What If?

Ok I love this game! I remember a documentary on the History Channel (one of my favorites) about the mini ice age that happened in the middle ages. It was actually a natural occurrence and an effect of the ocean current. To the people living at the time it was devastating as they were totally unprepared for much cooler climate living.

That makes me wonder What If?! What if Obama had been alive and in charge during that time, how would he have handled that crisis. Well that is the first thing that would have happened. He would have called it a crisis. Provided he still leans Marxist as he does now he would seek to blame the people for the problem, apologize to the rest of the world for his countries' people, and change their behavior via the tax code while implementing a massive government program that takes over the lives of the peasants who are to blame.

Now if that is about as believable as one of our iconic symbols of capitalism celebrating say...oh something completely opposite of our beliefs.....like the 60th anniversary of the communist Chinese revolution. Yeah that's right. The Empire State Building will be red and yellow this week to honor communism?!?!?!

Talk about a world gone mad!!! Does anyone remember when communism meant bad? When communism meant death to innocent people? When communism meant crushing oppression and no civil rights? A mindless state controlled everything that ruled you with an iron fist or crushed you beneath it when the gears needed oiled.

How is this a good idea? I just want to know how in the world that it is a good idea to celebrate communist ideals and honor them?

Fading Cough

As long as I stay on Halls cough drops and Nyquil at night my cough doesn't bother me. Yesterday I actually had a small buzz working before work because of I had almost no food in my stomach and had already consumed two Halls. It was very unsettling.

By noon I felt like I could use a nap. I was so fatigued at that point I didn't know if I could finish the day. I did though. I made it and now I'm a little bit stronger today. Tomorrow I'll be a bit stronger still until I'm back to 100% again.

One of my coworkers who had the EXACT same symptoms and was off work last week as well had also made it to work. He felt just as tired and had the same cough. It was uncanny.

Regardless I'm going to work today. I've got to build my leave back up now and the only way to do that is attendance. A guy at work said this statement, "I have the ability to build my leave." I looked at him dumbfounded, "We all do." was my retort. Last week he took off four hours to go to the dump of all things. Personally I don't fault him. Its our leave and part of our pay. Something we earn for trading our working hours with that company.

We live in extraordinary times, historic times. The world is on the precipice of an upheaval the likes we have not seen in generations. Iran is quickly emerging as the preeminent threat to world peace, North Korea has a nuclear weapon and I'm sure is trying to fit it on top of one of their missiles. Afghanistan is as it has always been, a political mess. Russia is starting to get designs on Eastern Europe again and is thankful we will not deploy our missile shield in Poland and The Czech Republic, they aren't as thrilled about the idea though.

Our President doesn't believe in American Exceptionalism and instead insisted on apologizing to the UN for our successes. He is intent on having Americans live as if we belonged to a third world country while two industrial giants in India and China are pulling their citizens out of third world status and putting them into world class middle class status.

They are looking to raise their standard of living while our President is looking to lower our standard of living by punishing success. When you discourage how successful someone is allowed to be then it just breaks something inside of you. He should be out there encouraging people to be the best they can be instead he would rather redistribute the wealth of the successful to others out of some misguided and immoral sense of fairness.

I hope congress passes this monstrosity of a health care bill and a massive government take over of the health industry is attempted. The 2010 elections should send a clear message that what is going on right now is not what the people want.

Great Sunday Of Football Watching!

More people than expected showed up to enjoy the NFL Sunday Ticket at our home yesterday. It was a great time and everyone enjoyed themselves as we watched football game upon football game, comparing our fantasy team to others!

Food was plentiful, drink was abundant, and my scores sucked. It was irrelevant though as the day was enjoyed with wonderful friends and family!

I played the same team in both leagues, The Renegades. Amazingly enough this is a team who throughout the years I've constantly beat. He beat me in both leagues yesterday 21-54 and 18-39.

It really didn't bother me though as everyone had a fun time:)

Week 3!!!!

Well after a water pipe breaking last night under the kitchen sink and lots of cleanup including towel washing I'm awake and ready to blog!

I'm rolling with Schaub, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and since Percy Harvin is questionable I'm going to insert TJ Houshmandzadeh into the lineup. Matt Hasslebeck is injured and won't play this week so who ever is throwing the ball in Seattle will need to lean on Housh today. My RBs are easy, Fred Jackson and Darren McFadden. Elam and the Giants round out my lineup this week.

In my keeper league Brady leads the pack along side Darren McFadden, Leon Washington, Calvin Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Justin Gage. Elam and the Packers round out this lineup.

Hosting NFL watching today so everything is in full cleaning mode right now. Still have to get nacho cheese dip going and a few other things. Going to be a good day:)

Yesterday Was Up And Down

I'd feel good for a while and then go to feeling bad for a while. It was weird. This morning I feel pretty good though. I'm drinking a cup of hot coffee made from Dunkin' Donuts beans. Amazing coffee. Maybe some of the best I've had!

