Happy Halloween! And no costume for me today - I haven't done the costume at work thing ever for some odd reason. I know, doesn't sound very much like me.
And Happy Birthday to my cousin Cari! And my buddy Nate! So many Halloween Birthdays....
But all is not happy today as the world lost Robert Goulet yesterday. Sure, he only became a house hold name thanks to Will Ferrell, but still - he was entertaining.
As for Halloween, I like to watch horror flicks.... I've spent time in the past year trying to catch up with all the slasher 80s movies that we all remember not too well. Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, and even Hellraiser (about half way through them). But what are my favorite horror flicks?
10. What Lies Beneath - An unusual one, but I'll admit to hitting "mute" on the stereo when I watched this one during the scenes where you KNOW something's going to jump out at you. Didn't make it any less scary.
9. I'll put a place holder for the "gory" movies such as Saw, Saw II (I was 5 minutes into Saw 3 and realized I had had enough of this gory crap), Hostel.... they can be scary, but the over the top realistic gory stuff is just not worth it sometimes. I did enjoy the first two of the Saw flicks.
8. Halloween - The Original... although the new one by Rob Zombie looked pretty well done. Need to go find that while I'm thinking about it.
7. Scream - Yeah, I liked the trilogy from Wes Craven, just hated Courtney Cox and David Arquette. They were a cultural thing too as they brought back Edvard Munch's painting The Scream. Saw someone weird dressed like this at the zoo on Sunday. Too bad they weren't behind a cage.
6. Friday the 13th - Part 1 only! Something about the end where Jason makes his first appearance that makes the movie worth watching!!
5. Silence of the Lambs - I know, not really a "horror" flick but it had it's moments. The acting and wonderful plot take this one up on the list.
4. The Ring - the new one.... another movie I started watching at about 11pm and when the "thing" comes out of the TV and it's completely black in the basement of your rental house on 19th street (it got really dark in there) - you'll freak when you see that for the first time.
3. The Shining - Jack Nicholson at his finest acting. Something about twins saying "come play with us" at midnight in a dark room that gets your body awake.
2. The Exorcist - A classic movie with the unforgettable random devel mask in the middle of the movie... what was that about? (here's a clip... ignore the first 30 seconds or so, it was the best I could find)
1. The Blair Witch Project - Why this one? Because the entire movie you're waiting for something to jump out at you and it never does! It was awesome to watch in the theatre and observe all the people around you watching it for the first time Still one of the best well done projects/movies with regards to the desired effect. But The Blair Witch Project 2 might rate at the top of my "worst sequel" list.... even worse than Blues Brothers 2000
Apologies to the "classics" that by the time I was old enough to watch scary movies, they were no longer scary because they wre black and white!
Too bad that Stephen King books don't always make great movies. It was one of the scariest books I've ever read (and still one of my favorites) but it was ruined when they pulled John Ritter and Harry Anderson to star in the "made for TV" version. As a reference: Stephen King books made into movies are pretty well done (Green Mile, Misery, Shawshank Redemption, The Shining).... books made for TV movies are worth staying away from (It, The Stand, Rose Madder).
And in case you missed it: NBC announced it will do a spin-off of “The Office,” a la ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy/Private Practice.” The big difference? The “Office” spin-off will star characters yet to be introduced on the show.
Interesting...... FYI - Iowa State game on Versus channel on Saturday!!!
Haiku of the Day
A Scary Movie
Good for any time of year
I know Jen hates them!!
Entertainment of the Day - Another scary story that I love is Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven.... and to enjoy it even more, watch the version by Homer and Bart of The Simpsons - actually well done!! James Earl Jones is Da Man!!
Weblink of the Day - And the yearly Homestar Runner Halloween toon!! Harder to figure out the costumes this year, but still well done! Make sure you click on the characters at the end for further interaction!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Lights... Camera.... ACTION
So I read an article that lists the 25 greatest Action Heros. I've seen most of the movies, but don't necessarily agree with the order. Especially since Die Hard came in at number one. "What would be your list, Adam" you ask? Well thanks for asking!
25. Samuel L Jackson in Snakes on a Plane
24. Sly in the Rocky Movies. Just ignore the last couple ones.
23. Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn in Tombstone.
22. Harrison Ford in Air Force One. Who wouldn't vote for a president candidate who can say "get off my plane" so well!
21. Harrison Ford in Star Wars. Two best words spoken by a man after hearing "I love you"... "I Know"
20. Bruce Willis in Die Hard movies.
19. Jason Statham in Transporter movies.
18. Mickey Rourke in Sin City. Being surrounded by Jessica Alba and Brittany Murphy helps!
17. Arnold in Predator. "I'M HERE.... COME AND GET ME"
16. Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness. Not only good action, but funny too! "Good.... Bad.... I'm the guy with the gun!"
15. Sly in Rambo films.
14. Mel Gibson in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Two men enter, one man leaves.
13. Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. Aliens 3 was still one of my least favorite movies ever!
12. Antonio Bandaras in Desperado. Any hero that gets Selma Hayek is a winner in my book!
11. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
10. Matt Damon in the Jason Bourne movies. He's much better without crappy Ben Affleck hanging around
9. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Not sure who to give the spot to so gave it to both... they're the same person! oops.. spoiler!
8. Sean Connery in Goldfinger. Yeah, he's a badass and this one's probably the best!
7. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry - how did he get missed?
6. Uma Therman in Kill Bill. Probably the best fight sequences in that movie.
5. Sean Connery in Hunt for Red October. "One ping and one ping only". Apologies to his role in The Rock which could also get a nod for this list.
4. Arnold in Terminator... Terminators....
3. Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Greatest moment, when he takes his mask off after the first match and says "loyal servant to the true emperor. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
2. Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.... he's much underrated!
1. Optimus Prime!!! Yeah, can you tell Transformers just came out on DVD?
There's my thoughts... any comments? Anyone I missed?
Haiku of the Day
Halloween is here
Bring out the slasher movies
Who still dresses up?
Entertainment of the Day - New Britney CD out today for all of you still standing in line for it! I know how many of you are huge fans, i just don't understand it though! (Britney - CALL ME!)
Weblink of the Day - An interesting explanation why a cut by the Feds tomorrow will affect gas prices (negatively of course)!
25. Samuel L Jackson in Snakes on a Plane
24. Sly in the Rocky Movies. Just ignore the last couple ones.
23. Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Bill Paxton and Michael Biehn in Tombstone.
22. Harrison Ford in Air Force One. Who wouldn't vote for a president candidate who can say "get off my plane" so well!
21. Harrison Ford in Star Wars. Two best words spoken by a man after hearing "I love you"... "I Know"
20. Bruce Willis in Die Hard movies.
19. Jason Statham in Transporter movies.
18. Mickey Rourke in Sin City. Being surrounded by Jessica Alba and Brittany Murphy helps!
17. Arnold in Predator. "I'M HERE.... COME AND GET ME"
16. Bruce Campbell in Army of Darkness. Not only good action, but funny too! "Good.... Bad.... I'm the guy with the gun!"
15. Sly in Rambo films.
14. Mel Gibson in Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. Two men enter, one man leaves.
13. Sigourney Weaver in Aliens. Aliens 3 was still one of my least favorite movies ever!
12. Antonio Bandaras in Desperado. Any hero that gets Selma Hayek is a winner in my book!
11. Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies.
10. Matt Damon in the Jason Bourne movies. He's much better without crappy Ben Affleck hanging around
9. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt in Fight Club. Not sure who to give the spot to so gave it to both... they're the same person! oops.. spoiler!
8. Sean Connery in Goldfinger. Yeah, he's a badass and this one's probably the best!
7. Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry - how did he get missed?
6. Uma Therman in Kill Bill. Probably the best fight sequences in that movie.
5. Sean Connery in Hunt for Red October. "One ping and one ping only". Apologies to his role in The Rock which could also get a nod for this list.
4. Arnold in Terminator... Terminators....
3. Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Greatest moment, when he takes his mask off after the first match and says "loyal servant to the true emperor. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."
2. Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.... he's much underrated!
1. Optimus Prime!!! Yeah, can you tell Transformers just came out on DVD?
There's my thoughts... any comments? Anyone I missed?
Haiku of the Day
Halloween is here
Bring out the slasher movies
Who still dresses up?
Entertainment of the Day - New Britney CD out today for all of you still standing in line for it! I know how many of you are huge fans, i just don't understand it though! (Britney - CALL ME!)
Weblink of the Day - An interesting explanation why a cut by the Feds tomorrow will affect gas prices (negatively of course)!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Baseball Is Finished.....
