I have weird dreams, almost all the time. This is pretty normal for me. Lately, 6am finds my alarm going off right in the middle of a dream cycle. It makes waking up pretty difficult.
A couple weeks ago I had a dream that I was playing midwife to my friend Sarah who was giving birth to twins. I was also watching her 2 year old son Troy. Except that in real life Troy is my friend Cory's son where Sarah's son is named Seth.
Anyway, last night I had my first nightmare in a long time. Like an adult nightmare, not x-rated, but adult. When I was a kid my nightmares were about aliens and ghosts and possessed dolls and such (my parents let me watch Poltergeist way too young). This dream was one of those things that are extra scarey because it could actually happen. Obviously it's a very slim chance, but a chance none the less.
My dream was that Ben got on a game show in LA and was down there for the weekend filming. I was excited and talking about it to everyone and getting impatient waiting for Ben to call and tell me how he did. When he did call I was hoping to hear that he had won lots of money. Instead it was Ben, but Ben mumbling and sounding like he was in pain.
He said, "I hurt". He was trying to tell me something but mumbling and half groaning in pain. He sounded confused and upset. He's telling me something about trying to go somewhere and do something and I'm trying to talk to him and get him to tell me what's going on and then he said "he had a gun...he had a gun...I hurt" and then there's nothing. The line doesn't go dead, he just stops talking.
What really woke me up at that point I believe was the actual fear of living through that moment, even if it was just a dream. I can't imagine being more helpless than being on the phone with your husband hundreds of miles away who may or may not be dying in a gutter somewhere and you have no idea what exactly is going on. Ben doesn't always understand why I'm "hogging the bed", sometimes it's a reason to touch him and make sure he's still alive.
***************
Speaking of drooling dogs? Who's talking about drooling dogs? I AM!
Jodee got taken to the vet today for what we thought was a teeth cleaning and tooth extraction, 2 teeth to be precise. When I got off work I talked to the vet and was told some shocking news. He said that every single tooth had periodontal disease and they ended up extracting, not two, but 28 teeth! That's over half! My stomach dropped!
I ended up going in later and having a 20 minute talk with him about how it got this bad, she had a cleaning less than two years ago and they gave her a clean bill of health! He said technicians usually clean and unless they alert the doctor to some need, the doctor doesn't actually check them. It could also be that her immune system is not working as well as she gets older and can't fight off bacteria. Thus she is now on antibiotics to hopefully fight off disease in the rest of her teeth and see if we can save some of them. He also said her teeth were incredibly easy to extract as there was hardly any root left holding them in place. So hopefully we can stop this thing before it claims any more of her teeth, but in the end they say it's better for her to have no teeth (which won't stop her from eating) so that disease does not get into her blood system.
When I got her home she was still a little doped up but apparently very hungry, she wasn't allowed to eat before the proceedure that morning and by 3 she still hadn't eaten. So she was antsy and prancing around because she was hungry, but prancing like a drunken sailor since she was still doped up. It's was pretty funny. I really need a video camera.
So currently the dog is on what the vet tech calls "doggie vicodin". Which she seems to be enjoying since at 6pm she was wimpering a little and now she is laying next to me and not blinking, she's been like that for about an hour now....she's alive.....yeah, her eyebrows are still moving so she's alive, she's just extra mellow. She's also been licking and smacking her mouth alot, trying to get used to the new feeling in her mouth although thankfully the vet kept her until he felt she had stopped most of the drooling.
Poor little Jodee, say good bye to your tasty tasty carrots. :(
*****************************
Halloween in California? I don't think it exists!
We saw no kids, no costumes, and have a full bowl of candy sitting on the end table. I've been really doing well watching what I eat. I saw myself eat 3 mini snickers so far. Dang you fun size! How can I resist you!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Love/Hate for Drudge
How did the Drudge Report become one of the most popular news websites on the internet? I think in terms of actual hits, it was the 3rd-most visited news site on the web last month, behind Yahoo and MSNBC. From a design standpoint, its layout is a disaster, completely unattractive, nothing but 3 columns of type and varying fonts. Very few pictures or altering colors to catch the eye, almost NO original content (every link just takes you to a news story from some other website). This guy (Matt Drudge) now has his own radio show and is probably RAKING in the cash from the hits on his website, and to this day it looks like something I could throw together in about an hour with Microsoft Word.
And yet, I visit it every day. I've come to appreciate it for its simplicity, quick loading, and there are usually headlines there that the major sites, with their other vested interests, won't touch. I love it for the links to websites like this, a listing of some of the more bizarre offerings on craigslist for girls (and guys) trying to score tickets to Obama's rally in Chicago on election Tuesday. This was my favorite:
"Are you in need of an extra kidney? Know of someone who needs one? I have 2 good kidneys which is a little excessive. Ill give you one of them for two tickets to tonight’s speech. I live in Denver and tried to get tickets the minute they were announced. Somehow the first come first serve registration did not work since I was put on the waitlist. So, I need two tickets for me and my girlfriend. I have an extra kidney. You take said organ, I take 2 tickets for this historic speech."
Since I have mostly voted conservative over the last few elections, I've never noticed as much of the bias that is obviously there, though. Having a more independent eye this year, I can tell pretty easily who Drudge is pulling for in the next election. His huge-font headline this morning was about how Obama "threw off" three journalists from his plane, all from papers that had endorsed McCain. Of course no mention of the conservative writers that McCain has also excised from HIS plane in the last couple weeks. There's also the fact that coming down to the wire, requests for space on Obama's plane are overtaking the number of seats, and it seems natural that in the last week before the election, he would probably want to engineer as much positive coverage as possible.
And yet, I visit it every day. I've come to appreciate it for its simplicity, quick loading, and there are usually headlines there that the major sites, with their other vested interests, won't touch. I love it for the links to websites like this, a listing of some of the more bizarre offerings on craigslist for girls (and guys) trying to score tickets to Obama's rally in Chicago on election Tuesday. This was my favorite:
"Are you in need of an extra kidney? Know of someone who needs one? I have 2 good kidneys which is a little excessive. Ill give you one of them for two tickets to tonight’s speech. I live in Denver and tried to get tickets the minute they were announced. Somehow the first come first serve registration did not work since I was put on the waitlist. So, I need two tickets for me and my girlfriend. I have an extra kidney. You take said organ, I take 2 tickets for this historic speech."
Since I have mostly voted conservative over the last few elections, I've never noticed as much of the bias that is obviously there, though. Having a more independent eye this year, I can tell pretty easily who Drudge is pulling for in the next election. His huge-font headline this morning was about how Obama "threw off" three journalists from his plane, all from papers that had endorsed McCain. Of course no mention of the conservative writers that McCain has also excised from HIS plane in the last couple weeks. There's also the fact that coming down to the wire, requests for space on Obama's plane are overtaking the number of seats, and it seems natural that in the last week before the election, he would probably want to engineer as much positive coverage as possible.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
house improvements and media intake
So I’m done with House. I’ll probably finish out the season, but after that I’ll probably find something else to watch. Moving into the fifth season, the formula of being wrong, commercial, being wrong, commercial, being wrong, commercial, moment of clarity and miraculous save, has grown tiresome. How much of a genius can he and his team be, if they nearly kill a person 2-4 times before “saving” them?
The dynamic of Wilson and the P.I. has been a fun change for this season, but it hasn’t been enough to save the show. Last week’s episode re: the sexuality and issues of 13 was interesting but got lost in the confusion of the patient’s condition and the firing, rogue work by 13, rehire.
Next week looks ridiculous. The woman having the baby that Cuddy is adopting has a medical emergency and only House can save her? Really? Is that the direction you want to go?
Obviously I’m fed up with the show, however, I think it could be saved with the following suggestions (ie, mandatory changes):
They need to work in House being involved in clinic duty. It worked so well in the early seasons. He gets to wow normal patients and have interesting dialogue with them that can reveal more about his character. Remember that’s how he found his underage, psycho stalker with the red thong.
How about solving the case on the first try? Now that wouldn’t make it that much of a medical mystery, but for all the times they are wrong, who is to say they wouldn’t get it right out of the gate? You know if a billion monkeys had a billion typewriters . . . .
How about a road trip to some infectious disease conference? New environment, let the hair down (except in the case of Taub) and have real personal interaction.
And if all else fails, have a Road Rules/Amazing Race type event between the old team and the new team. Face it, reality TV is here to say and you had might as well accept it
In short, I would move away from the medical mystery aspect of the show. Based on what I’ve read on politedissent.com, most of the diagnoses and treatments vary from a little outrageous to absolutely wrong. This show is about the characters. Focus on that.
Moving on . . .
I read the first trade of a comic series called “The Losers.” Quite good. Sort of a darkly comic A-Team if you can imagine that. Based on the first story arc, I could easily see this being made into a movie. There’s revenge, backstabbing, ridiculous action scenes. I wonder if anyone in Hollywood has picked this up.
Over the weekend I watched The Science of Sleep. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t even describe it. I’ll just say that the beginning was very interesting as you saw a person’s dreamworld and reality blend together, but then it got sort of weird, as if Terry Gilliam took over as director, and I sorta fell asleep, didn’t care. I don’t even know if I can recommend it.
Last night I started the British mini-series Jekyll, which I guess My Own Worst Enemy is trying to copy. The first show was AMAZING!! Super intense and I have no idea how they are going to wrap it up in 6 episodes, but I can’t wait to finish.
Finally, I have caught up with The Mentalist. It is quite fun to watch him toy with people. I really enjoy the show and if they got rid of ‘roided up agent and the tight ass lead agent, I think I would enjoy it even more. Hopefully they keep the cases interesting (even though are they are completely absurd from a jurisdiction perspective) and keep digging into Jane’s background, motivations and history.
The dynamic of Wilson and the P.I. has been a fun change for this season, but it hasn’t been enough to save the show. Last week’s episode re: the sexuality and issues of 13 was interesting but got lost in the confusion of the patient’s condition and the firing, rogue work by 13, rehire.
Next week looks ridiculous. The woman having the baby that Cuddy is adopting has a medical emergency and only House can save her? Really? Is that the direction you want to go?
Obviously I’m fed up with the show, however, I think it could be saved with the following suggestions (ie, mandatory changes):
They need to work in House being involved in clinic duty. It worked so well in the early seasons. He gets to wow normal patients and have interesting dialogue with them that can reveal more about his character. Remember that’s how he found his underage, psycho stalker with the red thong.
How about solving the case on the first try? Now that wouldn’t make it that much of a medical mystery, but for all the times they are wrong, who is to say they wouldn’t get it right out of the gate? You know if a billion monkeys had a billion typewriters . . . .
