Nice huge temperature drop between yesterday morning and yesterday after work.... it was 11 degrees when I came in this morning.
Today is a special birthday - Clay Aiken turns 28 today and my brother is the world's biggest Clay Aiken fan, otherwise known as a "Claymate"! So of course my brother asked me to pay tribute to his "Idol" and wish him a happy birthday! Claymates Unite!!
There are already reports of kids/adults injuring themselves or becoming sore from playing the new Nintendo Wii. They claim that the arm movement makes their body hurt after extended use. Nintedo's response? It means you're out of shape and you should go for a walk every day. Good for them.... people being out of shape and expecting to do something that is actually physical is not Nintendo's problem.
People are also upset at broken TVs, Stereos, furniture, or even the remotes themselves. There are a few instances of broken wrist straps causing the individual to lose their grip on the controller, but most of the time it's from stupid users. It all comes down to stupid users doesn't it? Don't throw the controller, you might break something dummy!
Today is also the birthday of Bo Jackson. Bo knows blogging! Bo had so much potential to be one of the greatest athletes of all time till he was injured. As a backup running back to Marcus Allen (one of the greats), he still was able to make a huge name for himself. I remember his 90+ yard touchdown run on MNF. He had 221 yards total that night. He was most likely the fastest player in the league which as a running back, scares most defenses. It's a shame he was forced to leave the game so early. Bo also had my 2nd favorite commercial set of all time (behind #23 of course). Bo knows!
And did anyone else catch the Ohio State/North Carolina bball game last night? That was pretty fun to watch and it helps start to gauge me in the right direction for College Basketball! Big week for ISU Basketball - We just lost to UNI, but up next is Drake and then the much hated Hawkeyes. GO CYCLONES! 6-1 is a good start, keep it up!
Song of the Day - It's also the birthday (so many famous ones today) of Billy Idol! At age 51, he still has blond hair! Think he colors his hair? So today's SOTD is Rock the Cradle of Love which will remain one of the greatest videos of all time - plus the song's pretty good too. Happy birthday Billy!!
Video of the Day - A montage of 80s cartoons.... I had forgotten about Dungeons and Dragons. I watched that regularly on Saturday mornings as well. They did leave out GI Joe and Transformers - 2 of the best!
Webpage of the Day - Hangman guessing band names... with timer:) Pretty addictive!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Everything You Need To Know About Jason Voorhees... Seriously!!
Back around Halloween, there were some classic films being shown with Charter's On Demand. I caught a couple of the Friday the 13th movies that defined the slasher horror movies of the 80s. So I was reinspired to rewatch all of them (with the help of Handy Dandy Netflix), this way I knew I would have seen all of them. Yes, there is some regret since some of the 10 movies SUCKED but overall, I'm still glad I did it. Here is a quick synopsis of the 10 movies with Jason (the guy in the hockey mask):
Friday the 13th (the original - 1980) - The Original one that I hope everyone has seen. Sets up the stage for the story of how Jason drowned while at camp while all of the camp counselors were off having sex. But the twist is that the person wearing the man boots and actually killing everyone is Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees. So no hockey mask in this one! It also was one of the early movies for Kevin Bacon. I don't make this stuff up - he's actually in there! He was 22 at the time. And yes, the only time you see Jason is in the classic final scene when he rises out of the water (but doesn't kill her.... yet)
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) - Turns out Jason was alive the whole time and unfortunately watched Alice behead his mother in the first movie. Now Jason wants revenge and the first person he takes out? Of course it's Alice! 5 years later the camp next door is opened but Jason (wearing a potato sack, still no hockey mask) is the one doing all the killing.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982) - Originally in 3D in the theatre (with eyeballs popping out of the screen), this one is also one of the "shitty ones". Girl takes friends to the camp, they all die. Shocker! Jason has a mask though... and it's a hockey mask.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) - Yes, this is the one with the famous child actor Corey Feldman. And who saves everyone in the end? Yes, Corey Feldman. Young Tommy "kills" Jason with a Machete... something nobody else obviously thought of before.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) - Ok, this is the weirdest one in my opinion (and the worst). Tommy has grown up and goes to a halfway house for troubled teens. Everyone still ends up dead, but turns out it was the camp counselor dressed up with a hockey mask the whole time!! So no Jason. Then we see Tommy grab the hockey mask in the final scene and kill what we thought would be the only survivor! No Jason... lame! So now we're 2 of 5 that have "Jason" wearing a "hockey mask".
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) - should be titled "The last one was a mistake".... no flashback to the prior movie as was tradition in the prior flicks. They start out immediately with Jason getting dug up, then a rod is inserted inside just in time for lightning to bring Jason back to life!! And it's the real him this time! Rest of the movie's the same... lots of camp counselors are killed by Jason. Tommy drowns Jason at the end by sinking him to the bottom of Crystal Lake.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) - Of course now we get a telekinetic girl who accidentally killed her father at the same lake years before. Now she's conveniently a teenager brought back to cure her fears but the psychiatrist is more about exploiting her abilities to move things. This theory goes wrong and instead of bringing her dad back to life as she was hoping, it's Jason. Jason kills lots of other people, but Tina's dad mysteriously helps at the end to take Jason back under water. Note that the final 15 minutes are of Jason without a mask at all.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - I definitely did not see this one as a kid... pretty horrific but a teenage boat trip to NYC accidentally picks up Jason who of course kills everyone aboard. But he accidentally makes it to Manhattan where he starts going crazy, till some acid from the sewer gets a hold of him and turns him back to the little Jason, pre-drowning. Then it ends.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) - this one is horrible.... Jason turns into this black blob that goes from person to person and you cannot kill. The only one that can kill him is another Voorhees so of course a sister is found. She kills him (thankfully before he overtakes her body) and at the end we assume that Jason "goes to hell". No other references to a firey place as was inferred. Also, for some dumb reason we see Freddy Kruger's hand and scissor fingers come out of the ground to consume Jason.... or it could have been Edward Scissorhands, hard to distinguish between the two.
Jason X (2001) - aka Jason goes to Space. They're turning into Curious George titles. Next movie will be Jason and the man in the yellow hat!! This one's pretty dumb too (common theme in my endeavour) - Jason gets frozen and then unthawed while in space in the year 2455. Cyborg person beats him up, but then he of course wins that one too. Then he gets the silver mask and a new stronger body on accident. Go figure.
There is of course also the newer Jason vs. Freddy that I didn't like, but I won't cover that here. Next up for me is all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Followed by Halloween movies. There are 8 of them total (including the Freddy vs. Jason one). There is also a new one coming out in 2008 which is a "prequel"... similar to the new 007 movie and Batman Begins.
Song of the Day - While I type this on Tuesday night, The 40 Year Old Virgin is on in the background. My favorite part is the ending when he finally "experiences heaven" and immediately breaks out singing Aquarius from Hair! Too funny!
Video of the Day - I watched John Tucker Must Die which was a typical teenage flick, but not nearly as funny as Mean Girls. Luckily it was short so I didn't lose too much of my life watching it.
Webpage of the Day - Complete body count of the Friday the 13th series... pretty pathetic that someone actually has a webpage dedicated to the Jason movies, but then again, I wasted your entire morning with my version of the webpage!!!
Friday the 13th (the original - 1980) - The Original one that I hope everyone has seen. Sets up the stage for the story of how Jason drowned while at camp while all of the camp counselors were off having sex. But the twist is that the person wearing the man boots and actually killing everyone is Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees. So no hockey mask in this one! It also was one of the early movies for Kevin Bacon. I don't make this stuff up - he's actually in there! He was 22 at the time. And yes, the only time you see Jason is in the classic final scene when he rises out of the water (but doesn't kill her.... yet)
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) - Turns out Jason was alive the whole time and unfortunately watched Alice behead his mother in the first movie. Now Jason wants revenge and the first person he takes out? Of course it's Alice! 5 years later the camp next door is opened but Jason (wearing a potato sack, still no hockey mask) is the one doing all the killing.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982) - Originally in 3D in the theatre (with eyeballs popping out of the screen), this one is also one of the "shitty ones". Girl takes friends to the camp, they all die. Shocker! Jason has a mask though... and it's a hockey mask.
Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) - Yes, this is the one with the famous child actor Corey Feldman. And who saves everyone in the end? Yes, Corey Feldman. Young Tommy "kills" Jason with a Machete... something nobody else obviously thought of before.
Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) - Ok, this is the weirdest one in my opinion (and the worst). Tommy has grown up and goes to a halfway house for troubled teens. Everyone still ends up dead, but turns out it was the camp counselor dressed up with a hockey mask the whole time!! So no Jason. Then we see Tommy grab the hockey mask in the final scene and kill what we thought would be the only survivor! No Jason... lame! So now we're 2 of 5 that have "Jason" wearing a "hockey mask".
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) - should be titled "The last one was a mistake".... no flashback to the prior movie as was tradition in the prior flicks. They start out immediately with Jason getting dug up, then a rod is inserted inside just in time for lightning to bring Jason back to life!! And it's the real him this time! Rest of the movie's the same... lots of camp counselors are killed by Jason. Tommy drowns Jason at the end by sinking him to the bottom of Crystal Lake.
Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) - Of course now we get a telekinetic girl who accidentally killed her father at the same lake years before. Now she's conveniently a teenager brought back to cure her fears but the psychiatrist is more about exploiting her abilities to move things. This theory goes wrong and instead of bringing her dad back to life as she was hoping, it's Jason. Jason kills lots of other people, but Tina's dad mysteriously helps at the end to take Jason back under water. Note that the final 15 minutes are of Jason without a mask at all.
Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) - I definitely did not see this one as a kid... pretty horrific but a teenage boat trip to NYC accidentally picks up Jason who of course kills everyone aboard. But he accidentally makes it to Manhattan where he starts going crazy, till some acid from the sewer gets a hold of him and turns him back to the little Jason, pre-drowning. Then it ends.
Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) - this one is horrible.... Jason turns into this black blob that goes from person to person and you cannot kill. The only one that can kill him is another Voorhees so of course a sister is found. She kills him (thankfully before he overtakes her body) and at the end we assume that Jason "goes to hell". No other references to a firey place as was inferred. Also, for some dumb reason we see Freddy Kruger's hand and scissor fingers come out of the ground to consume Jason.... or it could have been Edward Scissorhands, hard to distinguish between the two.
Jason X (2001) - aka Jason goes to Space. They're turning into Curious George titles. Next movie will be Jason and the man in the yellow hat!! This one's pretty dumb too (common theme in my endeavour) - Jason gets frozen and then unthawed while in space in the year 2455. Cyborg person beats him up, but then he of course wins that one too. Then he gets the silver mask and a new stronger body on accident. Go figure.
There is of course also the newer Jason vs. Freddy that I didn't like, but I won't cover that here. Next up for me is all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Followed by Halloween movies. There are 8 of them total (including the Freddy vs. Jason one). There is also a new one coming out in 2008 which is a "prequel"... similar to the new 007 movie and Batman Begins.
Song of the Day - While I type this on Tuesday night, The 40 Year Old Virgin is on in the background. My favorite part is the ending when he finally "experiences heaven" and immediately breaks out singing Aquarius from Hair! Too funny!
