Never get involved in a land war in Asia*

Magnet #765 - Vietnam

I love that I have globetrotting friends who bring back magnets for me. This one was brought back by a couple of friends of mine who went to Vietnam.

I could have done a long magnetpost about Vietnam, but not done it any real justice. So, here we are.

Seriously, the only info I have on Vietnam, is what I've learned from movies. Oh! And that really funny episode of Top Gear, where the boys roadtripped from end of the country to the other. If you haven't seen it, get thee here, now. So good!

*From one of the best scenes of Princess Bride, duh.

Well, I dunno what Keira has to do with it, but ewww*

Magnet #494 - James Bond's Aston Martin DB5

Another one of my Union Square magnets - this one I had in mind for if I ever finally watched the latest Bond flick, or for one of my favorite shows Top Gear.

Yeah, let's go with Top Gear, only the best show ever. If you haven't seen it - go find BBC-A, and track it down. Better still, find it on YouTube.

The beauty of this show is that everyone can watch it. Now, hang on, bear with me. Really! Everyone really can.

I'm totally not a gearhead, but find myself fascinated with the car footage. It's amazing. When you watch, you can see why guys love cars, the sleek lines, the sheen, the revving of the engines. They're just gorgeous machines.

But there's also the coolness of the guests - seriously, where else would you find Helen Mirren saying that she sets her alarm early so she and her hub can have some alone time. The first I ever saw of the show were the three hysterically funny Doctor Who interviews (Christopher Eccleston, Billie Piper and of course, David Tennant), and I was instantly drawn to the lap time competition.

I love watching folks race around the course, cursing all the way through it, and then finding out where they landed on the board. (I have to admit, it makes me all giggly, too, when they slap the magnetic strip across the board. Hah. I also admit that I'd totally be all over racing that damn course, too.)

You also have to love all three presenters - Jeremy Clarkson, James May and (no, he doesn't really look like David Tennant), Richard Hammond. Whether or not they're RL chums, they certain get on well on camera, and they make you want to hang out with them.

Or rather, they make you want to compete with them, in one of their wacky races. Remember the Wacky Races cartoons? Just like that. Whether it's across the deserts of Africa, the traffic of London, the country of Vietnam or the superscary backwoods of the US, you just want to go along for the ride.

And, luckily, we get to.

* Random almost-related-to-my-magnet quote from Jeremy:

I’m sorry, but having an Aston Martin DB9 on the drive and not driving it is a bit like having Keira Knightley in your bed and sleeping on the couch.

- Jeremy Clarkson

These rules aren't meant to be broken

Magnet #77 - The Moscow Rules

So, of late, I've been smitten by all things BBC. It's weird, I know. I'd like to blame the writers strike, but it had nada to do with this obsession.

Given that I watch at least 20 hours of programming in any given week (either live or via DVR, and not counting cable shows, or my soaps), I feel pretty confident saying that it's not even like BBC shows are all that much better than US shows. And, since my tastes pretty much run the gamut of good, really good TV to bad, really bad TV (except unscripted/reality shows, which I hate with the power of a thousand suns) - it's not hard to see why at least half of the BBC-A roster ended up on my DVR series recording list.

So, we're talking (in no particular order, past and present) Torchwood, Doctor Who, Robin Hood, MI-5, Hex, Top Gear, Hotel Babylon, Footballers Wives and anything else sandwiched in between. My sister's sucked into a good many of them, and we've had many (many) discussions as to the quirks of BBC programming. Chief among them being - how in the hell can they just kill major characters from shows? Next being - what the heck timeslot is 6:20? or 7:40? or 8:06? And, really - Corry Street and Eastenders? They're that good that they're consistently the top 10 shows in the UK? Every day of every week? What's up with that?

But, I totally digress. Sorry.

Today's magnet is from the International Spy Museum in DC, which I've blogged about before, and probably will again, it was that good. (Plus, I think I might have one or two more magnets from there.)

The Moscow Rules are totally mentioned a couple of times in MI-5, which makes my sister squee with delight - I swear, if she could become a CI for Rupert Penry-Jones or Matthew Macfadyen (and soon Richard Armitage), she'd do it in a sec, Moscow Rules bedammed.

But, when you read them below, you realize, they aren't so much rules just for Moscow...but for everyday life:

1. Assume nothing.
2. Never go against your gut.
3. Everyone is potentially under opposition control.
4. Don't look back; you are never completely alone.
5. Go with the flow, blend in.
6. Vary your pattern and stay within your cover.
7. Lull them into a sense of complacency.
8. Don't harass the opposition.
9. Pick the time and place for action.
10. Keep your options open.