Monday, October 31, 2005

Halloween And Week 8 Results

It has Halloween and I had no trick or treaters. I went out and bought two bags of candy, had the Jack-O-Lantern that was carved last week on the front porch and burning in all its glory and no one saw it or came by for trick or treating....

I don't know if I should be disappointed or happy. yes it is disheartening that no one came to partake of my Halloween goodies, however as a sad sign of the times maybe it is better that responsible parents are taking their children to the houses of people that are known by the family instead of the friendly strangers who never would harm anyone anyway.

However there are always those twisted idiots out there who would love nothing more than to lace a snickers with a cut razor. Sick. Anyone who knows me knows I have no sympathy for someone who would harm a child like that.

Well in fantasy football news I score the most amount of points all season long and the kicker of the week's opponent scores 21 by himself!

Yeah 21 points!

I'm headed for defeat tonight, I can tell already. I have the Steeler's D and Special Teams going and am down by 4 points.

The Steeler's need to get at least 16 points for me to get into the money for the week. We'll see but I'm not holding my breath!

Sunday, October 30, 2005

Week 8, Saturday Poker, Minor Locker News and Filmmaking!

Week 8 is upon my team. My best WR in Marvin Harrison is on a bye this week and I'm head's up with one of the best teams in the league this season.

I do not feel good about today's matchup to say the least!

Yesterday was Saturday and there was a poker tournament at a friends house. Out of the sixteen people who committed to show up five did and played. I got first which paid a handsome $70! Yeaaa Me!

After the tournament I called Locker's producer and took the film to him to update the opening credits. They look much better but still kept the simple black and white from the film fest screeners I sent out. I'm partial to simplicity:)

That reminds me of Wednesday night and I don't know why I didn't have a post about this but I'll do it now! Wednesday evening I met with my photographer friend and we carved pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns! Now this was the first time I have done this since I was a kid! It was a good time and I kind of got under her skin a little bit when I wanted to trade her pumpkin for mine. Obviously hers looked much better and mine....well didn't look good.

Anyway I had a great time this week!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Alright, I Admit It!

I have been watching the World Series on commercial breaks.

Anyone who knows me knows that I've been bitter since the strike year that killed the Fall Classic years ago.

My interest was first rekindled....in the very slightest amount possible....with last year's improbable Red Sox victory. Now with the other Sox looking to answer back it has again made me take notice...enough to watch the occasional inning.

Yes MLB still has a ton of problems like Balco Barry and a whole swarm of players that scurry away like 'roid roaches when the light of suspension starts to shine.

If baseball wants to be serious about the game and start to repair years of damage they need to make taking steroids as the crime it is and start putting players in prison or giving them years of community service.

Still it won't matter, baseball's best game still pales in comparison on a NFL Sunday! The NFL has taken over as the national pastime. It is no secret and hasn't been for years now.

The MLB is probably still third place but only because America really doesn't like Hockey, Soccer, or any other sport that doesn't involve action and games ending in ties. The NHL cut its own throat by striking so long that what little interest there was in the States really was snuffed out and now the NHL can be only seen on the Outdoor Life Network. At least the NCAA caught onto the fact that fans hate ties and fixed the problem with the addition of overtime in football.

Soccer will never do that and Soccer will never be big in the States. That doesn't mean we are less educated in the nuances of the game or the beauty of the motion...we just don't care. We don't care if you burn down your entire city or riot yourselves deep into the night for some unknown to us rivalry that we will never get or understand. We don't care if it is the "World's Game"....it's only because the rest of the world will never like American Football....we like it that way, leave it alone, its our game.

The NBA hasn't been the same since King Jordan retired the second time and took everything interesting about the game with him and leaving a bunch of spoiled punks in his very classy wake.

That leaves Nascar. No other sport has the top players going head to head in one place every week. Most everyone adopts a favorite driver and dons the team colors or has someone they kind of like if they see a few races. It is just a natural sport to pick someone from the crowd and root for them!

NFL and Nascar! God Bless America!

Monday, October 24, 2005

Two In A Row....Its Called A Streak!

My team has now crawled up to a 3-4 record. Scoring nearly 40 points I soundly defeated the Outlaws to get to nearly .500 on the season!

Good?
No.
Bad?
Yes.
Conclusions?
More homework required for next year's draft!

There is some Locker news!
Tribeca film festival contacted me and said that I needed to send them a new tape, the one they had was blank!

So I have packaged one up and will send it tomorrow:)

I hope that they watch it and are still patient with me and the USPS! I think, hope it will get there by Friday if not Saturday!

Sunday, October 23, 2005

No Locker News And Week 7

Yep, week 7. After eeking out a victory in week 6, the Predators are seeking another win. The owner (me) isn't holding his breath. I'd be amazed if my 2-4 team cobbles together 20 points.

Carson Palmer will have a tough time against the Pitt D (whom I also own) but Marvin Harrison has the potential to have double digit TDs against the Houston D! Yeah I know, wishful thinking but I fully expect Manning to hit Harrison on every single pass today and a 1,500 yard day with 16-18 TDs by the time the fourth quarter ends.

