The Super Bowl hype continues. Brady is limping, now he's recovered.... I haven't seen the report yet on what he's listening to on his iPod - cause that's exactly what all of us want to know!!
What we do want to know is "what the )$@#$@# is wrong with Britney????". She made another ambulance ride and is now on "mental health evaluation hold" - basically against her will. Probably the best thing for her at this point. Who do you feel the most sorry for? The kids? (obviously yes).... K-Fed? (kind of - he's actually being "the responsible one").... Her little sister? (not really).... BritBrit? (kind of.... but she's now the model of what happens to someone who has too much fame and fortune without a strong moral foundation to build off of)..... The mom? (OH HELL NO!!!). Anyway - it's still entertaining to watch someone fall after her quick rise to international stardom.
Speaking of trashy.... Montel is calling it quits.... WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?!?!?? Who will bring the worst out of people? Who will provide their un-certified psychiatric evaluations on the idiots of the world? Where will we go to watch "who's the baby's daddy??" I think this will quickly become a new topic at the heart of the voters for 2008! For reference, Montel graduated from the US Naval Academy with a degree in engineering and a minor in international security affairs. That's the path you should go down if you want to replace him. Oh, then become a rodeo clown like Montel did in 1991! Interesting career path there.....
World's Largest Swimming Pool..... what's funny is how close the pool is to the Ocean.... Any pool that can fit a full trampoline is a winner in my book!
Ok - stay tuned for tomorrow's Super prediction! Have a good Thursday! 2 days remain till my favorite holiday!!!
Haiku of the Day
Burning your hand SUCKS
Wish I had a good story:(
Instead: "Damn furnace"
Entertainment of the Day - Enjoy this "first day of repeat" clip from Groundhog Day the movie! Watch out for that first step, it's a doozy!
Weblink of the Day - One year anniversary of Ignignokt and Err causing CHAOS in Boston.... Up Yours Boston!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Happy Birthday... DICK!!
Everybody stand and clap for the 67 year old Dick Cheney. Then after 10 seconds, stand and clap again! As VP, he has shown us how our country could indeed actually get worse under his total leadership - thankfully nothing has happened to Bush to allow Cheney the opportunity to run everything (although some people think he already does). Just a big part of the reason I don't trust our executive branch right now. In celebration of today's birthday, I'm going to go shoot a friend in the face - anyone want to go hunting with me today?
It's probably appropriate that such an evil man brings such evil cold to the midwest. -14 on the Trailblazer thermometer - remember that is straight up temperature, not with windchill. Yesterday was blizzard conditions with a 3+ foot drift in front of my garage last night when I got home. The roof was blowing off all night with 45+ mph winds. So yeah, it's butt cold out!
Super Tuesday (the voting one) is less than a week away. For Minnesotans who wish to participate: http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ will tell you where your caucus voting place is (it's different than where you normally vote... also depends if you're voting for the Democratic party or the "other" party). As for the fellow Dems out there - here's a page of how the system works. Next Tuesday at 7pm starts the caucus. Should be fun - let me know if anyone's going to Willow Creek Middle School and we'll make plans. Edwards will be dropping out later today so it's basically a 2 candidate race now!
So I can tolerate the cold.... the political mess will be over soon too... but the WORST news of the day is hearing that Santana was traded to the NY Mets for a bunch of no names. In Minnesota sports tradition, we trade the best players for nobody so we can end up in the basement of the standings to get top draft picks. This is now known as the "Moss-Garnett-Santana" effect. And what is the worst possible team for a pitcher of his caliber to go to? (Besides the Yankees) - THE FRICKIN' METS!! We just got Glavine back to the good side too! Going to be a long baseball season:(
Anyway - 3 days left! Big question on everybody's lips.... their chapped lips....
Haiku of the Day
Negative 14!!!
Can't feel my face with the wind
Body is still numb
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Balls of Fury last night which was actually funny. It's the ping pong movie with Christopher Walken (at his usual best) and a bunch of no names. It's pretty funny but unfortunate how Walken can act circles around anyone in this flick. Still worth checking out (only 90 minutes).