A wonderful weekend in Chicago with the beautiful Sarah! We visited the Chicago Art Institute, the Lincoln Park Zoo, some friends of hers, some friends of mine, Wrigley Field, John Hancock Tower, Millennium Park..... to name a little bit of what we did this weekend. Pictures of our experiences all week! This week should be "normal" with no plans to travel, no rehearsals, and no hardcore plans for this weekend.
Well that was an uneventful World Series! Would not have guessed that Boston would have won so easily, but that's why they play the game. At least baseball is finished before November (barely). Boston now jumps higher on the list of teams to cheer against - still not as hated as the Yankees - due to their overspending on a yearly basis for the top players. Some thoughts on baseball before we put it on the back burner till April:
Iowa State had a decent showing on Saturday, but still lost! On paper, we had a better game in most every category - and that's great for us playing on the road against a good Missouri team. And since the Big12 North is playing pretty well this year, doubt any more wins are in our future with games against Colorado, KSU, and Kansas.
Haiku of the Day
Chi-town.... Illinois
Leave late to avoid traffic!!
A five hour drive
Entertainment of the Day - Watched Office Space this weekend.... too dang funny and too darn close to what I work in (as do most of us). Still some of my favorite sound clips to play throughout my work day.
Weblink of the Day - Anyone looking for new tattoo ideas? Here's one that will get you noticed! Simpsons Treehouse of Horror part 1,000 or something is on this Sunday!!
Well that was an uneventful World Series! Would not have guessed that Boston would have won so easily, but that's why they play the game. At least baseball is finished before November (barely). Boston now jumps higher on the list of teams to cheer against - still not as hated as the Yankees - due to their overspending on a yearly basis for the top players. Some thoughts on baseball before we put it on the back burner till April:
- Does A-rod need more money for next year? At what point are baseball salaries considered "out of control"?
- Does Bud Selig ever smile? Does he really have a purpose?
- Since basketball has been exposed as having referees betting on the games, has anyone looked into baseball? Since there's no instant replay in place, what's to keep an umpire from swinging the calls?
- At what point does baseball save itself and its image by installing a salary cap?
- Does anyone really want Barry Bonds to play next year?
- Is there any station worse for the World Series than FOX? Joe Buck is disliked by just about everyone, Tim McCarver is growing more and more senile every year, and Jeanne Zelasko annoys me.
- What do a Mama Bear on the pill and the World Series have in common? NO CUBS!!
- Braves have some $$ available next year with Andruw leaving, get some pitchers who actually play the entire season!!
- Why do the post-season awards take so long to hand out? MVP announcements won't be till Christmas. And the post-season performance doesn't have anything to do with the voting (supposedly)! Hockey awards take in the playoffs as part of the voting (as it should be), NBA announces right before the championship series... gotta love the inconsistency!
- For the record - of the past 4 World Series played, only 1 game has been won by the losing team (and only 10 games in the past 10 years)! Boston 4 Rockies 0, Cardinals 4 Tigers 1, White Sox 4 Astros 0, and Boston 4 Cardinals 0. Hoping that changes next year!
Iowa State had a decent showing on Saturday, but still lost! On paper, we had a better game in most every category - and that's great for us playing on the road against a good Missouri team. And since the Big12 North is playing pretty well this year, doubt any more wins are in our future with games against Colorado, KSU, and Kansas.
Haiku of the Day
Chi-town.... Illinois
Leave late to avoid traffic!!
A five hour drive
Entertainment of the Day - Watched Office Space this weekend.... too dang funny and too darn close to what I work in (as do most of us). Still some of my favorite sound clips to play throughout my work day.
Weblink of the Day - Anyone looking for new tattoo ideas? Here's one that will get you noticed! Simpsons Treehouse of Horror part 1,000 or something is on this Sunday!!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
A Special Birthday
Happy Birthday to my favorite girlfriend... SARAH!!!! Everybody can join me in sending her birthday wishes as she reads regularly. I'll also be visiting her later tonight in Chicago for the weekend so I can tell her in person!!
On the way in this morning, I am still amazed at how many people smoke. At least 1/2 the people I passed on Hwy 52 this morning had the window cracked so they could blow the smoke out and ash out the window. I have my window cracked to get fresh air (never too cold for me) but do people still have the desire to carry on with their pointless habit of smoking? It's no longer to "look cool", so what is it for? Plus smoking inside a building is now outlawed in Minnesota or something like that.
And I was sent a picture from my buddy Mikey who was in NY with me. We were still laughing at the $5 bottle of water discussion while we were in class for that week. Well he found the same bottle of water at a much different price:
No 25 cents off coupon in my room in NY:(
Alright - I'm off to get some more work completed so I can get out of here at a "normal" time. Have a great Wednesday!!!
Haiku of the Day
Birthday for Sarah!!
Yet another year older
Still younger than me
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Grindhouse: Death Trap (The Tarantino directed one) and it was typical Tarantino. Interesting way he does things, unusual plot, one of the "actresses" plays herself (she's a real life stunt woman... which comes out as part of the plot), an unusual music selection to go on the soundtrack, and at the end you're kind of left scratching your head wondering what you just watched. Don't get me wrong, I love Tarantino flicks - but this one is far from my favorite.
Weblink of the Day - I'm a huge fan of Tommy by The Who... and here's an interesting clip of Billy Idol singing the role of Cousin Kevin. He actually fits the part very well!
On the way in this morning, I am still amazed at how many people smoke. At least 1/2 the people I passed on Hwy 52 this morning had the window cracked so they could blow the smoke out and ash out the window. I have my window cracked to get fresh air (never too cold for me) but do people still have the desire to carry on with their pointless habit of smoking? It's no longer to "look cool", so what is it for? Plus smoking inside a building is now outlawed in Minnesota or something like that.
And I was sent a picture from my buddy Mikey who was in NY with me. We were still laughing at the $5 bottle of water discussion while we were in class for that week. Well he found the same bottle of water at a much different price:
No 25 cents off coupon in my room in NY:(
Alright - I'm off to get some more work completed so I can get out of here at a "normal" time. Have a great Wednesday!!!
Haiku of the Day
Birthday for Sarah!!
Yet another year older
Still younger than me
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Grindhouse: Death Trap (The Tarantino directed one) and it was typical Tarantino. Interesting way he does things, unusual plot, one of the "actresses" plays herself (she's a real life stunt woman... which comes out as part of the plot), an unusual music selection to go on the soundtrack, and at the end you're kind of left scratching your head wondering what you just watched. Don't get me wrong, I love Tarantino flicks - but this one is far from my favorite.
Weblink of the Day - I'm a huge fan of Tommy by The Who... and here's an interesting clip of Billy Idol singing the role of Cousin Kevin. He actually fits the part very well!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Couple of Random Thoughts
World Series starts tomorrow... I'm excited but then again, I always enjoy watching the World Series, no matter who's playing. I know a lot of folks hate baseball calling it boring or slow, but try to watch the World Series.... so much tension on every pitch! Listen to the home crowd when their team hits a home run. The Super Bowl doesn't have near the excitement from the crowd (mainly because it's a neutral site filled with celebrities and non-die hards). Not the case with the World Series. I know the ratings will be low since it's Colorado in the final match up this season, but I'll still be watching. The only bad thing about the World Series is that Joe Buck calls the games on Fox (with his toupee.... seriously, anyone else wonder if that thing's real??). And Fox sucks for baseball coverage. And since Fox covers the games, my TV viewing for Sunday evenings takes a 2 week break (Family Guy, Simpsons, American Dad).
Thanks for all the assistance yesterday - I finally found a method of getting DVDs to my iPod. Final size of SuperTroopers - 435 MB and it looks great on my iPod!!! Let me know if you want to know the FREE method of getting it on there. Requires DVD Decrypter and this Jodix Free Converter. Neither one is "trial" basis or leaves a watermark on my video either! Next up, U2 Vertigo concert....
Fires in California are kind of scary. Don't have these problems in Minnesota during Monsoon season!!! We're just trying to stay afloat over here!
Peyton didn't score enough touchdowns last night (one more may have done it) so I'm now 2-5 in my Fantasy league... but I'm optimistic this week with some good matchups! Pretty pathetic when my high scorer from last week was my kicker (Josh Brown of Seattle). Interesting that there's a football game being played in London between Miami and the NY Giants. Also interesting that the flight from NY to London is actually shorter than NY to San Diego or Seattle.
In case you were wondering.... Canada is not considered "America v2.0 to the North" in IBM's terms. My "Univeral All" access doesn't work at IBM Canada (confirmed last month while in Toronto) and now I find out that I can't send packages internally like I would to the rest of the US sites. Oh well, just an extra step to get things there.
Sarah's birthday tomorrow! No shovels (I'll save that for Valentine's Day) and I actually think I did well this year:) I'll be there tomorrow night late so we'll see how well she thinks I did for presents.
