I did survive the first round of layoffs, which took place yesterday.

20 folks gone, out of a bit over 200 people employed.

I come in today and all of the birds are wired to the hilt. So all of them are out – harley is in the kitchen, doing whatever it is he likes to do in there. I just heard wing beats…… (he doesn’t fly, but he does flap.)

Kiwi is vigorously attacking a chew toy, while casting glances my way. Which means that as soon as the chew toy has learned its lesson, that she will be over to visit me.

Kermit is in Harley’s cage, checking to make sure there is no food in his bowl. She will also take a bath in his water dish before leaving.

And me? I’m debating as to whether I should do what I need to do, or do what I want to do.

I work in the Automotive industry. And, for the record, I sure don’t support any bailout of anything.

I work for a supplier – we make automobile clips and fasteners. Right now, business is drying up. We have gone from a 24×7 operation, to running production 4.5 days a week. Most people are on a new four day work week (I’m not – yet). That means a 20% paycut. There were no raises this year. Management has already called for voluntary layoffs. Flat out layoffs are on the horizon.

Financially, I haven’t been prudent. I’ve been living paycheck to paycheck for some time. Pretty much ever since I had my house built. I carry balances on two credit cards.

So, even though its a long term bad thing, I’m raiding the 401k. Its a loan to myself, but the interest rate is pitiful (4.25%) and I’m putting after tax money back in. I’m taking out 30% of what I have in there, to accomplish two things I should have already had done.

1) Eliminate my credit card debt, and my student loan.

2) Have two months of car and mortgage payments on hand. This gives me “breathing room”.

This will lower my monthly cash outflow by 130 dollars. It also means that if worse comes to worse, I can simply walk away from this debt. Sure it will count as a disbursement from my 401k (10% penalty right there), and it will increase my taxable income for a year. BUT, thats better than having the debt looming over my head. In short, it buys me (some) peace of mind. As well as giving me a definite date where I will be free from all debt except my mortgage.

I was reading the other night, and Pug was in my lap. (Pug is one of my two dogs). He was quite jealously guarding his perch too, which was annoying the hell out of Max (my other dog).

So, Max gets up on the footstool, but can’t get any closer. Eventually he makes a wild leap, over pug, over the book I’m reading, and lands on my shoulder/back of the chair.

I just about crack up, and tell him that he is the ugliest parrot I have ever seen in my life.

In one scene of “Let the right one in”, there is a rotary dial telephone in the background. (The movie is set in 1982 – oddly enough, I would have been 12-13 around then, just like the two protagonists (even though one of them has been twelve “for a long time”).).

A few years back, for nostalgia’s sake, I bought a rotary dial telephone off Ebay. I only used it two or three times, and Granola used it about that many, before it went on a shelf in the closet. It was soooooo slooooowwww dialing.

Sometimes, new things are better than the old, and nostalgia is just wrong.

Eli’s ‘father’ sees this blossoming relationship and disapproves, but he is getting too a little old to take care of Eli and realises she will need someone else in her life. The part of this film that is hardest for me to figure out is whether Eli actually cares for Oskar in the way that he has grown to care for her, or whether he is being consciously groomed to play the role as her lover/protector, or some mix of both. The director happily leaves this and many other points unresolved and ambiguous.

Thats from an excellent New Zealand review. If you’ve read my previous post, you know that I think Oskar is being groomed – but I’m no longer sure if its a conscious choice, or unconscious, on Elli’s part.

I’ve ordered the book from Amazon. I’m kind of conflicted about it honestly. What makes the author’s background more valid than any I might construct? That is one advantage a good movie can have over a book. It lets you fill in the details – and sometimes your details are better than the “official” version. We will see if thats the case here.

Movie No 1 of 30.

“Let the right one in” at the Plaza Movie theater in Atlanta.

Good movie – I’ll buy the DVD for sure. Maybe a great movie, I’m not sure of that yet. It was…… different.

In a nutshell, its about a swedish vampire – well, really about Oskar, the boy who lives next door to her. The vampire girl, and Oscar, are both twelve. Only Elli has been twelve for a very long time. In style, the movie is very visual, very well done and quite bleak.

Now, my take – and stop reading now if you think you might want to see the movie.

Elli doesn’t care a whit about Oscar. She needs a dupe, a pet, to help protect her, and provide some cover for her. She is an old predator, and while sloppy for a vampire, is still a vampire with a strong urge to keep existing.

Oscar isn’t the first. The old guy – whose name I can’t remember, but who collects blood for Elli – is another dupe. One who has gotten old, and outlived his usefulness. The rings in the faberge egg are mementos of all the other rembrandts (vampire slaves) she has had over the years.

This movie is about her seduction of a new pet, plain and simple.

Edit add:
Rembrandt? Where the hell did I find Rembrandt? Its a Reinfield! And that spelling is suspect too.

1) Read fifty-two books
2) See 30 new movies
3) Lose two pounds per week, stabilize at 250.
4) Design, build, and use a small Postgresql database.

More in depth on these, as time permits.

I have EQ (Everquest) goals as well.

Decided to attend “Let the right one in” tomorrow night. I remembered that I either needed to do laundry, or go to work naked. So I did laundry tonight, and separated Kermit the conure and Harley the macaw about 3 times, before I caged the two combatants.

Also of course, Everquest, as always.

The picture is a clickable link to the movie review. Its still playing in Atlanta, so I’m going to see it tonight. Its a vampire movie – and that is one kickass picture.

I’ll post a mini-review hopefully tomorrow.

I love that picture. I guess I have to say that I don’t dislike horror, I just like a certain nihilistic brand of horror.

Only 2

1) Eliminate cokes (on day 4 – its going)

2) Mostly eliminate french fries