Weblink of the Day - Top 20 "Geek Movies" of all time. Yeah, I've seen 18 of them (with extra credit). Nothing to be ashamed of.
It's probably appropriate that such an evil man brings such evil cold to the midwest. -14 on the Trailblazer thermometer - remember that is straight up temperature, not with windchill. Yesterday was blizzard conditions with a 3+ foot drift in front of my garage last night when I got home. The roof was blowing off all night with 45+ mph winds. So yeah, it's butt cold out!
Super Tuesday (the voting one) is less than a week away. For Minnesotans who wish to participate: http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us/ will tell you where your caucus voting place is (it's different than where you normally vote... also depends if you're voting for the Democratic party or the "other" party). As for the fellow Dems out there - here's a page of how the system works. Next Tuesday at 7pm starts the caucus. Should be fun - let me know if anyone's going to Willow Creek Middle School and we'll make plans. Edwards will be dropping out later today so it's basically a 2 candidate race now!
So I can tolerate the cold.... the political mess will be over soon too... but the WORST news of the day is hearing that Santana was traded to the NY Mets for a bunch of no names. In Minnesota sports tradition, we trade the best players for nobody so we can end up in the basement of the standings to get top draft picks. This is now known as the "Moss-Garnett-Santana" effect. And what is the worst possible team for a pitcher of his caliber to go to? (Besides the Yankees) - THE FRICKIN' METS!! We just got Glavine back to the good side too! Going to be a long baseball season:(
Anyway - 3 days left! Big question on everybody's lips.... their chapped lips....
Haiku of the Day
Negative 14!!!
Can't feel my face with the wind
Body is still numb
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Balls of Fury last night which was actually funny. It's the ping pong movie with Christopher Walken (at his usual best) and a bunch of no names. It's pretty funny but unfortunate how Walken can act circles around anyone in this flick. Still worth checking out (only 90 minutes).
Weblink of the Day - Top 20 "Geek Movies" of all time. Yeah, I've seen 18 of them (with extra credit). Nothing to be ashamed of.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
State of the Union - Taking the Morning After Pill
I expect at least 10 Standing Ovations (even if they're choreographed) during the middle of my Blog today. And Nancy Pelosi reading my speech in the background while I'm giving it..... and Cheney falling asleep (will he wake up is the question)..... What got me thinking is "how many times are all of our top governmental officials together in one room like this?" - "who would be in charge tomorrow if something were to happen to this place tonight".... If you're wondering the order of succession, it's as follows:
Florida Primary today ..... GO VOTE if you live in Florida. I'm proud at the record turnouts for all of the primary voting so far. Hopefully we can have over 50% of the voters turn out this time for the big election in November. It's encouraging to see supporters from both sides of the process come out and take part in the whole thing. Here's to hoping that the Kennedy support of Barack yesterday helps for another strong win!
And for your enjoyment - here's the highlight of this past weekend while in La Crosse.... we always use a "guest MC" for our children's concerts. He's wonderful with the kids and provides a lot of extra entertainment for kids and adults alike.... plus he's one of the most recognized people in the world - now I have my picture with him:
Don't forget the big holiday weekend coming up!!!! Don't forget your booties 'cause it's COOOOOOLD out there today. It's cold out there every day.
Haiku of the Day
I'm still looking for
A publisher to pick up
"Memoirs of BigShow"
Entertainment of the Day - I'm a fan of Stanley Kubrick, I'm a fan of John Malkovich.... but I'm not a fan of Malkovich in a movie about Alan Conway (true story from the late 90s) who impersonated Kubirck..... Color Me Kubrick was pretty crappy despite the interesting topic. Better to just read the Wikipedia article on the subject.
Weblink of the Day - This racing game (with sliding/drifting goodness) is pretty addictive! You'll waste a good 5 minutes today on this. And if you're the competitive type, you'll waste 30 minutes trying to beat my 00:25:34 time! Good Luck!!
