaster.

Reports about the 5-year-old incident have been available before now, of course, but the most recent one, which runs some 400 pages, is said to be the most graphic concerning the astronauts’ fate.

Apparently, none of the equipment in the shuttle’s cabin did its job of protecting the passengers, including seat restraints and helmets. As a result, the astronauts’ upper bodies “flailed around”, and their heads were battered inside the helmets.

But the astronauts were already either unconscious or dead at that point, and there’s no way they could have survived the rest of the descent, so any arguments about the equipment are purely academic.

At least the disaster has prompted numerous design and safety overhauls for the next incarnation of NASA spacecraft. Let’s hope we never see another tragic space-related crash again.

I just read a pretty funny article on some entertainment site about the most ridiculous movie moments of 2008. I know that any film out there can be picked apart mercilessly unless you suspend your disbelief at least a little bit, but these scenes were definitely pushing the limits. Among the ones that made it to the list were the following:

– Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear blast by hiding in an old-school lead-lined refrigerator. Well, there were tons of scenes in that film that could have earned a place on this list, but the refrigerator one was definitely the worst. So, so stupid!

– The “twist” of having the Charlize Theron character also be a superhero of the same mold in Hancock — and then having her fight Hancock for no reason at all, destroying half of downtown Los Angeles in the process. I usually love Will Smith movies, but I was not impressed with Hancock at all. That has to be the worst one he’s made in a long time… though I hear Seven Pounds isn’t that much better. Maybe it’s time for him to get a new agent — or to actually read scripts before signing on.

– The scene where a computer villain (?) causes power lines to snap, just in time to fry a bad guy to death in Eagle Eye. I haven’t seen this movie yet, so I’m not sure what the computer villain part is all about, but the whole thing looks completely outlandish to me. I’m sure there were other scenes in the film that could have fit this list — that much is evident just from the trailers I’ve seen. I’ll probably rent the DVD someday, but obviously I’m in no hurry.

– A character in Journey to the Center of the Earth getting a call from his mother on his cell phone. This is another movie I haven’t seen, but I’ve read the book, so I know the premise. I’m surprised that the article writer picked this as the most ridiculous part, instead of, say, pointing out that no one would even make it close to the center of the earth because of the extreme temperatures. I mean, the kid could have been using a cell phone repeater to boost his signal (not likely, I know), but there’s no way anyone survives the temperature. (Exact same thing bothered me with that move The Core.)

All of these scenes sound pretty ridiculous, don’t they? But I’m actually more interested in hearing what people think are the best movies of 2008. I’ve got my own personal list of favorites, but haven’t seen the professional critics release their lists yet.

A friend and I were talking about a couple of college football bowl games that are coming up, and the conversation turned to the Rutgers vs. NC State game this afternoon. One thing led to another until we got around to talking about the locations of the schools.

Turns out, I had no idea where Rutgers University is located! I knew it was in the East, but didn’t have an inkling as to which state or town. The answer? New Brunswick, New Jersey. Now come on, I’m not the only one who didn’t know that, am I?

So then we started talking about other schools where the location isn’t always obvious. For instance, do you know where Auburn University is? Even though the name of the school is also the name of the town it’s in, that might not help you realize that it’s located in Alabama. Unless you’re a Tigers fan or watch the SEC a lot, you probably wouldn’t have any reason to know that.

Ok, how about Clemson University? Know where that one is? Clemson, South Carolina. Again, I was stumped there.

Here are some more:

Troy University — Troy, AL
Xavier University — Cincinnati, OH
Carnegie Mellon University — Pittsburgh, PA
Ball State University — Muncie, IN
Creighton University — Omaha, NE

Obviously, there are tons of other examples that I could list, but these are just a few of the ones that stumped us.

Man, there has been some pretty brutal weather around here recently. Between the snow, freezing rain, and blisteringly cold temperatures, it feels like the worst winter in years. And I can’t even begin to tell you the number of traffic accidents that have been recorded in the past few weeks as a direct result of the bad weather. I wouldn’t dare go anywhere without tire chains these days, and unless you have a 4WD vehicle I recommend that you be careful as well.

Fortunately, everyone in my family is on holiday for the next week, so there’s absolutely no reason for us to go anywhere. Don’t expect me to budge until after the new year!

I’ve been very busy the last few days and haven’t had time to post, but I did want to pop in here quickly to wish all of you a very merry Christmas! I hope you get to spend the time with your loved ones and that you enjoy the spirit of the season even if the current economic turmoil prevents you from celebrating the way you normally do. Just remember that family and friends are important; not flashy gifts or material things. Have a great holiday!

Well, today was the last day of the fantasy football season. I played in a total of five leagues this year, and managed to make it to the playoffs in four of them. In fact, I advanced to the championship game twice, and am playing in two Third Place consolation games as well. Unfortunately, from the looks of things with almost all the games in the books, I’m going to lose ALL of my games this weekend.

Still, I had a pretty good run during the season and made decent decisions more often than not. I have to admit, however, that I’m really burned out on football right now. Next year when I play, I’m going to limit myself to two leagues at the most. Otherwise, I find that I just spend far too much time checking stats and results, leaving me unproductive in so many other areas.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to watching next week’s games — without caring a lick about the outcomes!!!

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Just when it seemed like the economy couldn’t possibly get any worse, news broke last week that Bernard Madoff, a securities firm president, confessed that his portfolio management strategy amounted to little more than running a Ponzi scheme. The problem was, this guy used to be so respected by Wall Street types and his returns were so consistently good that there was some $50 billion in play before he confessed. A lot of that money was invested by the rich and famous, as well as by major financial institutions around the world.

Now I just read an article saying that at least one person who researched Madoff’s prospectus realized as far back as 1999 that it was mathematically impossible to earn the high returns that Madoff claimed. The man is Harry Markopolos, but obviously no one listened to him. Markopolos even filed an official complaint with the SEC in 2005, but again nothing was done.

I can’t believe that the SEC totally dropped the ball like this. Maybe they weren’t interested in investigating Madoff because he was formerly the chairman of NASDAQ and was therefore part of an elite circle. Or maybe they were just too damn concerned about enjoying their own fortunes to care about policing what was going on with others.

Either way, you just have to wonder how much money could have been preserved if someone had listened to Markopolos 10 years ago….