Well, this week I formatted my computer's hard drive, as well as my laptop's hard drive and reinstalled everything from scratch. Needless to say, everything is running much smoother now on both systems. My laptop had become incredibly slow but now it’s running as it did when I first got it almost three years ago. Within the next month or so I may max out the RAM on my laptop, from its current 512 MB to 1GB. Otherwise, it runs fine. I’ve added some stuff to the inspiration section of my website, as follows:

Astrological Interpretation: Full Body Horoscopes

All About Love...

Friends...

The Friendship Ball

Hugs...

Moving Thoughts...

My Dearest Friend...

Old Fashioned Love

We Can Learn a Lot from the animals...

All of the above additions are from e-mails I got over the years. I also added the following to my humour section:

Beer

As I clean up my hard drive, sort through the myriad of files that I have on it, I’ll be adding more to the humour section in the weeks and months to come. Basically, everything I've ever been sent that I have saved on my hard drive, I want to finally get put online.

That's it for now. I picked up some short story compelations today by Hemingway, Carol Shields and by MG Vassanji. I'm currently revisiting Salinger's Nine Stories as I continue to read James Frey's brilliant memoir, a million little pieces. Time to do some reading.

- Steve

things that make you go hmmmmm...

I don't know why I always end up doing these things...

Your Heart Is Pink
In relationships, you like to play innocent - even though you aren't. Each time you fall in love, it's like falling for the first time.
Your flirting style: Coy
Your lucky first date: Picnic in the park
Your dream lover: Is both caring and dominant
What you bring to relationships: Romance

Pat Morita: RIP

In many respects, other than say maybe Yoda, Mr. Miyagi, the character played in the 1984 film The Karate Kid by character actor Pat Morita, was my first Hollywood movie character-mentor that I could identify and look up to in literal awe of his wisdom, power, compassion and ability – as well as his flaws. His character and his character’s relationship with Daniel spoke true to me of my own relationship with my father. Being an adopted Caucasian with a Korean father and a Caucasian mother, with my Dad being born before the outbreak of World War II and suffering under the Japanese and then having his family broken apart by the Korean War, with some stuck in the north, some in the south – I could relate to the images of Mr. Miyagi being torn between the losses in his own life, and I could understand why from time to time my Dad would drink to, to forget the pain and the sorrow that the atrocities of war can bring. The scene where he has his birthday and is drinking and singing had a hollow sadness and happiness at the same time for me as a kid, even if I didn’t completely understand the many themes and ideas that were running through that scene as I do now.

Someone on another form perfectly described how Mr. Miyagi was "Not just a Sensei to Daniel-san... but to all of us really..."

Looking back at the trilogy, the first film stands the test of time fairly well given its embodiment of the hero’s journey for a young teenager, who at that time was perhaps not much older than me, with whom I could relate to as an 8 or 9-year-old kid who didn’t always get along with everyone else in elementary school. The 2nd 1986 film wasn’t that bad either, and the 3rd was more mindless fun than anything else, playing with some of the story threads that hadn't been tied up in the 1st two films. In many ways, that third film gave me one last chance as a boy entering adolescence to spend time with characters I had truly grown to love and cherish.

In the end, I’ve just now started to appreciate Pat Morita’s other work in Happy Days, etc. and can truly appreciate his comedic range. 73 seems so young and yet so old at the same time – it really makes you realize that yeah, you don’t really get much time on this bucket of a planet called Earth – so make the most of it.

My deepest condolences go out to Mr. Morita’s family and friends – he will be missed.

News Item: Oscar-Nominated Actor Pat Morita Dies

Finished the List...

Well, I spoke prematurely earlier. When I reconcilled my online list with my new database list, I found I had left out some "F" and "G" titles. So now the list is complete and it's now online and up to date on my website at steveleenow.net.

Final DVD Title Count: 1,318 Number of Discs: 1,704 Number of LBX (Widescreen) Titles: 1,048

Total Number of Minutes: 181,207 Total Number of Hours: 3,020.12 Total Number of Days to Watch: 125.84 Total Number of Days Only Watching 2 1/2 hours per day: 1,208.05

=)

Final VHS Title Count: 20 Number of Tapes: 22 Number of LBX (Widescreen) Titles: 5

- Steve

FINISHED =)

I've finally finished entering all my movies into my Access Movie Database! Here's the final tally:

1. DVDs...

Number of DVD Titles: 1,292 Number of discs: 1,671 Number of LBS / Widescreen Titles: 1,022 Total Time in Minutes: 178,010 Total Time in Hours: 2,966.83

Total Number of Days to Watch the Entire Collection Nonstop: 123.62

Total Number of Days to Watch the Entire Collection while only watching 2 1/2 hours per day: 1,187

2. VHS Tapes...

Number of VHS Titles: 19 Number of VHS Tapes: 21 Number of LBX VHS Titles: 5 Total Time in Hours: 30.85

I'll probably update my online listing tonight or sometime in the next week. It's nice to have the database finished. I will tweak some of the forms I've created, and correct some enteries, but other than that the database is finished.

Time to make a backup!

- Steve