That is about the only way I'm going to be competetive this year in the league.

I was really wanting to write something snazzy and clever today but I think I'm all clevered out this morning. My lava lamp has been on for about twenty minutes and is about ready to get to bubbling.

I've been going over many movie ideas lately but there isn't a lot that is sticking unless you add a budget. Then I can do more than just have a single location shoot and it opens up a lot of ideas.

We'll see what happens:)

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

I'm 2-4 Now

Yes my friends, I won this week. I was middle of the pack overall but my team did manage to win the head's up.

Proud?

I'm still looking forward to next season....

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Week 6

This morning I'm going with a starting lineup of:
Carson Palmer: My lone star this season
Dom Davis: disapointing is a understatement
Mewelde Moore: still a unknown quantity but hopefully a decent pickup
Marvin Harrison: Oh Marvin. I had him his rookie season and a couple of years in between then and now. He and I have been through a lot together, hopefully he pulls it together.
Keyshawn: A surprising pickup and is putting together some good games but not enough with no one else helping him out.
Jerry Porter: Could play better if he would catch a ball every now and again.
Kaeding and the Steelers D

So again if I break it into the double digits I'd be not really happy since my team ranking is just south of horrible but I'm already looking forward to next season!

Friday, October 14, 2005

I Have Just Seen The Future Of Buffy!!!!

And now she is called Veronica Mars.

Not exactly Buffy, but this has got to be one of the best ten shows on TV in the past ten years!

I can't really give a ton of details since I have a strong distaste for spoilers so I stick to the generals so Smart, Funny, Dramatic and Dark will have to cover it....that and the best writing since the Joss Whedon Did TV days. All of this despite a thankfully brief appearance by Paris Hilton.

The Shield and Deadwood are still among the tops however Veronica Mars deserves a place among your TV on DVD collection....a high place.

As a side note Francis Capra is among the stellar cast....oh? Unfamiliar with the Capra name? Frank Capra, Francis Capra's Great Grandfather, was perhaps among the greatest of directors, not only of the golden era but of all time.

Anyone who knows me knows I'm an emotional guy who actually sheds tears during emotional scenes. Scenes that really effect me on a deep level will have me drying my eyes. Nah, I'm secure enough that I don't care who knows, I'm trying to get a point across. Any director who can have that effect upon me has my respect and admiration....Frank Capra was the best.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

My Funnily Shaved Cat

I noticed a odd smell coming from one of my cat's mouth the other day. I immediately started looking for something for bad cat breath. Then I decided to look and see that maybe there might be a small animal or perhaps a rotting smurf in his mouth that was causing this bad smell.

I opened his mouth and I could tell that his gum around his right incisor was inflamed and very swollen. I called the vet and got him an appointment to have him looked at. The vet explained to me that sometimes a cat will lose his "killing teeth" but it was nothing that I had done or his diet and nothing had happened to him.

I found that to be amazing since he is only about three years old.

So I have my sister-in-law drop him off at the vet so he can now have his teeth pulled. Since he is an indoor cat the vet said he won't need those teeth anyway.

So I get to the vet to pick up my groggy defanged pet kitty! I get him home and put tuna on his nose and on my other cat's nose to help with the smooth transition of reintroducing cat one to cat two.

In the past this has proven to be a slight ordeal of hissing and running. The tuna helps because now neither cat smells like a vet. Since cats appear to have the memory span of a potato and would completely forget that they the other cat was their brother/sister and had lived their whole lives together, anything over a couple of hours and all of a sudden the cat left in the house has taken over EVERYTHING.

The other cat has been completely purged from the memory, hence the hissing and running. When they smell the same, it is like magic!

So I get my cat home and properly smelling like tuna when I notice his from legs....they have two shaved spots on them!!!! He has two shaved spots on his two front legs! It looks hilarious! I mean I hate to laugh in a situation like this but it is so funny!!!!

My shaved cat....

Monday, October 10, 2005

Serenity And Desperate Hous......Filmmakers

I purchased Desperate Housewives and saw Serenity the other day so that I would have something to do on my holiday weekend! Well that and I did some boredom eating...

First Serenity fulfilled the promise of the series which was cut short by about six and a half seasons. It was a great series and if there is nothing else done with the series then Serenity will serve as a well done farewell. Basically a show set in the distant future with a touch of the old west. It had everything that made a series great and then some!

Desperate Housewives....well now there is a completely different type of series but just as enjoyable. I would say as far as drama tinged with comedy the best comparison would be Six Feet Under. Now there is a great show! But this is about Desperate Housewives. This show has drama, comedy, a tinge of soap opera, and some chick flick. I found myself laughing out loud at some moments when I was familiar with the characters!

There are some moments of comic mastery here! There are some dark moments that rival Six Feet Under as well! It is a fine balancing act that both shows seem to follow well!