- Cheney (Vice President) - the main reason we don't want anything to happen to Bush in the next year... yes, it CAN get worse
- Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House)
- Robert Byrd (President Pro Tempore of the Senate)
- Condozilla Rice (Secretary of State)
- Henry Paulson (Secretary of the Treasury)
- Robert Gates (Secretary of Defense)
- Michael Mukasey (Attorney General)
Florida Primary today ..... GO VOTE if you live in Florida. I'm proud at the record turnouts for all of the primary voting so far. Hopefully we can have over 50% of the voters turn out this time for the big election in November. It's encouraging to see supporters from both sides of the process come out and take part in the whole thing. Here's to hoping that the Kennedy support of Barack yesterday helps for another strong win!
And for your enjoyment - here's the highlight of this past weekend while in La Crosse.... we always use a "guest MC" for our children's concerts. He's wonderful with the kids and provides a lot of extra entertainment for kids and adults alike.... plus he's one of the most recognized people in the world - now I have my picture with him:
Don't forget the big holiday weekend coming up!!!! Don't forget your booties 'cause it's COOOOOOLD out there today. It's cold out there every day.
Haiku of the Day
I'm still looking for
A publisher to pick up
"Memoirs of BigShow"
Entertainment of the Day - I'm a fan of Stanley Kubrick, I'm a fan of John Malkovich.... but I'm not a fan of Malkovich in a movie about Alan Conway (true story from the late 90s) who impersonated Kubirck..... Color Me Kubrick was pretty crappy despite the interesting topic. Better to just read the Wikipedia article on the subject.
Weblink of the Day - This racing game (with sliding/drifting goodness) is pretty addictive! You'll waste a good 5 minutes today on this. And if you're the competitive type, you'll waste 30 minutes trying to beat my 00:25:34 time! Good Luck!!
Monday, January 28, 2008
Super Monday (Aren't They All?)
So after a week off (why again is there an extra week for the Super Bowl? Think the fact that it is more about the media and advertising than it is for the actual game being played?) the Super Bowl is upon us. Patriots are getting some attention due to Tom Brady's boot, but despite everything else these guys have gone through this year - I expect a big Patriots win and the first Championship Ring for Moss. Watch for a big game from him now that he's this close.
And tomorrow may be Super Bowl Tuesday, but "Super Tuesday" is only a week away in the great Presidential Race of 2008! A whomping win by Obama this weekend in South Carolina (over 2x the votes of Hilary) brings him back as the front runner (thankfully). Florida primary tomorrow (which is a big deal) and then a ton of states (Minnesota included) will make some major progress in this thing next week.
Since we're talking politics - are you ready for the FINAL State of the Union address tonight? If you're bored and are watching, why not turn it into a drinking game? Take a swig of beer every time you hear one of the following words/terms:
And finally - I went to the U2-3D movie at the IMAX theatre in Minneapolis.... quite possibly the COOLEST thing I've ever seen on a screen. Yes, we had to wear the 3D glasses (the filter version, not the blue/red versions of old) but it was quite amazing what they put together. The big IMAX screen was a huge bonus, but to see the 3D effects with Bono reaching out to the audience, to see everyone ducking when Adam swings his bass over us. It was amazing. The sound was pretty kick ass too! It's coming to Rochester (and other theatres) in February. It won't be "IMAX" but it will still be 3D on the digital screens. I'll be going again and will let everyone know when it's here!
Haiku of the Day
Hockey All-Star Game
Pretty lame since "no checking"
Skills Challenge was SWEET!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Did you know there was a "new" Mr. Bean movie out? Mr. Bean's Holiday.... out on DVD now and it was just ok. I'd still rather watch the old HBO versions from the 80s. It was still inline with his original character, but just not as funny. Oh well, cross it off my "to see" list.
Weblink of the Day - A photo/story behind ALL of the SuperBowl Rings through the years. Some of the stories are interesting (read Walter Payton's story) with lots of versions of "lost it" but I found the rings themselves fascinating to see the evolution through the years. The Steelers Super Bowl XL is probably my favorite looking ring. Rams XXXIV is the ugliest.
And tomorrow may be Super Bowl Tuesday, but "Super Tuesday" is only a week away in the great Presidential Race of 2008! A whomping win by Obama this weekend in South Carolina (over 2x the votes of Hilary) brings him back as the front runner (thankfully). Florida primary tomorrow (which is a big deal) and then a ton of states (Minnesota included) will make some major progress in this thing next week.
