Rambaran’s Log

I’m in Boston on business this week.  Its been a few years since i’ve been in the land of Clam Chowder and it amazes me how there are so many purebred rich debutantes with a line of credit larger than most third world countries roaming the town.   I’ll give you one example: Over the weekend I was out for dinner with a friend, it was late and we were walking back to the hotel and noticed a trendy bar on the street corner.

There was a group of girls in their early 20s all dressed up in their ’sex and the city’ outfits with stilettos and all.  I’m taking one look and them and think the shoes, purse, and dress are all designer knockoffs since they could not possibly afford this haute couture at their pay grade.   Little did I know they were awaiting the valet to bring up their car . . . A Ferrari.   One of the girls hops into the driver’s seat.  Stilettos and all.  She drives off while the other girls await their other car.  I didn’t stick around to find out what it was.   I didn’t think it would help me feel any better about my pay grade.

This city is all about rich white money.   Its everywhere and you can smell it.   This has always been the case in this part of America, but it just seems as though the rich are getting richer and everyone else is just struggling to get by.

Aside from my observations of the clear division of classes in Boston, I’m having a nice time in the city.   I’ll have more of an update later.

The day I heard Lucas and Spielberg were making another Indiana Jones movie, I said to myself: “Wow, they must have a pretty awesome script to consider making another one. Its been almost twenty years since the last one. It must be good. Right?! . . . WRONG.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the worst installment in the series. I’m sorry to say it fans, but the film does not deliver on the expectations of greatness. The movie begins with Indy in peril (as always) held hostage by Soviet thugs (Nazis are gone, its 1957), on their quest for what else but world domination. We are led through a number of high octane stunts and you can start to feel the magic that you felt when you first saw an Indiana Jones flick. Only to have your hopes and dreams crushed by some cheezy scene, like having Indy survive a nuclear blast by hiding in a lead-proof kitchen fridge. I’m not joking. This is the first 20 min. of the movie.

The film does have its highlights. Shia LaBeouf does a great job playing Indy’s sidekick and it was fun to see Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. The problem is the script. We have scenes of ‘fromage extraordinaire’ that may have been acceptable twenty years ago, but today seems dated. I wish the creators could have updated the series and made it more palatable for the new generation of fans. Now, there’s a big spoiler here. So if you don’t want to know more about the movie, stop reading now.

My biggest issue with this film is the E.T. story arc. Yes, fans. Indiana Jones finds Extra-Terrestrials in the Amazon jungle. Can you dig it?! I didn’t think so. There are so many great stories to tell, and they had to focus on the existence of E.T. beings on earth. We even get to see a big honking UFO at the end of the movie, which was the nail in the cross for me. I don’t know what else to say. I went it with low expectations and the film did not even deliver on that note. Is it a bad movie? No. Is it a good Indiana Jones film? I give it a barely passing grade. It definitely is the worst in the series. Which is a crying shame. Well, George Lucas, would you like to kill another franchise?!

I was at the courthouse today, awaiting my fate as a potential juror in a retrial of the the 1997 murder of Douglas Earl Joe. Joe was killed May 21, 1997, when a man entered his Uplands Drive home with a handgun and shot him several times in the chest while his girlfriend and her six-year-old daughter hid in an upstairs closet.

Joe, an Ontario Hydro lineman, was killed five days before he was supposed to testify against Mr. Peter Chenier, a local mobster, as a Crown witness. Yep. This is Goodfellas in real life. And here I was. A potential juror in a high profile first degree murder case involving mobsters. Lovely.

I was due in court at 9:15 AM. I left my car at the park ‘n ride and took an express bus to ensure I would get there on time. Thankfully, I did. My notice indicated to report to room 3145. I took the elevator up to the room and saw at least 80 people already inside sitting and waiting. Just like a waiting room at a hospital. I walked in and presented my summons to the clerk. They checked the list and everything was good to go. I was asked to sit down and wait with the others. By 9:45 AM there were 200 people in and around the waiting room awaiting their fate as a juror. The main courtroom was set to open at 10 AM.

By 10:10 AM we were advised there was a bit of a delay (one of the clerks was tied up in traffic) and that we would be ushered into the courtroom (all 200 of us) in the next few minutes. Soon enough the time came for us to go in. We were guided through a maze of corridors to the court back entrance, like a herd of cows ready for the slaughter. It was only until I entered the courtroom that I realized this was a MAJOR trial. There were at least five lawyers for the prosecution on one side, and three for the defendants. All of them were watching us come in, as though they were pre-screening their pool of jurors in advance. I sat down and noticed the defendants were at the front left side of the courtroom, guarded by two cops and sectioned off with shatterproof glass. They both looked like the real deal. Mobsters. I realized then and there. That’s as close as i’ll ever get to cold blooded murderers. Now, you must be asking yourself. Hey, Richard. These guys are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Under normal circumstances I would say ‘yes’. But this case is not a normal circumstance. These guys were found guilty in their last trial, but the verdict was thrown out on a technicality where the judge was proven not to properly instruct the jury. This time ’round it seems as though the judge is making sure he has all of his bases covered.

The court session began with the judge addressing us and thanking us for putting our life on hold to meet the needs of the judicial system. Then came the reading of the charges: First degree murder, use of illegal explosives, and the grocery list of charges continued for five minutes. By this point I knew if I was chosen as a juror I would be stuck in this trial for at least three months. Not an option. I had to figure a way out. After the charges were read, the list of 96 witnesses to be called for the trial were read, and the judges conditions were stipulated. We (the jurors) were then given a chance to state our case if we could not fulfill our duty as a juror. This was my chance.

We were asked to stand up and present ourselves to the judge. A number of us saw the chance for a way out and made our way to the bench. I was third of 60 people in line hoping for a dismissal. The first guy up said he was related to the accused. “Dismissed,” said the judge. Next. The next guy was a purebread franco and had trouble understanding english. “Dismissed,” said the judge. Next. Well, there I was. Now, this was a very intimidating process. You have to stand in front of a couple of hundred people, a judge, some mobsters, a shitload of lawyers and explain why you shouldn’t be there. I gave a somber face to the judge and said: “Your worship. I understand the importance of my duty as a juror and I respectfully ask that you postpone my obligation until a future date as I have a 15-month old child as a Dependant.” He didn’t even blink when I finished. “Dismissed,” said the judge. Next.

PHEW!

I walked out of the courtroom relieved. This trial would not take away a better part of my life. One day I will fulfill my jury duty obligations, but now is not the time. Good luck to the twelve jurors selected who will have to decide the fate of two mafiosos. Now may be a good time to send the family away on vacation . . . Indefinitely.