I found it very ironic yesterday that the G-20 protests in Pittsburgh were actually protesting our President who largely agrees with the income redistribution ideals they do. Our President is not a pro capitalist, not one of his programs will lead anyone to that conclusion.

Yes there is a splinter faction of the protesters who are anarchists which is also funny. They are generally late teen, early twenties, skinny as a rail and likely anti gun vegans. Yeah they would survive a LONG time in a world ruled by Mad Max style anarchy....they better watch out for what they wish for.

Go look at Somalia, that is a country ruled by anarchy. They have no governing body at all. They should go live there for a while and see if that is a better lifestyle. Somehow I don't believe they would be conducive to that kind of environment. None of them really strike me as a Bear Grylls or Les Stroud kind of people.

Feeling Better

I believe I have just had a bad head cold over the past two days. Yesterday I came home from work early because I was starting to get congested. Later in the afternoon I started to develop a fever. It is gone, I can breathe almost freely now, I still feel fatigued though.

Staying home today to get rest and make sure I am 100%. I will still have over eighty hours of leave accrued so it isn't a big hit in that department. I'm in good shape:) I just feel like I've been ran over and fatigued now.

My throat isn't as sore as it was yesterday. My cough isn't as strong as it was yesterday. I believe I will miss The Big Lebowski event at Beersnob's house though this evening. I don't want to take the chance of making any of my friends sick.

The Longest Day Of Work

Yesterday was by far one of the longest days of work in the over seventeen years of my tenure there. The night before was filled with Nyquil to allow me some peaceful sleep. The next morning drowsy was the word of the day.

So I went to my normal quickshop to get some coffee or anything in order to help me wake up and shake the drowsy feeling. They were out of large coffee cups so I had to settle for the smaller size, not exactly what I was hoping for.

I picked up some Halls vitamin C and Halls cough drops and so began a Nyquil/Halls induced hazy day. The combination made every second longer than the last and the minutes stretched into hours. I couldn't shake off the haze in my head. My coworker had called in sick so I was alone in the shop.

Yeah I could have gone home and left the shop dark but it was only a cough and my own fault for taking too much Nyquil. I could and did tough it out.

Sure I came home checked my temperature (No fever) and crashed for three hours after work. Felt good too. I got up around seven, watched Tuesday night's Sons of Anarchy episode and jumped into the shower. That gave me a warm hand up and out of the haze filled day.

Now that hot water felt good. This morning other than a hacking cough I feel lots better. The hot shower is a miracle worker!

Great Substitute

The White Russian is a great substitute until my Scotch boycott is over with. It is directly from The Big Lebowski so I am not taking credit for anything. This drink has been around for decades, some sources date it back as far as the nineteenth century but that seems a little far fetched.

Vodka, Kahlua, and milk or cream. I prefer cream over milk. serve it over ice and it is a Summertime delight. Very satisfying as well. It'll be a great go to until my boycott is over with and Abdel Basset al Meghrahi dies in Libya, a free man.

I've got a scratchy throat, it started yesterday and really isn't letting up. I took some Nyquil to cut the coughing down to nothing before bed. Which was at nine as I was exhausted and the Nyquil effects had me craving my mattress and pillow.

I could very well go back to bed now and sleep another couple of hours as I feel sluggish, the cough is still here. I'll steer clear of people and get some Halls to chew on the way to work.

The Return Of The Rag Counting Inspector

Yes he returned today to show us the sizeable amount of write ups he accumulated over his stay with us. It struck me that this man is Captain Queeg from The Cain Mutiny but without the paranoia.

His arguments were brilliant but pointless as there was a lot of energy expended for such tiny things as rubber hose inspections.

The write ups read like a Steinbeck novel in complexity and citation. He steadfastly defended each infraction as if it were his own child overlooking the fact that none of these observations will cost any of us one cent in pay or one wink of sleep.


-- Post From My iPhone

Final Results

What was really funny last night is that The Date came home from work and asked how her team was doing then while eating watched the game. She kept an eye on Dallas Clark who the Road Dawgs had playing against her team. Da Broads pulled off the win though 50-49 and she will be thrilled to hear that.

She probably would never pay attention to a game but the cool thing about fantasy football is that you pay attention to many games because you have a stake in the outcomes. I kept my third place victory in my long time league placing me into the money this week:)

It was a quiet evening. It's raining now and looks like it might for most of today. I can handle that:)

Week 2 Results

In my primary league I am probably good for third place overall with fifty five points and a win, in the keeper league I lost and I'm middle of the pack.

Andre Johnson had an amazing game and if I would have started Schaub against the tough Titan's D then I would have likely been in the money as well in the primary league. He had over twenty points!

I didn't and took last week's results as an indication that he wasn't going to do well. I benched him and he did do very well. Go figure! LOL! That happens, it's fantasy football.

