The Magical DVR!!!!

Last Thursday I finally got my first Digital Video Recorder or DVR, like a Tivo.
I have always heard wonderful things about having a DVR and really didn't think much about it since I had no problems programming a VCR back in the day.

However I have to say that in the digital world this really rocks. I have been recording Space Ghost and Dino Boy on Boomerang late at night and then again recording Wait 'Til Your Father Gets Home on the same channel later!

It won't record any repeats and it will record the entire series for me!

I really enjoy the geek aspect of the thing. If I could get it to delete the commercials then I'd be happier but I guess it won't. I can fast forward through them though which is nice!

I'm not to the point of not being able to live without it like the internet but I do enjoy it quite a bit:)
Technology rocks!

I'm Losing

43-46 right now. My opponent is done while I have Big Ben going tonight. If he goes off and gets a handful of touchdowns then I could very well take the money in the league again this week!

The perfect team had their first really close game last night but beat Philly after it was all said and done with. Team of destiny, just watch.

Back to work today. The next big break will be between Christmas and New Year's Day. I take that off every year. Eleven days off for the price of four. Can't beat it!

I enjoyed my time off, the bedlam party was amazing! Chianti was very outnumbered in her alliance with OU even though the party was neutral. Most of the other OU fans didn't show up.

Cursed Again

The second ranked BCS team seems to be just doomed. Kansas had its unbeaten season come to an end last night as it fell to the third ranked Missouri. I believe they are fourth in the BCS rankings. They should leap frog over West Virginia to be the number one team though.

As the BCS crumbles there will be more calls for a playoff system this season as the top spots have become like playing musical chairs and rotated between several teams. This would be the ideal season to hold up the fact that several teams deserve to play for the national championship.

It is amazing to think that college football has been this slow to adopt needed changes. They aren't baseball. The sport that is notorious for not changing at all while their TV ratings experience all time lows. Oh attendance is up at the stadiums though, whoopee. Who cares in the rest of the country?

The top eight teams of this year's field would be amazing to watch in a tournament.

It'll happen someday.

Its Pretty Out And The BCS Is Melting!

It snowed last night!
It looks very nice out but the ground was too warm and it is melting, there is practically nothing on the roads.

Yesterday was really nice. I got out, ran some errands, got a trim, bought cat food, blah blah blah. It was nice out, a little cool out but nice.

LSU got beat yesterday in a triple overtime thriller with Arkansas which gives Kansas the best shot at a number 1 ranking and a shot at the BCS game if they can win out.
Missouri and Oklahoma stand in the way of Kansas playing in the national championship game.

The BCS is melting down and a post season tournament has got to happen sooner or later. People will not stand for the mass confusion that determines the champion in college football much longer.

This year has been a disaster for the BCS with nearly every top team being knocked off at one time or another. It has been an enjoyable season

There is a big bedlam watch party today. I plan on bringing chicken wings, there is a new place that has just opened up and they are supposed to be pretty good. Its been a great few days off and I still have two more!

Post Thanksgiving

Well yesterday was pretty nice. I got some great ham leftovers to eat today and lots of chocolate!

The parade watching in the morning was very nice! The football games were great! I got a new Directv DVR from dad which is cool and has been fun to play with! I recorded Space Ghost last night:)

I got to finally watch a documentary I've been wanting to see for over a year now and even did a blog post on it, Darkon!

You can find the trailer online but it is about a large group of Baltimore residents who have divided up their neighborhoods into make believe hex grids and fight over control of them. These are everyday people who develop characters and play them in real life. It is about being a hero when so many people struggle with their average everyday lives.

The doc itself has finally been airing on IFC this month. I am glad I finally have had a chance to see it. It was as good as I had hoped and it really gives a good glimpse into the struggle against being normal and average.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Enjoy today my friends, even though sometimes you have relatives that annoy you, uncomfortable family situations, ho hum football games, enjoy today you might not have another!

Thanksgiving Eve

Yeppers! Five full days off now!

There is a three game NFL marathon on tomorrow, a BIG bedlam party coming up on Saturday, number 2 Kansas is taking on number 4 Missouri which will be an epic game with the winner going to the Big XII championship ripoff game.

This is why there needs to be a playoff system. All of the top teams get to settle it on the field instead of having to play an extra game when most conferences don't have to do that and can get into the National Championship game.

I'm meeting a friend for coffee at three this afternoon, she is home for the Thanksgiving break from college this week!

Weird Dreams

Tonight I had some weird dreams and now I'm up early. I really can't remember what they are about now but I know that they were bizarre. They weren't nightmares, I don't remember any feelings of anything scary or threatening.

I do remember being in another town, in a hardware store no less. It seems that it also doubled as a grocery store....and then there was the juggling elephant....

Sirius has turned on its Christmas channels! I like to turn it to these channels once they come online at work. It makes the day a bit brighter and more lighthearted. In fact one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time, Bing Crosby's Do You Hear What I Hear is playing right now on Sirius Online! This is a great time of year! Good food, good friends, good football and other sports!

I took first place last night for the week, I'm now in fifth place overall with 429 points. Between last week and this week's totals the remainder of my season is paid up! If this trend keeps up and my team can keep scoring at this rate I'll be in first in no time!

Today is my Friday at work. I'm off the rest of the week!

Second Place But

I have my kicker, Jason Elam going tonight. I have won my weekly match up even though he has Vince Young going. I am up by thirty nine points, a difficult amount to overcome with one player.

First place in the league this week so far is the Magic with 73 while I have 69. He is done though.

If I would have started Janikowski I would have had over 90 since he put up 22 points yesterday.
Its alright though, at this point my season is paid for. This is how my team was supposed to play every week. Laurence Maroney finally scored his first TD of the year. He was supposed to get at least 1 TD per every two weeks, especially on the highest scoring team in NFL history.

I might have lost Brandon Jacobs for a while, he went down with a hamstring injury. Hopefully it is minor and he'll be back in the lineup soon.

Overall it was a very good day! I do feel that I'll take first place tonight with a few Elam field goals, if not it doesn't matter, second place money is still decent.

Well I've Got

A good chance at a win this week which would put me over .500 again. I'm currently sitting at 5-5.
I'm starting Big Ben, Maroney (which is killing me this year), Jacobs, TO, Evans, and Calvin Johnson. Elam is my kicker with the Tampa D/ST.

I'm facing the 4-6 Eagles. I'm coming off a good week, tying for first overall in points which gives me half of first and second place money put together. I'm still 154 points out of the overall money which makes it very difficult to overcome but with a few weeks left it is possible, especially if Maroney starts to score and gets on a tear.

As I said it is possible but it'll be uphill.

It Seems That

The second ranked team in the BCS poll has a curse. Five times now number two has been upset with the latest being Oregon State.

Basically it seems that the top few teams have been playing musical chairs with the rankings. This is great if you hate the BCS! It will encourage the playoff debate and add fuel to that fire!

Who is the best team in the nation? Who knows! That is why the teams need to determine it on the field instead of voters and polls.

LSU - Tough team but plays erratically, they are penalized by having a SEC championship game.
Kansas - High scoring team, good defense, the only undefeated team in the nation, has played a light schedule though so we really don't know how good they are. Penalized by having a Big XII championship game.
Oklahoma - Always a contender, solid offense and defense, can compete with any team, penalized by having to play in a Big XII championship game.
Missouri - Don't know how good they are either since they have played a lighter schedule, penalized by having to play in the Big XII championship game.

Oh wait! There are THREE BIG XII teams in the top FIVE!!!! They have to play a game at the end of the season to determine the Big XII champion! The problem with that in the absence of a playoff system where the tops teams are included, a conference championship game works against the conference and penalizes the teams in this situation.

Say LSU wins every game now except for the SEC championship game, they will be penalized by the BCS rankings and probably not get a chance to play for the national title. The same goes for the Big XII schools. While it would be fair if every conference had a championship game it is unfair for only two to have one while there is no playoff set up to level the playing field.

So to sum up BOOOOOO BCS, Hoorayyyyy Playoffs!!!!

INDICTED!!!!

Yes the walking disgrace to baseball was indicted yesterday on perjury and obstruction of justice charges!

Well as big a grease fire as Michael Vick is, today he can say, "Well at least I'm not Barry Bonds!"

You long time readers of my blog know my opinion of Bonds and how bad of a guy he is. He used steroids to put himself back into the spotlight, he is a well known surly individual who hates his fans, has few friends, and an ego the size of California itself.

The Giants wanted no part of him after last year so Bonds was forced to go shopping for a team as a free agent. Well now the teams interested in him are breathing a sigh of relief since those who might have been close to thinking about signing him have now saved themselves a lot of money that they could invest into a better player who could actually help their team win.

In the end Bonds will have no ring, a hollow record that ARod will break in less than ten years, and will probably be a convicted felon. So Barry, I have to ask, was it worth it?

Bonds Indicted! Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Man Hall Of Fame Part 8

This manly entry has to do with boxing. I blogged about these men before but that was before I founded the Man Hall Of Fame.

"Irish" Mickey Ward and Arturo "Thunder" Gatti are now members. Not only that but they are the bouncers too. Find some of their fights on You Tube. The Arturo "Thunder" Gatti trilogy with Ward were without question the best thirty rounds of boxing I have ever seen.

That is a legendary trilogy of fights that have no peers. Ali - Frazier? Watch them again and then watch Ward - Gatti.

These two men epitomize everything that is good about boxing. A sport that is tainted with scandal, neglect, and people like Tyson.

These are boxers, fighters, and good men on top of all that.

Can You Fight City Hall?

My dad has been storing his bus/rv behind my house for a while. Well the city passed this very intrusive ordinance a few months ago the prohibits an inoperable vehicle anywhere on your property.

Yes that is correct, no inoperable vehicle ANYWHERE on your property. It must be able to start and move at all times. So I come home the other day to find a sticker saying the bus is inoperable.