How about a road trip to some infectious disease conference? New environment, let the hair down (except in the case of Taub) and have real personal interaction.
And if all else fails, have a Road Rules/Amazing Race type event between the old team and the new team. Face it, reality TV is here to say and you had might as well accept it
In short, I would move away from the medical mystery aspect of the show. Based on what I’ve read on politedissent.com, most of the diagnoses and treatments vary from a little outrageous to absolutely wrong. This show is about the characters. Focus on that.
Moving on . . .
I read the first trade of a comic series called “The Losers.” Quite good. Sort of a darkly comic A-Team if you can imagine that. Based on the first story arc, I could easily see this being made into a movie. There’s revenge, backstabbing, ridiculous action scenes. I wonder if anyone in Hollywood has picked this up.
Over the weekend I watched The Science of Sleep. If you haven’t seen it, I can’t even describe it. I’ll just say that the beginning was very interesting as you saw a person’s dreamworld and reality blend together, but then it got sort of weird, as if Terry Gilliam took over as director, and I sorta fell asleep, didn’t care. I don’t even know if I can recommend it.
Last night I started the British mini-series Jekyll, which I guess My Own Worst Enemy is trying to copy. The first show was AMAZING!! Super intense and I have no idea how they are going to wrap it up in 6 episodes, but I can’t wait to finish.
Finally, I have caught up with The Mentalist. It is quite fun to watch him toy with people. I really enjoy the show and if they got rid of ‘roided up agent and the tight ass lead agent, I think I would enjoy it even more. Hopefully they keep the cases interesting (even though are they are completely absurd from a jurisdiction perspective) and keep digging into Jane’s background, motivations and history.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Bonus Premier League Blog
As i will be leaving for England this week and not able to blog on Wednesday i thought a weekend review and look forward to Wednesday and Saturday Premiership games this week.
Lets start at Stamford Bridge............... Chelsea's unbeaten run of 86 games came to an end Sunday at the hands of Liverpool, a wicked deflection saw a Xabi Alonso effort send Petr Cech the wrong way to give Liverpool an early 1-0 lead and the win at the Bridge.
I still believe Liverpool will drop points and thier reign at the summit of the Premiership will be short lived, they cant keep getting away with last minute winners all season.
There is a long way to go yet, no body's ever won a championship medal in October, but the signs are good for Liverpool. I still predict a 3rd position finish from them, but i could be wrong.
As for the Blues you could argue Scolari's men ran out of ideas on Sunday, you can also point to them missing five or six top players.
Chelsea have usually got people on the bench that can come on and give you a different perspective, whether it's height, pace, a trick or the ability to hit it from 25 yards but on Sunday they didn't really have anybody.
If you have Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Joe Cole on the bench then you have subs who can really make a difference. Once they get those type of players back then I'm sure it will be a different story.
The great teams can pick themselves up and go on another 10 games undefeated as Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the past, but a daunting trip to the inform Hull City awaits Chelsea on Wednesday, can Phil Brown mount another assault on a top 4 team?
Manchester United had a few individual issues to contend with on Saturday but just because they had a bad second half against Everton it doesn't mean they're going to have a bad three weeks.
Rio Ferdinand, for example, was absolutely awesome until he ran 50 yards to get involved in an incident when Phil Neville got booked for tackling Cristiano Ronaldo.
It took his focus and concentration away from what he was doing and he ended up making a couple of mistakes which almost cost United.
Then, Wayne Rooney had a couple of lapses, mental blocks almost, and got involved in something that led to him being taken off.
Ferguson took the focus away from the players afterwards by blaming the referee, but internally he will sit the players down and explain to them where it went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Ferguson is far too good a manager to let that affect the team ethic.
The Scot also said that everything is fine with Ronaldo but his body language against West Brom last week and on Saturday was not great compared to previous seasons, you cannot hide that.
Ronaldo said on Sunday that he wants to be at Manchester United but let's have a look and see what he's like over the next few weeks. Then that will really tell you.
As for Arsenal i am still not convinced, despite the weekend's movements at White Hart Lane, this is still a good time to play Spurs i think.
Granted Tottenham have recruited Harry Redknapp and that will give them momentum, but they are bottom of the table and when they come under pressure their confidence will still be low. You're better off playing a Tottenham team that are bottom than one that are four off the pace.
Kieran Richardson's sublime free-kick saw (and i mean it was really really good) off a spirited Newcastle side to earn Sunderland their first Wear-Tyne derby victory in eight years.
Djibril Cisse showed great reactions to put Sunderland ahead when he steered in Steed Malbranque's shot-cum-cross.
Shola Ameobi's powerful header from Geremi's fine free-kick drew Joe Kinnear's men level before the break.
But Richardson crashed home the winner with a ferocious 18-yard strike after Nicky Butt fouled El-Hadji Diouf to give the Black Cats a deserved 2-1 win and pile more pressure on Joe Kinnaer and the Magpies.
All in all a pretty decent weekends football, i look forward in anticipation to Wednesday night.
Lets start at Stamford Bridge............... Chelsea's unbeaten run of 86 games came to an end Sunday at the hands of Liverpool, a wicked deflection saw a Xabi Alonso effort send Petr Cech the wrong way to give Liverpool an early 1-0 lead and the win at the Bridge.
I still believe Liverpool will drop points and thier reign at the summit of the Premiership will be short lived, they cant keep getting away with last minute winners all season.
There is a long way to go yet, no body's ever won a championship medal in October, but the signs are good for Liverpool. I still predict a 3rd position finish from them, but i could be wrong.
As for the Blues you could argue Scolari's men ran out of ideas on Sunday, you can also point to them missing five or six top players.
Chelsea have usually got people on the bench that can come on and give you a different perspective, whether it's height, pace, a trick or the ability to hit it from 25 yards but on Sunday they didn't really have anybody.
If you have Michael Essien, Michael Ballack and Joe Cole on the bench then you have subs who can really make a difference. Once they get those type of players back then I'm sure it will be a different story.
The great teams can pick themselves up and go on another 10 games undefeated as Manchester United and Chelsea have done in the past, but a daunting trip to the inform Hull City awaits Chelsea on Wednesday, can Phil Brown mount another assault on a top 4 team?
Manchester United had a few individual issues to contend with on Saturday but just because they had a bad second half against Everton it doesn't mean they're going to have a bad three weeks.
Rio Ferdinand, for example, was absolutely awesome until he ran 50 yards to get involved in an incident when Phil Neville got booked for tackling Cristiano Ronaldo.
It took his focus and concentration away from what he was doing and he ended up making a couple of mistakes which almost cost United.
Then, Wayne Rooney had a couple of lapses, mental blocks almost, and got involved in something that led to him being taken off.
Ferguson took the focus away from the players afterwards by blaming the referee, but internally he will sit the players down and explain to them where it went wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again.
Ferguson is far too good a manager to let that affect the team ethic.
The Scot also said that everything is fine with Ronaldo but his body language against West Brom last week and on Saturday was not great compared to previous seasons, you cannot hide that.
Ronaldo said on Sunday that he wants to be at Manchester United but let's have a look and see what he's like over the next few weeks. Then that will really tell you.
As for Arsenal i am still not convinced, despite the weekend's movements at White Hart Lane, this is still a good time to play Spurs i think.
Granted Tottenham have recruited Harry Redknapp and that will give them momentum, but they are bottom of the table and when they come under pressure their confidence will still be low. You're better off playing a Tottenham team that are bottom than one that are four off the pace.
Kieran Richardson's sublime free-kick saw (and i mean it was really really good) off a spirited Newcastle side to earn Sunderland their first Wear-Tyne derby victory in eight years.
Djibril Cisse showed great reactions to put Sunderland ahead when he steered in Steed Malbranque's shot-cum-cross.
Shola Ameobi's powerful header from Geremi's fine free-kick drew Joe Kinnear's men level before the break.
But Richardson crashed home the winner with a ferocious 18-yard strike after Nicky Butt fouled El-Hadji Diouf to give the Black Cats a deserved 2-1 win and pile more pressure on Joe Kinnaer and the Magpies.
All in all a pretty decent weekends football, i look forward in anticipation to Wednesday night.
The Punter Enacts Revenge
I’ve been sick all weekend. I suppose it is some sort of cold. My throat is pretty sore. My head has a lot of pressure. My nose has not seen this much congestion since I drove through Knoxville last year. But, I seem to be on the mend, even if I sound like one of those guys who has throat cancer and talks through the speaker box.
Moving on to better things. Here is my update on the shows I have been watching.
Chuck is still funny and entertaining, though I sort of doubt how long they can keep it up.
Heroes is still captivating and the plot thickens each episode. Which makes me wonder if the writers aren’t in danger of making the plot too convoluted (i.e. Lost – though the writers keep insisting that there will be resolution).
The Mentalist is thoroughly entertaining. It has the humor of Psych with the Zen like import of Life.
Speaking of Life, the show still packs a punch and the interaction between the main characters is wonderful to listen to. Austin has, on various occasions, complained about the scoring of various shows. The music in Life is great. It is as good as I have heard. Great songs at just the right time.
My Own Worst Enemy lacks something. I don’t mind watching it and it is entertaining, but in the end not overly compelling.
I have the first 3 hours of Crusoe ready to watch but have not had the time.
I will leave you with the following video. I saw it live yesterday, and this clip is easily the highlight of Sunday’s football games:
Moving on to better things. Here is my update on the shows I have been watching.
Chuck is still funny and entertaining, though I sort of doubt how long they can keep it up.
Heroes is still captivating and the plot thickens each episode. Which makes me wonder if the writers aren’t in danger of making the plot too convoluted (i.e. Lost – though the writers keep insisting that there will be resolution).
The Mentalist is thoroughly entertaining. It has the humor of Psych with the Zen like import of Life.
Speaking of Life, the show still packs a punch and the interaction between the main characters is wonderful to listen to. Austin has, on various occasions, complained about the scoring of various shows. The music in Life is great. It is as good as I have heard. Great songs at just the right time.
My Own Worst Enemy lacks something. I don’t mind watching it and it is entertaining, but in the end not overly compelling.
I have the first 3 hours of Crusoe ready to watch but have not had the time.
I will leave you with the following video. I saw it live yesterday, and this clip is easily the highlight of Sunday’s football games:
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Eye Goo and Chicken Nachos
First of all, a question: I just blew my nose and some goo came out of the corner of my eye--is that something I should be concerned about?
Not what I was planning on writing about, but it's hard to stay focused with eye goo.