In the keeper league and unless Dallas Clark has an outstanding game the owner of the Road Dawgs will be cooking for the three owners of Da Broads this week. Side bets are so much fun! Overall right now it appears that Cool Runnings has taken first place with sixty five points while the dreaded Dodge City Legend has taken second with sixty four, third is a three way tie with fifty each.

I'm not sure which team has players going in tonight's game other than Road Dawgs and Quincy St. Carnage (who has the always strong and consistent Peyton Manning) but these places might very well stand this week.

Week 2!!!!!

Ok here we go with the week 2 lineups!
In my regular league I'm going to roll with: Matt Hasselbeck as my QB, Darren McFadden and Rashard Mendenhall as my RBs, Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Percy Harvin as my WRs, and Elam as the kicker with the awesome Giants as my D/ST.

In my keeper league I'm going with: Tom Brady, McFadden and LenDale White, Justin Gage, Percy Harvin, and Calvin Johnson, then Elam and the Packers D/ST.

It is hard to tell if Brady will suddenly become the Brady of years past this week or not but I'd be very surprised if he didn't have at least two TDs. These WRs on both teams should be solid if not the best WRs this week.

I like my chances this week for some better scores than last week. We'll see how it goes!

Relaxing Friday Evening

All I did was get home, The Date had already gone to work. I decided to go outside and smoke a Camacho. I had Zip the dog with me and we just chilled in some very nice weather. Not too hot, not too cold, just nice.

Then I came inside and started to play Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and continued to play for four hours:)

Yeah that was cool too! I made it up to the Africa stage. This is a fairly long game in story mode! I'm really enjoying it!

Sometimes Work Is Worth Going To

So there I am at work. We were due for our quarterly inspection and by golly they came. In my line of work inspections and inspectors are a way of life. You can't do anything without an inspector being there to watch and grade you on it or write you up about it.

So there I was, just doing my daily routine work and in walks the two inspectors. One guy, our long time inspector (a good guy too) the other has only been there a handful of weeks and is new. He was like in charge of lots of inspectors in his last job.

So there we were. I was doing my work and the inspectors start rummaging through our tool cabinet. Our long time inspector just kind of hung back and watched the new guy go about his rather thorough job. He pulls out the flashlight and unscrews the top of it.

Out slide the three batteries and he states that he always looks for batteries of different brands as they pose an explosion hazard. Now I've been around batteries before right and I know that I've mixed and matched brands before without explosive incident.

I so wanted to engage in debate with said inspector alas I saw the "look" from the lead who was entertaining the inspectors and discouraging debate and questioning. So shortly after that the inspectors headed back into the office and I shortly followed suit.

The new inspector has decided to look into the rag log. A written log in which we keep track of rags we really don't use at all. This log hasn't been used in a very long time but our thorough new inspector was undeterred and ventured forth into the rag drawer.

The log boldly declared that there were one hundred nineteen rags present and accounted for. The new inspector asks the simple question, "are there one hundred nineteen rags?" Keep in mind there are not rags in the traditional sense, they are more like paper towels, high quality paper towels but paper towels nonetheless.

The lead rose to the challenge and declared before heading off to a "meeting" that yes, "if you were to count them there would be one hundred nineteen rags present." again promptly leaving for previously mentioned meeting. He glances at me and says, "you can do this."

So there sat me and the new inspector. "I get paid by the hour." I tell the inspector before he digs into the box of glorified paper towels. He starts at one and counts semi loud to himself while glancing at me every tenth so I can say, "Ten, Twenty, Thirty, and so on." Before ten the good guy inspector poked his head into the office and saw what was going on. He smirked at me and quickly closed the door.

What strikes me most is the seriousness in which he pursues this endeavor. He is both professional and very interested in seeing how many rags we have for some reason. I barely contained my laughter and had to fake cough a couple of times during the count to one hundred eleven rags. Yeah we were short. He looked at me as if I had been the torch bearer at a Klan convention.

"Only one hundred eleven rags. You counted right?" Yes I counted and as he well knew I came to the same count...especially when he hit one hundred eleven rags and lifted the empty box up to show me there were no more left.

Gleefully he wrote something down and asked me about tech orders. "Do you want to pick one or should I?", he asked me. "I'm headed to the bathroom, the rag counting wore me out. knock yourself out", I replied. He was unaware of the dripping sarcasm present in my voice. He attacked the tech order cabinet with zeal and passion.

Rarely have I had this much fun at work. I am excited to see what tomorrow will bring when he finishes his inspection! I really believe that tomorrow will not be as eventful. Tomorrow he will deal with the temporary lead, a man who wakes up and finds a reason to be mad.

Now the new inspector seems like a good guy, just very very very thorough and very serious about his job:)

A Good Wednesday

Nothing spectacular happened. I got past Bullseye in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. I had lots of router problems last night though and my internet was up and down. Weird!

Taking it to work today so Mandingo can look it over as he does IT stuff. It's just weird that it would work and then within the span of a few minutes it would stop working and then work again.

