Night Of The Meek

New Year's Eve.

For most a night of rowdy parties and a time to celebrate the new year.
For me a time of reflection on the past year. What it also becomes is a time for a new beginning, a time when the old is remembered and discarded for the new and the fresh.

This is the last few hours of 2006 and as I type this it is 2007 in half of the world already. 2006 has been pretty well documented for me in this past year's blog, it has had its good and bad. It has had some very good times and very bad. I guess you can't have one without the other.

I expect better from 2007 though. I expect new beginnings and opportunities. I expect more from myself. I expect myself to quit whining as much and to take more action. I expect to break my own barriers. I simply expect more from myself than what I have given so far.

If you are a regular reader of my blog then you also know that a lot of times my titles have more than one meaning. This is indeed the case this time as well.

Night Of The Meek not only represents your humble writer but it also represents one of the best TV episodes ever written for one of the best shows to ever grace the TV screen.

The Twilight Zone.

Night Of The Meek featured Art Carney as Mr. Henry Corwin. A very down on his luck seasonal Santa Claus on skid row. The episode opens with Mr. Corwin in a bar after a handful of shots and a sandwich. He is due back at the store as his liquid lunch is over with. He laments to the bartender about why there is no real Santa and why children have to go without during the season. He staggers out of the bar and is set upon by two children who proceed to beg him for toys as he embraces them and starts to weep.

Back at the store he arrives to a large line of folks who have been waiting on him and an angry store manager who berates him as a drunk. He sits uncomfortably upon his chair as a pushy mother with an ungrateful kid are thrust upon him. He accommodates the rather large child before falling off of his chair with the kid above him yelling at everyone that Santa is drunk. The mother is very agitated and complains to the manager that she will never spend another penny in the store.

All of this sets up one of the best monologues in TV history as I will endeavor to capture here.
The store manager has just fired Henry Corwin and called him a drunk.

This stops Corwin in his tracks, he turns and approaches Mr. Dundee and proceeds:

Henry Corwin - Thank you very much Mr. Dundee. As to my drinking this is indefensible and you have my abject apologies. I find of late that I have very little choice in the matter of expressing emotions. I can drink or I can weep and drinking is so much more subtle.

Mr. Dundee - Will you please leave!

Henry Corwin - But as for my insubordination I was not rude to the woman! Someone should remind her that Christmas is more than barging up and down department store aisles and pushing people out of the way.

Mr. Dundee - Now Corwin!

Henry Corwin - Someone has to tell her that Christmas is another thing finer than that! Richer. Finer. Truer. And it should come with patience and love. Charity. Compassion. That is what I would have told her if she had given me the chance.

Dundee proceeds to ask him how everyone will live up to these standards.

Henry Corwin - I don't know how to tell you Mr. Dundee. I don't know at all. All I know is that I'm an aging, purposeless relic of another time and I live in a dirty rooming house on a street filled with hungry kids and shabby people where the only thing that comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve is more poverty! You know another reason why I drink Mr. Dundee? So that when I walk down the tenements I can really think it is the North Pole and the children are elves and I'm really Santa Claus bringing them a bag of wondrous gifts for all of them!

I just wish Mr. Dundee just one Christmas....Only ONE....that I could see some of the hopeless ones, and the dreamless ones....just on one Christmas, I'd like to see the meek inherit the Earth, and that is why I drink Mr. Dundee and that is why I weep....

And so that ends one of the best and most overlooked moments in TV history, as Mr. Corwin exits the store and heads down his shabby street filled with shabby and hopeless people.

My friends this post might be a week too late to you but I believe it is appropriate every single day of the year, every year.

A Long Day

Went to my grandmother's 80th b-day party today.

We left around 10 am in two vehicles. It was a card party where everyone brought cards and shared memories. I saw some people that I haven't seen in a few years, specifically my cousins. It was great visiting with them for a while!

So after the party wound down and my brother and his family left for home we cleaned up a bit and headed home ourselves.

About an hour into the journey my brother calls and tells us that he has hit a deer and he is about a half hour ahead of us. They had called the insurance company and they needed a police report. So we waited for the highway patrol to show up to write the report. He showed up and took down the information and wished us well.

The van was drivable but not really over 50 or so and it was missing a headlight now. So we take the lead and start home again at a snail's pace of 50 miles per hour.

So now home and safe I can say that I'm pretty tired but it was a pretty nice day!

Thursday Was Nice!

This week off has been really nice!

Yesterday I had lunch with Chris and last night with Chianti watching a couple of bowl games!

I woke up to the news that Mike Tyson was arrested for a DUI and Saddam will be dead by Sunday. Tyson has become such a tragic figure, he has gone from sports celebrity to pop culture danger sign.

He had everything in the world and a two cent head to go with it. Tragic doesn't even come close to telling this story. Saddam is pretty much the same story except Tyson isn't actually evil as Saddam is. I'll not shed any tears when he is dieing at the end of the rope.

Anyway there isn't much to report today. I watched Wicker Man....again if you are a steady reader of this blog then you know that it wasn't the Nick Cage remake. The 1970's original with Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and Britt Ekland. It isn't a horror movie in the traditional sense but it probably does qualify as a horror movie classic.

Happy Friday everyone!

Green Screen Testing Today

Beersnob and I went to the hanger today to do some green screen testing for his fanfilm project. We had two actors dress in Battlestar costumes and we played with the lighting against the green screen to get the footage.

We had a good time. Had lunch at DaVinvi's coffee house and chatted about fanfilms in general with the actors.

After a quick wrap up, I headed off to a local video store to see what is new this week on DVD. None of the new releases did anything for me so I picked up the classic movies Wicker Man and Forbidden Planet.

Shortly I'll be headed off to a get together at a local place and have a drink and some supper:)

What a good and simple day!

The Day After

Well world peace has become elusive as if everyone's Christmas wish has gone unanswered.
It was your wish wasn't it? I mean I am sure that it isn't just beauty pageant winners and myself out here asking for the same thing. I haven't met one yet so I am sure that that is a tedious connection at best worthy of My Spacien proportions.

Well regardless it was mine and it appears that so far there is good news this morning, Saddam's last appeal has been heard and denied so within thirty days he will find justice at the end of a rope.

And there is bad news, an earthquake has hit near Taiwan causing another tsunami to head toward the Philippines, two years after the tragic one that hit Sumatra, among other such stories.

Well it is a week off exactly from this point. Yesterday was nice. A good Christmas. I believe I saw A Christmas Story at least four times as a whole and at least three other times in parts, large parts. So that toll is heading higher and higher as my most watched movie.

I got a message from Catina giving me a Thank You for the documentary project. I had given her my camera for the holidays to document some of the household events and she was overjoyed, that gave me the warm and fuzzys. When the whole project comes together you will see where this fits in but right now I can't because the focus might change and it might not be a part of the main story. Documentaries are very fluid as I've written and it might very well change more than once before it is finished.

I believe I am going to fix a third cup of coffee without alcohol. It is sharply cold outside and coffee really tastes good this morning:)

Merry Christmas

Peace on Earth
To You and Your Family
To You All Alone Out There
May You find Love and Warm Company

The Movie I've Seen The Most

It is really a movie you probably wouldn't guess at all. It didn't do well at the box office when it came out but I'd wager that I really have seen this movie more times than any other.

A Christmas Story.

With the TBS 24 Hours of A Christmas Story Marathon every year for the past few years that has probably catapulted this tiny gem of a movie far ahead of movies that I have seen such as Casablanca, Star Wars, Citizen Kane, African Queen and such.

I can't think of any movie that I have seen more than this one. I can't think of any TV show episode that I have seen more than this movie either.

I believe everyone is familiar with the story and probably can relate to it which is probably why the appeal has given A Christmas Story such long legs.

The theme is pretty universal, a young boy is obsessed with getting one gift and goes to great lengths to tell others about what he wants. It just so happens that everyone is seemingly standing in his way.

It is also a good reflection of childhood during this time of year through the eyes of a child. Something many adults have lost site of. In this era of materialism and holiday hustle and bustle it is easy to lose site of what the Spirit of Christmas is all about. I have come to the point of my life where giving is far more enjoyable than getting anything. That actually happened about ten years ago if I was going to put a date on it.

Once you get a taste for giving and how much joy it really brings you, you start to want to do it more often. You start to make it a daily event if you can. You start looking for people to lend a hand to and start seeing how little the paper, ribbons, and bows actually mean.

Now here is the hard part, you also have to be a joyful receiver. When someone else goes gets the giving bug and you wind up on their list, it also is giving them a tremendous amount of joy and if you can't gracefully accept their gift you are denying them the same pleasure you are trying to achieve for yourself through giving.

I admit I am the most difficult person in the world to buy for. For the most part I am capable of taking care of all of my wants and needs. I would rather someone give to a charity than to me but if they want to give me something then I am also a gracious receiver because I know it comes from their heart and they mean it. Be thankful someone is thinking of you, there are a lot of people out there who don't have anyone in their lives during this time of year.

Oh My Head....

Alright here is what I have done for the first time....this morning around 9ish I decided to fix some coffee.

Well there I am putting the Drinkbusters kitchen back in reasonable order and waiting on the coffee pot to finish when I sat the mug down beside the brewing hot pot. I spied the bottle of Rumpleminze that Weezy used last night in her drink recipe. I decided to add a little bit into the mug!

Well the Rumpleminze looked kind of lonely by itself so I added a bit of Irish Cream....and a bit of Kahlua....

Yeah....

Well it tasted SO GOOD that I decided to fix another mug and before long I was buzzing pretty good. Yep I was.

So around 10ish I crawled back into bed having successfully broken the AM drinking barrier. A barrier I am unlikely to ever break again. My day was kind of sluggish from that point forward as I got back up around 11:30.

