Okay so things are really slow at work, and because I'm a salary employee, I am required to stay at the restaurant for at least nine hours when I am in schedule. Basically, if there is no one in the restaurant, then I can't really do anything. There is only so much that I can prep before I reach a point where I can't do any more or risk wasting food which would drive up the food cost. *Flashbacks of sitting in Cost Control class thinking of ways to end my misery* Anyway, is I'm not chit chatting with the other employees; I'm left to find other ways to entertain myself. So, if you have the nerve, come have a look at what odd thought that I was pondering today. Pinky Is The Brain! No, I'm serious, but first off, if you don't know who Pinky and the Brain are, then you are either still in high school, or have lived a very deprived life, and there is no point in reading any further because you will not have any idea what I am talking about. So anyway, for those of you who know who Pinky and the Brain are, let me refresh your memories. "They're Pinky and The Brain Yes, Pinky and The Brain One is a genius The other's insane. They're laboratory mice Their genes have been spliced They're dinky They're Pinky and The Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain Brain." (Music by Richard Stone. Lyrics by Tom Ruegger) The song describes them as, "One is a genius, the other's insane." Now, the average viewer would assume that "genius" refers to Brain, but I say that you are WRONG! It is not Brain who is the genius, but Pinky. Just based on simple analysis of the song, it starts out with "Pinky and the Brain." Pinky is listed first, and Brain second, so when you progress later into the song to where it says, "One is a genius, the other's insane." The order still applies. Hence it says so in the song that Pinky is a genius and Brain is insane. Now we can take this information and apply it to the rest of the show. Yes, Brain does have a vast intellect, but who was it that foiled every one of Brain's plans? That's right Pinky, and the entire time playing the fool to deflect suspicion from him self. Pinky, being the smarter of the two realized that the best course of action was to make Brain think that he was an idiot so that Brain would never suspect his true agenda. Any and every time Pinky did something to mess up Brain's plan, Brain just chalked it up to Pinky being an idiot. If Brain were truly a genius, he would have learned from his previous failures and simply removed Pinky from the equation. All he would have had to do was say, "No Pinky, you stay here, I'll be back in the morning." The one thing that was truly ingenious about Pinky was that he played the fool so well that Brain never suspected what Pinky was actually doing. By playing the role of the bumbling sidekick, Pinky appealed to Brain's narcissism, and arrogance. What is the point of conquering the world if no one is there to witness you doing it? And so Brain's ego would not allow himself to leave Pinky at the lab. He needed to have someone there to see his greatest triumph. As a result, Pinky knew every aspect of Brain's plans for world domination, which made is easy for him to figure out how best to prevent Brain from succeeding. Yes Brain is smart, but Pinky's ability to foil every one of Brain's plots without him even knowing it just proves that Pinky is a lot smarter.

When watching the debate something McCain said sounded familiar to me. I swore that I heard that exact quote on NPR a few days ago, and it didn't take me long to find it. Sept. 26, 2008; Oxford, Miss. "President Eisenhower, on the night before the Normandy invasion, went into his room, and he wrote out two letters. One of them was a letter congratulating the great members of the military and allies that had conducted and succeeded in the greatest invasion in history, still to this day, and forever. And he wrote out another letter, and that was a letter of resignation from the United States Army for the failure of the landings at Normandy." Sept. 19, 2008; Green Bay, Wisc. "He went to his quarters the night before the invasion and wrote out two letters. One of them was a letter of congratulations to the brave Americans and allies who landed at Normandy and made the most successful invasion and they brought about the beginning of the end of World War II. The other letter he wrote out was his resignation from the United States Army, taking full responsibility for the failure of that invasion," Now, I know that they are coached for these debates, and that they have set answers and speeches, but reusing sound bytes? Or worse, reusing an incorrect sound byte. No where in that note Eisenhower wrote did he make any mention of resigning. You would think that since he used this line before, that he would have made sure that it was historically accurate.

To be honest, the format change didn't really bother me one way or another, but I realize that there are people here who are dissatisfied with the change. I do agree that the arbitrary switch was a bit sudden so I will agree to participate because, if anything, maybe next time the powers that be will take this into concideration and take a more diplomatic route the next time. More info about the blackout can be found here.