I picked up one of the few movies I don't yet own, The Big Lebowski. It's also one of the few Coen Brothers movies I enjoyed. There were a few, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Man Who Wasn't There, and No Country for Old Men were the tops in my opinion.

I was reading an article about how there is a subculture that has built up around this almost flop of a movie. It didn't make a lot of money, stayed in the theaters only a couple of weeks but has become more popular over the years. There is a Dudespaper, a documentary about the Dudes Convention, and a few other odds and ends things that have cropped up since the movies release.

I emailed Beersnob, since he hasn't seen the movie, to see if he would like to host a movie night. Everyone can drink White Russians and wear bath robes.

Thing 1 has got The Date to watch Angel (Thing 1 was ill yesterday and stayed home) and now The Date has come to love another TV show...LOL. It's really pretty funny!

Even Better Alliance 2

So there I was last week on pins and needles waiting for the premiere of Sons of Anarchy. I was ready for a let down from last season which started off strong and got better really without a clunker in the whole season.

This week rolled around and I was thinking for sure that the let down would finally start to happen but to my disappointment it didn't. Samcro was stronger last night than it was last week and last season. How is that possible?

How is it possible for a show to actually not let you down and fulfill your expectations? That's something you really won't find on the antiquish networks anymore. Yes there are exceptions, there always are. Lost for instance is a fine example but it even it has had its clunker episodes from time to time even though they are rare.

For the most part I never watch anything on the alphabet soup channels. They are bland and for the most part you have already seen it under a different name.

Sons of Anarchy though...oooohhhhh....there is something different. Something original. Something worth watching and it is no surprise that it isn't on the local channels.

Henry Rollins is absolutely phenomenal. I'm sure he will meet his demise by season's end if not sooner at the hands of Samcro and it'll be a sad day but I can live with it. I can't help it. I'm a fan of the man.

I've listened to all of his CDs, not so much the music ones but the stand up ones. No it really isn't comedy routines, he reads out of his journal, retells stories from the road, reads letters he gets, and things like that. Probably one of the best live story tellers this side of Kevin Smith. Very entertaining if you can find them!

Now onto the report on yesterday's hedonism. Yep a full day off with no responsibilities and nothing much to do (well until Thing 1 called me from school to be picked up because she was sick) but play video games.

I pre-ordered Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 and it came out yesterday. I was out at Gamestop at 10:30 in the morning to pick it up! Console gaming is new to me again. It is fresh and vibrant. I'm really enjoying it once again!

MUA2 is an amazing game. It takes place before and during the Civil War storyline across many Marvel titles. It deals with superhero registration with the government. Half of the Marvel universe believes it's a good idea and the other half believe it isn't, they are the rebels.

You have some very heavy hitters on both sides of the argument too, leading up the rebels it is Captain America, Cable, Wolverine, and The Thing among others. On the law abiding side it is Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, Thor, and SHIELD among others.

I, true to my contrarian nature chose the rebels. I really see how the game would play out very differently if you play the other side though. I'll be doing that next!

There is a ton of content here. I'm roughly 45% done with the story mode thus far and I'm itching for more. Gameplay is really easy and smooth. It doesn't require the twitch, Quake reflexes. It doesn't require the in depth chess thinking and planning of other games. It only requires a love of comics and a love of games. The graphics are outstanding and even on a non HDTV they are gorgeous. I can't imagine how fabulous they would look on a really good system!

Sadly I told Baker and Skate I'd play a character for them since they had to work, Baker requested Cyclops and Skate The Hulk. Cyclops isn't in the game thus far and I haven't unlocked The Hulk yet:(

Other than in that regard it was the perfect way to spend an unplanned day off work:)

Week 1 Final Results

In my keeper league I tied at 39 ponits with the Knights of Doom.
In my long time league I lost 53-27 to the River Rats.

It's alright, long season:) You make adjustments and your team will have good days and bad days but there is a certain potential you expect them to fulfill during the course of the season.

As I blogged about yesterday my long time league will have to fulfill that potential this season but I am building the keeper league's team and it is a work in progress so I really don't expect as much from it. I know it has weak spots.

So now the season has begun! It is really the best time of the year!

Week 1 Results So Far

In my long time league I'm down 27 to the River Rats' 46.
In my keep league I'm down 24-31 to the Knights of Doom.

In both leagues I've got Darren McFadden tonight and in my keeper league I've got my first round draft pick Tom Brady. Odds are good that I'll surpass the Knights tonight.

I was seriously hurt in my long time league by Houston being shut out by the Jets. I had Schaub and AJ and neither scored for me. They are a deadly combination when they get rolling though and believe me they will.

Arizona struggled against the 49ers which kept Fitzgerald in check most of the game but he did score a TD. That's all I can ask. If McFadden can anchor this group of RBs and have a breakout season I'll be just fine when Pierre Thomas returns, if not I'll have to do something.

In my keeper league I plan on building a dynasty. It won't take long as I see Tom Brady putting up solid numbers for years to come. He's my cornerstone as well as Calvin Johnson. My RBs will need to be upgraded in the upcoming seasons though. They aren't as solid as the other two.