Since we're talking politics - are you ready for the FINAL State of the Union address tonight? If you're bored and are watching, why not turn it into a drinking game? Take a swig of beer every time you hear one of the following words/terms:
- Terror
- Iraq
- Iran
- Troops
- Freedom
- Nukular (nuclear)
- Unemployment
- Homeland
- Election
- Change
And finally - I went to the U2-3D movie at the IMAX theatre in Minneapolis.... quite possibly the COOLEST thing I've ever seen on a screen. Yes, we had to wear the 3D glasses (the filter version, not the blue/red versions of old) but it was quite amazing what they put together. The big IMAX screen was a huge bonus, but to see the 3D effects with Bono reaching out to the audience, to see everyone ducking when Adam swings his bass over us. It was amazing. The sound was pretty kick ass too! It's coming to Rochester (and other theatres) in February. It won't be "IMAX" but it will still be 3D on the digital screens. I'll be going again and will let everyone know when it's here!
Haiku of the Day
Hockey All-Star Game
Pretty lame since "no checking"
Skills Challenge was SWEET!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Did you know there was a "new" Mr. Bean movie out? Mr. Bean's Holiday.... out on DVD now and it was just ok. I'd still rather watch the old HBO versions from the 80s. It was still inline with his original character, but just not as funny. Oh well, cross it off my "to see" list.
Weblink of the Day - A photo/story behind ALL of the SuperBowl Rings through the years. Some of the stories are interesting (read Walter Payton's story) with lots of versions of "lost it" but I found the rings themselves fascinating to see the evolution through the years. The Steelers Super Bowl XL is probably my favorite looking ring. Rams XXXIV is the ugliest.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Uh... Brrrr....
Today is self declared "Flanel Lining Pants Day"!!! I dug around in the closet and FINALLY found my flanel lined khakis for warmth today. It is around -15 degrees this morning (withOUT windchill). Yes, it's one of those days where your car doesn't work quite right - and the older I get, my body doesn't work quite right.
I've been watching the Australian Open late at night. First off, they have a retractable roof on the main court which is a concept that they need both at Wimbledon and the US Open. Both of those tournaments see a lot of rain delays through the years. Sure it won't help since most of the tournament matches are not played on center court, but at least the final important rounds can be played without interruption. I remember one US Open Agassi match where he had some momentum before enough rain was coming down to delay till the next day. He was totally off the following day against Federer (and the extreme wind) and lost. But the tennis on TV last night on the women's side was interesting. Maria Sharapova was dominant again. She almost let her opponent back in the match though. And the Ivanovic/Hantuchova match was funny to watch and now there's controversy about Ivanovic's shoes squeaking (very similar to basketball games) while her opponent was trying to serve. And you thought baseball had it's share of scandals!!! Finals this weekend - expect Federer to continue his dominance that is unseen in sports. The interesting part of the final though is the emergence (and dominance) of a Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. His name is fun to say, plus he doesn't look like your typical frenchman.... Tsonga (not to be confused with Tatonka Buffalos) kicked the crap out of Nadal and we'll see how he does against the master.
South Carolina primary this weekend for the Democrats. See if Obama can climb up again with some more momentum. Of the three major candidates left, he definitely has the best sense of humor. Not sure Hilary has a sense of humor. I still think the Democratic party needs to look at their strategies as a whole because I'm not impressed with they're plans as of late. But right now the Government as a whole has some work to do to get the confidence of the country again. Enough soap box for today....
My Stephen King books have been delivered at home - looking forward to reading his new one.
Some random links to entertain you through the weekend:
How many countries can you name in 5 minutes.... click on the link and just start typing. And it's "United States" for your first one. Yes, spelling counts.
Interesting article on the overheating issues seen on XBox 360 ("Ring of Death"). This pertains to a lot of my employees area of expertise but still very interesting (solder joints, etc).
iPhone program that allows you to play Guitar Hero style.... someone has a lot of freetime but still pretty sweet! Probably still cheaper just to buy a real guitar, but that's besides the point.