On the positive side I got the Drinkbusters 1x6 transfered to my PC and have it in a rough edit state. I need to add the title cards and do the green screen keying and I'll have it online!

I dare say I could have had it finished if not for the smashing of the AM drinking barrier.

Tomorrow straight coffee is on the menu, trust me.

The Coolest Friends!!!!

Tonight we filmed the Holiday Episode of Drinkbusters!

It was a bit of an experiment in that I had every member create their own holiday drink and then they tested each other's drinks at the end!

This was all prefaced by a brief Christmas tradition of gift giving in which I was blown away by a personalized Drinkbusters shot glass!!!! What an incredible gift!!!! Here is what is even better though, we had a great time just talking and hanging out!!!!

I really have the coolest friends!!!! I am really grateful for every one of them!!!!

Today seemed like a short day at work. It was our holiday meal. Yesterday was spent smoking three briskets and making the marinade for the pork loin. With all of that done and with the trimmed and quartered pork loin in the fridge in the marinade we were all set for today's feast.

I started the grill around 10, the meal was set to start around 11:30. I put the loin on the grill and about forty five minutes later it was ready to cut up and serve! I ate so much, I hurt for about two hours!

It was a great day my friends. A day full of simple pleasures and joys. I am now off work until the third of January 2007!

Going Well!!!!

So far the filming for the documentary has gone smoothly. There is some very good footage after three nights of shooting.

Last night was the read through of the script where the actors in the play sat around a table and read the entire script, asked questions, and started the getting to know you process.

They are becoming more comfortable with the camera being on them which will open up some doors for sharing the focus of the documentary.

We have nearly five hours of footage as of this point and will probably need about another two hundred hours to make it good!!!!

All systems go!

A Wonderful Era Remembered

I've posted a few times about my childhood, my dad was a truck driver and how I developed a appreciation for classic country music. The Statler Brothers, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Glenn Campbell, Tom T. Hall, Dave Dudley, C.W. McCall (I still get pretty fired up when I hear Convoy or Wolf Creek Pass), and a few others.

Well one of those 8 tracks we listened to a lot when there wasn't a radio station around was from Red Sovine. Red Sovine was THE master of the spoken word song. A genre that has long died and gone away. Jimmy Dean with Big John is a classic, Lorne Greene had a few like Ringo, even Walter Brennen tried his hand at it and Grandpa Jones. Red stood head and shoulders above all of these great artists though.

As old as I am, I still get very misty when I hear Phantom 309, Giddy Up Go, Little Joe, and probably his masterpiece Teddy Bear.

No one before or since Red can do a ballad like he does. His quiet quivering voice can reduce me to wiping my eyes in no time at all. Well that doesn't mean a whole lot, there are lots of things that do that but Red probably is close to the record!

Sometimes I wish that the spoken word song would make a come back. It really is a great art form and it is sad that no one records this style of song anymore. There are so many stories out there to be told. Alan Jackson attempted to bring this kind of song back but it lasted about one song and that was it.

If you can find Teddy Bear out there (which you can since it is now posted on my My Space page) listen, have something to wipe your eyes with just in case.

I'm Out

Of the playoffs in all three leagues ending my Fantasy season.

I can still play for a weekly first place which pays forty dollars but outside of that I'm done. It won't be long before I am starting up my fantasy football homework again.

I will be going to the second night of the auditions for day two of the documentary! This is pretty much groundwork footage so far but it looks like it will be getting very interesting!!!! I'm very excited!

A Good Start!!!!

It was a good start to the documentary project!
All of the actors seemed to not mind the camera as I was switching locations. I got a couple of unguarded moments.

All in all it IS like gold mining. You shoot lots and lots of footage for a documentary and mine the storylines whereas in filmmaking you have a story in front of you and then efficiently shoot as few takes as possible to get what you need to edit that story together.

There is no deadline for this documentary. No set ending either. I have no idea when to stop the film rolling so it will just go until something natural happens that would make a good ending point.

This is going to be an exciting journey!

And So We Begin!!!!

Yes my friends my first project officially kicks off here shortly and I'm thrilled!!!!

I'll report later:)

Drinkbusters 1x5!!!!

My friends Drinkbusters 1x5 is finally up and ready to view. It was done just over a month ago but is a good one nonetheless!

This is the Google video site: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2568210491521846916&hl=en

This is the You Tube site: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxB8Ag6rSBk

Hope you enjoy it!!!!

Ouch It Hurts!!!!

Ok American culture has devolved to where anyone with a single digit IQ can not only become ultra successful and bypass a well deserved career of deep fat frying things.

I saw a story this morning where Jessica Simpson had such a difficult time saying her lines in her new project that the producers had to have her fitted for a ear piece so that they could feed her the lines.

Yes in today's world you can get by on looks alone, which is probably why I am a poor blue collar worker who hits a clock in the morning. Yes I am very pro capitalism and this is one of those unfortunate side effects of such a system.

I swear, she is one sneeze away from losing her only working brain cell and is worth more than Africa and India combined!

Somewhere a Hooters is missing their model employee prototype. No it doesn't make me jealous, it gives me hope that someone who can work hard can get ahead and obviously the American Dream is available to everyone. The size of the pie is infinite and welcome to all.

Tomorrow the documentary starts. We are supposed to meet for a pre-audition drink and kick things off with a Vinatieri field goal instead of a Vanderjagt like shank. We have some great groundwork put into place and I am confident that this is going to be a successful endeavor!

Saturday Morning Roast

Last night before I went to bed I put a venison roast in the crock pot.

YUMMY!!!! It made for a very good breakfast and will serve to feed me all weekend with what is leftover will feed the dog quite well!!!!

I put the roast in the crock pot, chopped up enough potatoes to fill up the rest of the pot, added spices, and covered in beer. Use whatever regular beer you can find. Just not a light beer. I generally use Miller High Life or Genuine Draft. It is cheap and adds plenty of flavor to your meal.

This also works well for a beef roast if not a bit better since there is a bit more fat with beef than there is with venison. You just want to use the spices that you are comfortable with. If you want it spicy then go with a bit of chili pepper, if you don't want spicy then use a bit more salt and pepper or get a pack of mixed spices and use that.

If you want a simple to prepare meal that will feed you for a few days or several people that will be very happy with the results, there ya go!

A Great Meeting!!!!

Tonight we had a wonderful meeting about the documentary for a upcoming play.
There are several storylines we decided to pursue but since it is a documentary they very well will likely change.

Documentary shooting is a lot like gold mining. You get a lot of dirt and sift through it to come up with the nuggets that make up the great stories. There really is no agenda with this doc. It has the potential to become very uplifting and inspirational. It also has the potential to become very heartbreaking, that is not likely but there is the potential it could happen.

We start filming on Monday and go until we are finished whenever that could be.

I'm looking forward to this project very much. It'll be great to get this project going and see where it goes because I really don't know the ending!!!!

Thursday And

It was alright!
One day closer to the weekend and one that I am looking forward to. Well not that I don't look forward to every weekend but this one is a great football weekend:)

I am onto the first round of playoffs in one league and the second round in my money league:) Woohoooo!!!!

It was very nice out today. Warm, a bit windy, but overall nice:) We have set the next date to film Drinkbusters 1X6 which will be a Holiday/Winter drink episode!!!! It will be a lot of fun!!!!

I know I know, I don't even have 1X5 edited yet, I just don't have anyway to power up my camera to do the transfer to my hard drive from the tape. Soon my friends, soon:)

I finished up 24 season 5 last night. It probably was the best season so far. Very good and was lacking the constant perils that really didn't contribute much to the storyline that have plagued past seasons. This had a very strong season long arc which did keep you glued to the series!!!!
I couldn't do this season justice at all in a regular review so I just won't do it. If you see it you will be happy you did!

So I Come Home

To find a package sitting on my doorstep, a black and white cat is perched on top of it and seemingly unafraid of me as I approached.

I quickened my pace and the kitty skittered off around the house.

So I knew I haven't ordered anything I was confused as I picked up the package. So I look at the address and sure enough, Fedex had delivered to the wrong address. So I see that it came from Circuit City and call the number on the address and they are of little help.

I thought maybe they could arrange a truck to come around and pick it up and redeliver the package to the owner. Well no luck and they, yes they did, suggested I keep the merchandise. I said that it wasn't mine and it needs to go to the proper owner.

So I get off of the phone with the Circuit City tech support and to my surprise they wish me a Merry Christmas which actually gave me a smile as it put me into shock! So I decide to just bypass calling Fedex and go directly to the owner himself. So I find his phone number and learn he is working out and is very happy to come by and pick up his box in about an hour.

So I decide to watch a few episodes of 24 season 5 and then I hear a truck pulling up. It is the proper owner and he is simply thrilled!!!! It is really a simple product, a XM satellite radio mount for his inside stereo so he can listen to the satellite radio service in his house. He is massive and has several tattoos to go along with his shaved head and goatee but he is a bit slow in his speech and motions but he is extremely friendly and happy!

All together I am happy I was able to find him and get the property to him as well be wish Merry Christmas by a stranger on the phone!

A unique day:)

2-1

I've secured the fourth and final spot in one of the playoff brackets in a Yahoo league by beating the top ranked team and having one of the top four teams lose. I needed help to get in and I got it.

I'm completely out of the other Yahoo league and dwelling near the bottom of the ladder.

My money league, well I won the first round of the playoffs and won second place overall this week with 74 points!!!! First place had 75 points this week so I was really close! That is alright though, I won twenty dollars!!!!

I had a very good day yesterday! Got back home around 9:30 recovered a bit and went to bed. I feel pretty good this morning! I wish I could have more days like yesterday in fact. I'd make coffee right now but I really don't have a travel mug to take with me to work. I think I'm just going to keep stopping by the quick shop and getting coffee:) I need routine sometimes and that isn't a bad one.

