Moving

Commonly known as the third most traumatic life event after death of a loved one and divorce. At certain phases in my life, relocating my residence annually and sometimes more often was a cakewalk, everything I owned fit into one small room and I didn't have to file for an address change with quite so many agencies, just parents, friends, school, and the DMV. Eventually that progressed to living without roommates, and friends were happy and available to help me move as long as I provided the truck, pizza, and beer.

That was a long time ago, the next stage of my life is when I live in the same place for years and years, accumulating and investing in stuff. My friends are older and I can no longer in good conscience accept their offers to help me move, knowing the impact it would have on their (and my) aging backs. In 2010, I finally graduated to the stage where I pay professionals to move my stuff. Not only that, renting plastic moving bins instead of collecting paper boxes.

Hiring Movers:
Pro - They are really fast.
Pro - They bring their own truck, dolly, and moving blankets.
Pro - They are really good at moving stuff, especially big stuff.
Pro - They are insured or at least will cover replacement cost if anything is damaged.
Pro - I'm not tired when I arrive with my stuff at the new place.
Con - $$$ (expect to pay $100 and up per hour for 3 movers, estimating 1 hour per 400 sq ft's worth of stuff)

Renting Plastic Bins:
Pro - No need to curate or dispose of them.
Pro - Movers love the bins, they can be securely carried 3-4 at a time, and stack well so they don't slide and fall over in the truck.
Pro - They are clean and sturdy.
Pro - It's easy to go in and out of a bin that's already been packed, the top is secured with zip ties prior to transport.
Pro - You're motivated to unpack quickly because you have to return the bins.
Con - You're restricted to how much time you have to pack up your old place.
Con - $$$ (expect to pay $2-3 per bin per week).

I did start the moving process by packing the less often used stuff in paper boxes before the plastic bins arrived. And guess what? 4 months later, they're still in the same boxes.

The other task I outsourced was cleaning. For a long time I thought it was extravagant to pay someone to clean my apartment. After living in the same place for a number of years and not having very good cleaning skills, it really shows. The amount I paid for professional deep cleaning pays for itself in the rental deposit return.

The most painful part was having to change my address with various vendors and work, and setting up/shutting down utilities. Even in the electronic age, records still take months to be updated for some reason.

Moving still sucks quite a lot when you outsource as much as possible, but really, it could suck a lot more.

Tron: Legacy

They finally did it, they waited and waited until there's 3D before they did a sequel to Tron. I don't know who this "they" is, and I don't know if 3D was their criteria for making a sequel, but it seems like a good excuse to wait so long. Anyhow, this geek girl was excited and went to see Tron: Legacy at the IMAX in the nearest science museum. Because the trailers looked so awesome, and it's in 3D, I also expected to be let down like I was with Avatar.

The movie spends quite a bit of time catching up on events since the first Tron, and how The Grid has grown and changed. Not the entire movie was filmed nor projected in 3D, but the 3D effects were very well used and immersive, without blatant abuse of "watch out for that thing flying at your face!" or "doesn't it seem like you can just reach out and grab it? Go on, try and grab it while it teases you with its slow spin." They made The Grid actually fairly minimalist during action sequences so it's not too jarring.

The other computer effect that you might have heard of is the Young Jeff Bridges acting against Now Jeff Bridges. It was the best utilization of the Uncanny Valley effect as I can think of, as Young Jeff Bridges looks sufficiently real to be believable, but just uncanny enough that you don't forget he's the antagonist.

The score is really pretty awesome. It was composed by the DJ duo Daft Punk whose work I often waver between feelings of ambivalence and hate.

Plot...just enough to keep the story going, it's very straight forward and everything is spelled out. The viewer is not required to infer anything.

Anyhow, the acting is very cheesy, Now Jeff Bridges is still playing The Dude.

It was satisfying to see in 3D, furthermore, I didn't get motion sick like I did at Avatar (where the plot was going in Avatar also helped in the decision to walk out). Overall, as long as you keep your expectations in check that it's mostly visual effects eye candy, then you're good.