Movies: My DVD copy of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" arrived. I found it to be a beautiful film - like a subtle blending of ballet and martial arts. The DVD also offers an English dubbed version so you don't have to read subtitles if you don't want to. Although "Gladiator" continues to be my favorite, I can see why many found "Crouching Tiger" so appealing.

We watched "Men of Honor" on pay-per-view. I thought it was a good film although a typical "minority overcomes prejudice" formula piece. The film seemed to loose impact after Bashear's graduation from diving school. It was almost as if the rest of his career was unremarkable except the incident in which he was injured. I didn't find his "rehab" period that compelling either - definitely not "Rocky" although Cuba Gooding Jr.'s acting was outstanding. Maybe the pacing was just off a little.

Dish Network offered a free screening of "Miss Congeniality" starring Sandra Bullock. Despite the "A" list cast with Bullock, Benjamin Bratt, Michael Caine, and Candice Bergen, I found the plot implausible, the humor sparse, and lack of depth annoying. I also perceived little "chemistry" between Bullock and Bratt - not even a hint of the sizzle between Gere and Roberts in "Pretty Woman" - a necessary component for a "fluff" piece to maintain viewer interest.

I watched a very interesting History Channel presentation on The Colliseum. Like most people, I, too, did not realize that Christians were never sacrificed in this famous amphitheater. Shrines erected in their memory were placed by church officials of the Middle Ages that had no knowledge of the historical facts. I also found it intriguing that after it fell into ruin, it became a virtual garden of strange and exotic plants - apparently as a result of animal droppings from the beasts that were collected from all parts of the empire to populate the wild beast hunts that were so popular with the crowds.

Readings: I finished Michael Crichton's "Timeline", and found the story based on time travel back to the Middle Ages very compelling and enjoyable. The historical details were interwoven in the storyline in such a subtle way that the reader is immersed in the period without suffering long passages of historical explanation. Although I anticipated the ending about halfway through the piece I did not lose interest and would rate the book one of Crichton's best works. I look forward to playing the PC game based on this book. The game is a first release of Crichton's own interactive product developer, Timeline Computer Entertainment. (http://www.timelineentertainment.com/index.shtml)

I also finished "The Lazarus Child", a fascinating book based on the premise that comatose individuals reside in almost another dimension from the reality of a conscious person. Although the book brought two subplots together for the ultimate climax, the reader does not become confused as is often the case with Tom Clancy's novels.

I joined the History Book Club (http://www.historybookclub.com) and selected "Spectacle Entertainments of Imperial Rome", "The Punic Wars", "Caesar against Rome: The Great Civil War", and "Rome and Her Enemies". I'll be busy for quite some time with these titles. I'm trying to gain more insight into the history of Rome so I can add more depth to my virtual Julius Caesar. He was accepted for inclusion in The History Channel Network so I don't want history enthusiasts to be disappointed in their interactions with him.