Haiku of the Day
Fires in Cali
Brian is safe as can be!!
"Burn Mother F***er....."
BURN!!! (Yeah, I had the Bloodhound Gang playing this past weekend)
Entertainment of the Day - I FINALLY watched Aqua Teen Hunger Force Something Something The Movie. If you're a fan of ATHF, it's pretty funny. If you've never even heard of it, don't bother watching it and starting with the movie. Appearances by the Mooninites and Oglethorp/Emory are pretty funny!
Weblink of the Day - Beer Pong Madness.... this guy has some good skills!
Thanks for all the assistance yesterday - I finally found a method of getting DVDs to my iPod. Final size of SuperTroopers - 435 MB and it looks great on my iPod!!! Let me know if you want to know the FREE method of getting it on there. Requires DVD Decrypter and this Jodix Free Converter. Neither one is "trial" basis or leaves a watermark on my video either! Next up, U2 Vertigo concert....
Fires in California are kind of scary. Don't have these problems in Minnesota during Monsoon season!!! We're just trying to stay afloat over here!
Peyton didn't score enough touchdowns last night (one more may have done it) so I'm now 2-5 in my Fantasy league... but I'm optimistic this week with some good matchups! Pretty pathetic when my high scorer from last week was my kicker (Josh Brown of Seattle). Interesting that there's a football game being played in London between Miami and the NY Giants. Also interesting that the flight from NY to London is actually shorter than NY to San Diego or Seattle.
In case you were wondering.... Canada is not considered "America v2.0 to the North" in IBM's terms. My "Univeral All" access doesn't work at IBM Canada (confirmed last month while in Toronto) and now I find out that I can't send packages internally like I would to the rest of the US sites. Oh well, just an extra step to get things there.
Sarah's birthday tomorrow! No shovels (I'll save that for Valentine's Day) and I actually think I did well this year:) I'll be there tomorrow night late so we'll see how well she thinks I did for presents.
Haiku of the Day
Fires in Cali
Brian is safe as can be!!
"Burn Mother F***er....."
BURN!!! (Yeah, I had the Bloodhound Gang playing this past weekend)
Entertainment of the Day - I FINALLY watched Aqua Teen Hunger Force Something Something The Movie. If you're a fan of ATHF, it's pretty funny. If you've never even heard of it, don't bother watching it and starting with the movie. Appearances by the Mooninites and Oglethorp/Emory are pretty funny!
Weblink of the Day - Beer Pong Madness.... this guy has some good skills!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Weekend Wrap
The concert cycle for October is complete. No huge problems (one scary moment where our cue from our conductor was wrong but we figured it out a measure later). The music was an interesting collection but was enjoyed by those who attended. Next concerts are November 16th and 17th in case anyone's interested. We're playing Brahms 4 on that one with a guest conductor from Israel.
My Cyclones weren't embarrassed this week for once! The defense actually showed up but the offense continued to struggle. That would make it 13 points the last 3 weeks now:( But Iowa lost, so a successful weekend still! Note the continued lack of respect to Kansas (at 12th yet undefeated), but hopefully there will still be losses to Boston College and Ohio State this year.... further expose the BCS for being bad for college football. Did you catch the amazing TD catch to give LSU a win? Wow....
The days of glory are gone temporarily for Iowa State... I miss the days of watching this ("THE RUN")!!! Or the Cyclone comeback in 2002 against Iowa....
Boston is off to the World Series... at least it's not the Yankees!! But hopefully the baseball fans of the world will come together to cheer on Colorado who are almost 1/3 the budget that the Red Sox are spending on their team. You have to root for the cheaper team in baseball:)
Still trying to figure out a FREE way of converting my DVDs to my iPod... any ideas out there?
And I'm finally caught up on all of the Fall season of my shows (watched three episodes of American Dad yesterday since the only football game showing was Tampa Bay and Detroit!?!?!). If you're bored, check out the video game of American Dad vs Family Guy!!! Peter's got the best moves that I've found so far!
Anyway, when is Daylight savings? This whole thing where the sun doesn't come up till 8am is rediculous!!!
Haiku of the Day
Boston beats Cleveland
World Series starts on Wednesday
Just in time for SNOW!!!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Evan Almighty yesterday which is the sequel to Bruce Almighty (the one they show on USA/TNT every other day....). It's actually pretty good, although a little bit cheezy. There are definitely some funny moments and some quality moments that cause one to reflect. I remember all the religious groups being upset at the first one (as they probably were at the sequel) but honestly, there's a good religious message to be found for those paying attention. My favorite part of Evan's talk with God (I guess I don't picture God looking like Morgan Freeman... maybe more like Beyonce, but that's a separate discussion). "God" asks Evan:
Weblink of the Day - And the funniest video you will see all week... GUARANTEED!!!! Instead of youtube... it's GodTube... and instead of your usual Baby Got Back (think Sir Mix A Lot), it's.... BABY GOT BOOK!!! Seriously, you have to watch and enjoy. It's actually scary how well it's done!
My Cyclones weren't embarrassed this week for once! The defense actually showed up but the offense continued to struggle. That would make it 13 points the last 3 weeks now:( But Iowa lost, so a successful weekend still! Note the continued lack of respect to Kansas (at 12th yet undefeated), but hopefully there will still be losses to Boston College and Ohio State this year.... further expose the BCS for being bad for college football. Did you catch the amazing TD catch to give LSU a win? Wow....
The days of glory are gone temporarily for Iowa State... I miss the days of watching this ("THE RUN")!!! Or the Cyclone comeback in 2002 against Iowa....
Boston is off to the World Series... at least it's not the Yankees!! But hopefully the baseball fans of the world will come together to cheer on Colorado who are almost 1/3 the budget that the Red Sox are spending on their team. You have to root for the cheaper team in baseball:)
Still trying to figure out a FREE way of converting my DVDs to my iPod... any ideas out there?
And I'm finally caught up on all of the Fall season of my shows (watched three episodes of American Dad yesterday since the only football game showing was Tampa Bay and Detroit!?!?!). If you're bored, check out the video game of American Dad vs Family Guy!!! Peter's got the best moves that I've found so far!
Anyway, when is Daylight savings? This whole thing where the sun doesn't come up till 8am is rediculous!!!
Haiku of the Day
Boston beats Cleveland
World Series starts on Wednesday
Just in time for SNOW!!!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Evan Almighty yesterday which is the sequel to Bruce Almighty (the one they show on USA/TNT every other day....). It's actually pretty good, although a little bit cheezy. There are definitely some funny moments and some quality moments that cause one to reflect. I remember all the religious groups being upset at the first one (as they probably were at the sequel) but honestly, there's a good religious message to be found for those paying attention. My favorite part of Evan's talk with God (I guess I don't picture God looking like Morgan Freeman... maybe more like Beyonce, but that's a separate discussion). "God" asks Evan:
Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?Think about it:)
Weblink of the Day - And the funniest video you will see all week... GUARANTEED!!!! Instead of youtube... it's GodTube... and instead of your usual Baby Got Back (think Sir Mix A Lot), it's.... BABY GOT BOOK!!! Seriously, you have to watch and enjoy. It's actually scary how well it's done!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Don't Feed Them After Midnight
AND NEVER GET THEM WET!!!!
You can all sleep better - after many years of prayer, letters to your senators, millions of signatures on a petition, and billion person march.... TACO BELL IS OPENING ANOTHER STORE IN MEXICO!!! 15 years after the last expansion into Mexico, we have finally won the battle and there is fast food mexican available innnnnnnnnnn MEXICO!!! DUH!!! What better place to open a Mexican restaurant than in Mexico itself? Why not? This is the new "American Way". There are New York Style Pizzarias in New York, Chicago Hot Dog stands in Chicago, California.... um.... gun stores.... in California, and Minnesota restaurants that sell Minnesota Wild Rice soup! So let's keep those letters and petitions coming so maybe we'll start opening China Ones and China Stars in China! Or a Benihana Japanese Steak House in Japan! Or maybe even a Subway in the Subway of Moscow!!! Ok, that last one wasn't very good.
I also give up on Wall Street.... looks like making money and showing year to year growth is enough to take stock down almost 4 points. Don't understand that one bit.
Not sure what I've done lately to get some bad karma, but I've heard two different NKOTB songs two different times on two different radio stations this past week. Hangin Tough and Step by Step.... videos linked there for your viewing pleasure!! Just curious how the boy bands of the 80s differ in "coolness" from the boy bands of the 90s, and now in the 2000s..... they all sucked at the time, as they suck now.
