MAY 5TH

HI ALL,

OK, OK, I know I’m already guilty of not doing the bi-weekly updates like I promised when I restarted Fabersplace.com last month. Things have just been crazy around here, between projects and the curve balls life has been throwing at me lately (more on that later). Currently, I am writing to you from the Deep South of the United States. To be more exact, greetings from Atlanta, Georgia! Home of my Uncle Roy and his family.

I’m currently doing a multi-city week-long trip back east. My first stop was Maryland to see Dad and Max, but the main reason for the visit was that Chris finally tied the knot with her boyfriend Bill (after dating for almost four years; it was only a matter of time). Click here to see pictures of the reception. It was great to see them so happy; I wish them the best. The second stop on this trip is from where I’m currently writing you.

Atlanta is a great city, the weather is nice, the people are very pleasant, and the economy is still growing and wasn’t hit by the current recession as badly as the rest of the country. There is a ton to do in Atlanta--from the typical city stuff (some great used book stores, record shops, theaters, restaurants, and so on) to enough green areas and parks so you can enjoy the outdoors (hiking, biking, and so on). I’m not sure I would ever move here, but it is interesting to see what this city would have to offer me. It has the different seasons such as those with which I grew up in Maryland, but not as harsh. Like I have always said in the past, never say never. Who knows what the future brings; my life has always been a roller coaster adventure, and I’m not opposed to anything that might come my way.

Everyday, William continues to amaze me. It’s just incredible to see how someone that small has SO much energy. It’s fun seeing William develop real likes and dislikes. Heck, he even has hobbies (for example, he loves Matchbox cars, especially police and fire trucks). It’s neat reading to him and having him point out stuff and learn from the readings. Just remember this one--I have a feeling that William is going to be a great athlete someday. For a two-year-old, he already hits a softball with a bat, likes to play basketball, and kicks a mean soccer ball (ok, so he still trips over his own feet sometimes when he is in a hurry, but that’s another story; that will come with time). OK, I know I’m sounding too much like the stereotypical proud Dad, but hey, I’m crazy about my kid.

In the world around us, things are getting crazier and crazier. The whole Middle East situation is deteriorating everyday. I fear everyday what next could happen, but I don’t want anyone thinking that, due to my religious background, I would have a predictable and expected response to the turmoil. But I’m taking a point of view that both sides have done incredible evils to each other, and that new, younger and stronger leaders on both sides needs to take a stand against the extremist and outdated points of view. I know; it’s not going to be an easy process, but something has to be done or a very unhappy ending with none claiming victory will result.

On that note, I’m not 100% sure that the United States should be the only ones responsible for fixing all the world's woes, especially because we have such an inept leader in charge of this country. Hopefully, we can count on the Bush Administration to not make a bad situation even worse than it already is. Now I’m not going to start on how poor the leadership is in this country right now; that could take up a full Web site on its own. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying that even the best leadership would have come through the past year with flying colors, but when I think of George W. Bush, I just don’t see a leader of the most powerful country in the free world. Every time I’m at a pub with friends, I just smirk and tip my hat to the President when I see a bowl full of pretzels.

OK, as promised, I am bringing back a fan favorite: “The Movies Through Mike’s Eyes!” I will review the newest movie I have seen, and tell you if it’s worth seeing or just walking slowly by with your nose in the air. Remember, this column is only my opinion, and people are entitled to their own views on movies (even though they might be wrong).

This week’s movie is Spider-Man, starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst; and directed by Sam Raimi. As a longtime comic book fan, I was so looking forward to this movie for years. A long battle to bring our favorite web head to film had taken place for the past 12 years (basically since Batman came out) but plenty of false starts resulted (at one point, James Cameron was even going to direct a Spider-Man movie). But finally, after many years of futile starts, Spider-Man has finally come to the silver screen.

First off, let’s get this off my chest--I like Spider-Man; he has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. However, after seeing this movie, I wish they would have kept him in the comics. The first half of the movie was fun and filled with riveting storylines (the movie modernized his origin, but I was cool with that). Even making Peter Parker getting bit by a genetically-altered spider instead of a radioactive spider (radioactivity was very big in the early 1960s) was fine with me.
I was fine with how Peter learned about his powers, and also when he became Spider-Man. (Sorry, I’m not going to ruin any of the plot for anyone). But the entire second half of the movie, when Spider-Man became a hero and battled the Green Goblin (Dafoe), the movie fell apart for me and became too formulaic. The acting and speeches were way overdrawn, and the scene when Spider-Man and the Green Goblin have a heart-to-heart discussion was too melodramatic. The sad part about the scene is that both characters are masked and you can’t see their faces; all you see for a good four to five minutes of the movie is nonmoving and emotionless masks. It drove me nuts.

When I saw other comic-based movies (such as X-Men, Batman, or even the first Superman movie) I felt like I was watching the comic book come alive. With Spider-Man, I felt like it was any other action movie. The typical bad guy captures the female lead, and the hero gets the poop beaten out of him before making the last-minute rescue. This was just ridiculous--the movie had such a rich cast of characters (more than 30 years' worth), and brought this movie; which started off very strong, to a screeching halt. The effects were weak compared to most modern movies--the CGIs (Computer Generated Images) were obvious. When mixed with the live action scenes, the integration was rough, and sometimes very harsh, especially in the scenes with Spider-Man swinging though the city, or the Green Goblin flying into a battle scene.

My recommendation is, if you get a chance to see Spider-Man, please don’t pay full price for it. See it as a lazy Saturday matinee, or hey, wait for video, and just remember that Attack of the Clones is coming in three weeks.

A few minutes before the church services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate.

Soon everyone had exited the church except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew without moving, seeming oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence.

So Satan walked up to the old man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"

The man replied, "Yep, sure do." "Aren't you afraid of me?" Satan asked.

"Nope, sure ain't." said the man.

"Don't you realize I can kill you with a word?" asked Satan.

"Don't doubt it for a minute," returned the old man, in an even tone.

"Did you know that I could cause you profound, horrifying, physical AGONY for all eternity?" persisted Satan. "Yep," was the calm reply.

"And you're still not afraid?" asked Satan. "Nope."

More than a little perturbed, Satan asked, "Well, why aren't you afraid of me?"

The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."