After a long nine day stretch at work, I lay in bed half asleep enjoying the thought that I didn't have to work today. One of the many little quirks about me is that I sleep with the radio on. I'm just one of those people who can't sleep if the room is too quiet, so I need some sort of ambient noise. As I lay in bed dozing in and out of consciousness, I hear the people on NPR talking about the attacks on 9/11, and it hits me.

There are times when I am at work where days seem to smash into another, and I totally loose track of days. So on this, the seventh anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001, I would like to reminisce about a dear friend and role model.

Heather Ho was the Pastry Chef at the Windows of the World Restaurant at the top of the World Trade Center. She was a fantastic Pastry Chef, but most of all she was my friend, and someone whom I try to model my career after. Her professionalism and skill made her one of the top Pastry Chefs in the country, and her death on 9/11 was felt by all in the industry whether they knew her or not.

For me, like many people, 9/11 is one of those events where you remember exactly where your were, and what you were doing when the event happened. I was living in West Virginia at the time, and I woke up at 10:36 am. I turned on the tv, and for whatever reason, it was tuned into CNN, which was odd because the tv is usually tuned onto an HBO channel because I like to watch movies to unwind before I go to bed. Still for some reason, I was watching CNN the night before so this morning when I woke up it was impossible for me to miss. The most unfortunate thing about her death was that she had given her notice, but had agreed to continue to work at Windows until they were able to find a replacement. The suddenness and unexpected nature of the attacks serve as a constant reminder to me that I should live everyday as if it were my last. To have no regrets, and to never ponder on the what was, or what could have been. I live in the now because for all I know, I could die tomorrow, or even two minutes from now.

"It is wise for me to think about the past, and to learn from my past, but it is not wise for me to be in the past. For that is how I lose myself. It is also wise to think about the future, and to prepare for my future, but it is not wise for me to be in the future. For that too is how I lose myself. And when I lose myself, I lose what is most precious to me." ~Spencer Johnson, The Precious Present

Heather, you were a shining light in the world, and you are sorely missed.

Today happenes to be one of my few days off, and so, I'm babysitting my three year old niece. She loves Disney movies, and even at her young age, she can name most disney characters on sight. So, we are watching Bambi, and (since this is the first time that I have seen it in years) I realize something that never dawned on me as a child. Bambi is GAY! No really. If you think of it, of couse he would be gay his parents named him Bambi for pete's sake! The scene that convinced me was the part where they meet Flower. The flirtations between an openly gay Flower, and a closeted Bambi are blatantly aparent. I.E. "He can call me a flower if he wants to," followed by batting eyelashes, and a look that made me wish I could meet a woman who would look at me the same way. I know what you are thinking. What about the part where they meet their girlfriends. It was a sham I tell you A SHAM! It wouldn't be the first time that two gay men have heteralsexual relationships to hide their inner gayness. Anyone who has seen Brokeback Mountain would know what I am talking about. And think about it. Bambi's father is the big Deer in the forrest. How would it look to the other animals if his son were gay It's all about keeping up appearances. Finally, the biggest piece of evidence in favor of the Bambi/Flower slash came at the very end. What did flower name his son? That's right... BAMBI, after his long time forbidden love.

So, I went to the midnight screening of Spider-Man 3 last night, and for those of you who are planning on going, I suggest that you pass on the large (or medium for that matter) soda during the movie. At two and a half hours (and it feels like it) the last thing that you want is fidgeting in your chair waiting for a bathroom break that doesn't come. The fight scenes/graphics were great, and easily worth the price of admission. The problem with this movie are the countless fluff scenes that make up the bulk of this flick. I'm not being nit-picky either, I"m talking some rediculous scenes like Kristin Dunst's bad lip-singing, and several cases of Peter breaking into random dancing. Don't even get me started on the ending! It was like the Director watched Return of the King, and said "I like the idea of tormenting movie goers with endless fade outs followed by stupid epilogue scenes." Towards the very end of the movie, the audience were making audible groans everytime a new scene started. The movie is great, and no matter what, a fan will love it, just be warned, fight the urge to buy the large soda.