I've caught up on most of my shows that premiered while I was in NY. Family Guy Star Wars episode was a classic and a great start to the new season. I am caught up on My Name is Earl (Earl works his karma while in prison for a crime he didn't commit.... an interesting twist to the usual plot of the show that I think they'll do well with), The Office, and Simpsons. BTW - for you fans of The Office, I think the barbershop serenade last week by using the speakerphones was one of the funniest moments from that show so far.... anyway. I'm enjoying the shows so far, but come January, we add American Idol back into the TV watching mix!!
Concert in La Crosse this weekend. We're playing a compilation of songs written for The Lord of the Rings, playing Respighi's Pines of Rome (or Pini di Roma for the Italian enthusiasts), Faure's Pavane, Wagner's Overture to Rienzi, and Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Yeah, a weird mix of music that covers Baroque/Classical era, Romantic, Modern, and even MOVIE era (I think that's the newest era of Classical music) but it actually works well together somehow. In the Pines of Rome, there is a part written for bird sounds in the 3rd movement. Some symphonies use a recording to pull off this part, but in rehearsal last week, a couple of us were whistling bird noises at the correct time. It was decided to use this in rehearsal... so now I'm covering two different parts for this concert!! It's about 20 seconds worth and it's subtle. No, I'm not nervous. Here's a Wikipedia description of the 4 different movements that will be played.
Haiku of the Day
Waiting for someone
New to lead our Symphony
8 more concerts left!!
Entertainment of the Day - I've said before that the best ABBA song is Take a Chance and that was the best part of last week's The Office.... never would have considered it a serenading song though but hey, it worked well! But that's a song that gets stuck in your head very easily! Still going through mine today.
Weblink of the Day - 30 second bunnies have released Kill Bill Volumes 1 AND 2!!! 2 movies in 30 seconds for your enjoyment!
You can all sleep better - after many years of prayer, letters to your senators, millions of signatures on a petition, and billion person march.... TACO BELL IS OPENING ANOTHER STORE IN MEXICO!!! 15 years after the last expansion into Mexico, we have finally won the battle and there is fast food mexican available innnnnnnnnnn MEXICO!!! DUH!!! What better place to open a Mexican restaurant than in Mexico itself? Why not? This is the new "American Way". There are New York Style Pizzarias in New York, Chicago Hot Dog stands in Chicago, California.... um.... gun stores.... in California, and Minnesota restaurants that sell Minnesota Wild Rice soup! So let's keep those letters and petitions coming so maybe we'll start opening China Ones and China Stars in China! Or a Benihana Japanese Steak House in Japan! Or maybe even a Subway in the Subway of Moscow!!! Ok, that last one wasn't very good.
I also give up on Wall Street.... looks like making money and showing year to year growth is enough to take stock down almost 4 points. Don't understand that one bit.
Not sure what I've done lately to get some bad karma, but I've heard two different NKOTB songs two different times on two different radio stations this past week. Hangin Tough and Step by Step.... videos linked there for your viewing pleasure!! Just curious how the boy bands of the 80s differ in "coolness" from the boy bands of the 90s, and now in the 2000s..... they all sucked at the time, as they suck now.
I've caught up on most of my shows that premiered while I was in NY. Family Guy Star Wars episode was a classic and a great start to the new season. I am caught up on My Name is Earl (Earl works his karma while in prison for a crime he didn't commit.... an interesting twist to the usual plot of the show that I think they'll do well with), The Office, and Simpsons. BTW - for you fans of The Office, I think the barbershop serenade last week by using the speakerphones was one of the funniest moments from that show so far.... anyway. I'm enjoying the shows so far, but come January, we add American Idol back into the TV watching mix!!
Concert in La Crosse this weekend. We're playing a compilation of songs written for The Lord of the Rings, playing Respighi's Pines of Rome (or Pini di Roma for the Italian enthusiasts), Faure's Pavane, Wagner's Overture to Rienzi, and Haydn Trumpet Concerto. Yeah, a weird mix of music that covers Baroque/Classical era, Romantic, Modern, and even MOVIE era (I think that's the newest era of Classical music) but it actually works well together somehow. In the Pines of Rome, there is a part written for bird sounds in the 3rd movement. Some symphonies use a recording to pull off this part, but in rehearsal last week, a couple of us were whistling bird noises at the correct time. It was decided to use this in rehearsal... so now I'm covering two different parts for this concert!! It's about 20 seconds worth and it's subtle. No, I'm not nervous. Here's a Wikipedia description of the 4 different movements that will be played.
Haiku of the Day
Waiting for someone
New to lead our Symphony
8 more concerts left!!
Entertainment of the Day - I've said before that the best ABBA song is Take a Chance and that was the best part of last week's The Office.... never would have considered it a serenading song though but hey, it worked well! But that's a song that gets stuck in your head very easily! Still going through mine today.
Weblink of the Day - 30 second bunnies have released Kill Bill Volumes 1 AND 2!!! 2 movies in 30 seconds for your enjoyment!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
When Tragedy Strikes!!!
WHAT A TRAGIC DAY SO FAR!!!!
My beloved fan at my desk is on the downfall.... this is the purple fan that I have owned since Nate and I went to Washington DC back in 2001-ish. I bought it there since I was miserable at night without a fan (I had yet to learn the art of traveling with a fan!). This was to see Chad's opera with the Delaware Opera Company in Barber of Seville! Yeah, I have a great memory if I want to use it. I even remember the store and sort of the location where I bought it! Anyway, this fan has been my "desk" fan since that time and is used pretty much every day. Went to the lab with me during my "Squadrons Days" here at work, then it caused power surges every time I turned it on and off with our RiscWatch boxes during the Nintendo Bring up days (it was funny how long it took us to figure out it was the fan that was causing our connections to become lost on that project...... wonderful electrical setup we had down in our lab). Well the fan is usually the 2nd thing I turn on when I sit at my desk, the lappy being the first thing. This morning the fan is moving very very slow and I can tell it's on the decline. If it were a dog, it'd be at this point where you start preparing the kids for the unfortunate truth that "Sparky" needs to go away for a while.
And for those who know me "well" know I travel with a fan to use while I sleep. No, I don't use it to sleep with at work, but the temperature for a building that staffs 5000+ people is not regulated very well. So I bring in my fan to help keep cooler air for the days when I feel it's way too warm. Plus, I have a WINDOW OFFICE (doesn't everyone?!?!?!?) that gets very warm with the afternoon sun shining in. Probably a 10 degree difference on most days in this office. The purple fan has been one of my favorites since it is amazingly quiet for a fan. I do have a lot of histories with fans and this is easily the quietest fan I've ever owned. And yes, I've already been online this morning looking for a replacement for "Sparky"....
And for the record, I've slept with a fan on throughout the night since I was probably in 7th grade (when I got to move into what was my big brother's room... newly vacant when he went to college). Fan on all through college, and the 7+ years since college (I'm old). And I take one with me when I travel... including to Mexico last April. The only time I don't is when I travel international because of the whole difference in power. I struggle sometimes without it. Anyways - I'll let you know when the fan is finally put to sleep and off to fan heaven. And in case you're wondering, I currently own 7 fans (not including ceiling fans) that all get normal use for one reason or another. And my "coolest" fan from Jeremy and family only counts as one fan even though it's made up of 5 fans!!!
Another item to note today - Dr. Osbourne has returned to Nebraska Football. As much as I hate Nebraska football (since becoming a Cyclone fan... it's required as part of initiation in Ames), I did respect Osbourne. He ran up the score against us every year, but we were just crappy enough all of those years that even their 3rd string would run up the score on our starters. But he's back as the interim Athletic Director to see what he can do to the football program that is still bowl worthy, but not National Championship contending. Can Nebraska ever get back to that level? I think the passing mentality is the only way to get there!! The days of being able to run 400 yards every game with only 100 yards passing and contending for a championship are done! The linebackers and even defensive linemen are way too quick now a days to allow the option to work. That worked fine in the 80s/90s when there was no speed on the defense. Plus Nebraska is no longer the attractive school in the Big 12 - that goes to Texas and Oklahoma due to their recent successes. Nebraska still has one of the greatest workout facilities in the country for their football players.... some folks will be attracted to that! And yes, I have a lot of Husker relatives who read daily so there are people who are interested in this topic!
So tragedy aside this morning, it's 2 months together with Sarah today! Can you believe it???? How are we celebrating? On the phone like we do every night!
Haiku of the Day
Two months with Sarah
How "time flies while having fun"
Yes, Sarah is fun!!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Fantastic 4 - Silver Surfer Dude this past weekend and it was..... ok. Definitely worse than the first one (which I actually enjoyed). I hope they're done with this series as I can only see them getting worse. And Jessica Alba looked much better in the first movie (Wheeler take note). Not really a movie to get excited about though.