Well a few months ago the police came by and gave me a red tag for the same thing, I pointed out that it is operable, I don't know how to start it but it runs and moves as it was driven here. They gave me a green tag and said that the case was closed.

So I call them up and the inspector, well she doesn't return my calls for one after I had left THREE messages to tell her that I have a green tag from the police saying it was operable. Then Monday I see her driving by my house but she doesn't stop to talk to me about it which forced me to take off of work to clear it up!

AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

I maintained my cool while talking to her. It was obvious that she had the IQ of a cucumber but I played nice. It is easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar.

I can't wait until someone challenges this ordinance in court, I'm sure it will be shot down quickly.

Man Hall Of Fame Part 7

This weeks entry into my Man Hall Of Fame is the show 24.
When America is in jeopardy there is only one man I want running the operation, one man I can count on to go to any extreme to make sure that nuclear weapon doesn't go off!

One man who still knows the good guys from the bad guys even though some politicians have a hard time figuring it out. He is unstoppable, his methods are the kind of methods we need in today's war on terror. He does what it takes to do the job and nothing short of that is acceptable!

Jack Bauer is that man and 24 is his show. Simply put Jack is the man and as such deserves to be in my Man Hall Of Fame!

I Have Won

My heads up game this week 67-40 and tied for first place overall in the weekly payout! Not a bad week at all but I needed these kind of weeks all along to compete for the top spot in the league.

When your first round pick doesn't score your team tends to struggle. My league is very competitive and it is tough to put together a top flight team. If your first pick tanks you are in trouble.

Today is Veteran's Day, go out and do something nice for a Vet!

Week 10

Well the number one team in the country, Ohio State, got beat yesterday on their home field. The BCS is in disarray this year and that is excellent for those of us who want a playoff system. The amazing Kansas Jayhawks are 10-0 as they knocked off close by OSU. It looks like their football team which has basically lived in the muck of their tradition laden basketball team is finally starting to get serious and create their own tradition.

They remain the lone undefeated team with a chance at the championship now. They'll have to get past Missouri and Oklahoma in the Big XII championship game to get to the BCS game. The BCS is melting down so get out the marshmallows and sticks and enjoy the fire!

Today I'm starting Roethlisberger, Jacobs, Kevin Jones, Calvin Johnson, Lee Evans, and TO. My Kicker is Elam and the Broncos D/ST.

I narrowly lost last week but look to rebound today to climb back up to .500 again.

Highland Park 18 Year Old

Thursday evening after work I decided to pick up a new bottle of scotch to try out. While I was really wanting another Islay malt I still have the Caol Ila left. I have tried a bottle from every region so far except one, Orkney.

This is a very very good scotch. It has a honeyed after taste. I never thought I would be able to taste a lot of the flavors I read about however I am starting to! I am really looking forward to exploring this one more to see what other flavors are in there!

It doesn't have the very smoky flavor of an Islay but there is some smoke present. I still believe that the Lagavulin 16 is still my favorite but this is a very good alternative.

Man Hall Of Fame Part 6

The next selection by me to my Man Hall Of Fame is probably the greatest middle linebacker EVER. Yes I hear people talk about Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, Mike Singletary, even Ray Lewis but to me the only man I would want as a middle linebacker is this man....Jack Lambert.

Jack Lambert, nicknamed Dracula in cleats, was an imposing force and was the mainstay of the Steel Curtain defense that dominated the NFL in the dynasty days of Pittsburgh in the seventies. Just take a glance on You Tube for some highlights sometime.

The man was awesome! No one dominated the position like he did. While Butkus was out and out mean on the field, Lambert was devastating. He was mean and intimidating. He could blow up any play at any time.

This was a man who stuck up for his team mates. If anyone cheap shotted them he was on them and I'm sure they didn't like the consequences of their actions. Jack Lambert played for eleven seasons. He revolutionized the linebacker position standing at 6'4 and over 220 pounds mixed with pure meanness.

Jack Lambert is in my Man's Hall of Fame, if you don't like it talk to him about it.

Do We Earn Happiness?

Now there is a question for you.

Other than a speed bump every once in a while I'm pretty happy. As I blogged about the other day I believe that things and people don't really make you happy. They might enhance your state of happiness but that really isn't what you strive for. I'm happy and at the moment I'm securing my financial future which will enhance my happiness! If I were unhappy I'd be just as unhappy then no matter my finances.

Everyone strives for the emotion of happiness and in our society, well in every society from history's pages, people tend to get it turned around. They essentially quest for things that they believe will make them happy while missing out on all of the opportunities around them that would give them the feelings they crave.

Happiness can be small everyday things, my coffee card for example. I'm very happy when it gets filled up so I get a free cup. Its not a mansion, a fast car, nor a massive yacht but a simple yellowish card with ink stamps on it.

I essentially earn those stamps by going into that one shop every morning. I do believe that when you earn something it does give you a better idea of happiness well along with accomplishment and self worth.

So why aren't more people happy? I do believe it stems from the idea that things make you happy as I said earlier. Once you have X then you feel Y, when the new wears off of Y you are back to getting X again.

Now this is kind of Pollyannaish but notice the small things around you. Watch the Sun rise and set. Notice the marks on the Moon. Look at the leafs on the ground. Walk around and notice the Fall colors. Simple but they will earn you a bit of happiness.

Sometimes there are people who are just happy being miserable though. They continually have a bad day and want you to know about it. Every detail of it. As if sharing their misery wasn't enough they want you to be just as miserable. I believe I've blogged about this as well but a while ago, they are just comfortable being unhappy. They feel maybe that they are unworthy of being happy or being happy is too much work. Who knows but it doesn't mean you have to follow their lead.

So take one part of being aware of things around you, add in some small action of some sort, stir and enjoy.

The Strike Is On

But will anyone notice? After reading many dismal reviews about this Fall season's offerings most people who don't watch the big draw shows will be happy to see what the studios have lined up next.

Perhaps this will give the writers a needed break to come up with something original and give the studios time to reimagine what entertainment is supposed to be. Originality appears to be nearly dead. Quality has been missing in action for quite a while.

Maybe this will be good if we can stomach the new round of reality shows that are bound to be coming our way.

Most shows will air their final produced show by the end of the year, you can bet that this will be a Winter in which people will find other things to do. Perhaps more people will turn to sports, reading, spending time together as a family, who knows what kind of crazy idea they will come up with. Perhaps by the time this is over we as a consumer will change the face of entertainment by demanding something better.

Roethlisberger

Scored me five touchdowns last night but I fell short of winning by four points, 45-48. It was a rain soaked game though and fun to watch.

My financial plan has now taken a very good turn! Looks like I can have my mortgage paid off in about thirty six months without a part time job! I'm very excited about this and I'll fill you in when I get it done! That pays all of the utilities, gives me a nice weekly budget, and pays off the mortgage about nine years early! It was only on a fifteen year to begin with so I've been paying on it for a while and have a sizable amount of equity.

Once that if finished I have options, lots of options!

You know, most people believe that you have to have the right job first and then you'll be happy, some thing you have to have someone in your life first AND THEN you can finally be happy, or a car, or some piece of jewelry and only then can you finally be happy.

I believe this firmly, with every conscious thinking cell in my head that if you aren't happy now those things won't matter one bit. It is nice not to worry about paying what you can every month but that doesn't make you happy does it? It might for a few days until you have to pay it all again. It isn't happiness, that is relief and delay.

Once you can be happy on your own THEN I believe that things will fall into place for you. You'll find someone to share your experiences with, you'll find more job opportunities, they won't make you happy but they'll enhance your happiness at that point.

Be grateful that you can read, that you have your eyes to see this, that you have people around you who care for you, isn't happiness the real goal after all and not stuff? I'm a pretty happy guy, when my mortgage is paid off I'll be super happy! LOL!

I'll also be just as happy if I paid it off on its normal schedule though. Do you see the difference I'm talking about?

Alone Most Of This Week

At work. My coworker, Picky Eater, is off until Thursday. These make for pretty good weeks. They tend to go pretty quickly.

My fantasy team chalked up another loss yesterday which drops me below .500 on the year.

In other news I feel good with the extra sleep! It feels like I'm sleeping in when in reality I know that it is just my normal sleep schedule that was interrupted by Congress.

I watched the second disc of Twin Peaks last night. It is definitely quirky and all David Lynch. I'll tell you all about it minus spoilers by the end of next weekend. This weekend was great! Yesterday everyone got together at Beersnob's house and we watched the game I blogged about last night! It is always a great time when you are able to get that many people together to watch a game!

I've got some great friends!

The Masterpiece Is Still Being Painted

The Pats recovered from a unstable first half to beat the Colts 24-20 in their quest for the perfect season. Tom Brady was merely mediocre at best and still won in a handily fashion.

This was the biggest hump in the Patriot's season so far and now only Pittsburgh stands in the way. The playoffs will now likely go through Foxboro and if the Colts should meet them for a rematch it'll be in the cold of New England now.

Normal Time Again!

I love this time of year, we are back on normal time and the dreaded DST has ended! I feel great now that I have gotten that extra hour of sleep back!

Today is the biggest game of the year as I've blogged about already. My fantasy team will be at full strength with Roethlisberger, Kevin Jones, Maroney, Lee Evans, Calvin Johnson, TO, Janikowski, and the Broncos D/ST. I feel I have a good shot at another win this week.

I purchased Twin Peaks the complete series yesterday. I've heard a lot about this show and over the years have caught a few minutes on TV but didn't watch it when it aired in 1990. This show burned out quickly but mustered a massive following that still lasts today, just do a search on it and you'll see many sites dedicated to the memory of the show.

I'm looking forward to seeing the entire series, it'll probably be my viewing this week. It clocks in at just 30 episodes with the pilot which I watched yesterday so with 29 left I can knock that out in just prime time viewing this week.

The pilot was quirky, enjoyable, and pure David Lynch. My visit to Twin Peaks will hopefully be a journey I'll remember for a long time!

