TDZM

Zombieland

This is the explanation for those of you with puzzled looks on your face over the post titles this past week.

Last Monday the FRS had a day game, so in the evening, while Donna surfed her usual cooking, home or reality shows on TV, I decided to watch a movie from my Netflix queue. This movie was there because several of my co workers had seen it and were talking it up as something I just had to see, so to appease them I added it. Now I don’t watch a lot of monster movies to begin with and zombie ones are even at the bottom of that pile, but once I got watching it though, I was hooked. And it turns out it is more of a road trip slash geeky guy wins heart of attractive female romance flick than a zombie movie. Plus nobody told me it was a comedy!

The narrator of the movie is a college student that credits his survival of the zombie apocalypse to the strict adherence of a set of rules, which is where the last 7 titles came from. Not all the rules are actually in the movie, some came from trailers and other promotional items, and the list is not complete. I guess that is why they are going to make a sequel. So we can know what Rule #5 is and #10 and so on.

01. "Cardio"
02. "Double tap"
03. "Beware of bathrooms"
04. "Wear seatbelts"
06. "Cast iron skillet"
07. "Travel light"
08. "Get a kickass partner"
12. "Bounty paper towels"
15. "Bowling Ball"
17. "(Don't) be a hero"
18. "Limber up"
21. "Avoid strip clubs"
22. "When in doubt, know your way out"
29. "The buddy system"
31. "Check the back seat"
32. "Enjoy the little things"
33. "Swiss army knife"

On a side note, I thought that the lead actor/narrator, AKA Columbus, looked familiar and it turns out I had just seen him in another movie a couple of weeks prior. The title of that movie was called Adventureland. I wonder if every movie he will be in will have somethingland in the title? And Little Miss Sunshine is growing up nicely.

As long as you don’t have a weak stomach, sorry Donna, I recommend you see Zombieland. At least once.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 789

Rule #22

“When in doubt, know your way out”

There have been a few times when we have been out geocaching that following this rule would have helped us find our way out of the woods. It is a simple thing to do too, when you exit the vehicle, turn the GPSr to a map page, hold down the button for a couple seconds and hit OK. You have now created a waypoint to help you find your way back to the car.

Trouble is that, like today’s little excursion, most of the time we are no more than 100′ into the trees and it just doesn’t seem to make sense to do it. And because I feel that way and don’t do it, it has never become habit, so that the times it could come in handy, that lifeline isn’t available. Hasn’t got us in trouble. Yet…

We dodged muggles, prejudicial clues and light rain, but not spider webs and briars on our way to 7 finds this morning just north of town. We stopped at seven because that gave us a nice little milestone, 500. If you are a member of the local geocaching cult,when you reach 1,000 finds they present you with an ammo can painted gold. We are not, so maybe I should cover a pill bottle in silver duct tape, present it to ourselves and go hide it somewhere.

Started up, went down, went up, back down, up again, down again, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 788

Rule #1

“Cardio”

Part of it is we have found other interests, part of it is time, part of it is age and when you get right down to it, all those are really the same reason. We used to ride thousands of mile a year, but now we are down to just hundreds. Now we are happy to get out at least on one weekend day and get in a 10-15 mile ride. There is hope that when the weather cools a bit we might stretch the mileage and maybe add a week day commute to the Valve Store. We still like to walk in the woods, but that pales in comparison to the cardio work out you get from bike ride.

Today we managed to get in a dozen miles surrounded by a biscuit breakfast at Popeye’s (whose service still sucks, even in the morning when you are the only customer in the joint.)

Started up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 783

Rule #7

“Travel light”

Because the Miata is our only car and it has a mere 5.1 cubic feet sized trunk we have learned to travel light. We’ve taken two week driving vacations in it. But we have learned to pack smart, by taking at most 4 days worth of clothes and using the hotel laundry. We have even gone for a long camping weekend carrying 2 mountain bikes with us using the Miata too.

We travel light when flying too. Donna takes a small carry on with the essentials and her purse while I carry the laptop with various electronics. We check one big bag, so we don’t have to hassle hunting for an empty overhead bin.

Seems like the only time we don’t pack light is when we go on an overnight trip in the Miata, we always end up taking as much as we do when we go away for a week in it.

Started down, went up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 783

Rule #12

“Bounty paper towels”

I always keep a roll of paper towels in my cube. Donna and I eat lunch together there, so we always go through a couple three then. They come in handy for wiping up desk dust bunnies that develop and hide behind my PC. Plus they are handy for the occasional drip when pouring my daily Diet Dr. Pepper.

This Monday I used the last one on the roll. I walked back to the Tool Crib where they usually have shelves full, except today. The shipment was late and the attendant said, “They are due in Wednesday.” Luckily I had a short roll of brown towels that came out of a bathroom dispenser as a back up.

I went back Wednesday to see if the paper towels had come in. No they hadn’t. Tried again today, but there are still no paper towels and my brown paper roll is just about gone. Hope the real paper towels come in tomorrow.

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 782

Rule #3

“Beware of bathrooms”

I was walking down the main hall towards the restroom this afternoon a a co-worker stepped out of his cubical in just in front of me. As we walked down the hall I pulled along side of him on the right and said, “How’s it going?” He responded with, “Good. You?” We continued walking in tandem exchanging banal pleasantries, but as we neared the hall to the right that led to the restroom, he slowed. I sensed he was headed the same place I was, but he didn’t have the same premonition. He was trying to politely let me continue on so he could make a right turn behind me instead of cutting across in front. But I slowed too and then he knew we both going to the same place.

We were headed towards the the smaller of the two Men’s Rooms near the front office. The larger one near HR has two urinals and three stalls, but this one only has one urinal and two stalls. As I was on the inside I made the turn in the lead and cried, “I’m going to get the urinal!” with child like glee because I wasn’t going to have to make a Morton’s Fork as to whether to lift a possible germ laden seat or try and maintain an accurate stream between the narrow gap at the front of said seat.

But my co-worker was unconcerned, as he replied, “I’m just heading in to wash my hands.” Fortunately he noticed the roll of paper towels was empty before he started washing, so he exited, heading back to the other restroom. I’m kind of glad, he seemed uninfected and everything, but the bathroom is where you are most vulnerable…

Started up, went down, back up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 780

Rule #31

“Check the back seat”

Here is where the Miata has the advantage, there is no back seat to worry about checking. But this plus is more than offset by its major disadvantage, the soft top.

Back a decade or so ago when we went to one of the first Miatas at the Gap, one of the MMC members was out back of the lodge washing her car when a small black bear waddled by. She quickly hopped in her car ’til it passed. Later at dinner when she was telling this story at the communal table, someone who had spent some time in Alaska, where the bears were more of the grizzly kind, asked, “Do you know what they call convertibles there?” Shrugs all around, so she answered her own question, “Peel ‘n’ Eats.”

So, if Columbus would be so kind to quote me too, I’d like to add another rule, when given a choice of vehicles, minivans aren’t cool and convertibles are dangerous, so “Rule #34: Take the SUV.”

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 777