Saturday I watched Sampdoria v Juventus, my first full viewing of this year’s black and whites. I was excited to see Christian Poulsen, a signing that was supposed to improve the center of midfield. Not impressed. Saw very little of the ball and gave it away when he did get it. Sissoko is god awful. Liverpool stole from Juventus. This guy can’t tackle, pass or shoot. Good thing he is the other anchor of midfield. In the end I was, in a word, shocked with the nil-nil draw. Juve had no width, very little in the way of possession and little cutting edge.
Based on what I’ve seen so far, this will be a long season. I have grave doubts about whether they will be able to match last year’s third place finish. As for the Champions League, they were fortunate to get a home win vs. Zenit, and will have to get a least a split with Real to progress to the knockout round. I see them going out in the round of 16, because I’m not convinced they can score enough goals to progress.
I’m really disappointed because last year’s team was solid, hard working and dynamic. The management team should have built on that instead of regressing. Why they ever sold Nocerino is beyond me. Young, hard nosed, Gattuso version 2.0 in the making. Getting rid of Almiron and Tiago is fine, but selling Nocerino and Palladino? Nedved, Camo, Del Piero and Trezegol can’t hold on forever. Hopefully they will prove me wrong and contend for the scudetto. Seriously contending for the Champions League is years away due to current squad’s age and lack of quality depth.
While watching the Juve game, I was watching the UM game vs Wisconsin. They got rolled in the first half, came out of the halftime break and had a nice drive. I was like, that’s nice, at least they won’t get shut out. And then all hell broke lose. When the defender rolled into the endzone to put them in the lead, pandemonium baby. What a great game. Too bad that will be their last victory this season.
Watched Batman Begins again. What a great movie. Not just a comic book movie, but a great movie. Good vs evil. Vengeance vs justice. New beginnings, overcoming tragedy, becoming a symbol. I just really enjoyed it and hardly have a complaint. Even Katie Holmes didn’t annoy me that much.
More interesting tidbits from cyber space:
Bad domain names (from the website Funny Shit--http://humour.200ok.com.au/index.php)
Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is www.whorepresents.com/
Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange Advice and views at www.expertsexchange.com/
Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island atwww.penisland.net/
Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder atwww.therapistfinder.com/
There's the Italian Power Generator company,www.powergenitalia.com/
And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales,www.molestationnursery.com/
If you're looking for IP computer software, there?s alwayswww.ipanywhere.com/
The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site iswww.cummingfirst.com/
And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site,www.speedofart.com/
If you want to reflect on the diabolical nature of pop music, read this article of the 10 worst songs to hit #1 from Spike.com
http://www.spike.com/blog/top-10-worst-songs/68721
Batdance? Really?
Alright. Enough of that. Back to work. My goal is to get a new poll up soon. Ta Ta for now.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
The Pirates of the Internet
Last week Brandon and I briefly discussed downloading shows (you can read the comments). With that rise of high speed connections, huge hard drives, and an interest in and ease of digitizing media, file sharing continues to plague the RIAA and MPAA. Granted, they have a case. Artists make a product and expect to be reimbursed if you use that product. That's how capitalism works. Of course, the damages these groups seek when they sue offenders is ludicrous, but I digress. But what about TV shows, especially those on the network stations? Well we will come to that. Let me first outline why I download certain shows off the internet, for free.
First off, there are shows that I enjoy watching and want to continue to watch. However, my schedule does not always permit. For example, any show that comes on before 9:00 at night rules me out (thanks a lot FOX for putting house on at 8:00!). I am putting the kids to bed so that hour is filled up. Also, church meetings, school work, school activities, etc. at times interfere with my TV watching schedule. So, from a selfish standpoint, I want to keep up with my programs. When we lived in TN and we had a DVR there was no problem. In addition I could skip the commercials. But now that I am DVR-less I have to go to greater lengths to watch the shows. But isn’t that what the network/writer/producer wants? Don’t they want an addicted audience? Have they not succeeded? They very fact that I go to such lengths as to find a torrent, and then download the show, and then set up my laptop so my wife and I can watch tells me that they are doing something right.
Second, many stations are putting their shows online anyway. The networks especially, but USA puts the shows I like (Burn Notice, Monk, and Psych) online as well. What’s the difference? Well, one difference is marketing. You have to sit through some commercials before and during the shows online, just as if you were watching it on TV (unless you have a DVR). Now I grant that commercial sponsors are how they can put their shows on TV and keep things running, but really I think commercials have lost their effectiveness. Or, putting shows from premiere stations (HBO, Showtime, etc.) is like stealing because those are special pay channels. And they surely aren’t putting their shows online.
It seems that people who digitize shows and put them up for others to share have been put in the same category as bootleggers (cue the Seinfeld episode). But they aren’t even close to the same thing. This is where the “gray area” comes in for me. Is it wrong to use your DVR to record "Dancing with the Stars" and then put it on the internet at no charge for others to see. After all, you weren't charged to see it. And you aren't charging money for others to see it. Where's the problem? The problem, according to the law, is that you are taking someone else’s intellectual property (if you want to call shows like “Dancing with the Stars” such a thing) and repackaging it (i.e. digitizing and distributing). And here is where the rubber meets the road for me. If you take that show, download it, put it on a DVD and sell it or even keep it in your archives, that seems wrong. But if you download it just to watch it and then delete it from your computer, I see less offense (if any). You are watching the creation of another and taking enjoyment from it without hurting their bottom line. And that is why I do it.
If you feel differently, please let me know. Brandon, you have chimed in already and are free to do so again.
What do you think about downloading shows? Right? Wrong? Gray area? Love to hear from you.
First off, there are shows that I enjoy watching and want to continue to watch. However, my schedule does not always permit. For example, any show that comes on before 9:00 at night rules me out (thanks a lot FOX for putting house on at 8:00!). I am putting the kids to bed so that hour is filled up. Also, church meetings, school work, school activities, etc. at times interfere with my TV watching schedule. So, from a selfish standpoint, I want to keep up with my programs. When we lived in TN and we had a DVR there was no problem. In addition I could skip the commercials. But now that I am DVR-less I have to go to greater lengths to watch the shows. But isn’t that what the network/writer/producer wants? Don’t they want an addicted audience? Have they not succeeded? They very fact that I go to such lengths as to find a torrent, and then download the show, and then set up my laptop so my wife and I can watch tells me that they are doing something right.
Second, many stations are putting their shows online anyway. The networks especially, but USA puts the shows I like (Burn Notice, Monk, and Psych) online as well. What’s the difference? Well, one difference is marketing. You have to sit through some commercials before and during the shows online, just as if you were watching it on TV (unless you have a DVR). Now I grant that commercial sponsors are how they can put their shows on TV and keep things running, but really I think commercials have lost their effectiveness. Or, putting shows from premiere stations (HBO, Showtime, etc.) is like stealing because those are special pay channels. And they surely aren’t putting their shows online.
It seems that people who digitize shows and put them up for others to share have been put in the same category as bootleggers (cue the Seinfeld episode). But they aren’t even close to the same thing. This is where the “gray area” comes in for me. Is it wrong to use your DVR to record "Dancing with the Stars" and then put it on the internet at no charge for others to see. After all, you weren't charged to see it. And you aren't charging money for others to see it. Where's the problem? The problem, according to the law, is that you are taking someone else’s intellectual property (if you want to call shows like “Dancing with the Stars” such a thing) and repackaging it (i.e. digitizing and distributing). And here is where the rubber meets the road for me. If you take that show, download it, put it on a DVD and sell it or even keep it in your archives, that seems wrong. But if you download it just to watch it and then delete it from your computer, I see less offense (if any). You are watching the creation of another and taking enjoyment from it without hurting their bottom line. And that is why I do it.
If you feel differently, please let me know. Brandon, you have chimed in already and are free to do so again.
What do you think about downloading shows? Right? Wrong? Gray area? Love to hear from you.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Crucial
I'm of two minds on the bailout of both the auto industry and Wall Street.
On one hand, capitalism SHOULD mean the survival of only the fittest. Those in charge of making cars decided to continue the deployment of SUV's long after the writing was on the wall about energy. They made poor financial choices. They deserve to go extinct. And the same argument can be made for a lot of the investment banks that are draining the FDIC and prompting bailout proposals.
On the other hand, if we let evolution take its natural course, and let our domestic auto industry and hundreds of banks die, we're all going to suffer. In a great way. A re-investment in GM and Chrysler could get them over the hump, and leading the way into the "green" era of car builds. And if we buy up the bad debt of all these hundreds of banks and give them a fresh start, we just might be able to put all these poor choices on mortgage loans behind us permenently and avoid the shitstorm that, as a country, we honestly deserve from the last two decades of buying houses we couldn't afford.
I guess the thing is we can't say for sure what the consequences will be if we DON'T bailout Detroit or Wall Street. Maybe we'll figure out a way to work through it and we'll not have needed to put ourselves in such debt. Or maybe there IS no way to "work through it"... the hole is too deep this time and we're looking at an unemployment rate of 15 or 20% by this time next year if we don't act now.
It's pretty easy to just throw this on our country's credit card and hope that the next Bill Clinton will get us out of our debt. I think the $700 billion proposed in Congress would really only add about 7 or 8% to the national debt we already have. So what's an extra trillion?
So as I continue to think through this out loud, is John McCain the next Bill Clinton, fiscally speaking? Is Obama? Would Hillary have been, if she had won the nomination? Who can honestly clean up this mess, and get Congress to play ball at the same time?
On one hand, capitalism SHOULD mean the survival of only the fittest. Those in charge of making cars decided to continue the deployment of SUV's long after the writing was on the wall about energy. They made poor financial choices. They deserve to go extinct. And the same argument can be made for a lot of the investment banks that are draining the FDIC and prompting bailout proposals.
On the other hand, if we let evolution take its natural course, and let our domestic auto industry and hundreds of banks die, we're all going to suffer. In a great way. A re-investment in GM and Chrysler could get them over the hump, and leading the way into the "green" era of car builds. And if we buy up the bad debt of all these hundreds of banks and give them a fresh start, we just might be able to put all these poor choices on mortgage loans behind us permenently and avoid the shitstorm that, as a country, we honestly deserve from the last two decades of buying houses we couldn't afford.
I guess the thing is we can't say for sure what the consequences will be if we DON'T bailout Detroit or Wall Street. Maybe we'll figure out a way to work through it and we'll not have needed to put ourselves in such debt. Or maybe there IS no way to "work through it"... the hole is too deep this time and we're looking at an unemployment rate of 15 or 20% by this time next year if we don't act now.
It's pretty easy to just throw this on our country's credit card and hope that the next Bill Clinton will get us out of our debt. I think the $700 billion proposed in Congress would really only add about 7 or 8% to the national debt we already have. So what's an extra trillion?
So as I continue to think through this out loud, is John McCain the next Bill Clinton, fiscally speaking? Is Obama? Would Hillary have been, if she had won the nomination? Who can honestly clean up this mess, and get Congress to play ball at the same time?
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Mutiny!
"Mutiny is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals (typically members of the military; or the crew of any ship, even if they are civilians) to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing authority. The term is commonly used for a rebellion among members of the military against their superior officer(s)." (Wikipedia, 2008).
"During the Age of Discovery, mutiny particularly meant open rebellion against a ship’s captain. This occurred, for example, during Magellan’s journey, resulting in the killing of one mutineer, the execution of another and the marooning of two others, and on Henry Hudson’s Discovery, resulting in Hudson and others being set adrift in a boat." (Wikipedia, 2008).