Saturday was brilliant. Started off as every Saturday does for my wife and I--got up, made coffee and breakfast for both of us, sat down to watch The Soup, which was on DVR from Friday night. I don't watch much reality tv at all, but you really don't have to, Joel McHale, the host, goes after everyone, but he's particulary quick to skewer The Hills, Tyra Banks, and Kim Kardashian, which I totally approve of.
Then started watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on dvd as I began a project upstairs in the Library--not really at all what I was expecting, but I was instantly sucked in, and am now about eight episodes in. Watched all of this while working on cataloguing our books using Delicious Library--a program for the Mac that allows you to enter movies, books, and videogames, either by typing in the name, ISBN number, or by scanning the barcode using the webcam that comes in the mac book (I still don't really understand how that works without projecting lasers or whatever, but cool--it works). It then loads in all of the info about it, director, stars, genre, rating, dates, author, publisher, etc. I've got a large collection of dvds and books, and this program was definitely built for me--you can export your library list to excel, which is nice because I can keep it on my phone as I have been known to occasionally forget exactly which titles I own while shopping for them, and when people borrow from my collection I can actually check the dvd or book out to them, so I can keep track of who has what--totally wish I would have had this during the college years because I am certain I lost things loaning them out, but could never remember who borrowed what. Plus, because I am a collector geek, it's frankly very gratifying to see them all collected in a database and have an actual number put to it (854 dvds, 663 books, but only halfway through getting those uploaded). And yes, all of this drives my wife crazy.
Continued scanning books while watching MSU beat UofM (it's about damn time) and after the game went out to run some errands and had dinner at Houlihan's in Lansing. I'm a fan of that place--love the chipotle chicken nachos, which we had last night, and the overall feel of the place. It's no Claddaugh, but I dig it all the same. Plus they have Sam Adam's Octoberfest on tap, which is another big plus.
Lastly, we're watching SNL right now from last night--largely very unfunny, which is interesting having gotten a few episodes into Studio 60 yesterday. Anyway, Coldplay is the musical guest (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLAH6O-wRgI), and I'm just very annoyed by them at this point. Like their music just fine, but this is really rough--are they just too perfectly built for playing arenas and stadiums to be at home in a small studio setting? Did you check out the way they're dressed? It looks like Apple (Martin/Paltrow offspring) dressed them. In the dark. And Chris Martin bouncing around, gangly legs in skinny jeans and arms with what appears to be different colored rags tied around them, wandering around the set, fixing his gaze on a stadium upper deck that just isn't there--dude, take it down a notch or four. Am I wrong here? Signing off--JD
Friday, October 24, 2008
Music and Rice
First of all, 5 best songs of all time in no particular order.
1) Come By Me, Harry Connick Jr.
2)Jump In the Line, Harry Belafonte
3) Oh What A Night (December 1963) , Four Seasons
4) Diner, Martin Sexton
5) Que Onda Guero, Beck
Why are these my top 5 songs of all time? I don't need to explain myself to you! But if I did I would say that these songs always make me feel better if I've had a bad day for one reason or another. Other close runners up would be Superstition by Stevie Wonder and All Star by Smashmouth. There are seemingly more and more bands I can listen to and not get annoyed with. I think maybe Ben is rubbing off on me. Ben Folds, Weezer, Chris Rice, Green Day, Cake, Coldplay. I even like Amy Winehouse whom I affectionately nicknamed "Amy Wino". Go to rehab you hag! I'm just kidding, I love her! Crack just helps her keep it real.
Current songs I absolutely despise are
1) I Kissed a Girl, some girl who has never really kissed a girl so stop kidding yourself
2) Anything by JLo, I'm still Jenny from the upper middle class block and private school.
3) Anything by Brittney Spears, from the moment she came on the scene I have despised her.
4) Boybands (on a side note, Coldplay actually started as a british boy band called 'Pectorals', smooth move with the name change boys! Brilliant!)
5) Bob Dylan, that man writes music like a 5 year old with Asbergers and sings like a schizophrenic after a stroke.
In Other News...
Although for most of my life I have avoided rice in all forms except for rice pudding which seemed to be the only form of rice with a flavor and a texture, I have decided that some rices might actually taste like more than cotton. Chipotle rice, for instance, is awesome. Tender, flavorful, perfect on my Burrito Carnitas with fresh salsa and guacamole. I've also become a fan of Zatarans. I like that I can add lots of different things to their rice to make a real meal. I like the black beans and rice mix. I add sausage, red peppers, onions, and corn. It's fabulous. And lastly, I'm somewhat convinced that sushi is addictive. The rice adds a little sweetness and texture that's fabulous against the wasabi which is fabulous breathing it out of my nose.
I think my major issues with rice came from the fact that maybe most people don't actually know how to properly prepare rice. So then it sucks. I think there are probably a lot of foods like that.
Other things I'd like to try in Folsom would be House of Kabab and Filafle King. Ethnic AND greasy spoon all rolled into one! Fabulous!
1) Come By Me, Harry Connick Jr.
2)Jump In the Line, Harry Belafonte
3) Oh What A Night (December 1963) , Four Seasons
4) Diner, Martin Sexton
5) Que Onda Guero, Beck
Why are these my top 5 songs of all time? I don't need to explain myself to you! But if I did I would say that these songs always make me feel better if I've had a bad day for one reason or another. Other close runners up would be Superstition by Stevie Wonder and All Star by Smashmouth. There are seemingly more and more bands I can listen to and not get annoyed with. I think maybe Ben is rubbing off on me. Ben Folds, Weezer, Chris Rice, Green Day, Cake, Coldplay. I even like Amy Winehouse whom I affectionately nicknamed "Amy Wino". Go to rehab you hag! I'm just kidding, I love her! Crack just helps her keep it real.
Current songs I absolutely despise are
1) I Kissed a Girl, some girl who has never really kissed a girl so stop kidding yourself
2) Anything by JLo, I'm still Jenny from the upper middle class block and private school.
3) Anything by Brittney Spears, from the moment she came on the scene I have despised her.
4) Boybands (on a side note, Coldplay actually started as a british boy band called 'Pectorals', smooth move with the name change boys! Brilliant!)
5) Bob Dylan, that man writes music like a 5 year old with Asbergers and sings like a schizophrenic after a stroke.
In Other News...
Although for most of my life I have avoided rice in all forms except for rice pudding which seemed to be the only form of rice with a flavor and a texture, I have decided that some rices might actually taste like more than cotton. Chipotle rice, for instance, is awesome. Tender, flavorful, perfect on my Burrito Carnitas with fresh salsa and guacamole. I've also become a fan of Zatarans. I like that I can add lots of different things to their rice to make a real meal. I like the black beans and rice mix. I add sausage, red peppers, onions, and corn. It's fabulous. And lastly, I'm somewhat convinced that sushi is addictive. The rice adds a little sweetness and texture that's fabulous against the wasabi which is fabulous breathing it out of my nose.
I think my major issues with rice came from the fact that maybe most people don't actually know how to properly prepare rice. So then it sucks. I think there are probably a lot of foods like that.
Other things I'd like to try in Folsom would be House of Kabab and Filafle King. Ethnic AND greasy spoon all rolled into one! Fabulous!
Wrestling: WWE v TNA
I have been a big fan of the WWE currently but WWF in the past since i was about 6 years old.
I was first turned onto wrestling when my Uncle took me fishing with then a very successful wrestler at the time William Regal, i was in shock at meeting the British grappler who was and still is good Friends with my Uncle.
Mr Regal is currently a member of the RAW brand on WWE, he makes cameo appearances from time to time and his character is somewhat monster like, he strolls around the ring with a scowl on his face maiming his opponent and then unleashing the beast...... classic as i remember him being so soft spoken and funny, but i guess that's all for the storyline of the show.
Anyway my obsession with WWE became apparent, every chance i got to go and see a live event in England i did screaming for my favorite wrestlers and enjoying the entertainment of watching half naked men give chair shots and any other piece of equipment they could to savagely beat their opponent. It was fun, still is.
In the old days you has wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair, The Million Dollar Man, Cactus Jack, Randy Savage, Legion of Doom, Brett Hart, The Bulldog etc all great wrestlers in their own right, but as a kid you wanted to see them flying through the air, insane stunts that left you breathless with excitement, but it never happened 10 minute matches ended in a 1-2-3 without much effort...................... Enter Shawn Micheals, Jeff Hardy (The Hardy Boys) Degenration X, HHH, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Rey Mesterio, Randy Orton, yes you still have your plain, but very exciting powerhouses like Batista, John Cena, The Undertaker, Kane etc.
But the highflyers like Jeff Hardy and Shawn Micheals now make wrestling fast paced with more dare devil moves and thrilling story lines, i know its fake.......... but you don't become a Billion Dollar company if your not doing something right. Vince McMahon is an innovator, a genius, a creative wizard that not only makes compelling story lines, but have produced some of the top talent around. WWE is excellent.
TNA is ok, dry, sticky stuff between your teeth kind of thing. Apart from AJ Styles, Samon Joe, The Motor City Machine Guns, Black Jay Machesmo the rest of the roster in an old, washed up WWE rejects pool of has beens.
I mean Sting is the TNA world heavyweight champ, c;mon do something different, give one of the young guys a chance to hold onto the title a little longer.
The are running a storyline at the minute that sees Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Kurt Angle as the new NWO style faction "The Main Event Mafia" what the hell is going on.
Sure they are going to bloody some people up like Styles and Joe last night, but at the end of the day these guys knees are gone and if this was the real deal instead of fiction Samoan Joe & Styles would stomp a serious mud hole in all of their backsides.
Mick Foley is the new general manager so to speak which i think is a great move for TNA, that guy is a well respected legend and if anyone can turn that company into a major player that can compete with WWE then Foley is the man.
TNA is more equipped that WCW was to take on WWE, but i feel unless TNA takes the initiative and books better talent and plots, WWE will reign and most likely put them out of business just like they did to WCW.
I was first turned onto wrestling when my Uncle took me fishing with then a very successful wrestler at the time William Regal, i was in shock at meeting the British grappler who was and still is good Friends with my Uncle.
Mr Regal is currently a member of the RAW brand on WWE, he makes cameo appearances from time to time and his character is somewhat monster like, he strolls around the ring with a scowl on his face maiming his opponent and then unleashing the beast...... classic as i remember him being so soft spoken and funny, but i guess that's all for the storyline of the show.
Anyway my obsession with WWE became apparent, every chance i got to go and see a live event in England i did screaming for my favorite wrestlers and enjoying the entertainment of watching half naked men give chair shots and any other piece of equipment they could to savagely beat their opponent. It was fun, still is.