A Good Weekend!!!!

I had a pretty good weekend!!!!
It was nice, peaceful, and just real nice.

Nothing I can really put my finger on and nothing really tangible but it was enjoyed. I've been watching football and the fifth season of 24 which has been very good!

So far in my fantasy leagues I'm 2-1 and I have three players going tonight in my money league. This was the first week of the money league playoffs and I have won my heads up this week so my team is going to advance. If my team scores at least 10 points then I'll be in the running for the weekly money.

I got confirmation on a documentary project will soon be in production that I have been asked to work on. That'll be nice! I love documentaries. They make for some interesting viewing. Yeah I know that is weird for me to say that since I hate reality TV....almost as much as I hate remakes.
Can't stand it but a documentary is so much better. There is usually a great narrative that tells the story the filmmaker has in mind. I'm starting to see a couple of different storylines that this documentary can present.

We are going to meet this week and start to discuss the project. YES I'm excited!!!! This is my passion. This is one of the places I feel comfortable. This is one of the places I feel I have a real purpose and one of the places I feel a measure of happiness. That is one of the reasons I felt so sad that I left Chris's project. Yeah I'm better now and I confess to feeling relieved that I wasn't working on his project.

That is mainly that we do have different styles. Just like you can watch a Hitchcock movie and a Michael Bay movie and tell they have vastly different styles. Chris and I are like that. We have different views on filmmaking and different ways to go about it. Neither is right or wrong, just different.

Anyway I am very much looking forward to this documentary project. I believe that there might just be two to three different subjects to focus on and document.

New Coffee Pot

The Drinkbusters are planning a Holiday Drink episode so since some of the drinks might just involve coffee I decided to purchase a coffee maker last night. I have one already but it is pretty old and I decided to get a new one since they are cheap and it is just better to have.

I doubt if the old one would even work without doing some maintenance and even then I bet the quality of the coffee made wouldn't be that good. So if a hot holiday drink is selected that involves coffee we are now prepared!

Yes there is also another motive. Chianti requested coffee last time we filmed and I couldn't make any that I felt comfortable giving her so I made hot tea instead. So now when we film and Chianti, Weezy, or Beersnob request coffee I can oblige!!!! They are my friends and I take care of them after all!

My vehicle runs smoothly now. I replaced the battery cable ends and added some diesel fuel additive for cold weather starting so it will fire smoothly now. Both batteries are charged up to 100% and the block heater is on. I'm off tomorrow to visit a friend so I have a full tank of fuel as well!!!!

Life is good!!!!

Ikiru

A few years ago I had the privilege of watching this most AMAZING movie. I thought I had written a blog about it but I failed to find one. I showed it to Chris and he still finds this as one of the most profound movies he has ever seen.

Anyone who knows me knows that I cite Akira Kurosawa as one of my favorite directors along with the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra.

I could never name a favorite of all time, not even with a gun to my head. Can't do it. They are all great for different reasons. Kurosawa's reason is that he really had a grasp on what it meant to be alive and explored that. From his masterpiece Seven Samurai to Ikiru. In my very humble opinion these should be always mentioned in the same sentence as his masterpieces.

Ikiru is simply about a man who has lived his entire life as a mid level bureaucrat. He learns that his has stomach cancer and has little time left. What results is one of the best performances ever committed to film in Takashi Shimura's Kanji Watanabe. When he is suddenly confronted with his mortality he sees how unfulfilled his life has been. How he has never accomplished anything but shuffling papers.

He starts to search for what it means to live. He tries several traditional routes to find this fulfillment and fails. I can't say more without spoiling this beautiful story.

The way Kurosawa tells this story is very unique. It is told in two parts, one dealing with his search for meaning in his life and the other at his wake told in flashback form. This is a very atmospheric movie and every frame makes you want to search for the meaning in your own life. It makes you crave it. It makes you desire to find and define what meaning is to you. It isn't a happy film, it is quite melancholic, but it isn't a sad film either. It is inspirational. The final scene would move the most cold hearted person to tears as it is one of the most poignant statements ever committed to film. It is beyond my simple words to describe it.

Now why would I write about this movie that I have seen a couple of years ago today? Because it has been brought to my attention that there might be a remake of this magnificent film. Again you all know my policy on remakes. I refuse to even see one if I can help it. Not at the theater, not on DVD, not even on cable on TNT or whenever it will be aired. I refuse.

There are some things that should be considered cinematic blasphemy and remaking this gentle masterpiece is that. Even if it is done well, even if it has every single moment of tenderness and passion, even if it is done with great care, it cannot match the original. It can't be done, NO, it should not be done.

You can't remake Casablanca, Vertigo, or Citizen Kane. Ikiru has nothing to prove to any of these movies even though it is not known outside of the realm of film geeks. Hopefully it won't be remade but if it is then the best anyone can hope for is that it drives people to see the Kurosawa original.

Home Today....Sigh....

I wasn't trying to have a four day weekend but it is going to turn out that way.

I am trying to save my leave up because during the Christmas break we have a unique situation nearly every year where if we take three days of leave we get a full ten days off. It is a great time of year and nearly everyone takes advantage of this.

I have plenty of leave for this but I'd still like to acquire more right now....well for cases like today. I went out to start my vehicle, which as my steady readers know is a diesel, and it barely cranks over. The cold has finally drained the batteries. So I am home today and I'll be going to see a friend on Monday so I asked off for that day early this past week.

So here I am starting a four day weekend:) Last night Chris, Weezy, and I went to Callahan's for supper. It was a great time and we enjoyed each others company quite a bit as we sat and ate. I only had iced tea and Chris really doesn't drink. Weezy had two Irish Coffees which she allowed me to sample. It was very good for a very cold night!!!!

I have to say that I do have a coffee maker but I really haven't used it in many many years as I usually picked up a cup on the way to work. So I just had no use for it but after drinking Weezy's coffee I might change my mind. I have the ingredients to make nearly any drink since I have a well stocked bar for Drinkbusters. I rarely tap into that bar except for the very wintery days and I fixed the Bailey's and Hot Chocolate drink a few times:)

I ran the idea past the Drinkbuster's team to have a Holiday Themed episode and everyone loved the idea! So now Chianti, Beersnob, Weezy, and myself are looking for holiday drinks! I don't know if Irish Coffee qualifies but we'll see, it is pretty tasty!

I'm just not a big drinker anymore, I probably just have to accept that fact.

Well now as my battery charges my two batteries in my vehicle I am here at home and will be researching Holiday drinks!
What a life huh?!?!

SNL

I picked up the first full season of Saturday Night Live recently and have been enjoying it with pleasure!

It is great to see these shows again as they aired. No I'm not old enough to remember the first season as it aired, I believe that I started watching the show around 77. I do remember those shows though and yes I was old enough then. You'd be amazed what I remember about TV from those days.

For the most part growing up we had three channels and our entertainment choices were very limited which is why I went to the theater so much...well except when there was a rated R movie playing that week.

Anyway SNL was a great way to stay up late on a Saturday night and have a few laughs. Yeah a lot of the humor was over my head but it was still funny. The parody commercials, the Star Trek parodies, Don Pardo....well you get the idea.

I've seen about three episodes so far and they are wonderful. Sometimes the jokes work sometimes they don't. There is a lot that appeals to that time frame and the context of that era but there is still some very funny moments! You can start to see the evolution of Andy Kaufman as he gets his first major exposure before Taxi started in 1978.

You get to see some eclectic musical guests and some great hosts. Some of the funniest moments so far has been the Land Shark (a favorite of mine since I was a kid and do remember this character) Jim Henson's Muppets, Jim Belushi's impersonation of Joe Cocker, it is dead on since Cocker sings along side of him as well.

The value of this set will amaze you. It is a set that will put you into the state of mind that you might have forgotten about as you saw these shows the first time around. It'll surely bring back a lot of memories and hopefully those memories were good ones:)

It is great to see the mid 70's styles, clothing, humor, musical, and some of the Weekend Update news stories.

A great ride down memory lane my friends!

3-0 This Week

Yep, in my football leagues I was undefeated, however it really doesn't amount to a lot at this point of the season.

The playoffs are about to start in most leagues, in my money league it is starting this coming week in the free Yahoo leagues I believe it is another week away. I am probably not going to make the E-Town league playoff and I'm way way out of the other free league.

In my money league I don't think I am going to make the playoffs either. We'll see though.

My team has been so sporadic this year that it is hard to predict the performance from week to week. I am way out of the money so I've become a donater this season.

Next season will be better though!

The Joys Of The Season

Sirius started with their Christmas music on Thanksgiving Day this year. Fine with me!
Love holiday music!!!! Can't get enough of it. Sometimes when I find I am down I will get into my MP3 file and pull up some Christmas music.

I always find that I feel better about things afterwards. Sirius has allowed me to hear some songs I either haven't heard in years or new songs that really make an impression.

Being a eclectic music fan I listen to a lot of classic country as many of you readers already know. Well when I heard the Chet Atkins version of Do You Hear What I Hear my heart melted. It is simply one beautiful piece of music. It compares to the Bing Crosby version very well which I consider probably the definitive version.

I've heard all of the classics from Nat King Cole to Frank Sinatra to the contemporary artists. On the Roadhouse channel which has been turned into the Country version I've heard many of the songs I grew up listening to like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer from Gene Autry himself!!!!

I know it isn't what the season is about but to me it really brings back good memories and puts me into a state of mind that is always joyful and good. Yeah I do less whining on my blog too.
Love this time of year my friends, love it!

Lazy Days

Yesterday and today are pretty lazy days.
It is still pretty cold out, around 27 as I write this. I went out yesterday and got groceries for a few days so I am set.

It's alright though, yesterday there were some very good college football games on and one more nail in the coffin of the BCS. The consensus number 2 team USC was beaten by unranked UCLA which sets up either a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan or a Ohio State and Florida match up.

