Only 3 more days until Christmas. While it doesn’t look like we will have a white Christmas here on the east coast, it is supposed to be very cold (especially on Saturday). But not as cold as some parts of the north west where temperatures are supposed to be brutally cold (Temperatures 30 to 40 degrees below average will cover three quarters of the country into Christmas). So bundle up, stay warm, and don’t go out unless you really need to

As far as the past week, Its been pretty eventful. The New York Mets continue to spend big money, signing a bunch of free agents. While I am happy that the Mets are willing to spend money, and not hold back on players for budgetary reasons, it does feel a bit over the top. As a life long Mets fan, (and baseball in general) I can remember the times when the Mets were very good as well as the times they were really bad. But they always had players (such as Ed Kranepool, Tom Seaver, Darryl Strawberry, Davis Wright) who you just associated with the Mets. Today with players becoming free agents and jumping from team to team it just kind of feels weird (and a bit sad). When I think back, the teams that I best remember who won championships used to have players who I associated with the teams (Kirby Puckett with the Twins, Jose Conseco and Mark McGuire with the Oakland A’s, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada with the Yankees, Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz with the Red Sox). But on the flip side are the Florida Marlins, (who basically did what the Mets are doing today). They went out and signed a bunch of free agent stars, and rode them to World Series wins in 1997 and 2003. But most people (and I’m sure even some die hard Florida Marlins Fans) don’t look back at these championships and think about about the all-time Marlins players were on those teams. Even if the Mets do go onto win the World Series, I just hope I don’t look back many years from now at the current Mets team and remember them more for just spending money, like the Marlins, then of a team of players I got to know and follow for many years.

I went to see “Avatar: The Way Of Water” last weekend and highly recommend seeing it (especially in 3D with good sound). The movie really got me immersed into the world of Pandora, and it truly felt like you were there and along for the ride. The dialog was a bit childish, and the story was kind of open ended, but with possibly 3 more sequels on the way, I’m sure things will be further explained going forward. The way the 3D was used (to mainly show depth) worked really well. It was also very cool how the different groups of people all were unique in there own way (slightly different skin colors and dialects) much like the ways things actually are.

I remember reading an article about the making of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Three of the main people responsible for the movie (Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Lawrence Kasdan) worked closely together to make sure everything came together. They hashed out the dialog, to make sure it fit with the move, one thing that I wish they had done more with Avatar. Sometimes it feels like movies are dumbed down a bit to tailor a younger audience. That works for some movies, but others need to trust the audience is sophisticated enough to have authentic dialog. While everything James Cameron and crew did was great in this movie, a bit more work on the dialog and it could have been amazing. I will probably go see it again, and am looking forward to the next chapter

Speaking of good dialog, I am watching “Fleishman is in Trouble” on Hulu. I am really enjoying it and feel the dialog really captures the characters. Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, and Lizzy Caplan are all excellent along with a good supporting cast, including Josh Radnor. (Always will be remembered by me for playing “Ted Mosby” in “How I Met Your Mother”). I find it refreshing to see a show that shows the ups and downs of peoples lives in a true manor

Other shows I’m watching:

National Treasure: Edge of History (enjoyed the first 2 episodes. Its billed as a continuation of the movies. Want to see how they tie things in

CSI:Vegas – Big fan of the original CSI and enjoying this continuation

Jack Ryan (Season 3) – Liked the 1st 2 seasons, and the first episode of Season 3 was really good

Big game for the NY Giants on Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. A win would almost guarantee a spot in the playoffs. Hopefully they can win so I can relax while watching the last 2 games. The Football schedule is a bit chaotic this year due to Christmas being on a Sunday

Want to wish everybody a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season. Have a Very Merry Christmas and be sure to find some down time to relax and recharge as we roll into 2023. Thanks all who spent time some of there time reading this. It is appreciated

See you in 2023

AverageAndy

PS: Remember that Survivor 44 Returns on Wednesday, March 1st