Super Bowl 41.5

Tomorrow will be the biggest regular season game of the year and maybe of the past few years!

The Colts have a huge game, the Patriots have a big game and they play each other. The Colts schedule gets tougher and the Pats season gets easier and only have Pittsburgh standing in their way of the perfect season.

I really feel that the Patriots will win this game and probably win it easier than people expect. Probably by two scores. I think that the Pats are angry this year and won't rest their starters if a perfect season is on the line. Even after they have wrapped up home field in the playoffs they will still have their boot on the throat of the NFL.

I watched some of the Bear's 1985 season, they were a great team. I've only heard of the Dolphin's 1972 season. I'm witnessing the Patriot's 2007 season and I do honestly believe that once tomorrow is over with they will have the biggest season of all time.

I've blogged about this before but I don't think I can emphasize it enough, this is going to be a perfect season for the Patriots. Brady will set records, the team will set scoring numbers, and they will waltz through the rest of the season and the post season.

Wooohoooo!!!!

So there I am watching basketball and football on TV, it is a little after seven. A knock on my door!
"Come in!", I shout since I am expecting someone but then I think, "Usually Harry just walks in and yells knock knock so I don't have to get up."

I get up and who is it? UPS with my second monitor! I start to unpack it and plug it in when Harry shows up and true to form, and my wishes, he just comes in and says "knock knock".

So I plug in the monitor and reboot and after some color adjustments I have my second monitor back! I'm so happy!

Everything Is Good!

All of my numbers from the lab work were golden except for the blood pressure, which was lower than the last visit but still higher than it should be. My cholesterol and all of that was peachy keen.

I got a prescription for a medication that not only lowers blood pressure but also helps prevents kidney stones which I usually have one every two years or so since I was nineteen. I'm going to get the Y membership, my company has arranged for a monthly discount, so swimming will be a huge help.

I'm thrilled that everything is better than I had thought!

Doctor's Appointment

Yep today I have a doctor's appointment to get the results of my lab work that was done last week. I purchased another George Foreman grill for work to start making lunch there.

I'm serious about fixing the hypertension and not being on any medication. I'm also going to the local Y before long and starting to get in shape. I feel that swimming will be the fastest way to do that, I work all day so after work it would be pretty relaxing to swim and get in shape. Two birds and all that.

I've been eating healthy every evening, grilling a meat, slicing a veggie or two up and grilling that, drizzling it with olive oil and putting seasonings on it with no sodium.

I feel this is a very temporary thing and will be solved quickly. I have read about it online and done some research so I'm optimistic that it will go away soon.

Wow, can you believe it is November already? It is pretty cold out this morning, high 30's. The NBA season has pretty much half way kicke.....tipped off with about half the teams playing already. Next week the college basketball season opens!

It is a busy time of year!!!! I love it!

An Application

The owner of the restaurant was a bit busy yesterday but said we'd talk and gave me an application. He seemed to be an alright guy.

The cool thing about this time of year is all of the monster movies on tv. I watched Friday the 13th part III yesterday. It is hokey by today's standards but then again few movies stand the real test of time and don't become outdated. It was on AMC, a channel I don't really care for that much since it introduced commercials and shows movies that have been edited for tv. It used to be a great channel too, a serious movie fan's channel.

Friday the 13h was a good movie, in fact it was a good series until about the fourth movie. It had some good horror movie moments in it. Many movies today have been influenced by the success of that series. For an indie filmmaker it has the one storyline that always works. Take some teens, put them into a house, and chop them up. Many directors have gotten their start by such a movie!

I'm not ashamed to say that Locker was my version of that.

Anyway Happy Halloween my friends!!!! Enjoy all of the good monster movies!!!!

A Good Monday Night!!!!

It was good to me, I have a line on a small part time job to get my budget plan rolling. I am going to go talk to them after work to see if they are interested and I can get the hours I need and with them knowing it is only for maybe four months.

I only want to work about sixteen hours per week which might not help them as much as they need. If that is the case then I will look elsewhere. There are lots of people putting on their holiday workers now so if I get serious about it I can find work easily for the next couple of months.

The NBA season kicks off tonight or I should say tips off. This is a great time of year when all of the sports come together! With college basketball just a few days away and the NFL and NCAA in full swing, NASCAR is winding down, I even watch the occasional hockey game! I'd mention baseball but I don't think anyone really watches it anymore on TV.

Yep! A great time of year!

I'm Up

33-22 over Beersnob's team. I have Elam going tonight while he still has Donald Driver. With that kind of lead it will be hard to beat me and I'm middle of the pack in the weekly league standings.

I plan on going to Mickey's tonight to watch the game. I really enjoy it a lot but missed last Monday since I was at the theatre to watch the rehearsal and to give out a DVD of the doc.
Another week is starting and I'm sure it is going to be a good one as most are!

Actually I guess that they are what you make of them huh? I mean if you are dead set on having a "Monday" then that is what you are going to get.

If you are excited that another week full of opportunities is upon you then that is what you are going to get!

I purchased a George Foreman grill yesterday to start to eat a healthier diet. I am tempted to buy another one and leave it at work and make lunch with it everyday. It wouldn't take a lot to buy some meat and potatoes something simple to make. I have a first generation grill but this one has a temperature control and is quite a bit bigger.

I sliced a red onion, drizzled some olive oil on it and then added some sodium free seasoning then did the same with some sliced chicken breasts and it was done in under ten minutes. I could easily make some simple but healthier dishes at work and that would probably get rid of my hypertension.

Great Time!

Last night's party was very enjoyable! I got home around midnight but the party was still going pretty well when I left. The Exorcist: The Version You Have Never Seen and Them! were playing last night to add to the Halloween theme.

I have all of my main players going today except Maroney. He is questionable so I have benched him in favor of playing Kevin Jones and Brandon Jacobs as my RBs. TO is on a bye this week so Calvin Johnson, Lee Evans, and Issac Bruce start as my WRs. Big Ben is still my QB and I'm rolling with Elam and the Buc's D and ST.

New England continues on their march towards a real masterpiece of a season today as I'm sure they will pummel Washington. Very few times do we actually see something this perfect while it is happening and only in hindsight we appreciate it. I'm declaring now that even if you hate the Pats you should appreciate the perfection every week.

This is really something we have never seen before and possibly never again. Football played on this level with no one even coming close to challenging them yet, yeah this is a very special season if you are paying attention.

November 4th will likely be the last challenge for them until the post season as they line up against the Colts who are also putting together a great season but not quite as spectacular as the Patriots' s season.

Halloween/Cast Party Tonight!

It'll be fun and exciting!
Beersnob, the host, asked me to bring The Exorcist to watch until the party starts. This is a dual purpose party you see.
The cast for the new production is coming while the people who have seen the show already are coming to the Halloween party before that.

It'll be a great time!

My Suburban is now fixed and running on a reliable basis now! I have to return my brother's Suburban back to him today. They are having a b-day party for my nephew today so I am going to that.

There are some really good college football games on today. That always makes for an exciting day!

A Bad Wire

About six inches long is the cause of the Suburban's malfunction. One end had corroded and wasn't making good contact anymore. Not a battery cable type of wire, this is a very small wire.

So it'll cost me about three dollars to fix since I'll probably have to buy a roll of wire to do so.

I plan on going out tonight after the show is over with friends Bob, Wendy, and Sass who is back in town for a couple of days before returning to Mexico. I taped the show last night and it is very moving and inspirational. I'd seen quite a bit of it already in rehearsal but this was the first time I had seen the whole thing put together.

It really makes you ponder exactly how you see the world. If you can tell the difference between a problem and an inconvenience. Sometimes people around you might be annoying you but in reality they might actually be trying to help you, such as honking at you and trying to get your attention while driving behind you only to alert you that you had left your coffee and briefcase on the roof of your vehicle.

Yeah.

My friends sometimes things just aren't what they appear to be and all that glitters is also not exactly gold. My Suburban being down was an inconvenience, a temporary one at that and one that turns out is an easy fix. Finding out you have a terminal disease would be a problem and I feel I can tell the difference now.

Can you?

Not Fixed But...

It is close! I have a friend who had one of these and he believes that it isn't anything with the engine at all. He believes that the ignition switch relay has gone bad since everything that is powered up when that switch is engaged won't come on.

I replaced battery cables and ends last night to make sure that those weren't the problem. I turned on the key and everything came on like it should until I tried to crank it over and then nothing again. It all went dead.

It is a simple matter now to replace that switch. It sits on the steering column behind the dash. It won't take a lot to lower it out of there and check it out.

Tonight I am also filming the final dress rehearsal for the new production. It really looks like a good show! Saturday night is a big Halloween/Cast party and that will be a lot of fun! I know it starts around 7:30 and I also know it will wrap up probably after 3 or so. This crowd loves to go to parties.

Did I mention I have great friends?

Suburban Blues

Yeah it seems the past couple of days I've hit a minor speed bump on my happy little journey. The upside though is that I now have a 2001 Suburban to drive for a few days! Not that I don't enjoy my vehicle at all, I do, I like driving a diesel.

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a point A to point B person. I spent a few years in a body shop and as a result looks of a vehicle just don't really thrill me anymore. If it runs and is reliable I'm pretty happy. I'll drive it until the wheels fall off.

I start up my Suburban at work and about half way home I notice it is overcharging. There's a problem! I don't know what, the alternator is less than two years old and I know it is good after that rash of having bad ones a couple of years ago. So I get home and turn it off. I was planning on turning it back on again to see if it would have fixed itself, that maybe the gauge was glitching or something. I turn the key back on and NOTHING. It is now doornail dead.

Now with a new mechanical mystery to solve I pop the hood and start to sleuth it. A diesel is a pretty simple engine. You only need electricity to start it, you happen to need quite a bit as the compression on this engine is about 22 to 1 but you need it. Now I didn't have any which is a problem. I turned on the lights, check! They worked! Ok I know that the batteries are alright. I put the charger on them anyway and they are good according to the fancy gauge! Ok I'm getting closer now! I have a suspicion that it might be the glow plug controller on the back of the engine. I push on it a couple of times to make sure the plug is properly seated and WOW the console lights back up and I start it again!