In the old days you has wrestlers like Hulk Hogan, Rick Flair, The Million Dollar Man, Cactus Jack, Randy Savage, Legion of Doom, Brett Hart, The Bulldog etc all great wrestlers in their own right, but as a kid you wanted to see them flying through the air, insane stunts that left you breathless with excitement, but it never happened 10 minute matches ended in a 1-2-3 without much effort...................... Enter Shawn Micheals, Jeff Hardy (The Hardy Boys) Degenration X, HHH, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Chris Jericho, Rey Mesterio, Randy Orton, yes you still have your plain, but very exciting powerhouses like Batista, John Cena, The Undertaker, Kane etc.
But the highflyers like Jeff Hardy and Shawn Micheals now make wrestling fast paced with more dare devil moves and thrilling story lines, i know its fake.......... but you don't become a Billion Dollar company if your not doing something right. Vince McMahon is an innovator, a genius, a creative wizard that not only makes compelling story lines, but have produced some of the top talent around. WWE is excellent.
TNA is ok, dry, sticky stuff between your teeth kind of thing. Apart from AJ Styles, Samon Joe, The Motor City Machine Guns, Black Jay Machesmo the rest of the roster in an old, washed up WWE rejects pool of has beens.
I mean Sting is the TNA world heavyweight champ, c;mon do something different, give one of the young guys a chance to hold onto the title a little longer.
The are running a storyline at the minute that sees Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash and Kurt Angle as the new NWO style faction "The Main Event Mafia" what the hell is going on.
Sure they are going to bloody some people up like Styles and Joe last night, but at the end of the day these guys knees are gone and if this was the real deal instead of fiction Samoan Joe & Styles would stomp a serious mud hole in all of their backsides.
Mick Foley is the new general manager so to speak which i think is a great move for TNA, that guy is a well respected legend and if anyone can turn that company into a major player that can compete with WWE then Foley is the man.
TNA is more equipped that WCW was to take on WWE, but i feel unless TNA takes the initiative and books better talent and plots, WWE will reign and most likely put them out of business just like they did to WCW.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
bonus beckham blog
Here were my original thoughts about Beckham coming to America:
yes i know david is coming to america. still amazed at how his talks with real broke down in like 72 hours. why is he coming here? i'll let john brewin from soccernet.com explain:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=399472&root=europe&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901
so how is this for becks? becks has something that will defy age--ball striking ability. no one in the US has ever seen anything like this. sure joe midfielder might score a great free kick or switch the point of attack, but can he do it consistently and with pinpoint accuracy? i doubt it. becks can. it's amazing. yes, becks is "slow", but that can be compensated for. when i watch mls, you can easily counteract the speed of the 19-23 kids with a footballing brain. possess, see the field, pick your moments. (not run at 100 mph and hack everything in your path). becks can do all of that. LA needs a team of solid defenders, a combative defensive mid to carry becks water, and two hard working outside mids. forwards? can you stand in front of the goal and let the ball bounce of you? yes. then you can play. becks is then free a la zidane to just do whatever. think valderamma with tampa bay. not the fastest guy ever yet he was effective because he was technically gifted and footballing smart.
what does this mean for US soccer. it's a decent pick up. he will put fannies in the seats, temporarily, until the novelty wears off. that's fine. is becks going to anchor the future of US soccer? i hope not. no one player can do that. this is the first salvo fired by the mls. yes, you-- 30 something decent european based player--can play here in the US. $250M is a ridiculous number to start at. when the next fading european superstar asks where's my money, i'm not sure what the answer is going to be. if the mls continues in this fashion, they will go the way of the NASL. so we'll pay you an outrageous amount of money if you can play and sell tickets. the second part is key. we'll give you money if you can make money. if you can't, you'll have to wait until you're past 35 or not get the major cheese. simple equation. you dig? the mls has to continue this strategy. i just don't know where they're going to the money.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
So now the rumor is that Beckham is going to AC Milan to train. He did the same thing for a short period with Arsenal last year, but this looks a little more ominous. There are two issues at work here which will lead Beckham back to Europe: Beckham for England. Beckham in the US.
A move back to a European club keeps him on Capello’s radar, and he wants the outfield record for international caps. He cannot sit on his fanny in sunny LA and hope to be picked for the next round of friendlies and internationals. Therefore, he’ll go to Milan and train and maybe even play so that can continue to get picked. It is as simple as that.
Now, does Beckham have something to offer England? Yes, enegery, experience, a well placed cross or free kick. Can he play 90’? No way. Can he play 15-20’? Yes. So my beef isn’t Beckham playing for England. My problem is England moving forward. Right now it looks like Becks might be part of the World Cup team, which is semi-ridiculous because Capello has had chances to use games to evaluate, younger, more dynamic players and has not. Therefore the fall back position is the Lampard/Gerard midfield and Becks in some role. If it wasn’t for injuries, Heskey wouldn’t even be on the field. But he almost kept McClaren’s job and has really done an amazing job during the last round of qualifiers. I suppose if Capello wants to give the old guard one more try at the World Cup, then that’s his choice. But I guarantee, they won’t make it past the quarters. We all know has this going to end. They will play a well organized team and lose, probably on penalties. They are not fast enough and do not pass the ball well enough to beat the better teams in Europe.
Moving on, the MLS experiment is over. They splashed the cash and PR and had a bump in exposure, but the Galaxy have been found out. They are a poorly run organization. You can’t pay 2 players almost your entire capped salary and hope to survive. They haven’t made the playoffs in 3 years.
Speaking specifically about the Beckham impact on the team, he came to the team injured, was rushed onto the field to get some bang for the MLS buck and promptly stayed injured. Add to that, he was always flying back to Europe for internationals instead of meshing with the team and staying healthy. Besides money, all he cares about is the England team. Add loaning him out to another club, and this creates a lot of confusion for the typical ADD American. Why is Becks wearing a red and black shirt instead of the white jersey of the Galaxy? Why is Becks always in Europe and not here? Why is Becks trying to win baseball caps instead of getting his team in the playoffs?
The move to the MLS was undone for two reasons: injuries from the outset and Capello giving Beckham an England lifeline. It’s time for the MLS to cut their losses, sell Becks somehow and move on. MLS made a mistake. They have made tons since their inception. They will make more mistakes. But they were aggressive and it didn’t pay off. Time to pull the plug, re-evaluate and work on decisions that will improve the league. And can I say, expansion is not one of them.
yes i know david is coming to america. still amazed at how his talks with real broke down in like 72 hours. why is he coming here? i'll let john brewin from soccernet.com explain:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=399472&root=europe&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1&cc=5901
so how is this for becks? becks has something that will defy age--ball striking ability. no one in the US has ever seen anything like this. sure joe midfielder might score a great free kick or switch the point of attack, but can he do it consistently and with pinpoint accuracy? i doubt it. becks can. it's amazing. yes, becks is "slow", but that can be compensated for. when i watch mls, you can easily counteract the speed of the 19-23 kids with a footballing brain. possess, see the field, pick your moments. (not run at 100 mph and hack everything in your path). becks can do all of that. LA needs a team of solid defenders, a combative defensive mid to carry becks water, and two hard working outside mids. forwards? can you stand in front of the goal and let the ball bounce of you? yes. then you can play. becks is then free a la zidane to just do whatever. think valderamma with tampa bay. not the fastest guy ever yet he was effective because he was technically gifted and footballing smart.
what does this mean for US soccer. it's a decent pick up. he will put fannies in the seats, temporarily, until the novelty wears off. that's fine. is becks going to anchor the future of US soccer? i hope not. no one player can do that. this is the first salvo fired by the mls. yes, you-- 30 something decent european based player--can play here in the US. $250M is a ridiculous number to start at. when the next fading european superstar asks where's my money, i'm not sure what the answer is going to be. if the mls continues in this fashion, they will go the way of the NASL. so we'll pay you an outrageous amount of money if you can play and sell tickets. the second part is key. we'll give you money if you can make money. if you can't, you'll have to wait until you're past 35 or not get the major cheese. simple equation. you dig? the mls has to continue this strategy. i just don't know where they're going to the money.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
So now the rumor is that Beckham is going to AC Milan to train. He did the same thing for a short period with Arsenal last year, but this looks a little more ominous. There are two issues at work here which will lead Beckham back to Europe: Beckham for England. Beckham in the US.
A move back to a European club keeps him on Capello’s radar, and he wants the outfield record for international caps. He cannot sit on his fanny in sunny LA and hope to be picked for the next round of friendlies and internationals. Therefore, he’ll go to Milan and train and maybe even play so that can continue to get picked. It is as simple as that.
Now, does Beckham have something to offer England? Yes, enegery, experience, a well placed cross or free kick. Can he play 90’? No way. Can he play 15-20’? Yes. So my beef isn’t Beckham playing for England. My problem is England moving forward. Right now it looks like Becks might be part of the World Cup team, which is semi-ridiculous because Capello has had chances to use games to evaluate, younger, more dynamic players and has not. Therefore the fall back position is the Lampard/Gerard midfield and Becks in some role. If it wasn’t for injuries, Heskey wouldn’t even be on the field. But he almost kept McClaren’s job and has really done an amazing job during the last round of qualifiers. I suppose if Capello wants to give the old guard one more try at the World Cup, then that’s his choice. But I guarantee, they won’t make it past the quarters. We all know has this going to end. They will play a well organized team and lose, probably on penalties. They are not fast enough and do not pass the ball well enough to beat the better teams in Europe.
Moving on, the MLS experiment is over. They splashed the cash and PR and had a bump in exposure, but the Galaxy have been found out. They are a poorly run organization. You can’t pay 2 players almost your entire capped salary and hope to survive. They haven’t made the playoffs in 3 years.
Speaking specifically about the Beckham impact on the team, he came to the team injured, was rushed onto the field to get some bang for the MLS buck and promptly stayed injured. Add to that, he was always flying back to Europe for internationals instead of meshing with the team and staying healthy. Besides money, all he cares about is the England team. Add loaning him out to another club, and this creates a lot of confusion for the typical ADD American. Why is Becks wearing a red and black shirt instead of the white jersey of the Galaxy? Why is Becks always in Europe and not here? Why is Becks trying to win baseball caps instead of getting his team in the playoffs?
