Concord Goulds

2011... big year for movies- ENJOY SOME PREVIEWS!

2010-12-30T22:18:00.000-08:00

2011 is going to be a year for some favorite actors returning to the screens and making us impressed that they reinvented themselves again without leaving out what we already loved about them. I have a feeling the following year will be the year of incredible sequels... but I'll write about that in 12 months. So far here is the scoop that has me in serious anticipation:

The Adjustment Bureau

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810119644/video

Unknown

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810122285/trailer

Somewhere

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810125513/trailer

The Other Woman

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810081462/video/23612189

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810159115/trailer

X Men: First Class

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol

http://www.movienewz.com/mission-impossible-4/

Super 8

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810159189/trailer

Cowboys and Aliens

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810159817/trailer

Your Highness (medevil spoof movie that looks funny)

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2846137113/

funny movies: The Dilemma, Just Go With It

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810179326/trailer

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810150358/trailer

Star Trek 2

Rise of the Apes

Three Musketeers

Hangover 2

for booknerds, that leave out good plotlines, but still somewhat entertain:

Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows- Part 1, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1

2012 SO FAR!!!:

The Hobbit: Part 1, Dark Knight Rises, Die Hard 5, Indiana Jones 5, James Bond 23, 21 Jumpstreet, Bad Boys 3

2010 movies to not miss

2010-01-28T14:03:00.000-08:00

Yes... I have a day job

1. Robin Hood- Russell Crowe!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSqL9ygBCck

2. Iron Man 2.......this will be gooood. Watch the trailer.
http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/

3. Green Zone..... I bet this tops the Bourne series for Matt Damon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSX7LaFtwIU

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mmaEeQ3RA4

5. A Team.......well done.
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808402981/trailer

6. Date Night- Steve Carrell and Tina Fey as an awkward married couple. This may be the funniest movie this next year. Keep in mind, Hangover 2 will be carried over to 2011.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSV4Y2l7JQg

7. Salt- Action/Mystery with Angelina Jolie as if she can pull off James Bond. I'll still watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNkTFao5_UI

8. Grown Ups- old class of SNL; Sandler, Schneider, D. Spade. I bet Chris Farley would have been in this and made it even funnier.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMjubRqxNSk

9. Expendables- yes Stallone is still trying to act B.A. and be Rambo/Rocky- he cast Schwartzenegar, Drago (Russian guy sometimes known as Dolph Lungren), Transporter actor Statham, and an obnoxious WWF wrestler/wannabe actor. This will be laughable but I'll still watch.

10. Wolfman This should be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVKyeMQcUNY

Others: Harry Potter- Deathly Hallows Part 1, Twilight- Eclipse,
Wall Street 2 (Michael Douglas),
M. Night's The Last Airbender
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gdRvxGfgBA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBvOhfL4mYw&feature=related

Movies that Topped the list for me last year (some should be obvious and some rentals worth mentioning):
Avatar, Dark Knight, 500 days of Summer, Star Trek, G.I. Joe, the Hangover, Twilight, Taken, Gran Torino, X Men Origins: Wolverine, Dan in Real Life (I keep watching it), Faith Like Potatoes, District 9, Inglorious Basterds
Let downs: Transformers 2, Fast and Furious, Sherlock Holmes

P.s. It's funny looking back at my old predictions from a year ago:
http://adamandraimee.blogspot.com/

http://www.movie-moron.com/?p=7051

Involuntary Job Transition

2009-03-10T13:28:00.001-07:00

God is good.......Thanks for all of the encouragement, suggestions, and feel free to laugh at the sad trombone.

http://sadtrombone.com/

Big Movies Coming in 2009

2009-01-11T21:59:00.000-08:00

My top movies from last year of course Dark Knight, Indy 4, Prince Caspian, Fireproof, and Cloverfield were not to be outdone by this year's lineup.

1. G.I. Joe: you laugh now, but wait until you see how great this will be. I laughed at Transformers and that is now one of my top movies.

2. Fast and Furious: they finally went back to the original storyline with the original characters; everyone is back for it, including Vin Diesel

3. Terminator 4: Salvation. Batman Stud Christian Bale plays Shawn Connor in this one. Trailer looks incredible. I wish Arnold would make a cameo. http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810025211/trailer

4. Wolverine, X Men origins: I really liked the X Men movies and I think this one is going to be much simpler and much more personal drama. It may be the action movie runner up to the Transformers sequel. See for yourself: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808665084/video/11128168

5. Transformers 2, Revenge of the Fallen. If you haven't watched the first movie, stop reading and go rent it.

6. Wolf Man: this year is going to be filled with personal story action/dramas. Benicio Del Toro will not disappoint.

7. The Soloist: looks like a great drama with Robert Downey Jr. and homeless character played by Jamie Fox.

8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: I like these movies. I'll have to watch the all of the previous to get ready. My favorite so far is Prizoner of Azkaban with it's Marty Mcflyness.