Weblink of the Day - Prank phone call from the Bob and Tom show.... Hopefully there's one less telemarketer in the world after this experience!!
My beloved fan at my desk is on the downfall.... this is the purple fan that I have owned since Nate and I went to Washington DC back in 2001-ish. I bought it there since I was miserable at night without a fan (I had yet to learn the art of traveling with a fan!). This was to see Chad's opera with the Delaware Opera Company in Barber of Seville! Yeah, I have a great memory if I want to use it. I even remember the store and sort of the location where I bought it! Anyway, this fan has been my "desk" fan since that time and is used pretty much every day. Went to the lab with me during my "Squadrons Days" here at work, then it caused power surges every time I turned it on and off with our RiscWatch boxes during the Nintendo Bring up days (it was funny how long it took us to figure out it was the fan that was causing our connections to become lost on that project...... wonderful electrical setup we had down in our lab). Well the fan is usually the 2nd thing I turn on when I sit at my desk, the lappy being the first thing. This morning the fan is moving very very slow and I can tell it's on the decline. If it were a dog, it'd be at this point where you start preparing the kids for the unfortunate truth that "Sparky" needs to go away for a while.
And for those who know me "well" know I travel with a fan to use while I sleep. No, I don't use it to sleep with at work, but the temperature for a building that staffs 5000+ people is not regulated very well. So I bring in my fan to help keep cooler air for the days when I feel it's way too warm. Plus, I have a WINDOW OFFICE (doesn't everyone?!?!?!?) that gets very warm with the afternoon sun shining in. Probably a 10 degree difference on most days in this office. The purple fan has been one of my favorites since it is amazingly quiet for a fan. I do have a lot of histories with fans and this is easily the quietest fan I've ever owned. And yes, I've already been online this morning looking for a replacement for "Sparky"....
And for the record, I've slept with a fan on throughout the night since I was probably in 7th grade (when I got to move into what was my big brother's room... newly vacant when he went to college). Fan on all through college, and the 7+ years since college (I'm old). And I take one with me when I travel... including to Mexico last April. The only time I don't is when I travel international because of the whole difference in power. I struggle sometimes without it. Anyways - I'll let you know when the fan is finally put to sleep and off to fan heaven. And in case you're wondering, I currently own 7 fans (not including ceiling fans) that all get normal use for one reason or another. And my "coolest" fan from Jeremy and family only counts as one fan even though it's made up of 5 fans!!!
Another item to note today - Dr. Osbourne has returned to Nebraska Football. As much as I hate Nebraska football (since becoming a Cyclone fan... it's required as part of initiation in Ames), I did respect Osbourne. He ran up the score against us every year, but we were just crappy enough all of those years that even their 3rd string would run up the score on our starters. But he's back as the interim Athletic Director to see what he can do to the football program that is still bowl worthy, but not National Championship contending. Can Nebraska ever get back to that level? I think the passing mentality is the only way to get there!! The days of being able to run 400 yards every game with only 100 yards passing and contending for a championship are done! The linebackers and even defensive linemen are way too quick now a days to allow the option to work. That worked fine in the 80s/90s when there was no speed on the defense. Plus Nebraska is no longer the attractive school in the Big 12 - that goes to Texas and Oklahoma due to their recent successes. Nebraska still has one of the greatest workout facilities in the country for their football players.... some folks will be attracted to that! And yes, I have a lot of Husker relatives who read daily so there are people who are interested in this topic!
So tragedy aside this morning, it's 2 months together with Sarah today! Can you believe it???? How are we celebrating? On the phone like we do every night!
Haiku of the Day
Two months with Sarah
How "time flies while having fun"
Yes, Sarah is fun!!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Fantastic 4 - Silver Surfer Dude this past weekend and it was..... ok. Definitely worse than the first one (which I actually enjoyed). I hope they're done with this series as I can only see them getting worse. And Jessica Alba looked much better in the first movie (Wheeler take note). Not really a movie to get excited about though.
Weblink of the Day - Prank phone call from the Bob and Tom show.... Hopefully there's one less telemarketer in the world after this experience!!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Boss's Day
It's National Boss's Day!!! And I'm celebrating by coming to work in my boss's office doing my normal work! How special of a day!! Seriously, if anyone participates today by getting their boss something, YOU'RE A SUCK UP!!! And no, I have received nothing but figured that was how it would work out.
I also heard that this Saturday will mark the US Celebration of "Sweetest Day".... wondering what that is? So was I so I looked (on Wikipedia of course):
As for last weekend.... I'm still in shock at the slashing given to Iowa State by the Longhorns. We'll see how bad we play against Oklahoma this weekend since they beat the Longhorns already and look to be the team to beat in the Big 12. I'm afraid..... But congrats to Rachael and her Kentucky Wildcats with a great upset of LSU!!! I am actually looking for an Ohio State loss so all of the "normal" teams in the top of college football will all have a loss. Any thing that points out the faults of the BCS system are welcomed in my book!!! Hopefully ISU can pull off a miracle run here and make the Big 12 title game and still have a shot at making it to the BCS!!! Yeah right....
I did get my butt kicked in Fantasy Football as well. That's what happens when your opponent has both Adrian Peterson of the Vikings (224 yards rushing, 3 TD) AND Tomlinson (198 yard rushing, 4TD). I have no chance after 85 some points scored with those two alone!! Oh well - I'm NOT in last place and that's what I was aiming for.
Other things to note? I'll be in Chicago next week starting Wednesday night (Sarah's Birthday) to celebrate with her. Concert this weekend (more tomorrow or Thursday on that) in La Crosse... first one for the 2007-2008 season and it should be a fun one. I get to do bird whistles possibly:) Colorado sweeps into the World Series.... Go Cleveland now!
That's all i have today.... want to get this posted before noon so some people can still enjoy it! Have a great Boss's Day!!!
I also heard that this Saturday will mark the US Celebration of "Sweetest Day".... wondering what that is? So was I so I looked (on Wikipedia of course):
Sweetest Day is an observance celebrated primarily in the Great Lakes region and parts of the Northeast United States on the third Saturday in October. It is described by Retail Confectioners International, as "much more important for candymakers in some regions than in others and an "occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, aged and orphaned, but also friends, relatives and associates whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed." Sweetest Day has also been referred to as a "concocted promotion" created by the candy industry solely to increase sales of candy.I tend to agree with the last statement. As if having Halloween Candy around this whole month (including those damn candy pumpkins that are impossible to say "no" to when it's 99 cents per bag.... costing you NOT to get them! So more candy for those with the sweet tooth! Good luck with that.
As for last weekend.... I'm still in shock at the slashing given to Iowa State by the Longhorns. We'll see how bad we play against Oklahoma this weekend since they beat the Longhorns already and look to be the team to beat in the Big 12. I'm afraid..... But congrats to Rachael and her Kentucky Wildcats with a great upset of LSU!!! I am actually looking for an Ohio State loss so all of the "normal" teams in the top of college football will all have a loss. Any thing that points out the faults of the BCS system are welcomed in my book!!! Hopefully ISU can pull off a miracle run here and make the Big 12 title game and still have a shot at making it to the BCS!!! Yeah right....
I did get my butt kicked in Fantasy Football as well. That's what happens when your opponent has both Adrian Peterson of the Vikings (224 yards rushing, 3 TD) AND Tomlinson (198 yard rushing, 4TD). I have no chance after 85 some points scored with those two alone!! Oh well - I'm NOT in last place and that's what I was aiming for.
Other things to note? I'll be in Chicago next week starting Wednesday night (Sarah's Birthday) to celebrate with her. Concert this weekend (more tomorrow or Thursday on that) in La Crosse... first one for the 2007-2008 season and it should be a fun one. I get to do bird whistles possibly:) Colorado sweeps into the World Series.... Go Cleveland now!
That's all i have today.... want to get this posted before noon so some people can still enjoy it! Have a great Boss's Day!!!
Friday, October 12, 2007
Cyclones v Texas (2007 Edition)
After a hectic and stress filled week - IT'S FRIDAY!!!!! Plans for this weekend? Well that would be obvious since it'll be 60s and partly cloudy in Ames, Iowa where the Cyclones will be trying to improve their game against the streaking Texas MooCows. They're on a losing streak, we'll hope it continues for another week! I do have a lot of friends and readers in the Austin, Texas area.... and I enjoy a lot of aspects of Austin, Texas.... So to support my fan base down south, here's something for you to consider:
Note the similarity between that picture and the real one... or is the one above the real one? I do recall a game while I was still living in Ames where ISU was up by 20 some points only to have Major Applewhite (we had a different name that we were chearing) brought the team back in the 4th quarter to beat us.... typical of ISU football.
Prediction day....