I love it when the little guy gets the best of his superiors, when the tyrant gets his druthers, and when poop happens. It is a great lesson in social psychology, how much crap people can take before they just explode.
At this time in 2008, Detroit is a microcosm of many such pieces of crap. When the Pistons blew their chances in the playoffs we had the amazing Tigers to look forward to. When the Tigers blew their season in the first two weeks we had the Lions to look forward to. Kwame Kilpatrick killed all of our moods and our sports were the only relief we had. This Lions losing their first three games after looking (on paper) better than last year I was ready to go downtown and do something regrettable.
This town was about to burst into riots again only this time it wasn't about race. It was about hope. The economy sucks, the auto industry is in despair, the sports are in the crapper, the mayor (ex-mayor) is a criminal, the new city council president is under investigation by the FBI, and it goes on and on.
However, today we have hope again. First of all, the federal government is going to bail out the auto industry with a loan. Yay! To all the democrats who opposed this bailout because they wanted Obama to do it after the election, phooey on you. Kwame Kilpatrick is in jail, and his lying mistress plead not guilty in court. And the Detroit Lions Fired Matt Millen.
Mutiny at its best. There was going to be more than a "Millen Man March" which happened last season when thousands of fans walked out of their seats as a sign of no-confidence. This was heading in a very negative direction. The people have spoken. The gods (fords) of football have heard our cries and have cut out the cancer that was killing us.
Take it in. Take a breath. It just got a little sunnier in Detroit. I don't know the man personally, but I loved his mustache. His draft choices were a little weak. His coaching selection was regrettable. We really needed him out of here two years ago, but hey, progress is progress. Firing him now really has no effect on the season from a personnel perspective.
There are rumors as to who will replace him with lucrative deals being rumored about to Bill Cowher and a few others. I don't care. It won't change the season. It probably won't even help next season. But I have reason to hope.
"During the Age of Discovery, mutiny particularly meant open rebellion against a ship’s captain. This occurred, for example, during Magellan’s journey, resulting in the killing of one mutineer, the execution of another and the marooning of two others, and on Henry Hudson’s Discovery, resulting in Hudson and others being set adrift in a boat." (Wikipedia, 2008).
I love it when the little guy gets the best of his superiors, when the tyrant gets his druthers, and when poop happens. It is a great lesson in social psychology, how much crap people can take before they just explode.
At this time in 2008, Detroit is a microcosm of many such pieces of crap. When the Pistons blew their chances in the playoffs we had the amazing Tigers to look forward to. When the Tigers blew their season in the first two weeks we had the Lions to look forward to. Kwame Kilpatrick killed all of our moods and our sports were the only relief we had. This Lions losing their first three games after looking (on paper) better than last year I was ready to go downtown and do something regrettable.
This town was about to burst into riots again only this time it wasn't about race. It was about hope. The economy sucks, the auto industry is in despair, the sports are in the crapper, the mayor (ex-mayor) is a criminal, the new city council president is under investigation by the FBI, and it goes on and on.
However, today we have hope again. First of all, the federal government is going to bail out the auto industry with a loan. Yay! To all the democrats who opposed this bailout because they wanted Obama to do it after the election, phooey on you. Kwame Kilpatrick is in jail, and his lying mistress plead not guilty in court. And the Detroit Lions Fired Matt Millen.
Mutiny at its best. There was going to be more than a "Millen Man March" which happened last season when thousands of fans walked out of their seats as a sign of no-confidence. This was heading in a very negative direction. The people have spoken. The gods (fords) of football have heard our cries and have cut out the cancer that was killing us.
Take it in. Take a breath. It just got a little sunnier in Detroit. I don't know the man personally, but I loved his mustache. His draft choices were a little weak. His coaching selection was regrettable. We really needed him out of here two years ago, but hey, progress is progress. Firing him now really has no effect on the season from a personnel perspective.
There are rumors as to who will replace him with lucrative deals being rumored about to Bill Cowher and a few others. I don't care. It won't change the season. It probably won't even help next season. But I have reason to hope.
EPL Update & Dreams
So, i am not one for exciting dreams or remembering them for that matter, but the dream i had a few nights ago that is quite bizarre.
I had just watched The Shield before i went bed Sunday night, i told you last week about my man crush on Michael Chiklis (Vic Makey) and his persona so to me this dream isn't at all surprising.
Yes i have had aspirations in the past of becoming a detective, yes my man crush on Vic Makey is getting quite disturbing according to my friends, but i love this guy, hence the dream that i will now explain.
I was in the same situation as Vic and the rest of the team currently on the show, leary of Shane becasue of his grenade tendancies that casued Lem's death, awaiting the board's decision to take my badge away and having to deal with a very disructive daughter that has intent to ruin her father any which way she can, but for some reason myself and the strike team were after an Armenian arms dealer/ gang that was run not by Rezian oh no........... by my Wife (in real life).
In my dream my wife wasn't my wife, but my wife was infact this Armenian gang leader transporting illegal arms to another gang that were of course stolen from The Barn in a massive raid that saw Billings butchered which i quite enjoyed, our aim as the Strike team was to recover the weapons and bring down the gang, capturing my wife for further intel.
Somewhere in the dream, my family in the dream were targeted by the Armenains for execution to stop the recovery of the weapons, well becasue Vic Makey's Strike Team gets it done, I put 2 in my wife's head and didnt lose any sleep over it, it was then i woke up thinking i had actually shot my wife, when i told her about this dream her comment was "It was only a dream, but just to be safe let's not have any weapons of that nature in the house ever"
Bizarre i know, but how do you explain those sort of dreams........... Dr Phil, any thoughts?
EPL Update:
I take back everything i said about Arsenal at the start of the campaign, if i wasnt such a die hard Man United fan all my life i might think about buying an Arsenal shirt, you should of seen them roll over Sheffield united last night, Carlos Vela is class.
I predict a top 2 finish if the Wenger boy's stay injury free.
Man United v Chelsea had just about everything didnt it, the 1st half reminded me a lot of the Champions League Final in May, if Rio puts his shot away & Park sees Rooney wide open on the rihgt instead of shooting into a crowd we go in 3-0 up at Half Time, instead we try and defend a 1-0 goal lead fro 45 minutes against a team that hasn't lost in 82 games at home, priceless.
Fergie needed to bring Ronaldo on sooner, Nani on instead of O'Shea and go at them while they were coming forward trying to get the equalizer, i have never rated Thomas K and i still dont rate him now, he was at fault for the equalizer.
We will be top of the league January 1st, mark my words.
You can either laugh or cry if your a Newcastle fan right now, but i think its got to the point where Mike Ashley is walking around with a bulleye on his back, its only a matter of time before someone beats him out of Newcastle, i do feel sorry for Newcastle fans to be honest, thier passionate just like me, they don't just go to games and eat Prawn Sandwiches, they go to give thier team a lift and i respect that.
Get the muppet out and bring KK back.
I dont want to comment on Man City and this is where i end my blog, Man City will never be as big as Man Utd end of story.
See you next week.
I had just watched The Shield before i went bed Sunday night, i told you last week about my man crush on Michael Chiklis (Vic Makey) and his persona so to me this dream isn't at all surprising.
Yes i have had aspirations in the past of becoming a detective, yes my man crush on Vic Makey is getting quite disturbing according to my friends, but i love this guy, hence the dream that i will now explain.
I was in the same situation as Vic and the rest of the team currently on the show, leary of Shane becasue of his grenade tendancies that casued Lem's death, awaiting the board's decision to take my badge away and having to deal with a very disructive daughter that has intent to ruin her father any which way she can, but for some reason myself and the strike team were after an Armenian arms dealer/ gang that was run not by Rezian oh no........... by my Wife (in real life).
In my dream my wife wasn't my wife, but my wife was infact this Armenian gang leader transporting illegal arms to another gang that were of course stolen from The Barn in a massive raid that saw Billings butchered which i quite enjoyed, our aim as the Strike team was to recover the weapons and bring down the gang, capturing my wife for further intel.
Somewhere in the dream, my family in the dream were targeted by the Armenains for execution to stop the recovery of the weapons, well becasue Vic Makey's Strike Team gets it done, I put 2 in my wife's head and didnt lose any sleep over it, it was then i woke up thinking i had actually shot my wife, when i told her about this dream her comment was "It was only a dream, but just to be safe let's not have any weapons of that nature in the house ever"
Bizarre i know, but how do you explain those sort of dreams........... Dr Phil, any thoughts?
EPL Update:
I take back everything i said about Arsenal at the start of the campaign, if i wasnt such a die hard Man United fan all my life i might think about buying an Arsenal shirt, you should of seen them roll over Sheffield united last night, Carlos Vela is class.
I predict a top 2 finish if the Wenger boy's stay injury free.
Man United v Chelsea had just about everything didnt it, the 1st half reminded me a lot of the Champions League Final in May, if Rio puts his shot away & Park sees Rooney wide open on the rihgt instead of shooting into a crowd we go in 3-0 up at Half Time, instead we try and defend a 1-0 goal lead fro 45 minutes against a team that hasn't lost in 82 games at home, priceless.
Fergie needed to bring Ronaldo on sooner, Nani on instead of O'Shea and go at them while they were coming forward trying to get the equalizer, i have never rated Thomas K and i still dont rate him now, he was at fault for the equalizer.
We will be top of the league January 1st, mark my words.
You can either laugh or cry if your a Newcastle fan right now, but i think its got to the point where Mike Ashley is walking around with a bulleye on his back, its only a matter of time before someone beats him out of Newcastle, i do feel sorry for Newcastle fans to be honest, thier passionate just like me, they don't just go to games and eat Prawn Sandwiches, they go to give thier team a lift and i respect that.
Get the muppet out and bring KK back.
I dont want to comment on Man City and this is where i end my blog, Man City will never be as big as Man Utd end of story.
See you next week.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
articles and reviews
A couple of interesting tidbits I came across on the interweb:
--In case you didn’t hear about this fine aspect of the beautiful game, please read the following article:
http://withleather.uproxx.com/?p=9383
Yes, soccer fans/players/coaches are crazy.
--For all you political junkies out there, make sure you are armed with the facts:
http://www.bluetidalwave.com/2008/09/move-over-al-gore-adviser-says-mccain.html
This article warmed my cold, dark heart as few things can.
Now for a couple of movie TV reviews:
I Heart Huckabees
I have been meaning to see this for quite some time. Finally checked it out, and I would definitely have to see it again. There was too much for my small little brain to take in the first time around for me. Quirky, illuminating, uncomfortable. I’m not sure I agree/disagree/don’t understand the philosophical points of the movie. Mark Wahlberg was a pleasant surprise. Seeing him ride his bike around town was quite humorous.
Waiting for Guffman
In a review for Hamlet 2, I heard about this movie. Little did I know that it was done by Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show). As Jeremy D and I talked about this morning, not laugh out loud funny but hilarious nonetheless.
--In case you didn’t hear about this fine aspect of the beautiful game, please read the following article:
http://withleather.uproxx.com/?p=9383
Yes, soccer fans/players/coaches are crazy.
--For all you political junkies out there, make sure you are armed with the facts:
http://www.bluetidalwave.com/2008/09/move-over-al-gore-adviser-says-mccain.html
This article warmed my cold, dark heart as few things can.
Now for a couple of movie TV reviews:
I Heart Huckabees
I have been meaning to see this for quite some time. Finally checked it out, and I would definitely have to see it again. There was too much for my small little brain to take in the first time around for me. Quirky, illuminating, uncomfortable. I’m not sure I agree/disagree/don’t understand the philosophical points of the movie. Mark Wahlberg was a pleasant surprise. Seeing him ride his bike around town was quite humorous.