Either way it should be a good game however Boise State is undefeated at 12-0 and they are relegated to the Fiesta Bowl to play OU. A undefeated team doesn't get a chance to play for the National Championship. A team that is 12-0!!!!

Give me a sixteen team playoff. That is the solution. A four team would be a baby step in the right direction. What needs to happen though is the abolition of the BCS. When teams can't settle it on the field and who plays is left up to a computer program, well that takes the fun out of the sport and is unfair to the athletes who worked very hard to become undefeated.

What do they get to play for? "We are the Fiesta Bowl Winners....great.....woohoooo.....yep....I'm hungry, where do you want to eat?"
No one is going to remember that or care but they will remember the National Champion.
What I'll remember is a team that has done everything it could do to play for a National Championship and get the very short end of the stick because of a system that is blatantly biased to big schools. They have nothing to gain except a win in a meaningless bowl. If they win then so what? If they lose then they were supposed to lose and have no business playing against the top conferences anyway.

Who loses? Boise State and the fans.
Who wins? The Bowl hosts who have conned the public that their bowl games mean something today.

Happiness....Even A Small Measure

Is seemingly gone today.

A few different reasons but the one I will dwell on here is something simple. One of the simple pleasures for me the past few years has been my coffee card. I have written about it and I know that every morning I get a stamp that leads up to a free cup of coffee every week after five stamps.

Now the quick shop I go to for coffee has done away with the coffee card. One of the simple pleasures that has sustained me over the past few years.

Gone. All gone.

I got my fifth stamp yesterday on the last card they gave out. I used my card this morning for my free cup of coffee and now Monday I won't have a card to get a stamp for. I don't know how such a small thing can give me pleasure but it has and now it is gone.

Yeah, I'm really sad.

Well....

The snow isn't that bad. I think there was so much wind that it kinda blew the snow further South. The roads are icy and hard frozen but being the intrepid explorer that I am....hehehe....I plan on going to work this morning.

I have gone through too much leave already. I didn't want to use up as much as I have the past two weeks which comes down to about twenty two hours including yesterday. The sky is clear so I know the Sun will be out and start to clean off the roads today. Yeah it is cold out, around 20ish but my Suburban has been running for about an hour now so it is all warm inside.

I'm leaving for work fairly soon to give myself enough time to get there. I am sure that the City has been sanding the streets and intersections all night....LOL!!!!

Home Early

Well because we are getting a pretty good sized snow storm work closed early and now I'm home.

It really isn't that bad snow wise but the wind is a killer. So on the way home I bought some chili, pizza, and of course chocolate (regular and hot varieties) to ride out the storm:)

I am sure that tomorrow it will be easier to get around and most of the snow will be on its way to melting. So for now I'm home, warm, and cozy:)

I might spike some of my hot chocolate with some Irish Cream:) That might just make me a bit more cozier:)

Alright....

I'd say that Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder is average. The first one is priceless, this one has its moments.

The London disc is better. It has better questions than the first disc which was shot in Toronto. The Toronto disc seems a tad mean spirited. The stories overall are darker and not quite as witty and funny as the first Evening With Kevin Smith or on the London disc.

I am not sure if Kevin was in a bad mood but the Toronto show just didn't work as well for me.
The London show, much better much funnier and more enjoyable.

Overall I'd say stick with the first Evening. Out right hilarious stories!!!!

An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder

Finally I got my copy I pre-ordered six months ago, signed.

Yeah, finally....one day after release day.

Naw, I am now set for the night!!!! Four hours of questions posed to one of my favorite directors. Kevin Smith is a natural storyteller. He can talk about one question for ten minutes, take it in twenty directions, and hammer home the point at the end while making everyone laugh.

He really is a genius in his own way. He is very unassuming and seems to be a very down to earth guy. He is also is one of those directors who is inspirational in the sense that he is one of the reasons I am a filmmaker. He makes it seem so simple but even in his unassuming state he is a brilliant writer of dialog. He really is. That is his strongest point and he knows it.

If I could write half as well I'd be....well me except just better at writing.

500!!!!

This is my 500th post!!!!
I have looked back over some of my posts and wondered what in the world I was thinking.
I guess it reflected an accurate snapshot of my frame of mind at the time though so I guess that shows progress of sorts.

It shows a lot of ups and downs, a lot of emotional turmoil, and it does show a modicum of growth.

I'd like to say that I have lots of projects in the works but the truth is I don't have anything of my own except for Drinkbusters. The Fanfilm Project is going to be huge though and I am very much looking forward to that!!!!

I'd love to say that I am hard at work writing a script that I know I can shoot but I can't tell you that. I don't. I start writing on an idea, fleshing it out, get twenty or thirty pages into it and the idea dies on the vine.

Maybe writing isn't my strong point. If you have seen Locker and read my blog you might be right in assuming that.

Alright here is a secret, I know that writing is a skill and that if I keep writing this blog I feel my screen writing will get better so I keep doing this. I do enjoy it though, it is a nice vent. Believe me I sort of think about these posts before I write them. Not a lot but there is a small amount of forethought put into them.

I do think that every time I write here I am unconsciously building my writing skill and can soon write a full length script to shoot. Yeah I know. I just need to start writing. I keep trying to figure out a niche that just hasn't had a movie made about it though. Something that will grab some online buzz. Something that will be Blair Witch unique. Blair Witch can't be done again. It just can't. It was a brilliant idea and could only be done one time. A one off. I'd like an idea that is just so unique that it will allow me to quit my job.

Oh yeah there is that too....that is a wonderful reason I write this blog. It helps me deal with my soul crushing job. So in a way my blog is a search for the meaning of happiness. I know I'm not happy at my job, however it has turned into a trap. I get so many perks it is difficult to quit without replacing at least the pay part. I can live without the massive amounts of vacation and copious amounts of federal holidays....yeah I can live....I'm sure....well....we'll see. That is the real trap of the job. They know it sucks so they give you more money every year and more time away from the job!!!! How devious is that?!?!?!

What my job also allows me to do is pursue my filmmaking future!!!! I have put a lot of time and effort into learning the filmmaking process. I can frame nearly any shot and do it efficiently. I can edit and make a story out of it. I can study the classic movies and I can tell what shots were used and why. I am all about film and making a story out of a lot of chopped up shots. I am about making the process fun for the actors and crew. I am all about making something harder on myself if it means that it is easier on cast and crew.

If you have seen my living room and the literally thousands of DVDs laying around it you would know I study movies. It is really hard to actually enjoy a movie for just being a movie without thinking about it and how it can be better.

Alright so this post isn't very focused but again this is my blog and my rules. I've got five hundred posts and in my life that is an accomplishment, a milestone that allows me a small amount of pride.

To make it more amazing I've probably written at least two hundred of them with at least one cat in my lap and like now two.

Arrested Development

The past two days I have been watching the first, second, and third seasons of Arrested Development.

This is a very good series. There is this insane rich family who are suddenly not rich anymore because of some very shady dealings from the father who founded the business. Jason Bateman plays the straight man and the only responsible character. His only real weapon is his sarcasm and sense of family loyalty.

Well pretty much all of them have a sense of loyalty to their family but they really REALLY don't have a clue about anything else. All of the characters have their own unique personalities and approach to being shallow.

From Gob (pronounced Jobe) and his attempts at being a magician to Lindsey and her forgetfulness that she has a daughter named Maeby and Lindsey's complicated husband.
To Buster, the special sibling who has a weird relationship with his mother the lush.

This show is great for pop culture junkies, you will notice many pop references put to film. For example there is a red dog house with a dog sleeping on top of it but only if you look quickly. Many many of these can be found if you look hard enough. The dialog is sharp, witty, and very funny with nearly every line being some kind of joke of some sort.

Remember the old show Soap? Well you can almost call this show Soap 2. There are more site gags, more laughs, and to be honest this show is far more entertaining. The story arcs last several episodes and the overarching storyline of George Sr. and his legal problems lasts the duration.

Even the narrator (Ron Howard) gets into the act with witty narrating. There is a plethora of guest stars through out the entire run of fifty three episodes. This show struggled to find a steady audience and finally got axed.

It is a shame. This is a good and very affordable show.

Over There

I am one episode away from finishing this fine show. I am sorry to see this one end.

Over There follows several storylines from several characters. The one I find myself enjoying the most is the complex Sgt. Scream. There are several episodes that show his character's character but he is really showcased in Orphans.

There is the saint like Angel who grapples with guilt issues from his great aunt. Double Wide and her stay at home husband and how he copes with being at home while his wife is at war. Dim and his cheating, alcoholic wife. Bo Rider who grapples with losing a limb. Smoke and his transformation of being a racist street thug into a soldier who trusts his brother soldiers. Mrs. B and her troubles. Tariq who is an American from Iraqi descent who has gone to fight after 9-11.

The storylines are inspiring and heartbreaking. It is a shame that only thirteen episodes were done. I am sensitive to politically slanted material and aside from a couple of throwaway lines this is pretty balanced.

This set is on loan from Beersnob and I have been needing to return it for a couple of months now. This holiday weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to watch the whole series start to finish today. As I said there is one episode left as of this writing and I am sorry to see it end. Like a good book that you want to keep reading or a good moment you never want to end.

This is one of those shows. It is about the soldiers themselves and not about the policies. Yeah a lot of it is fictional but I believe that a lot of it strikes home for a lot of our troops.

If you get a chance, see it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Everyone in this country can be thankful for something on this day.

See if you can find out what it is today.

Enjoy it my friends.

Red Beans And Rice

For breakfast you say? No way!