Note the similarity between that picture and the real one... or is the one above the real one? I do recall a game while I was still living in Ames where ISU was up by 20 some points only to have Major Applewhite (we had a different name that we were chearing) brought the team back in the 4th quarter to beat us.... typical of ISU football.
Prediction day....
- Of course the Cyclones got a pounding wake up call last week from the Pink Raiders. New week, back in Ames - 21-19 ISU!!! Note that both teams are 0-2 in the Big 12!!
- LSU over Kentucky (sorry Rachael), Ohio State falls to Kent State (hey, they beat some good teams this year I've heard!!), Oklahoma over Missouri... what a good match though! Illinois over Iowa!!
- Patriots vs Dallas - what a great game! Go Patriots! Vikings are at Chicago, expect a huge loss by the Vikes! I'm starting Dante this week with Oakland (since Manning is having a bye week) so GO RAIDERS!! No other games to really care about.
- NASCAR is at Charlotte this week.... hoping for another big win by #24!! Funny how nobody calls to congratulate me when he wins! I see how it is.... I did get some additional support from Sarah on Sunday who is starting to learn why NASCAR is actually kind of interesting to watch once you start learning the physics and strategy in it.
- Big week for stocks - watch for more growth today as retailers claim a good September!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
One More Day....
Apologies for the non-communication for the week.... unfortunately I need one more day to get caught up:(
Enjoy these videos in the meantime:
Young Golf Prodigy that will make you sick
Part two of the "feel good" story.....
Kids from the High School in Austin, Minnesota play a prank.... there's a tunnel under the road so they setup cameras and cycled people over and over across the road. Pretty funny.
A Goonies Sequel? All you Corey Feldman fans will love that!!
See you on the flip side!
Enjoy these videos in the meantime:
Young Golf Prodigy that will make you sick
Part two of the "feel good" story.....
Kids from the High School in Austin, Minnesota play a prank.... there's a tunnel under the road so they setup cameras and cycled people over and over across the road. Pretty funny.
A Goonies Sequel? All you Corey Feldman fans will love that!!
See you on the flip side!
Friday, October 05, 2007
On To Another Plain Plane
It's Friday, I'm on my way to Chicago this afternoon to see the Incredibly Beautiful and Wonderful SARAH!!! Everything's packed, I have 3.5 hours of class left, then a 2 hour flight out of White Plains, NY. Then back to Rochester on Sunday evening to get back to "normal".
As usual on Friday, my predictions:
Anyway - Seacrest OUT..... have a great weekend!
As usual on Friday, my predictions:
- Cyclones are AT Texas Tech this weekend (not an off week as I was thinking they had). Cyclones need to bring their best offense to keep up with the "Red Rockets" (that one was for you Drew!). Texas game is listed at 11:30am next weekend for those who are affected!!! I expect Biscuits and Gravy for tailgating. Cyclones 31, Pink Raiders 28.
- LSU vs Florida will be fun to watch! Two teams I don't like but are playing really well. LSU will win at home though by 20something.
- Purdue over Ohio State??? Sure....
- Red River Classic in Dallas.... but this time Oklahoma vs Texas isn't for Championship level of intensity - I still think Oklahoma is darn good and just messed up last week. Sooners by 17.
- Missouri is still undefeated, remains undefeated after taking out Nebraska Saturday Night. Sorry, if Iowa State can "have a chance" throughout the game last weekend (one interception caused the 14 point swing), a real team like Missouri will handle the Shush-kers.
- Kentucky doesn't keep in the top 10 with a loss against Spurrier....
- NFL: Chicago @ Green Bay will be an interesting game Sunday night, but do we want either team to win? Kind of like war with England vs France, do we really want either one to win?
- NHL has begun.... still too early to pay attention since it'll be 85+ degrees in Chicago this weekend (with snow coming in 2 weeks!)
Anyway - Seacrest OUT..... have a great weekend!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Just An Observation....
So make sure you read the print on the photo.... "A charge will be added to your account upon consumption."
So what is "consumption"?
Dictionary.com:
con·sump·tion
–noun
1. the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction.
2. the amount consumed: the high consumption of gasoline.
3. Economics. the using up of goods and services having an exchangeable value.
So with that in mind, if I drink less than 100% of the bottle, do I still get charged? If I open the bottle and consume nothing do I get charged? If I drink it and fill it up with tap water do I get charged? You see where I'm going with this. Of course I'm tempted to see what I can get away with - plus I think it's outrageous to charge $5 for a bottle of water!! Is this stuff seriously "from the islands of Fiji"? If so, couldn't they throw some authentic Fiji beach sand in there for another $1? Is the water prorated? Can I drink 1/2 of it and only pay $2.50? Is water taxable? Will it actually be $5.40 on my bill with an 8% taxrate? How much of the $5 actually makes it back to the islands of Fiji? And what exactly does "Natural Artesian Water" mean? Let me look it up.....
Ar·te·sian
\Ar*te"sian\, a. [fr. Artois in France, where many such wells have been made since the middle of the last century.] Of or pertaining to Artois (anciently called Artesium), in France.
Artesian wells, wells made by boring into the earth till the instrument reaches water, which, from internal pressure, flows spontaneously like a fountain. They are usually of small diameter and often of great depth.
So now I'm drinking Natural French water from the islands of Fiji???? This gets even more interesting. Well now I see why it's priced at $5!!! That's impressive to find French Water in Fiji! So what does that mean for me when I consume this $5.40 bottle of water?
FIJI Water fell as rain hundreds of years before the Industrial Revolution. After filtering through volcanic rock, our water collected in an artesian aquifer deep within the earth. This natural process added silica, a mineral that contributes to FIJI Water's unique soft mouth feel.
And since I know what your next two questions are going to be:
aq·ui·fer
n. An underground bed or layer of earth, gravel, or porous stone that yields water.
sil·i·ca
n. the dioxide form of silicon, SiO2, occurring esp. as quartz sand, flint, and agate: used usually in the form of its prepared white powder chiefly in the manufacture of glass, water glass, ceramics, and abrasives.
So now we have French Water in Fiji that predates the Industrial Revolution (roughly 1790-1810 for conversations sake... not sure how good your US History is lately).... why not just say "fell over 400 years ago"? Why did you have to bring in the fact that all of us SHOULD know what exactly the Industrial Revolution is but can't honestly give more than a 2 sentence explanation what it is????
Not to mention why white powder has to be added to water that obviously survived the Industrial Revolution buried in a country that really had nothing to do with the Industrial Revolution.... That plus 400+ year old water now says "Best Before 25 Jan 09"?? Why does it now expire in less than 2 years if it's been "good" for over 400 years before you added that white powdery substance?? I'm getting more and more confused here....
So in summary (or in translation): I have the option of drinking (not sure if that's some, any, all, or simply opening) a $5.40 bottle of French rain water that fell in Fiji, then collected underground over 400 years ago, was pulled up to the surface (where's that explanation in fancy terms?), had a white powdery substance added by the same people who then thrown in a pretty bottle (no authentic beach sand included) with an expiration date of "Best Before 25 Jan 09"... OR..... I can use the sink. ME? I'll take the sink option.
Just an observation......
Haiku of the Day
Water in the morn
And water all the day long...
I find it for free!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Anyone else have trouble keeping a straight face when you hear Total Eclipse of the Heart in the Avis Neverlost commercials? Why? Think Old School and then thank me for finding you this clip on the wonderful YouTube.... WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE BUT THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT FUNNY!!!!
Weblink of the Day - Some may think this is dumb, but I found it kind of funny.... wrong video is played during a local news segment. Ironic that the "wrong" video did match the description being made by the news anchor.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Falling Apart
I leave for 2 weeks and EVERYTHING starts falling apart....
Anyway - hope y'all are having a good week! Happy Wednesday!!!
Haiku of the Day -
No more kids for Brit,
She can focus on drinking
and Jail like Paris
Entertainment of the Day - New Kanye song Stronger is pretty good (as is the entire album). Of course it's one of those songs that will get over played around the country to the point that we all get sick of it. I dig it for now.
Weblink of the Day - a kind of fun pirate game. Drive with the arrow keys and fire away with the space bar.... gets harder as the game goes on!
- Britney gets her kids taken away from her (although it's probably WAY overdue). Scary to think that K-Fed is actually the better parent. Although the kids would probably be better off (and safer) if they were left at home alone with a dog. A Mastiff could raise those kids and be better protectors. The best part of the news coverage on the "exchange"? (Background: Britney failed to produce a driver's license and missed a drug test) -
Following the court’s custody ruling on Monday, Access Hollywood reports that video showed Spears taking her boys to a Carl’s Jr. restaurant drive-thru before she handed the boys off to Federline's bodyguard. The handoff was not captured by cameras.Spears then went to a Department of Motor Vehicles office in Van Nuys, Calif.