Waiting for Guffman
In a review for Hamlet 2, I heard about this movie. Little did I know that it was done by Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show). As Jeremy D and I talked about this morning, not laugh out loud funny but hilarious nonetheless.
One aspect of the movie, “Stool Capital of the World”, brought back memories of our failed website, stool.com. And the characters were uniquely hilarious. Red white and Blaine. What a great title. Fred Willard really stole the show for me, and Parker Posey was great as a trashy, semi talented fast food employee on the road to nowhere.
Extremely uncomfortable (like Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Extras), which is good and bad. I can’t believe they performed the musical. It was like proverbial car crash that you couldn’t not look at. I squirmed on my couch for a good 10 minutes debating whether to skip ahead or endure it.
So if you like that sort of movie, see it.
House Season 5 premiere
So Wilson and House really weren't friends. Really?? I think Wilson's summary of House at the end was spot on. So now what? Is House going to go thru a time of reflection and change and come out the other end a different person? No. Evidence: Seasons 1-4. Think it's time to wrap this show up.
House Season 5 premiere
So Wilson and House really weren't friends. Really?? I think Wilson's summary of House at the end was spot on. So now what? Is House going to go thru a time of reflection and change and come out the other end a different person? No. Evidence: Seasons 1-4. Think it's time to wrap this show up.
That was my knee jerk reaction the morning after. Tonight is episode 2. I’ll finish the season but after that, may be time to move on.
Fringe Series Premiere.
Ugckh, with a side of ugckh. I can only suspend so much disbelief. Only one person in the whole world can save your partner and his lab is a Harvard basement and has been deserted for almost 20 years. Don’t worry, flip a switch, update the hardware and equipment, bring in a cow, get in touch with your inner consciousness and presto chango, solution to a deadly airborne virus. Please. And Joshua Jackson’s character could not have been written any worse.
I will not be watching this show. Could have had a House/Fringe double header. No way!!
Alright that’s about it. I plan to have a new poll up in a couple of days. Ta ta for now.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The Clown in the Car Behind Me.
This is the story of the turkeys in the road and the clown in the car behind me.
When I say turkeys, what I actually mean is turkeys. Literal turkeys with feathers and the pecking and the silly noises that play in the road every day as I'm trying to go to work. Ev-er-y daaaaaaaay. After the second stop light there is a little hill you crest and almost always there's a line of cars either crawling or completely stopped because wild turkeys are meandering where they please without a thought to how they are negatively affecting the outcome of my overall day. I think I will find extra pleasure in eating turkey this thanksgiving, especially if grandma didn't make it. That woman can't cook a turkey to save her life. I love you grandma.
However, on my way home having just exited the highway and waiting patiently with all my fellow commuters for the light to change, something in my rearview got my attention, mostly because of all the colors that I see in a day, these seemed extra colory. It was a clown, an actual clown driving what I think was most likely a late 80's Oldmobile Cutlass. If clowns have a sex I think this one might be female. "She" wasn't being extra cute or anything, she was just driving like everybody else. But I had to stop and smile and the sight. She followed me for several miles and I could see people in cars around me doing double takes and smiling as well. Some even honked and she would smile and wave for them. It was as if just by her being there in a car made people happier. And then I realized something amazing...
I have never before been amused by a clown.
It's true. In fact I believe there are few people who can honestly say they have been amused by clowns, and fewer still who would ever admit it. But this clown truly amused me. Why? Because she was doing something so totally mundane, and in her mundanicity, she was able to show her humanity.
Let's face it, Clowns are like aliens from another planet. They have some human characteristics like opposable thumbs but for the most part they are far too foreign to us to ever be funny. It would be like watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind and thinking it was a comedy. Now if one of the aliens had jumped off the mother ship shouting "where's your bathroom!" that would be hilarious. But they're not funny, they're just weird.
Or scary, I'd say the ratio of scary to unfunny clowns is about
50/50. John Wayne Gacy was not a big help for the clown cause. Neither does Mr. Pennywise (thank you Stephen King) or the clown doll from Poltergeist (thank you Stephen Speilberg). I had my own personal encounter with an evil clown as a child. Actually it was more just a angry frustrated clown but still...
I was at a parade and clowns were walking down the sides of the street handing out candy. I already had a piece of candy from one clown so when I was offered a Tootsie Roll by another clown I insisted politely that "I already have a piece" to which I was told in no uncertain terms "Take It Anyway!". One must assume at that point a clown can become disillusioned and forget the entire reason he became a clown to begin with.
So you can imagine after my less than happy history with clowns how surprised I was that I could actually look at a clown and find them even somewhat appealing. I think more clowns should take a cue from Ms. Chubby Huggs (I don't really know her name) and start doing less clowny things, they might see more people who are actually happy to see them. Clowns checking out the produce at the grocery store, Clowns in the laundromat, Clowns in the drive thru at Burger King, Clowns asking where the bathroom is at, Clowns picking up their prescription for heart medication....That's funny! It's heart warming to think that there's a real actual person under all that makeup who has to go through the same crap as everybody else and yet still finds it worth while to dress up like a freak if only to make other people smile.
ok then.
When I say turkeys, what I actually mean is turkeys. Literal turkeys with feathers and the pecking and the silly noises that play in the road every day as I'm trying to go to work. Ev-er-y daaaaaaaay. After the second stop light there is a little hill you crest and almost always there's a line of cars either crawling or completely stopped because wild turkeys are meandering where they please without a thought to how they are negatively affecting the outcome of my overall day. I think I will find extra pleasure in eating turkey this thanksgiving, especially if grandma didn't make it. That woman can't cook a turkey to save her life. I love you grandma.
However, on my way home having just exited the highway and waiting patiently with all my fellow commuters for the light to change, something in my rearview got my attention, mostly because of all the colors that I see in a day, these seemed extra colory. It was a clown, an actual clown driving what I think was most likely a late 80's Oldmobile Cutlass. If clowns have a sex I think this one might be female. "She" wasn't being extra cute or anything, she was just driving like everybody else. But I had to stop and smile and the sight. She followed me for several miles and I could see people in cars around me doing double takes and smiling as well. Some even honked and she would smile and wave for them. It was as if just by her being there in a car made people happier. And then I realized something amazing...I have never before been amused by a clown.
It's true. In fact I believe there are few people who can honestly say they have been amused by clowns, and fewer still who would ever admit it. But this clown truly amused me. Why? Because she was doing something so totally mundane, and in her mundanicity, she was able to show her humanity.
Let's face it, Clowns are like aliens from another planet. They have some human characteristics like opposable thumbs but for the most part they are far too foreign to us to ever be funny. It would be like watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind and thinking it was a comedy. Now if one of the aliens had jumped off the mother ship shouting "where's your bathroom!" that would be hilarious. But they're not funny, they're just weird.
Or scary, I'd say the ratio of scary to unfunny clowns is aboutI was at a parade and clowns were walking down the sides of the street handing out candy. I already had a piece of candy from one clown so when I was offered a Tootsie Roll by another clown I insisted politely that "I already have a piece" to which I was told in no uncertain terms "Take It Anyway!". One must assume at that point a clown can become disillusioned and forget the entire reason he became a clown to begin with.
So you can imagine after my less than happy history with clowns how surprised I was that I could actually look at a clown and find them even somewhat appealing. I think more clowns should take a cue from Ms. Chubby Huggs (I don't really know her name) and start doing less clowny things, they might see more people who are actually happy to see them. Clowns checking out the produce at the grocery store, Clowns in the laundromat, Clowns in the drive thru at Burger King, Clowns asking where the bathroom is at, Clowns picking up their prescription for heart medication....That's funny! It's heart warming to think that there's a real actual person under all that makeup who has to go through the same crap as everybody else and yet still finds it worth while to dress up like a freak if only to make other people smile.
ok then.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Automatic
I think I've finally determined that I'm going to give the Coen Brothers my "Automatic" designation. As in, no matter what the name of the project is, no matter who is starring in it, no matter what time of the year it's coming out, I'm going to see it as soon as I can. Automatically.
I went to see "Burn After Reading" on Sunday, and it was so brilliant. Brilliantly comedic. Accomplishing, plot-wise, absolutely nothing - but it was one of the most enjoyable Nothings I've experienced in quite a while. If you're ok with cursing and about fifteen seconds of real violence, I recommend it. Rarely do I pay theater prices to see a comedy, but this was some well-spent movie money. Dan and I just sat in the theater after the credits rolled, enjoying a long laugh at the beautiful ridiculousness we had just witnessed.
Ok, you get the point. I liked it. But I'm looking down their list of IMDB projects, and I notice that I really liked all of them! All of the ones I've seen, anyway. Here's the list after "Burn":
# No Country for Old Men (2007) (screenplay)
# Paris, je t'aime (2006) (segment "Tuileries")
... aka Paris, I Love You (Hong Kong: English title)
# The Ladykillers (2004) (screenplay)
# Intolerable Cruelty (2003) (screenplay)
# The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) (written by)
# O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (written by)
... aka O' Brother (France)
# The Big Lebowski (1998) (written by)
# Fargo (1996) (written by)
# The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (written by)
... aka Hudsucker - Der große Sprung (Germany)
# Barton Fink (1991) (written by)
# Miller's Crossing (1990) (written by)
# Raising Arizona (1987) (written by)
# Crimewave (1985) (written by)
# Blood Simple. (1984) (written by)
Haven't seen 4 out of the last 5 on this list, nor "The Man Who Wasn't There", nor Paris. But pretty much everything else has made the grade with me, and so I am officially handing the Coen Brothers my "Automatic" designation.
Has anybody earned this designation for you? Tom Hanks had it with me once, but he lost it with The Polar Express. Although maybe I shouldn't hold that against him since it was just a voice-acting role. Haven't seen the Da Vinci Code.
**************************
For those of you who think that Brandon and I are nuts with this fantasy football stuff, check out this site. It's basically "fantasy hollywood" where you can compete against others to see if you can more accurately predict the failures and successes at the box office of movies as they come out. The concept is the same as fantasy football - take your knowledge of a particular subject, and put it into a competitive game to see who is able to better predict the performance of the real-life dynamics of that subject.
http://www.fantasymoguls.com/
I went to see "Burn After Reading" on Sunday, and it was so brilliant. Brilliantly comedic. Accomplishing, plot-wise, absolutely nothing - but it was one of the most enjoyable Nothings I've experienced in quite a while. If you're ok with cursing and about fifteen seconds of real violence, I recommend it. Rarely do I pay theater prices to see a comedy, but this was some well-spent movie money. Dan and I just sat in the theater after the credits rolled, enjoying a long laugh at the beautiful ridiculousness we had just witnessed.
Ok, you get the point. I liked it. But I'm looking down their list of IMDB projects, and I notice that I really liked all of them! All of the ones I've seen, anyway. Here's the list after "Burn":
# No Country for Old Men (2007) (screenplay)
# Paris, je t'aime (2006) (segment "Tuileries")
... aka Paris, I Love You (Hong Kong: English title)
# The Ladykillers (2004) (screenplay)
# Intolerable Cruelty (2003) (screenplay)
# The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) (written by)
# O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (written by)
... aka O' Brother (France)
# The Big Lebowski (1998) (written by)
# Fargo (1996) (written by)
# The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) (written by)
... aka Hudsucker - Der große Sprung (Germany)
# Barton Fink (1991) (written by)
# Miller's Crossing (1990) (written by)
# Raising Arizona (1987) (written by)
# Crimewave (1985) (written by)
# Blood Simple. (1984) (written by)
Haven't seen 4 out of the last 5 on this list, nor "The Man Who Wasn't There", nor Paris. But pretty much everything else has made the grade with me, and so I am officially handing the Coen Brothers my "Automatic" designation.