All in all I know my team's potential in my long term league is much more than they showed yesterday and I know that my keeper league's potential is about what they have shown right now and is a work to build on.

WEEK 1!!!!!!

Yes! The bulk of the games are on today!!!!
The Predators of the long time WannaBe Fantasy Football League are taking on The River Rats from New Orleans, no kidding the guy really is from New Orleans.

My starting lineup is going to look like this:
QB - Matt Schaub
RBs - Darren McFadden and the already played on Thursday night Rashard Mendenhall
WRs - None better in this league Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and TJ Houshmandzadah
K - Jason Elam
Def/ST - The mighty Giants!
This should represent the best team in the league!

In the inaugural season of the WannaBe Keeper League it is more of a work in progress:
QB - Tom Brady (Solid here)
RBs - Darren McFadden and Leon Washington. The success of this team will depend on these RBs clicking during the season.
WRs - Calvin Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Percy Harvin. These are definitely boom or bust guys week per week. Not the solid crew of the above team.
K - Jason Elam
Def/ST - Green Bay

And speaking of fantasy sports, I'm STILL number one in my fantasy NASCAR league with seventeen teams in it. I took first place this week by two points making it back to back weeks of beating every single team for the weekly win! For the Fall stretch of the season I've got two top tens, two top fives, and two wins! For the full season I've got twenty one top tens, fourteen top fives, and six wins! The closest team to me in the win department has THREE!!!!

Since I took over first place overall during the Summer stretch I've not relinquished it and have dominated the points! If it continues like this I'll have the Fall stretch won AND the overall points championship won for a total of around fifty cigars in winnings! I can be caught but it won't be easy.

It's Always Sunny In Oklahoma

I rested, took care of Thing 2 while The Date was at work, and watched a new show that I should have started watching a couple of years ago.

Over the last year FX had a show on called Testees. Brilliant show but sadly it won't be around for a second season. The thirteen episodes that exist are all that will likely be produced as no other channel will probably pick up such a great show. It was probably the best comedy show on cable though, was...

As of last night there is a comedy show that I knew about. Have seen lots of previews for as I watched several shows on FX (The Shield, Sons of Anarchy, etc.) but now It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is at the top of my comedy list.

I was bored, was watching Thing 2 so I was browsing iTunes for something to watch. The first season was like ten dollars and the second was about fifteen I believe. Boy am I glad I pulled the trigger on this show!

The story of the show is essentially three guy friends own a bar in South Philly. One of the owners has hired his sister Dee to bartend. The first season usually involved some kind of trouble Charlie would get into. The second issue a woman makes Charlie believe her kid was actually Charlie's to pawn the responsibility off onto him. The result is that Mac finds out that women who are pro life are hot and so he attends pro life rallies to hit on women. Plenty of hilarity ensues.

The second season introduces TV veteran actor Danny DeVito to the mix after a long absence. His character definitely lends more credibility to the show and a misguided character who wants to be rid of his wife and experience his youth again.

This show is fairly low budget and on the gritty side. The bar is a dive, I believe the apartments are all the same set just dressed differently. It's likely a show that any of my friends could finance without a financial hardship if they knew of someone who had the equipment to produce it.

The show is well written, lots of character development, lots of edgy stories that poke fun at some modern taboos. It's everything a modern comedy should be and has the freedom to stretch it's wings since it is on FX, a channel known for edgy shows.

I'd highly recommend watching Testees...and if you can't find that watch It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia!

NFL Kickoff!

Yep! It is that time of year where the NFL starts it's season and it's about time! There is just way too much time in between the old season and the new season.

In my fantasy leagues I started one player last night in Rashard Mendenhall. He really didn't do much of anything against the tough run defense of Tennessee. I'll go over the rest of my starting lineups on Sunday's blog.

The game last night was a real defensive slugfest with Pittsburgh winning in overtime thirteen to ten. It was an exciting game to watch for being a defensive battle too, not really the boring game you would think with that many punts. There were several interceptions and both defenses made some really good plays!

I made this a short week and it's a good thing. I wasn't anticipating Thing 2 being sick (she has a strep virus) but I'll be able to watch her today. I've noticed at work that guys who have tons of leave built up, like over two hundred hours, aren't as happy as the guys who take off on a more regular basis.

I'm at the one hundred hour mark and I use my leave more frequently. Like when it gets to one hundred eight hours I take a day off. It's nice to do that.

Today is September eleventh, the eight anniversary of the attacks. Please remember the families of those left behind today.

Why Do We LIke Good/Bad Guys?

This is more of a spinoff of yesterday's post about the return of the show Sons of Anarchy. All of the characters are really pretty grey or good/bad guys. Essentially there is no difference between the two lead characters other than one has had some plans go wrong.

