The Dark Knight

Check out this link.

I just returned from a screening and I wanted to commit this to a public forum as quickly as possible. Heath Ledger gives a blockbuster performance in the new Batman movie. His work, as The Joker, will absolutely be nominated for an Oscar, and at this point in the year, Ledger is also a hands-down favorite to win it posthumously. Ledger offers perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes. 'The Dark Knight' is among the better super-hero movies of all time, and Ledger is THE BEST villain in a super hero movie of all time. Really. It will only add to the conversation of all that Ledger could have accomplished had he lived. Amazing work.

One of the "better super-hero movies of all time"

"THE BEST villian in a super hero movie of all time"

Wow! I really can't wait for this one to come out.

J.K. Rowling Quote on Failure

The Benefits of Failure

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.

Never give up and never be afraid to try.

Link to entire commencement address.

Full-fledged Red Hot Pawn Member

Right before our vacation, I purchased a year supscription to Red Hot Pawn. I did so because I was going to get one anyway and the timing was right because I didn't want my games to timeout.

Correspondance chess is perfect for my schedule. I can make decent moves at my own pace without having to sit down for one whole hour or two. If the kids are breaking out into a brawl, I can pause my anylyzing, stop the fight and establish the peace again and then get back to the game.

I've only lost two games so far, but I'm sure as the competition gets stiffer, those losses will increase. If you want to start a game, let me know. I play 7-day moves with a 7-day time bank. I'm no longer restricted to playing 6 games at once.

I'm still working on tactics at ChessTempo. The site has greatly improved since I first found it. The problems are getting better too.