6. Star Trek: I'm not a trek fan, but I can tell it won't matter. It is created and directed by J.J. Abrams who had done much of my favorite writing including Lost, Cloverfield, Alias, Felicity. Click this: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809752801/video/10733492

7. Public Enemies: Johnny Depp and Christian Bale do a Depression-era Mobster movie about a real criminal, John Dillinger.

8. Bruno: Borat actor Baron..... is back with something I think will be hilarious and probably over the top. TV version would still be funny.

9. Sherlock Holmes: Jude Law and of course Robert Downey Jr. (He's in everything!!)

10. Paul Blart, Mall Cop: I think I'll wait for video on this, but it looks just stupid enough to make me giggle uncontrollably.

Also this year.....Scorsese has his contribution to the year with Dicaprio, Quentin Tarentino has a new movie with Brad Pitt and Mike Meyers (odd), sequel to Da Vinci Code- Angels & Demons, 2012 looks like some sort of Armageddon movie, flick about Biggy Smalls should be decent, new funny film with the guys from Knocked Up called Funny People, and James Cameron has his long awaited "Avatar" which no one knows anything about.

If You Didn't Like Indiana Jones....

2008-07-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

Try watching the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles which was a 12 part mini-movie series by George Lucas and Steven Spieberg. The guy that plays Indy is not bad (Sean Patrick Flanery), and there is a few cameos from Harrison Ford as he does some flashback sequences (some action sequences too). You've gotta love the music from the Indy movies and how the punches sound like echoy slaps. Indy and his saxophone trickery!

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzoKDo4R2a8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE8ZYcxWw74&feature=related

Dramatic Performance At Our Church

2008-07-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

If you scroll to the very bottom of this webpage, you'll see a recent human video done to a Lifehouse song at Clayton Community Church. It's an interpretation of Jesus dancing with one of His children (representing any of us, who chose relationship with Him) and the struggle between living (dancing) with Him vs. settling for other idols or lies that are commonly sold and bought in our culture. Enjoy. Other churches have done it and taped it in close up, quality video.

For another example:

http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ee73e63418003b47d7d5

Indiana Jones, did you like it... a dangerous question

2008-06-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

So, I do not think it is hard to please me with a big, blockbuster film. I understand people love to get snobby with movies and bash the various nuances and disect why their opinion matters. I swear we still love to hear your opinion. However, I hope you don't mind our forming an opinion of your opinion. Once in a while a hyped up movie disappoints simply because it has no point to it (E.g. No Country For Old Men), or it is too disturbing depite the reviewed popularity (E.g. Green Mile). I'll state up front that this Indiana Jones movie was lacking nothing for the both of us. If you appreciate the other Indy movies (important pre-emptive clause) and you understand the genre and character of Indiana Jones (again, important), then you too should find very little criticism, in our humble opinions. And still, we find many friends and family who go to the movies to simply find some criticism and avoid at all cost the experience of simply sitting back and being entertained. Are you really telling me that it was not entertaining? That's the question we pose for those disappointed. What did you expect? "I didn't like the alien theme", "I didn't think it was realistic", etc. Really? Did you watch the other Indy films? This movie had to be set in the 50s. If you can think of a better, mysterious topic that fits with the character and themes in the previous films, then make your own movie and make millions. More to say, but let's talk in person. For the time being, I think I'll stick with the opinion that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg know what they're doing though.

Movie reviews? You got it. Adam's pics.

2008-04-27T16:45:00.000-07:00

Movies Coming Your Way in the Theater:

- Indiana Jones 4, Crystal Skull
- Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian
- Batman 2, Dark Knight
- James Bond, Quantum of Solace
- The Happening: M. Night Shyamalan's next breakthrough (much better than Lady in the Water, if you haven't seen Signs or The Village, it's time to go to blockbuster).

Great Rentals:

Juno- This is the award winning movie that makes me agree with the voters. There is something uniquely interesting about the modern high school culture portrayed in the mix of some very likeable characters. The main character reminds me of a teenage version of a Jeanine Garofalo (sarcastic, witty, but cute). It is really a Napolean Dynamite meets Knocked Up with humor and appropriate awkwardness. Don't miss this.

August Rush and Once- Regardless of your preference in movies, go see both of these. Music is a major part of both movies but the undercurrents could be appreciated by anyone. "Awesome and Unique" is the way I would describe both.

