Now you must wear the cone of shame

I almost take Pixar for granted nowadays. Before I even see a Pixar feature, it's almost a foregone conclusion in my mind that the movie is going to be excellent. But I have to admit, the trailer for Up didn't really lure me in. Let' see - you have a grumpy old man, house flown by balloons, boy scout stowaway, a silly bird, and a talking dog. Uh huh. But the unanimous praise piqued my curiosity. To cut to the chase, Up was surprisingly brilliant. And I now understand why Pixar did not reveal too much in the trailer. It all comes to together beautifully at the end. I left the theater with the same level of satisfaction as Wall-E, Ratatouille, and The Incredibles.

What amazes me is how Pixar can keep cranking them out year after year - taking all too familiar themes that would no doubt = EPIC fail with live action. But somehow the combo of CG animation, interesting characters, and brilliant screenplay/storytelling, Pixar is able to consistently produce works that become instant classics. In a way, I feel bad for Dreamworks. Other than Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, I can't really remember many of their animated works.

My only criticism of Up was on the technical presentation of the film and not on the film itself. I had a $8.50 off movie cash voucher and paid $4 extra for the 3D version. If you ask me, 3D is a gimmick. Yah, you can see the 3D effect and it's cool at times but it really did not enhance the viewing experience for me and picture is also less bright with the glasses. Maybe I'm old school but I think 2D offers a more satisfying viewing experience.

Property Management experience so far

We are currently using a property management company to help rent out and manage our house when we move. The PM company also happens to be our HOA so my thinking was the property management piece and the HOA piece would work out better for myself and the tenant since both are under the same roof. I also chose this company since they are an AMO member per irem.org. But as of right now I think the certification has given me a false sense of reassurance. Annoyances thus far,

1) First tenant prospect wanted to move in end of May but our ad clearly stated "available end of June." The property manager did not bother to ask the prospective tenant his desired move in date so when he came to visit, we both looked at each other and said "Oh..."

2) Second tenant prospect who came to see the house did not see to be aware that our house is a 3bd+loft/2.5bath and she was looking for a 4 bedroom. Doh! When I asked the second tenant prospect if she was briefed by our PM on the home specs, she sounded very uncertain.

3) There was at least 1 -2 day lapse on the craigslist and backpage.com ads.

4) Today I receive an email from the PM asking me who our HOA is when I already informed her that her company was our HOA several weeks back!

Coming from a customer support environment years ago, I think I am a fairly tolerant and patient person but I have to admit that I feel a little bit of frustration that our PM is not on top of things.