Neener, neener, neener.

First things first: I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest last night. My friend Mark scored a couple tickets to a press screening of the film. It was at the mighty Arclight Theater a couple blocks from my home, and Leonard Maltin sat in the row behind us.

What did I think of it? Well, frankly, in the words of Queen Victoria, "IT FUCKING RULED!" The best sequel I've seen in years by a wide margin.

It was so imaginative, so full of character, and action, and nuance, and spectacle. It actually managed to build off of the first movie and deepen and expand on the world and its characters. Johnny Depp is fantastic in the role he'll be remembered for (obviously), Bill Nighy gives the dreaded Davy Jones a soul, and even with the addition of new characters and situations, everyone has a reason to be there. No character feels shoehorned into the script. Amazing.

If the third film is as good as this one, I'd say Pirates of the Carribean might be the best adventure movie trilogy ever. Cause you know, it's funnier than Lord of the Rings, And? It has PIRATES, and that makes all the difference.

Following the movie, we went to Musso & Frank's for old fashioned meat and potatoes style cuisine and world class martinis. Have you ever been? It's one of my favorite places in L.A.

***

I turned 36 years old a couple weeks ago on June 16th. This year I celebrated by donning a plastic viking helmet and inviting a bunch of friends to the Cat & Fiddle on Sunset Blvd (conveniently located less than a block from my home).

Fun was had by all (or at least I was way to drunk to notice those who were not having fun) and even though I actively encouraged people to NOT buy me presents, I still ended the evening with a fair amount of swag. The viking helmet was a big success with everyone (many took a turn wearing it) and you really get into it as a fashion statement after only two drinks.

The party seemed a success and has inspired the desire to aim for something a bit more ambitious in the future. Halloween, say, or Saturnalia. Heh.

Some of you might remember that I wanted to quit working for the City of Los Angeles by my 36th birthday. I still work for library, etc. so I did not succeed in breaking free yet. Also, I find that I really like having health insurance. Sixteen year old Jack is off somewhere sneering at me, and I am of a mind to agree with him.

It doesn't mean that I've given up, only that I admit to a lack of creative thinking and drive on my part the last half year. I allowed myself to get distracted (or even distracted myself intentionally). I've gone a few interviews to at least transfer out of the department I'm in, but that has not bore any fruit yet.

***

My grandfather had a massive heart attack about a month ago. He's 91 years old and was in Los Angeles only an hour before it happened. He was here to visit Barbara (an old family friend) and myself. I'd had no idea he was anywhere near here until I got the emergency call from my cousin.

It was pretty serious (a simultaneous brain stem stroke was suspected) and for a couple days he looked like a goner. The old man has a stubbornness that takes several decades to perfect though, and has made almost a full recovery. That is pretty awesome.

Some things you should know about him:

• He's 91 years old.
• He lives alone and up until the heart attack, still drove his car on occasion.
• He passed his GED a couple years ago (he dropped out of school during the Great Depression to get a job and help support his family).
• Started college on a scholarship recently with plans to study journalism.
• Likes the book The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas a lot and mentions it at some point to me during nearly every visit (i.e. if I see him over the course of a couple weeks he'll mention it once).
• Enjoys drinking coffee out of china cups.
• His name is George.