We Own the Night- Mark Walberg and Jauquin Pheonix playing characters who are brothers and enemies who still consider family important. It's great. And Robert Duvall is their dad, need I say more. This is a hard movie to get through, however, and is rated R for a reason (fast forward the opening scene). Other than that it is an incredible film about families and "taking self-inventory" on what matters most in the decisions one makes. Without giving anything away, take my advice: see it. Much like American Gangster, it takes some suprising turns that are great.

American Gangster- Denzel is phenomenal in everything, but this is my favorite role for him: a likeable bad guy. He was a bit psycho as a bad guy in Training Day, and a squeaky-clean but complex guy in everything else. Russel Crowe as the persistant detective and Denzel as the powerful drug-KING. Some twists and turns make this movie a top choice for me.

I am Legend- Great acting from Will Smith (big surprise) and reminiscent of Castaway with the isolated world and lifestyle- silently enjoyable storyline. The CGI zombie-like humans are awkwardly unfitting for the film, but the movie is great otherwise. Incredible storyline with a fizzling ending. Watch it then we'll discuss.

Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma- Both excellent Christian Bale flicks for for completely different reasons. Both, however, are genres that have been unvisited for some time, P.O.W. War-time and Dramatic western, respectively. Another likeable bad guy in Russel Crowe from 3:10 to Yuma.

Knocked Up, Superbad- KU was suprisingly well done in our opinion, but has a strange theme about drugs in light of taking responsibility with becoming a dad (reality is that pot would win out). Decent movie about dealing with life though; both movies are hilarious. Superbad, on the other hand was a bit crude as much as I liked the dialogue and age-relevant lingo. "I am Mclovinnnn' "

Dan In Real Life- This movie was brilliant. A serious role for Steve Carell was perfect for him at this point. Evan Almighty was lame and we've all had a heavy dosage of Michael from The Office. Synopsis: single widowed Dad to 3 daughters who meets the right woman for him who he later finds out is dating his brother (Dane Cook). The whole adult family with kids and spouses meet at a vacation home and have fun traditions together- that is the context of this awkward scenario.

There Will Be Blood, No Country For Old Men- Both Front-runners with award winner and both looked absolutely lame to me. I think I'm right and should've trusted my instinct from the get-go. So far I've seen "No Country for Boring Endings" and want my 2 hours of life back. If you like storylines that go no where and casts of great characters who all die then watch Departed and movies like these. I'll find a better way to invest my time. Atonement, which may fit with these 2, may be the exception and we plan to watch it based on Uncle Art's recommendation.

The Ultimate Gift, Facing the Giants- These are 2 great Christian movies that are but wholesome and powerful (if you can get over the cheeziness), if you can appreciate that sort of thing. If for no other reason, good conversation starters.

Transformers, Oceans 13, Mission Impossible III, Casino Royale, Green Street Hooligans, Lucky Number Slevin, Stranger than Fiction, Gospel of John, Super Size Me, Last Kiss, Groomsman- Movies that I saw last year that rocked my world (and were suprisingly filled with entertainment). Tell me when you see them and what you thought.

Saving Silverman, Harold and Kumar- 2 movies we saw this last year in the TV-edited format that were hilarious and made me wonder why I waited so long to see them. Neil Diamond and Doogie show up randomly (respectively) and make both movies that much better.

Maxed Out- Best thought-provoking documentary ever. You're disappointing me by not renting it and telling me what you think of it. Did you not get my email??

Happy Valentine's Day, wanna watch some TV?

2008-02-24T13:47:00.000-08:00

So the beginning of this season of Lost was too much to do something super romantic on this commercialized holiday. Lost is romantic though, right? Truth be told we had a sushi lunch date the next day, so don't think Adam is a jerk. We enjoyed a nice night-in with our pals from Lost. (Spoilers, don't read on Liens) Ridiculous that Sayeed is working for Benjamin Linus in the future, Hurley is hanging out with ghost-Charlie, and Kate is now "mom" to Claire's baby? Is it me, or is pregnancy a recurring occurance for EVERY woman on the show. Danielle Russo (jungle lady) had her baby on the island, Sun gets pregnant, Claire, Kate is rumored pregnant.... any living female that's not pregnant? I guess that's what happens on a deserted island. Still, we are waiting for answers to a four-toe statue, the others' obsession with little kids, who "Jacob" is, random appearances from dead people, what happened to Michael and Walt, Desmond's time warp, Penny's search party, Charlie's death escape, numbers appearing on a shark, black smoke, unknown siblings (Jack and Claire), overlapped stories between all flashbacks, polar bear and horse sightings, some "accident" and "secret" thing that happened before leaving (making them think they have to go back).