Video of the Day - I watched John Tucker Must Die which was a typical teenage flick, but not nearly as funny as Mean Girls. Luckily it was short so I didn't lose too much of my life watching it.
Webpage of the Day - Complete body count of the Friday the 13th series... pretty pathetic that someone actually has a webpage dedicated to the Jason movies, but then again, I wasted your entire morning with my version of the webpage!!!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
That's "Coach Chizik" To You!
New ISU coach was named last night... Gene Chizik (as in "you got to Chizik..... Chizik good" - or is that "whip it"?) comes to Ames after being the defensive coordinator/assistant head coach of Texas Longhorns. I welcome someone that has large program experience! I also welcome someone from a proven program such as Texas. And I also love his statement how he's not going to be content with 5, 6, or even 7 wins.... Sights are now set at winning the Big 12 North and probably more!!! I think Chizik will also bring in some good recruits from the south that seem to help!
Welcome Coach Chizik... if there's anything you need from me, just ask! I'm here to serve my Cyclones! Just please don't run "Draw up the middle" on 3rd and 23! Throw that play away!
So VH1 had their "Top 100 Songs of the 80s" in the past month and I thought I'd comment on that list. Granted it's VH1 which is not 100% my taste in music, more like 60-70%. And this is NOT videos, just the songs. I only list the top 50 for you. The 2nd 50 isn't nearly as interesting.
My color codes for reference.... RED means the song is way too high on the list, GREEN means the song is way too low on the list, and BLACK means I'm ok with where the song is on their list.
1 "Livin’ on a Prayer" Bon Jovi
2 "Pour Some Sugar On Me" Def Leppard
3 "Hungry Like The Wolf" Duran Duran
4 "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson
5 "When Doves Cry" Prince
6 "I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" Daryl Hall & John Oates
7 "Sweet Child O’ Mine " Guns N' Roses
8 "Like A Virgin" Madonna
9 "Walk This Way" Run-D.M.C.
10 "You Shook Me All Night Long" AC/DC
11 "Don’t Stop Believin'" Journey
12 "How Will I Know" Whitney Houston
13 "With Or Without You" U2
14 "Walk Like An Egyptian" The Bangles
15 "Jump" Van Halen
16 "Need You Tonight" INXS
17 "Here I Go Again" Whitesnake
18 "Come On Eileen" Dexy's Midnight Runners
19 "Time After Time" Cyndi Lauper
20 "Jessie’s Girl" Rick Springfield
21 "Beat It" Michael Jackson
22 "Just Like Heaven" The Cure
23 "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" Cyndi Lauper
24 "Take On Me" a-ha
25 "Our Lips Are Sealed" The Go-Go's
26 "Welcome To The Jungle" Guns N' Roses
27 "Too Shy" Kajagoogoo
28 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham!
29 "Burning Down The House " Talking Heads
30 "Love Is A Battlefield" Pat Benatar
31 "Under Pressure" Queen & David Bowie
32 "Sister Christian" Night Ranger
33 "Tainted Love" Soft Cell
34 "Every Rose Has It’s Thorn" Poison
35 "In The Air Tonight" Phil Collins
36 "867-5309 / Jenny" Tommy Tutone
37 "Janie’s Got A Gun" Aerosmith
38 "Pride (In the Name Of Love)" U2
39 "I Melt With You" Modern English
40 "Love Shack" The B-52's
41 "Dr. Feelgood" Motley Crüe
42 "London Calling" The Clash
43 "Look Of Love" ABC
44 "Cruel Summer" Bananarama
45 "Nasty" Janet Jackson
46 "Every Breath You Take" The Police
47 "We’re Not Gonna Take It" Twisted Sister
48 "Born In The U.S.A." Bruce Springsteen
49 "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" Beastie Boys
50 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Eurythmics
>Other songs in the next 50 to note that I feel should have been a lot higher. (Note: Anything by Prince should be a lot higher).
(51) "Round And Round" Ratt
(60) "Bust A Move" Young M.C.
(74) "Faith" George Michael
(75) "Little Red Corvette" Prince
(83) "Kiss" Prince
(90) "Wild Thing" Tone-Loc
I remember one of the times that Henry Rollins came to speak in Ames (free motivational speaking)... he said that Ratt's only hit was "Round and Round" and that it was one of the rock songs that appealed to both the guys and the girls. The Girls liked the fruity part of the chorus and would always sing ROUND AND ROUND but then the guys come in with their air guitars singing the 2nd line: With love we'll find a way just give it time. He's right!
Song of the Day - With so many songs to choose from on the list above, I'm still listening to some more modern stuff. I have been listening to the new Chili Peppers 2 CD SET as of this weekend. Good stuff considering the band had broken up for a brief period of time before recording this album.
Video of the Day - I watched Jack Black's Nacho Libre which is definitely one of the more unusual movies I've seen in a while. It is over all pretty strange, but there are moments that will make you laugh pretty hard. You have to be in the right mood though! Bring on Tenacious D!!!
Webpage of the Day - This guy was awake for what he says was 5 days waiting for the Wii to come out. He's not all there. Wonder why his girlfriend isn't there in line with him?? I'm glad I didn't have to wait in line for mine:)
Welcome Coach Chizik... if there's anything you need from me, just ask! I'm here to serve my Cyclones! Just please don't run "Draw up the middle" on 3rd and 23! Throw that play away!
So VH1 had their "Top 100 Songs of the 80s" in the past month and I thought I'd comment on that list. Granted it's VH1 which is not 100% my taste in music, more like 60-70%. And this is NOT videos, just the songs. I only list the top 50 for you. The 2nd 50 isn't nearly as interesting.
My color codes for reference.... RED means the song is way too high on the list, GREEN means the song is way too low on the list, and BLACK means I'm ok with where the song is on their list.
1 "Livin’ on a Prayer" Bon Jovi
2 "Pour Some Sugar On Me" Def Leppard
3 "Hungry Like The Wolf" Duran Duran
4 "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson
5 "When Doves Cry" Prince
6 "I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)" Daryl Hall & John Oates
7 "Sweet Child O’ Mine " Guns N' Roses
8 "Like A Virgin" Madonna
9 "Walk This Way" Run-D.M.C.
10 "You Shook Me All Night Long" AC/DC
11 "Don’t Stop Believin'" Journey
12 "How Will I Know" Whitney Houston
13 "With Or Without You" U2
14 "Walk Like An Egyptian" The Bangles
15 "Jump" Van Halen
16 "Need You Tonight" INXS
17 "Here I Go Again" Whitesnake
18 "Come On Eileen" Dexy's Midnight Runners
19 "Time After Time" Cyndi Lauper
20 "Jessie’s Girl" Rick Springfield
21 "Beat It" Michael Jackson
22 "Just Like Heaven" The Cure
23 "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" Cyndi Lauper
24 "Take On Me" a-ha
25 "Our Lips Are Sealed" The Go-Go's
26 "Welcome To The Jungle" Guns N' Roses
27 "Too Shy" Kajagoogoo
28 "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" Wham!
29 "Burning Down The House " Talking Heads
30 "Love Is A Battlefield" Pat Benatar
31 "Under Pressure" Queen & David Bowie
32 "Sister Christian" Night Ranger
33 "Tainted Love" Soft Cell
34 "Every Rose Has It’s Thorn" Poison
35 "In The Air Tonight" Phil Collins
36 "867-5309 / Jenny" Tommy Tutone
37 "Janie’s Got A Gun" Aerosmith
38 "Pride (In the Name Of Love)" U2
39 "I Melt With You" Modern English
40 "Love Shack" The B-52's
41 "Dr. Feelgood" Motley Crüe
42 "London Calling" The Clash
43 "Look Of Love" ABC
44 "Cruel Summer" Bananarama
45 "Nasty" Janet Jackson
46 "Every Breath You Take" The Police
47 "We’re Not Gonna Take It" Twisted Sister
48 "Born In The U.S.A." Bruce Springsteen
49 "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" Beastie Boys
50 "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" Eurythmics
>Other songs in the next 50 to note that I feel should have been a lot higher. (Note: Anything by Prince should be a lot higher).
(51) "Round And Round" Ratt
(60) "Bust A Move" Young M.C.
(74) "Faith" George Michael
(75) "Little Red Corvette" Prince
(83) "Kiss" Prince
(90) "Wild Thing" Tone-Loc
I remember one of the times that Henry Rollins came to speak in Ames (free motivational speaking)... he said that Ratt's only hit was "Round and Round" and that it was one of the rock songs that appealed to both the guys and the girls. The Girls liked the fruity part of the chorus and would always sing ROUND AND ROUND but then the guys come in with their air guitars singing the 2nd line: With love we'll find a way just give it time. He's right!
Song of the Day - With so many songs to choose from on the list above, I'm still listening to some more modern stuff. I have been listening to the new Chili Peppers 2 CD SET as of this weekend. Good stuff considering the band had broken up for a brief period of time before recording this album.
Video of the Day - I watched Jack Black's Nacho Libre which is definitely one of the more unusual movies I've seen in a while. It is over all pretty strange, but there are moments that will make you laugh pretty hard. You have to be in the right mood though! Bring on Tenacious D!!!
Webpage of the Day - This guy was awake for what he says was 5 days waiting for the Wii to come out. He's not all there. Wonder why his girlfriend isn't there in line with him?? I'm glad I didn't have to wait in line for mine:)
Monday, November 27, 2006
Post-Thanksgiving Random Thoughts
It's November 27th which means it's my 1/2 birthday! But more importantly, it's the 4th birthday of my nephew Alex! HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!!
Congrats to Jessi and Matt on the birth of their little "stud" - Caleb! I expect he will be wearing Cyclone Colors for the rest of his life!!
Can I use my 50 cent overdue fine at the Rochester Public Library as a tax deduction? Just curious!!
Adding an NFL game to Thanksgiving Evening is a great idea! Only allowing those with the NFL Network to view it is just bunk!
Now with the bell ringers in front of WalMart (and just about everywhere else)... I was greeted by 5 different people walking into WalMart. Talk about an ego booster!!!
There are still too many of you nutcases that are out shopping on "Black Friday" morning at 5am.... I still don't understand that concept. Friday was also "National Sleeping In Day" for those of us that participated.
Is Pink sporting a Blonde Mullet in her opening to Sunday Night Football on NBC? I seriously think it is.
I'm enjoying the Wii. I've figured out Boxing, Bowling and most of Golf. I can hit the ball back a lot in Tennis but then I have these 30 hit rallies that wear me out. I haven't figured out how to hit the winning shots yet consistently and beat up on the computer (who hits everything back). Baseball is a pain. I can pitch (wearing my arm out in the process) but hitting is not an easy thing. I have yet to figure out how to pull the ball but that just goes along with me in real life. Don't think I've ever hit to right field in my 29.5 years on this earth.