Has anybody earned this designation for you? Tom Hanks had it with me once, but he lost it with The Polar Express. Although maybe I shouldn't hold that against him since it was just a voice-acting role. Haven't seen the Da Vinci Code.
**************************
For those of you who think that Brandon and I are nuts with this fantasy football stuff, check out this site. It's basically "fantasy hollywood" where you can compete against others to see if you can more accurately predict the failures and successes at the box office of movies as they come out. The concept is the same as fantasy football - take your knowledge of a particular subject, and put it into a competitive game to see who is able to better predict the performance of the real-life dynamics of that subject.
http://www.fantasymoguls.com/
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Breakin 2, Obama, & Shaq: and other urban junk
Now that I've vented all my vitriole about the election, I'm not exactly sure what to write about. My life is pretty unispired at the moment. I wish I had something better to say.
I was looking at the movie poll today. Someone must be playing a joke because JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is sporting a commanding lead. Anyone who has seen this movie and votes for it over ANY of the other movies listed clearly hasn't seen any of the other movies. It was a horrible movie. So my guess is that it is a sabotage of the polling system. Good Joke, I guess. Seriously, that movie was by far the most horrible thing I've seen in a theater since BREAKIN 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. Seriously, it's been that long since I've seen such a horrible movie, and yes, I did see that one in its theatrical release.
It's interesting how when the Obama campaign lost so much ground since the debut of Sarah Palin (it's a virtual tie) how uninteresting his campaign has been. I am not a Sarah Palin fan, but it looks like the Obama campaign has been duped into engaging the public about HER instead of the issues. They forget the fact that even negative press is STILL free publicity, and that ANY negative press about her is going to be perceived as coming through the LIBERAL MEDIA filter, and will mostly be ignored, particularly since the Obama campaign officially declared that the family was "off limits". From what I can tell, the negative press has done for the campaign what steroids did for baseball: Not Much. Most people don't care about the potential vice president's kids. It's a distraction from the issues. Neither side still has a viable answer for the war, neither side still has a concrete plan for the economy, or health care, or the auto industry.
The philosophical difference I perceive between the two campaigns is the answer to this question:
What will you do to make things better?
OBAMA: Make government bigger to take care of more people
MCCAIN: Try to inspire Americans to take care of their own communities.
I'm reading a new book, given to me for my birthday, called THE SHACK. I was surprised to find it was NOT a biography of Shaquille O'Neil. In fact it is an allegorical telling of a real man's personal spiritual journey. Demi-fictional. It's pretty good. I'll tell you more when I finish it.
I was looking at the movie poll today. Someone must be playing a joke because JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is sporting a commanding lead. Anyone who has seen this movie and votes for it over ANY of the other movies listed clearly hasn't seen any of the other movies. It was a horrible movie. So my guess is that it is a sabotage of the polling system. Good Joke, I guess. Seriously, that movie was by far the most horrible thing I've seen in a theater since BREAKIN 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO. Seriously, it's been that long since I've seen such a horrible movie, and yes, I did see that one in its theatrical release.
It's interesting how when the Obama campaign lost so much ground since the debut of Sarah Palin (it's a virtual tie) how uninteresting his campaign has been. I am not a Sarah Palin fan, but it looks like the Obama campaign has been duped into engaging the public about HER instead of the issues. They forget the fact that even negative press is STILL free publicity, and that ANY negative press about her is going to be perceived as coming through the LIBERAL MEDIA filter, and will mostly be ignored, particularly since the Obama campaign officially declared that the family was "off limits". From what I can tell, the negative press has done for the campaign what steroids did for baseball: Not Much. Most people don't care about the potential vice president's kids. It's a distraction from the issues. Neither side still has a viable answer for the war, neither side still has a concrete plan for the economy, or health care, or the auto industry.
The philosophical difference I perceive between the two campaigns is the answer to this question:
What will you do to make things better?
OBAMA: Make government bigger to take care of more people
MCCAIN: Try to inspire Americans to take care of their own communities.
I'm reading a new book, given to me for my birthday, called THE SHACK. I was surprised to find it was NOT a biography of Shaquille O'Neil. In fact it is an allegorical telling of a real man's personal spiritual journey. Demi-fictional. It's pretty good. I'll tell you more when I finish it.
Soccer/ Water Polo
I'm serious...... Soccer/ Water Polo, following Austin's post i thought i would inform you all of probably the worst soccer conditions i have ever played or coached in this past weekend.
I arrived at the field to coach my U14b team in Brighton I was greeted by a very fine drizzle of rain, I said to myself "this isn't that bad, i can deal with this" oh was i wrong.
As my assistant put up the canopy planning for a possible downpour, it started to rain like i have never seen before, as i looked out in front of me from underneath an umbrella (yes... i scummed to the Steve McLaren era) it looked like a rain version of the Matrix from the hit trilogy.
After 1hr of that the field conditions were unbelievable, pockets of water everywhere and we had not even started the game yet, as we finished our warm-up underneath a very fine drizzle, my team talk began with "look, we are not going to be able to pass and move today as the ball will hold up on the standing water, just boot it and run" suddenly i fell into the Parent (dad) coach telling his u9's to kick it towards goal and run really fast, but under the circumstances i was proved to be right.
After 10 minutes of play and neither team had got out of the middle because of the standing water, the heavens opened up with a much worse rainstorm than the previous one, right there and then we should of asked the players to lie down & swim to goal............. it was ridiculous.
The game finished 0-0, with 1 chance going to us and the ball stopped on route to goal.. funny.
TV this week has been awesome so far, Prison Break is hotting up after only 4 episodes, this season so far has been much better than the previous 3.
The Shield is The Shield, absolute quality and Vic Makey deserves and Emmy for his performances, I've always dreamed of being a cop I'd only hope if i was one I'd be just like him, going back to one of Austin's previous quotes "yes, i have a man crush of Vic Makey.
Burn Notice this past week was excellent and now we approach the season finale on Thursday, will Micheal find out who burned him, watch and see.
Next week's TV is also going to be awesome, CSI Miami and Without A Trace return with new seasons, what will be in store for Agent Malone and will we find out who shot Horatio.
My money is on Wolfe giving the order, or will the text he received "its done" at the end of season 6 be totally coincidental, personally i am looking forward to seeing Duquense and Boa Vista again as they walk the Crime Scene in their whites.
As far as the English Premiership goes, i have nothing to report. United got outplayed, City lay down for Chelsea and Arsenal were terrific against a soon to be manager less Blackburn, Paul Ince is not the right man for the job, put Tommy Smith from ESPN in charge and he would do a better job.
As i said to a good friend this weekend who preceded to tell me that my team Manchester United we already out of the title race, there are 35 games to go. Shut up and call me in January to discuss where the title will be going.
Austin, your dreaming if you think Chelsea are going to do the double, maybe the Carling Cup & FA Cup, but forget the rest.
Until next week.........................
I arrived at the field to coach my U14b team in Brighton I was greeted by a very fine drizzle of rain, I said to myself "this isn't that bad, i can deal with this" oh was i wrong.
As my assistant put up the canopy planning for a possible downpour, it started to rain like i have never seen before, as i looked out in front of me from underneath an umbrella (yes... i scummed to the Steve McLaren era) it looked like a rain version of the Matrix from the hit trilogy.
After 1hr of that the field conditions were unbelievable, pockets of water everywhere and we had not even started the game yet, as we finished our warm-up underneath a very fine drizzle, my team talk began with "look, we are not going to be able to pass and move today as the ball will hold up on the standing water, just boot it and run" suddenly i fell into the Parent (dad) coach telling his u9's to kick it towards goal and run really fast, but under the circumstances i was proved to be right.
After 10 minutes of play and neither team had got out of the middle because of the standing water, the heavens opened up with a much worse rainstorm than the previous one, right there and then we should of asked the players to lie down & swim to goal............. it was ridiculous.
The game finished 0-0, with 1 chance going to us and the ball stopped on route to goal.. funny.
TV this week has been awesome so far, Prison Break is hotting up after only 4 episodes, this season so far has been much better than the previous 3.
The Shield is The Shield, absolute quality and Vic Makey deserves and Emmy for his performances, I've always dreamed of being a cop I'd only hope if i was one I'd be just like him, going back to one of Austin's previous quotes "yes, i have a man crush of Vic Makey.
Burn Notice this past week was excellent and now we approach the season finale on Thursday, will Micheal find out who burned him, watch and see.
Next week's TV is also going to be awesome, CSI Miami and Without A Trace return with new seasons, what will be in store for Agent Malone and will we find out who shot Horatio.
My money is on Wolfe giving the order, or will the text he received "its done" at the end of season 6 be totally coincidental, personally i am looking forward to seeing Duquense and Boa Vista again as they walk the Crime Scene in their whites.
As far as the English Premiership goes, i have nothing to report. United got outplayed, City lay down for Chelsea and Arsenal were terrific against a soon to be manager less Blackburn, Paul Ince is not the right man for the job, put Tommy Smith from ESPN in charge and he would do a better job.
As i said to a good friend this weekend who preceded to tell me that my team Manchester United we already out of the title race, there are 35 games to go. Shut up and call me in January to discuss where the title will be going.
Austin, your dreaming if you think Chelsea are going to do the double, maybe the Carling Cup & FA Cup, but forget the rest.
Until next week.........................
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
rain rain go away
So the rain this weekend was pretty ridiculous. Oh but Austin, Texas got pounded by Ike and parts of the Midwest were under water. Sorry. Let me just say that the three straight days of rain here in Lansing were not catastrophic, just annoying. And since I live in Lansing, MI and not those other areas, that is what I am most concerned about.
Moving on . . .
At our monthly staff meeting, we went around the table, asking each other questions. It’s called an “icebreaker.” My first question was describe your perfect day in meals. This was spawned by a thread on my Facebook page re: Krispy Kreme. Anyway, my day would look something like this:
Breakfast
Krispy Kreme (glazed or choclate iced) and a cup of BIGGBY Black and Tan coffee.
Lunch
#3 from Jersey Giant and sweet tea
Dinner
Cheese fries, a big, sizzling steak from Outback and a couple of big schooners of beer
What about you?
Last Saturday I watched Liverpool v Manchester United. After the first 5 minutes, United were second best by a mile. Liverpool are at least going to be in the race until Christmas, which is about two month longer than recent memory. I don’t see how United will win the title. Defensively they are strong (even though Van Der Sar was off the reservation), but I see problems in the midfield and up top. The 4-3-3 clearly didn’t work and when they went to 4-4-2 they wasted Rooney on the outside. Maybe when CR7 comes back to full fitness, things will change. Maybe not, and I could see Chelsea winning the League and the Champions League.
Recent movie reviews:
Unknown. I saw the cover and saw a lot of recognizable names but I had never heard of this movie before. Quite good. An interesting concept. Think Memento on laughing gas. Basically a group of people have been knocked out by gas in an enclosed space. As they wake up they don’t have recent memories but memories return as they “wake up”. The conclusion is quite good. No one is what you expect. See it.