Visit from the Colorado Goulds

2008-02-24T13:44:00.001-08:00

Man... did we have a fun time with these guys (and gal). We got to introduce them to E.J. Phair, hang out with Uncle Art together, gather as brothers (minus N.J.), and even make a trip up Mt. Diablo on a sunny day. Good times were had by all and it was amazing to see "baby" James transformed into "little boy" James. We miss you guys already!

ZipFizz

2008-02-24T13:41:00.000-08:00

So we're the kind of people that cannot enjoy coffee black and feel guilty putting lots of sweet stuff in our caffeinated beverages, knowingly sacrificing health (not to mention lots of money to the greedy Peet's and Starbucks corporations). Instead we found a "healthy" way to get energy during the workweek and drink lots of H-2-O. The product comes in a powder form and mixes with agua into a tasty beverage that's quite thick (like gatorade, not e-mer-gen-C). The other bonus is that there is no sugar, and it doesn't have the strong, annoying artificial sweetner taste. If you look on the vitamin content it's 41,667% Vitamin B12, with other loads of greatness like zinc and vitamin C. We found this drink to boost energy and consciousness quickly without any lame side effects. Drink it up!

Spiffy Job Title

2008-02-24T13:34:00.001-08:00

Many of you know what Adam's work situation has been like. God continues to provide. We've spent many months praying and wondering what kind of workplace would be fulfilling and my utilize capabilitites. Well.... it seems that we are experiencing an answer. I was blessed with a great job opportunity at Bank of America last month. Call or write us if you want to hear more about it.

The Sandalman

2008-02-24T13:34:00.000-08:00

A few of you have commented on my slippers (and Raimee's matching) that are crazy comfortable looking; they're actually even more comfortable than they appear. These slippers are top notch - everyone in my family owns a pair. The company is in Southern California. If you're curious, check out the website: http://thesandalman.com/sheepskin.htm

Raimee Birthday Adventures

2008-01-28T20:01:00.000-08:00

So Adam did his best to spoil his wifey by taking her to Livermore to visit some fun new places, where good food and beverage are served and the vino culture is valued (but without snobbery). It was a stupendous part 1 adventure, soon to be followed by some shopping and movie watching (Cloverfield A+). We now have a iron feather wall hanging, but Raimee is convinced it is a banana leaf- whatever that is. Red roses were also purchased (glad to be missing the Valentine's frenzy and trendiness).

It's 2008.

2008-01-28T19:43:00.000-08:00

New Year's was extreme this year with 3 different gatherings with friends. We had a nice dinner at a friend's house, another round up with our Bible study group, and then we vamoosed to the annual Samuel Bedros Party. It did not disappoint with music loud enough to feel like we were at a high school party with pretty much the same kind of crowd. Good times though. Adam's brother came out and that was cool.

Christmas Tree Lighting in Clayton

2007-12-17T19:00:00.000-08:00

Next to our lovely home are fun festivities in the cozy little town of Clayton. Many of our friends live nearby, so we frequent Main Street's Skipolinis Pizza with them. Christmas time provided the opportunity to go to Clayton's Tree Lighting where many residents gather to sing Christmas carols and watch the big foliage make the street bright while standing in the cold (not too cold though). We had a swell time and were impressed our peops came out with the kiddies. Good times.

Thanksgiving is Fun In Washington

2007-12-02T15:50:00.001-08:00

So we had quite an adventure in Raimee's hometown of Port Angeles for the November holiday. We even had some Christmas spirit mixed in as Raimee's mom throws a big celebration since we don't get to see her in December (or our sister Tessa and our neice Shelby- sigh). We had a tremendous time with our family we love so much and our friends who feel like family as they anticipate our visit with style (tasty beverages, props to Rain Shadow Brewery!). From witnessing the creation of a "human pinata" and getting to gab it up with Grandma and Grandpa Hulse, it's simply nice to be in another place that feels like home. Our friends Marc and Liz Lawson just had their baby Sophia and it's always fun playing Catch Phrase with the Lawsons, Hares, and Kuhs over some home-made pizza (thanks Abby). Yes, it's the perfect vacation but never long enough.

A Self-Made Friend of Ours (but created by God, of course)

2007-12-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Andria and Adam became friends as employees at the great ol' Chili's Restaurant. It's great to keep in touch and see where life takes us. Check out her story at http://www.ocregister.com/news/norris-program-county-1929031-outreach-sufficient
God is doing some amazing things with Andria. She attends Rock Harbor and is a blessing to everyone in her life, no doubt. We're hoping to get to see her soon.