I say, "Sure why not?" It is nippy outside, looks like it is going to be a nice day though. So I decided to make a pot of red beans and rice. I can eat off of it all day, I have some Louisiana Hot Sauce and styrofoam bowls:) Life is still pretty good:)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'll have a ton of leftovers for eating the rest of the week:)

My fantasy teams went 2-1 this week. My money league was a victory but I only had 38 points. That was good enough to beat my opponent but no help in the league point standings. I have fallen to seventh. I was in second place just a few weeks ago....sigh....I'm 4-7 and pretty much done.

My Yahoo league teams went 1-1. I'm pretty much finished in both of those leagues. I am 5-6 in one league and 2-7-2 in the other.

I don't think I'll make the playoffs in any of the three leagues. This season has a fork in it.

MY PC HAS RETURNED!!!!

Yes my friends after a brief struggle to get it powered up and fixing the error that turned out to be a bad stick of RAM my PC is back home again.

Yeah so the case is tweaked from UPS and it has a few more scratches on it, it works well and it is as powerful as ever!!!!

Now I will be able to get Drinkbusters 1x5 edited, probably starting tomorrow and get everything back on track again:)

Yeah my laptop is very good, no doubt about it but this PC is what having a PC is all about my friends!!!!

Tomorrow I have decided to take off and enjoy five full days off from work. Life is good despite my lack of drinking buddies.

Runnin' Out

I'm running out of drinking buddies.

It seems that everyone is busy which is understandable this time of year. However I still enjoy going out with friends and having a good time. Since Winner's closed it is harder to get a drink after work and even then finding someone to hang out with is twice as difficult.

A few months ago I'd mention to a couple of co-workers (well the fun, sane ones I know) and we grab a drink after work to relax some and everything was fun and easy going.

Now it is like trying to build the Great Wall of China single handedly to find a drinking buddy. For the most part they can only break away about every three weeks and on a Friday....and then only for maybe fifteen minutes or so.

Yeah I recognize that I don't have the restrictions that most people do and my schedule is much easier to work in nearly anything. I get that but irony rears its head when the last time that I went out for an evening was with my partner Chris who doesn't drink and Wendy who is a former drinker and I had lunch with Beersnob a while back which is always welcome and enjoyable!

I'm not complaining, I just like to have a drink after work sometimes and it is difficult to find someone to hang out with.

1 Wins Out

Ohio State beat Michigan yesterday earning them a spot in the BCS Championship game over a month from now.

What? You didn't know that the championship game is around six weeks away? Crazy huh?

So what we get to watch in the BCS game are two rusty teams in a game laden with penalties and mistakes because of the long lay off. Instead of using the next few weeks as a playoff, keeping the teams sharp, and determining a true champion we are subjected to meaningless bowl games that any team with six wins, yeah just six wins can get into.

Why so many bowl games? Well yes for the local fans of the team and for the gambling public but mainly for the schools themselves and all of the dollars a bowl game brings in. So now you know why the schools want to protect a broken system.

Keep an eyes on the rankings this week when they are released. You will see Rutgers fall dramatically, far enough to safely be out of reach of one of the big bowl games. The BCS hates small conference schools. The deck is stacked against them just ask Boise State.

I want teams to be able to settle who is the best on the field and not in the polls. There are going to be some deserving teams shut out of the possibility of playing in the big game because a poll or a computer ranking system says they wouldn't be the best game.

That leaves out all of the intangibles though in a football game. The turnovers, the team that is on and playing well, the team that makes all of the crucial blocks and does all the small things that win games.

Some teams go those things better than other teams and on any given gameday any team can win. They just need the chance to play which is denied by a big coalition which demands only two teams can play for the championship.

It is a horrible way to run something that has so much potential to be bigger than it is and it is already pretty big.

1 Vs. 2

Yep folks, today is the most anticipated day in this years college football season.

Number 1 ranked Ohio State vs. number 2 Michigan. What is at stake is a chance to play for the BCS Championship.

The wild card is what happened yesterday when long time Michigan coach Bo Schembechler died suddenly at age 77. To me in this game Ohio State should be a heavy favorite. They are playing at the Shoe and believe they really are the best team. I think they are heads and shoulders the best team.

So will the sudden loss of the beloved Bo have that intangible effect on Big Blue and rally them to a close win or will Ohio State blow them out as Michigan is emotionally drained? We'll see. If I were to bet on this one my green would be on the Buckeyes.

The problem though is that if this is a close game will the loser deserve a rematch in the BCS game? Well therein lies the problem. There is no playoff system. College Football is the only major sport in the USA that doesn't have a playoff to determine a real champion. Usually it comes down the the team with the best record at the end of the season.

This year though there are two undefeated teams that if they run the table and finish undefeated they probably won't even have a chance to play in one of the top bowl games let alone in the big game.

Just because they play in conferences that are very small they are penalized by a very slow escalation in their weekly rankings to keep them out of contention. The BCS is a sham and should be abolished. America loves to root for a underdog if they have no emotional investment in a team. That is why March Madness is so popular, because everyone can see the underdog overcome long odds and make a run at the championship. Everyone can get involved and feel included and every team has a fair shot to play for it instead of who plays in the Final Four coming down to a computer poll and voters.

I'd be thrilled if they took the top eight teams and even more thrilled if they took the top sixteen!
That tournament would be THE premiere event of all college sports, including March Madness!!!!

It'll probably never happen but it needs to.

Next Wednesday!!!!

That is the scheduled arrival date of my PC!!!!

I'm all giddy!!!!

PC News

I got an email from the builder of my PC late last night. It is supposed to ship this morning!!!!

He said that it should be here in the next few days and that he was going to send me the tracking number today!!!!

I'll be very excited to have my PC back. Yeah my laptop is a very good one but for the most part there is no substitute for my desktop.

I'm excited and hopefully I'll have it hooked back up and have Drinkbusters 1x5 edited very soon!!!!

Creating Reality

Today we live in a world where technology is everywhere. You are actually no longer bound by the harsh realities of life.

Get yourself a minimal job that pays for a roof over your head and you can unplug yourself entirely by being plugged into a network, a game, a community of people who share your own distaste of reality.

What does this mean? It means that just last week, in one of the most important mid-term elections of this generation just over 40% of the population voted. That means that 60% either don't care or that they are fed up with reality as they see it and and decide to create and get lost in their own reality.

It is easy now to get lost in a game such as Everquest or World of Warcraft not to mention twenty others. You can spend days on message boards or forums and find exactly the kind of company you want to keep.

When I was in high school I wished I could connect like now to like minded people as easily. I had a lot of things that I wished I could have researched then and learned all I wanted to know like I can now. A thought, few strokes of the keyboard, and whammo! I can find out nearly anything.

So that leads me to wonder exactly how long it will be before we can create an entire reality where we can live someone's life through implanted memories or some such concept we haven't even thought of yet. The internet would be primitive for what I have in mind.

Don't like living in a one bedroom apartment anymore? Plug in and all of a sudden you are Mick Jagger, John Elway, or Cindy Crawford. I mean if you can do that why not just invent someone, program some kind of amazing life and live that in your head?

Get up the next day, work a minimum amount to keep the rent paid and the lights on and then you can get back to your world. A world where things can go your way, anyway you want. Life too hard for you? Not a problem anymore. Just plug in someone else's life and you can escape yours.

Where is the line with that kind of reality? Virtual Reality would be tinker toys compared to these kinds of advances in creating your own reality.

Downside?
Yeah, compassion would die.
Art would die.
Creativity would die.
Apathy would run rampant.

Why would that bother you though? You have your own designed life at your finger tips and that is so much more satisfying right? It is as real as you believe it is. Why fix problems in reality when you can have them fixed and make a difference in your world. Why get your heart broken and beaten down in reality when you can have the person of your dreams and the life you desire in your own reality? Why die from cancer in reality when you can cure cancer in your reality?

What would I do? I don't know, I really don't.

What would you do?

Desperate Housewives Part 2

Well here is what I thought of the entire season as I finished watching the second season yesterday. I liked it. It was entertaining as I stated in the last post.

This is a show though that I don't know if they can maintain the interest or not. It seems that they have explored a lot of storylines already so how much further can they go and keep it interesting?

I can boil it down to my interest, Teri Hatcher: Hot, Eva Longoria: Hot.

Yeah there are some good storylines that keep my interest and I have enjoyed the season. I just wonder how long the show will last. I wondered the same thing about 24 and Lost and supposedly they have lots of storyline written for Lost.

Anyway just wanted so sum it up for you. Watch it if you have the time and nothing else going on, it is fun, entertaining, and a good ride!

Desperate Housewives Season 2

Well on my first day off of shooting I decided to watch as much as the second season of Desperate Housewives finally.

I've had it laying around for a while and just didn't get around to it but yesterday seemed like a good time to get it started. I could probably finish it today but the NFL is on today and it is week 10.

Well first about DH, it seems to have improved over the first season and that was pretty good. I'm just over half way done so far and it has been very entertaining. The storylines have been strong and unexpected. There has been a good mix of comedy and drama. All of the characters have a good share of screen time and the focus is never on one individual character. They all share in the storylines equally.

I don't know if that is because of the offscreen egos or just very good writing but it works on screen. For this show watching in long marathon sessions works well like Lost or 24. To me that seems to be the best way to watch TV anymore. I'd say this show is worth watching which is rare for me to suggest a show from the big three networks. I'm sure that there are some good shows on network but I'm more of a cable fan as many of you know from reading previous posts. I usually don't give the network shows a chance until they are on DVD.

Today is also week 10. The bye weeks are finished now and every team will be full strength the rest of the season. In my case it won't matter a whole lot unless Tiki starts scoring. This season reminds me of that one season that Barry Sanders led the league in rushing and had 2 TDs all year. Deja Vu for sure in my case. Tiki has 1 TD and yet has nearly 900 yards rushing and as a result my team is suffering.

