Rubi-Con! This weekend a friend and I are travelling to Detroit, Michigan to attend the fifth annual information technology and data security convention, Rubi-Con. At the first Rubi-Con in 1999 I was a speaker and attended as a regular at the 2000 edition. I am very much looking forward to attending this year and being able to see how the conference has developed in three years! I should have a review up by Monday morning ... stay tuned!
Shanghai Knights is a funny movie ... just as it was supposed to be. My good friend, who I shall call Bob, and I went to a local theatre and had the pleasure of taking in this masterpiece of movie making. Ok, ok. So, I am having delusions of grandeur ... the movie was not epic and is not a movie that 50 years from now our kids will show to their kids. BUT IT WAS GOOD.
This comedy is light-hearted and does not take itself to seriously. The fight scenes were choreographed by the one and only Jackie Chan and were entertaining and just good ol' FUN. Not only that but the fight scenes were actually creative WITHOUT pushing the edge of reality ... too much. ;) Chan is funny because he still does not speak English well and co-star Owen Wilson was hysterical as ... well ... Owen Wilson. Be sure you get to the theatre in time for the previews and don't leave your seat until the credits are finished rolling. I give this flick four out of five... stars? Nah. To cliche. How about four out of five... well ... whatever. You get the picture ... GO SEE IT!
So, what are the other areas of interest that I was able to visit in the the capital of Tennesee (TN)? Well, the Grand Ole' Opry, of couse!
This 4,400 seat music hall was an interesting place to visit. I was not able to see a show however, I did tour the grounds and make a stop at the museum. If I had the chance again I would actually experience a show at the Opry just to be able to say that I had. Again ... country music is not my style BUT a good live performance is something that even a non-country music lover could appreciate.
Is there anything else in Nashville I would suggest? Perhaps. I didn't make it a point to visit a lot of the other places. All in all, Nashville does have a lot to offer and I would visit again ... for a weekend. Spending four days was a bit to long! ;)
BACK ... from Nasville, TN. As a whole, Nashville is a pretty nice place. The people are friendly, the atmosphere is fairly casual and of course, the food is good. Now, I am not exactly what one would call a "country music fan" however, there is all the toe-tapping one can stand right downtown.
For the hockey fans there is the Gaylord Entertainment Center home of the Nashville Predators. I attended a game and found the experience very enjoyable. Every seat in the house has a good view of the ice surface. My seat was three rows up from the glass next to the Preds bench and I could still see the entire sheet. The seats in the upper bowl had a good view as well. If you have a chance to see the Preds play anytime in the near future I suggest going. The GEC is an excellent new rink and the Preds are a fast and young team that is fun to watch.
So what hotel was I in? I stayed in the downtown Hilton. It was about $169 a night plus parking. Parking was either valet ($16 a night) or garage ($10 a night). This time I chose garage ... next time I will certainly choose valet. Everytime I wanted to take my car out of the garage it was another $10. That is not exactly great insentive to leave the hotel and go check out the sites in and around Nashville.
More on Nashville to come!
This is just a test blog entry. However, I would bookmark this site if I were you! ;)