High School Reunions for the both of us

2007-12-01T23:43:00.000-08:00

We are fully aware that people dread going to these or simply decide not to go, but luckily for us some of our current best friends are from class of '97. We came back to WA for Raimee's reunion which was a nice excuse to be back and proved a good time. Our close friends that made it worthwhile are Brian and Sarah Kuh (Raemer) and so we, for the most part, visited with them. It was also a nice time for Raimee to reconnect with old friends and Adam had a buddy even though he didn't know anyone. Just a couple of months later, we had a great time at Adam's reunion at an oceanside restaurant in Berkeley. We were among friends we regularly celebrate life with in the Bay area (Sam Bedros, Andrea and Scott Martin, Drew Case, Daran and Lizzie Fraser, Alli and Jesse Lee, Keith and Liana Dickson). Good times!

Other peoples' kids

2007-08-27T23:30:00.000-07:00

Other peoples' kids....we love them and feel no rush to have any of our own. Don't get me wrong, we know we are old and look forward to the time that God gives the green light on having a crazy little Adam-Raimee combo in a human. We love this time of life and are patient to have a little blessing of our own at some point. We have 2 friends in the last week that have had newborn girls. The Thomases had baby Sally and the Fadellis had baby Adrianna. Newborns are always so surprisingly spectacular to see in person. We were mesmorized in both of our visits. Parenthood will be an adventure somday in the distant future. Raimee is so amazing with little ones and will be such a great mom. As for Adam, he'll read an instruction manual. He looks forward to passing on his Elvis obssession and watching many clean movies with kids someday.

SLEEPING WELL?

2007-07-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of things that were worth paying far more than I actually paid were the novaform mattress topper from costco and the novaform contouring pillows from bed, bath, and beyond. For those that recognize "tempurpedic" as a type of luxury comfort with bed products, "novaform" is the cheaper but equally great brand. The best investment made....I look forward to bed every night and relish my time in the morning.

http://health.msn.com/centers/sleep/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100155391&GT1=10210

Game It Up

2007-04-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

So pretty much our favorite thing to do with family, friends, and strangers these days is playing interactive group games. I guess they are in the board-game category, but our favorite games do not necessarily include an actual “game board”. If you have ever felt the need to wake up and laugh in the presence of company, I recommend the games: Catch Phrase, Cranium, Mad Gab, or any DVD game such as Pop Culture Trivial Pursuit, Scene It, or Movies to Shout About. We are not very big on games of chance or strategy, but rather social games where you have to evoke a response from a teammate or guess an answer about an obscure celebrity. If you have the time, google some of these games or look for them next time you're at Target or any place that sells games. Also, these are excellent gifts.

Movie suggestions

2007-04-11T14:16:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly Great Films:

Stranger Than Fiction- Will Farell has some revelations after hearing an "author" voice

Green Street Hoolagans- Incredible movie with everything from characters, storyline, etc. I recommend this movie over all others right now.

Super Size Me- Great movie with enlightening truths (stats given in addition to his story). Watch all of the special features, especially the interview with the author of Fast Food Nation.

My Date With Drew- actually interesting as you get into it, great ending. Watch extended ending on Special Features.

The Gospel of John- If you long to get deeper in the Bible and understand Jesus,watch this movie. Lots of Special features.

The Guardian- Ashton was not so bad. A little cheezy but pretty entertaining.

The Illusionist- Edward Norton acting with brilliant writing. Prestige is good too, but does not quite make either list.

The Last Kiss- Intense and frustrating storyline... but the message is good, if you watch the alternate ending.

The Groomsmen- Good pick Josh. Another great story of guys who struggle with growing up and accepting life.

300- if you can look past grimy gore and harsh brutality (like Braveheart), this movie is amazing.

Da Vinci Code- bookworms can pipe down as far as I'm concerned. This is flat out entertaining. It's action packed and suspenseful.

Wake Up, Ron Burgandy- I can't believe how many people don't know there is a sequel to Anchorman. It's crazy good.

Surprisingly Lame:

The Departed- the ending ruined it, but good until then other than being long.

Children of Men- no point to this futuristic tale. Can't stand King Arthur actor.

Little Miss Sunshine- overly hyped. Steve Carell was not in full form for this.

The Night Listener- predictable and boring. Robin Williams with beard reminded me of Good Will Hunting. Not that calliber of acting though.

Saw III- first 2 are much better

Click- Adam Sandler from Anger Management but stuck in a crappy movie

Unknown- great film about guys who wake up in a wherehouse with no memory of what happened. They ruined it with a dumb conclusion.

Flags of our Fathers- way too dark and aimless with plot to be entertaining or make me feel patriotic.

How well do you remember the Old Concord Goulds?