When your blue chipper doesn't produce you really have to have a strong supporting team and mine is up and down. My WRs are strong, my RBs weak, and the rest is average. I've been on the waiver wire to try to improve my team but it hasn't helped a whole lot. I need to have at least two more 70 point weeks and right now I'm averaging about 30.

It is a longshot now to finish above average in my money league. The Yahoo leagues are split. One team, when full strength, will be above average while the other one is doomed to a losing record no matter what. Such is life right now, it seems like it is average at best.

In PC news I contacted the builder and the power supply should arrive to the builder by tomorrow. He said he hopes to get the rig shipped back to me by Tuesday!!!!

I hope so, I miss my machine!

A Good Day!!!!

Yes my friends I am off today because of an important day called Veterans Day.
Yeah I know it is tomorrow but today is the day that federal installations shut down in honor of our vets.

Is there another military in the world's LONG history that is willing to die for the freedoms of complete strangers? To volunteer to lay their lives on the line to free opressed people?

No.

America and the American Military are unique in nearly every way. America represents what countries strive to be, we are the beacons of freedom around the world. People want to be here.

Our Veterans have paid that cost, continue to pay that cost, and will always be happy to pay that cost. Do something nice for a veteran today!!!!

An Interesting Trend

Since working on the Coke project I have noticed a unusual and interesting trend. That trend is the abundance of contests as commercials.

I know of at least two other brand products who are requesting people submit a commercial for their product. This is actually a win win situation.

First it is like a talent search for untapped talent. Many people will see someone else's vision for a product that many ad agencies might completely miss which can only benefit the product.

The other side is the potential for stardom for a young fimmaker to break in and catch the eye of someone who can give a helping hand....plus some prize money that can help fund a project.

I do hope this trend continues but as with anything it will attract those who just go out and buy a camera and believe they are the next Hitchcock or Capra or worse yet don't even know enough to know who those two are....sigh....

0-3

Yep, no wins in any of my three fantasy leagues this week.

This week hurt me and my chances in the money league to finish anywhere near the top. It goes to show you how important your first round draft pick is to your team. If your blue chipper doesn't score your team will probably not do well.

One of the teams in the league was sinking fast until LJ picked up the pace and now he is a contender. The team who drafted Shaun Alexander is tanking like mine is. In fact my team is probably just about done.

Well I'm all settled in now and ready to watch election returns all night. This is a critical election and it should be interesting to see the results! I was able to vote at lunch today. The allegations of fraud are flying all over the place which will add an extra layer of drama tonight. When it all pans out who will be in charge of Congress?

I don't know how anyone can pay attention to the silly election anyway, I mean Britney Spears just filed for divorce from K-Fed!!!!
How in the world can the election be the big news of the day when K-Fed's career just went up in smoke....in several different ways I'm sure. I'm sure that Britney will be headed back to Louisana with both chitlins to take refuge in the nearest trailer park while writing alimony checks to K-Fed to fund his monthly pot bill in the lifestyle he has become accustomed to.

Breaking Blu

Well here we go, an endeavor into another post about a celebreality show....Breaking Bonaduce. It follows the lives of Danny Bonaduce and his behind the scenes mess of a life with his wife Gretchen.

What is strange about this show is that it is hard to tell if any of it is scripted. I tend to think it is actually real. Sometimes the drama tips into melodrama but I think that is more editing than anything else.

This is the second season of the show and I watched it last year with some kind of morbid fascination to see how much this guy is going to crack up. Just how self destructive can someone get and still be alive? Well Danny Bonaduce would be your answer. He just can't have some kind of normal existence without pushing things too far.

Honestly I don't blame him. I can see his pain and I sympathize with it. I can relate to it. For the most part I think it stems from his wife. She seems to be his downfall at nearly every turn. All he wants is to is be happy and have this romantic vision of a family. It really seems he would be very content with that and abandon his hard living ways if he had that. The problem again seems to stem from her lack of any kind of romantic bone in her body which leads to a massive amount of frustration and more drinking and drugs on his part.

Speaking of frustration I have resigned from working on Chris's project. Chalk it up to creative differences. We are still great friends and hopefully always will be. There are more a LOT of projects that I feel he and I have to do in the future but this one, well I can't give what he needs.

Please don't read more into this than what is there, it is a mutual decision and better for the both of us. I have Drinkbusters and I have the Fanfilm Project which will be an amazing piece of work when finished! Yeah I am bummed that The Passing Drummers didn't work out, I won't lie. There is a lot to do though and maybe this will finally get me into gear to write something and get another project going, maybe for the Summer!

Two Poker Wins Last Night!

Yeppers my friends, last night I won second place in two tournaments.

Not too shabby! Since I haven't played live in nearly three months I did pretty well and felt good about my performance. We played two tournaments from 7 p.m. until just after midnight.

Tomorrow my team will be playing without Reggie Brown. The Eagles are on a bye week. Brown has been one of my most productive receivers this season. It is going to hurt not having him in the lineup. This is the last week for byes though so my team will be full strength for the rest of the season.

That will help since my team has potential to score big or really bomb during any given week.

The shows on Adult Swim Fix were pretty good yesterday.

What? You don't know about the Fix? For anyone who watches the Cartoon Network after 9 p.m. they turn the network over to more adult themed programming. This is called Adult Swim. You can see such shows as Futurama, Family Guy, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Squidbillies. There are many other shows and most of them are pretty decent.

Some are much tamer than others as well. Anyway on the Adult Swim website there is a part called Fix. At Fix you can watch Sunday's premier shows two days early on that Friday. It is pretty nice to be able to see the shows before they show up on cable.

Check it out sometime, you might even laugh some:)

Paranormal Experiences

I've talked to a couple of friends about this and have one that has told me she will tell me some good stories next time she and I grab a drink.

I was watching the Ghost Hunters last night and I don't know why but it seems that they really don't get a lot in their investigations anymore. It isn't like they got a lot but they did have a chair move in a haunted lighthouse.

Last night I saw one episode where some bed covers moved on their own. They had some EVPs but other than that, not a lot. They do go in with a different mind set though. They try to debunk a haunting and find reasons for everything. They don't fawn over every weird piece of video tape and pronounce something haunted just because they want to. They do look for evidence and seem to do a good job of collecting it.

So it just so happens that about the same time Chris called me up as I was pondering these things.

I asked him his opinions on the matter. We have discussed them before but that was a while back and I was looking for his fresh perspective. He just didn't know anymore. He said he had been on several ghost hunts and didn't really come up with anything. I asked if he had reviewed the footage from Saturday and he hadn't as of yet. He is still recovering from his cold and is a bit weak still. Saturday we shot at the former Sunny Side Center which was a nursing home for the mentally ill. The place had a lot of violence and sadness in its history so I was halfway expecting something weird to happen.

The only thing that really happened was that I felt really drained after we were done shooting. Even though we only shot for about ten hours I felt very very tired and slept from about an hour after I got home until the next morning straight through. Paranormal? I'm going to say no. If there was any place in town though that I figured would be haunted it would be that place.

So I asked an email list I am a member of if anyone had any paranormal experiences and the best story was when a friend and his buddy went into a club they belonged to but the founder's son had been gone for several years, and when they went into the building a music system started playing the son's favorite song. That was pretty paranormalish for sure!

So I can firmly say that nothing has ever happened to me but that doesn't mean it isn't real. I just have never experienced it. I'd like to see some kind of tangiable evidence that I am a part of like TAPS occasionally finds on tape or experience.

Night Of The Living Dead: Live From Wisconsin?!?!?!

Yeah, from Wisconsin and it was fun to watch!

If any of you have ever seen American Movie you are familiar with Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank. American Movie is a documentary on Mark and his faithful best friend Mike. It documents the making of "Northwestern" and when that falls apart the making of his movie "Coven". It is a fun watch if you can find it and better if you love documentaries and even better STILL if you are a filmmaker!

Mark is a fellow filmmaker from Wisconsin and has enjoyed some success since the documentary was released in 1999 I think. He has been in several movies and is currently working on a project called Scare Me. I am unsure what that project is or what it is about but you can bet that it will be funny but probably not scary.

Well last night the G4 network ran Night of the Living Dead, interspersed with the movie were comments from George Romero, commentary from Mark and Mike (Yeah I hope you Iowa readers get the irony), a live horror movie, live auditions, fan voting, and re-enactments from the movie. All of that was a blast!!!!

They did it all from their front lawn and had people from all over the neighborhood show up dressed as zombies. They had a cast member and long time friend Kenny cooking brats, and clips from Mark and Mike buying zombie hunting weapons at a local store. This presentation had nearly everything a horror fan could want and it was all just a party to watch!

I hope they do this every year and I really hope to hear more from Mark and Mike in their future endeavors!

Happy Halloween!!!!

This is a great time of year my friends. The weather is cooling down nicely, the leaves coat the ground, and it just feels nice outside.

This past week I was 1-1-1. Yep, one win, one tie, both in the Yahoo leagues, and a loss in the money league and again losing ground. I've gone from second to fifth. There is a lot of ground to make up now. Thankfully there is still a lot of season to go!

Work is very slow right now so I am spending my time reading Les Miserables. I started it over a year ago actually and for some reason put it down. But with work being the way it is I'm now being paid to read it:)

Yeah and I complain about my job. Actually I really only complain about the lack of a challenge with my job. That is the real problem. I do need a different job I really do and that is what the filmmaking is for. I can do this, I am doing this. I am good at it.

Sometimes I just want to pack up, sell anything I can't take with me and go somewhere else.
No I'm not complaining, well not that much. Things are actually pretty good right now in fact. I am missing my PC though very much. I'll get back to posting on a regular basis when it is shipped back to me.

I do apoligze to my regular readers though for the lack of posts. It is frustrating since I also have an episode of Drinkbusters to edit and get posted as well and no way to do it.