Then there was Shoot ‘em Up. Blah. There were a couple of cool action stunts but these were obscured by the dumbest story ever. The movie even managed to waste Monica Bellucci (Matrix, Brotherhood of the Wolf). And then there was Paul Giamatti. Really? He’s the bad guy? Maybe, but he has some of the worst dialogue ever. Skip it.
Tomorrow United v Villareal. C’mon you Reds!
Monday, September 15, 2008
Fall TV Preview
With Fall Programming beginning this week and new shows continuing to begin through October, I thought I would share which shows get the official Sam Long seal of approval. I will begin with the returning shows I will be sure to watch and follow it up with some new shows that contain some potential.
Monk – If you have not seen an episode, you have not seen Tony Shalhoub at his finest. He was great in Wings. He is even better in Monk.
Psych – not great, but entertaining enough to watch.
Burn Notice – I don’t know how long they can keep this show going (plot wise), but so far I am hooked.
Chuck – Funny, clever, interesting. In addition, we get to see a Jewelish (the singer) eye candy.
Heroes – Riveting. That’s all I can say about it.
Life – If you didn’t see the first season, download it and check it out. The lead actor has great stage presence and the plot progress keeps me coming back each week.
The Office – We all know how good this show is.
Lost – We all know how good this show is.
House - We all know how good this show is.
Now, my time and interest are limited, so there are some new shows I plan on giving a try. However I will have to be really impressed in order to devote my limited time to them. (Descriptions are from the network websites):
Crusoe: Based on the tale of Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe will brave the elements in a contemporary tale of love, friendship and self discovery.
2-Hour Series Premiere, Friday, October 17th 8/7c
My Own Worst Enemy: Explores the duality of a man who is pitted against himself and raises the question: who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?
Series Premiere, Monday, October 13th, 10/9c
The Mentalist: Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation.
Fringe: From J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team behind comes a new series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible.
Observations – most of the shows are from USA or NBC. FOX, ABC and CBS have a lot of crappy reality shows that seem to be taking precedence over quality dramas and comedies.
So, what are you looking forward to seeing in the fall programming?
Which show do you think I am an idiot for watching?
Monk – If you have not seen an episode, you have not seen Tony Shalhoub at his finest. He was great in Wings. He is even better in Monk.
Psych – not great, but entertaining enough to watch.
Burn Notice – I don’t know how long they can keep this show going (plot wise), but so far I am hooked.
Chuck – Funny, clever, interesting. In addition, we get to see a Jewelish (the singer) eye candy.
Heroes – Riveting. That’s all I can say about it.
Life – If you didn’t see the first season, download it and check it out. The lead actor has great stage presence and the plot progress keeps me coming back each week.
The Office – We all know how good this show is.
Lost – We all know how good this show is.
House - We all know how good this show is.
Now, my time and interest are limited, so there are some new shows I plan on giving a try. However I will have to be really impressed in order to devote my limited time to them. (Descriptions are from the network websites):
Crusoe: Based on the tale of Robinson Crusoe, Crusoe will brave the elements in a contemporary tale of love, friendship and self discovery.
2-Hour Series Premiere, Friday, October 17th 8/7c
My Own Worst Enemy: Explores the duality of a man who is pitted against himself and raises the question: who can you trust when you can't trust yourself?
Series Premiere, Monday, October 13th, 10/9c
The Mentalist: Simon Baker stars as Patrick Jane, a detective and independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation.
Fringe: From J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team behind comes a new series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible.
Observations – most of the shows are from USA or NBC. FOX, ABC and CBS have a lot of crappy reality shows that seem to be taking precedence over quality dramas and comedies.
So, what are you looking forward to seeing in the fall programming?
Which show do you think I am an idiot for watching?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
[Hilarity Ensues]
I was going to blog about something completely different yesterday but I asked politely if I could use my lap top and I was told "later" which apparently means "maybe tomorrow" so you get this instead.
So this morning around 10 I took the Jodee for a walk. Which I do every day except during the week Ben walks her in the morning because I have to leave at 7, and I walk her at night. During the weekend we trade favors to get out of walking her. That sounds a little worse than I meant it to (I figured I'd point that out before Brandon did). By "trading favors" I mean saturday morning tends to go something like:
Me; "Walk the dog for me?"
Ben: "I don't want to"
Me: "But I walked her last night!"
Ben: "She likes you more!"
Me: "I will make you french toast if you walk the dog for me."
Ben: "Ok."
Usually if one has to walk the dog, the other has to accomplish some other unpleasant task during the same time frame. Not always, but almost always.
Today it fell to me which I agreed to since it meant Ben would have to do the night walk and I figured best to get it over with in the morning and have the rest of the day to myself.
Walks have become so predictable it's one of those things you do without even thinking about it. So as we get back to the front door I take her leash and collar off before I actually open it so that I don't have to chase her through the house to take it off her inside. So when I open the door she bounds inside looking for...who knows....food on the floor...new smells...whatever. She jumps around a little bit and right as we start to notice that Ben is not in the living room he jumps out from the hallway and shouts "BOO!" in what some may call an "attack position". I hadn't even begun to realize what was going on before Jodee attacks him right back. Barking and running at him, enough that Ben was getting a little nervous.
I almost think she was mad at him after that, mostly for scaring her. She cowered and jumped up on the couch with that "Why are you so mean to me" expression she is so good at. Ben comforted her but even that took a while before she stopped cowering every time he tried to pet her. And there I was the whole time, laughing my head off.
So yeah, right now Ben is walking the Jodee and I'm about to finish up and hide in the hallway and await their return. We'll see how it goes shall we?
So this morning around 10 I took the Jodee for a walk. Which I do every day except during the week Ben walks her in the morning because I have to leave at 7, and I walk her at night. During the weekend we trade favors to get out of walking her. That sounds a little worse than I meant it to (I figured I'd point that out before Brandon did). By "trading favors" I mean saturday morning tends to go something like:
Me; "Walk the dog for me?"
Ben: "I don't want to"
Me: "But I walked her last night!"
Ben: "She likes you more!"
Me: "I will make you french toast if you walk the dog for me."
Ben: "Ok."
Usually if one has to walk the dog, the other has to accomplish some other unpleasant task during the same time frame. Not always, but almost always.
Today it fell to me which I agreed to since it meant Ben would have to do the night walk and I figured best to get it over with in the morning and have the rest of the day to myself.
Walks have become so predictable it's one of those things you do without even thinking about it. So as we get back to the front door I take her leash and collar off before I actually open it so that I don't have to chase her through the house to take it off her inside. So when I open the door she bounds inside looking for...who knows....food on the floor...new smells...whatever. She jumps around a little bit and right as we start to notice that Ben is not in the living room he jumps out from the hallway and shouts "BOO!" in what some may call an "attack position". I hadn't even begun to realize what was going on before Jodee attacks him right back. Barking and running at him, enough that Ben was getting a little nervous.
I almost think she was mad at him after that, mostly for scaring her. She cowered and jumped up on the couch with that "Why are you so mean to me" expression she is so good at. Ben comforted her but even that took a while before she stopped cowering every time he tried to pet her. And there I was the whole time, laughing my head off.
So yeah, right now Ben is walking the Jodee and I'm about to finish up and hide in the hallway and await their return. We'll see how it goes shall we?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
10 Things I Hate About Each Candidate
McCain.
10. He's incredibly old
9. Being incredibly old makes him incredibly creepy
8. He is a terribly orator
7. He brags too much about sitting in prison
6. He is out of touch with the American Public
5. His policies on energy are his only platform for improving the economy
4. He chose Palin purely for eye candy
3. He uses the word MAVERICK too much
2. He is older than MAVERICK James Garner (not really, but close)
1. He is a typical republican with a slightly more liberal stance on abortion and stem cell research. Other than that he's a pretty typical republican.
Obama.
10. He thinks that taxing businesses won't affect the middle class.
9. He thinks taxing businesses won't cause them to leave for cheaper labor overseas
8. He wants to insure 47 million people with public funds
7. He thinks if those people have insurance that private medical facilities prices won't go up, even though they already assume a loss of 3% of bad debt from non-insured patients (only 3%. think about it. 47 million uninsured people cause 3% of unpaid medical claims. now instead of hospitals eating that bill (which costs them nothing to do so because they just raise their prices elsewhere and cover many of their expenses through charitable gifts GIVEN TO THEM AS TAX-WRITE-OFFS). Do your neighborhood hospitals look like that 3% is killing their finances? NO? now the businesses will eat that cost at the full value of the dollar. The exemption that the wealthy got for donating will diminish (because it is no longer needed) so they will have to find other charities to donate to. That adds an instant 3% of profit for hospitals and a big loss for businesses). To put it into terms easier to understand. Its like this. Think of all the comics that Dan Harris has read but hasn't paid for at Clem's. If the government comes in and says it's going to now pay for the comics he reads but doesn't pay for the profits at clems goes up. But now dan still isn't paying for his comics. I am. Clems gets richer. Dan gets to read like its a library. Problem not solved. I hate it. I hate his health plan. the problem with health care is not the lack of insurance. It IS INSURANCE itself.
6. He's smug. He changes his demeanor to whichever audience he is selling himself to.
5. He's the whitest possible black person imaginable. He was raised by a white mother and had no contact with his black dad. He really isn't a black candidate. It just exploits the racist culture we live in that says if he's got ANY black in him, he's black. His genetics make him more white than black but we still don't claim him. I heard the other day that he's like 9th cousins with Brad Pitt twice removed.
4. He isn't a leader. He is a speaker. He's a mouthpiece more than a leader. The argument could be made that most presidents are, but I don't subscribe to the tenet that says it MUST BE SO.
3. His IQ is lower than mine. I have no way of verifying that statement other than I saw an ad on FACEBOOK for an I.Q. test that advertised his IQ as being 127 and Bush's being 126. I am sitting pretty at 141. Eat that Obama!
2. He is a lawyer, just like Clinton. So is his wife, just like Clinton. I hate lawyers. They are trained liars. They make careers out of manipulation. Greasy lot, all of them. They will say ANYTHING to get into power, just like the Clintons, and the Kilpatricks.
1. He quoted Paul in his acceptance speech and twisted it so far out of context that it made no sense. His only reason for doing so would be to appeal to people in the middle who have religious values who might be fooled into thinking him to be a spiritual person. Like when Kid Rock and Kanye West do it in his songs. The same people who find Kid Rock and Kanye West to be spiritual will accept Obama's speech as a spiritual theme. That's what salesmen do. Not managers.
10. He's incredibly old
9. Being incredibly old makes him incredibly creepy
8. He is a terribly orator
7. He brags too much about sitting in prison
6. He is out of touch with the American Public
5. His policies on energy are his only platform for improving the economy
4. He chose Palin purely for eye candy
3. He uses the word MAVERICK too much
2. He is older than MAVERICK James Garner (not really, but close)
1. He is a typical republican with a slightly more liberal stance on abortion and stem cell research. Other than that he's a pretty typical republican.
Obama.
10. He thinks that taxing businesses won't affect the middle class.
9. He thinks taxing businesses won't cause them to leave for cheaper labor overseas
8. He wants to insure 47 million people with public funds
7. He thinks if those people have insurance that private medical facilities prices won't go up, even though they already assume a loss of 3% of bad debt from non-insured patients (only 3%. think about it. 47 million uninsured people cause 3% of unpaid medical claims. now instead of hospitals eating that bill (which costs them nothing to do so because they just raise their prices elsewhere and cover many of their expenses through charitable gifts GIVEN TO THEM AS TAX-WRITE-OFFS). Do your neighborhood hospitals look like that 3% is killing their finances? NO? now the businesses will eat that cost at the full value of the dollar. The exemption that the wealthy got for donating will diminish (because it is no longer needed) so they will have to find other charities to donate to. That adds an instant 3% of profit for hospitals and a big loss for businesses). To put it into terms easier to understand. Its like this. Think of all the comics that Dan Harris has read but hasn't paid for at Clem's. If the government comes in and says it's going to now pay for the comics he reads but doesn't pay for the profits at clems goes up. But now dan still isn't paying for his comics. I am. Clems gets richer. Dan gets to read like its a library. Problem not solved. I hate it. I hate his health plan. the problem with health care is not the lack of insurance. It IS INSURANCE itself.
