My absence

Sorry for my (Javier's) absence. I just got back in from Costa Rica. Jorge's wedding was cool. It was a lot of fun, and it was cool seeing some family members I wouldn't have seen otherwise. After that it was off to the beach for a few days. We found a dig called Bat Cave, but I couldn't pull out the camera fast enough (sorry Dickson). They had no problems ripping off the logo; it was pretty cool. My "Ticos" finally got back on track in World Cup qualifying (which I completely agree with Joey about Germany), they still have not failed me when I'm in attendance which begs the question, "why don't they give me a free ticket to every game?" I saw many movies down there; it's less than $3 each, and thank you piracy for encouraging global releases.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith - was actually pretty okay until the ending. For those who haven't seen it, skip this paragraph. Why/how they don't die is beyond my comprehension. It would have made for a much cooler ending (and more plausible). Also, I wouldn't be down with getting it on with anybody (not even Angelina) if they kicked me in the nuts that many times. Vince Vaughn was okay and not overused as the "funny" sidekick, but he really didn't add much.

Batman Begins - while I don't share Joey's enthusiasm for this movie, it was still very good. The movie drags at times with the whole character arc, but the acting was good, the plot was interesting, and the action scenes weren't over the top effects wise. However, the fight scenes didn't need all the close ups (poor editing here made it impossible to tell who was punching who and what was going on). All the fast-paced MTV-style cutting made it hard to see any actual fighting. Bale was awesome as Bruce Wayne, Cain was an even better Alfred. Freeman and Oldman were not used to their full potential but still provided the movie with much better acting than the O'Donnell/Silverstone/Arnold combination Joey has erased from his memory.

Madagascar - I saw this one in Spanish, but it was much better than I expected. I was very happy that the damn animals did NOT break out into song every ten minutes, and the computer graphics are much improved from Ice Age, etc. This is a good movie if you're taking younger siblings, cousins, kids, etc. (at least in Spanish)

Finally, I'll be back in Atlanta on Sunday. I mentioned to some the possibility of doing something for the 4th of July at my place, and for those I haven't told yet, you're welcome to come. The place isn't completely unpacked, but there is more than enough room. I'll check to see what's going on in Atlanta that weekend, but you guys are more than welcome to come on down and celebrate my last weekend of vacation before I begin working (again).