2007-03-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

So when we weren't watching Sledge Hammer, Gymkata, Superfuzz, Karate Kid, or Nadia on TV, we were rocking out to the Back to the Future scene where Michael J. Fox plays "Johnny B. Goode" with the beat up guitar in the toy closet (we fought for it, of course) and the rest of us rocking out with pillows used for air guitars. Dad also rented Charlie and the Chocolate Factory once. That was pretty cool. What was with that toy closet anyway? I think there were creatures living in that red and blue toy chest.

And what was with all of the neighbors that were obsessed with our house? Was it the Mt. Hermon board upstairs? It must have been the spill-friendly gold carpet. Actually, I'm pretty sure it was the consistently filled fridge and cupboards in the kitchen. Every once in a while we allowed Pablo to bum around at our place. Strangely enough tennis rackets, random objects, and mass amounts of gum were missing. Actually a lot of food was missing from the cupboard too. Oh well.

It was always fun carting around in mom's huge blue VW van; mom being behind her huge steering wheel/manual stick- she'd take us to second deck so we could look forward to using Lateef's "mint-condition" machine for Don Mattingly's rookie card because the Beckett listed it for a high dollar amount. That crazy van. I remember after my bike was stolen how we actually did a stakeout in that van. That's an awesome mom. I remember when Jeremy and I were chased out of the house by mom (with a crazy spoon, of course) and we planned on sleeping in that van but instead had Nick flip TV channels through the window and camped ourselves in the backyard. How 'bout when we set up the green tent to play "blind man's bluff". Safe game.

Birthday parties were tubular with the treasure hunts that usually ended in the downstairs shower or dryer. There was always a clue in Dad's pocket for some reason. I loved cruising to the Wooz for some maze-tastic adventures. I think there was a couple of birthdays we did that.

Birthday celebrations at CC Ole's were cool except I always got my burger last (Dad knows). I remember when I took a swing at Jeremy's face in CC Ole's and Dad's reaction: YANKED us outside the building, offering to take us on. I particularly loved family meetings (which mom initiated with her, "hear ye, hear ye"), most of which ended with someone getting chewed out by dad and crying (usually me). The best was when you were BUSTED and Dad would have us pull down our pants and wait for him in the bathroom. That's a prideless moment to stand as a kid with your pants around your ankles, waiting to get the piss spanked out of you. Jeremy definitely got spanked the most though. No question. Nick got lucky- mom and dad were just tired by the time they got to him. It was radical when we got busted and sent to our rooms, which naturally led to joining forces, collaborating, and slipping notes and candy to each other to fend off the common enemy, MOM and her crazy wooden spoon.

We weren't big on sharing though: separate cereal boxes/months for the front seat/15 minutes for nintendo. We were buddies when it came to the 5 foot baketball hoop above the garage though, trampoline slamming for days on end.

The random bike rides over the memorial hill to McDonalds were pretty sweet. How much fun did we have at the community pool? Making bubble gum bubbles in the pool for people to freak out about and flipping people's rafts (while they're in them).

We did our share of violence. Breaking mom's decorations-glass, porcelean, usually some kind of goose figurine and usually broken by a football or ball of some sort. Numchuck candles were awesome though. Karate matches on blankets/boxing with ski gloves was great too, attempting to emulate "Mike Tyson's Punch Out" or an actual Mike Tyson fight we watched on pay-per-view, until bloody lips or noses ended it. Wrestlemania and Royal Rumbles on pay-per-view were flippin' neato. "I knew Ultimate Warrior was a Christian". What ever happened to Jason Watson anyway? How about Andy Meyers, Nick Trapenese, Glen Gizzy, Aaron Sauer?

Backyard ball tag was cool. The coolest was when we made an American Gladiator arena out of our backyard with barriers and Nerf Arrow guns. The occasional mooning of the Castenedas was not to be outdone by the Radsted's dead meat comment. The pinnacle was Jacob Minges "loving being a turtle".

It's certainly worthy of note to include the focus on nutrition in our family: our "sweet for the day" (non stop candy bars), the constant 2 liter cokes, and the classic summer of stop n go cokes. Mom's meat loaf and beef stroganoff were eggcellent.

Irrational fears crept up here and there. I'll never watch "The Blob" again, that's for sure. I remember running back down from taking out the trash/turning off the lghts upstairs and jumping out of the darkness to escape the "monster's" clutches. Nick knows what I'm talking about. Why didn't we just have nightlights?

One classic time was Nick and I simultaneously faking sick to stay home from school and wrestle on mom and dad's bed, but instead breaking their waterbed and never coming clean about it. I think at some point in adulthood we fessed up. Did we? Why was it so cool to drop anchor in mom and Dad's bathroom. It's a mystery.

Man, we had a rediculous amount of energy. I could book up those stairs in no time (when I wasn't sledding down in a laundry basket). Our old videos are hilarious. Man, were we rambunctious. I remember being able to hop the fence in no time at all.