Bonds, Free Agency, And Week 8

Well the world series is over with and no one watched it....again. No one watched the World Series until the Red Sox made it in and no one has watched it since. I can't back this up with anything other than what ESPN radio reported but Dancing With The Stars beat the World Series in the ratings.

That is the state of the MLB. There needs to be some major changes if the league is going to remain viable otherwise it is going to loose ground to the NFL and NASCAR every single year.

Barry Bonds has also filed for free agency. Some team will sign him as a DH and in return he will put people in the seats. The same people who love to go to the side shows at the county fair. The same people who will stop to watch a car wreck. Barry Bonds is nothing more than a freak show and the living embodiment of everything that is wrong with the MLB right now. Some team will overpay for him to be injured most of the next season which in turn will make the prices of the tickets for that team go way up and which also in turn will limit the amount of people who will be able to go to the game which in turn will breed even more disinterest in your miserable league.

See how that works MLB? It really isn't the sport. Minor league teams do well with the fans. There are some indie leagues that do well with the fans. When it comes to the major's, who cares.

Now on to Week 8!!!! My money team will be full strength this week and hopefully will rebound and gain some ground back I lost last week. I was in second overall in points in the league but last week was a disaster and I lost ground to the first place team.

I'll have Bulger, Holt, Moss, Brown for my QB and WRs and Tiki and Laurence Maroney for my RBs. Tiki has been very frustrating for fantasy owners this year. He is putting up tons of yardage but isn't scoring TDs. I've made a huge error though and plan on correcting it this week. I have had Ladell Betts in my lineup and have the rights to Maurice Drew-Jones. So since it looks like he is the real deal at RB for Jacksonville and will take over for Fragile Fred Taylor before the season ends I plan on activating him today.

He'll stay on the bench since Jacksonville is taking on Philadelphia but he'll be an option for those weeks when you play the match ups.
I just need to gain ground this week and see if I can get back into contention again.

A Good Night

The evening went well and we all had a very good time!

The filming went smoothly and the Drinkbusters team was happy to be at "work" again! I can't wait for the return of my PC so that I can edit this one and get it posted!

Filming for the day is about to begin. We are doing two location shoots today. That will be fun, hopefully as much fun as the court house shoot last week!

Celebrity Paranormal Project

This is a remake of a show a few years ago on MTV called Fear.

The real draw of this show is the celebrity meltdowns. Right now Gary Busey is being Gary Busey. Want to talk about a freak. He could just snap at any time and take out everyone.

Hal Sparks, Donna D'Errico, Jenna Morasca, and Toccara I think are in this episode. They are "Investigating" Waverly Hills Sanitarium. The massive abandoned hospital that treated TB is supposedly one of the most haunted places in the US.

The thing is with this show is that I could see it being rigged. I could see it being edited and have some VH1 crew members hiding in the shadows and doing things. I mean that it isn't enough that a lot of the personalities don't mesh....well that is the real draw for me anyway. Mark my words, one of these days Gary Busey is going to snap.

He is one of the most unstable people I think I've ever seen.

Now I've never seen a ghost or even experienced anything paranormal. So I don't know exactly what to think of it. I enjoy watching Ghost Hunters on Scifi though and shows of that sort. I guess I'm just skeptical until somethine changes my mind.

My Drinkbusters and I are about to embark on our pre-show drinking and supper and then film 1x5 tonight!!!! Unfortunately I won't be able to edit it until the return of my PC but we will have it done and it won't take long to get it edited upon its return home!

How Many Of You

Remember my blog on Sun Ming Ming?
Arguably the tallest man in the world and he plays for the rivals of our local USBL team.

Well you can see footage of him and see what I'm talking about.

He is huge.

Yeah I'm off today my friends. I had a late night and an early morning.

Chris called me last night so I waited until he was up and around and returned his call. He works late nights on Wednesdays. He wants me to be in charge of the camera set ups now and the lights. I'm fast and efficient with stuff like that.

So what am I doing on a day off? Watching classic monster movies of course:)

The Wolf Man, Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, and House Of Frankenstein. Amazingly all on AMC Monsterfest X. Well it is short lived, next up is House:(

Monsterfest X

There was a time when AMC was really American Movie Classics. They showed uncut movies and commercial free. They had an eclectic taste and every October they had Monsterfest, a few days of classic monster movies.

Now they are semi edited, have lots of commercials, and are far from classics. TCM on the other hand is having some classic movies! They aren't showing as many as AMC but they are doing a pretty decent job.

I wish AMC would return to their roots. Commercial free, unedited, and it would be wonderful if they were shown in their original frame ratio instead of the cropped pan and scan versions. It would be nice to see some of the old movies though, the big rubber creature movies. The space invasion movies. The classics, give me Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi.

Yeah. That is Halloween!

Week 7

Well I got whomped pretty good in the money league. I anticipated a loss but the lack of those key players really hurt!

It is alright though, the person who beat me is a very good friend and I am glad that he got first this week. Well there is one other player who can catch him but we'll see what happens tonight. I went 2-0 in the free Yahoo leagues. Well probably. I am 7 points up on one guy and likely to win but I have seen things like this go badly.

I have heard from the builder of my PC. He received it today and will diagnose it tomorrow morning and ship it back upon completion. I am sure it will go smoothly but we shall see.

Remember the old Lowenbrau jingle? "Here's to good friends. Tonight is kind of special." etc. ?
Well that is how I was feeling Saturday night as that kept playing around in my head as I sat there with good friends and enjoying them and the time as we talked over all kinds of things.

Yeah, here's to good friends!!!!

Sporadic Posts

My friends before I get to the post I am going to apologize for not posting more often as is my custom. I try to post every day or at least every other day but with my PC in the shop I just don't do it as much.

It isn't that I don't want to, I do. It is just more of a hassle. Once my PC is back I'll post on a regular basis again.

Well now the shooting went pretty well yesterday. We finished up around 8 P.M. and shot at the court house. That was a lot of fun! To have almost full run of an old court house and a lot of the rooms was a blast!

There wasn't any drama with the exception of one cast member who was steaming hot because his scene took some time to get to. I thought he was going to mutiny and leave but to his credit he didn't and was a real trooper through the process.

Afterwards Beersnob and I went to Callahan's to get a drink and some food. A cast member joined us and we had a great time! Weezy showed up a little bit later on as well as Sass, who could possibly be Weezy's replacement after she moves to LA.

I was hoping that Chris would have shown up, he said he was starving but he didn't make it.

The old Michelob theme kept going through my head, you know the one, "Here's to good friends. Tonight's kind of special." It was just a real good time for everyone involved.

I expect to lose this week in Fantasy Football. Bulger and Tory Holt are on a bye week and without there firepower my team will really have to find some points from somewhere. This bye couldn't have come at a worst time. I'm currently second overall in my money league and I need to have a good week to gain on the league leader but now I just don't want to lose ground.

Well that just about updates the past two days and soon we'll return you to my regular posting schedule.

Game 7

Well this is supposed to be what baseball is all about. Is anyone outside of St. Louis or anyone who isn't a Mets fan interested?

Well Fox and ESPN don't think so. They have turned over the rights to TBS next year for the baseball playoffs.

Why?

The ratings have been so low that no one is watching anymore. If you aren't a fan you don't care and the fans are dwindling. Minor League baseball is growing in popularity though. That tells me it isn't the sport but the product that the MLB is putting out. You have read about me going on about Barry Bonds and what a disgrace he is to the sport.

I love the USBL and rarely watch the NBA.
I LOVE the NFL though. It is just my sport.

The MLB though? Eh, who cares. I might flip to see a score tonight but I doubt there will be much else.

It is October and I'm enjoying some classic Universal Monster Movies:)

Coke Commercial News

Well as I reported a few posts back the commercial I worked on has made it into the judging round which is in the top ten.

So what happened yesterday is that when I got home from work there was a DHL envelope at my door from Coke. I opened it and inside was a lot of paper work to fill out and have notarized. Lots of release forms and such and a paper explaining the prize.

So why is that a problem? Well it really isn't but I need Bryon, the guy I shot the commercial for to contact me so either he can fill all of this out or find out if he wants me to fill it out and send it back to them. There is a deadline on this and it is coming up so there is a time element in play here.

I'm excited and I hope it wins. I know Bryon will enjoy the prizes which are a new DV Camera and a new PC. Personally if it should happen to win I'd like to see it turn into some kind of opportunity for me to shoot something for Coke. I believe I mentioned this before but it is worth mentioning again:)

3-0!!!!

Yeppers, this week not only did I go 3-0 in all three fantasy leagues but I won first place again in my money league gaining me another forty dollars!!!!

Now get this too, in our office pool we pick the games and whoever has the most wins for the week gets twenty dollars, well I won that too!!!!

There was a five way tie going into last night and everyone had Chicago winning. So it came down to the tie breaker points. I had 43 everyone else had less than that. Chicago came from behind last night to win 24-23 over Arizona!!!!

WOOOHOOOOO!!!!

It was a good day:)

In other news I am shipping my PC back to the builder. He said that it would be very unusual for this power supply to go out but it is still under warranty anyway. I am responsible for shipping it to him and he is responsible for shipping it back. Hopefully it won't take long to fix and I'll have it back within a couple of weeks!!!!

Flavor Of Love Final 2

Oh my....I have never seen this kind of melodrama since....oh yeah, season 1.

What was good about this show? NOTHING....but I couldn't stop watching this train wreck.

It was the same as season 1, it really was but trashier. New York has got to be the biggest drama queen ever with the exception of her mother. New York's mom has got to be the biggest, most spoiled, most pampered, most horrible person ever on this show. I feel for that poor guy who was with her. He seemed like a down to earth nice guy, how in the world does he put up with that?!?!