So within about a half hour of pushing, prodding, and doing mechanic things I think I have the problem narrowed down. I turn the engine off and try again.....NOTHING. So now I am pretty sure that is the problem.

I'll have to call my garage this morning after I get to work and tell them what is going on with it. I'm sure that the controller has gone bad for some reason even though it was new. No big deal it should still be under warranty now.

Hypertention Blues

Are you kidding me?
I haven't had the flu since sixth grade, rarely have a cold, have a kidney stone about every two years, I blogged the last cold I had in the post "Headcold Blues", and I'm generally happy and always healthy! I haven't been to a doctor in three years! I'm in decent shape, I could stand to lose about ten pounds.

So now I go to the doctor and I have hypertension AKA high blood pressure. How did this happen?!?!?! I guess it is just one of those things but dadgumit I hate being on any kind of medication. Just don't like it.

I'm researching dietary changes but that scares me.
Eating good food is one of life's true pleasures, I'm not a gourmet chef but I'm a good cook and can hold my own. I'm a fan of eating.

Well eating good food is a pleasure, I usually eat bad food though. I can't count how many times I've had M&M's for supper. When I was younger and bulletproof I had them for breakfast along with root beer!

Perhaps that could be a contributing factor. Perhaps I don't exercise enough....or at all anymore.
I guess I really need to investigate my options. I go back into the doctor for a follow up next week. Perhaps it won't be as bad as I anticipate.

A friend of mine swims three times per week. That would probably help with the exercise and the meds could be temporary.

3-4

I won my heads up match up this week so I'm slowly crawling to averageness.....ick....at least my team is starting to get off of the sidelines and play again. I left about 20 points on the bench which would have helped but only in overall point standings.

I ordered a all in one printer/fax/flatbed copier/salad shooter/ginsu knife today. It should be in late this week. I've needed a printer for quite a while, I don't know when I'll ever fax anyone but it might be handy to have around, and a copier is always handy.

Anyway it has been a pretty cool weekend. Did some grocery shopping, laundry, few things like that.

I've come up with a plan to pay off my mortgage in 2.6 years. It is on a 15 year note anyway so it won't be long since I've already put a little over 5 in on it. I have very low debt compared to my income. My utilities are fairly cheap. All of that adds up to me having a very cool HDTV in a couple of years if I crack down!

I kept running the numbers for a couple of hours and it is possible to get it done. It would open up a lot of options for me with that kind of disposable income! I could actually pay my actors on the next big project for instance! The problem would be to discipline my lifestyle in such a way to get it done.

Not eating out as much, not buying as much junk, not adding to my massive DVD collection, lots of small things like that really add up. I'll have to figure out on what I can live on per week and see where else I can cut spending.

It is something I'm really considering.

Filming Thursday

For the new production at the theatre. Terri Galer is directing, long time readers will recognize her from Locker and Drinkbuster Weezy's mom!

Even though she has long been involved in the theatre and has been the assistant director many many times, not to mention has scored many productions, this is her first time in the big chair. I have seen scenes from the show and it is a funny and touching show. It is called Everything I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten.

It is comprised of vignettes and musical numbers. The set is minimal, similar to Our Town. Chairs, a blackboard, lighting, that's about it.

My fantasy team will be at full strength today which is little help since I'm sitting at 2-4 and last in points scored. Injuries have killed my team so far. After week two they kicked in and they have hurt a lot.

So today I'm starting Roethlisberger, Jacobs, Maroney (even though he is on the highest scoring team in the NFL, he has been a major disappointment) are my RBs, TO, Johnson, and Evans are my WRs, Janikowski is my K, and I'm rolling with the Bucs D this week.

The Last Time

I saw this movie I had to have been around eight. I was in my dad's semi with a tiny black and white tv trying to keep the signal going until the movie ended. I didn't see the start of it but it was easy enough to pick up on and get into. Last night thanks to Netflix and The Criterion Collection I was able to watch Robinson Crusoe On Mars in full!

What a great movie! It is pretty much a kid's movie but still it has a lot of appeal to it. It even has a monkey! Now what movie isn't made better with a monkey? Every movie should have a monkey in it!

The story is simple. A probe orbiting Mars with two men and a monkey encounters a problem and they are forced to eject. The struggle for survival begins. It looks amazing since it has been restored by Criterion. The effects can be a bit dated but overall this is about the story and not so much about the way it looks.

Can a man have paradise on Mars? From this movie I'd say yes! Watch this movie, you'll enjoy it!

Man Hall Of Fame Part 5

Today's inductee to the Man Hall Of Fame is a person. In fact she is was a unique combination of hotness and grace. One of the great directors of all time fell deeply in love with her and metaphorically killed her off in a later movie.

A man would never feel more manly than if this woman was on his arm. Grace Kelly could very well be the definition of hot in her prime. Hitchcock himself knew exactly what he had when he cast her and knew how to film her so the entire world would fall in love. He put her in jeopardy on screen and worshiped her off camera.

She starred in three films for Hitch, with respect to High Noon, the three best of her career were Read Window, Dial M for Murder, and To Catch A Thief. Hitchcock knew how to paint Grace Kelly with the camera. It has been theorized that Vertigo was Hitchcock's lament to losing Kelly to another man when she retired from acting in 1956. He recreated in Kim Novak a Grace Kelly look alike. It was by far his most personal film about love and loss. Not only in Novak did he try to recreate Kelly, he attempted the same with Eva Marie Saint, Janet Leigh, and of course Tippi Hedren.

Allegedly later on he unleashed his fury on Kelly in The Birds and Psycho, both with a platinum blond Kelly clones being killed outright in Psycho and taking a ton of abuse in The Birds. For the most part this is legend but there might be some merit to it if you read enough books about Hitchcock.

If you believe that she doesn't belong in my Man Hall Of Fame, that's cool but I challenge any man out there to watch all three of those movies (especially her entrance in Read Window) in a row and not love Hitchcock's image of her. Yes Grace Kelly might not have been the person in real life that she was on screen in Hitchcock's mind but that is the part I know I love.

What Is Sparta?

Alright so yesterday was VERY rainy. There is a big leak in the building I work in at the major intersection. It has leaked for years and years now and resists all repairs. It is probably the most expensive and least effective roof repair of all time!

Well my friend and fellow Drinkbuster Weezy had put this pic up on her My Space for a couple of days. I was struck by the idea of replicating the same sign at work to draw a few chuckles.

What happened was no less than bewildering. EVERYONE without fail asked, "What's Sparta?"
It had me screaming! Alright I can forgive not knowing anything about the Battle of Thermopylae and King Leonidas. I can forgive not reading history books or not paying attention in class. I can forgive not reading a comic. But come on people! EVERY trailer for 300 had this scene in it!!!! They ran for months before the movie premiered! Even if you have not seen the movie I know you have seen the preview for the movie!

Even a guy who has seen the movie TWICE asked me about it!!!! He thought that it had to do with the water on the floor and that maybe there was water in the pit that the ambassador was kicked into by King Leonidas!!!! I can't make this up!

I didn't know that I should have written out an explanation and taped it up above the sign so that people would get it and KNOW WHERE SPARTA WAS, NOT TO MENTION IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE SPARTA WAS, THAT WASN'T THE POINT!!!!

Ok so maybe I have a massive amount of pop culture junk rolling around in my head and things are funny to me and I just assume that everyone is on the same page that I'm on. I know I have a lot of inside jokes and subtleties in my head that is a bit esoteric. But this wasn't one of them.
This was pretty upfront and simple and still no one got it....

High and Low

This amazing Kurosawa film starring his favorite actor Toshiro Mifune is one of his attempts at making an American film noir.

The premise is simple, Mifune is an executive of a shoe company who after an argument with his fellow executives mortgages everything he owns to become the majority stock holder. On the same evening his son is kidnapped, he swears to pay the ransom which would kill his stock purchase deal and virtually bankrupt him. He finds out a few minutes later that the kidnapper has screwed up and that his chauffeur's son was the child who was taken.

Now he is faced with a moral choice, pay the massive ransom for an employee's son or pursue the deal which would vault him from rich to super rich. What transpires is two hour ride of angst and genuine film noir that only Kurosawa could pull off!

I'd highly recommend this as a Netflix rental! It is enjoyable and a classic.

Possible Projects Ahead!

With the fanfilm still in the works and moving ahead, it is moving slowly enough to leave me time to start another project. After I canceled the Chiller Channel project due to lack of a location I decided to hit up a couple of guys I know who have an interest in filming skit comedies.

They are pretty good at improv comedy and have had no outlet to express themselves since they are a bit disgruntled with the theater right now.

This promises to be a lot of fun and I believe in this case that material will be easy to come by. I also believe that we can get a solid group of five individuals to take on the skits on a reliable basis.

In other news, DID YOU SEE ME LAY DOWN THE LAW?!?!?! I AM THE LAWGIVER!
Yes indeed!

A Predicted Outcome

My team, shorthanded from bye weeks and injuries, took the predicted beating of 69-14 yesterday. There was some good news though!
Had a great time at Beersnob's party!

There were close to ten people there and it was just a very good time! We cooked out at halftime, had some wonderful football conversation, enjoyed a pretty competitive game for three quarters, and enjoyed the nice weather which soon after the game was over turned into a severe thunderstorm!

It rained a LOT and hard too. After I got home it really started to rain! It made for some great sleeping weather! I had two windows open in my bedroom and never woke up once!

I have to make some more DVD copies so I can get them mailed out! I need to send a copy up North and another copy to Weezy in LA. Her copy was cracked when it got to her. So I'll be doing that tonight after work.
I have had positive feedback though!

A Great Day On Tap

Despite my fantasy woes this year I've had some solid play from my players that aren't injured. Injuries have kind of summed up the results the past three weeks.