They both commit murder in the name of either self protection or biker justice. They both are people you wouldn't mind hanging out with and would feel safe around. Why were people more prone to like Vic Mackey over Shane Vandrell? They both were essentially the same character other than one wasn't as likable.

Wolverine is a madman. Batman is a sociopath. Cyclops is a punchline though, he is a good/good guy. Are there any characters left on TV that don't have any kind of super power that separates them from everyone else and are genuinely good/good guys? Is the antihero the real common denominator in a successful show in today's viewing world?

Is there one strong willed character who always makes the right decision in crunch time left? I'd say Jack O'Neil from SG-1 was pretty close but unfortunately that show has ended. I need another Captain Kirk in my TV viewing time. No super powers, always does the good thing for the noble reasons. Peace through strength and a willingness to project that strength to the enemy who hates you no matter what.

Yeah in TV you always have to have a bad/bad guy. Even though in the good/bad guy shows there really is no difference in them at all. In The Shield it was Forrest Whitaker's character Jon Kavanaugh who was brought in to take down the strike team. He was a good/good guy but we didn't like him because he was going to take down our good/bad guy. He stood for the law and for the officer that Vic shot in the very first episode but we didn't like him.

He just wasn't a likable character even though he wanted truth, justice, and the American Way. He wanted to take down the good/bad guy in Mackey. Eventually he had a flaw and that was pride so does that make him a good/bad guy too instead of a good/good guy?

See what happens when you blur the lines of the good white hat and the bad black hat?

The Return Of Sam Crow

Or Samcro, whichever. It matters not. What does matter is that Sons of Anarchy is back after last night's premiere and it picked up right where it left off. Last season took a lot of people by surprise as the show was gritty, tough, and explored a subject on TV that really hasn't been explored before.

Motorcycle gang life. Yeah if you watch the History Channel like I do you have seen the documentaries before about Hell's Angels, The Mongols, and the rest but this is the first series dedicated to the inner life of a fictional gang. And what a gang it is. I'd dare say that Sons rivals The Sopranos as far as intensity and surpasses it as far as storytelling goes.

I can't tell you how many times I got frustrated and angry over all of the dangling storylines that The Sopranos started and went no where. It's like the writers never talked about what they were going to do and would start a storyline and just leave it, it would be totally gone and forgotten two episodes later.

Sons doesn't do this. It is just as good as The Shield in terms of quality TV, it's as violent as OZ was when it was on HBO, and you have Ron Perlman as the lead character Clay. The good/bad guy and his step son Jax the vice president of the club and also good/bad guy. The difference between them is really paper thin and one could even argue that the only difference is their intentions.

Clay has had some things go wrong over last season and Jax is starting to question his leadership after reading through a journal written by his dead father. Drama ensues.

One of the great features about this season is the addition of Henry Rollins. The aging punk icon will hopefully be around the entire season as his white separatist character AJ Weston (the bad/bad guy) appears as the muscle behind a movement to rid Charming California of Samcro. It is really hard to tell the difference between Weston and the lead characters from a morality stand point.

They all are bad guys. It's bizarre from the standpoint of who to root for if you are looking for a good/good guy. That guy isn't in this show, no white hats here.
All in all it is a great show and I'm looking forward to this season, in all of its winding turns and twists!

The Walking Dead Compendium

The Walking Dead is a comic distributed by Image Comics. Most movies (Land of the Dead and 28 Weeks Later being exceptions) deal with the immediate after effects of a zombie holocaust of doom. TWD is different in that it deals with the long term effects of surviving.

Long term as in this is the way things are now and there isn't any hope of rescue, no hope of things returning to normal, there is only living in this world now. The survivors want nothing more than to contact other survivors or to have the government come and rescue them and make everything normal again. It doesn't happen, it won't happen. It isn't about being rescued and that is what makes this series so fascinating. It asks the question, "What would you do?" Hope has gone the way of the Dodo bird and civilization.

Surviving with you, your family, and your new found friends is all that matters. The "roamers" are everywhere and the places the survivors seek to find solace are always overrun with them. Sleeping with one eye open has become the norm while everyone is trained to use a firearm.

TWD Compendium collects the first forty eight issues of the comic series into one gigantic book. I mean it is massive as it is over one thousand full size comic pages. The series is into the sixties now in terms of numbers so there is a lot more to the story than where it left off.

I finished it over the weekend but it read really pretty fast for something of that size. I started it a few weeks ago and read it off and on.

This is the perfect medium for an epic zombie tale. It is done in black and white and that really has the effect of loneliness, desolation, and dread. I'm sure those were the intended effects of the stark landscapes presented. Overall TWD is a masterpiece of comic writing and art, very graphic as a world overrun by zombies would be.

Read it if you get a chance.

Rested Yesterday

Pretty much all day too. The only event that happened was when The Date's piano was delivered. After that it was grilling bratwursts and Lost.

I did watch the Atlanta race last night (which I extended my fantasy NASCAR lead by over two hundred points overall) for a while before The Date and Thing 2 decided to take over the couch and with their drug paraphernalia (the DVD remote control) undertook the penultimate episodic DVD of the second season.