I begining to think that I am becomeing obsessed with the up coming Harry Potter book. At least Ican take solace in the knowledge of knowing that I'm not the only one. I just picked up Mugglenet.com's What Will Happen in Harry Potter 7 book. If you are a fan like me and are looking forward to Deathly Hallows, then I recomend that you pick up this book. It's an easy read (I read in a few hours), but packed with information. While reading this book, I quickly realized two things. First, I know NOTHING about the Harry Potter lexicon, and second, These people beed to get a life. As I was reading this book, I couldn't help thinking to my self "Was there an extended edition of the Harry Potter books with supplimental chapters that I am not aware of?" The one thing that I found particularly interesting was that at the end of the book, there is a list of characters, and their odds of dying. Here is the top 10 from the book, arranged from least likely to die to most likely to die. Harry - 4/1 odds Remus Lupin - 3/1 odds Snape - 2/1 odds Hagrid - 2/1 odds Mr. Weasley - Even odds Mrs. Weasley - Even odds Draco Malfoy - 1/2 odds Peter Pettigrew - 1/3 odds Belatrix Lestrange - 1/5 odds Lord Voldemort - 1/100 odds As interesting as this list is, there are a few things that I disagree with on this list. Here is my top ten.

10. Hagrid: I agree that any member of the Order of the Pheonix is at risk, but I think that Hagrid is one of the most least likely of the Order to die. The book says that he is at risk for the sole reason that he has become a "marginalized character." I think that this is faulty reasoning. I don't see Hagrid fighting on the front lines against the deatheaters. He isn't a fully trained wizard, and most of the fighting will be done by Ministry Aurors. Hagrid will be where he is needed most, and that will be at Hogwarts helping Professor McGonagall, and teaching his Magical Creatures class. Unless the school is attacked again, I don't see Hagrid in much danger. However, Hagrid would easily give his life to save any of his friends, and it is that reason that he is still in my top 10.

9. Narcissa Malfoy: Although the people at Mugglenet seem to think that Draco is a goner, I don't see him buying it. Draco is a coward. The predicament that he got himself into in HBP was a result of stupidity. I don't see him making this mistake again. He won't do anything to put himself in harms way. The only way that Draco would be at risk is if Voldemort decided to kill him to further punish the Malfoys. If this should happen, then Narcissa will no doubt give her life to save Draco.

8. Remus Lupin: As much as I hate the idea of the last of the Marauders dying, Remus will very much be on the frontlines of any battle. After the death of Sirius, he will deffinitly be out to get Pettigrew, and that could make him wreckless. 7. Tonks: Tonks will also be on the front lines, and depending on how serious her relationship is with Lupin, she will most likely be right in the thick of things.

6. Harry: I'm placing Harry a little higher on my list because of J.K.'s adimant desire that no one continue the Harry Potter series after book seven. The only way that she could possible ensure this is to kill off her character. Agitha Christie did it with Hercule Poirot, so it is not entirely unheard of. Although I want Harry to live happily everafter, I could see him going out in a blaze of glory. The only other option is somehow leaving Harry powerless. In essence turning him into a Squib.

5. Mr. Weasley: Let me just say that I totally disagree with the book giving Mrs. Weasly even odds of dying. I think that Mrs. Weasley is probably the safest character in the book. Harry has already had to endure the loss of one mother. Loosing another one would be just cruel on J.K.'s part, and I don't think that she would do that to her fans. If anything, the Death of Mrs. Weasley would be worse than loosing his real mother because Harry never knew his mother Lily. Mrs. Weasley is the only mother that he has ever known. Mr. Weasly on the other hand is a different story however. To Harry, Mr. Weasley fills the roll of favorite uncle than father figure. It is bucause of this that I think that he is at risk of dying.

4. Snape: I agree with what they say in the book. Snape will no doubt sacrifice himself to save Harry. It is because of this that I moved Snape higher on my list.

3. Peter Pettigrew: Although Pettigrew will most likely try to run the first time things start to look bad, but there is still the issue of his life debt to Harry. Mugglenet puts a lot of emphasis on this (I had totally forgotten about it). If there is some sort of Magical bond, then Pettigrew will probably die wile trying to repay his debt.

