We have been to Sushi Nobu every single Monday night at about 8:00pm since the beginning of the year, and I only wish we went more often. The sushi-chefs know us now and whenever we order something they will ask if we would like three or perhaps five of that item (we invariably do). It's a great relationship: they provide us with succulent fishes and service and we reciprocate with a steady flow of business and generous tips.

The place that dreams are made of

My thankful regards to all those who wished me a happy birthday earlier this week. Although waylaid in the boggy mire of midterms, I still managed to enjoy the event due to the outpouring calls, cards and cakes I received. I'll continue speaking only briefly about those dread-tests. The Math Methods one was pretty straightforward, but Cheng dropped his Cheng-hammer as in quarters of old. The class average on this abomination of an examination (keep in mind this is was among a group of very intelligent physics graduate students who had studied exhaustively beforehand with the fearful anticipation of a man who knows his death awaits him) was a 32%! I meet the Electricity and Magnetism test on the field of battle next Wednesday.

Some progress has finally been made in the realm of camping preparation. Redwood National park is our tentative destination, and we have found a means by which to acquire the implements of an outdoorsman. Plans will be more fully laid by early next week.

Last Sunday was of course the Super Bowl (a pretty good game, by the way), but that means that it's time for:
THE BLOG OF MANY THINGS BIG 'OLE LIST #2:
THE GREATEST SUPER BOWL COMMERCIALS OF 2011

Coca-Cola's Siege Commercial

Certainly the most visually stunning of the commercials offered during the course of the big game, Coca Cola provided a beautiful CGI battle between an army of orcs (bolstered by a massive red dragon) and a seemingly peaceful city of innocent citizens. Of course, it is the mighty cola that saves the day, and in splendid fashion as well. The Reverse Trojan Horse has never seen such effective use. Anyway, here is a link to the commercial. 

Coca Cola's Border Commercial

Another offering from the beverage titan, and probably my personal favorite, this ad has more atmosphere and character than any I've seen in a long time. The ponderous music underscores the desolate life led by the two border guards, and their pained expressions as the plot develops are marvelous. Again, here is a link for your enjoyment.

Volkswagen's The Force Commercial

The fan favorite, and an excellent commercial in my opinion as well, this instant classic shows us the struggles of a young dark-side Jedi coming into his powers. The dad's expressions are probably what seal the deal. Here's the link.

Audi's Rich People Prison Commercial

It's really the script that gets me in this one. Tapping daintily on champagne glasses to stir up trouble? Playing Kenny G to pacify the rich? Hilarious. The one-liners are great too: "Lancaster no! It's a trap!" and of course, "Release the hounds." Watch it here.

Chrysler's Imported From Detroit Commercial

Yes, another car commercial. But this one was a super-sleek ballad of silken elegance. It was long, but it kept me entertained for its entirety which is more than most commercials can do for even a few seconds. Feel you screen exude class and debonair as you check it out here.

That's it for my list and that's mostly it for this post. I'm my next installment I'll weigh in on Sanderson's Mistborn trilogy and perhaps on mathematical matters, but for now I turn to the two movies watched by the midterm-weary first year physics graduate students last night. The first was the classic Jurassic Park and the second was the perhaps even more classic Die Hard. If you've seen the latter, than you know with certainly that I'm about to introduce the of the the greatest action hero villains of all time: Hans Gruber.

Leader of the mercenary band that takes over the Nakatomi building in the 1980's epic Die Hard, Hans Gruber is so many beautiful stereotypes rolled up into one. He has a diabolical scheme that relies on him predicting the actions of others, an evil German accent (this is different from a normal German accent), no patience for insolence and spouts one liners faster than you can say "villainous goatee." Unfortunately for Gruber, he find himself in the unfortunate position of being up against the unstoppable heroic force that is John McClane. Yet despite this insurmountable obstacle, he does pretty well for himself, managing to dupe the FBI, open a super-secured vault and kidnap the hero's wife before being shot and plummeting 30 stories to his doom.