The move to the MLS was undone for two reasons: injuries from the outset and Capello giving Beckham an England lifeline. It’s time for the MLS to cut their losses, sell Becks somehow and move on. MLS made a mistake. They have made tons since their inception. They will make more mistakes. But they were aggressive and it didn’t pay off. Time to pull the plug, re-evaluate and work on decisions that will improve the league. And can I say, expansion is not one of them.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
i am the candidate for change
Media:
Michael Clayton
To be honest, I’m not sure I even understood most of the plot. It appeared as if UNorth was trying to avoid a major financial and PR disaster, and George Clooney was there to minimize the mess, which led to his life spiraling out of control. I think the head of Clayton’s law firm was somehow involved in the cover up but then again I don’t know.
The film was very intense, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The acting was good, the world created was good, everything was fine. I thought the thread of the fantasy book was very good and tied the movie together nicely. I would probably see it again, if only to figure out the story I missed the first time.
The 4400, Season 4.
The show is finally paying off. I thought at midpoint of this season, the story really elevated and started hitting the high notes. What does Promicin mean for humanity and its future? Who is Jordan Collier and what is his role? There are several ridiculous plot holes but I live with them as the show explores these people and their extraordinary powers. It did go very comic book at the end of the season with people losing then regaining their powers, coming back from the dead, and the protagonists always prevailing at the end, no matter the situation. Looking back, I think they should have minimized the cast and cut away some of the unneeded episodes. All in all a decent show, and I’m very interested in how they wrap this up. I really hope they have an end in sight. Otherwise the show could keep limping along, with stories and situations getting more and more unbelievable.
Update: I just visited the 4400 wikipedia page. After the writer’s strike, it was revealed that the series had been cancelled. AHHH!!!! After all that, just pull the plug. Thanks a latte.
Soccer:
Wasn’t able to catch any games this weekend. Watched the highlights and Chelsea and Man Utd’s demolition of their opponents was scary. Liverpool with another comeback. How long can they keep that up? Juve were sorry again and now have Real Madrid in the Champions League. They will either rise to the occasion or this season will be over in two competitions. The Madrid derby had two extraordinary goals. Look them up if you can.
Politics:
Not my usual milieu, but I was driving around in the car today and heard Glenn Beck interviewing Sarah Palin. This person may be our next vice-president? She speaks like she is either super ADD and can’t say things fast enough or she is pausing waiting for the key words to pop up in her head. The conversation was very disjointed and kinda annoying. It is good that a “normal” person is up for high office, but in theory we need the best and brightest leading the country, and I don’t see the hockey mom as that person. She could have been a cabinet member or something, but second in the command to a candidate who has one foot in the grave?
In the end, I’m not voting, but I am observing and there seems to be a lot of doublespeak from both sides.
I will leave you with a snippet from the voice of reason: Onion News Network.
Michael Clayton
To be honest, I’m not sure I even understood most of the plot. It appeared as if UNorth was trying to avoid a major financial and PR disaster, and George Clooney was there to minimize the mess, which led to his life spiraling out of control. I think the head of Clayton’s law firm was somehow involved in the cover up but then again I don’t know.
The film was very intense, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. The acting was good, the world created was good, everything was fine. I thought the thread of the fantasy book was very good and tied the movie together nicely. I would probably see it again, if only to figure out the story I missed the first time.
The 4400, Season 4.
The show is finally paying off. I thought at midpoint of this season, the story really elevated and started hitting the high notes. What does Promicin mean for humanity and its future? Who is Jordan Collier and what is his role? There are several ridiculous plot holes but I live with them as the show explores these people and their extraordinary powers. It did go very comic book at the end of the season with people losing then regaining their powers, coming back from the dead, and the protagonists always prevailing at the end, no matter the situation. Looking back, I think they should have minimized the cast and cut away some of the unneeded episodes. All in all a decent show, and I’m very interested in how they wrap this up. I really hope they have an end in sight. Otherwise the show could keep limping along, with stories and situations getting more and more unbelievable.
Update: I just visited the 4400 wikipedia page. After the writer’s strike, it was revealed that the series had been cancelled. AHHH!!!! After all that, just pull the plug. Thanks a latte.
Soccer:
Wasn’t able to catch any games this weekend. Watched the highlights and Chelsea and Man Utd’s demolition of their opponents was scary. Liverpool with another comeback. How long can they keep that up? Juve were sorry again and now have Real Madrid in the Champions League. They will either rise to the occasion or this season will be over in two competitions. The Madrid derby had two extraordinary goals. Look them up if you can.
Politics:
Not my usual milieu, but I was driving around in the car today and heard Glenn Beck interviewing Sarah Palin. This person may be our next vice-president? She speaks like she is either super ADD and can’t say things fast enough or she is pausing waiting for the key words to pop up in her head. The conversation was very disjointed and kinda annoying. It is good that a “normal” person is up for high office, but in theory we need the best and brightest leading the country, and I don’t see the hockey mom as that person. She could have been a cabinet member or something, but second in the command to a candidate who has one foot in the grave?
In the end, I’m not voting, but I am observing and there seems to be a lot of doublespeak from both sides.
I will leave you with a snippet from the voice of reason: Onion News Network.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
International Soccer & The Unit
This weekend saw International World Cup Qualifiers return.
England's much awaited return to Wembley after the thrashing handed out to Croatia a month ago and a noticeable banana skin trip to Belarus today of all days.
Saturday was a formality for the Three Lions or so i thought.... the first half was poor, i do agree with Capello that England looked worried playing at home, maybe it has something to do with the most brutal 90,00+ England fans inside Wembley waiting for us to falter.
Whats that phrase Beckham used before the last World Cup "England expects" damn right.... we pay the money to watch you play, its about time you gave us value.
The second half was much better and saw Rooney playing alongside the much improved Emile Heskey, I have to say i like him a lot, he gives us something more as the target player than Crouch does and to be honest he's a better footballer, calm under pressure, good in the air and for a big guy pretty comfortable on the ball.
5-1 was a bit harsh as Kazakhstan were fairly decent, their forward took his goal well after an Ashley Cole horror show, but all in all i was quite impressed by their approach against what we used to call a powerhouse of international football, i think England can turn the corner under Capello, i like the Italian General.
Portugal dropped more points, Sweden were poor as mentioned by Austin and France were lucky v Romaina, Italy dropped points v Bulgaria and Scotland almost caused an upset by nearly beating Norway, stupid jocks..... how the hell do you miss an open goal from 3 yards out, unless you play for CCFC in the Men's 30+ League...... just kidding.
The Unit:
For 3 seasons now i have watched The Unit, now in its 4th season and it just got better which cannot be said about a lot of repeated season shows on TV.
The Unit is an elite brand of soldiers that undertake missions ordered directly from the President himself, thier whole life is a cover, thier existance is for soley to serve the other members of The Unit and Tom Ryan (The colonol).
The main charater Jonas Blane (Snakedoctor) is The Unit leader, its hard seeing him play any other role than President David Palmer from 24, but he is excellent in this show which has jnow become one of my favorites, Mack (Dirtdiver) is second in command and Jonas go to guy, Mack is also awesome, he is cold and grumpy, but one hell of a soldier. He is going through some marital issues with wife Tiffy at this present time in Season 4 after just discovering that she hgad an affair with Colonol Ryan and that she is serving him with divorce papers, Ryan is going to be killed soon, its The Unit policy...... you dont mess with another Unit members wife.
In short i love this show, calculated plots of assination, sniper shots, explosions... .you name it.
24 is back in November for a 2 hour special, then onto Season 7 in January... .cant wait.
England's much awaited return to Wembley after the thrashing handed out to Croatia a month ago and a noticeable banana skin trip to Belarus today of all days.
Saturday was a formality for the Three Lions or so i thought.... the first half was poor, i do agree with Capello that England looked worried playing at home, maybe it has something to do with the most brutal 90,00+ England fans inside Wembley waiting for us to falter.
Whats that phrase Beckham used before the last World Cup "England expects" damn right.... we pay the money to watch you play, its about time you gave us value.
The second half was much better and saw Rooney playing alongside the much improved Emile Heskey, I have to say i like him a lot, he gives us something more as the target player than Crouch does and to be honest he's a better footballer, calm under pressure, good in the air and for a big guy pretty comfortable on the ball.
5-1 was a bit harsh as Kazakhstan were fairly decent, their forward took his goal well after an Ashley Cole horror show, but all in all i was quite impressed by their approach against what we used to call a powerhouse of international football, i think England can turn the corner under Capello, i like the Italian General.
Portugal dropped more points, Sweden were poor as mentioned by Austin and France were lucky v Romaina, Italy dropped points v Bulgaria and Scotland almost caused an upset by nearly beating Norway, stupid jocks..... how the hell do you miss an open goal from 3 yards out, unless you play for CCFC in the Men's 30+ League...... just kidding.
The Unit:
For 3 seasons now i have watched The Unit, now in its 4th season and it just got better which cannot be said about a lot of repeated season shows on TV.
The Unit is an elite brand of soldiers that undertake missions ordered directly from the President himself, thier whole life is a cover, thier existance is for soley to serve the other members of The Unit and Tom Ryan (The colonol).
The main charater Jonas Blane (Snakedoctor) is The Unit leader, its hard seeing him play any other role than President David Palmer from 24, but he is excellent in this show which has jnow become one of my favorites, Mack (Dirtdiver) is second in command and Jonas go to guy, Mack is also awesome, he is cold and grumpy, but one hell of a soldier. He is going through some marital issues with wife Tiffy at this present time in Season 4 after just discovering that she hgad an affair with Colonol Ryan and that she is serving him with divorce papers, Ryan is going to be killed soon, its The Unit policy...... you dont mess with another Unit members wife.
In short i love this show, calculated plots of assination, sniper shots, explosions... .you name it.
24 is back in November for a 2 hour special, then onto Season 7 in January... .cant wait.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Holmes ripoff, hitman crisis, international soccer, and an international conspiracy
So this weekend I had a little free time and watched several shows/movies.
First off was the season premiere of The Mentalist. As a House fan, I was expecting a House like character who was a FBI agent or CSI guy. While there are similarities to House, Patrick Jane is closer to Fitz on the British series Cracker rather than Gregory House. Observant and arrogant to be sure, but not such a prick.
I will say the opening sequence is quite powerful. He meets a mother who has just lost her daughter, and the scene ends with a violent moment that I don’t want to spoil that much for those who haven’t seen it.
Jane’s back story is very interesting. I like the scheming psychic angle and how this led to him losing everything. The closing sequence is quite telling and I hope they explore this over time and don’t resolve it halfway through season one.
His “team” is quite annoying and just there for filler. They are not nearly as interesting as 13, Taub and Kutner. To be fair this was only the pilot so maybe they will get better. Robin Tunney has never impressed me so it will take a lot for her not to detract from the show a la Moira Kelly in the first season of West Wing.