2. Bellatrix Lestrange: If J.K. wasn't so adimant about the story ending at book seven, I would say that Bellatrix would be one character sure to survive the book. Her escaping would be one of those loose ends that could be left dangling as a tease to fan. That one glimmer of hopw that there may be another book. But, if this is the last book, then there would be no reason for J.K. to leave any loose ends. Besides, Neville needs his revenge.

1. Lord Voldemort: Good as Dead!

In anticipation for the Order of the Pheonix movie, and the release of the final book (Deathly Hallows) I went back and re-read Order of the Pheonix, and Half-Blood Prince. The entire time, I kept thinking to myself; I don't remember that... I totally forgot about that... How the hell did I miss that the first time. Anyway, here are a few predictions that I have for the final book: The opening chapters will consist of Bill and Fluer’s Wedding, the meeting with the Board of Governors to decide whether or not to re-open Hogwarts (which they will), and McGonagall will officially be named Head Mistress of Hogwarts. Ron and Hermione will get into an argument during Bill and Fluer’s wedding. Ron and Hermione will officially become a couple during the book. An interesting way to structure the Epilogue would be for it to take place during Ron and Hermione’s wedding. Even though they broke up at the end of Half-Blood Prince, Harry and Ginny’s relationship will be cemented by the end of the book. More snogging will be had by all. A member of the Order of the Phoenix will become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts Teacher. Possibly Tonks, but she may be deemed too young for the position. It will most likely be Kingsley Shacklebolt. R.A.B. will be Regulus Black, and Harry will find him alive and hiding out somewhere with the Locket/Horcrux because he has yet to figure out how to destroy it. At some point, Harry will consult Dumbldore’s portrait. Hagrid or the new DADA teacher will become the new head of Griffindor House (seeing as McGonagall is now Head Mistress). Hermione will be named Head girl, but someone other than Ron will be named head boy. Ginny will be given Hermione’s vacated prefect spot. Malfoy will come to the realization that there is no difference between being a pureblood and a muggle born, and that here was wrong/foolish for thinking otherwise. Narcissa will sacrifice herself to save Draco. Snape will sacrifice his life as a final redemption. One of the Weasley’s will die. Hermione will choose to either become a curse-breaker (Which requires Arithmancy: Hermione’s favorite subject) or an unspeakable (Research job within the Dept. of Mysteries, and we all know how much Hermione loves to do research) as a profession. Niether Harry nor his scar will be a Horcrux because Voldemort probably died before he was able to perform the enchantments to create a Hrocrux. Assuming that the body/blood of the victim and not just the act of commiting murder is needed to create a Horcrux, I do not think that Pettigrew's silver hand is a horcrux either since Harry took Cedric's body back with him via the Portkey. Most likely will not be revealed in the book, but I believe that the diary Horcrux was greated when the Batellisk killed Moaning Murtle. The "Something of Griffindor Horcrux" could be something that once belonged to James or Lily Potter. Based on the US cover art for Deathly Hallows: 1. Harry and Voldemort's final confrontation may take place in some sort of amphetherater (maybe a Quiddich pitch?).

Well, it appears that I have just become the editor of Escaflowne. I assume that the former editor retired, and as such the editorship was passed to me. I have no idea how long ago this may have happened. I'm not complaining mind you. All that I'm saying is that a notice from the powers that be would have been nice. The only reason that I found out, was that a submission appeared in my que. Well, to those Escaflowne fans out there. Please bare with me if it takes a few days for your submission to be approved. It's been a while since I've seen the series, and I may have to go back and rewatch episodes to make sure that the submission is valid. Thank You, The Newly Appointed Editor of Escaflowne.

To all the Beauty and the Beast television show fans like me who have been eagerly waiting for it to be released on DVD, our patience shall finally be rewarded.

According to Samgoody.com season one will be released on Feb. 13, 2007, and will retail for $49.98. Just in time for Valentines day.

I did some further checking, and found an awesome deal at dvdplanet.com where you can pre-order it for $32.86.