*Ah summer...* Now usually summer is a time for doing outdoor

Ah summer...
Now usually summer is a time for doing outdoor activities, taking trips with the family, and visiting friends and relatives. A lot of people do stuff like that during the summer. As it has turned out for us, most of our relatives have come to visit us this summer: family from Manitoba, Quebec, Pennsylvania, and my mother comes for a 10 day visit on the 15th. Phewff!

As a result, I find I've done next to nothing this summer. I've seen a number of movies, driven the kids to a couple of weeklong day camps, taken care of the regular household chores, but nothing quite summerish if you know what I mean. No beach, no road trip, no cotton candy at the fair. My one trip comes up next wednesday when I drop in on the Bulldog for 4 days, where I'm told there shall be some fishing to be had. All is not lost!

But it remains that summer is almost over for all intents and purposes. I start my last year at university in a month, after which I become a high school teacher. It's the culmination of much time and labor, and it feels good to be on this end of it. Still, it's somewhat sad to realize that a whole summer can pass by so quickly without my having done a whole lot. Guess that's what happens when you get old, huh?

So what did you do this summer?

*Ladies and gentlemen...Gore-Al!* *EARTH—Former vice president

Ladies and gentlemen...Gore-Al!

EARTH—Former vice president Al Gore—who for the past three decades has unsuccessfully attempted to warn humanity of the coming destruction of our planet, only to be mocked and derided by the very people he has tried to save—launched his infant son into space Monday in the faint hope that his only child would reach the safety of another world.

This is why I love The Onion. Kinda puts everything in perspective, don't it?

*Surprisingly...disappointing.* I was just SO ready to love

Surprisingly...disappointing.

I was just SO ready to love The Dark Knight. Its predecessor, Batman Begins, was fantastic in terms of characters and storyline, and I was very much looking forward to more of the same.
Didn't happen.

First of all, this movie is about 30 minutes too long at roughly 2h 20 minutes. Secondly, the direction was all over the place, the editing wasn't tight (checked my watch twice), and the sound editing was really distracting (really, how bad does it have to be for anyone to complain about the sound editing???).

Christian Bale is wonderful as Bruce Wayne/Batman, and yes, Heath Ledger was impressive as the Joker, but the plotline involving Harvey Dent and Rachel Dawes slowed down the movie. I won't give away any details in case you still want to see it.

I left the theater wondering what all the critics and fans had been raving about for a whole week. Seriously, the emperor has no clothes, folks. It's an okay movie (the scene with the Joker and the mob at the beginning was especially good, as was the one involving Harvey Dent and the Joker) but overall it dragged. And as my brother-in-law pointed out, there's a bit of an ethical dilemma there at the end. Again, no details.

This movie wasn't quite as disappointing as Hancock but it's not as good or as enjoyable as Iron Man. Too bad. Hopefully the next one will regain the momentum of the first.