Random Notes

Here I am working at Edy's Ice Cream, on a computer in the back of a storage room... killing some time... Feels like a prison in here... I'm acutally writing this blog, very covertly, in between data entries... challenges like this make my boring day go by faster! I'll get more into detail about the job in another entry... as for now though, i'm just happy to have work and make some money...

Looking forward to this weekend... K-man and Pablo Escobar come by to visit the Fort... well see what kind of trouble we get into...

So the Sundberg Sprint Triathlon is set to go for Aug 8 at 9am... Open to anyone... It'll be a 600 meter swim across the lake, 10 mile bike ride around the park & lake, and 3 mile run around the park & lake... so far we got around 5 people interested, hopefully we can get more... we'll see how it goes...

I've really been getting into the HBO series Entourage... I've seen a few episodes before, but now I'm finally following the storyline thanks to Palmer lending me the DVDs... The series gives a unique inside look into the Hollywood lifestyle...

We've had a good futbol group meeting the past few Wednesdays to play at the park... each week some new people show up, and I'm hoping some day we'll be able to play a nice full 11 on 11 game...

Just saw The Wrestler the other day... It was an interesting take on a washed-up professional wrestler... Mickey Rourke gives a strong performance, as a guy you just can't help but root for...

Been considering making a move to Indianapolis... I got lots of friends and family out there, and I think I would enjoy it more than FW... but it's just a thought for now...

The Half Blood Prince

Finally went and saw Harry Potter 6 with Alejandrovich today... The movie had some pretty impressive special effects... Most notably was the beginning when the death-eaters were causing havoc through London... also the end when Dumbeldore unleashes his ultimate god-like fury to escape from the cave... and the setting of England is quite breath-taking, both in the city and in the countryside... there were several parts I enjoyed, such as the Quidditch tryouts and the big match, yet for the most part the story was somewhat flat in my opinion... you never really get a sense of the enemy and Voldemort is not even in the movie... the most disappointing part about the movie, was there was no final battle in the end... I've always said that 6 is the most boring of all the books... the story is nothing but back story and lacks action... Nonetheless I have no regrets for paying to see this... I have seen every Harry Potter in the theater, and especially can't wait for the 7th and final installment... I just hope the final two movies can really capture Harry Potter in all its glory...

Running, Cycling & Swimming

Well I've decided to tuck away the running shoes for awhile and take on some new exercise hobbies... Swimming and Cycling... I've been running competitively for the past 10 years now, and am ready for something different... a new way to get the cardio-exercise that I always did with running... well, swimming and Cycling are just the sports to do that and both have their benefits! First there is the swimming.... Not only do you get in the cardio exercise, but you work every muscle on your body, burn lots of calories, and improve a technique that could someday save your life... plus its very refreshing during the hot summer days...

Then there is cycling which I prefer more than anything right now... Sure it's not as strenuous as running or swimming but it still has its perks... It tones the legs and buttocks, and improves the cardiovascular system... Just like any cardio-exercise, it all depends on how fast you move and how long you go for... This past week I've been averaging 8-10 mile bike rides.... the thing I especially love about cycling, is cranking away at the pedals, and reaching intense speeds! that feeling when you can coast for a while, and feel the cool air in your face... it's definitely worth the burn!

So with the start up of these two new hobbies, I've decided to take on a Triathlon! The date is set for August 22 in Indianapolis, about a month from this day... It's a Sprint Triathlon (500 meter swim, 10-mile bike, and 3-mile run)... Me and Palmer have already begun tense training... I've been lifting, swimming, biking, and playing soccer....I still need to buy some equipment such as a new bike, helmet, and some goggles for the water... I eventually hope to tackle an Olympic Size Triathlon, perhaps by the spring which consists of (1 mile swim, 25-mile bike, 6-mile run)... of course there is still much training to be done. In the meantime I'm keeping things short and simple... I'm trying to put together the first annual Sundberg Sprint Triathlon here at Kekionga! It will be held on August 8th and will consist of a 600 meter swim across the lake, 10 mile bike around the park and lake, and 3 mile run around the park & lake... it'll be good practice, and open to anyone who wants to give this thing a try!

Coming Soon: My Top 25 Greatest Movies

So this has been in the talks and plans for the past few years now, and I've finally decided to sit down and really think it out... My list of favorite movies! Yet I decided on 25 instead of 50 this time, for several reasons... As I was making out a rough-draft list, I noticed there were about 30 that really stuck out above the rest... plus I feel a top 25 list is much more defined than a top 50 list... Sure I know there are many classic great movies still to see, yet I don't think this list will change too much overtime... This top 25 is my list of classics that make up and define my life! Each one of these movies has impacted me throughout life, and given me the perspective I have today. These are the greats, in my opinion, the finest works of cinema art!

Looking Back at the Public Enemy Era

Well after the hype of Public Enemies I've been reading lots about the historical gangster wars of the early 1930s... The 1930s has always been an American time period that fascinates me... It was a decade of crisis due to the Great Depression, and the Prohibition, and yet it brought about so much culture... Swing music, baseball, the fedora hat, radio, boxing, and the golden years of Hollywood.... It was undoubtedly a hard time for Americans yet they still found ways to endure... Such as following the news of the radio, where they could put their problems aside, to follow the problems of others... One thing that especially caught America's interest was the growing number of outlaws, robbers, gangsters, and criminals from the years 1931 to 1934 which has become known as the Public Enemy Era...

Here we saw big name criminals such Al Capone, Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillenger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd rise to become media celebrities... Their conquests became a thing of imagination as the defied the system to live a life of pure outlaw... They worked above the law, well organized, well armed, and well dressed... They were chased and hunted by the cops and later by the FBI... It became so serious that J. Edgar Hoover declared war against these cold criminals... Chicago became the home base for the worlds most ruthless criminals, robbers, and gangsters... It was here that big gangs like Al Capone's Chicago Outfit and the North Side Gang, practically ran the city... It came to a point where these gangsters had more power than the authorities... They were terrible people, and yet they were adored by the public...

