An Utter Waste of Time tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2009-08-19://1 2010-02-03T04:14:52Z Movable Type Pro 4.3-en Body Moving tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1194 2010-02-03T03:31:19Z 2010-02-03T04:14:52Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com
One thing that I am worried about is that my body isn't going to respond to increased activity in the way it used to.  About 14 months ago I was going to the YMCA 3 days a week and slowly increasing the amount I could run at any one time.  As the economy turned south and the reality of having to do more with less set in, the membership at the Y had to go.  I have done little since then and have felt worse for it.  I hope I have not passed a point of no return.

In order to complete my goal I need to find ways to stay motivated and keep on the plan.  One thing I know I will do is print out the plan and post it somewhere where I see it every day.  Guilt works fairly well with me and seeing goals that I set in writing has traditionally been a good motivator.  Something else that may help is finding a 5k event to enter within the time frame of the couch to 5k plan.  I haven't looked into this yet so if you have suggestions please let me know.

Well, this is in writing now and I hope my friends and family can help me stick with it and make at least one small change in my life. 
]]> Numbers tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1193 2010-02-01T21:47:21Z 2010-02-01T22:49:45Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com
Today I want to talk about numbers.  Or, more specifically, how numbers can be manipulated.  In this particular case I am talking about box office return.  It seems like Avatar is getting a lot of press due to many things including how it is poised to be the largest grossing film of all time.  While that may be true in terms of gross dollars, there is a very large part of the story that is not being told and that is the number of actual tickets the film has actually sold.  In fact, it makes perfect sense that Avatar is bringing in a considerable amount of when the cost of a single ticket is taken into account.  A non-matinee, single adult ticket to see the film in 3-D is a whopping $12.25 at my local theater.  While this price will vary market to market, it is still much higher than the standard rate for previous films.  At $3.00 over the standard price ticket, it is easy to see how Avatar has grossed so much during its release.

*****All numbers quoted below can be found at www.boxofficemojo.com*****

Based on gross dollars, Avatar has taken in over $2 billion dollars worldwide eclipsing the previous record of $1.8 billion held by another James Cameron Film, Titanic.  Domestically Titanic holds a slim lead over Avatar but only through the weekend when Avatar will become the leader both domestically and globally.  Clearly Avatar is a box office monster but do these figures mean Avatar is the biggest film of all time?  No.  In fact, the film isn't even in the top ten.

What is more important, in my opinion, is actually tickets sold and gross dollars.  When one looks at ticket sales figures a very different view of the film industry can be seen.  As of the most recent data, Avatar has sold 79,859,600 tickets in the US putting it in the 21 spot right behind Disney's Fantasia with 83,043,500 tickets sold.  The ticket sales numbers make something very clear.  The Hollywood of today is nowhere near the size it was 30 years ago and no matter how big the films of today seem to be, nothing compares to pre-1980 Hollywood.  Of the top 20 films in ticket sales, 13 were made before 1980, the beginning of the "Blockbuster Era".  Actually the era of the blockbuster probably officially began in 1975 with the release of Jaws but even then over half of the biggest movies of all time were released before the term "blockbuster" was used in the film industry.

So, what really are the BIG films?  Gone with the Wind, the all time leader in ticket sales has an estimated 202,044,600 in sales since release.  In comparison, Avatar hasn't amassed even half that number!  In fact, Gone with the Wind has sold more tickets than the entire population of the country at the time (1939) of its release!  Now that is a big movie!  It would be akin to EVERYONE you know having seen the same movie during its release.  Not even everyone in my house as seen Avatar. 

Ultimately what does this mean?  First I think it means going to the movies was a much bigger deal 30+ years ago.  When you think about it, there really isn't much surprise in that statement.  Look at all the forms of entertainment we have at our fingertips today.  Multi-channel television, movie rentals, streaming, the internet, etc.  There are just many more options for our entertainment dollars and our free time than their were in 1939.  Not only that but the number of releases today far outstrip that of pre-war America.  Remember, this was long before multiplexes.  During that time your choice of film going experience was pretty much limited to a single film at any one time.  No matter how many tickets Avatar sells today, the film can't possibly eclipse what has come before.  The market is just not the same.

So, the next time you hear Cameron's speech about being "King of the World" chuckle to yourself a bit in knowing that he might be king but his kingdom isn't what it used to be.       
]]> Mystery Image - Solved tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1191 2010-01-08T17:56:29Z 2010-01-08T18:00:22Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com
NORMAL1.jpgI spotted this coffee pot at an undisclosed location over the Christmas break.  Kinda of disgusting really.  Good thing I do not drink coffee.

Those of you who guess "mold" pat yourselves on the back.  Good job.

Stay tuned for the next Mystery Image.
]]> Mystery Image - January 7, 2009 tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1190 2010-01-07T20:28:23Z 2010-01-07T20:31:03Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com
ZOOM1.jpgAny thoughts?

]]> Old Friends tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1189 2010-01-07T04:08:41Z 2010-01-07T04:40:04Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com
Returning to a book series is like running into old friends.  No matter how long you have been apart, once together it is like no time has passed at all.  I have recently had that experience with Robert Jordan's, The Wheel of Time.

I started reading The Wheel of Time series way back when the first book came out 20 years ago.  For many years following that first introduction I was wound up in the story.  Then, something happened.  Around book 6 I completely lost interest.  I kept buying the books thinking I would start up anew but by about 1996 when the 7th book came out I just wasn't keeping up with the story.  Personally I think the narrative just got too caught up in itself and it lost the strength found in the earlier titles.  There was never a time, however, when one of the books wasn't somewhere near my nightstand waiting to be picked back up.

Late last year book 12 was released.  The Gathering Storm is the first book to be released after Jordan's death and when I spotted it in the bookstore I realized I needed to get busy finishing the series so I would be there to experience the end when it finally hit the shelves.  It is hard to believe that the story has been in development so long but the end is on the horizon and even if it is not exactly what the original author intended I believe it will come close.  So, not long ago I picked up my copy of book 8, there is no telling how long it has sat on the nightstand waiting, and dived back into the epic story.

Immediately I was struck with how much I had forgotten in the lost years.  So much was familiar yet I was missing the details of things that had happened in the middle books.  The good news, however, is that I had the foresight to purchase the audio versions of the books back when I had an audible subscription.  Not all of them but most of them.  Enough to start the series over without having to reread anything.  I put away my poker and tech podcasts and cranked up The Eye of the World.  Listening to the first book again helped me remember why I loved the story so much and inspired me to get to reading.  Now, as I listen to the early books while traveling, I also am reading the later books for the first time.  I am immersed in that world again and am glad to be back.

Today I am making steady progress through The Path of Daggers and it seems like the story is picking up again after the lull of books 5 & 6.   A new resolution not to buy any new books until I have finished what I already have is also helping me move along.  My hope is that I can catch up to the series by the middle of the year.  My reading pace is sadly not what it once was and one book a month is about the best I can do now.  Just not enough free time.  No matter what the pace, however, it is good to be back reading again and, as they say, the wheel turns... 
]]> Yeah, I am Changing Things Again tag:www.anutterwasteoftime.com,2010://1.1188 2010-01-05T22:09:11Z 2010-01-05T22:16:03Z Jeff http://www.anutterwasteoftime.com