So she got in trouble for not having a license but still drove the kids around? And what better place to take a 3 and 1 year old than to the Carl's Jr. Drive Through??? Such is the life of Britney (CALL ME!!!)
- Andruw Jones is told by the Braves to go to another team till he learns to spell his name like every other Andrew out there. Or go by "Druw" but that looks even worse. He wasn't hitting that well this year anyways - time to move on to someone a little more consistent! That and the Braves should get rid of Mike Hampton who has pitched maybe 3 innings in his 3 years with the Braves. What an overpaid piece of crap!! Guy made $28 Million for sitting on the Disabled List. GRRRR!
- LSU is ranked higher than USC in college footbal?!?!!? How'd that happen. And a huge drop in the rankings for the Big 12. Now hopefully the over rated Big 10 is next to fall. My Cyclones are on the "Waiting List" for ESPN's Bottom 10.... hopefully another win one of these weeks changes that. Off week this weekend to focus on the remainder of the season!
- An interesting finish to an interesting NASCAR race on Sunday in Kansas. I missed it but reading about it makes my head hurt. First guy across the line didn't win the race. Try explaining that to your 4 year old at home!!
- iPhone owner sues Apple for ONE MILLION DOLLARS!!! All because she was one of the "HAVE TO HAVE" folks who paid full price and then they dropped the price $200. You know what that's called in the business world? Tech-no-lo-gy.... happens on everything hunny - doesn't mean you get an easy million out of it. No brainer to me..... I need to sue someone and try to make money.
Anyway - hope y'all are having a good week! Happy Wednesday!!!
Haiku of the Day -
No more kids for Brit,
She can focus on drinking
and Jail like Paris
Entertainment of the Day - New Kanye song Stronger is pretty good (as is the entire album). Of course it's one of those songs that will get over played around the country to the point that we all get sick of it. I dig it for now.
Weblink of the Day - a kind of fun pirate game. Drive with the arrow keys and fire away with the space bar.... gets harder as the game goes on!
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Starting the Next 500
85 today here in Armonk (40 miles from Manhattan in case you're still wondering) and 85 tomorrow:( Where's the fall weather???
Exciting finish to the Baseball regular season last night. If you were lucky enough to stay up and watch all 13 innings with a dramatic (and of course controversial) finish with the Colorado Rockies scoring 3 runs against one of the greatest closers of our generation to win the game! So basically it took 163.5 games to decide who was the wild card champion for the NL. My predictions from here???
Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle) - Did some soap operas in the 90s but quit over a rumored difficulty with doing "sex scenes" which goes against her Jehovah's Witness beliefs. Was engaged to Martin Lawrence at one time, now married to a not-well known actor/producer. Did a guest starring role on Star Trek: DSN, guest starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and then kind of disappeared. Is doing a movie adaptation currently - we'll see if she "reappears" in Hollywood.
Mario Lopez (AC Slater) - Did some stuff for Animal Planet Channel, Game Show Network, was on USA's Pacific Blue (remember the female bike cops that you just don't see in real life?), and then kind of disappeared for a while. THEN he did the Dancing with the stars finishing 2nd and now is career has been re-established. He has hosted Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Universe all in 2007. Married Ali Landry for 2 weeks (which is 2 weeks more than any of you will get with her) and is now dating his Dancing With The Stars Partner Karina Smirnoff and they are happily drinking lots of Vodka together.
Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano) - After playing the pro-feminist on Saved by the Bell, she did the infamous Showgirls role in the NC-17 flick (seen in Black and White back in the Baker Penthouse days.... you know who you are....). She also "disappeared" to give people a chance to forget Showgirls (can you ever forget??). She's started doing some TV appearances trying to get back on board with Hollywood, but to date has nothing even close to covering her Showgirls fame. Even trying some stints on off-Broadway!
Dustin Diamond (Screech) - Christine's favorite!! He actually stayed on as "Screech" for the 2nd pass of Saved by the Bell: The New Class (ran through 2000). To everyone's surprise, he appeared in celebrity boxing matches and wrestling events. Did a Dustin Diamond Teaches Chess video (not to be confused with his "other" videos), then did some cameo appearances in movies. THEN he joined the 5th season of Celebrity Fit Club where he became the confrontational person on this "reality" show (I actually did watch some of these believe it or not... was funny to see Screech causing so much trouble) fighting with Kimberley Locke (American Idol), Cledus T. Judd and Da Brat on a regular basis. In 2006, he was the "star" of "Saved by the Smell", a sex tape that was one of many released to the public gossip rings at the time. Then there were rumors that he was dead, and now that he's broke as broke can be... I have a feeling we have yet to see the end of Screech!!!
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zach Morris) - After the College version (which sucked), he did some NYPD Blue stuff, followed by canceled shows such as Commander in Chief, and John from Cincinnati (HBO). He continues to do some appearances in movies or TV shows, but has yet to find anything close to the role that had him marry the goddess Kelly Kapowski!!! He's been married for 10+ years in real life, and the rumor in the late 90s that he was killed in a drunk driving accident are NOT true.
Finally comes my favorite:
Tiffany Amber Thiessen (now just Tiffany Thiessen), (Kelly Kapowski or even Valerie Malone on 90210) - The girl we all fell in love with through High School! The only one of the cast who actually had a large success afterwards with 90210 (4 years as an evil evil Bi**h). She had roles in Son in Law with Pauly Shore, The Ladies Man (Tim Meadows), guest starred on Just Shoot Me! as a hot blond, and then on the short lived Fastlane which was a TV spinoff of the Fast and the Furious era. She did multiple Maxim/Stuff Magazine shoots. She went off of the market in 2005 getting married.....
There you go, now you know.... AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!
Have a nice day.
Haiku of the Day
Kelly Kapowski,
She's "Pop-u-lar" (Nada Surf)
A Cheerleading Chick.....
Nevermind - only one person will get that.... but here's an attempt to explain....
Book of the Day - I finished Lisey's Story by Stephen King (pronounced off the name "Lisa" or rhymes with "CeeCee"). I wouldn't call this a typical horror book that he's known for. 650 pages of a paperback that I thought would be too long to keep my interest, but I was very wrong. It was a wonderful psychological story of a love connection that remains strong even after death. Dives into the mind of an author (common theme with King) and the world one creates to find the inspiration for creativity. Some of it good, some of it outright frightening. But after death, his widow discovers this world and all the good/bad that comes with it. A moving story of how love continues to connect after death when it truly is "the one". Yes, I cried at the end (and at other moments) and yes, I'm not afraid to admit it. Parts of the story remind me of the special relationship that came from The Time Traveler's Wife which was another favorite book of mine. Lisey's Story is extremely exciting to follow, King always giving you something to think about throughout until the end of that story line is finished up. This one does have his usual element of supernatural, but it's not as far fetched as other novels that involve aliens (Cell) or special random abilities (The Shinning). Good stuff I tell you. But now I have no book to read on the flight home this weekend:(
Weblink of the Day - Amazing Grace sung as you've never heard it before. I hope someone sings it this well at my funeral..... and yes, it does get better as you continue to watch!! I PROMISE!!!
Exciting finish to the Baseball regular season last night. If you were lucky enough to stay up and watch all 13 innings with a dramatic (and of course controversial) finish with the Colorado Rockies scoring 3 runs against one of the greatest closers of our generation to win the game! So basically it took 163.5 games to decide who was the wild card champion for the NL. My predictions from here???
- Cleveland over the Yankees in 4
- Boston over the Angels in 5
- Cubs over Diamondbacks in 5
- Philadelphia over Rockies in 3
Lark Voorhies (Lisa Turtle) - Did some soap operas in the 90s but quit over a rumored difficulty with doing "sex scenes" which goes against her Jehovah's Witness beliefs. Was engaged to Martin Lawrence at one time, now married to a not-well known actor/producer. Did a guest starring role on Star Trek: DSN, guest starred on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and then kind of disappeared. Is doing a movie adaptation currently - we'll see if she "reappears" in Hollywood.
Mario Lopez (AC Slater) - Did some stuff for Animal Planet Channel, Game Show Network, was on USA's Pacific Blue (remember the female bike cops that you just don't see in real life?), and then kind of disappeared for a while. THEN he did the Dancing with the stars finishing 2nd and now is career has been re-established. He has hosted Miss Teen USA, Miss America, Miss Universe all in 2007. Married Ali Landry for 2 weeks (which is 2 weeks more than any of you will get with her) and is now dating his Dancing With The Stars Partner Karina Smirnoff and they are happily drinking lots of Vodka together.
