This is my weekly routine:

I work 8-5 M-F each week, but this is Saturday and I am not inclined to talk about work.  Ok?

Monday night is dart league.

Tuesday I recover from dart league beer drinking.

Wednesday I practice darts for a couple of hours, then head over to Don Valley, my favorite Korean restuarant in Itaewon, for samgyapsal.  Yum!

Thursday I stay home and will usually cook.  This week it was galbi, American style.  That would be Memphis (Corky’s) bar-b-que pork ribs.  Cooked on the grill the way God intended.

Friday is the Dolce Vita Dart tournament.  Always fun.  Last night I managed a second place with my partner COL Dan and had the high out as well.  That was good for W16,000.

Saturday is a wild card.  I do my grocery shopping for the week, surf the net, blog, and play CIV IV.  Saturday night?  Depends on the mood.  I’ll usually take a break from Dolce, and change the pace by visiting Manila bar for some San Miguel on tap.  When I’m feeling bago payo, I’ll hit Don Valley for some bulgogi.  Then depending on my mood level of intoxication and who I’ve encountered out and about, I like to do the norebang thing.  I can’t sing a lick, but that never stops me.  Tonight I will be playing in the Seoul International Dart League mid-season doubles tourney at Bless U Pub.  It starts at 4, so that foretells an early evening.  My capacity for beer drinking generally maxes out at 4 hours or so.  And as everyone knows, darts is just a socially acceptable excuse to drink beer, right? 

Sunday I do whatever I feel like, and don’t do whatever I don’t want to do.  It’s my lazy day (heh, more lazy than normal).  I don’t shave, sometimes cook, usually spend hours on the internet or playing CIV IV (I am bit obsessed with the game).  If I get too bored I’ll venture out to Dolce Vita and chuck some darts.

So, as you can see I like living life on the edge.  It’s a thrill a minute, let me tell you.

I say all of the above as a long winded prelude to my sharing this week’s movies.  As my regular reader(s) know, I recently purchased a giant flat screen TV and blu-ray DVD player.  And signed up for a subscription to Netflix. 

The way Netflix works for those that don’t know is you pay a monthly fee and have movies mailed to your home address.  This works for me because I have an APO (Army post office) address, which is serviced by the good ol’ U.S. Mail.  Given the turnaround time, I can usually watch 3 movies a week through Netflix.  I tend to watch movies on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights.  I supplement Netflix by buying movies on the street in Itaewon.  And yes, I am sure these are legitmate because they have the F.B.I. warning on them, and I know Korea would not tolerate anything as illicit as bootlegging DVDs.  That is wrong and tantamount to stealing afterall.  Just say NO!  Alright then, now that we are clear on that, here’s what I watched this week (no spoilers):

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.  A very interesting film starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.  Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Which I haven’t read.  The film was technically well made, and the special effects were impressive.  I enjoyed the story because it was different and thought provoking.  The whole concept of living your life is reverse chronology is quite mind bending.  Pitt turned in a fine performance as Mr. Button.  My only real complaint is the movie is a tad long at 3 hours, but for the most part I was sufficiently entertained to make the time investment worthwhile.  Using the LTG unpatented rating scale (1=sucks, 5=excellent) I give this flick a solid 4.

Valkyrie.  This film tells the true story (Wikipedia says it was for the most part historically accurate) of German Col Von Stauffenberg’s failed attempt to assianate Hitler in 1944.  Tom Cruise plays Stauffenberg, and although I’m no fan of Cruise, he did a nice job in this movie.  I’m a bit of a history buff (which is to say I have an interest in history, but I don’t really know sh*t about it), and the WWII genre is something that always catches my interest.  I didn’t have great expectations, but I enjoyed the Dickens out of this movie (sorry, I’m a slave to puns).  The what ifs of history are always intriguing, and the Valkyrie plotters came surprising close to pulling this coup off.  Of course, Hitler was dead in 9 months anyway, but perhaps an early end to the war would have changed the world as we know it today.  Or maybe not.  Anyway, if you have any interest in one of the lesser known events of WWII, I think you will find this movie satisfying.  I give it a hearty 3.

Yes Man.  Typical Jim Carrey fare.  A bit of a farce, but still mildly entertaining.  I like Jim Carrey in his more serious dramatic performances (i.e. e.g. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and this movie was full of the face gags and physical comedy for which Carrey is more well-known.  There were a few laughs along the way, but in the end I guess I was feeling like I could have better spent those 2 hours (like playing CIV IV).  I’ll be charitable and give it a rating of 2.

Ok friends, that’s this weeks view from the couch.  Keep on Truckin’!

UPDATE:  Corrected the i.e. to the proper e.g. as pointed out by a commenter.  I think I use to know the difference in some forgotten past, and I appreciate the reminder.   I also know my spelling is atrocious.  I have been ruined by a combination of Bill Gates’ squiggly underlines (unavailable here) and my utter laziness when it comes to actually looking a word up…