Today I have two WRs off on bye weeks, Roethlisberger is off on a bye, my RBs will be at full strength though with Brandon Jacobs returning off of the injured list last week and posted a good day, the Broncs are off on a bye so that puts my D/ST and Kicker on the bench.

I'm anticipating a loss, no big deal at this point.

There is going to be a great game and some communal football watching at Beersnob's house today at 3ish. There should be people from the theater crowd and my fantasy league crowd there, it'll be a mixing of both circles for me! It should be a great day!!!!

A Good Friday Evening!

Went to a Italian eatery with about fifteen friends and then over to the pub to hang out for the rest of the evening!

Most of the cast for the most recent theater production was there and we all just had a good evening! I had taken off early yesterday from work since it was pretty slow and I had some errands to run and some bills to pay. I had been looking forward to last night for a few days and it was a great evening!

Man Vs. Survivorman Vs. Wild

Man vs. Wilds' Bear Grylls is a survival genius. Bear is to survival what Jack Bauer is to defending LA against the nuclear armed Chicom horde. Throw this guy into the harshest environments on Earth and he will come out alive and in good shape.

Heck even MacGyver would take lessons in rigging up something from a shoelace, branch, gum, moss, and a turkey baster.

Water, shelter, heat, food and he could live anywhere! While I require electricity, indoor plumbing, and the internet, Bear just needs air and a minimum of broken bones to survive.

Next up is Survivorman Les Stroud who actually does his own filming while genuinely being stranded in the wilderness. While Bear travels with a cameraman Les does everything himself....for seven days.
Bear usually goes for three days I believe.

What Bear is to surviving Les ups it a notch since he is genuinely alone. If MacGyver looks up to Bear then The Duke himself looks up to Les for shear toughness.

Both of these shows are on a few times a week in reruns on one of my favorite channels, Discovery!

Underachiever

I'm afraid it is true my friends. I'm an underachiever.

After giving things a lot of thought lately and when I measure what I know I'm capable of and what I'm successful at, well there is a gap there to say the least.

I have two friends who have moved off and are pursuing their dreams and enjoying some success at it! I have another talented friend who would enjoy the same success if he ever moved and devoted himself to the same acting dream although it is nice to keep him here since he makes some killer drinks!

I really enjoy my friends when they are here however I'm much happier for them when they fulfill their potential, the same potential that is becoming harder for me to fulfill. It boils down to contentment.

My life isn't perfect but it is pretty darn good. There are people in my neighborhood who don't have it as good as I do. I have friends that I value deeply, a good paying job that allows me the extra cash to pursue films and the making of such, and I've got a decent house to live in and I always have a good meal.

I'm content in many ways. I've got a great creative outlet. I do need a killer idea though that can be shootable with a smallish budget. Pursuit of that is part of the fun though isn't it?

Yeah I admit to being human and as such I do find myself to be lonely from time to time but I do have great friends to lean upon and hang out with!

The underachieving problem, if it can be called that, is one that can be overcome though. It is one that is a challenge and should be seen as fun and not some kind of insurmountable obstacle! So now since I've identified the problem and solution, once again it is all good from here on out!

Here's to hoping your day is twice as good as mine and mine is pretty good:)

Man Hall Of Fame Part 4

To go along with my three inductees so far I am going to induct into my Man Hall of Fame something that is a bit controversial. However after you read my explanation then I believe you'll agree that it is essential.

The fourth inductee is someone whom 99% of men dream about. Someone whom some fortunate men come across a few times in a lifetime. The person whom they might even grow up next to and embody everything they could ever want. When they walk down the street together women weep at the beauty and perfection while men want to be that man. Alright that might be a bit overly dramatic but The Girl Next Door is my fourth induction into the Man Hall of Fame.

I had a girl next door growing up. I even tracked her down a few weeks ago and called her. She wasn't home however she is doing OK! I had had a weird dream about her and wanted to make sure that she was alright.

We had probably seven Summers together and lived next door for five of those. Now it might not seem like a lot but when you are a kid a Summer is a long long time. We had many neighborhood adventures and she was a bit of a tomboy and one grade older than I was. No, nothing like that ever happened but she has always been with me as one of those friends you never forget.

So here is to The Girl Next Door who made growing up easier and more fun than it ever would have been alone!

14-33

Week 5 was a loss. So now my fantasy team is two up and three down. I am starting to feel better about it though since my injured players are now all returning! I believe I can start expecting week 1 and week 2 type of results again!

Watched part of the game last night at Mickey's. This has also been a weekly tradition and so far I really enjoy it! I could really get used to this!

I know sometimes my posts are a bit dry like this and occasionally I come across with a flash of everyday living brilliance, although they are brief, few, and far between. For the most part I write these in the morning before heading off to work, where I gain several good blogging ideas which are usually forgotten by the time I clock out.

I gotta learn to write things down!

Silent Running

I've finally had the chance to watch Silent Running, the 1972 Bruce Dern scifi/fantasy movie. A friend and I used to chat online while mutually watching Six Feet Under and in one season Arthur Martin and the mom were having a movie night and they were watching this movie. I have wanted to see it since! I have to say that once you get beyond the hippie/tree hugger influence it is a pretty good movie!

I mean Freeman Lowell does kill off his fellow shipmates to protect a forest dome but other than that he is a pretty nice guy. He reprograms two droids to be his friends, well since he killed off the other three and hijacked his space freighter he has to have someone to talk to.

Apparently the Earth is now pretty desolate so they have grown forests on these massive ships and then for some unexplained reason they have to jettison the forested domes before returning home. Got no clue as to why but that was the order.

So Lowell takes his brand of conservationism to a bit of an extreme. I guess this could be considered a bit of a kids movie. It is Disneyesque in a way.

Worth a Netflix rental though!

I'm off to watch the Monday Night game in a little bit! So have a good evening everyone!!!!

Looks Like

I'm going to be 2-3 after tonight after a fast 2-0 start.
I'm down 26-14 and only have one player tonight while he has two and a good lead. Now lots can happen and I could still win but TO would have to have a very good game.

I watched 3:10 to Yuma last night, the original with Glenn Ford and Van Heflin based on the story by Elmore Leonard. It was really good. I'd like to see the remake actually and I'm anti-remake guy!

This has been a pretty good weekend. Watched some good football, had some good food, it rained last night, all in all just a nice weekend:) I'm kind of hungry this morning but really don't feel like getting out just yet to get some breakfast. I guess I should have gone to the store yesterday.

A Great Saturday Night!!!!

The tradition that was started a few weeks ago now has reached its fourth consecutive week with friends getting together and cooking supper for each other!
We had a wonderful chicken and pasta dish cooked by my friend Wendy! We had a houseful as well with six people total!

Next turn is mine! I'll have to find something really good! Time to watch lots of the Food Network!

In sadder news I believe one of my dual monitors is going bad. It is acting buggy all of a sudden.

Should be a good day football wise. Brandon Jacobs returns to my lineup today!
So my starters will be Roethlisberger, Jacobs and Bell as my RBs, Johnson, TO, and Evans as my WRs, with the Broncs D/ST and Elam rounding out the lineup!

Neither

I had planned on watching at least one of two Netflix movies last night but instead I didn't watch either. I watched the Louisville/Utah game and part of the Red Sox/Angels game.

I took off at noon from work and that was a good way to start my three day weekend:)

There are some good games on the football slate today! Tonight Wendy and Bob are coming over to cook! I believe it will be an Italian dish! I can't wait!
This has been a really fun tradition! It gives us all something to look forward to every week!

This is going to be a great weekend!

Woohoooo!!!! Friday!!!!

I went out last night to help celebrate my dear friend Catina's completion of her comp finals!!
I had a great time with all of the people! I was able to finally get to drink Laphroaig which is an Islay malt. Very smoky like the Caol Ila or the Lagavulin, but not as sweet or as smooth as the later.
There were some very interesting conversations but mostly I got the vibe from her that she now felt accomplished and complete!

It was very satisfying to see her in such a happy state after the chaos of the past year!!!!

Today is also the Friday before a three day weekend!!!! These days are always great my friends!
The day seems to zip by!

I plan on watching at least one Netflix movie tonight but I'm not sure which one, Woody Allen's Sleeper or Silent Running which is a early 70's Bruce Dern scifi movie.

All in all I expect another incredible day!!!!

1408: The Host

I saw two movies the other night and both were pretty good!
First up was 1408 in which a writer, John Cusack investigates haunted places. Now anyone who knows me knows that I complain about modern horror movies since they aren't scary and substitute gore and violence for tension and genuine terror. They rely too much on the cat in the closet scare tactics accompanied with the loud burst of music or sound instead of building tension through something called a story.

So here comes 1408, a movie that I've been interested in seeing since I first saw the previews quite some time ago. Too me this was a pretty good movie! It had some genuine tension in it. It was slowly built up so that nothing came off as phony or cheap. The acting was very very good. Samuel L. Jackson did a amazing job with his part but this was clearly Cusack's movie.

Watch it, I think you'll enjoy it!

Next up was The Host. A Korean version of Godzilla! This movie was half drama, half big monster movie, and half comedy. You say "But that's three halves!" I say it is a big movie and one of the reasons some of the best horror movies today are coming from Japan and Korea. Watch Oldboy or The Audition and tell me I'm wrong after you have compared it with the horrible movies we are getting here that pass for horror.

The Host was fun, about as scary as Godzilla but it was a fun and good movie all the way through!

Ever Have One Of Those Guys Around?

Who always said the wrong thing at the wrong time when the wrong people were around?

Well yesterday Bob, if you go back to the post about who my coworkers are he is in there somewhere, said something that embarrassed the entire shop they work in to the wrong people who will spread it all over.

Here is the story. An aircraft was ready to be moved, the senior guy calls it in and then they usually wait for the team to get there to move it. So they call in the aircraft and instead of waiting there they go to the parking lot and look at one of the guy's new truck for a few minutes. Meanwhile the team had arrived to move the aircraft.