Elizabeth Berkley (Jessie Spano) - After playing the pro-feminist on Saved by the Bell, she did the infamous Showgirls role in the NC-17 flick (seen in Black and White back in the Baker Penthouse days.... you know who you are....). She also "disappeared" to give people a chance to forget Showgirls (can you ever forget??). She's started doing some TV appearances trying to get back on board with Hollywood, but to date has nothing even close to covering her Showgirls fame. Even trying some stints on off-Broadway!
Dustin Diamond (Screech) - Christine's favorite!! He actually stayed on as "Screech" for the 2nd pass of Saved by the Bell: The New Class (ran through 2000). To everyone's surprise, he appeared in celebrity boxing matches and wrestling events. Did a Dustin Diamond Teaches Chess video (not to be confused with his "other" videos), then did some cameo appearances in movies. THEN he joined the 5th season of Celebrity Fit Club where he became the confrontational person on this "reality" show (I actually did watch some of these believe it or not... was funny to see Screech causing so much trouble) fighting with Kimberley Locke (American Idol), Cledus T. Judd and Da Brat on a regular basis. In 2006, he was the "star" of "Saved by the Smell", a sex tape that was one of many released to the public gossip rings at the time. Then there were rumors that he was dead, and now that he's broke as broke can be... I have a feeling we have yet to see the end of Screech!!!
Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zach Morris) - After the College version (which sucked), he did some NYPD Blue stuff, followed by canceled shows such as Commander in Chief, and John from Cincinnati (HBO). He continues to do some appearances in movies or TV shows, but has yet to find anything close to the role that had him marry the goddess Kelly Kapowski!!! He's been married for 10+ years in real life, and the rumor in the late 90s that he was killed in a drunk driving accident are NOT true.
Finally comes my favorite:
Tiffany Amber Thiessen (now just Tiffany Thiessen), (Kelly Kapowski or even Valerie Malone on 90210) - The girl we all fell in love with through High School! The only one of the cast who actually had a large success afterwards with 90210 (4 years as an evil evil Bi**h). She had roles in Son in Law with Pauly Shore, The Ladies Man (Tim Meadows), guest starred on Just Shoot Me! as a hot blond, and then on the short lived Fastlane which was a TV spinoff of the Fast and the Furious era. She did multiple Maxim/Stuff Magazine shoots. She went off of the market in 2005 getting married.....
There you go, now you know.... AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE!
Have a nice day.
Haiku of the Day
Kelly Kapowski,
She's "Pop-u-lar" (Nada Surf)
A Cheerleading Chick.....
Nevermind - only one person will get that.... but here's an attempt to explain....
Book of the Day - I finished Lisey's Story by Stephen King (pronounced off the name "Lisa" or rhymes with "CeeCee"). I wouldn't call this a typical horror book that he's known for. 650 pages of a paperback that I thought would be too long to keep my interest, but I was very wrong. It was a wonderful psychological story of a love connection that remains strong even after death. Dives into the mind of an author (common theme with King) and the world one creates to find the inspiration for creativity. Some of it good, some of it outright frightening. But after death, his widow discovers this world and all the good/bad that comes with it. A moving story of how love continues to connect after death when it truly is "the one". Yes, I cried at the end (and at other moments) and yes, I'm not afraid to admit it. Parts of the story remind me of the special relationship that came from The Time Traveler's Wife which was another favorite book of mine. Lisey's Story is extremely exciting to follow, King always giving you something to think about throughout until the end of that story line is finished up. This one does have his usual element of supernatural, but it's not as far fetched as other novels that involve aliens (Cell) or special random abilities (The Shinning). Good stuff I tell you. But now I have no book to read on the flight home this weekend:(
Weblink of the Day - Amazing Grace sung as you've never heard it before. I hope someone sings it this well at my funeral..... and yes, it does get better as you continue to watch!! I PROMISE!!!
Monday, October 01, 2007
#500 from New York
Today is posting #500!!! That's a heck of a lot of these things. Kind of scary for me thinking how much time I've spent typing them, and scary for all of you who have read probably all 500 of my ramblings. I am in the process of converting all of the postings to an Acrobat file so I can print it off and have a hard copy of my "memoirs" to sell at your local Barnes and Noble. So far it's going to be 700 some pages long! I kid you not:)
Enjoyed the wonderful weather here in NY this weekend. I went to the big city on Sunday with a Rochester fellow Manager and enjoyed the sights, smells, and sounds (loud horns of impatient drivers) that are always there with New York City. My first time to Chinatown!! That plus the Apple store was INSANELY packed full of people. Take your average Apple retail store, multiply that space by at least 4, then fill it with people and that's what we saw in NYC (Southeast corner of Central Park next to FAO). They even had a guy selling iPhones with a cart and wireless checkout system. So instead of waiting in line, you could just get one from this guy. Why not? You buy peanuts at a baseball game in the same fashion right? Why not do it for a $400 phone?!?!
And speaking of baseball, the Mets missed the playoffs (as was my hope). Nothing like secretly rooting against the Mets while you're surrounded by 40-50 of their fans this weekend when I was out. But now the postseason begins after 162 long games. Interesting to see how out of 162 games, only one game separates the teams who move on from the ones who move home. It's not like the NBA where there are 3-4 teams with a LOSING record who make the post season.
I'm in Armonk, NY for the week. Trees are starting to change colors even though it'll be in the 70s all week here. I have class starting on Tuesday at the IBM Armonk facility out here which is always a nice change of pace.
I'll leave you with some photos from New York from this weekend. You'll see some photos of downtown, along with some of the famous works of art we saw at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)! Hopefully you'll recognize some of them - they have Dali's Persistance of Memory but it's currently traveling:( So one of my favorite painter's works is yet again not there when I go to see it. Won't be back till 2008 sometime, guess I'll just have to come back then.
Haiku of the Day -
No Dali to see
My "Memory" has faded
Dang them London Thieves!!
Entertainment of the Day - I finally watched Blades of Glory (not to be confused with Blades of Steel - yet another great moment in NES history) this weekend and it was definitely funny. Will Farrell and Napoleon Dynamite (in a funny role, not that stupid one again) playing male figure skaters. Plus it has a decent sized role for Pam from The Office. Pretty funny movie - as funny as Ricky Bobby? I'm not sure but still worth watching!
Weblink of the Day - Did you see Paris Hilton on Letterman last week? I actually did catch the 2nd half of this thing when it was on, but it's still pretty funny. Doubt she'll go back on his show anytime soon. Good for him to point out how amazingly stupid she is. She should have drank more!
Enjoyed the wonderful weather here in NY this weekend. I went to the big city on Sunday with a Rochester fellow Manager and enjoyed the sights, smells, and sounds (loud horns of impatient drivers) that are always there with New York City. My first time to Chinatown!! That plus the Apple store was INSANELY packed full of people. Take your average Apple retail store, multiply that space by at least 4, then fill it with people and that's what we saw in NYC (Southeast corner of Central Park next to FAO). They even had a guy selling iPhones with a cart and wireless checkout system. So instead of waiting in line, you could just get one from this guy. Why not? You buy peanuts at a baseball game in the same fashion right? Why not do it for a $400 phone?!?!
And speaking of baseball, the Mets missed the playoffs (as was my hope). Nothing like secretly rooting against the Mets while you're surrounded by 40-50 of their fans this weekend when I was out. But now the postseason begins after 162 long games. Interesting to see how out of 162 games, only one game separates the teams who move on from the ones who move home. It's not like the NBA where there are 3-4 teams with a LOSING record who make the post season.
I'm in Armonk, NY for the week. Trees are starting to change colors even though it'll be in the 70s all week here. I have class starting on Tuesday at the IBM Armonk facility out here which is always a nice change of pace.
I'll leave you with some photos from New York from this weekend. You'll see some photos of downtown, along with some of the famous works of art we saw at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)! Hopefully you'll recognize some of them - they have Dali's Persistance of Memory but it's currently traveling:( So one of my favorite painter's works is yet again not there when I go to see it. Won't be back till 2008 sometime, guess I'll just have to come back then.
Haiku of the Day -
No Dali to see
My "Memory" has faded
Dang them London Thieves!!
Entertainment of the Day - I finally watched Blades of Glory (not to be confused with Blades of Steel - yet another great moment in NES history) this weekend and it was definitely funny. Will Farrell and Napoleon Dynamite (in a funny role, not that stupid one again) playing male figure skaters. Plus it has a decent sized role for Pam from The Office. Pretty funny movie - as funny as Ricky Bobby? I'm not sure but still worth watching!
Weblink of the Day - Did you see Paris Hilton on Letterman last week? I actually did catch the 2nd half of this thing when it was on, but it's still pretty funny. Doubt she'll go back on his show anytime soon. Good for him to point out how amazingly stupid she is. She should have drank more!
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