Like crazed meth heads they got high as they mystery of the island deepened and took them farther into the Lost mythology. If they get up soon they can be on the third season by early afternoon.

This has been a really good three day weekend and it takes us all one day closer to the NFL kickoff on Thursday night which I'm very excited about! Come on Thursday!

Great Saturday!

The trip was really nice. My local fam got to meet my grandmother and aunt (mom's sister) and then we came back. It was a fast trip but nice. Then on the way back I turned on the Sirius and started to listen to the OSU game.

Those of you who know me know I'm really not much of a college football fan. I watch because it's football but I'm not as familiar with the players as I am the NFL. It just doesn't enthrall me like the NFL does. I don't play college fantasy football but I might occasionally wager on the college games to keep my interest.

So yesterday OSU is opening against Georgia and OU is opening against BYU in the brand new Texas Stadium. OSU gets down in the first quarter and it looks like the blowout is on but they come back, keep their composure and through defense and special teams destroy the mighty Georgia!

Then right after that game ended the OU game kicked off. They go up early on BYU but BYU hangs in there and before the half Sam Bradford gets nailed and injures his throwing shoulder. Out for the game, and then BYU through great defense and special teams does it! They knock off the third ranked OU.

Then I go to bed as I had been up since five thirty that morning and had two three hour long drives and a fifteen minute nap. I was tired.

So it was a really good day! Now it is also a three day weekend and I have tomorrow off as well and then Thursday is the NFL season kickoff!!!! Woohoooo!!!!!

Crackheads At It Again

So last night The Date didn't have school and so she and Thing 2 decided to have a five hour Lost marathon. If we weren't going to see family today then I'm sure they would be on the couch watching the rest of Season 2.

It was funny, they would pause it every time one of them had a bathroom break or had to do something. Then the other (usually Thing 2) would have to make sure that The Date hadn't unpaused it and watched something without her.

They would make horrible drug dealers as according to Tony Montana you never get high on your own supply. Yeah these two would be homeless and destitute if Lost were a drug.

Most of my friends have headed to Arlington to see the opening game of the new Texas Stadium and to Six Flags this holiday weekend. We are going to see family and will be back early this evening. Then it is two days of I'm sure crackhead heaven as I get to revisit the series and chuckle at how way off their theories are about the show.

They are doozies too. Aliens, the good guys are bad, the bad guys are good, nothing makes sense unless X happens. Yeah....they are in for a wild trip up until Season 5 comes out in December.

I believe that they can be caught up by the time Lost starts to air again but we won't watch it until the final season is done. Get the DVDs and watch it straight through, that's the best way with TV shows anymore. The commercials are longer and there are more of them. DVR is good but you still have to fast forward through them.

DVD is the way to fly now! Long live DVD and the shows that work best on that format!!!!

Outside The Club With The Velvet Rope

Ok so there I was as a kid, I was about eight maybe nine in the late 70's. My parents had just presented my brother and I with an Atari. The original system not the 2600 that came out a couple of years later.

The first game was Space Invaders! It was the hottest game in all of gamedom, the menacing doom, doom, doom noise as the invaders came one line closer to you. No it really didn't sound like that but if you were a kid with your very first game system it sounded like pure doom, doom, doom! I couldn't contain my excitement! I was the first kid I knew who had a brand spanking new system!

I put in the Space Invaders cartridge and started to play! Without exaggeration the screen went red about fifteen minutes into playing and the Atari quit working...for good.

It went back to Sears to be repaired and we got it back like six months later. Not kidding. Do you know how long six months is for a kid to wait on a system to be fixed? I'd draw the Space Invaders board on paper and pick off the aliens myself! It was miserable! Finally it was sent back to us and it worked well until it finally disappeared in a move.

Flash forward to earlier this week. My brother brings over a PS3. He had recently got a one hundred twenty gig size I believe and had no use for the forty gig that now resides on my living room floor. I was finally inside the fancy club that had the velvet rope up to keep me out!

I haven't been a console gamer in quite some time. Years in fact. I abandoned my Sega Genesis (and Sega CD. I did have brief flings with the Playstation, PS2, and Xbox before returning to my true love.) for the PC. I've been a PC gamer since as long as I've been online so going on fifteen years now and I've seen the 3D graphics revolution take over and push gaming limits again and again to new heights.

Meanwhile the console games have caught up to their PC brethren in terms of quality and immersion. While I lost myself in Everquest, Starcraft, and WoW, the console games have gotten better and better. It became a club I wasn't allowed to be in. I would walk the aisles of WalMart and skip the game aisle because I knew I wasn't allowed to be there since I was consoleless.

But that had now changed! A whole new world of the next generation console gaming had been opened up for me! I was gladly dancing down the aisles full of PS3 games! Gleefully reading about the latest and greatest game reviews! I had pre-ordered Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 so I could get the playable Juggernaut character! I purchased a used fishing game because I was so taken by the graphics at a friends house a few months ago!