So what is the appeal to me with this show? No clue. I really have no idea why I am watching this. I have to admit that New York is part of the appeal. I had no idea they still made people this crazy. She is a real nut case and needs to be locked up somewhere. It troubles me that she might reproduce....well not as much as it troubles me that Flav reproduces so much and if they ever got together....wow, it boggles the mind.

Will there be a season 3? I am 98% sure of it. The ratings are too high for there not to be. There might be some kind of twist on the next one but I am sure there will be one.

It boggles my mind that I stayed up to watch the finale. I don't understand my fascination with has been celebs. I really don't but I watch anyway. I can't even find some kind of clever defense for myself watching this dreck.

So what do I do? Bring on the Surreal Life!!!!

Week 6

Is kicking off in a couple of hours now and hopefully I can climb up to .500 ball in the money league. We'll see how it goes but after the very rough 0-3 start it is a lot to overcome, even in fantasy.

It is rainy out now and my dog has camped out on the back porch. I don't know why, he has a great pillow with a heat light in the garage. I still have to find a power supply this week, Staples is out of stock so I might have to order one.

I usually listen to Coast to Coast AM while going to sleep on my laptop through my wireless network and lately I have been listening to a MST3K episode per night. Well they all happen to be stored on the hard drives on my PC so that is not going to happen either until I get it fixed.

GGGRRRRR it is frustrating!

DISASTER!!!!

Alright so after a long day of shooting I walk into the house and what do I find?

A dead PC with two big blank monitors staring at me. I do a check of the power strip, change outlets, all of the technical stuff I know to see what the problem might be and settle on the problem. The power supply has gone bad.

There isn't a lick of power entering through the power supply to any portion of the rig. I call a pc mechanic and he confirms my diagnosis.

So what does this mean? Well for the time being I am laptop bound. Fortunately my wireless network still is working fine and I have a fast working portable PC so I can still have my addiction:)

A power supply isn't that big of a deal on a regular PC. This one happens to be a very powerful PC though and requires a bigger power supply than normal. This is a 500 watt box and it takes a lot of power.

They are reasonably priced so it won't take that much to replace it. The time consuming part will be the physical replacement of it. That will probably take a good couple of hours. I have built my own systems before and for the most part it isn't that hard. This one though is much more difficult since it was a custom built rig and as I said, it is a power hungry beast that connects to so many different parts that it is insane!!!!

Well the first step is to locate a power supply.

Exorcist Three

This is the overlooked gem of the set I purchased the other day. George C. Scott's performance alone is worth taking a chance on liking this movie.

What is unusual about this movie compared to the others is that it was not supposed to have anything to do with the franchise at all. William Peter Blatty wrote and directed this movie and it should have been Exorcist Two.

I really don't think I'll watch the DVD in the set that is called Exorcist Two. I have seen it and that was plenty. It is just a horrible movie all around. Exorcist Three was based on Blatty's follow up novel called Legion and the focus is on two of the minor characters from the first movie.

As I said before it is Scott's performance that makes this movie work. The story is above average for a sequel and will keep you entertained. As I also said before I am holding off on the two prequels to the original until Beersnob has a chance to watch them with me.

Watch Three, it's a good movie especially for October and scary movie month!!!!

The Exorcist

Since this is October and to me that just means that the NFL is in full swing and that it is time for scary movies!!!!

I bought the Exorcist Anthology yesterday at lunch. It is a set that has two versions of the original film, the sequel to that which as I remember sucked a lot, the third movie which had nothing to do with either of the first two and was directed by William Peter Blatty, and the reason I bought the set....the two prequels!!!!

When the original prequel was completed the studio decided they didn't like it so they hired another director and did a rewrite and FILMED IT AGAIN!!!! The second movie hit the theaters while the first has now found its way to DVD. It intrigues me to no end when I was reading about this whole decision in Fangoria last year, why a studio would do that. I mean they have no problems putting out horrible movies now and do so on a regular basis. So why do that with this dead franchise?

It just didn't compute to me. Well soon I feel I will have an answer to that and when I told Beersnob about it he expressed interest in watching as well so I feel that we will have an answer to this baffling question.

Anyway onto The Exorcist. Everyone knows this story and either has seen the movie or heard enough about it I am not going to bother with spoilers. The story is simple, girl gets possessed, doctors are baffled, psychologists are baffled, priests are called in, girl is saved, one priest is dead the other winds up in a bit part in part three.

This movie was out when I was a toddler and yeah I can remember stuff from then. I also remember hearing about how scary this movie was and for that time in movie history, yeah I can see that it would have shocked a lot of people. But by today's standards this movie has good acting, good storylines and subplots, but scary? Not in the least. Creepy? Yeah a little bit.

Max von Sydow is the expert priest who is called in to do the exorcism. His part is brief but powerful. He is a wonderful actor and has a great screen presence. Jason Miller who plays Father Karras is actually the real star of the movie even though Linda Blair is the possessed girl and has the most demanding job. Miller is the priest who is questioning his faith and has come to a crossroads in his life. He wonders what he should do about his ailing mother and then this case is dropped into his lap.

One thing leads to another and then the climactic big finish that everyone knows.

If you haven't seen it, don't worry about it. It is an OK movie but not a great one. It was probably more known for its groundbreaking special effects and the acting of Linda Blair who does an outstanding job.

I'll get back to this when Beersnob and I have had a chance to watch the prequels!!!!

....And Here I Sit

Watching the little blinking cursor and wondering what to write about today. Well that was easily solved. I mentioned this last Saturday to a friend and let it go, just forgot about it until now, I can't let this go further.

One of the icons of 80's metal and one of the best guitarists of his genre has done the unthinkable. He is now doing Volkswagen commercials. Yeah my friends Slash, star of the former Guns n Roses and now of Velvet Revolver has decided to hock Volkswagens.

Slash was part of the baddest band in the world, they defined rebellion of that time and still have one of the greatest albums EVER recorded. They broke the rules and then rewrote them, caused riots, were arrested many many times, had their stereotypical bouts with substance abuse and then burned out like the brightest stars should.

And now....we come to Volkswagen. My friend, Beersnob told me that everyone needs a paycheck. I'm paraphrasing of course because it went on for a couple of minutes but I'm wounded none the less.

Can you call Slash a sellout? Yeah maybe but does it diminish his incredible body of work and all of the hours of enjoyment I have had listening and watching Slash play?

Not a chance. Slash is still one of the best.

A Little Rainy

And gloomy yesterday, otherwise it was a nice day. You can really tell that Fall is here now, it just seems to be in the air.

I love the Fall and Spring. I like the other two seasons but not as much.

I had some weird dreams last night but darned if I can't remember anything about them now. I know I had the feeling that something was going to go right though. Maybe that is good huh? Well we'll see.

It is Wednesday already, well that happens on a short week, you wake up and BAM you are almost at the weekend again.

I am itching to do another Drinkbusters but there is some news about the Coke Commercial that I shot for that friend. It has made it to the Judges Round!!!! That means I have to get a hold of Bryon somehow (it is hard since his phone rings and rings) and tell him. He will be thrilled about this. I really hope he wins, it would be a nice boost to him. He could use the camera and PC too.

If I got anything out of it maybe they might hire me to do some Coke commercials! I'd be thrilled with that! That might lead into some beer commercials which I think I'd be great at! That might lead into some music videos which might lead into what I want to do full time which MIGHT lead into me being a little bit happy.

We'll see:)

First Place!

This week I held onto first place for a nice forty dollar payday!!!!

I believe that both of my Yahoo league teams have tanked yet again.

It is raining out right now and my three day weekend was pretty eventful.

So all in all I guess I am about the same right now, just forty dollars richer and I have a bit of a headache. I can't stand waking up with a headache. Kind of sets the tone for the whole day.

Oh well, this is now officially a short week and this payday will have one week of our yearly raise on it. I need coffee right now. Maybe I need to get a coffee pot again and start making my own here.

That'll give me something to think about today...

Leading The Money League

Well for the week anyway.

I have a whopping 38 points and have my D and Special Teams yet to play tomorrow night. The second place team has 35 points with his kicker going tomorrow night and LaDanian Tomlinson going right now.

So there is a good chance I will be in the money this week but not a good chance I will win first. I have no idea how the Yahoo leagues are turning out at the moment but I'll know in the morning.

Well today I was invited to watch the TO Bowl at Chianti's house, she is a big Dallas fan and it was a close game until a crucial turnover that probably sealed Drew Bledsoe's fate as the starting QB. I expect that Tony Romo will be starting next week.

Yaawwwnnnnn!!!!

Well after a full day of filming today I will still have two days off!!!!

Alright I have a confession to make.

Everyone who knows me knows that I gave up on baseball after the strike year. After that I couldn't have cared less about baseball. Both sides were squabbling and being very petty and most of America as well as myself were fed up with it.

Well I now admit that I watched the series between the Yankees and Red Sox in 04 as well as the World Series. I also admit that last night I watched the Yankees get destroyed by the Tigers.
This closet watching hasn't really rekindled my former love for the game. I do still follow the major stories since I listen to sports radio during the day like the disgraceful Barry Bonds who should be banned from baseball in Pete Rose fashion. Other than that the season is too long and the games are meaningless and the players/owners are spoiled by a forgiving American public.

There is no parity and most of the teams are eliminated from contention early on in the season. It is still my belief that the MLB needs an NFL style of collective bargining agreement. This would dictate to the teams how much they can spend and would bring parity to the sport. It would bring salaries under control and by doing that it would allow ticket prices to drop which would bring more people to the park.

Now let me be clear on this, I would rather watch the two worst teams in the NFL than watch a MLB game. I'm NOT a fan. If I'm not doing something else, if nothing is on, then I will watch a playoff game.

Baseball still has a lot of work to do to be interesting again and if the Barry Bonds walking affront to the game is allowed to top Hank Aaron then I'll probably stop watching what I am watching.