My new favorite show of this weekend is Engineering an Empire which is on the History Channel. I've seen almost all of the episodes which serve as a history lesson into the great Empires of the World History (Egyptians, Greece, Carthage, Rome, Aztecs, Russians) as well as the Engineering feats that helped establish the Empires (Pyramids, Parthenon, Coliseum, St. Petersburg). I think I'm even more amazed at the accomplishments of the Egyptians and the Romans. But then again, if you have 10,000,000 people working towards a common goal, it's amazing what they achieved. I also didn't realize that Carthage almost overtook the Roman Empire before the time of Christ. Lots of names I've recognized, but never fully known what they did to become legendary. The shows are probably a lot more historically accurate than the movies starring Brad Pitt or Colin Farrell!!
How does Iowa go to a bowl game at 6-6 after finishing 1-5 for the season and only 3 of those wins were against teams having a winning record! Pretty pathetic if you ask me but whatever... yeah, I wish ISU could go to a bowl game now that I'm planning on being in the US for December/January for once!
Beerfest (same Broken Lizard crew that brought us all SuperTroopers) comes out next week on DVD. Talladega Nights comes out on the 12th of December on DVD.
Aaron Neville is coming to Rochester for a Holiday Performance. Kahn has extra tickets I'm sure as he was camping out all week to get the good seats!!
Song of the Day - Turkey for me.... Turkey for you... Let's eat Turkey in a big BROWN shoe. I have been singing that for the past few days for some unknown reason. If you're lost, watch this. If you know what I'm talking about, you can still watch this.
Video of the Day - I did catch up on some DVD watching over the break so first up is Mission Impossible 3. Of the three MI movies, I think this was my favorite... I think because Philip Seymour Hoffman makes an awesome bad guy. I wish his role was a little more prevalent though as it was a little on the small side for being the "main" bad guy. Much better than his roles from Along Came Polly and Patch Adams.
Webpage of the Day - Things that you can make with Balloons... And I'm talking about a whole lot more than just a Wiener dog, a sword, or a hat. Beer mug and lifesize motorcycle are pretty sweet!!!
Congrats to Jessi and Matt on the birth of their little "stud" - Caleb! I expect he will be wearing Cyclone Colors for the rest of his life!!
Can I use my 50 cent overdue fine at the Rochester Public Library as a tax deduction? Just curious!!
Adding an NFL game to Thanksgiving Evening is a great idea! Only allowing those with the NFL Network to view it is just bunk!
Now with the bell ringers in front of WalMart (and just about everywhere else)... I was greeted by 5 different people walking into WalMart. Talk about an ego booster!!!
There are still too many of you nutcases that are out shopping on "Black Friday" morning at 5am.... I still don't understand that concept. Friday was also "National Sleeping In Day" for those of us that participated.
Is Pink sporting a Blonde Mullet in her opening to Sunday Night Football on NBC? I seriously think it is.
I'm enjoying the Wii. I've figured out Boxing, Bowling and most of Golf. I can hit the ball back a lot in Tennis but then I have these 30 hit rallies that wear me out. I haven't figured out how to hit the winning shots yet consistently and beat up on the computer (who hits everything back). Baseball is a pain. I can pitch (wearing my arm out in the process) but hitting is not an easy thing. I have yet to figure out how to pull the ball but that just goes along with me in real life. Don't think I've ever hit to right field in my 29.5 years on this earth.
My new favorite show of this weekend is Engineering an Empire which is on the History Channel. I've seen almost all of the episodes which serve as a history lesson into the great Empires of the World History (Egyptians, Greece, Carthage, Rome, Aztecs, Russians) as well as the Engineering feats that helped establish the Empires (Pyramids, Parthenon, Coliseum, St. Petersburg). I think I'm even more amazed at the accomplishments of the Egyptians and the Romans. But then again, if you have 10,000,000 people working towards a common goal, it's amazing what they achieved. I also didn't realize that Carthage almost overtook the Roman Empire before the time of Christ. Lots of names I've recognized, but never fully known what they did to become legendary. The shows are probably a lot more historically accurate than the movies starring Brad Pitt or Colin Farrell!!
How does Iowa go to a bowl game at 6-6 after finishing 1-5 for the season and only 3 of those wins were against teams having a winning record! Pretty pathetic if you ask me but whatever... yeah, I wish ISU could go to a bowl game now that I'm planning on being in the US for December/January for once!
Beerfest (same Broken Lizard crew that brought us all SuperTroopers) comes out next week on DVD. Talladega Nights comes out on the 12th of December on DVD.
Aaron Neville is coming to Rochester for a Holiday Performance. Kahn has extra tickets I'm sure as he was camping out all week to get the good seats!!
Song of the Day - Turkey for me.... Turkey for you... Let's eat Turkey in a big BROWN shoe. I have been singing that for the past few days for some unknown reason. If you're lost, watch this. If you know what I'm talking about, you can still watch this.
Video of the Day - I did catch up on some DVD watching over the break so first up is Mission Impossible 3. Of the three MI movies, I think this was my favorite... I think because Philip Seymour Hoffman makes an awesome bad guy. I wish his role was a little more prevalent though as it was a little on the small side for being the "main" bad guy. Much better than his roles from Along Came Polly and Patch Adams.
Webpage of the Day - Things that you can make with Balloons... And I'm talking about a whole lot more than just a Wiener dog, a sword, or a hat. Beer mug and lifesize motorcycle are pretty sweet!!!
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving!!
It's Thanksgiving Eve.... so put the kids to bed early before Santa comes and.... oh wait, still a month too early (even though you'd never think that based on the Christmas commercials already on TV, the tons of houses with their holiday lights up already, the stores advertising their Christmas specials!!)
Again, I'm thankful to not be working today!
I'm also thankful for a great Cyclone victory in basketball last night. I was able to watch the game since they were playing at Minnesota and we get all of the Gopher games on TV. Down by 10 in the 2nd half, I saw a poised team come back and eventually take the win by 5! They also look to be playing smart ball which is what I miss most of the Tim Floyd years. Don't be interested in making highlights, focus on winning the game.
I'm thankful for my family and friends.... all of you who take 2-3 minutes every morning to read my ranting and otherwise useless words.
I'm not so thankful that my prediction a couple of months ago that we (meaning me in Minnesota) would not see gas prices below $2 before Thanksgiving and it held true:( I think the lowest we saw was $2.08 and it's $2.13 today. I'm still hopeful that the prices will continue to come down.
I'm thankful for comebacks by Prince and Michael Jackson this past month and the month to come! Sure they're a little crazy, but they have some of the best pop music of all time. I am still planning on going to Vegas for a "Prince Weekend" if anyone else is interested in traveling with!
I'm thankful for my new Nintendo Wii.... I'm not so thankful for my headaches that I get while playing it because I grind my teeth when I really concentrate. Yes, I'm going to go get a mouthguard and be the only person you know that wears a mouthguard while sitting on his couch.
Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday - I'll talk to you all again on Monday!!
Again, I'm thankful to not be working today!
I'm also thankful for a great Cyclone victory in basketball last night. I was able to watch the game since they were playing at Minnesota and we get all of the Gopher games on TV. Down by 10 in the 2nd half, I saw a poised team come back and eventually take the win by 5! They also look to be playing smart ball which is what I miss most of the Tim Floyd years. Don't be interested in making highlights, focus on winning the game.
I'm thankful for my family and friends.... all of you who take 2-3 minutes every morning to read my ranting and otherwise useless words.
I'm not so thankful that my prediction a couple of months ago that we (meaning me in Minnesota) would not see gas prices below $2 before Thanksgiving and it held true:( I think the lowest we saw was $2.08 and it's $2.13 today. I'm still hopeful that the prices will continue to come down.
I'm thankful for comebacks by Prince and Michael Jackson this past month and the month to come! Sure they're a little crazy, but they have some of the best pop music of all time. I am still planning on going to Vegas for a "Prince Weekend" if anyone else is interested in traveling with!
I'm thankful for my new Nintendo Wii.... I'm not so thankful for my headaches that I get while playing it because I grind my teeth when I really concentrate. Yes, I'm going to go get a mouthguard and be the only person you know that wears a mouthguard while sitting on his couch.
Have a great Thanksgiving Holiday - I'll talk to you all again on Monday!!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Playing With My Wii (wii)
Yes, the Wii has a stupid name - but it's a lot of fun to play!
Today I'm first and foremost thankful that I'm not working today! Always nice to take time off.
I'm thankful for my new Nintendo Wii. It was actually pretty easy to set up onto my wireless network.... a lot easier than I know was required of my friends with XBox360 last year! I've played the Sports game that comes with it, most of the time thus far. You use the controller to actually do the motion required in the sports game.
Wii Bowling is funny because the ball rolls as fast you throw it. The ball spins based on how much spin you put on the controller when you release, and the ball actually will fly backwards if you release the button too soon (similar to Pat in real life bowling last year!!). The funniest part is that my first 2 games of Wii Bowling is just as good as my real life bowling! I'm sure with a little practice I can improve.
Wii Baseball is kind of hard, mainly because I think I'm swinging too fast. Wii Tennis is fun, but be prepared for some long rallies! I was trying to play from the couch (after a dazzling 147 in Bowling) but that didn't work too well. Requires a full swing and allows you to put spin on it which is fine till your opponent does it to you. I haven't played Wii Boxing yet and dabbled with the Wii Golf yesterday while at work. For those in Rochester, stop by anytime today if you want to play for a while.
I also picked up the game "Second Opinion" which is an operating game where you use the controller to make the incision, remove the infection, then stitch up the patient. Another good waste of half a day on the line. Again, call me and stop over today or this weekend when I'm back in town!
Thanks to Kahn, I'm also thankful for Iowa State benefiting from a bad call on Saturday for their first win. Makes up from the bad calls that cost us the Nebraska game. So in actuality, we should have loss Saturday.
Song of the Day - There's more talk again after two good weeks for da Bears about a Super Bowl. I think it's better to talk now, not in week 2! But of course we start rehearing the Super Bowl Shuffle! The only good song to come out of Professional Sports!!!
Video of the Day - Buy this computer off the Shop at Home Network. This guy's a moron.
Webpage of the Day - Niagra Falls from Space.... pretty cool picture!
Today I'm first and foremost thankful that I'm not working today! Always nice to take time off.
I'm thankful for my new Nintendo Wii. It was actually pretty easy to set up onto my wireless network.... a lot easier than I know was required of my friends with XBox360 last year! I've played the Sports game that comes with it, most of the time thus far. You use the controller to actually do the motion required in the sports game.
Wii Bowling is funny because the ball rolls as fast you throw it. The ball spins based on how much spin you put on the controller when you release, and the ball actually will fly backwards if you release the button too soon (similar to Pat in real life bowling last year!!). The funniest part is that my first 2 games of Wii Bowling is just as good as my real life bowling! I'm sure with a little practice I can improve.
Wii Baseball is kind of hard, mainly because I think I'm swinging too fast. Wii Tennis is fun, but be prepared for some long rallies! I was trying to play from the couch (after a dazzling 147 in Bowling) but that didn't work too well. Requires a full swing and allows you to put spin on it which is fine till your opponent does it to you. I haven't played Wii Boxing yet and dabbled with the Wii Golf yesterday while at work. For those in Rochester, stop by anytime today if you want to play for a while.
I also picked up the game "Second Opinion" which is an operating game where you use the controller to make the incision, remove the infection, then stitch up the patient. Another good waste of half a day on the line. Again, call me and stop over today or this weekend when I'm back in town!
