Mr. Grumpy Pants is a name that was given to me in response to my lack of enthusiasm to sign up for a lame “ride your bike to work” online campaign. The name seems to strike the right chord with those who know me, though, due most likely to the fact that no one has ever thought me to be anything but perfectly cheerful, jovial, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The irony of a certain office mate calling me “Mr. Grumpy Pants” is striking, to say the least, and so people that know me laugh and laugh at the mention of it as my nickname at the office. I told my parents of the nickname while dining with them a while ago (knowing that my parents certainly do not deem me to be grumpy in any way) and my dad nearly fell over laughing — thus is the absurdity of calling such a genuinely good spirited person such as myself “Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

This said, I would like to talk a bit about things that bother me and keep me from reaching my maximum jovial-ness. Because everything bothers me, just not all at the same time.

Last night, Jake walked in with the mail and pointed out that Netflix had sent him and me (we both have Netflix accounts) a promo piece offering a free month of Netflix to friends and family. Jake set the mail down and asked, “at this point, who hasn’t heard of Netflix?”

—–> Jake pondering the economic impact of Netflix

This is a great question. The short answer is “no one.” If your friends haven’t told you about it or if your kids haven’t mocked you for not knowing about it, you have, on numerous occasions, been bombarded by Netflix pop-up windows while innocently surfing classy sites like www.espn.com and www.thereifixedit.com.  Jake and I talked a bit about Netflix and how it has become so well-known so quickly. There’s a pretty simple reason for this — it’s fast, convenient and has a HUGE selection of movies to choose from. (Also, there are now a ton of films/documentaries/TV shows that one can stream instantly on Netflix’s website.)

—–> Jake’s Netflix ID is “Movie Lover”. Anytown, USA is a great place to live.

I am a bit sad about the demise of the local video stores. I used to love going to Blockbuster on the weekend to get a new release or to browse the older titles. In a way, it’s similar to the demise of the newspapers. These two things played large roles in my life growing up and sometimes it is crazy to realize that neither Blockbuster or newspapers will be around in 10 years. However, change, though it can make me super nostalgic, can also make my life easier. I can check mlb.com’s app on my iPhone to see if the Mariners won instead of waiting for the paper in the morning. (The Oregonian doesn’t even report the Mariners’ score because the games end too late – it’s easy to see why papers are falling by the wayside.)

—-> Breaking news! Obama elected President in November! Sorry it took so long to tell you, we’re becoming irrelevant!

We all know about how Netflix has made viewing movies more convenient. One aspect of Netflix that I really enjoy and that is not so talked about, is how it recommends movies that I might like. I would say that 75% of those recommendations do not appeal to me, but what’s the harm in a recommendation? (Actually, certain movie recommendations can reflect poorly on your taste and hurt your pride. I would like American Pie 3? Apparently, Netflix thinks I have awful taste!)

—-> “We think you’d like Alien vs. Predator.” I hate myself.

Netflix recently recommended that I watch Mongol. I ended up watching it and really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone  who, like me, enjoyed Braveheart and Last of the Mohicans. The movie is the story of Genghis Khan, from the time he is a child until he is the Khan of all the Mongols. We see him experience love and heartbreak, success and defeat. Through it all, the director, Sergei Bodrov, paints Genghis Khan as being a just, moral leader who protected the Mongols from tribal conflicts (not how I envisioned him). The cinematography is beautifully done — I enjoyed all the different landscape shots- from an old, prescient monk stumbling through the desert to save the future Khan, to Genghis Kahn as a child trekking towards snowcapped mountains to ask his deity to spare his life. There are a lot of violent war scenes, but I found them much less gruesome than Braveheart or Last of the Mohicans (no decapitations or ripped out hearts). (This film is in Mongolian and Mandarin and was nominated for the 2008 Oscar for best Foreign Language Film.)

Without Netflix, I doubt I would have ever watched this movie. It wasn’t a life-changing event, but it was entertaining. So, though I am nostalgic for the old, simple days of going to Blockbuster to rent one movie on the weekend, I can appreciate the change that Netlix brought into my life.

—–> Remember the good times? Not even a little bit? But we sell overpriced snacks!

Listen. I just want immunity from their pop up ads. Can’t I get some kind of code that grants me immunity while surfing online? Don’t they know I’m already a member?! C’mon!!

—–> Surprise! Stop enjoying your web experience and look at me! Look at me! Look at me! I don’t care that you are already a member! I don’t care! Look at me!

-Mr. Grumpy Pants