6. He's smug. He changes his demeanor to whichever audience he is selling himself to.
5. He's the whitest possible black person imaginable. He was raised by a white mother and had no contact with his black dad. He really isn't a black candidate. It just exploits the racist culture we live in that says if he's got ANY black in him, he's black. His genetics make him more white than black but we still don't claim him. I heard the other day that he's like 9th cousins with Brad Pitt twice removed.
4. He isn't a leader. He is a speaker. He's a mouthpiece more than a leader. The argument could be made that most presidents are, but I don't subscribe to the tenet that says it MUST BE SO.
3. His IQ is lower than mine. I have no way of verifying that statement other than I saw an ad on FACEBOOK for an I.Q. test that advertised his IQ as being 127 and Bush's being 126. I am sitting pretty at 141. Eat that Obama!
2. He is a lawyer, just like Clinton. So is his wife, just like Clinton. I hate lawyers. They are trained liars. They make careers out of manipulation. Greasy lot, all of them. They will say ANYTHING to get into power, just like the Clintons, and the Kilpatricks.
1. He quoted Paul in his acceptance speech and twisted it so far out of context that it made no sense. His only reason for doing so would be to appeal to people in the middle who have religious values who might be fooled into thinking him to be a spiritual person. Like when Kid Rock and Kanye West do it in his songs. The same people who find Kid Rock and Kanye West to be spiritual will accept Obama's speech as a spiritual theme. That's what salesmen do. Not managers.
Soccer, TV & Football Week 1
I will dive right into the good stuff, Soccer - International Soccer i might add........................
Well where do i start, as a very proud Englishmen over the years i have enjoyed nothing more than ridiculing certain countries about their international failures in big tournaments or games.
The mere sight of a scotsman, irishman, welshman or even a froggy did not escape the wrath of my banter towards thier countries terrible results and pub football performances.
As years have gone by, especially this past year the tables have turned and now i feel myself on the receiving end of same abuse i dished out all these years regarding my own countries failures on the football pitch, and much to my amazement as i have never backed down from a footballing argument i agree and support the jibes thrown at me 100%, not only do i support the jibes, but I the proud Englishmen have been the instigator of the abuse to several of my friends either still playing professionally or the fans that pay over the odds for tickets to watch this utter garbage.
I have been so incensed by the English National team, not only the performances, but the sheer arrogance in which some of the players approach international games with, i have boycotted watching all games, press conferences etc until they prove to me and the rest of the country that they want to proudly pull on the 3 Lions shirt, get their fingers out and do the business.
There we go enough said, now watch em go and spank Croatia tonight and really make me eat my words.
It was a great TV week, 3 episodes of Prison Break watched and the Shield is also up and running again, but before i tell you how much i love Vic Makey and The Shield i want to say that i wasn't at all looking forward to Prison Break Season 4, to be honest we have been down this road before, in and out of Prison for 3 seasons, story lines have been OK, but come on move on from Prison and focus on something else or kill the show and be done with it....................... much to my liking Season 4 has started off with a bang, all the usual players are back, T-Bag is his usual self (the guy is sheer class) and yes yes yes the writer's finally took my advice and have finally moved away from the Prison theme, Micheal and the gang are helping the authorities take down the company to stay out of Prison, chilling stuff. There is a new addition to the team a wacky Asian dude who i haven't quite figured out yet, more to come.
The Shield is back for its final season, I'm gutted, but i guess its time. Vic is back better than ever and the next few weeks are going to be explosive. If your not a fan give it a try you wont regret it trust me.
And lastly Football week 1, now i am not a big college football fan, but NFL yes i am. Previously i was a Cheese head because of my mother in law's force full nature, but i have grown wings and fled the nest, i now sit proudly on the shoulder of Brett Favre and the Jets, why you ask because i like controversy and controversy creates memorable moments. Jets will be in the playoffs because of the gun slinger, look at his performance this past weekend, OK lucky 2ND TD, but overall a decent outing against Miami...... watch this space Jets in the playoffs.
Brady is done for the season, to be honest every NFL franchise has to be licking their lips at this news, the MVP of professional football is out for the season and the Patriots look in trouble.
And lastly i heard in the news today that Vince Young has gone AWOL because some fans have booed him as he threw a 2ND INT in his first game this season, you have to be kidding me come on son GROW a pair as i am sure the millions that the Titans are paying you is softening the blow. Can i interest you in a long soak in the bath tub with some bath beads and candles, what a pansy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well where do i start, as a very proud Englishmen over the years i have enjoyed nothing more than ridiculing certain countries about their international failures in big tournaments or games.
The mere sight of a scotsman, irishman, welshman or even a froggy did not escape the wrath of my banter towards thier countries terrible results and pub football performances.
As years have gone by, especially this past year the tables have turned and now i feel myself on the receiving end of same abuse i dished out all these years regarding my own countries failures on the football pitch, and much to my amazement as i have never backed down from a footballing argument i agree and support the jibes thrown at me 100%, not only do i support the jibes, but I the proud Englishmen have been the instigator of the abuse to several of my friends either still playing professionally or the fans that pay over the odds for tickets to watch this utter garbage.
I have been so incensed by the English National team, not only the performances, but the sheer arrogance in which some of the players approach international games with, i have boycotted watching all games, press conferences etc until they prove to me and the rest of the country that they want to proudly pull on the 3 Lions shirt, get their fingers out and do the business.
There we go enough said, now watch em go and spank Croatia tonight and really make me eat my words.
It was a great TV week, 3 episodes of Prison Break watched and the Shield is also up and running again, but before i tell you how much i love Vic Makey and The Shield i want to say that i wasn't at all looking forward to Prison Break Season 4, to be honest we have been down this road before, in and out of Prison for 3 seasons, story lines have been OK, but come on move on from Prison and focus on something else or kill the show and be done with it....................... much to my liking Season 4 has started off with a bang, all the usual players are back, T-Bag is his usual self (the guy is sheer class) and yes yes yes the writer's finally took my advice and have finally moved away from the Prison theme, Micheal and the gang are helping the authorities take down the company to stay out of Prison, chilling stuff. There is a new addition to the team a wacky Asian dude who i haven't quite figured out yet, more to come.
The Shield is back for its final season, I'm gutted, but i guess its time. Vic is back better than ever and the next few weeks are going to be explosive. If your not a fan give it a try you wont regret it trust me.
And lastly Football week 1, now i am not a big college football fan, but NFL yes i am. Previously i was a Cheese head because of my mother in law's force full nature, but i have grown wings and fled the nest, i now sit proudly on the shoulder of Brett Favre and the Jets, why you ask because i like controversy and controversy creates memorable moments. Jets will be in the playoffs because of the gun slinger, look at his performance this past weekend, OK lucky 2ND TD, but overall a decent outing against Miami...... watch this space Jets in the playoffs.
Brady is done for the season, to be honest every NFL franchise has to be licking their lips at this news, the MVP of professional football is out for the season and the Patriots look in trouble.
And lastly i heard in the news today that Vince Young has gone AWOL because some fans have booed him as he threw a 2ND INT in his first game this season, you have to be kidding me come on son GROW a pair as i am sure the millions that the Titans are paying you is softening the blow. Can i interest you in a long soak in the bath tub with some bath beads and candles, what a pansy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
movies, movies, movies and procrastination
So I’ll start with my poll from last week. Surely our readers are having a go at me. Journey to the Center of the Earth cannot be the favorite movie of summer 2008. Seriously. Someone explain to me why I should see it.
Speaking of movies, I heard of a movie called Hamlet 2. My first thought was a National Lampoon movie or one of the worst ideas ever. Then I saw a preview and I’m at least a little interested. Hopefully it’s not like the Shitty Beatles of Wayne’s World fame.
Tiny: Wayne. How you doin'?
Wayne Campbell: Hey, Tiny, who's playing today?
Tiny: Jolly Green Giants and the Shitty Beetles.
Wayne Campbell: Shitty Beetles? Are they any good?
Tiny: They suck.
Wayne Campbell: Then it's not just a clever name.
Watch the preview and judge for yourself.
I finished Rome, Season 1. It did have some highlights but I guess I was expecting more. The actor playing Caesar was quite good. He had this quiet control, while oozing arrogance. The Vorenius and Pullo characters got too much play. I would have rather focused on the major players in the events of that era, but what are you going to do. The one character that really bothered me was Brutus. Stop crying you pansy. Every scene was him fighting back tears. And he’s going to bring down the Republic? Maybe not. Caesar’s assassination was a punch in the mouth even though you knew it was coming. All in all, OK but I would have rather seen something more historically accurate. Oh one more thing, I loved the actor playing Marc Antony. Talk about a backstabbing, power hungry, a-hole. Spot on.
Finally, I found this chart through on a digg.com article. My work day summarized in a handy dandy chart. Go to link so that you can enlarge the pic.
http://www.projectsidewalk.com/images/flowchart2.jpg
Speaking of movies, I heard of a movie called Hamlet 2. My first thought was a National Lampoon movie or one of the worst ideas ever. Then I saw a preview and I’m at least a little interested. Hopefully it’s not like the Shitty Beatles of Wayne’s World fame.
Tiny: Wayne. How you doin'?
Wayne Campbell: Hey, Tiny, who's playing today?
Tiny: Jolly Green Giants and the Shitty Beetles.
Wayne Campbell: Shitty Beetles? Are they any good?
Tiny: They suck.
Wayne Campbell: Then it's not just a clever name.
Watch the preview and judge for yourself.
I finished Rome, Season 1. It did have some highlights but I guess I was expecting more. The actor playing Caesar was quite good. He had this quiet control, while oozing arrogance. The Vorenius and Pullo characters got too much play. I would have rather focused on the major players in the events of that era, but what are you going to do. The one character that really bothered me was Brutus. Stop crying you pansy. Every scene was him fighting back tears. And he’s going to bring down the Republic? Maybe not. Caesar’s assassination was a punch in the mouth even though you knew it was coming. All in all, OK but I would have rather seen something more historically accurate. Oh one more thing, I loved the actor playing Marc Antony. Talk about a backstabbing, power hungry, a-hole. Spot on.
Finally, I found this chart through on a digg.com article. My work day summarized in a handy dandy chart. Go to link so that you can enlarge the pic.
http://www.projectsidewalk.com/images/flowchart2.jpg
Monday, September 8, 2008
Political Commentary
Regardless of where you stand when it comes to politics, this video by Jon Stewart clearly portrays the double standard reporting that pervades the airwaves. Sit back and enjoy.
Advancements in Technology
With the move from Tennessee to Kentucky, I have seen an upgrade in technology…sort of. In Tennessee we had satellite with a DVR. I could record any show I wanted. There was a dual tuner so I could watch picture in picture or watch a show while another was recording. In regard to internet, I hacked a Linksys router and turned it into a wireless repeater/bridge so I could leech off the church’s wireless signal and get free internet at my house.