Thanks to Kahn, I'm also thankful for Iowa State benefiting from a bad call on Saturday for their first win. Makes up from the bad calls that cost us the Nebraska game. So in actuality, we should have loss Saturday.
Song of the Day - There's more talk again after two good weeks for da Bears about a Super Bowl. I think it's better to talk now, not in week 2! But of course we start rehearing the Super Bowl Shuffle! The only good song to come out of Professional Sports!!!
Video of the Day - Buy this computer off the Shop at Home Network. This guy's a moron.
Webpage of the Day - Niagra Falls from Space.... pretty cool picture!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Week of Thanks
Today begins Thanksgiving week. There's so much to be thankful for this year, so I decided to split it up and do a little bit each day:
Song of the Day - I'm thankful for Greenday on the radio this morning. Good way to start out the week.
Video of the Day - I thought this was funny - someone recreated Star Wars highlights using action figures. I know, way too much time on his or her hands... but he or she included the sand people which some of you know are my favorite!!!
Webpage of the Day - Not in the mood to shop in December (like I hate doing)?? Here's a preview of the movies coming out in December to a theatre near you. I haven't heard of half of these, but I am looking forward to Night in the Museum.
- I'm thankful that the Cyclones won this past weekend!! While most of the country was watching the incredible Michigan/Ohio State matchup, I was watching the ticker at the bottom to find out if the Cyclones could hold on to a 5 point lead late in the 4th Quarter. Isn't it ironic that we won the final game of the season when it doesn't matter? Could have used a victory like this either of the past 2 years. Anyways - Good bye Dan McCarney.... I'm thankful your reign of "draw up the middle" is done.
- I'm thankful that ISU Men's Basketball is already 4-0!
- I'm thankful that Iowa lost in football to Minnesota.... good weekend when Cyclones win and Squawkeyes lose! I'm also thankful that Arizona won for Christa!
- I'm thankful that NASCAR is finally over (starting again in like 2 weeks I think). Did anyone else think NBC showed way too many commercials yesterday with under 60 laps remaining? I'm thankful that NBC is not carrying the races anymore. I do find it interesting how yesterday is one of the rare times where the winner of the event is not the overall winner. You don't get that in the 4 major sports, only in NASCAR (and maybe golf or tennis where the season winner is less important).
- I'm thankful our concerts in La Crosse are over with for the month. Not that it was bad, just bad timing. Up next is the Christmas concert where I feel like a musical whore. Playing for the paycheck with very little enjoyment. That's what happens when you play the same music every year it feels like.
- I'm thankful that today is my only day at work this week! I'll still be blogging for most of the week for those that are still around!
- I'm thankful that the Wii is out and nobody was shot over it (unlike the ridiculous PS3 stuff). I'll be playing Wii all week if anyone wants to stop over and take a trial run. I did want to share something though:
The first buyer, Isaiah Triforce Johnson, had been waiting in line outside the store for more than a week. He wore a Nintendo Power Glove, a wearable controller that came out in 1989, while shaking hands with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime after buying the first Wii. Johnson said he had legally changed his middle name to a reference in Nintendo's "Zelda" series of games.What the.... Triforce is the best you could come up with? I'm a huge Contra fan but I'm not going to change my name to "Spray Gun with Rapid Fire". What a freak.
Song of the Day - I'm thankful for Greenday on the radio this morning. Good way to start out the week.
Video of the Day - I thought this was funny - someone recreated Star Wars highlights using action figures. I know, way too much time on his or her hands... but he or she included the sand people which some of you know are my favorite!!!
Webpage of the Day - Not in the mood to shop in December (like I hate doing)?? Here's a preview of the movies coming out in December to a theatre near you. I haven't heard of half of these, but I am looking forward to Night in the Museum.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Speaking of "It's Over"... Bye Dan!
Happy Birthday to Heather!! (I now remember how this is International Birthday Week). Heather is the "coolest band teacher in Iowa" I think were my words last year at this time. She, like so many of my friends, is quickly approaching the 30 year mark of being alive. Heather has a few more years before worrying about it, but Happy Birthday anyways. Go get your free sundae at Hickory Park!!! BTW - it is International S
Thanks for all of your comments and concerns yesterday, but life goes on. I do like the idea of going to Ames this weekend to see Dan-o's last hurrah (draw up the middle!) but I have concerts in La Crosse this weekend. Our November concert includes Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony, Grieg's Norwegian Airs and Bruch's Violin Concerto #1. So some Norwegian and German music on the program. Last night's rehearsal was interesting with some good moments and some scary moments as well. I'm a little worried about the concert tonight but we shall see. This is a usual feeling in the LSO!! The Symphony is a fun piece, but it's a workout for the bass section (among other players).
Speaking of Ames - ISU will try for their first and last win this season in the Big 12. We have safely secured DEAD LAST for the conference and with this being McCarney's last game.... I declare this weekend DRAW UP THE MIDDLE WEEKEND!!! Dan's favorite play!! I challenge McCarney to run that play the entire game this Saturday. Usually he reserves it for 3rd down and long, but why not run it on every play? The defense will not see it coming! Missouri will have a hay day with us and send Dan packing and crying as a loser... the way I will always remember him! I'm ready for the change!!
This is a big weekend for college football though as Michigan and THE Ohio State University go at it tomorrow afternoon. Biggest game of the year? YES. Should they rematch in the BCS Title Game? YES. Will they? NO - BCS is too messed up to allow something as cool as a rematch for the money on neutral turf. Think of how many viewers would watch that though?? We shall see what the weekend holds.
This weekend is also big in the eyes of the many gamers of all ages! Although Christmas candy has been available for about 3 months already, the first sighting of the Christmas Nutcases has begun with people waiting in line all week for the new PS3 that came out today (Mom, this is the Sony one). I'll be interested to hear how it does with it's >$500 price tag that should elude most middle class families for a while. I did see an interesting new controller from Logitech that will interest the hard core folks! Has a built in fan to cool your hands while you play!!! I'm much more interested in the Wii that comes out on Sunday (THIS is the Nintendo one, Mom) with a $250 price tag. Best wishes to anyone hoping to find a game console before Thanksgiving!!
Have a great weekend! I'll be blogging a little bit next week so keep coming back!
Song of the Day - There are some good radio stations coming out of the Winona, Minnesota area that I can find once I hit the top of the big hill on I-90 and before I get too close to Rochester (where all the radio stations suck!). One of them was playing Faith No More's Epic again last night which all of us remember from the early 90s! Hard to believe how long ago that was! That is definitely a song I haven't heard on a Rochester radio station.
Video of the Day - Today is also the birthday of Danny DeVito. In honor of him, today's VOTD is Throw Momma from the Train. I loved that movie although it was "different". He was also good in the Batman Returns although again, people didn't really care for the movie.
Webpage of the Day - So back to the "expensive Christmas Present" topic... here are 10 things your kids would love to have but you can't afford... I like the Batman personally!
Thanks for all of your comments and concerns yesterday, but life goes on. I do like the idea of going to Ames this weekend to see Dan-o's last hurrah (draw up the middle!) but I have concerts in La Crosse this weekend. Our November concert includes Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony, Grieg's Norwegian Airs and Bruch's Violin Concerto #1. So some Norwegian and German music on the program. Last night's rehearsal was interesting with some good moments and some scary moments as well. I'm a little worried about the concert tonight but we shall see. This is a usual feeling in the LSO!! The Symphony is a fun piece, but it's a workout for the bass section (among other players).
Speaking of Ames - ISU will try for their first and last win this season in the Big 12. We have safely secured DEAD LAST for the conference and with this being McCarney's last game.... I declare this weekend DRAW UP THE MIDDLE WEEKEND!!! Dan's favorite play!! I challenge McCarney to run that play the entire game this Saturday. Usually he reserves it for 3rd down and long, but why not run it on every play? The defense will not see it coming! Missouri will have a hay day with us and send Dan packing and crying as a loser... the way I will always remember him! I'm ready for the change!!
This is a big weekend for college football though as Michigan and THE Ohio State University go at it tomorrow afternoon. Biggest game of the year? YES. Should they rematch in the BCS Title Game? YES. Will they? NO - BCS is too messed up to allow something as cool as a rematch for the money on neutral turf. Think of how many viewers would watch that though?? We shall see what the weekend holds.
This weekend is also big in the eyes of the many gamers of all ages! Although Christmas candy has been available for about 3 months already, the first sighting of the Christmas Nutcases has begun with people waiting in line all week for the new PS3 that came out today (Mom, this is the Sony one). I'll be interested to hear how it does with it's >$500 price tag that should elude most middle class families for a while. I did see an interesting new controller from Logitech that will interest the hard core folks! Has a built in fan to cool your hands while you play!!! I'm much more interested in the Wii that comes out on Sunday (THIS is the Nintendo one, Mom) with a $250 price tag. Best wishes to anyone hoping to find a game console before Thanksgiving!!
Have a great weekend! I'll be blogging a little bit next week so keep coming back!
Song of the Day - There are some good radio stations coming out of the Winona, Minnesota area that I can find once I hit the top of the big hill on I-90 and before I get too close to Rochester (where all the radio stations suck!). One of them was playing Faith No More's Epic again last night which all of us remember from the early 90s! Hard to believe how long ago that was! That is definitely a song I haven't heard on a Rochester radio station.
Video of the Day - Today is also the birthday of Danny DeVito. In honor of him, today's VOTD is Throw Momma from the Train. I loved that movie although it was "different". He was also good in the Batman Returns although again, people didn't really care for the movie.
Webpage of the Day - So back to the "expensive Christmas Present" topic... here are 10 things your kids would love to have but you can't afford... I like the Batman personally!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Managing Major Changes in Life
Happy Birthday Jamie (aka - "BOY")!! When I looked up November 16th on Wikipedia, there's honestly nothing of importance on this day. So I declare Jamie's birthday as the most significant event of this day!!!
So today's random Lesson in Leadership will hopefully help everyone in your work life, as well as your personal lives. Sorry for those that this is a repeat of an IBM Class (Christine!). Read carefully as there is a point to my rambling (this time!)
When bad things happen to us, we do have options on how to handle the situation. If you choose to merely be a follower in life, all of the options are available to you -- feel free to pick and choose as you wish. There are 5 Personal Options in the face of adversity - the first two are:
Another thing that came up in my research today that I'd like to share is the widely-accepted philosophy on "The Five Stages of Grief". When news of a bad things arrives, every person goes through these 5 stages and we can only hope to get through the first three (all detrimental to a leadership mentality) as quickly as possible....
Song of the Day - So call it fate, karma, or even luck... but I seriously had just listened to Tommy (by The Who) and have been singing the lyrics to I'm Free. It's a great song and there's kind of a warped sense of truth to that now:) Read into that however you wish.
Video of the Day - In honor of the new Bond movie coming to theatres.... A list from Entertainment Weekly of the Top 10 worst Bond Girls!! Not something you see every day!
Webpage of the Day - A fun stick figure fighting game if you're bored....
So today's random Lesson in Leadership will hopefully help everyone in your work life, as well as your personal lives. Sorry for those that this is a repeat of an IBM Class (Christine!). Read carefully as there is a point to my rambling (this time!)