And for humor purposes.... some SuperTroopers:
I've been watching the Australian Open late at night. First off, they have a retractable roof on the main court which is a concept that they need both at Wimbledon and the US Open. Both of those tournaments see a lot of rain delays through the years. Sure it won't help since most of the tournament matches are not played on center court, but at least the final important rounds can be played without interruption. I remember one US Open Agassi match where he had some momentum before enough rain was coming down to delay till the next day. He was totally off the following day against Federer (and the extreme wind) and lost. But the tennis on TV last night on the women's side was interesting. Maria Sharapova was dominant again. She almost let her opponent back in the match though. And the Ivanovic/Hantuchova match was funny to watch and now there's controversy about Ivanovic's shoes squeaking (very similar to basketball games) while her opponent was trying to serve. And you thought baseball had it's share of scandals!!! Finals this weekend - expect Federer to continue his dominance that is unseen in sports. The interesting part of the final though is the emergence (and dominance) of a Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. His name is fun to say, plus he doesn't look like your typical frenchman.... Tsonga (not to be confused with Tatonka Buffalos) kicked the crap out of Nadal and we'll see how he does against the master.
South Carolina primary this weekend for the Democrats. See if Obama can climb up again with some more momentum. Of the three major candidates left, he definitely has the best sense of humor. Not sure Hilary has a sense of humor. I still think the Democratic party needs to look at their strategies as a whole because I'm not impressed with they're plans as of late. But right now the Government as a whole has some work to do to get the confidence of the country again. Enough soap box for today....
My Stephen King books have been delivered at home - looking forward to reading his new one.
Some random links to entertain you through the weekend:
How many countries can you name in 5 minutes.... click on the link and just start typing. And it's "United States" for your first one. Yes, spelling counts.
Interesting article on the overheating issues seen on XBox 360 ("Ring of Death"). This pertains to a lot of my employees area of expertise but still very interesting (solder joints, etc).
iPhone program that allows you to play Guitar Hero style.... someone has a lot of freetime but still pretty sweet! Probably still cheaper just to buy a real guitar, but that's besides the point.
And for humor purposes.... some SuperTroopers:
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Quick Thoughts
More snow on the way? Or is it too cold to snow???? Inquiring minds want to know! If only the weather people that are paid 6 figure+ salaries could be more than 40% correct.
Heath Ledger died - so no more possibility of The Brothers Grimm 2: Even Grimmer or Brokeback Mountain 2: An Even Harder Trip. My favorite part of the situation was how it was originally reported that Ledger died lying naked on the floor (like the song) of an apartment owned by Mary-Kate Olsen.... (no, the other Olsen twin).... WHAT THE!?!?!? It's false and the statement was retracted by the New York Polic Department. Still a little ironic to bring one of the Olsen twins into this bizarre story.
Federer made mince meat of James Blake last night at the Australian Open. Final 4 includes Federer (looking to get into his 11th straight final!!) and Nadal. Both are hard to beat right now on any surface. Federer is 8-0 against Blake (who is honestly a good player). I think he has only lost to Andy Rodick 1 time so he really REALLY doesn't like losing to Americans.
I might go to the IMAX theatre in the cities this weekend to check out U23D.... You know I'm not going to miss this one - and of course my U2 sidekick Claire will be joining me for this one too. Trying to convert her husband into the "freakish fan" category with the rest of us.
Children's concerts on Friday in La Crosse as we do every January. Three concerts in about 4 hours for 4th and 5th graders (I think that's how old they are.... once they hit about 8 years old, they all look the same don't they??). So probably no blog on Friday - no more football predictions required till next week anyways.
Sorry for the late posting today but I'm still making it before high noon! Have a great HumpDay!
Heath Ledger died - so no more possibility of The Brothers Grimm 2: Even Grimmer or Brokeback Mountain 2: An Even Harder Trip. My favorite part of the situation was how it was originally reported that Ledger died lying naked on the floor (like the song) of an apartment owned by Mary-Kate Olsen.... (no, the other Olsen twin).... WHAT THE!?!?!? It's false and the statement was retracted by the New York Polic Department. Still a little ironic to bring one of the Olsen twins into this bizarre story.