When we arrived in Kentucky, we decided to forego cable or satellite due to budgetary concerns. So all I had was 5 channels of rabbit ear reception and no internet. Knowing that D-day is coming soon (the day when all broadcasting goes digital), I dialed up the internet (at church) and asked for my Digital TV Converter coupons. When they arrived I went up to Wal-Mart and got 2 converters for $10 a piece. I was skeptical, assuming there would be little difference. I could not have been more wrong. Here is what I got with my converter boxes:
So, the TV situation is good, especially as the new season of shows is just around the corner (come back next week as I give my preview what I will watch). In addition, we wanted a home phone, so we got the phone/DSL bundle since it was basically the same price. I hooked it into my wireless router which I reverted back to the factory settings and so we have internet throughout the house and yard.
Now we are not advanced by most of our societies’ standards, but compared to what we had 2 weeks ago I think we are doing pretty well for ourselves.
When we arrived in Kentucky, we decided to forego cable or satellite due to budgetary concerns. So all I had was 5 channels of rabbit ear reception and no internet. Knowing that D-day is coming soon (the day when all broadcasting goes digital), I dialed up the internet (at church) and asked for my Digital TV Converter coupons. When they arrived I went up to Wal-Mart and got 2 converters for $10 a piece. I was skeptical, assuming there would be little difference. I could not have been more wrong. Here is what I got with my converter boxes:
A bump up from 5 channels to 11 – 3 CBS stations (regular, WB, weather), NBC, 2 ABC channels (regular and weather), 4 PBS channels (you read correctly), and FOX
Crystal clear digital signal, even on my non HD 27-inch CRT TV
On screen guide for the individual channels
Another remote (not an upside)
So, the TV situation is good, especially as the new season of shows is just around the corner (come back next week as I give my preview what I will watch). In addition, we wanted a home phone, so we got the phone/DSL bundle since it was basically the same price. I hooked it into my wireless router which I reverted back to the factory settings and so we have internet throughout the house and yard.
Now we are not advanced by most of our societies’ standards, but compared to what we had 2 weeks ago I think we are doing pretty well for ourselves.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
What's your fantasy?
So what IS the deal with fantasy football, or any fantasy sports, for that matter? What's the fascination? After giving the question a bit of thought for the purposes of this post, I've determined that, as with many things, it really just boils down to ego.
The organizer and detail-loving part of me loves the statistical analysis involved with fantasy sports. The fellowship with friends I rarely connect with anymore is nice, too. But truly.... somewhere, at some time, two men were arguing about who really knew more about the NFL. And one of them said, "Prove It". And I believe that is where fantasy football was born.
I'm not trying to be sexist. A lot of women play fantasy sports. There are now 20 million invididuals in the USA who participate in some sort of fantasy sports league, and a lot of them are women. But if we can be honest with ourselves and admit that watching sports is primarily the domain of males, it's not hard to figure out how a hobby that pits them one against another for the title of Smartest Fan would have evolved.
Even in my league, the winners are celebrated and given respect. We get a small trophy to keep after each season that we emerge the sole victor, and there is also a master trophy that has the names of our league champions dating back 14 years now, I believe. And it's worth pointing out that we had a 2-time champion who also happened to be a woman.
This Saturday the tradition will begin again. It's Draft Day, and most of our 12 league owners will be there in person to participate, and if they can't, they'll send someone in their stead. Last year's champion will drink the beverage of his choice from our trophy's cup, and then for 3 hours the true value of, say, Carson Palmer will be debated and determined, followed by five months of evaluation.
It's just good fun, and I'm more than happy to participate in a diversion that has become less of a lunatic's activity, and more of a national pastime. This report from researchers in Chicago says that U.S. employers will lose $9.2 billion dollars' worth of productivity from their workers because of fantasy football. I look forward this year to contributing to that malaise.
The organizer and detail-loving part of me loves the statistical analysis involved with fantasy sports. The fellowship with friends I rarely connect with anymore is nice, too. But truly.... somewhere, at some time, two men were arguing about who really knew more about the NFL. And one of them said, "Prove It". And I believe that is where fantasy football was born.
I'm not trying to be sexist. A lot of women play fantasy sports. There are now 20 million invididuals in the USA who participate in some sort of fantasy sports league, and a lot of them are women. But if we can be honest with ourselves and admit that watching sports is primarily the domain of males, it's not hard to figure out how a hobby that pits them one against another for the title of Smartest Fan would have evolved.
Even in my league, the winners are celebrated and given respect. We get a small trophy to keep after each season that we emerge the sole victor, and there is also a master trophy that has the names of our league champions dating back 14 years now, I believe. And it's worth pointing out that we had a 2-time champion who also happened to be a woman.
This Saturday the tradition will begin again. It's Draft Day, and most of our 12 league owners will be there in person to participate, and if they can't, they'll send someone in their stead. Last year's champion will drink the beverage of his choice from our trophy's cup, and then for 3 hours the true value of, say, Carson Palmer will be debated and determined, followed by five months of evaluation.
It's just good fun, and I'm more than happy to participate in a diversion that has become less of a lunatic's activity, and more of a national pastime. This report from researchers in Chicago says that U.S. employers will lose $9.2 billion dollars' worth of productivity from their workers because of fantasy football. I look forward this year to contributing to that malaise.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
What I Did On My Summer Break
It has been a while since I've last posted. I'm sure you've all been worried by the massive amounts of correspondence to that effect that I've received from fellow bloggers regarding my absence. I realize that I am in clear violation of the charter and the rules set henceforth as the the legal frequency (or infrequency) that is permissible herein.
Here is a list of the culture-related activities that I partook of over the last 5 weeks so that nobody misses a thing:
I watched
3 episodes of Flashpoint.
3 episodes of The Closer
2 episodes of Terminator Chronicles
1 eposode of CSI NY
The Roast of Bob Sagat (twice)
1 episode of Chuck
1 episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent
1 episode of Law & Order (old skool)
1 Detroit Lions preseason game
Live Broadcasts of Jennifer Granholm's hearing regarding the removal of Kwame Kilpatrick.
I saw the folling Films at the theater:
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
I saw the following DVDs
The Bank Job
The Golden Compass
The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
Cavite
The Bulletproof Monk
Definitely Maybe (chick flick)
I downloaded tracks from the following artists
Sloan
Sigur Ros
Louis!
Broken Social Scene
Stars
Metric
Band of Horses
Engineers
Spoon
The Cure
I visited
The Toledo Zoo
Baptisms at Stony Creek
Blockbuster Summer Nights at Kensington Community church
I started reading
The Shack
I have been updating my facebook page.
I have been intrigued at how Obama says he is an agent of change while proposing new taxes and investing more money in social welfare programs. How is that different than any other Democrat? If he isn't going to tax families then how does he propose to get this money? By taxing businesses that families purchase their needs from? I just don't get him. I've also studied his healthcare reform plan. It's too expensive not to tax families. It's crazy talk. It is an emotional appeal to change without any realistic objectives. This election is business as usual for both parties, just reworded to sound different.
There I said it.
Here is a list of the culture-related activities that I partook of over the last 5 weeks so that nobody misses a thing:
I watched
3 episodes of Flashpoint.
3 episodes of The Closer
2 episodes of Terminator Chronicles
1 eposode of CSI NY
The Roast of Bob Sagat (twice)
1 episode of Chuck
1 episode of Law & Order Criminal Intent
1 episode of Law & Order (old skool)
1 Detroit Lions preseason game
Live Broadcasts of Jennifer Granholm's hearing regarding the removal of Kwame Kilpatrick.
I saw the folling Films at the theater:
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
I saw the following DVDs
The Bank Job
The Golden Compass
The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers
Cavite
The Bulletproof Monk
Definitely Maybe (chick flick)
I downloaded tracks from the following artists
Sloan
Sigur Ros
Louis!
Broken Social Scene
Stars
Metric
Band of Horses
Engineers
Spoon
The Cure
I visited
The Toledo Zoo
Baptisms at Stony Creek
Blockbuster Summer Nights at Kensington Community church
I started reading
The Shack
I have been updating my facebook page.
I have been intrigued at how Obama says he is an agent of change while proposing new taxes and investing more money in social welfare programs. How is that different than any other Democrat? If he isn't going to tax families then how does he propose to get this money? By taxing businesses that families purchase their needs from? I just don't get him. I've also studied his healthcare reform plan. It's too expensive not to tax families. It's crazy talk. It is an emotional appeal to change without any realistic objectives. This election is business as usual for both parties, just reworded to sound different.
There I said it.
Television and Soccer
So over the past 2 months i have been glued to a new TV show called Burn Notice, now in its second season, starring Jeffrey Donovan as Michael Western, a blacklisted spy, dumped in his hometown of Miami without money or resources, Michael struggles to put his life back together and find out why he's been burned. In the meantime, he uses his unique skills and training to help people in need ... mostly people who can't get help from the police.
Burn Notice also stars Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona, a beautiful NO unbelievably sexy ex-IRA operative who happens to be Westen’s ex-girlfriend, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife when these two are in the same room together which makes the show even better, it kind of reminds me of the old Mulder and Scully relationship, well......... maybe that is a bad example.
Bruce Campbell stars as Sam, Michael’s closest buddy in town, a washed up military intelligence contact who is keeping an eye on Michael for the Feds. Also starring is Sharon Gless (from Nip Tuck the crazy knife wielding lady who stabbed Dr. McNamara in the last episode) as Madeline, Michael’s hypochondriac mother, who couldn't’t be happier to have her boy back in town.
Micheal has also been recruited by Carla (Tricia Helfer) who Micheal believes is responsible for being burned, as he tries to collect the Intel needed to go after Carla she continues to be one step ahead. This show is fast paced and also very comical at times, action packed and the woman are beautiful..... take a look you won't be disappointed.
As Prison Break Season 4 and The Shield final season is upon us, TV is looking good for now, the clock is ticking until the much awaited return of 24 Season 7 "Damn It" i cant wait for Jack Bauer to return.
On to Soccer, this past weekend at least Saturday and Sunday for me wasn't all that important, United had blown the Super Cup to Zenit 2-1, hence no Premiership game for them, no games for my teams because of Labor Day weekend and no news of the Berbatov transfer saga which has left me a very frustrated Man Utd fan over the summer.
How Monday and deadline day for all transfers worldwide would leave me breathless, shocked and at the finish line leave me very happy indeed. Fasten your seat belts this is a good one.
I awoke Monday morning at 8am, 1pm English time only to find out at my complete amazement that not only had Manchester City been taken over from a group of Arab's with more money that United, Cheslea, Arsenal and Liverpool combined, but they had also bid 34 million for Berbatov who i wanted to go to Old Trafford, after swearing and shouting obscenities at the computer and Sky Sports news for 10 minutes i decided to take a shower and return to hopefully better news.
Well i didn't, in fact it flashed before my eyes that Real Madrid had bid 36 million for Berbatov which only incensed me more...... what was going on, i was contemplating calling Old Trafford as a concerned fan and tell them to get their finger out of their backside and do something to ensure Berbatov's signature, but before i finished dialing a news alert told me that Sir Alex had picked up Berbatov from Manchester Airport is his own car to finalize the deal at that point it was a done deal, rarely does the GOD of English football fail to get his man and he did for a huge 30 million pounds.
onward............................. Liverpool sign Riera, Everton signed the crock Saha and a bunch of names that i don't know, Stoke are busy buying squad players that i would not have in my pub team on a Sunday morning and oh yes and Manchester City signed "ROBINHO"......... WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Robinho, after falling off my chair in astonishment and laughing at the mere thought of Roman's face when he heard the news was something that i will never forget. I hate City with a passion, but i despise Chelsea and the thought that someone else has outbid them has made the Premiership that much better now, and who do City play at home next week...... yes you guessed it Chelsea, c'mon Robinho 3-0 and your first hat-rick in a City shirt please.
