Edwards Design Solutions

G – 1hr. 40min.

The kids loved this movie. I really enjoyed it too. There is a warning to parents that the theaters continue to play inappropriate previews for the age group that kids movies are intended for. This is either an oversight or possibly a planned infiltration of the innocence of today’s innocents.

After the barrage of TV commercials and previews, the movie opens with a somewhat traditional “Once Upon a Time…”. It has the feel of a Shrek-ish type of fairy tale, but the story and artwork are perfect for the period. The artwork is very reminiscent of 15th Century Early Renaissance paintings, but it’s still fun and a fresh feel as this look has not been used in digital animation before.

Without spoiling the movie for you, I will simply say that Desperaux is a mouse that doesn’t behave like other mice. He doesn’t scurry or flinch in fear. He doesn’t realize that he’s smaller than other mice. He is brave, true and chivalrous to a fault. His un-mouse-like behavior gets him into trouble. Continue reading »

Ever have time to kill and not know a quick and fun way to waste those few silly minutes at the end of the workday? Well, the Eyeball Game is one way to do that. I have taken a few different online tests and whatnot. I remembered that I am considered a spacial/visual person. That means I am good at visualizing something and I can match distances (i.e. pixel spacing) or shapes.

So this game takes you through the different tasks three times, to get an average score of how close you are to perfection. The lower the number, the better. My best score is 3.55, can you beat me?

Personally, I like Christmas. I don’t like the commercialization of what is supposed to be a celebration of Jesus being born. It was the beginning of the entire process of the redemption of mankind. Then a few thousand years later, the big-box stores and mega-corps have taken the gift-giving idea to all new heights of insanity.

How many people in the free world (or is it really just the USA?) save up piles of cash and credit card space for the Christmas season, then work the whole first quarter of the new year to recover from the debt incurred? What about the brainwashing of society’s children, to buy the latest-and-greatest junk because the commercials make it look really cool? Parents are pressured into keeping the kids happy. Men alone have it even worse, because they also have to keep their spouse happy! But what about those of us who may have a spouse that really does want something nice for the holidays, but you better stay on a budget buddy…..or the whole thing will be snafu-ed? Not that I am in that situation….

There are a few simple guidelines for the haggard husband, that are very easy to follow:

1. Don’t buy an appliance unless it is EXPRESSLY asked for!
2. Don’t buy clothing (what are you, stupid!?)
3. Don’t buy something you really want and try to pass it off as something for her.
4. DO take the time to shop for a bargain (they tend to check the credit card statements)

Jewelry can be a nice buy, as an accessory, that doesn’t have any hidden meaning to it. Now, women can over-analyze and read between lines to find innuendo that men NEVER had an inkling or agenda to infer. What I mean is, don’t go buying a dress that is accidentally too small. She might think you are inferring that she’s overweight, even if you simply made a mistake! Too bad for you. The point is, you will find yourself in the proverbial “doghouse” faster than you can say I’m sorry. Nothing you will try to say or do will matter after that. Take a look at the following clip to see what I mean.

The Doghouse