Well by now I'm sure that my starting kicker has probably stubbed his big toe and won't be able to hit a field goal if his life depended on it.

Yep....Week 5

Eleven points.

My kicker is going tonight but if this week stays true to yesterday he should break his ankle in warmups.

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Well It Is Week 5

We shall see how my team performs today but believe me, I don't have high hopes. If they get into double digits I would be happy.

I have already accepted the fact that I'm going to have to pay for the whole season at ten bucks a week. My team just doesn't seem interested in helping out and winning some money back.

There are some good games happening though, New England vs. Atlanta and tomorrow night Pittsburgh vs. San Diego. My QB, Carson Palmer, has a chance to rip apart Jacksonville's D tonight while Marvin Harrison, my ace WR, can dismantle the San Francisco D.

What is going to happen though?
Palmer will get hurt in the shower this morning while Harrison will sprain a toe in pre-game warmups and neither will play.

Well on the positive side, Bonnie Bernstein and Jillian Barberie were both looking pretty hot and perky today.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Happy Friday!!!!

I'm home today and there is a story behind that, so here goes!

This past Monday letters went out to season ticket holders for the Storm to come and pick out our seats today. The Storm is the local semi-pro basketball team. I've been a season ticket holder since year one.

So yesterday, Thursday, the coach called one of us and said that Friday is going to be packed with people and that we could come in the afternoon before and pick our seats. Well by that time I had already put in a leave slip and had my leave approved for Friday so that I could pick out our three seats. Even though it was unnecessary to take off now, I did it anyway:)

Heck it is a four day weekend now!

Small things in life like this bring me happiness:)

Sunday, October 02, 2005

My Trip

Recently I have heard a song (Photograph by Nickleback)that inspired me to pick up my high school yearbooks and take a trip back down memory lane.

Man I did some stupid things.

I looked at the pictures and wondered who that person was and now here I am seventeen years removed from those times. Some were good, actually it is odd but I don't know why I remember the good things instead of the bad things.

I know there were bad times. Times that I really didn't like, some I regretted, some when I look back and saw how heartless or mean I could be. And now here I am, worn down by life and I look back and see how brash and sometimes arrogant I was. Here is the lowdown.

My family had a restaurant that I worked in from middle school until I was a senior when we closed it. Times were pretty rough for a while. I had a paper route in the early mornings. So I started driving when I was fourteen.

The town cop let me as long as I kept it under control but I can't tell you how many times I got stuck because I thought it'd be fun to take my pinto station wagon through a long stretch of mud or a snowbank and what do you know, there was a ditch under there!

Yeah, stupid was my middle name. I rebelled a lot at school but my grades were good enough to get the honor roll. I was a football player and weight lifter. I decided early to learn a skill so that I could make ends meet while I was a struggling rock star....

So I learned how to paint cars. I went to college and dropped out and painted cars again. I worked painting cars and tractors after that for twenty dollars a day. I painted aircraft and then worked for a cable company, got laid off there and got my current job. Thirteen years later here I am.

I have finally figured out what I'm good at and what I want to do.

I was at the ten year reunion and was pretty happy to see the people I came of age with. There is something about the high school years that just imprint you.

I see a couple of people occasionally who are still in town or who have moved back.
I have friends that I dearly love.
Some that I have brief sentences with that I just can't relate to anymore.
Some I'd love to have long conversations with but haven't seen in years.

Yeah I know, "Don't live in the past".

I don't....but it is nice to take a trip back and remember where you came from. To remember what you had a burning passion for then and compare it with what you desire now.

To compare you before you took a few of life's beat downs. While you still had rough edges but you thought you were the pinnacle of humanity...you had the world by the tail. What you didn't know is that the world tolerated you...that it had seen better and badder and survived them too.

I thought I was so brilliant back then and now what I had in book learning I lacked in experience and wisdom. Only time can give you that so when you hear that youth is wasted on the young...Believe it.

I'm sorry...this rant has been brought to you by my memories and if you are still awake and reading, kudos to you, you are my hero!

Poker Night

And I got nearly cleaned out of about twenty dollars. Yeah, it wasn't serious. We were playing dealer's choice with a quarter limit with three raises.

It was a lot of fun though!

Anyway while playing the game was on tv and I'm pretty certain I saw my photographer friend prowling the sidelines in search of this week's front page football shots!

My stupid leaky roof didn't get fixed...I put five gallons of tar in the area where I was sure the leak was vming from but nnnnnnooOOOOOOooooo, that didn't fix it. So now I'm going to have my brother come over here and spray water on the roof while I am inside to see when the leak starts. That should narrow down the leak and allow for a smooth fix!

I'm dropping a RB and a WR. Yep, that's right! De'Shaun Foster and Donte Stallworth are gone! I want to pick up Mewelde Moore and Brandon Lloyd. Hopefully they can score more than what my current players are doing....which isn't a lot.

Now what does this have to do with filmmaking? Pretty much nothing, it's my blog:)

Well as a small update, I got Moore and missed out on Lloyd.