Dogs, pools, and work

Life is amazingly busy. I'm sitting on my pool deck about to get to some piling up work even though it's a saturday. Fortunately the pool is clean, the weather warm-and-not-too-hot, and my new puppy is lounging in the heat with me.

Of course, he's on the other side of the puppy fence that keeps him from going for an unplanned swim. Thunder is a rat terrier, known for their intelligence. This one is know for the springs in his legs. He leaps vertically - straight up with all four legs. He's not so bright that he's figured out the great outdoors are supposed to be his bathroom; he prefers rugs and behind my easy chair.

Sadly, I'm not posting because I have anything to say; I've just felt guilty about not posting for so long.

Much like the quantum physics question "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?" I have to ask, "if a blog post has nothing meaningful, is it better than no blog post at all?"

Schrodinger's Cat wants to know...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my oldest (and only) son, the sole possibility to carry on the 6 generation name of Swanson, turns 13 today. !!!!! A teenager! A young man! A scholar and a (mostly) gentleman! In Jewish culture back-in-the-day, he would be marrying soon!

More importantly, he's a young man his father and his Father can be (and ARE) proud of.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

Iron Man!

Flat out best Marvel Comics movie yet.

Despite the fact that I don't like Robert-not-an-honest-moment-Downy Jr. or Jeff-my-tongues-way-too-big-for-my-mouth-Bridges, they both rocked the house.

Spider-man's downfall was horrible casting of whiny-boy and not-beautiful-fashion-model.
X-Men's downfall was over-the-top characterization and dark-dark-dark tone.
Daredevil had major script problems.
Punisher was just flat bad in every way.
Ghost Rider was twisted.

Iron Man, perfect casting, spot-on characterization and well-balanced tone, with just a couple plot problems. Homerun. So good I want to see it again (especially because I missed the Easter Egg at the end of the credits).

Never a character I cared for - armor looks too uncomfortable - the movie made me wish I had a suit just like it.

The plot problems were more convenience cheats than anything else (the chest piece has a universal I/O port that fits into anything? Stane just so happens to have a tool that can remove it? He's an instant expert at the Titanium Man armor?) s'okay. Way good.

Caveat - An unfortunate scene in the beginning to establish Tony as a cad and some of the horrors of war make this not-a-kid's-movie (though you see far worse on TV these days).

Next: Iron Man 2 or Avengers?

Do cults serve God?

Or better put, is any religion better than no religion? From a purely sociological view, religious people are more moral and improve the community. They are happier (from a mortal perspective, not eternal) better citizens, better workers...

Your thoughts?