So all in all, I’ll probably catch up over the internet since the gang is watching West Wing on Tuesdays at 9pm.
Next was the film, In Bruges.
Not sure what I was expecting, but what I got was an interesting exploration of the existentialist angst of hitmen. It took me a while to realize that Ray had screwed up on only his first job, and clearly he took it very hard. Ken was a nice philosophical balance and his genuine interest in the sights of Bruges was a enjoyable foil to Ray’s desire to avoid boredom, get drunk and date the blonde.
Although the movie was a little slow, the tempo made sense considering the circumstances. Of course Ray was never far from the action and his moments broke up the segments of dialogue nicely. The introduction of Ralph Fiennes was extraordinary. Only word can describe his character: intense. That performance should be bottled and saved for the next comic movie. I’ll be interested if any directors or producers pick up on this or if Fiennes would be interested. Anyway, the buildup to the finale was tremendous as all of the threads of the movie came together in a moment of extreme tension and surrealism.
Stop reading if you don’t want to be swayed one way or the other re: this film or have the ending spoiled in any way.
The ending is when the movie absolutely fell apart for me. Make it to the last minute and you’ll know what I’m talking about. How Ray survives long enough to crawl to the decapitated midget, much less living long enough for medical support is beyond me. He was shot in the gut, ran a substantial distance through the city, and was then shot 3-4 times at close range with the dum-dums (which expand upon contact) and yet still had consciousness. No fucking way. The movie ends with him dying next to the midget, while Harry blows his head off. Credits. Thanks for coming and have a good night.
When Ray’s monologue began, I started screaming at the TV. I was so angry. Maybe I’m in the wrong, but I doubt it.
Saturday afternoon I had a couple of pints at the Dublin Square while watching Sweden v Portugal. Thank God for the alcohol. Johan Elmander, you’re a “top level” forward? Not quite. He could have really opened up the game if he had made even one of the three good opportunities that fell to him. I thought Portugal looked quite poor. Meireles was shocking. First touch and simple possession were lacking for an international player. Deco was a big miss for this team. The biggest problem for Portugal is the shortage of quality strikers. They currently produce amazing midfielders, especially wingers at the moment, but up top, YIKES!! Then Quieroz did the same thing as Big Phil: sticking CR7 up top by himself. Good luck with that. They will probably scrape through to South Africa, may even make it to the knockout stage, but probably no farther. Goals will be hard to find for this team against top flight opposition.
Finally, the FBI has caught on to my illegal activity with imposters of the Nigerian government. I haven’t received my “payment” yet, but no worries. The FBI has taken care of everything. All will be forgotten and I can get $800,000 put on an ATM card if I send them 300 bucks. How great is that?
First off was the season premiere of The Mentalist. As a House fan, I was expecting a House like character who was a FBI agent or CSI guy. While there are similarities to House, Patrick Jane is closer to Fitz on the British series Cracker rather than Gregory House. Observant and arrogant to be sure, but not such a prick.
I will say the opening sequence is quite powerful. He meets a mother who has just lost her daughter, and the scene ends with a violent moment that I don’t want to spoil that much for those who haven’t seen it.
Jane’s back story is very interesting. I like the scheming psychic angle and how this led to him losing everything. The closing sequence is quite telling and I hope they explore this over time and don’t resolve it halfway through season one.
His “team” is quite annoying and just there for filler. They are not nearly as interesting as 13, Taub and Kutner. To be fair this was only the pilot so maybe they will get better. Robin Tunney has never impressed me so it will take a lot for her not to detract from the show a la Moira Kelly in the first season of West Wing.
So all in all, I’ll probably catch up over the internet since the gang is watching West Wing on Tuesdays at 9pm.
Next was the film, In Bruges.
Not sure what I was expecting, but what I got was an interesting exploration of the existentialist angst of hitmen. It took me a while to realize that Ray had screwed up on only his first job, and clearly he took it very hard. Ken was a nice philosophical balance and his genuine interest in the sights of Bruges was a enjoyable foil to Ray’s desire to avoid boredom, get drunk and date the blonde.
Although the movie was a little slow, the tempo made sense considering the circumstances. Of course Ray was never far from the action and his moments broke up the segments of dialogue nicely. The introduction of Ralph Fiennes was extraordinary. Only word can describe his character: intense. That performance should be bottled and saved for the next comic movie. I’ll be interested if any directors or producers pick up on this or if Fiennes would be interested. Anyway, the buildup to the finale was tremendous as all of the threads of the movie came together in a moment of extreme tension and surrealism.
Stop reading if you don’t want to be swayed one way or the other re: this film or have the ending spoiled in any way.
The ending is when the movie absolutely fell apart for me. Make it to the last minute and you’ll know what I’m talking about. How Ray survives long enough to crawl to the decapitated midget, much less living long enough for medical support is beyond me. He was shot in the gut, ran a substantial distance through the city, and was then shot 3-4 times at close range with the dum-dums (which expand upon contact) and yet still had consciousness. No fucking way. The movie ends with him dying next to the midget, while Harry blows his head off. Credits. Thanks for coming and have a good night.
When Ray’s monologue began, I started screaming at the TV. I was so angry. Maybe I’m in the wrong, but I doubt it.
Saturday afternoon I had a couple of pints at the Dublin Square while watching Sweden v Portugal. Thank God for the alcohol. Johan Elmander, you’re a “top level” forward? Not quite. He could have really opened up the game if he had made even one of the three good opportunities that fell to him. I thought Portugal looked quite poor. Meireles was shocking. First touch and simple possession were lacking for an international player. Deco was a big miss for this team. The biggest problem for Portugal is the shortage of quality strikers. They currently produce amazing midfielders, especially wingers at the moment, but up top, YIKES!! Then Quieroz did the same thing as Big Phil: sticking CR7 up top by himself. Good luck with that. They will probably scrape through to South Africa, may even make it to the knockout stage, but probably no farther. Goals will be hard to find for this team against top flight opposition.
Finally, the FBI has caught on to my illegal activity with imposters of the Nigerian government. I haven’t received my “payment” yet, but no worries. The FBI has taken care of everything. All will be forgotten and I can get $800,000 put on an ATM card if I send them 300 bucks. How great is that?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Blaine is Lame
In the early 1990s a unique and intriguing figure came upon the scene. At first he just had a few underground videos out. Then he met up with Leonardo DeCaprio and he got a television special. What was his gimmick? He did street magic – but some crazy stuff. Things that would blow your mind and leave your head reeling. I am speaking, of course, of David Blaine. His street magic was unparalleled by anything I had ever seen. His card tricks, coin tricks, made me want to be a magician (Sorry for the use of the word “tricks.” As Gob from Arrested Development would say, “They’re not tricks. They’re illusions.”). And let’s not forget the levitation. I don’t know how he did it. I don’t know if it was real. But it sure looked like his whole body lifted a few inches off the ground. All those things were enough for me to overlook his complete lack of personality or stage presence. I was a fan. When I heard that David Blaine was coming out with a big, televised illusion, I thought, “This could be good.” After all, if it was as brain warping as his other stuff, how bad could it be? Then I found out what it would be – buried alive. I asked, “Is he going to be getting out of a straight jacket or “transporting” and ending up somewhere else when they finally dig him up?” Nope. He’s just going to be in a box for a few days. So I wondered, “Where’s the magic?” Is it difficult? Sure. Would I /Could I do it? Probably not. But I ask again, “Where’s the magic? What’s the illusion?”
From that point David Blaine has come out with more and more “illusions” they have become lamer and lamer. His latest one a few weeks ago, the “Dive of Death”, involved him hanging upside down without a safety net for 60 hours and eventually he would “jump down” safely. In actuality he did not hang upside down and he came down occasionally for medical check ups and food. The following, taken from Wikipedia describes the scene that I, regrettably, actually watched:
“When the ‘Dive of Death’ took place, Blaine came down from the platform on a cable, and lightly touched the stage. He was then pulled back up into the air, and, in the words of the New York Daily News, ‘hung in the air like a sack of potatoes with a goofy grin on his face, occasionally kicking his legs as though he were running.’ The plan had been for Blaine to be pulled up into the air by helium balloons and disappear into the atmosphere. Blaine attributed the problem to changes in weather conditions that occurred after the stunt was delayed due to an address by President Bush. The finale was not well-received by spectators.”
Being one of the television spectators, I heartily agree. It was as lame as one could have imagined. Seriously, Gob could have given Blaine a run for his money on to see who is the bigger “no talent ass clown.” I’m done with you David Blaine unless you are willing to return to your roots.
***You can type in Blaine on YouTube and find tons of videos. Here is one of my favorites that he pulls on Emmit Smith when he played for the Dallas Cowboys.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Football Nightmare
Sorry to post off-schedule but I have to something off my chest.
Though I do not live in Michigan anymore, I try to keep up with the Detroit area sports. I still love watching the Pistons and the Red Wings. I am not a big baseball fan, but I root for the Tigers. And then football season came. Man am I embarrassed. But it is not just over the Lions. The Wolverines are a shamockery. Last year they lose to Appalachian State Mountaineers. This year they add the fearsome Toledo Torpedoes to their suckiness resume. The only thing I could cling to while living in Tennessee was the Volunteers seemed to be “rebuilding” as well. Regardless, no football pride exists in the Detroit area anymore.
Since neither the Lions nor the Wolverines are going to make a bowl this year, I recommend that in January they play one another for the “Toilet Bowl.” The loser is not allowed to have a program for a year. More than likely the Lions would win, but at this point it doesn’t matter which team gets suspended. I can’t take it anymore. If they keep it up I am going to have to start rooting for SEC and AFC teams. I shudder as I even type such a thing. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Though I do not live in Michigan anymore, I try to keep up with the Detroit area sports. I still love watching the Pistons and the Red Wings. I am not a big baseball fan, but I root for the Tigers. And then football season came. Man am I embarrassed. But it is not just over the Lions. The Wolverines are a shamockery. Last year they lose to Appalachian State Mountaineers. This year they add the fearsome Toledo Torpedoes to their suckiness resume. The only thing I could cling to while living in Tennessee was the Volunteers seemed to be “rebuilding” as well. Regardless, no football pride exists in the Detroit area anymore. Since neither the Lions nor the Wolverines are going to make a bowl this year, I recommend that in January they play one another for the “Toilet Bowl.” The loser is not allowed to have a program for a year. More than likely the Lions would win, but at this point it doesn’t matter which team gets suspended. I can’t take it anymore. If they keep it up I am going to have to start rooting for SEC and AFC teams. I shudder as I even type such a thing. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Burn (your retinas) Before Viewing...
