Today's random word: Montage

...which reminds me of the (in)famous 'training montage', that scene, or series of scenes, in an action flick demonstrating how the hero learns the new skill he or she will need to kick the bad guy's, ah, backside. You know the one: to the sound of inspiring music we see the hero practicing, practicing, practicing, and in only a minute or two: Kung Fu! The Violin! Math! I want to have a training montage or two to learn, oh, I don't know. Japanese, maybe. Glider piloting. Heck, why not King Fu! Although I gather the martial arts guys generally teach you not to get into fights, which would seem to rather defeat the point of learning Kung Fu: you can't kick anyone's backside if you don't ever get into a fight. The only winning move is not to play, as the movie War Games taught us, although I don't recall that that one had any training montages in it. Unless you count the scene where the computer (named after a fast food, if I recall: the Big Mac or the whopper or something) plays the nuclear war game with itself a zillion times. But I definitely don't count that. What Whoppers have to do with it is beyond me, but not doubt the Illuminati know what they're doing. And I have 2 minutes left with no particular idea of where I'm going. The opposite of Illuminati is what? The Dark-ati? Freedom fighters against the Man, the Dark-ati have opposed the Illuminati since even before they existed!

Scoundrels

So I decided to upgrade my ancient Nokia cell phone. AT&T's web site has several low-end (but still better than my Nokia) phones advertised as 'FREE', if you sign up for a 2-year contract.

'FREE' turns out to mean 'except for the $18.99 "upgrade" fee'.

What baloney.

Dear AT&T: "FREE" means $0.00, not $18.99. Sincerely, ex-customer.

The (relatively insignificant) money doesn't bother me 1/10th as much as the blatant dishonesty. If the new phone costs $18.99 then call it $18.99, don't lie and say it's 'FREE' when it isn't.

razzzle fraztzn bumble brack.