Bling and swag

So let's see...a few things.

1. Not exactly the best predictions in the world about the primaries last night. Obama did better than I thought, easily expanding on my 8% prediction in North Carolina and making things much closer in Indiana. Most people are now saying the Democratic primary is essentially done. It's just a matter of how and when Clinton bows out. Obama vs. McCain in the fall. Should be an interesting race.

2. Saw Iron Man last night. Figured that was a better idea than spending the evening watching returns on CNN. Besides, I've been wanting to see the movie in ages. We don't normally get movies on opening weekend up here, but we do for get some of the big releases. For example, the next Indiana Jones is opening on May 22. We'll be seeing that one opening week. Maybe not the weekend, as the crowds can be annoying.

Anyway, the movie lives up to the hype. It works if you're a comic book geek like myself and it works if you're not one like Cathy. Of course, I was admiring the acting and the pretty cool special effects. So was Cathy, but she was also taking special notice of the "yummy good-looking man" that was Robert Downey Jr. So there's plenty of eye candy, depending on what your definition of eye-candy is.

And we were both impressed with Gwyneth Paltrow's ability to not only walk, but actually run in 6 inch heels.

I would call it one of the top 5 super hero related movies so far (Batman Begins, X-Men 2, Spider-Man 2 and Superman II being the other ones). It's really excellent and I highly recommend it.

3. Today was trade show day in town. I'm involved with one of the tables which meant helping giving out information and, well, swag. Swag is the promotional items that pretty much everyone brings to these type of events. People go around from table to table, chat, make connections and check out the swag. If you want pens, you can stock up on them for the next year. I'm not sure what the strangest item was, there were some strong contenders. Although the keychain lava lamb was up there.

However, today was closed to the general public. Tomorrow is the madness that is open day. That's when the general public swarms through to take a look. And grab as much free stuff as they can. It will be nuts.

I didn't actually grab much in the way of swag. I did, however, get something. I passed by one of the tables and saw one of the local jewelry makers displaying his wares. And Matthew does really, really nice stuff. I couldn't resist this piece. I really don't know if I can pull it off. I'm not a jewelry person at all. I wear a watch and a wedding ring and that's all.

But hey, this is nice.



In case, you're wondering, it's made of silver. The claw is from a polar bear. Even Cathy seems to think I might be able to pull it off. But time will tell.

Last Five
1. Rocket man - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
2. See your sunshine - Paul McCartney
3. Monster ballads - Josh Ritter
4. Wake up - The Arcade Fire*
5. Offend in every way - White Stripes