Next week will be Prison Break and most likely England's failure to beat Andorra and Croatia.
Burn Notice also stars Gabrielle Anwar as Fiona, a beautiful NO unbelievably sexy ex-IRA operative who happens to be Westen’s ex-girlfriend, you can cut the sexual tension with a knife when these two are in the same room together which makes the show even better, it kind of reminds me of the old Mulder and Scully relationship, well......... maybe that is a bad example.
Bruce Campbell stars as Sam, Michael’s closest buddy in town, a washed up military intelligence contact who is keeping an eye on Michael for the Feds. Also starring is Sharon Gless (from Nip Tuck the crazy knife wielding lady who stabbed Dr. McNamara in the last episode) as Madeline, Michael’s hypochondriac mother, who couldn't’t be happier to have her boy back in town.
Micheal has also been recruited by Carla (Tricia Helfer) who Micheal believes is responsible for being burned, as he tries to collect the Intel needed to go after Carla she continues to be one step ahead. This show is fast paced and also very comical at times, action packed and the woman are beautiful..... take a look you won't be disappointed.
As Prison Break Season 4 and The Shield final season is upon us, TV is looking good for now, the clock is ticking until the much awaited return of 24 Season 7 "Damn It" i cant wait for Jack Bauer to return.
On to Soccer, this past weekend at least Saturday and Sunday for me wasn't all that important, United had blown the Super Cup to Zenit 2-1, hence no Premiership game for them, no games for my teams because of Labor Day weekend and no news of the Berbatov transfer saga which has left me a very frustrated Man Utd fan over the summer.
How Monday and deadline day for all transfers worldwide would leave me breathless, shocked and at the finish line leave me very happy indeed. Fasten your seat belts this is a good one.
I awoke Monday morning at 8am, 1pm English time only to find out at my complete amazement that not only had Manchester City been taken over from a group of Arab's with more money that United, Cheslea, Arsenal and Liverpool combined, but they had also bid 34 million for Berbatov who i wanted to go to Old Trafford, after swearing and shouting obscenities at the computer and Sky Sports news for 10 minutes i decided to take a shower and return to hopefully better news.
Well i didn't, in fact it flashed before my eyes that Real Madrid had bid 36 million for Berbatov which only incensed me more...... what was going on, i was contemplating calling Old Trafford as a concerned fan and tell them to get their finger out of their backside and do something to ensure Berbatov's signature, but before i finished dialing a news alert told me that Sir Alex had picked up Berbatov from Manchester Airport is his own car to finalize the deal at that point it was a done deal, rarely does the GOD of English football fail to get his man and he did for a huge 30 million pounds.
onward............................. Liverpool sign Riera, Everton signed the crock Saha and a bunch of names that i don't know, Stoke are busy buying squad players that i would not have in my pub team on a Sunday morning and oh yes and Manchester City signed "ROBINHO"......... WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Robinho, after falling off my chair in astonishment and laughing at the mere thought of Roman's face when he heard the news was something that i will never forget. I hate City with a passion, but i despise Chelsea and the thought that someone else has outbid them has made the Premiership that much better now, and who do City play at home next week...... yes you guessed it Chelsea, c'mon Robinho 3-0 and your first hat-rick in a City shirt please.
Next week will be Prison Break and most likely England's failure to beat Andorra and Croatia.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
summer movies
i added a poll for the best movie of summer 2008. i'm sure i forgot a couple so feel free to add them on a write in basis.
a trip in the way back machine
This weekend was a trip down memory lane on a couple levels. We were sitting around stuffing envelopes for Tom’s candidate while listening to the Ghostbusters 2 soundtrack, on vinyl. I didn’t even realize that there was a soundtrack, but be that as it may, the conversation turned to our time in high school. Like Tom taping his own top 40 show a la Kasey Kasem. Or playing Bible Bowl when the team was just Tom and me. Or remembering times based on the music: Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, Metallica’s self titled album and Nirvana’s Nevermind. Good times filled with Risk, Rampage and basketball.
The following morning we attended a local traditional church service. Not my cup of tea, but I endured it. Tom and I passed notes back and forth, falling back into a natural habit as if it were yesterday. The only difference was that we weren’t actually sitting in the back row.
I met with Ryan Apple to discuss the poetry written during my artistic phase, and in explaining the poems I had to explore the context in which they were written, taking me down a path of high school love/rejection, existentialist angst, spiritual desolation, and my relationship with Erin. It had been a long time since I had really read the lines and it did two things:
---Took me back to a specific moment in my life.
---Made me wonder if I could ever write like that again.
Finally I reconnected with a friend from high school via that most 2008 of experiences: Facebook. Since I added my high school to my facebook account, I’ve had half of dozen friend requests, which I have ignored but one. I’m not going to just reconnect with just anyone. I didn’t really know you in high school, why would I talk to you now?
Moving on to soccer, I watched Arsenal thrash Newcastle. It ended 3-0 and could have been much worse. Newcastle could have made it a game in the second half, but once Owen hit the crossbar instead of finishing, Arsenal just took charge again.
Juventus gave up a late goal and drew 1-1. This is the season they truly return to European football and I’m not sure that they have the horses to fight on all fronts. It would be nice if they finished in the top 3 again and make the last 16 of the Champions League. Not sure that they can really expect to win either competition.
That’s it. By next week I should be done with first season of Rome, and hope to have some thoughts about it. Here’s one: IT’S NOT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE!!!
The following morning we attended a local traditional church service. Not my cup of tea, but I endured it. Tom and I passed notes back and forth, falling back into a natural habit as if it were yesterday. The only difference was that we weren’t actually sitting in the back row.
I met with Ryan Apple to discuss the poetry written during my artistic phase, and in explaining the poems I had to explore the context in which they were written, taking me down a path of high school love/rejection, existentialist angst, spiritual desolation, and my relationship with Erin. It had been a long time since I had really read the lines and it did two things:
---Took me back to a specific moment in my life.
---Made me wonder if I could ever write like that again.
Finally I reconnected with a friend from high school via that most 2008 of experiences: Facebook. Since I added my high school to my facebook account, I’ve had half of dozen friend requests, which I have ignored but one. I’m not going to just reconnect with just anyone. I didn’t really know you in high school, why would I talk to you now?
Moving on to soccer, I watched Arsenal thrash Newcastle. It ended 3-0 and could have been much worse. Newcastle could have made it a game in the second half, but once Owen hit the crossbar instead of finishing, Arsenal just took charge again.
Juventus gave up a late goal and drew 1-1. This is the season they truly return to European football and I’m not sure that they have the horses to fight on all fronts. It would be nice if they finished in the top 3 again and make the last 16 of the Champions League. Not sure that they can really expect to win either competition.
That’s it. By next week I should be done with first season of Rome, and hope to have some thoughts about it. Here’s one: IT’S NOT HISTORICALLY ACCURATE!!!
Monday, September 1, 2008
The Homemade Ice Cream Experiment
I was in our storage area the other day, and I saw that we had an ice cream maker. Specifically it is a RIVAL 4 quart electric freezer. I asked Carrie how long we had owned this ice cream maker. She said we got it as a wedding present – over 8 years ago – but we had never taken it out of the box or used it. So, with the oppressive heat seemingly going to remain for a few weeks, I decided to make homemade ice cream for the first time. I had dreams of making some unbelievable stuff that would out me on the level of a confectioner. After all, how hard could it be?
As I cracked open the directions I realized it would be a little more difficult than I had first assumed, but I felt up to the challenge. So, one morning I got up and began cooking (which seemed contrary to making ice cream, but I was going to follow the directions). Things started out badly from the beginning. I mismeasured the amount of flour needed and so was unsure how we stood on that front. Then, I could not get my mixture to boil without it burning. Finally, I got it to the point where I needed to put it into the refrigerator to cool and I did so.
When it was time to actually mix the stuff, I got everything ready, turned on the ice cream maker, and nothing turned. I checked to make sure it was set up correctly, and it was. Apparently, letting a motor sit for 8 years without ever using it is not good for it. So, I took the thing apart (8 hex screws) and manually turned the gears to make sure they would turn. They did, and after spreading some of the remaining grease around the pertinent parts, I sealed it up again fully confident that it would work. And it did – for about 5 minutes. The motor stopped turning again, and I was forced to manually turn it to get it going again. This happened a few times after that and eventually I assumed the ice cream was done and it was supposed to be shutting off.
Of course these delays had put me behind schedule and I was not able to properly inspect the ice cream before we headed off to our small group meeting at which I fully expected glowing accolades for my effort. After dinner, I broke out my ice cream and it was far more cream than ice. Basically it was tapioca pudding. It was far from smooth as there were chunks of flour mixed in. It was a disaster. I became the laughingstock of the small group and vowed to put the RIVAL company out of business. After all, I blamed the ice cream maker not my lack of preparation.
Well, in the light of day, I realized that the ice cream maker could be a piece of crap, but I needed to make sure that there is nothing that I can do to improve the performance before I looked into the warranty on an 8-year old, once used ice cream maker. For example, my recipe was probably too complicated for my first effort. My next batch will not have eggs and flour. I will continue my efforts in the vein of Thomas Edison, and if it takes 100 batches of ice cream to make a good one, than it is an undertaking worthy of my effort. Hopefully this Labor Day I will taste the fruits of my labor.
As I cracked open the directions I realized it would be a little more difficult than I had first assumed, but I felt up to the challenge. So, one morning I got up and began cooking (which seemed contrary to making ice cream, but I was going to follow the directions). Things started out badly from the beginning. I mismeasured the amount of flour needed and so was unsure how we stood on that front. Then, I could not get my mixture to boil without it burning. Finally, I got it to the point where I needed to put it into the refrigerator to cool and I did so.
When it was time to actually mix the stuff, I got everything ready, turned on the ice cream maker, and nothing turned. I checked to make sure it was set up correctly, and it was. Apparently, letting a motor sit for 8 years without ever using it is not good for it. So, I took the thing apart (8 hex screws) and manually turned the gears to make sure they would turn. They did, and after spreading some of the remaining grease around the pertinent parts, I sealed it up again fully confident that it would work. And it did – for about 5 minutes. The motor stopped turning again, and I was forced to manually turn it to get it going again. This happened a few times after that and eventually I assumed the ice cream was done and it was supposed to be shutting off.
Of course these delays had put me behind schedule and I was not able to properly inspect the ice cream before we headed off to our small group meeting at which I fully expected glowing accolades for my effort. After dinner, I broke out my ice cream and it was far more cream than ice. Basically it was tapioca pudding. It was far from smooth as there were chunks of flour mixed in. It was a disaster. I became the laughingstock of the small group and vowed to put the RIVAL company out of business. After all, I blamed the ice cream maker not my lack of preparation.
Well, in the light of day, I realized that the ice cream maker could be a piece of crap, but I needed to make sure that there is nothing that I can do to improve the performance before I looked into the warranty on an 8-year old, once used ice cream maker. For example, my recipe was probably too complicated for my first effort. My next batch will not have eggs and flour. I will continue my efforts in the vein of Thomas Edison, and if it takes 100 batches of ice cream to make a good one, than it is an undertaking worthy of my effort. Hopefully this Labor Day I will taste the fruits of my labor.
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