When bad things happen to us, we do have options on how to handle the situation. If you choose to merely be a follower in life, all of the options are available to you -- feel free to pick and choose as you wish. There are 5 Personal Options in the face of adversity - the first two are:
- Wallow In It - We all have chosen this option. Seeking sympathy from someone and anyone for as long as we want. Later I will talk about how this is natural in many circumstances. But the longer you stay at this stage, the longer the past consumes you.
- Whine About It - An easy option. Sometimes yes, we're in need of venting. But the definition of venting is "A means of escape or release from confinement". In terms of house building (a special of Birthday-Boy Jamie's) it's an opening permitting the escape of fumes, liquids, stinky bathrooms, etc. Basically the point of venting is to get rid of problems, not allow them to recycle themselves and eventually consume us. So again, whining is permitable, but moving forward is the ultimate goal.
- Leave It - Walk away and forget about it. This is a positive option as a leader because the longer we focus on the past, the more time lost looking at the potential of the future. Leaving it can also include avoidance of a problem which might return later in life so caution must be observed by anyone selecting this option.
- Change It - Some opportunities are presented with options of changing it. Sometimes we have to be in the right position to change it, but overall the attitude is correct in thinking of the future and how to make life better with the hand you've been dealt.
- Accept It -The best option of all. Realizing that there's nothing you can do to change the problem but avoiding the problem isn't the best answer. So accept it and move on. Take a quick moment to say "well that sucks" but realize you're only going to stay miserable without acceptance.
Another thing that came up in my research today that I'd like to share is the widely-accepted philosophy on "The Five Stages of Grief". When news of a bad things arrives, every person goes through these 5 stages and we can only hope to get through the first three (all detrimental to a leadership mentality) as quickly as possible....
- Denial - the first and obvious stage of disbelief.
- Anger - upset first at the deliverer of bad news, then anyone within ear shot
- Bargaining - while this is usually the longest of the first three phases (for some of the higher blood pressure folks, #2 might be a longer stay), it's not much better than the Denial Phase. Bargaining doesn't get to the end solution any faster, only prolongs the grief for the individual.
- Depression/Withdrawal - At this point, the acceptance is starting and life can begin moving forward, although only slowly.
- Acceptance - again the word to strive for is acceptance! The ability to realize ones INability to change the past is a powerful attribute. By realizing your limitations on your power to change the past (which is pretty much none unless you're Dr. Emmett Brown) you can focus your energy on looking forward!!
Song of the Day - So call it fate, karma, or even luck... but I seriously had just listened to Tommy (by The Who) and have been singing the lyrics to I'm Free. It's a great song and there's kind of a warped sense of truth to that now:) Read into that however you wish.
Video of the Day - In honor of the new Bond movie coming to theatres.... A list from Entertainment Weekly of the Top 10 worst Bond Girls!! Not something you see every day!
Webpage of the Day - A fun stick figure fighting game if you're bored....
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Reflections on Chess
Hazel and I went to see Chess the Musical last night. It was a very small stage and performance with mainly keyboard accompaniment (which was ok at times since they used a lot of keyboards in the 80s). The performance went very well and overall I was happy with finally getting to see a musical that I have been familiar with for quite a number of years. Not sure if it was my brother or who first got me into the music from there but I enjoy it.
Chess was written in the 80s by lyricist Tim Rice (also did Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and wrote for the movie The Lion King), and music by two of the dudes from ABBA. So of course with the new ABBA musical Mamma Mia, there is some interest in the other musical.... Chess. No, it's not only about a board game, but it pulls out the times when Russia and the US were constantly at war with each other in more than just battles. Any competitive event (think Olympics) was drawn out and a country's pride was at stake - including many world champion level chess matches. In the musical, a chess match will again decide the world champion, but of course both the American and the Russian get involved with the same girl. Then the Russian tries to defect to the US, only to have his family threatened back home. The bigger picture is that the representatives of the countries are only political pawns by the government who is playing a larger strategic game and these folks only do what they are told (like a pawn).
So back to the performance last night - there were maybe 15 performers, most of them being labeled as "Ensemble" roles. They relied on the stage microphones to pick them up since individual microphones were not used. This caused problems when the performers went to the corners of the stage, or turned to move upstage. They also moved throughout the audience when moving on and off stage which can be a good thing to make the audience feel part of the show, but at one point an elder lady had to get rid of her drink so stood up and *BOOM* she was right in the middle of the show. I didn't see her name in the program, but I hope she was paid for her guest appearance.
With a small performing group and stage, there are also limits to how much dancing can be done. Mostly it's staging to get the desired effect, but last night there were times when dancing was required... only problem was that most of the girls were really good at dancing, the guys were brought in to sing, not dance. There was one guy that wasn't of your typical backup dancer physique.... in fact he had a pot belly! He was dancing and both Hazel and I got a chuckle out of watching that scene. I know how all of you enjoy watching me dance at wedding receptions, but I would not dance on stage in front of a paying audience for obvious reasons. Just wish this mentality would have been used last night.
The range required for the American Role is very high, and too high for the singer last night. There were a couple of cracks, followed by a safe change into false setto which isn't always good for a broadway-type show. I thought the Russian player did extremely well, as well as Flourence the female who shacks up with all the folks on stage. Not really, just seeing if you're paying attention.
So my fill of seeing a live performance has been satisfied for a while.
One week till Thanksgiving... do you know where your turkey is?
Song of the Day - Hazel and I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Minneapolis which was fun. I think the place is a little on the small side, but still worth a trip in there. Of course there are many items from Prince on display among the Elvis, Beatles, and Elton John items. I'm sure they could just buy things and say that the artist wore them and nobody would know the difference right? So back to the SOTD - All Hard Rocks play music so loud that you can't hear the person across from you while you eat.... and last night they played an interesting choice of songs while we ate - one of them being Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall from The Wall. So that is the song of the day... a great song!
Video of the Day - New Family Guy Season 4 DVD comes out soon. In honor of this event, there are some "behind the scenes" things out on the web to enjoy... including this one where you see the people behind the voices! I think it's funny how Seth MacFarlane's real voice is the voice he uses for Brian the dog.
Webpage of the Day - Everyday Objects under an X-Ray... some cool images in here.
Chess was written in the 80s by lyricist Tim Rice (also did Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and wrote for the movie The Lion King), and music by two of the dudes from ABBA. So of course with the new ABBA musical Mamma Mia, there is some interest in the other musical.... Chess. No, it's not only about a board game, but it pulls out the times when Russia and the US were constantly at war with each other in more than just battles. Any competitive event (think Olympics) was drawn out and a country's pride was at stake - including many world champion level chess matches. In the musical, a chess match will again decide the world champion, but of course both the American and the Russian get involved with the same girl. Then the Russian tries to defect to the US, only to have his family threatened back home. The bigger picture is that the representatives of the countries are only political pawns by the government who is playing a larger strategic game and these folks only do what they are told (like a pawn).
So back to the performance last night - there were maybe 15 performers, most of them being labeled as "Ensemble" roles. They relied on the stage microphones to pick them up since individual microphones were not used. This caused problems when the performers went to the corners of the stage, or turned to move upstage. They also moved throughout the audience when moving on and off stage which can be a good thing to make the audience feel part of the show, but at one point an elder lady had to get rid of her drink so stood up and *BOOM* she was right in the middle of the show. I didn't see her name in the program, but I hope she was paid for her guest appearance.
With a small performing group and stage, there are also limits to how much dancing can be done. Mostly it's staging to get the desired effect, but last night there were times when dancing was required... only problem was that most of the girls were really good at dancing, the guys were brought in to sing, not dance. There was one guy that wasn't of your typical backup dancer physique.... in fact he had a pot belly! He was dancing and both Hazel and I got a chuckle out of watching that scene. I know how all of you enjoy watching me dance at wedding receptions, but I would not dance on stage in front of a paying audience for obvious reasons. Just wish this mentality would have been used last night.
The range required for the American Role is very high, and too high for the singer last night. There were a couple of cracks, followed by a safe change into false setto which isn't always good for a broadway-type show. I thought the Russian player did extremely well, as well as Flourence the female who shacks up with all the folks on stage. Not really, just seeing if you're paying attention.
So my fill of seeing a live performance has been satisfied for a while.
One week till Thanksgiving... do you know where your turkey is?
Song of the Day - Hazel and I ate at the Hard Rock Cafe in Minneapolis which was fun. I think the place is a little on the small side, but still worth a trip in there. Of course there are many items from Prince on display among the Elvis, Beatles, and Elton John items. I'm sure they could just buy things and say that the artist wore them and nobody would know the difference right? So back to the SOTD - All Hard Rocks play music so loud that you can't hear the person across from you while you eat.... and last night they played an interesting choice of songs while we ate - one of them being Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall from The Wall. So that is the song of the day... a great song!
Video of the Day - New Family Guy Season 4 DVD comes out soon. In honor of this event, there are some "behind the scenes" things out on the web to enjoy... including this one where you see the people behind the voices! I think it's funny how Seth MacFarlane's real voice is the voice he uses for Brian the dog.
Webpage of the Day - Everyday Objects under an X-Ray... some cool images in here.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Happy Birthday Bro!!
This is my 301st post!!! Thanks for hanging with me for all of these!
Happy Birthday to my big brother. Or should I only say "older" brother. He's the stand up comic in training with his comments on my blog. I'll be seeing him next week for Thanksgiving - but a big shout out none-the-less today on his day!
Speaking of my brother and I - we had over 8 inches of snow last Friday here in Rochester! Sad part is it is still out there this morning:( It was heavy snow too, but using Hazel's snowblower.... and her kicka$$ shovel, we got her driveway cleared. Here's a conversation from Friday with Miss Hazel:
A last minute decision (with bravery by Hazel) was made to brave the snow and weather and continue our plans to drive to Chicago for the weekend. Once we got about 15 minutes from Rochester, the roads were fine the rest of the weekend. Seems to have just dumped the worst ontop of us! We visited with Eddie in Madison Friday night, then Saturday drove to the suburbs of Chicago for Eddie's mom's Birthday Party! What a fun time with some amazing food and lots of 100% Polish people. I thought about trying a joke about Polish people to the crowd, but some of Eddie's relatives are bigger than I am.
Some huge upsets in college football on Saturday. The biggest surprise to me wasn't the fact that Texas lost to the Purple Pedophiles, but the fact that Colorado only scored 33 points against Iowa State. Even Kansas broke the 40 point barrier! We gave up 263 yards rushing!! I thought it was the ISU secondary that was the weak point. What a waste of a year - only one more game to lose then we focus on anything else besides ISU football. The highlight for Iowa State came yesterday with some impressive numbers by Seneca Wallace for the Seattle Seahawks!
And I'm tired already of hearing about the divorce between Britney and K-Fedex.... Although I do like that nickname that I heard on the radio... Fed-ex! It's funny how news about her divorce lingers longer than the political news from the week, or any of the other good news from the past week. I'm sure it will still be talked about long after it's over - unfortunate how the media dwells on certain issues, but not others.
BTW - I added a couple of new links on the right.... Lydia's important blogpage (very cute pictures) and Nate/Martine's journey into adopting from Vietnam. Very exciting to read and follow their process... best wishes to them!!