They all walk in and then the supervisor asks where everyone had been?

Bob immediately spouts out they had all been in the bathroom!

While the rest of the shop was now trying to hide in shame, the supervisor then adds, "All of you, in the bathroom at the same time, like a bunch of women?"

Now let me be clear, there was no danger of being in any kind of trouble at all here, people frequently go to the parking lot for whatever reason and a new truck would be a good reason.

Now there was no reason to say such a line however ya'll don't know Bob. He says stupid things all the time and LOVES to talk about penis. I kid you not. He isn't out and out gay I guess, he has a wife and kids but if there were say a picture emailed to them that had a naked guy and girl in it, he always compliments the guy and ignores the girl. He has called one of the guys in the shop handsome on occasion and has a daily penis story. He genuinely gets excited at the word and I presume at the thought.

He has a Mickey Mouse high pitched voice and if you hear me do the imitation, which everyone in the shop does their own imitation, and look at me quizzically I'll explain why. Sometimes I have to catch myself in public because they just wouldn't get it, like my Captain Insaneo Laugh.

Bob always has an excuse as to why he can't do something he doesn't want to do and he doesn't want to do much. He has a lot of seniority so he isn't in danger of being laid off so he is just lazy.
No one in the shop likes him but he doesn't see it that way, the dull are always the last to catch on after all. They also call him the "Professor" since he is a know-it-all, for example if I'm talking to someone and ask them a question, Bob is always the one to answer before that person has a chance to.

To me it is quite hilarious since I don't work around him but when the other guys are down in my area they always complain about him and tell me what stupid thing he has done that day.

I'm grateful I'm not in that shop!

Battle Beyond The Stars

I revisited one of my old drive in movies last night via Netflix. Anyone who knows me knows that I used to go to the movies a lot as a kind and that the town I went to grade school in had a theater within walking distance and a drive in that either my parents or friends parents would take me to.

Well one evening around 1980 in the wake of Star Wars, Battlestar, and other scifi movies and shows, Battle Beyond The Stars was playing which is a Roger Corman version of either The Seven Samurai OR The Magnificent Seven but closer to the later since Robert Vaughn plays the same character by a different name.

Richard Thomas starred as Shad and when John Saxon decided to invade Shad's peace loving planet, Shad has to find people to defend them. You've seen it before however this version is not only good but a low budget scifi classic!

The cast is solid and do their best with the lines given them. The effects are Corman cheap but effective in delivering the story. It is very hard to find on DVD now unless you look on Ebay. It was a very limited release. I hope it is revisited though and cleaned up and restored. It deserves that much.

That is the beauty of Netflix, you get to watch many many movies from your youth that you really wouldn't spend the bucks to get.

Man Hall Of Fame Part 3!

So far the inductees are John Wayne, and Grills.

What better third induction could there be than Football!!!! Yes friends Football, the new national past time is everything most men want to watch on the weekend! I could have gone a bit broader and said sports in general but no one wants to watch baseball, golf, tennis, or hockey on TV. At least I don't and this is my Hall of Fame.

I love me some football though! I need it! Anyone who knows me knows I'm a fantasy football player and as such I plan for a long time for my draft, I plan my lineups, I watch the waiver wire closely, I study injury reports, and I watch week to week match ups.

I love football season and so does America!

Football, welcome to the Hall of Fame! I know you will be most welcome here!

Its A Football Sunday!!!!

I'm facing the weekly average today which means my team has to score more than the average of the other twelve teams.
My lineup is the same as last week even though Laurence Maroney is questionable. He is a better bet than Brandon Jacobs who hasn't played since being injured early in the season. I've been reading the news wire and there seems to be some conflicting information.

I believe he is a game time decision and might see some limited action but is not 100% this week. Next week will probably be a lot different story though. I've read that Calvin Johnson will play today after leaving in the second quarter last week after a hard fall to the turf.

Yesterday was VERY productive! Beersnob and I put down one more coat on the hanger floor, it just requires one more and it's done!

I got approval from Catina to duplicate the documentary so now anyone who wants a copy email me your snail mail addresses! I'll get one to you! I've made twenty copies so far so I have plenty!

We shot some closeup scenes in the fanfilm project! That was a pretty good start to the whole thing!

I had drinks at the Pub with my friends and got home around eleven!

It was a very good day:)

A Productive Friday!!!!

Yesterday Beersnob and I painted the hanger floor a very bright green! The primer we put down last Saturday was plenty dry and since I was off yesterday it was the perfect time!

Today we'll have to put another coat down but that'll go very quickly. We are also supposed to shoot some closeups today on the fanfilm project. That'll be exciting as we finally roll film! Speaking of film, I left a master copy at Catina's house for her approval! Once she approves or disapproves then we go from either re-editing or duplication!

Last night I went to a wonderful supper at a sidewalk cafe here in town. Many of my circle of friends were there and it was a great time! I had one of the best steak fillets I've ever had!
It was an amazing time! The only problem was that their scotch selection was very lacking.

No matter I wasn't in a big drinking mood. I purchased a new bottle called Caol Ila the other day and I have to say this is a very good Islay scotch!! It has a nice smoky flavor, not overbearing, not as sweet as the Lagavulin but smoother. I am really enjoying it! Not a starter scotch but after you have developed the taste then I'd really recommend it!

Hall Of Fame Induction Part 2!!!!

The second induction in my Man's Hall of Fame to go along with John Wayne is a Grill.

Nothing says you are more manly than to own a grill. I know I've posted about the pure joy of cooking on an open fire before. It is primal and very satisfying. There is something in our hard wiring that just makes cooking outside on a grill instinct and something we feel we need to do.

We are still essentially hunter/gatherers. We now just hunt from the grocery store, stalking our already butchered and prepackaged meats, looking for the right cuts, the right amount of marbling, going over our marinade recipes in our heads to see what would enhance those meats as they cook!

Yeah! A grill enhances being a man and manly conduct and as such deserve to be in my Man's Hall of Fame along side of John Wayne!

Three Failrues

In a row with the doc DVD. The first DVD locked up around thirty minutes in while watching it on a regular DVD player. The second was ten minutes. The third DVD, well I don't know what happened yet

I'm going to have to do more research I guess and figure out a better way.

I've gone with the title, "Right Now....Over Me!" It seems to fit the best and has a nice sound to it but I had some great suggestions and all of them actually fit in a way just not every way this one does.

So hopefully I'll have something figured out very soon!

The Man Hall Of Fame

I'm starting my own Hall of Fame. It will only consist of people and things I deem to be manly or that enhance being a man from pop culture and everyday life.

I'll introduce new inductees whenever the need arises and they are pretty much not debatable since this is my blog and my Hall of Fame.

My first introduction should be no surprise to anyone who knows me. He was a patriot, a great American, a prolific actor, and an icon.

John Wayne is my first inductee.

From all time great movies such as The Searchers to personal favorites of mine such as They Were Expendable and In Harm's Way, John Wayne epitomized what it meant to be a hero and a man and as such is the logical choice to be the inaugural inductee!

I Have Asked

A few friends to give me ideas for the title of the doc.

What I want is a simple word that means "To Bring Together" since that is pretty much what both storylines are about.

Chianti suggested the French word "Renour". I'm not sure about the spelling though. I like its simplicity. It is what I was looking for to start with.

Bob suggested, "...Right Now, Over Me!" which is a bit more abstract but if you think about it then you'll get it, especially if I tell you it is from a famous Beatles song, and if that still isn't ringing a bell then Aerosmith did a superior cover to it:)

I like this one a lot and plan to make both suggestions to Catina and see what she says. She is supposed to be working on the problem as well so she might very well have her own idea that she loves.

Monday Morning

I'm up and ready to get going! I have figured out what I want in a name for the documentary!
A cool word or phrase for "To Bring Together". Since that is essentially what the doc is about.

I love sleeping on problems! You wake up and WHAM all of a sudden you have a solution!
One word would be best but if it takes more than one I'm open to that as well.

I'll have to ponder it while I'm at work but I'm sure it'll dawn on me soon!

OUCH!!!!

I got hurt today!!!!
My team scored an outstanding 13 points while my opponent, the Warriors scored a league high 52!

I am close to the cellar this week instead of being even average. This week hurt as I'm going to wind up 2-1. I believe there will be only one undefeated team after this week which happens to be the team I drafted for my friend who owns the Crimson franchise.

Anyway I feel like I'll rebound nicely after this week's debacle and take the top honors next week!

A Busy Day!

"Ninety years ago I was a freak, now I'm an amateur!"
That line is from Jack the Ripper after he escaped the clutches of Scotland Yard in the 1979 movie Time After Time. A wonderful forgotten gem of a movie where H.G. Welles develops his time machine and hunts down his former friend Jack the Ripper in 1979 San Francisco.

Yep another Netfilx movie pick that I had seen long ago but not since. I love watching movies that I haven't seen for years to see how closely it lines up with my memory of the movie! Sometimes it is a very different experience and sometimes it is more than I remembered! This one was a very solid movie and should be watched or watched again if you haven't seen it!

Yesterday I helped move Chianti's piano, met her dad, went to the hanger with Beersnob, swept the place out, and primed the floor. In a couple of days we will be ready to paint the first coat of green! Afterwards we headed to the pub and got a drink to relax a bit. It was hot, dusty, and we were both pretty nasty after we got out of there!

I was supposed to go to a poker game at Chianti's house last night but I was pretty beat up and tired. I didn't make it but I know it would have been fun!

Alright today I'm 2-0 after week two and heading into week 3 I am making a change in my lineup. I'm using everyone from last week except putting in Isaac Bruce and pulling Lee Evans.
Buffalo is taking on the Patriots today and my guess is that Evans will do nothing against that defense. Buffalo hasn't had a very good offense yet and they haven't faced anyone as good as New England yet.

My opponent is 0-2 so far so they could turn things around this weekend but I'm sure that I have a good shot at making 3-0 this week and a good shot at the top 3 and making the money!