So if you don't remember Dad roughly combing your hair with the blow dryer brush, or ball tag with the nerf ball and the Sauers, surely you remember the commodore 64 computer games. Bruce Lee, come on!

Grandma on thanksgiving, need I say more. Adam wrestles.

Fondue with the Thomases

2007-02-24T12:03:00.000-08:00

Two of our great friends, Jason and Julie invited us to yet another awesome BBQ dinner. Jason has mad grill skills! The especially spicy chicken was mouth-watering but balanced out by the creamy scalloped potatoes crafted by Julie. The surprise at the end of the meal topped the meal off perfectly...FONDUE (Adam's first). We sat around the table, dipping delicious blackberries and bananas into warm, tasty dark chocolate. YUM! It's always fun times with friends from our Young Marrieds Bible study. It's also important to mention Mary, their adorable 19 month old. We always have an awesome time with these guys but this night was certainly a highlight. I think we were in a sugar coma for a while and it was quite alright.

Crazy Haley

2007-02-14T15:24:00.000-08:00

So our niece who is growing up way too fast is the one and the only, "Haley Monster". When she's not trying to keep up with her daredevil older sister, she's asking you to do something playful with her, "AGIIIIIN!" She's pretty much pure comedy. She's feisty but she makes up for it with charm. It was pretty funny watching her the other day at the park, barking at another stranger/kid who tried to play with her ball. She has to be a scrapper because she's used to getting things stolen from her. Haley's entertaining in a totally different way than her sister who she follows around constantly. But she's a joy to know.

Weekends with the Gurnetts!!

2007-02-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

So some of the best times in our lives right now are with our friends, Phyllis and David.... and 4 rambunctiously fun boys that mirror the Gould boys circa 1986. Unfortunately the 4 sons are difficult to get to stand still for a picture so we do not have one to post as of yet. Soon though. Since the Gurnetts moved we enjoy the 1 hour road trip to see them and consider it the perfect vacation. When we're not raiding toys 'r us or playing pop culture trivial pursuit, it's on with ping pong battles. Each weekend journey is a blast! Good friends make for good times. Next time I'll post a picture of the boys.

3 movies to go see this week in the theater

2007-01-10T16:16:00.000-08:00

If you haven't already....... before they leave the theater and you're forced to wait for video.

1. Casino Royale- man, I can't believe how much criticism Daniel Craig received for replacing Pierce Brosnan as the new Bond. There is nothing lacking in this film. It is now my favorite Action movie with chase scenes and explosive storyline.

2. Apocalypto- Great movie to catch on a big screen. Surprising twists in storyline. Great characters. Very enjoyable if you can ignore subtitles and close your eyes during gruesome, gory, tribal scenes.

3. Rocky Balboa- Just read below.

Also, close to making the list in my opinion: We Are Marshall.

I still want to see Blood Diamond, Departed, Eragon, Pursuit of Happiness, Children of Men, Smokin' Aces, and The Number 23 (Jim Carrey)

Rocky Balboa

2006-12-22T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Final Rocky movie. The obvious yet crazy seeming question before watching this movie is "are they going to leave it open for Rocky 7 in 2011?" No, it's definitely closure on the Rocky series. In fact, we LOVED the way they closed up the series. It was everything you could want in a Rocky movie. It was meant for true Rocky fans. If you don't care, then don't bother watching the movie, because quite honestly, we don't want to hear about how you didn't like it.

For those that haven't seen it yet, and truly want to, I'm about to share what we liked about it so you may want to wait to read this.

This movie was like the original first Rocky movie. It is meant for the audience to simply watch Rocky's daily life and see how he lives. Some would say it's slow-paced, but that is what I liked about the first film as well. It is about a love story, between him and Adrian, and about how his heart packaged in a rough, awkward exterior touches others around him. From Rocky's relationship with his son, with Pauly, with his fans, and other extremely likeable characters in the movie, it was done well- Just like the original. Of course, I even liked Rocky V, which left the theaters after 2 weeks, in which he manhandled Tommy Gunn in the streets ("Get up you son of a ____, 'cuz Mickey loves ya") and had that scrawny voice actor as a son (Rocky Jr. was much less annoying in the next movie). All of the Rocky movies are classic and have classic lines. This movie is loaded with them ("Fighters fight"). I will buy it as soon as it's on video. One of the things we love about the Rocky movies is that they feel true to life with the awkward characteristics of people in the movie, and the way the characters struggle to show love and then switch to swallowing their pride because of the influence of Rocky. There are certainly some tearjerker scenes in this movie, just like the other scenes in the movies that we love, dealing with hardship and death, and difficulty to move forward like a champion. Of course as always, Rocky's will and passions drive him to conquer beyond what people expect of him. I highly recommend watching the first Rocky movie before going to the theater because characters like Spider Rico and the "screw you, creapo" teenager are in this movie and many references to the first film are easy to miss. By the way, I saw it opening day and the theater was empty. I don't expect the movie to do well. That is exactly why we want you to know what makes this film truly great.