Song of the Day - Chess the Musical is tonight for Hazel and I. So more traveling, this time to downtown Minneapolis! Also means a late night for us with more driving. I'll be listening to Chess all day today to get ready for the event tonight. I'll let you all know how it is. There are still plenty of shows in the next couple of weeks for anyone who is interested.
Video of the Day - New Simpsons movie trailer... in 2-D!!! Very funny!!
Webpage of the Day - BlueScreen of Death... as a screen saver! Interesting, interesting....
Happy Birthday to my big brother. Or should I only say "older" brother. He's the stand up comic in training with his comments on my blog. I'll be seeing him next week for Thanksgiving - but a big shout out none-the-less today on his day!
Speaking of my brother and I - we had over 8 inches of snow last Friday here in Rochester! Sad part is it is still out there this morning:( It was heavy snow too, but using Hazel's snowblower.... and her kicka$$ shovel, we got her driveway cleared. Here's a conversation from Friday with Miss Hazel:
Hazel (11/10/2006 9:16:08 AM): That shovel is awesome!!!And you all made fun of me for giving her that shovel for last Valentine's day! It's the gift that keeps on giving. Too bad most of the snow fell after she initially cleared her driveway at 9am. But it was the thought that counts.
Me (11/10/2006 9:16:17 AM): I know just like my girlfriend
Hazel (11/10/2006 9:16:21 AM): I did the whole driveway in under 15min. and the sidewalks
A last minute decision (with bravery by Hazel) was made to brave the snow and weather and continue our plans to drive to Chicago for the weekend. Once we got about 15 minutes from Rochester, the roads were fine the rest of the weekend. Seems to have just dumped the worst ontop of us! We visited with Eddie in Madison Friday night, then Saturday drove to the suburbs of Chicago for Eddie's mom's Birthday Party! What a fun time with some amazing food and lots of 100% Polish people. I thought about trying a joke about Polish people to the crowd, but some of Eddie's relatives are bigger than I am.
Some huge upsets in college football on Saturday. The biggest surprise to me wasn't the fact that Texas lost to the Purple Pedophiles, but the fact that Colorado only scored 33 points against Iowa State. Even Kansas broke the 40 point barrier! We gave up 263 yards rushing!! I thought it was the ISU secondary that was the weak point. What a waste of a year - only one more game to lose then we focus on anything else besides ISU football. The highlight for Iowa State came yesterday with some impressive numbers by Seneca Wallace for the Seattle Seahawks!
And I'm tired already of hearing about the divorce between Britney and K-Fedex.... Although I do like that nickname that I heard on the radio... Fed-ex! It's funny how news about her divorce lingers longer than the political news from the week, or any of the other good news from the past week. I'm sure it will still be talked about long after it's over - unfortunate how the media dwells on certain issues, but not others.
BTW - I added a couple of new links on the right.... Lydia's important blogpage (very cute pictures) and Nate/Martine's journey into adopting from Vietnam. Very exciting to read and follow their process... best wishes to them!!
Song of the Day - Chess the Musical is tonight for Hazel and I. So more traveling, this time to downtown Minneapolis! Also means a late night for us with more driving. I'll be listening to Chess all day today to get ready for the event tonight. I'll let you all know how it is. There are still plenty of shows in the next couple of weeks for anyone who is interested.
Video of the Day - New Simpsons movie trailer... in 2-D!!! Very funny!!
Webpage of the Day - BlueScreen of Death... as a screen saver! Interesting, interesting....
Friday, November 10, 2006
Snow Extravaganza
Happy Birthday Belly Itcher!!!
It's really snowing out! I've heard everything from 2 to 6 inches coming down today, with more coming later this weekend. Right now, looking at the radar there's a massive dump that is filing over Rochester. It looks and feels like it outside. Here's a photo from a stop light this morning on my way in:
Anyway - plans for travel this weekend are on hold till this afternoon....
Prediction time as usual on a Friday.
Iowa State has what I would consider it's last chance to get a win in the Big 12 this weekend, but it's at Colorado. The Buffs have 1 win all season but have you seen the Cyclones play lately? This is the game for the title "Bottom of the Big 12" which is a title I thought we were done with long ago. I can't make a prediction because I have lost all faith in the Clones this season. Watch them pull a victory out just to spite me and my hatred for McCarney now that he's leaving at the end of the season. It would be nice to get some confidence back after the schlacking by Kansas.
Wisconsin at Iowa - go Badgers!
Otherwise there aren't really any other games of interest this weekend in my mind for college football.
In the NFL it's the focus point of the season here at work as Green Bay comes to the Metrodome against the Vikings. So I'm sure everyone is wearing their green and yellow or purple today. For the record, I'm wearing orange.
NASCAR's in Phoenix for the penultimate race of the season! After this weekend, I'm sure there will only be 4 drivers left for the Championship. I guess I'm rooting for JJ since I don't like any of the other top 5. #24 is in 6th but probably too far out to win it all at this point.
As I type this, we are getting lightning and thunder on top of the blowing sideways snow... maybe the world IS ending!
Drive safe, have a good weekend!
It's really snowing out! I've heard everything from 2 to 6 inches coming down today, with more coming later this weekend. Right now, looking at the radar there's a massive dump that is filing over Rochester. It looks and feels like it outside. Here's a photo from a stop light this morning on my way in:
Anyway - plans for travel this weekend are on hold till this afternoon....
Prediction time as usual on a Friday.
Iowa State has what I would consider it's last chance to get a win in the Big 12 this weekend, but it's at Colorado. The Buffs have 1 win all season but have you seen the Cyclones play lately? This is the game for the title "Bottom of the Big 12" which is a title I thought we were done with long ago. I can't make a prediction because I have lost all faith in the Clones this season. Watch them pull a victory out just to spite me and my hatred for McCarney now that he's leaving at the end of the season. It would be nice to get some confidence back after the schlacking by Kansas.
Wisconsin at Iowa - go Badgers!
Otherwise there aren't really any other games of interest this weekend in my mind for college football.
In the NFL it's the focus point of the season here at work as Green Bay comes to the Metrodome against the Vikings. So I'm sure everyone is wearing their green and yellow or purple today. For the record, I'm wearing orange.
NASCAR's in Phoenix for the penultimate race of the season! After this weekend, I'm sure there will only be 4 drivers left for the Championship. I guess I'm rooting for JJ since I don't like any of the other top 5. #24 is in 6th but probably too far out to win it all at this point.
As I type this, we are getting lightning and thunder on top of the blowing sideways snow... maybe the world IS ending!
Drive safe, have a good weekend!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
The "Good" Momentum Continues
So yesterday might have been one of the best days of my life!! Everything in the world around me seemed to go in my favor... I should have bought a lottery ticket!
Democrats take control of both the House and now the Senate with the win in Virginia! Majority on Capital Hill has finally returned to the proper side;) The Virginia race was key because even with a 50/50 tie, any tie would be broken by Cheney and I don't think any of us want that. Any man who shoots another man in the face.....
But that's not even the best news from yesterday.... Donald's been doin a "heckofa job" as of 2 weeks ago, but now Rumsfeld's resigned as US Secretary of Defense (or lack there of). Another pain in my side is now gone! Now if only we could see changes like this in Iowa State's football program....
BUT WAIT!!! Last night during a press conference that showed Pollard crying (what the ??), McCarney announced his resignation at the end of the season from Iowa State Football! LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN!!! Not sure why our Athletic Director was crying when McCarney has let this season become a laugh off. Bottom of the Big12 (which is not even that strong of a division over all this year) is nothing to be proud of, especially with the talent we have on offense that is just not working this year.
So much to celebrate, so little time. Is that all? NO!
Every so often something happens in the world that revolutionizes the way we view history. The things that fill our history books and our grandkids observe as a "shift" in the way the world works. We observed things such as the World Wars, Vietnam war, 9/11... the next thing to change our world is the news that Michael Jackson is making a comeback and will be performing THRILLER on November 15 at the World Music Awards in London. How sweet is that???? Set your DVRs (or VCRs for the analog folks of the world) - this event is going to be huge!
Little known fact - MJ is 48, which is the same age as Prince who starts his Vegas performances this weekend at the Rio Hotel in Vegas. They revamped a 3121 Club for his performances for 900 people at $125 a shot. That's $112,500 a performance! I wonder if Vicinity ever pulled in that kind of dough;)
In not so good news, former Governor of Iowa Vilsack is running for President. There's a waste of money. Sorry, I lean to the left with my political views, but I still don't like Vilsack and don't think he'd make a very good president at all.
Brews Brothers are 7 points above .500 after a shaky start to the season (9 points below .500 at one point). A strong showing tonight could launch us into the top 5 for the first half of the season!
Song of the Day - In my recent "rediscovery" of my music... I've had to re-establish my playlists in iTunes and I stumbled across Pink Floyd's The Wall which I haven't listened to for a while. Don't watch the movie, just listen to the good music. The movie makes your head hurt.
Video of the Day - Still dwelling on yesterday's good news of Britney filing for divorce... a video that shows KFed on camera talking about his family, then getting a Text Message from Britney about the filing. A cruel way to find out, especially when you're on camera! Pretty shallow in my opinion, but still kind of humorous. KFed might be the ultimate definition of "Freeloader" (thanks Pat for that statement).
Webpage of the Day - I knew that cartoons in the 80s were the best ever, but this page shows 8 Important Lessons Learned from the Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Jem, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.... almost all were regular favorites of mine every Saturday (sorry, I never got into Jem but I know Drewbie still wears his Jem shirt with pride!!).
Democrats take control of both the House and now the Senate with the win in Virginia! Majority on Capital Hill has finally returned to the proper side;) The Virginia race was key because even with a 50/50 tie, any tie would be broken by Cheney and I don't think any of us want that. Any man who shoots another man in the face.....
But that's not even the best news from yesterday.... Donald's been doin a "heckofa job" as of 2 weeks ago, but now Rumsfeld's resigned as US Secretary of Defense (or lack there of). Another pain in my side is now gone! Now if only we could see changes like this in Iowa State's football program....
BUT WAIT!!! Last night during a press conference that showed Pollard crying (what the ??), McCarney announced his resignation at the end of the season from Iowa State Football! LET THE CELEBRATIONS BEGIN!!! Not sure why our Athletic Director was crying when McCarney has let this season become a laugh off. Bottom of the Big12 (which is not even that strong of a division over all this year) is nothing to be proud of, especially with the talent we have on offense that is just not working this year.
So much to celebrate, so little time. Is that all? NO!
Every so often something happens in the world that revolutionizes the way we view history. The things that fill our history books and our grandkids observe as a "shift" in the way the world works. We observed things such as the World Wars, Vietnam war, 9/11... the next thing to change our world is the news that Michael Jackson is making a comeback and will be performing THRILLER on November 15 at the World Music Awards in London. How sweet is that???? Set your DVRs (or VCRs for the analog folks of the world) - this event is going to be huge!