I decided it was time for some fishing goodness on my new to me PS3 last night! I turned on the power switch in the back. The red light greeted me as I touched the front power button. It went to green, yellow, and started flashing red as it beeped at me!!!

It refused to turn on! It had been powered off since last night after I was done fishing, not just the front panel power, I mean powered at the main switch off! It hadn't overheated, it hasn't been roughed up, fallen over, or anything like that. It sat peacefully in one place just waiting to be played with...until last night.

It beeped at me!!!! So I call my brother and he looks up the warranty information online. I give him the model and serial number and it is out of warranty. It will cost about one hundred fifty dollars to get it repaired if I send it back in. I brand new one costs about three hundred and it is far bigger in storage size.

It is my childhood all over again! I'll be drawing Space Invaders at work today...

Random Observations

Chuck steaks make better roasts.

There is a guy who works at Gamestop at the mall that looks like Harry Knowles.

New video games really don't have that new car smell.

Watching someone watch a show that engrossed you is more fun than watching the show a second time.

Pennies in your pocket usually group together.

If you have a lot of dollar bills in your pocket and go to pay for something the cashier usually looks at you funny.

Charcoal is quickly becoming my favorite way to grill.

Some good shows aired last night. I was playing a fishing game though.

Twoguysagirlandatvset.wordpress.com is quickly becoming my favorite TV blog.

If you could know all of the answers wouldn't it ruin the journey?

Where Have All The Heroes Gone?

"Show me a hero and I'll prove he's a bum." Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington

I can't find independent confirmation Major Boyington actually said that but I'm going to go with it anyway for the purposes of this blog which is probably filled with more questions than answers.

It dawned on me today that finding a hero in today's cynical world is about as difficult as finding a spending cut in the federal budget. We exist in a media driven culture where heroes are written out for us. Filmed for us. Fed to us, heroes, anti-heroes, the latest hero de jour.

Is it that heroes don't exist in the real world?
Are we too cynical to notice a real hero? Are they not interesting anymore? At one time Neil Armstrong was the hero of an entire generation, now anyone under forty probably doesn't know his name. Winston Churchill helped defeat one of the biggest evils of the twentieth century and eventually the public turned against him.

Yeah when the world needs saving I'd like Jack Bauer on the case. When a perp needs roughed up and no one else will do the dirty work I want Vic Mackey. If a airplane is hijacked over Pennsylvania I want the true life heroes who brought it down, saving untold lives by the sacrifice of their own.

So why or how can a hero wear out their welcome?

I guess it matters what the definition of hero actually is to each person. To some it might be the caped heroes in the comics with extraordinary powers to stop super villains with equally extraordinary powers. Now they are all doomy and gloomy with dark origins and tragedy along the way. Is that how we can relate to our heroes? Perhaps they need to have something in common with us.

Everyone has had their share of misfortune. Perhaps it is to allow us a way to connect with someone we hold in high esteem such as a hero. If they can do X then we can certainly do X too. I mean everyone believes they would do the right thing when presented with a situation to be a hero, who has ever daydreamed about the day needing to be saved, the game on the line (usually accompanied by a free throw line and your team is down with no time left on the clock), and you aren't up to the challenge.

The daydream never goes that way. We always put ourselves in the role of the hero and really not the sidekick or the goat. Scott Norwood anyone? I mean did Mr. Norwood wake up in the morning and think to himself that if he had the chance to win the big game he would actually miss wide right? No! He visualized himself kicking it dead center.

I guess what this rambling post is about is what if I were faced with a bad situation. A situation that needed saving would I have it in me? I occasionally drink, I smoke cigars, I live a less than extraordinary life, quite boring actually. Would I be able to hold off a hijacker, would I be able to do X and then be able to live with myself after?

Would people hate me after if I failed? Would my friends help me rationalize my failure to make me feel better? Well I know they would do that anyway, I've got friends like that;) Would I? Would you?

Monday Night Football

Old Man River had a pretty decent three quarters last night. Peterson, my RB from last season who has moved onto other pastures this season, had the kind of game that frustrated owners last season.

He had a long seventy five yard TD on the first play of the game followed by about twenty yards on eight or nine carries. Still a great fantasy score but you wish he would be able to score at least one more time during the game. I know I know, it's preseason. The plays are vanilla, nothing is really shown to tip off the regular season play book.

I'm kind of glad I drafted Percy Harvin. It appears he might be an integral cog in the Minnesota Machine. He gives Favre a versatile player with speed to burn. It'll be an interesting season for sure!

On the flip side of last night's game I had Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Both looked like they were able to move the ball against one of the best defenses in the NFL this season. Slaton was able to get on track later in the first quarter and into the second quarter. AJ caught a couple of long balls but Schaub tweaked an ankle. He was fine and they taped it up and he got back out there.

All in all I was happy for some good football to watch and I'm looking forward to this season!