The Warriors are starting McNabb, Frank Gore, Brian Westbrook, Fitz, Hines Ward, and Shockey as his skill players and Shayne Graham as his kicker with the Redskins D/ST.

I like my matchups a bit better this week than his so I'm looking at a good day!

A Night Out

At the pub last night. My friend Bob and I hung out and watched to see who went to see the Gaslight show. We saw several people we know and had a pretty good time!

I'm about to go help Chianti move a piano and grab some breakfast. I'm hungry!

It looks to be a quiet day. Not much planned but I might watch a couple of games later on. I think Alabama vs. Georgia might be a good one. I'm just kind of in a waking up mood right now. Just a chill out and enjoy the weekend mood:)

Alone At Work!

At work. The other guy who works in the shop with me is off today so that usually makes for a fast work day!

There isn't a lot to do at work today so I'll make sure I have my Ipod and will probably think about how many times an Iphone would be great to help pass the time! Then I remember that it only has 8 gigs and how little that really is anymore.

Wow times have changed! My first PC in late '95 early '96 had a 13 gig hard drive and a 33.6 modem! I took off work when I bought a 56K modem to install it and play around with the higher speeds!

Now I average just over 1 MB per second downloads and have 4 gigs of RAM, and 1.2 terabytes of total storage! I have single files that are more than 13 gigs! I makes me wonder how in the world they are going to get faster and what a PC in ten years will be like! A 16 core processor, two terabytes of RAM, 150 terabytes of storage, quad core video cards!

I love technology! The future is exciting!!!!

The IT Crowd

A dear friend of mine told me about this hilarious British show! It revolves around two IT guys and their woman boss who knows nothing about computers. They typically get no respect and often find themselves in some very awkward experiences that will make you wince from time to time.

It is a bit better than the BBC's The Office and like that show this one will be ported soon into American homes. I was pleased to cook supper last night for Wendy and her daughter Ashley and I was able to introduce them to this amazing show! They laughed the whole time, it was a wonderful experience!!

Supper was pretty good too. I was on my "A" game. I grilled a pork tenderloin, made some baked beans (with special ingredients to make them actually taste good) and I taught Wendy how to fry potatoes. She knows but she just doesn't cook them that way. All in all it was a wonderful evening!

Children Of Men, Hot Fuzz, AND I Finished The Rough Cut!

It was a busy evening for me!
I had some more footage to capture for the documentary and while I was doing that I watched Hot Fuzz, from the makers of Shaun of the Dead.

It was pretty funny! I wished I had watched it sooner. My impressions are that it is enjoyable while it spoofs the buddy cop genre movie. There are some graphic moments but for the most part they are kind of cartoonish.

Children of Men was a bit more somber. Earth's population of humans is ending as their hasn't been a baby born in 18 years. It is a somber and depressing movie that has some action elements in it. I really didn't care about the politics of that time much and that was largely the context. It was an OK movie but just didn't fit my mood at the time.

Now the big news! I have the rough cut finished for Catina's documentary! It clocks in at ninety four minutes! That is a very good running time and I haven't added credits yet! Those will only add about one to two minutes tops so this should be very close to the final running time. I now just have to have Catina watch it and make suggestions on any changes.

All in all a very busy and productive evening! I'm happy!

Monday Night Football

I spent last night at a local sports bar with Beersnob and Nick the boy intern. We watched MNF and had supper. Beersnob was kind enough to purchase two scotchs for me, we had The Macallan and Glennfidich. He is new to single malts and always drank Dewar's. In fact he is one of the two reasons I decided to try to acquire a taste for scotch.

It was pretty fun! I finished up fantasy wise in seventh place overall this week. Not good but I did win my heads up game. When you aren't in the money you hope you at least win your match up.

Anyway it was a lot of fun and a good way to spend the evening! I can see this happening a few times this season!

Another Win!

I put up 34 points yesterday while my rival hit the 19 point mark.
We are both done so that is official. First place until tonight has 67, while second and third have 66 and 64 respectively.

My team really didn't score that much. My RBs struck out in fact. My blue chipper hasn't scored in the first two games. He has put up a good amount of yards but not enough to make any points.

My WRs are the real strong point of the team so far with Calvin Johnson and TO leading the way. Lee Evans is explosive and a great WR but he hasn't done anything so far while the other two have five TDs in the first two weeks between them!

It was a good weekend but pretty slow. I didn't get out much except to get food and run a couple of errands. I got a cool refund from my insurance company though! I get to put that in the bank today!

Boomerang

While in between football games I watched a lot of Boomerang yesterday. I saw probably fifty cartoons I hadn't seen since I was a kid. Mostly all Alex Toth cartoons such as Space Ghost, The Herculoids, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, and Shazzan.

There were other cartoons too from the same era such as Samson and Goliath, Moby Dick and The Mighty Mightor, a lot of DC comics cartoons, and a few others.

I love this channel! When I was a kid we'd rush home after school and watch Underdog and then they had a cartoon show on after that where they would show some of these cartoons at random intervals.

These are feel good cartoons where good always wins in less than a few minutes. The evil guys are clear cut and even declare their evilness openly, along with their plans. If only the real world was as simple! These shows were just a lot of fun! I hope they are on every Saturday!

Today I'm starting the same lineup as last week:
Roethlisberger
Tatum Bell and Laurence Maroney
Calvin Johnson, Lee Evans, and TO
Elam and the Broncos D/ST

This should be a good day and I expect to score in the low 40's.

Oban

I purchased a bottle of Oban yesterday. A scotch that is a bit fruity to me, pretty much no smoke, a lot like the Auchentoshan but older and smoother at fourteen years.

This is a West Highland malt but I find myself enjoying the Islay malt Lagavulin the most so far. I believe my next bottle will be another Islay malt.

It is week two of the NFL season! I'll be facing The Outlaws in my money league whose heavy hitters are Marshawn Lynch and Fast Willie Parker. A formidable combo however his WRs are a bit light with Anquan Boldin, Braylon Edwards, and the best of the bunch Reggie Wayne.

If Wayne, Parker, and Lynch go off I could be in trouble.

I'm about to head to the store and find some breakfast. I'm hungry! This is going to be a good college football day with the main event being USC vs. Nebraska in Lincoln. If USC is going to lose this year this will be the place. It should be a good game in prime time!

Eighty Minutes!

I have a full eighty minutes now edited! The doc is about 75% done. That is getting pretty close and that makes me happy!

Well happier since I'm naturally a pretty happy guy anyway. Its a payday Friday, I get a free cup of coffee this morning, and there is a lot of good football this weekend! How cool is all that?!?!?!

I went to a local store and looked over some HDTVs. Some of them were simply amazing! I've been antiplasma/LCD since early on since I've read on several message boards about them burning out and having a short lifespan. However the ones I saw yesterday have about a 60,000 hour lifespan which at eight hours per day is about a 20 year life.

I don't watch TV eight hours per day, well during the week anyway I don't. On the weekends is a different matter. So now I'm kind of proplasma/LCD. The picture on the Sony Bravia was astounding! I want to find a Toshiba Regza and compare. It would be cool to be able to get a HDTV and be neutral on the HiDef DVD war meaning that you have both a HDDVD and BluRay player.

That is probably my next home entertainment goal by next football season.

A Case Of Molson

Tuesday, late Tuesday afternoon I got to do something a little bit creative at work. I got to paint a refrigerator. While not spectacular in the challenge department it was still different and a little fun.

Not to mention since it was a favor for them they gave me a case of Molson beer which Chianti has spoken for. I would have done it for less than a case just for something different to do!

They picked it up yesterday over lunch and left the beer. Then they emailed me and thanked me for it. So even though I wasn't there to hear if they liked it or not they were very thankful so I am assuming that they liked the way it looked.

I know that I was happy just to do something different to break up the day! It helped the week go by fast!

Half Way Done

After last night I'm nearly at the half way point in the doc. Actually a bit over half way as I reviewed more footage and have a better idea of what to include and what to exclude. That is really the time consuming part is going through over forty hour and a half long tapes to see what adds to the story I'm constructing.

The editing part is actually pretty fast.

I've got a good idea now of where I'm going with it and that helps a lot since you have to find a story. Once you have a direction then you know kind of automatically what to do.

I still have close to twenty tapes to go through though but at this point I just want to make sure I can do the story justice.

Beauty

Those of you who know me know I have a fascination with beauty and what defines it.
From Paul Potts amazing and heartrending performance to random, anonymous, selfless acts I am fascinated.

From haunting, beautiful voices, to ugly situations which produce people of grace I'm interested. Those of you who know me know that I've been known to produce tears at the most inopportune times because of such events.

You know something? I'm not embarrassed about it either. I remember a story about Elvis once when he was asked why he drives around in a pink Cadillac.

"Because I can." was his reply as is mine. Everest is there, climb it. Water is there, swim in it. Hurt is there, experience it. Love is there, revel in it. The sky is above and the earth is below, be grateful for them.

I appreciate beauty in its many many forms. I appreciate beauty in its ugliness. I appreciate beauty in its majesty. When you hear wind through a willow tree, that is beauty. When you see a sunrise so powerful it brings tears, that is beauty. When you see someone who helps their fellow man in the most simplest of ways to never be acknowledged, that is beauty. When you see a flower so sublime that you stare at it for what seems like hours, that is beauty. When you see a adoption video (that I happened to have shot) a few times and see the achingly beautiful moments and know the context for which it represents, that is beauty so ultimate that words fail.
A day so perfect you'll never forget it, be thankful.

I hold myself up as a expert on beauty since I know that in nearly every way it is the opposite of what I am, hence my self proclaimed title of expert. Yeah if you know me you know it is true.

On this sacred day I ask you to remember the beauty that was show by complete strangers six years ago today. Those helping selflessly in the face of devastation and certain death on Flight 93. Ultimate beauty in courage and self sacrifice. Please honor that beauty.