Little known fact - MJ is 48, which is the same age as Prince who starts his Vegas performances this weekend at the Rio Hotel in Vegas. They revamped a 3121 Club for his performances for 900 people at $125 a shot. That's $112,500 a performance! I wonder if Vicinity ever pulled in that kind of dough;)
In not so good news, former Governor of Iowa Vilsack is running for President. There's a waste of money. Sorry, I lean to the left with my political views, but I still don't like Vilsack and don't think he'd make a very good president at all.
Brews Brothers are 7 points above .500 after a shaky start to the season (9 points below .500 at one point). A strong showing tonight could launch us into the top 5 for the first half of the season!
Song of the Day - In my recent "rediscovery" of my music... I've had to re-establish my playlists in iTunes and I stumbled across Pink Floyd's The Wall which I haven't listened to for a while. Don't watch the movie, just listen to the good music. The movie makes your head hurt.
Video of the Day - Still dwelling on yesterday's good news of Britney filing for divorce... a video that shows KFed on camera talking about his family, then getting a Text Message from Britney about the filing. A cruel way to find out, especially when you're on camera! Pretty shallow in my opinion, but still kind of humorous. KFed might be the ultimate definition of "Freeloader" (thanks Pat for that statement).
Webpage of the Day - I knew that cartoons in the 80s were the best ever, but this page shows 8 Important Lessons Learned from the Smurfs, GI Joe, Transformers, He-Man, Jem, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.... almost all were regular favorites of mine every Saturday (sorry, I never got into Jem but I know Drewbie still wears his Jem shirt with pride!!).
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Day of Change!!
Today is National Day of Change....
So I celebrated by giving my blog template a face lift. I hope you like the new style. Change is good!
As can be seen by last night's election results! Yes, I'm a happy camper today. I hope everyone got out to vote (and received a free burrito from Chipotle for wearing your sticker). I'm happy to see so many people out there are tired of the "old ways" and ready to try something new. I am not saying the new House and Senate will have all of the answers, but the old regime wasn't getting the job done. Unfortunately we have to wait 2 more years till there's a normal level of competency returning to the White House.
Minnesota celebrated the Day of Change by electing both Amy Klobuchar and Tim Walz... both were part of the rally from last week that I attended. The governor hasn't been decided officially yet, but it's looking like we're stuck with Pawlenty again. That's too bad because Hutchinson pulled in a lot of the liberal votes (including mine) to the Independent Party but not near enough to make a legit run at the office. That 6% voting for Hatch would have made it an easy victory. I don't vote straight party lines, and some will say "a vote for the Independent Party is a wasted vote" but I strongly feel that you should vote for the strongest candidate in your eyes.
Although it's the Day of Change, my vote for Drewbie for County Sheriff didn't get him elected. I was hoping for a ride in the sheriff's car if he won. We'll do a better job campaigning next time Drewbie!
Another celebration for the Day of Change is further information that McCarney is on his way out at Iowa State. Remember, change is good! Nothing official yet, but AD Jamie Pollard is speaking daily with McCarney and hopefully giving him the "fix it or leave" speech. Will he actually get rid of Dan-o? Who knows, but there are also rumors that Jim Harbaugh (of Bears and Colts fame) might be in the running for taking over for the Cyclones.
And of course, no Day of Change could be complete without hearing about Britney filing for a divorce from K-Fed. A universal "I told you so" has been unleashed. I do feel sorry for the kids... can't imagine which parent would be worse to grow up with.
Song of the Day - Actually, today I wanted to comment how dumb the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol is. The first time I heard the song, I thought it was a commercial for diamonds for some reason. The more I hear it, the more I realize how simple and stupid it really is. Sorry, just my musical opinion. Don't worry, I think a lot of the songs on the radio right now are crappy. We need a new radio station in Rochester. If only I'd win the lottery!
Video of the Day - Kevin Interview (after the commercial) where he claims that he's successful because he's "real". After watching it, you wonder why Britney waited so long to dump his @$$. Unfortunately he references "the next albums" and growing his name into an empire.
Webpage of the Day - New Tenacious D movie looks pretty funny! I can't wait to see JB and KG!!! November 17th!
So I celebrated by giving my blog template a face lift. I hope you like the new style. Change is good!
As can be seen by last night's election results! Yes, I'm a happy camper today. I hope everyone got out to vote (and received a free burrito from Chipotle for wearing your sticker). I'm happy to see so many people out there are tired of the "old ways" and ready to try something new. I am not saying the new House and Senate will have all of the answers, but the old regime wasn't getting the job done. Unfortunately we have to wait 2 more years till there's a normal level of competency returning to the White House.
Minnesota celebrated the Day of Change by electing both Amy Klobuchar and Tim Walz... both were part of the rally from last week that I attended. The governor hasn't been decided officially yet, but it's looking like we're stuck with Pawlenty again. That's too bad because Hutchinson pulled in a lot of the liberal votes (including mine) to the Independent Party but not near enough to make a legit run at the office. That 6% voting for Hatch would have made it an easy victory. I don't vote straight party lines, and some will say "a vote for the Independent Party is a wasted vote" but I strongly feel that you should vote for the strongest candidate in your eyes.
Although it's the Day of Change, my vote for Drewbie for County Sheriff didn't get him elected. I was hoping for a ride in the sheriff's car if he won. We'll do a better job campaigning next time Drewbie!
Another celebration for the Day of Change is further information that McCarney is on his way out at Iowa State. Remember, change is good! Nothing official yet, but AD Jamie Pollard is speaking daily with McCarney and hopefully giving him the "fix it or leave" speech. Will he actually get rid of Dan-o? Who knows, but there are also rumors that Jim Harbaugh (of Bears and Colts fame) might be in the running for taking over for the Cyclones.
And of course, no Day of Change could be complete without hearing about Britney filing for a divorce from K-Fed. A universal "I told you so" has been unleashed. I do feel sorry for the kids... can't imagine which parent would be worse to grow up with.
Song of the Day - Actually, today I wanted to comment how dumb the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol is. The first time I heard the song, I thought it was a commercial for diamonds for some reason. The more I hear it, the more I realize how simple and stupid it really is. Sorry, just my musical opinion. Don't worry, I think a lot of the songs on the radio right now are crappy. We need a new radio station in Rochester. If only I'd win the lottery!
Video of the Day - Kevin Interview (after the commercial) where he claims that he's successful because he's "real". After watching it, you wonder why Britney waited so long to dump his @$$. Unfortunately he references "the next albums" and growing his name into an empire.
Webpage of the Day - New Tenacious D movie looks pretty funny! I can't wait to see JB and KG!!! November 17th!
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Election Day 2006
Yes, I voted this morning. I am a nerd and am wearing my "I voted" sticker with pride this morning. Need to find out where you can vote? In Minnesota - go to this webpage. Take your ID with the correct address. If that address is wrong, take your current utility bill with you.
Go and vote - it's your right, it's your duty. 40% voter turnout is sad and pathetic. If you don't vote, you can't bitch.... I agree with that statement 100%!
Did you know that your employer has to allow you time off to go vote? I thought that was pretty cool..... I also am now looking forward to my phone not ringing, no more junk mail, and NO MORE ADS ON TV/RADIO!!! I can't imagine how bad it'll be in 2008. I did hear rumors that there were instances of a party calling and mis-identifying themselves in MN to try to sway voters. This can be pretty strict punishment but I'd be surprised if anything comes of it.
Here's a cool webpage that shows a county by county breakdown of the "general trends" of voting by party. Yes, back to the blue/red state thing again....
So Hazel and I celebrated one year together last night with dinner (at the Hanger - our first date) and relaxing. No, I didn't get her a new shovel or anything that exciting. I did get her a necklace and earrings so all of you skeptics can go away now. I do know how to do the good present shopping.
Rehearsals start tonight for La Crosse and yes, it feels like we just had our concert (2 weeks ago). We're playing the Mendelssohn Italian Symphony (#4) which is a fun and fast symphony to play. Not sure what else we're playing yet.
Go Vote - you'll thank yourself later for it.
Song of the Day - I also picked up some tickets for Hazel and I to go to Chess the musical next week. It's music from the 80s by the same folks that did Mamma Mia so that's why it's getting some attention now. I've waited some 12+ years for Chess to come around so I can see it. If you remember the song One Night in Bangkok... that's from Chess.
Video of the Day - Did you miss the Country Music Awards last night? I know I didn't "miss" them if you know what I mean.... but this video is pretty funny showing Faith Hill's negative reaction when Carrie Underwood was announced as Female Vocalist of the Year. Guess she forgot she was on camera!
Webpage of the Day - I thought this was an interesting webpage where they hold up the souvenir in front of the real thing and took a picture. A lot of time and effort used in creating these, but I think it turned out pretty well.
Go and vote - it's your right, it's your duty. 40% voter turnout is sad and pathetic. If you don't vote, you can't bitch.... I agree with that statement 100%!Did you know that your employer has to allow you time off to go vote? I thought that was pretty cool..... I also am now looking forward to my phone not ringing, no more junk mail, and NO MORE ADS ON TV/RADIO!!! I can't imagine how bad it'll be in 2008. I did hear rumors that there were instances of a party calling and mis-identifying themselves in MN to try to sway voters. This can be pretty strict punishment but I'd be surprised if anything comes of it.
Here's a cool webpage that shows a county by county breakdown of the "general trends" of voting by party. Yes, back to the blue/red state thing again....
So Hazel and I celebrated one year together last night with dinner (at the Hanger - our first date) and relaxing. No, I didn't get her a new shovel or anything that exciting. I did get her a necklace and earrings so all of you skeptics can go away now. I do know how to do the good present shopping.
Rehearsals start tonight for La Crosse and yes, it feels like we just had our concert (2 weeks ago). We're playing the Mendelssohn Italian Symphony (#4) which is a fun and fast symphony to play. Not sure what else we're playing yet.
Go Vote - you'll thank yourself later for it.
Song of the Day - I also picked up some tickets for Hazel and I to go to Chess the musical next week. It's music from the 80s by the same folks that did Mamma Mia so that's why it's getting some attention now. I've waited some 12+ years for Chess to come around so I can see it. If you remember the song One Night in Bangkok... that's from Chess.
Video of the Day - Did you miss the Country Music Awards last night? I know I didn't "miss" them if you know what I mean.... but this video is pretty funny showing Faith Hill's negative reaction when Carrie Underwood was announced as Female Vocalist of the Year. Guess she forgot she was on camera!
Webpage of the Day - I thought this was an interesting webpage where they hold up the souvenir in front of the real thing and took a picture. A lot of time and effort used in creating these, but I think it turned out pretty well.
Monday, November 06, 2006
The Monday After....
* Today is my 1 year anniversary with the Beautiful and Amazing Hazel. What did I get her? Can anything beat the shovel (Valentine's Day) and work out videos (6 month anniversary) that I have give to her in the past????
* My cousin Drew is home from Iraq... WELCOME HOME DREW!!!
* Iowa State Football is horrible. Hope for BIG CHANGES for next year.
* Tailgating on Saturday was great! Perfect weather with the sun shining. Good thing the food was good since the game sucked.
* Kahn, your Bears looked pretty scary yesterday. Definitely some things they need to fix. The Bears are who we thought they were! (insert hitting microphone here).
* Giving blood at 7:00 on a Monday is a good way to get behind all week.
That's it for now... Have a great MONDAY!!!