People like John Dillenger, a fellow Hoosier, became one of the most famous of the Public Enemies. He was a notorious bank robber, known as the jackrabbit, smooth-moving, and always one step ahead of the cops... He robbed dozens of banks, escaped jail twice, and lived a glamorous life for a few years until he was finally caught and shot in the head...

Bonnie and Clyde became a very famous couple, known for robbing banks, stores, and gas stations all across the Central United States. They were seen as folk heroes, in the likes of Robin-Hood, striking at the rich... They were finally killed in an epic shootout in Louisiana...


Baby Face Nelson, was a hot-headed, Chicago Native and bank-robber... His most notable trait was his short-temper, and willingness to kill a cop. He worked with John Dillenger for some time, and became Public Enemy Number 1, after Dillenger was killed.

Pretty Boy Floyd was a bank robber, best known for his involvement in the Kansas City Massacre, a shootout against the cops. This later led to an FBI investigation where Floyd was finally captured and shot in a farm in Ohio.

The Karpis/Barker gang headed up by Ma Barker is quite an interesting one... There is still to this day speculation of whether Ma Barker was the mastermind of the gang, or just a mere participant... However she joined forces with Alvin Karpis and together they formed one of the most notorious criminal gangs of the 1930s, not afraid to kill any who stood in their way... She was finally shot to death by FBI Agents in Florida.

These public enemies are flat-out bad people, the scum of the earth... and yet for some reason, they have become romanticized by American culture... They lived as outlaws, without regards to the law, taking whatever they wanted by any means necessary... Sure such a life is frowned upon, but it also does bring something to the imagination... These public enemies are to some extent considered folk heroes, because they represented the common person of the day, and robbed from the rich elite... yet unlike Robin Hood these robbers did not give to the poor, and they showed us that a life of crime is always likely to have an abrupt ending...

Random Notes

Ive been back in the states for over 3 weeks now, and have fallen into a nice groove back in the Fort... job-searching at the library, lifting, painting, running, soccer, and just hanging out at Keikionga! It's my friends and family that make it almost worth living here... sure I don't have a job yet, but thats all still in the works... i think if something came about, I could definetely give Ft Wayne another run... yet not for too long!

This past weekend, we had an epic 4th of July Party at our house... We spent the whole week prepping; staining the deck, painting, fixing things, and cleaning,... Then on Friday the party kicked off... The Bell girls came over, the Ruizes, grandma, as well as some friends... We got a nice fire going, few drinks, and had some good hot-dogs for dinner... the next morning, family started filing in... We got a huge game of World Cup going in the day, then in the afternoon we had some good Clam Chowder for lunch... By 4ish many of my friends came over, and the drinking games began. "Asshole", "Kings", and of course lots of "Flippy Cup"... The games lasted throughout the evening, until we kicked off the Sundberg/Gaffney concert... This was a good jam session of classic rock songs! Then around 10ish, Nick Rager and Schrieber put on an incredible firework show, (over 1000 dollars worth of bombs)... Mom cooked up some incredible Pad-Thai around 11pm... the party lasted late into the night... I believe Rager said he was the last one up at 4am... Great stuff!

I've been in a huge Michael Jackson phase the past 2 weeks... I updated my collection, made an ultimate CD, watched all his music videos on YouTube, and have now set all my ring tones to his music... The King of Pop is definitely missed!

Tomorrow I run the 5k Runners on Parade, and am proud to say, I've recruited at least 6 to 7 people to run it as well... Should be a fun one!

I've been renting good movies at the library lately... Thank you for Smoking was a very informative look into the smoking industry, the money spent and the lives taken... An All-star cast, and a strong breakthrough performance by Aaron Eckhart...

Still working on There Will be Blood... So far it's been real good, an all-out drama, very artistic... yet I've just been too tired every time I watch it... I'll have it finished by this weekend though!

Okay that's all for now...

Public Enemies

I remember when I use to live in Chicago, always hearing about this movie. How Johnny Depp and Christian Bale were in the city filming for a big blockbuster crime drama. I did some research and found that everything about the movie was going to be awesome... A historical period piece, set in Chicago during the 1930s (one of my favorite eras) crime, drama, romance, and 3 of the biggest actors in the business (Depp, Bale, and Marion Cotilliard)... I felt it was going to be the next Godfather! Well after much hype and anticipation I finally saw it last night... Now I must say that the movie is definitely not the next Godfather... it's strong in some points, yet not so in others... the acting is amazing, the setting is incredible, yet sadly the story is a little week... Although the movie was only 2hrs 30mins, it definitely did drag on at some points and felt much longer... nonetheless it was still worth the buck! As expected Johnny Depp delivers beautifully as public enemy number 1, John Dillenger... He's very confident, fast-moving, and always one step ahead... Then there is Christian Bale who also brings his amazing on-screen talent, as the sharp-shooting, well-dressed, confident Melvin Purvis... Purvis is put in charge of stopping big name bank robbers such as Dillenger, Baby Face Nelson, and Pretty Boy Floyd... While Dillenger continues to rob banks and stay one step ahead of the cops, he falls head-over-heels for Marion Cotillard's character, a pretty French lady named "Billie"... The setting is my favorite thing of the movie... Typical 1930s style... well dressed people in suits and hats, classy cars, and extremely loud Tommy Machine Guns! So all-in-all I'd say the movie is definitely worth seeing, very historical, yet nothing to go crazy about...

Coming Soon: A look back at the Public Enemies Era