The new Coen Brothers movie "Burn After Reading" completely blew me away. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since we left the theater 45 minutes ago. I'm amazed, I'm astounded, I'm speechless, it boggles my mind...
It boggles my mind what kind of crap these two "directors" put into theaters and people actually watch it. I'm speechless because there are no words to describe the black void that is this movie, I'm amazed and astounded that a movie can have no plot, no character depth, and no entertainment value whatsoever and still be playing in theaters. To quote the most used line in the movie, "Are you f**king kidding me!?" Yes, yes they are. It's a big fat joke on all of us.
Coen Brothers have gone the way of Hemingway, so engrossed in their own genius, they've taken to drinking booze while copious amounts of feral cats do the writing for them and, if I could be so lucky, they too will shoot themselves in the face. Instead of making movies that are, they are making movies that are not. This one in particular has no meaning but also is not purposely meaningless. It is not a comedy, not action/adventure, not drama, not suspense. If this movie were to have any genre whatsoever I suppose it would have to be the brand new "Mostly Boring and Sometimes Mildly Horrific" genre. Not quite realistic enough so that the audience is sympathetic to the characters, not unrealistic enough to be comedy, fantasy, or sci-fi. The one thing this movie really WAS, was a waste of a perfectly good friday night.
"What are we to learn from this?" says some guy in the movie that I'm not even going to expend the energy to check on IMDB.com. NOTHING. You might as well ask what we are to learn from pillow stuffing. The difference between a good concept for a movie and a good movie is a complete story line. Antagonist, crisis, climax, resolution. I suggest that the Coen brothers take the concept of this movie and make it into a REAL movie. Now taking into consideration Raising Arizona and Hudsucker Proxy, I'm willing to give them a do over. If they can remake the Hulk, they can also remake this one and I will consider* watching it.
But let's also not forget that this is not the Coens first steaming pile of a movie. Barton Fink was another notamovie, utterly forgettable except for the bad taste it leaves in your mouth. From this point on the Coen Brothers are on probation, should they continue down this road of depravity I will apply the three strikes rule, and they're already on strike two.
I'm usually one to allow everyone their own opinion. But in this instance I have to put my foot down. Coen brothers wrote, produced, and directed one of the all time worst movies ever made. Period. Done. The End. Finished.
*That's a huge lie, I have no intention of watching this movie or any remake thereof at any time in my life. EVER.
It boggles my mind what kind of crap these two "directors" put into theaters and people actually watch it. I'm speechless because there are no words to describe the black void that is this movie, I'm amazed and astounded that a movie can have no plot, no character depth, and no entertainment value whatsoever and still be playing in theaters. To quote the most used line in the movie, "Are you f**king kidding me!?" Yes, yes they are. It's a big fat joke on all of us.
Coen Brothers have gone the way of Hemingway, so engrossed in their own genius, they've taken to drinking booze while copious amounts of feral cats do the writing for them and, if I could be so lucky, they too will shoot themselves in the face. Instead of making movies that are, they are making movies that are not. This one in particular has no meaning but also is not purposely meaningless. It is not a comedy, not action/adventure, not drama, not suspense. If this movie were to have any genre whatsoever I suppose it would have to be the brand new "Mostly Boring and Sometimes Mildly Horrific" genre. Not quite realistic enough so that the audience is sympathetic to the characters, not unrealistic enough to be comedy, fantasy, or sci-fi. The one thing this movie really WAS, was a waste of a perfectly good friday night.
"What are we to learn from this?" says some guy in the movie that I'm not even going to expend the energy to check on IMDB.com. NOTHING. You might as well ask what we are to learn from pillow stuffing. The difference between a good concept for a movie and a good movie is a complete story line. Antagonist, crisis, climax, resolution. I suggest that the Coen brothers take the concept of this movie and make it into a REAL movie. Now taking into consideration Raising Arizona and Hudsucker Proxy, I'm willing to give them a do over. If they can remake the Hulk, they can also remake this one and I will consider* watching it.
But let's also not forget that this is not the Coens first steaming pile of a movie. Barton Fink was another notamovie, utterly forgettable except for the bad taste it leaves in your mouth. From this point on the Coen Brothers are on probation, should they continue down this road of depravity I will apply the three strikes rule, and they're already on strike two.
I'm usually one to allow everyone their own opinion. But in this instance I have to put my foot down. Coen brothers wrote, produced, and directed one of the all time worst movies ever made. Period. Done. The End. Finished.
*That's a huge lie, I have no intention of watching this movie or any remake thereof at any time in my life. EVER.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Juventus FC commentary (if you don't care about soccer or Juventus, don't bother reading)
I watched Juventus v Palermo. I thought I was disappointed last week. Wow. They had a midfield line of 3 that struggled to maintain possession. Sissoko got sent off, which I hope is his last appearance for Juve. He is not up to the standard. Poulsen looks like a deer in headlights. I’m not sure what he offers. Marchisio was one of the better players, but still needs some experience. Amauri. Seriously, he is the one leading the attack? I’m not sold on his quality. De Ceglie was the revelation of the day. In the second half he bombed forward and was quite dangerous. Camo came on late but was awful for a player of his pedigree. Nedved ran around as usual but didn’t impact the game. Del Piero tried and ran and worked but didn’t have the depth of team around him. Giovinco is quite good, but again, he can be taken out of the game physically if everything is on him.
I am disappointed with Juve management in this regard: they bought very poorly over the summer and didn’t address the weaknesses and age of the club.
Weakness 1, out and out strikers. Juventus only added Amauri, and Giovinco if you count getting him back from loan. Now on paper they are strong at this position, but injuries hit and they are left with Alex, Amauri and Seba. Alex and Seba can’t play together, so you left with AMauri and another forward. Now management couldn’t have known about injuries, but why did they sell Palladino?
Not only is he another option up top, but he could have addressed another glaring weakness of Juve—depth. Camo and Nedved are old. Sorry. They can’t play a whole game at a high level and have lost a step. The Palermo game showed that after a midweek fixture, the entire lineup and tactical lineup has to be reshuffled, to Juve’s detriment.
Personally, I would have sold Trezeguet and bought several players (a forward and at least one winger) with the transfer money, in addition to keeping Nocerino and Palladino. Defensively they are strong and deep, but going forward will be a struggle based on the current squad.
Juve will struggle until the Champions League group stage is over because they don’t have the depth and quality of squad to fight on both fronts. They have 9 points after 6 matches and haven’t even played Inter, Milan, Roma or Lazio. From now until mid-December, they could be mired in 10th to 14th position because points will be increasingly hard to come by.
I hope they rectify some of the issues in the January transfer window. I could see, with the right buys, a surge into the UEFA cup spots. I will go on record right now saying they won’t finish in the top 4.
This team needs to be overhauled and a three plan put in place to make them true domestic and European contenders.
And to top it all off, Ranieri got the dreaded “vote of confidence.” Last year he took a strongly motivated and experience team as far as it could go. Third place was really beyond anyone’s dreams, but now the redemption of calciopoli scandal has worn off. Time for the hard work.
Forza Juve.
I am disappointed with Juve management in this regard: they bought very poorly over the summer and didn’t address the weaknesses and age of the club.
Weakness 1, out and out strikers. Juventus only added Amauri, and Giovinco if you count getting him back from loan. Now on paper they are strong at this position, but injuries hit and they are left with Alex, Amauri and Seba. Alex and Seba can’t play together, so you left with AMauri and another forward. Now management couldn’t have known about injuries, but why did they sell Palladino?
Not only is he another option up top, but he could have addressed another glaring weakness of Juve—depth. Camo and Nedved are old. Sorry. They can’t play a whole game at a high level and have lost a step. The Palermo game showed that after a midweek fixture, the entire lineup and tactical lineup has to be reshuffled, to Juve’s detriment.
Personally, I would have sold Trezeguet and bought several players (a forward and at least one winger) with the transfer money, in addition to keeping Nocerino and Palladino. Defensively they are strong and deep, but going forward will be a struggle based on the current squad.
Juve will struggle until the Champions League group stage is over because they don’t have the depth and quality of squad to fight on both fronts. They have 9 points after 6 matches and haven’t even played Inter, Milan, Roma or Lazio. From now until mid-December, they could be mired in 10th to 14th position because points will be increasingly hard to come by.
I hope they rectify some of the issues in the January transfer window. I could see, with the right buys, a surge into the UEFA cup spots. I will go on record right now saying they won’t finish in the top 4.
This team needs to be overhauled and a three plan put in place to make them true domestic and European contenders.
And to top it all off, Ranieri got the dreaded “vote of confidence.” Last year he took a strongly motivated and experience team as far as it could go. Third place was really beyond anyone’s dreams, but now the redemption of calciopoli scandal has worn off. Time for the hard work.
Forza Juve.
soccer and movies
What a weekend of soccer.
I watched highlights of Barca’s demolition of Atletico. 3-0 after 8 minutes. After three consecutive late shows, including a ridiculous goal to by Messi to beat Shaktar, they left no doubt against Atletico. I read a FCB blog Monday and the writer stated that Barca was exactly in the same position last year, came back from international break and slowly declined for the rest of the season. Hopefully the Blaugrana will finish the job this year.
Speaking of finishing the job, all hail Liverpool. I watched them in midweek destroy a subpar PSV. Then I show up at James’ house on Sunday afternoon with Liverpool down 2-0 to City. European hangover? Typical Liverpool swoon? How wrong I was as Torres started the fightback and Kuyt finished the job as the Reds came all the way back and won 3-2. Losing Skrtel will be tough but all other things being equal, I really think Liverpool will compete for the title this year. If they pick up points in December and January, they should have the momentum to go for the Double. Could the almost 20 year wait be over? They may never have a better chance.
I have strong and lengthy comments re: Juventus that I will publish as a separate post.
Finally, my over 30 team won on PK’s Sunday to advance in our end of season tournament. Next is Dewitt. With a win we play under the lights at East Lansing, which will be sweet, but quite cold I’m sure.
Moving on, I listened to the new Oasis album, Dig Out Your Soul. It starts quite well, 4 of the first 5 tracks are passable, and the first single, The Shock of the Lighting is quite good. After that I wasn’t too interested. I will say it might grow on me, but it feels like the last couple of albums. Decent start, a couple of rockin tracks and then a bunch of filler. Let’s face it, after Morning Glory, it’s been just a futile attempt to regain glory. Their first two albums are absolute quality from start to finish. After that, there are several very good singles, but as a whole, lots of wasted tracks. A friend has tix for the December show at the Palace. I’m debating whether to go or not.