The Lake House

2006-12-22T11:55:00.000-08:00

Wow- I'm not sure a good "wow" either. Many have recommended this movie as "surprisingly enjoyable", to which I have to agree with a bit. At the same time there are some laughable things about this movie.

Right off the bat, it stars 2 of the most annoying actors, Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock (good idea to expect some chuckles as they attempt romantic dialogue). The premise is very "Back to the Future" themed with attempting to interact with a different time era, Keanu is in 2004 living in the same house as 2006 Sandra did thereafter and they discuss it all through a "magic mailbox" that allows them to "get to know each other". It's actually a cute storyline and I especially liked how Keanu kept crossing paths with Sandra's "other self" from 2004 who hadn't talked with him yet.

DON'T READ ON IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT: My only problem with the movie was confusing it got at the end when you couldn't figure out which time frame it was and they blindside you with a 2008 Sandra who finds out about Keanu's untimely death. It's very weird indeed. And then she changes events which makes everything previous not make sense at all. There is always that problem with time travel movies though. I loved the movies Frequency and Time Machine. But I remember thinking pretty much the same exact thing in those movies. One thing is for sure, the first thing I would do communicating with someone in 2004 is "magic mail" them an ipod or razer phone. They would make bukos of dollars and be the talk of the town. Keanu should have been mailed a Sports Almanac. Marty McFly was so smart. Except when Biff got in the way. Butthead.

YO ADRIAAAN!!!!

2006-10-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Raimee and I recently danced it up at a "famous couples" themed costume party for our YOUNG MARRIEDS group at church. Needless to say our costume choice was easy. Also at the party were hot items such as: Sonny & Cher, Clark Kent & Lois Lane, Bonnie & Clyde, and Donald & Melonia Trump(w/baby Baron). We had a swing dance lesson at the party taught by our friends, Rod and Christine, who are dancers extraordinaire. Props to Sara and Brian who took care of all of the precious party-planning details. Fun times were had by all!!!

NETFLIX!

2006-10-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

So you know that thing that you can't live without and quite frankly, do not understand how others can live without? I'm speaking more of benign addiction, a mentally stimulating healthy obssession, if you will. For me, it's movies. I like to watch them alone. I like to watch them with my wife and get her take on the characters, storyline, and moral. I like to watch them with friends and talk throughout the movie to comment on the obviousness (Napolean Dynamite, great example). I like that I have family favorites which my parents and brothers gladly endorse as classic films, regardless of what anyone else thinks (Rocky, Indiana Jones). There are so many genres and so many types of movies that the list is pretty much endless. That's why I love netflix. I watch about 5 to 8 movies a month. Especially if you can see yourself enjoying TV series without commercials and without having to wait a week for the cliffhangerepisode to continue, you must have netflix. For shows like Sopranos, Lost, and 24 there is no other way. Even if you have tivo and watch synicated shows regularly like Seinfeld and Macguyver; it's all about renting dvds to allow you to watch at your own pace. So back to the topic; it's great regardless of whether you enjoy tv programs or movies. How much do you like to get things in the mail that you are looking forward to? I like it a whole lot, which is why I like netflix. I get a movie or 2 a week and it's fan-flippin'-tastic. I have a list of about 400+ movies and tv series that I figured out to have a running list of movies coming to me once I send one back. By the way, I compiled this list easy through the website and now can just reorganize every once in a while to choose great films with as much ease as it would take a 2nd grader. I could really take a tangent about the website and how amazingly well it is put together, you can see all of friends' top choices, but I won't. So if you have not signed up for netflix, I guarantee you that you have probably spent more money on movie store late fees; you can do it for less than 10 bucks a month, depending on how many movies you want out at a time. I return a movie in the mail and get a new one 2 days later, almost always without any problem. So now you see my obssession. When Raimee and I first started dating I made her watch all of the Rocky movies, all of the Star Wars movies, with my narration, of course. Imagine what married life is like for her now.

Blogging Is Pretty O.K.

2006-10-13T17:47:00.000-07:00

So now the Concord Goulds are giving a shout out from the blog world. It's another easy way to keep in touch with you, who we love so much. Expect to hear about the latest good times, adventures with married life, and of course, movie reviews. Otherwise, in general, expect to get more of Adam's opinion on things than you probably want and Raimee's sweet perspective to balance it out. A glimpse of life for us. Looking forward to being in contact with you all!