Six? Hmm. Just a guess.
So. Officially, I’m doing “landscaping” for Heartland Homes. What I’m quicking learning, however, is that landscaping is nothing but a fancy term for moving dirt. Lots of dirt. And you just keep moving it until things look good. Sometimes you add some rocks on top, or put some grass on top of your dirt, but in general it’s just a lot of moving dirt.
I don’t mind, of course– I must admit that I have quite the tan going on– moving dirt leaves me with plenty of time to think. Think about what, you might ask?
Well, about things like this: moving dirt allows me to get closer to the “natural world.” For example: animals have been moving dirt for thousands and thousands of years. Take the prairie dog, for example: the prairie dog moves lots and lots of dirt. And I move lots and lots of dirt. Ergo, the prairie dog and I have something in common, do we not?
Of course, a prairie dog also has a brain the size of a raisen, but that’s beside the point. No, rather, that is the point. But I digress.
War of the Worlds, for a disaster movie, was quite spectacular. The characters were generally clichéd and poorly developed, the script was riddled with unexplained plot holes, and the acting certainly won’t bring the film any Oscar nominations. That being said, Spielberg delivers another film that merits placement alongside his other summer blockbusters. Typical of Spielberg, the film is absolutely immense, with (literally) thousands of extras (real people, not CG characters) on screen at times. The special effects are nearly seemless, and John William’s score is… composed and conducted by John Williams. Need I say more?
Although Spielberg’s tallent for placing thousands of characters on the screen at the same time shown more than his tallent for creating engaging or provocative films, there still were, none the less, several scenes that me pulled out on the edge of my seat, and breathing a sigh of relief with Cruise at their conclusion.
Although certainly not the best film of the summer, it was well worth my $7 and two hours. My advice? Go. Bring some friends. Have fun. And remember to sneak your food into the theatre so as not to support your local Caramike theatre. =)
In the mean time, I’m headed outside to go enjoy the last of the sunshower that has graced my house and the surrounding land. I love the sound of the rain as it hits the landscaping fabric that lines our rows of trees…
Mark youve sold out! your working for the man(Jim Woods)!
mark i could have told you that all landscaping is is moving stuff maily dirt and then moving it again cuase you put it where you were told to but in the end that really wasn’t the right place
Interestingly enough, Jim Woods seems to be one of the most misunderstood people around. The newspaper (our local tabloid) seems to think him a ruthless, cold-hearted and greedy capitalist who only cares about himself, his money, his latest property development…
In fact, those who know Jim Woods know that nothing could be further from the truth. Almost all of my co-workers have their own story about they’ve been touched by his generosity and kindness. “I’m greatful Jim took me on; things dried up [where I was working before], and I didn’t have anywhere to go, so Jim hired me.” Or “yeah, I can’t believe he hired me back. no one else would have.” Or “he bailed my brother out of jail and practically gave him a car…”
In fact, much of the criticism is misdirected. Jim Woods, Sr (who owns Heartland) spends the majority of his time away from the office– building churches in Africa, or doing aid work in impoverished regions of Russia, or organizing trips to Mexico for simlar purposes… with almost all of these being funded out of his pocket. He’s always going out of his way to help someone or put in a good word for someone…
So the newspaper can say what they want. As for myself, I hold Jim Woods in the highest esteem as one of the best people I’ve ever met.
My problem with Jim Woods has nothing to do with the paper. It’s just a thing I have against people who don’t build nice looking houses, and the majority of houses, or apartments I’ve seen are very boxy, and very unoriginal. Also the rates that are being charged to live in the apartments he’s built is way too much, last I knew they were above the market price for a two bedroom apartment, and they’re just plain ugly.
For the record, I live in a house that Jim Woods built. And I happen to think it looks just fine. =)