* My cousin Drew is home from Iraq... WELCOME HOME DREW!!!
* Iowa State Football is horrible. Hope for BIG CHANGES for next year.
* Tailgating on Saturday was great! Perfect weather with the sun shining. Good thing the food was good since the game sucked.
* Kahn, your Bears looked pretty scary yesterday. Definitely some things they need to fix. The Bears are who we thought they were! (insert hitting microphone here).
* Giving blood at 7:00 on a Monday is a good way to get behind all week.
That's it for now... Have a great MONDAY!!!
Thursday, November 02, 2006
WalMart
My experiences at WalMart last night.
* I spent $3.50 on supplies for BeerPong for this weekend. Yeah, you heard correctly. The greatest BeerPong table that Ames has ever known (thanks to BoyWonder and his magical tools.... of the building type) will be returning to Ames. Hazel has promised to school everyone at the art of throwing a ping pong ball into plastic cups (orange cups... they were on sale from Halloween).
* It was the day after Halloween and they already had Christmas candy out. I don't remember that being there last week, but it's there now. I asked the kid working with the Christmas candy if he could check in back for the some of the Valentine Jube Jells that I love so much. He just kind of stared like I was an alien. I know I'm handsome, but please... stop staring. I just turned and walked away.
* I always struggle at WalMart to find a basket. Single guys don't use shopping carts when they go to WalMart/Target. Carts are ok at HyVee or Liquor stores (yes, been there done that), but that's about it.
* There should be a 20 item limit at the self checkout lanes. It kind of defeats the purpose of having a self check out (fast and convenient) if all 4 lanes are held up by people that are scanning their next 3 months worth of groceries.
* I was NOT greeted by anyone when I showed up. I want a letter of apology from management.
* I also did not see the smiley dude "rollin' back" prices.... or is that "Hollaback prices" (Kahn's favorite song). I was waiting by the ping pong balls and the price failed to change in the 2 minutes that I stood there.
That's all I gots to say about that. I'm usually a Target guy, but Walmart was "on the way". Plus they ALWAYS have ping pong balls (for beerpong) - Target is a hit or miss for them. Yes, I know this because I have purchased a ton of ping pong balls through the years.
My last day of work for the week. I'm on vacation tomorrow to prepare for tailgating on Saturday. It's a big occasion! I don't really care about the game, but it'll be nice to see everyone in the 40 degree day!
Song of the Day - I had something else until I saw this morning's headlines.... PRINCE IS PERFORMING IN VEGAS!!! I think it's time to go back to Vegas... anyone? anyone? So I have some Prince running this morning.... Take your pick!
Video of the Day - U2 and GreenDay video for "The Saints are Coming".... pay attention to what is really going on in the video and of course, the sign at the end. You Conservatives - BEWARE... you'll probably not like it.
Webpage of the Day - iPod Etiquette.... also applies to cell phones in my opinion.
* I spent $3.50 on supplies for BeerPong for this weekend. Yeah, you heard correctly. The greatest BeerPong table that Ames has ever known (thanks to BoyWonder and his magical tools.... of the building type) will be returning to Ames. Hazel has promised to school everyone at the art of throwing a ping pong ball into plastic cups (orange cups... they were on sale from Halloween).
* It was the day after Halloween and they already had Christmas candy out. I don't remember that being there last week, but it's there now. I asked the kid working with the Christmas candy if he could check in back for the some of the Valentine Jube Jells that I love so much. He just kind of stared like I was an alien. I know I'm handsome, but please... stop staring. I just turned and walked away.
* I always struggle at WalMart to find a basket. Single guys don't use shopping carts when they go to WalMart/Target. Carts are ok at HyVee or Liquor stores (yes, been there done that), but that's about it.
* There should be a 20 item limit at the self checkout lanes. It kind of defeats the purpose of having a self check out (fast and convenient) if all 4 lanes are held up by people that are scanning their next 3 months worth of groceries.
* I was NOT greeted by anyone when I showed up. I want a letter of apology from management.
* I also did not see the smiley dude "rollin' back" prices.... or is that "Hollaback prices" (Kahn's favorite song). I was waiting by the ping pong balls and the price failed to change in the 2 minutes that I stood there.
That's all I gots to say about that. I'm usually a Target guy, but Walmart was "on the way". Plus they ALWAYS have ping pong balls (for beerpong) - Target is a hit or miss for them. Yes, I know this because I have purchased a ton of ping pong balls through the years.
My last day of work for the week. I'm on vacation tomorrow to prepare for tailgating on Saturday. It's a big occasion! I don't really care about the game, but it'll be nice to see everyone in the 40 degree day!
Song of the Day - I had something else until I saw this morning's headlines.... PRINCE IS PERFORMING IN VEGAS!!! I think it's time to go back to Vegas... anyone? anyone? So I have some Prince running this morning.... Take your pick!
Video of the Day - U2 and GreenDay video for "The Saints are Coming".... pay attention to what is really going on in the video and of course, the sign at the end. You Conservatives - BEWARE... you'll probably not like it.
Webpage of the Day - iPod Etiquette.... also applies to cell phones in my opinion.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Price is Wrong... @#$@#$
So the big news on Halloween this year isn't the riots in Madison, it isn't the never ending slam campaigning that is going on and makes everyone sick of politics, and it isn't the fact that I now realize that I love my Townhouse surrounded by all the elderly people since kids don't come to the elderly areas to trick or treat! (yes, I'm cheap and lazy like that).
BOB BARKER IS RETIRING FROM THE PRICE IS RIGHT!!!!
The man is 83 years old and has been doing the PIR for 35 years! So here are my thoughts as I contemplate the numbers, the memories, and the soon to become a legend!!
* 35 Years of Barker Beauties (where else would I start with my thought process?). I would wager that the average beginning age of a Barker Beauty is 21 years old (probably a conservative estimate). That would make some of the original Barker Beauties pushing the 60 year old age level! In comparison, the 83 year old Bob is still surrounded by women that are 1/4 of his age!!!
* In more support of his nomination into Knighthood..... I estimate that Bob does 45 weeks of shows a year. (7 weeks of vacation???). That's 225 shows a year! Each show has 6 contestants that make it up on the stage next to Bob. Let's do a conservative estimate that 50% of the contestants are women (I say conservative because if you watch the show, there are many more women that are in the crowd and they seem to be much better at estimating prices... it's the whole DNA/shopping gene thing that alludes us men). So 225 shows a year, 3 female contestants per show.... that's 675 women per year! Times 35 years... that is 23,625 women that have rushed the stage after winning to kiss Bob, hug Bob, and basically throw themselves at Bob!!!! Probably 90%+ of them are under half of his age! Wilt is no longer the king of the ladies... I consider Bob Barker our official male spokesperson for living the "American Dream".
* Assuming Bob gives away 2.5 cars per week (another conservative estimate - that's one car every other show), that's 112.5 cars per year, 3937.5 cars since he's been on the Price is Right!!! HOLY CRAP!!! 4000 cars is about how many cars get tied up in rush hour traffic in LA every morning!
* The main reason to watch was for the individual games. My personal favorites were
Bob has also appeared as himself on the Family Guy, Futurama, and of course his infamous appearance in Happy Gilmore!!
Bob, we will miss you. "Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered". Don't want like 30 cats running around or anything like that:)
Song of the Day - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced it's 2007 nominees.... Van Halen, REM, Chic, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are all nominated. I don't know how Van Halen would go in.... which lead singer would talk? David or Sammy? Or how about Gary? I know he was Regan's favorite!!! I have a feeling it will be "none of the above" if they get elected in. Has there ever been such controversy over a band's frontman as there has for Van Halen?
Video of the Day - With the Wii on its way.... there are lots of advertisements for future games from Nintendo.... this is a video of games that did not make the cut in the design phases.... pretty funny! I personally like the Hot Hands!
Webpage of the Day - I forgot to include the annual Strong Bad/Homestarrunner Halloween cartoon yesterday! Every year you get the joy of trying to figure out each costume. Nothing was better than last year's Strong Bad as Jombi (from Pee Wee's playhouse).
BOB BARKER IS RETIRING FROM THE PRICE IS RIGHT!!!!
The man is 83 years old and has been doing the PIR for 35 years! So here are my thoughts as I contemplate the numbers, the memories, and the soon to become a legend!!
* 35 Years of Barker Beauties (where else would I start with my thought process?). I would wager that the average beginning age of a Barker Beauty is 21 years old (probably a conservative estimate). That would make some of the original Barker Beauties pushing the 60 year old age level! In comparison, the 83 year old Bob is still surrounded by women that are 1/4 of his age!!!
* In more support of his nomination into Knighthood..... I estimate that Bob does 45 weeks of shows a year. (7 weeks of vacation???). That's 225 shows a year! Each show has 6 contestants that make it up on the stage next to Bob. Let's do a conservative estimate that 50% of the contestants are women (I say conservative because if you watch the show, there are many more women that are in the crowd and they seem to be much better at estimating prices... it's the whole DNA/shopping gene thing that alludes us men). So 225 shows a year, 3 female contestants per show.... that's 675 women per year! Times 35 years... that is 23,625 women that have rushed the stage after winning to kiss Bob, hug Bob, and basically throw themselves at Bob!!!! Probably 90%+ of them are under half of his age! Wilt is no longer the king of the ladies... I consider Bob Barker our official male spokesperson for living the "American Dream".
* Assuming Bob gives away 2.5 cars per week (another conservative estimate - that's one car every other show), that's 112.5 cars per year, 3937.5 cars since he's been on the Price is Right!!! HOLY CRAP!!! 4000 cars is about how many cars get tied up in rush hour traffic in LA every morning!
* The main reason to watch was for the individual games. My personal favorites were
- Plinko (drop the Plinko chip at the top and watch it hit rung after rung on its way down to the money slots)
- One Away (numbers are wrong but the price is either one higher or one lower of each digit.... a simple game and usually pretty fast).
- Three Strikes (baseball theme... pull a ball out of a bag and don't get the ones with the X on them)
- Hole in One (of course!!! Bob would show off his putting abilities)
- Dice Game (Vegas-esque)
- CLIFFHANGERS.... yes, this is the one with the Yoddler and the mountain climber.
Bob has also appeared as himself on the Family Guy, Futurama, and of course his infamous appearance in Happy Gilmore!!
Bob, we will miss you. "Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered". Don't want like 30 cats running around or anything like that:)
Song of the Day - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has announced it's 2007 nominees.... Van Halen, REM, Chic, and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are all nominated. I don't know how Van Halen would go in.... which lead singer would talk? David or Sammy? Or how about Gary? I know he was Regan's favorite!!! I have a feeling it will be "none of the above" if they get elected in. Has there ever been such controversy over a band's frontman as there has for Van Halen?
Video of the Day - With the Wii on its way.... there are lots of advertisements for future games from Nintendo.... this is a video of games that did not make the cut in the design phases.... pretty funny! I personally like the Hot Hands!
Webpage of the Day - I forgot to include the annual Strong Bad/Homestarrunner Halloween cartoon yesterday! Every year you get the joy of trying to figure out each costume. Nothing was better than last year's Strong Bad as Jombi (from Pee Wee's playhouse).
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