Go out and do something for someone else. Make today beautiful.

Pretty Cool Day!

Yeah it wasn't bad at work either but it was nice this morning. It was rainy but it was beautiful out, it is kind of hard to describe and I wouldn't be able to do it justice so I'll leave it to your imagination my friends.

The typical work time drama seemed to have been in high gear while I was gone last week so I'm glad I wasn't there to hear any of it:) I really have no stomach for it. Some of these people really aren't happy unless they are unhappy and that is really strange to understand.

It is like they just don't understand what it is like to just be happy and have to create problems for other people around them, sometimes for no other reason than just because they are bored and can. They always want someone around them in trouble and will be happy to stir some up if there is none going on at their convenience.

Anyway I'm about an hour and a half away from heading up to the pub to help celebrate Catina's birthday. As I said earlier it is actually tomorrow but it is a good evening for it:) She had a very strong emotional reaction to the documentary. Well to the parts she saw, I'm about half done so far.

I'm pretty happy with the rough cut so far and I know it'll get better from here!!!!
It always does!!!!

A Win

Well I scored a league high 55 points yesterday however I will still probably lose first place overall since my team is done and the team that has 54 points has three players going tonight.

I still have the heads up win though since I won that match up 55-17 and I should still win money this week by placing in the top three!

All in all it was a great day of football! I watched several games then went over to Beersnob's house and watched the night game with Marshall, and Chianti. That was a fun time as well and made for a nice evening!

Tonight there are two games but around 7:30 I'm going to the Pub to celebrate Catina's birthday (which is actually tomorrow) and to have a drink with them.

All in all everything is a lot of fun right now and despite going back to work this morning it doesn't matter since this past week was a nice relaxing week and I wanted one of those!

Wooohooooo!!!!

Well first off it is Sunday and the first full day of NFL games! It is going to be a pleasure to watch everyone of my players when I want to with the NFL Ticket! I'm very excited today!

I believe I'm looking forward to the Patriots and the Jets this morning the most. It should be a good match up and my number 1 pick was Laurence Maroney who is the RB that will carry the heavy load for the Pats this year.

Secondly Catina came over yesterday to watch me edit and to see my progress. She loved what I'd done so far and that was encouraging! We talked for probably three hours about it and the upcoming production Misery. Her birthday is this week, the 11th, so tomorrow after she gets out of Gaslight board meeting we are going to grab a drink in celebration!

Thirdly Lloyd Carr is going to be fired. Michigan lost in the Big House AGAIN to Oregon and Notre Dame is just as bad. They are also 0-2 and no signs of picking up. It is interesting when two big time programs are down at the same time.

Anyway it is early yet and I still have some serious TV watching to do until kickoff so here is my week 1 lineup:
Big Ben Roethlisberger is my QB
Maroney and Tatum Bell are my RBs
Lee Evans, Calvin Johnson, and TO are my stud WRs
The rock steady Jason Elam is my kicker and I am starting the Broncos D/ST

So have some fun today and enjoy the games!

Hanger And Editing Today!

Yes my friends today Beersnob and I are headed to the hanger to do some floor painting and then around three Catina is headed over to help edit the documentary! This is going to be a fun day!

I went to bed around 9:30 last night. I was pretty sleepy all of a sudden and just felt like bed.

Football tomorrow and then back to work Monday.

It looks like it rained pretty much all night here. It is cool and water is standing in the ditches.

Thai Supper!

Yep I had a friend and her daughter come over last night and we cooked a Thai curry supper!
It was very tasty and we all enjoyed it while watching Indy rout New Orleans last night 41-10.

Neither Drew Brees or Reggie Bush scored last night so I was golden! I have my whole team going and my opponent is now two players down with zero points!

My Blade Runner glasses came yesterday too! So we broke them in last night and had a wonderful time! I am hoping we do the cooking thing again soon! It was a very fun time.

Kickoff!!!!

Yes my friends, the one evening that every single football fan looks forward to is here finally!

The Colts vs. The Saints! I don't have any player going tonight but I'm probably going against Drew Brees and Reggie Bush....as if I needed any other reason to watch! LOL!

So far the week off has been amazing and has yielded just over 40 minutes of edited footage and lots of relaxation. I fixed a ranch burger this morning on the grill, a friend of mine is coming over tonight to cook me a Thai curry supper, and everything is great!

I'm watching the third season of Desperate Housewives today and working on the documentary!

Life is good.....

Voice Of An Angel

I have to tell you my friends that when I listen to Alison Krauss I listen to an angel. She has the most amazingly beautiful voice! I can listen to her for hours on end and feel better with each song!

My friends that is beauty that makes me weep to behold. That is The Grand Canyon, Walking on a untouched beach, Strolling on the Moon and watching the Earth come up over the horizon, a cabin in the Colorado mountains with your lover. This is beauty.

She has a voice that everyone can love and appreciate and even though Bluegrass music isn't mainstream I guess it doesn't matter to me. If you can't appreciate this voice I would have to question your humanity.

I've Edited

About 26 minutes now on the documentary project. That is pretty good so far. I like the pace.

I purchased a bottle of Auchentoshan yesterday. It is a much lighter scotch than Lagavulin. It has more of a fruity, crisp flavor. Really pretty smooth for a 10 year old and almost no smoke flavor. It is a easy drinking scotch.

So far my vacation has been filled with satellite tv, editing, putting the short project together, and relaxing! What an amazing time this has been:)

Tomorrow night the NFL season kicks off!!!!! Woohoooooo!!!!

Remakes Suck

Remakes suck for a reason. They are rarely better than the original and 99% of the time suck.
Chris and I went to see Halloween yesterday and it was bad bad BAD.

So how do you tell a bad movie? You don't like it and you don't hate it. I caught myself wondering if I liked Big Macs or Whoppers better while during a "crucial" moment of the movie. There was just nothing compelling about the movie even though it looked good.

Apparently if you go crazy as a little kid then you gain super strength without touching a weight. The real shame is that Brad Douriff and Malcom McDowell are incredible actors who amazingly did the best they could with a horrible script.

I yawned a lot, felt no tension at all, didn't care for the characters, and was happy it was over and wished it was over with way before it was.

Rob Zombie just can't make a good horror movie. He has fallen into the modern filmmaker trap where filmmakers substitute gore for tension. For some reason they figure if there is more blood then it has to equal scary! That is so false! Some of the most tense horror movies of all time had practically no gore or blood. Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Jaws, Halloween even had almost no blood instead of the copious amounts found in this version.

Blood does not equal scary people.

Alright enough of that. I have joined the Satellite TV Revolution!!!! I now have a DirecTV system which I'm now able to watch the NFL Network which my cable system refuses to get and other channels at a much cheaper price. In fact I'm saving so much money on my cable bill that I can purchase the NFL Sunday Ticket! How cool is that?!?!?!

I love Sirius and now I love DirecTV! I can't wait to take my cable box back up to the office and cancel my cable (I'm keeping my internet service) telling them why I'm canceling.

Them - "Why are you canceling your service sir?"
Me - "You didn't get me the NFL Network."

Hehehehe, gives me goosebumps.

A Good Day!

Yesterday rocked! I was in a cooking mood so I made a meatloaf I saw off of Food Network and it was really good! They have some great recipes on there!

I made the meatloaf, fried some potatoes, chatted with friends, ate some Ben and Jerry's, and enjoyed a glass of Lagavulin! How cool of a day is that?

Today is Labor Day and the unofficial end of Summer. It is also the start of me being off all week!
Well I guess Friday was the official start of me being off but that was more of the end of last week.
The days are already cooler and the Sun is coming up a little later.

I plan on setting up everything I need to film my contest short this week while doing the editing for Catina's project. She asked if she could come over and help!

Now I'm just going to get some cereal and have some breakfast:)

David Is Still Kicking

Last season in college football we were treated to one of the biggest upsets in NCAA history when Boise State defeated annual powerhouse Oklahoma.

Yesterday a upset happened that dwarfs that one completely as back to back Division II champions Appalachian State defeated the 5th ranked Michigan AT The Big House!!!!

Yes for the first time ever a ranked Division I team was beaten by a Division II team. Goliath just fell flat on his face yesterday as the team with a winning attitude was sent to be a sacrificial lamb warm up game in Michigan's march to a National Championship began.

Then the unthinkable happened, David came to play instead of laying down.

They pulled off the massive upset in the final twenty seconds as Michigan lined up for a chip shot field goal with twenty ticks left which would give Michigan a one point victory. What happened was that David blocked the field goal attempt and nearly scored another touchdown which sealed a 34-32 Appalachian State win and a place in college football history!

Expect Lloyd Carr to lose his job this season and expect Appalachian State to win another National Championship in Division II football.

Lagavulin

I purchased a bottle of 16 year old Lagavulin the other day. I have to say that this is a Islay scotch which means it is very smoky and peaty.

I have to say that after the first drink wasn't all that good. I had about 10% scotch the rest in water and ice. It was very very smoky. I mean it was like you took a whisky drink and put liquid smoke in it!

The second drink was much better actually, it had about 40% scotch and the rest in water and ice. There was so much more flavor that I was missing. There was a sweetness to it and it tasted more like a cookout. I sat there thinking that this would be great with friends around a campfire!

I also ordered two whisky glasses yesterday! I blogged about these glasses before, they were the ones used in Blade Runner. Well not the exact same glasses but the brand! They should be in this coming week!

I can't wait! It will be so great to have two quality glasses to drink from! Especially since late this year the Ultimate Blade Runner DVD set is coming out! You can bet where I'll be with glass in hand!

I really feel that my scotch experiment has been a success. I am able to distinguish flavors now and I really enjoy the differences! There is a huge difference between blends and single malts. Blends miss out on a lot of flavor. It is hard to explain but if you did the Pepsi Challenge with a blend and a single malt I am sure that you would prefer a single malt 9 out of 10 times!

Oh, I am off this coming week and I started my vacation yesterday! AH-HAHAHAHA!!!!!!