I have several movies on hold at the library. I’m hoping to a) get there and b) find time to watch them. On my account are:
In Bruges
Michael Clayton
I hope to review these next week. Early thoughts?
Also, there are rumors of a Coen Brothers marathon in November. Any interest out there in cyberland? Ben? You could fly back for the weekend. Brandon, you can come over. I’m sure we find you a place to crash. Sam? You’ve got nothing to do.
Until next week . . .
Friday, October 3, 2008
Just Eat It!
Tonight was not the first night I've had sushi. It was probably the first time I've had "real" sushi..."real" expensive. I liked the rolls well enough, especially when they had something fried in the middle. Doesn't really matter what it is, as long as it's battered and dipped in oil. And I'm getting a feel for wasabi, mix it with a little soy sauce and it's a kind of spicy that I could really go for when I normally don't care for heat at all.
But I didn't care for the sashimi, raw fish is raw fish is raw fish. You think for what they're charging they could season it and slap on a grill for 20 seconeds. It's slimy and mushy. I don't know how people get into this stuff, must be the hep cool thing.
What I really don't get is the Edemame. Some one asked for three bowls of this stuff to be brought to the table. I had heard the word before but was never impressed enough to remember what it was. Then I remembered why. It's soy beans, call it what you will, it's still just soy beans. Soy beans that have been steamed and then left to get cold. And you know what they taste like? Soy beans, that's right, and they smell like it too! I ate them, I only had 2 cups of yogurt today so I would have eaten anything by that point.
It makes me think about what other similarly worthless crops are out there just waiting for some yuppy intellectual to come along and turn it into food. Makes me wanna go out and mow my lawn, call it Ootafaloota, steam it and feed it to you at $50 a plate.
But I didn't care for the sashimi, raw fish is raw fish is raw fish. You think for what they're charging they could season it and slap on a grill for 20 seconeds. It's slimy and mushy. I don't know how people get into this stuff, must be the hep cool thing.
What I really don't get is the Edemame. Some one asked for three bowls of this stuff to be brought to the table. I had heard the word before but was never impressed enough to remember what it was. Then I remembered why. It's soy beans, call it what you will, it's still just soy beans. Soy beans that have been steamed and then left to get cold. And you know what they taste like? Soy beans, that's right, and they smell like it too! I ate them, I only had 2 cups of yogurt today so I would have eaten anything by that point.
It makes me think about what other similarly worthless crops are out there just waiting for some yuppy intellectual to come along and turn it into food. Makes me wanna go out and mow my lawn, call it Ootafaloota, steam it and feed it to you at $50 a plate.
About Last Night
I didn't really get the impression that she did this badly, in fact, I'd gamble that this hilarious graphic was probably already completed before the debate even started. Nevertheless, it's hilarious. And I'm too busy this week to write a really good post, so I'm mailing it in:
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Dr. Gregory House (Quality)
What a program...... that's all i am going to say, it puts ER to shame. A friend turned me onto House and i haven't looked back, my DVR has suddenly become increasingly full due to the sheer volume of episodes i am eagerly trying to catch up on. I have become obsessed with this miserable, witty, arrogant and sarcastic character Dr. Gregory House.
Dying Changes Everything (First Episode), marks the start of the fifth season of the series about cantankerous Dr Gregory House at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, New Jersey.
Most welcome it is, too, even if there is a nagging feeling that while the doctor - still recovering from the bus accident that gave him serious head trauma in season 4- may have established a grand show of irascibility in the past, the series might be running out of steam.Not so.
After watching the final few episodes of season 4 i anticipated the start of Season 5 the screenwriters were ahead with their own diagnosis, for they used the previous three episodes to set up a solid switcheroo. In the final moments of season 4, House and his friend and colleague, Dr James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), were unable to save the life of Wilson's girlfriend, Amber, injured in the bus crash and suffering irreparable kidney collapse.
A shattered Wilson, realising Amber had reached the end, responded to her request to be allowed to go to sleep, held her hand and, as she sank into a coma, shut down her life support.
The new season sees House visiting Wilson and, learning his closest supporter is quitting the hospital, suggests to him this is a mistake, for the emotional pain of losing Amber will surely fade. When Wilson refuses to accept this, House, with typical bluntness which i think is absolutely hilarious, tells him to get over his "textbook grief reaction".
It is the final straw. Wilson says he is not only resigning from the hospital but also resigning from the friendship. Yet, with Wilson firmly entrenched in the credits, we may be tempted to surmise a temporary easing away from the distinctive style of surgical diagnoses within House's unit, allowing more divisions between senior staff.
In “Not Cancer,” the second episode of season five, House is desperate, less and less able to hide his panic and his feelings about the loss of Wilson. They seep into the differential diagnosis sessions and his conversations with the patient; in front of his hired private investigator, they become transparent, as even this hired hand feels House’s agony at having lost Wilson’s friendship.
“What do I get from Wilson?” House inquires absently (and almost to himself) during the first differential diagnosis session. His fellows argue about what might and might not have made six transplant victims ill (and fatally so in several cases). But House’s mind is elsewhere, almost in a parallel scene, ignored as the medical debate continues.
Lucas (Michael Weston) a private investigator, who I really thought I would dislike as yet another character in an already too-crowded cast. But I like him. And evidently, so does House, who sees beneath the guy’s slightly dippy exterior to the very sharp-minded man beneath — despite wearing argyle socks with construction boots (and Vans).
He has hired the PI to supplement the investigative duties of the fellows, and he appears to be good at his job. But he’s also pretty good at House-reading, and probably has more potential as a Wilson surrogate than O’Shea the PI. He’s a bit of a con man, charging randomly large amounts of money for his information (and he don't take checks) who does right?
Parts of this episode were overwhelmingly sad. Like Wilson, House is in mourning. House is mourning the loss of his dearest friend, who denies that there ever was a friendship in the first place. House’s grief is camouflaged as something else, and he won’t be cut any slack for it. His grief is private, thereby made even more poignant.
I continue to enjoy Kutner, who seems ever more a combination of whiz kid and teddy bear. I am surprised at how much I liked the PI Lucas. He’s bright and he has an easy rapport with House. He can have a lightening effect on House as he goes through this very difficult time. I hope he does.
House airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) check it out, like me I'm sure you will be impressed.
On a much more important note, Mau Utd have turned the corner with 3 wins in the last 5 games. Berbatov finally put a shift in and scored 2 pretty good goals last night against the Danish minnows Aalborg. (why doesnt he smile when he scores?)
After watching Arsenal lost to Hull at the weekend i am very intrugued to see where this season's trophies will be heading. It really was a poor performance from the Gunners and i was shocked let alone the 40 odd thousend inside the Emirates.
My prediction is below for the 5 trophies on offer, can anyone agree or challenge me.
Premiership - Man Utd
FA Cup - Arsenal
Carling Cup - Chelsea
Champions League - Man Utd
Uefa Cup - AC Milan
See ya
Dying Changes Everything (First Episode), marks the start of the fifth season of the series about cantankerous Dr Gregory House at Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, New Jersey.
Most welcome it is, too, even if there is a nagging feeling that while the doctor - still recovering from the bus accident that gave him serious head trauma in season 4- may have established a grand show of irascibility in the past, the series might be running out of steam.Not so.
After watching the final few episodes of season 4 i anticipated the start of Season 5 the screenwriters were ahead with their own diagnosis, for they used the previous three episodes to set up a solid switcheroo. In the final moments of season 4, House and his friend and colleague, Dr James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), were unable to save the life of Wilson's girlfriend, Amber, injured in the bus crash and suffering irreparable kidney collapse.
A shattered Wilson, realising Amber had reached the end, responded to her request to be allowed to go to sleep, held her hand and, as she sank into a coma, shut down her life support.
The new season sees House visiting Wilson and, learning his closest supporter is quitting the hospital, suggests to him this is a mistake, for the emotional pain of losing Amber will surely fade. When Wilson refuses to accept this, House, with typical bluntness which i think is absolutely hilarious, tells him to get over his "textbook grief reaction".
It is the final straw. Wilson says he is not only resigning from the hospital but also resigning from the friendship. Yet, with Wilson firmly entrenched in the credits, we may be tempted to surmise a temporary easing away from the distinctive style of surgical diagnoses within House's unit, allowing more divisions between senior staff.
In “Not Cancer,” the second episode of season five, House is desperate, less and less able to hide his panic and his feelings about the loss of Wilson. They seep into the differential diagnosis sessions and his conversations with the patient; in front of his hired private investigator, they become transparent, as even this hired hand feels House’s agony at having lost Wilson’s friendship.
“What do I get from Wilson?” House inquires absently (and almost to himself) during the first differential diagnosis session. His fellows argue about what might and might not have made six transplant victims ill (and fatally so in several cases). But House’s mind is elsewhere, almost in a parallel scene, ignored as the medical debate continues.
Lucas (Michael Weston) a private investigator, who I really thought I would dislike as yet another character in an already too-crowded cast. But I like him. And evidently, so does House, who sees beneath the guy’s slightly dippy exterior to the very sharp-minded man beneath — despite wearing argyle socks with construction boots (and Vans).
He has hired the PI to supplement the investigative duties of the fellows, and he appears to be good at his job. But he’s also pretty good at House-reading, and probably has more potential as a Wilson surrogate than O’Shea the PI. He’s a bit of a con man, charging randomly large amounts of money for his information (and he don't take checks) who does right?
Parts of this episode were overwhelmingly sad. Like Wilson, House is in mourning. House is mourning the loss of his dearest friend, who denies that there ever was a friendship in the first place. House’s grief is camouflaged as something else, and he won’t be cut any slack for it. His grief is private, thereby made even more poignant.
I continue to enjoy Kutner, who seems ever more a combination of whiz kid and teddy bear. I am surprised at how much I liked the PI Lucas. He’s bright and he has an easy rapport with House. He can have a lightening effect on House as he goes through this very difficult time. I hope he does.
House airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) check it out, like me I'm sure you will be impressed.
On a much more important note, Mau Utd have turned the corner with 3 wins in the last 5 games. Berbatov finally put a shift in and scored 2 pretty good goals last night against the Danish minnows Aalborg. (why doesnt he smile when he scores?)
After watching Arsenal lost to Hull at the weekend i am very intrugued to see where this season's trophies will be heading. It really was a poor performance from the Gunners and i was shocked let alone the 40 odd thousend inside the Emirates.
My prediction is below for the 5 trophies on offer, can anyone agree or challenge me.
Premiership - Man Utd
FA Cup - Arsenal
Carling Cup - Chelsea
Champions League - Man Utd
Uefa Cup - AC Milan
See ya
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