Federer made mince meat of James Blake last night at the Australian Open. Final 4 includes Federer (looking to get into his 11th straight final!!) and Nadal. Both are hard to beat right now on any surface. Federer is 8-0 against Blake (who is honestly a good player). I think he has only lost to Andy Rodick 1 time so he really REALLY doesn't like losing to Americans.
I might go to the IMAX theatre in the cities this weekend to check out U23D.... You know I'm not going to miss this one - and of course my U2 sidekick Claire will be joining me for this one too. Trying to convert her husband into the "freakish fan" category with the rest of us.
Children's concerts on Friday in La Crosse as we do every January. Three concerts in about 4 hours for 4th and 5th graders (I think that's how old they are.... once they hit about 8 years old, they all look the same don't they??). So probably no blog on Friday - no more football predictions required till next week anyways.
Sorry for the late posting today but I'm still making it before high noon! Have a great HumpDay!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Random Link Day
Happy RANDOM LINK DAY!!! For lack of anything better, here are some things to keep you busy today:
25 Signs that you might be an Apple Geek... yeah, some of these are kind of funny, some kind of interesting, and some DEFINITELY cross the line to "Nerdville"! I still say the new Apple MacBook Air is pretty cool! Look for other laptops to follow suit with thinner more efficient laptops that communicate through wireless to external devices.
The Impossible Quiz - yeah, this one will keep you busy for a bit. I actually worked at it yesterday and ended up with a 16/20 without cheating. Granted, I got lucky on a few of the answers. I will post the answers in the comments section and you can proceed to figure out how they got the answers. Some pretty random stuff in here.
Ahhhh to work in a place that allows innocent pranks to be played. This would never fly where I'm at (and for most of us), but I have to admit this is one of the cooler ways to come back to your cube after being gone for 3 weeks!
California DMV online test... I scored 21/21 but I also found it pretty easy. I was surprised there were no questions regarding traffic jams, smog, or drive by shootings... JUST KIDDING!
A somewhat funny video (but very original) of "what happened when Google throws a party". Some of the personalities are right on. And yeah, there are a couple in there I wasn't familiar with. If you're not a big web user, this probably won't make sense.
I made the mistake last night of seeing The Karate Kid was on... and of course I had to stay up and watch it:( Here's the final scene to bring back those 80s memories!!
Have a good Tuesday!!!
25 Signs that you might be an Apple Geek... yeah, some of these are kind of funny, some kind of interesting, and some DEFINITELY cross the line to "Nerdville"! I still say the new Apple MacBook Air is pretty cool! Look for other laptops to follow suit with thinner more efficient laptops that communicate through wireless to external devices.
The Impossible Quiz - yeah, this one will keep you busy for a bit. I actually worked at it yesterday and ended up with a 16/20 without cheating. Granted, I got lucky on a few of the answers. I will post the answers in the comments section and you can proceed to figure out how they got the answers. Some pretty random stuff in here.
Ahhhh to work in a place that allows innocent pranks to be played. This would never fly where I'm at (and for most of us), but I have to admit this is one of the cooler ways to come back to your cube after being gone for 3 weeks!
California DMV online test... I scored 21/21 but I also found it pretty easy. I was surprised there were no questions regarding traffic jams, smog, or drive by shootings... JUST KIDDING!
A somewhat funny video (but very original) of "what happened when Google throws a party". Some of the personalities are right on. And yeah, there are a couple in there I wasn't familiar with. If you're not a big web user, this probably won't make sense.
I made the mistake last night of seeing The Karate Kid was on... and of course I had to stay up and watch it:( Here's the final scene to bring back those 80s memories!!
Have a good Tuesday!!!
Monday, January 21, 2008
MLK..... like the song
Still one of my favorite U2 songs.... or you can watch the live version here (different key - half step down) with Bono's mullet goodness!
As for Dr. King's legacy? I would like to think that my generation (and the younger kids) are becoming more and more integrated to the point that race no longer matters in life. I know there are still perceived limitations but I can argue against that. I would hope that something like race is no longer seen as an issue when dealing with other people in life. And hopefully we can see our first minority president elected in 2008!!!
The 42nd Super Bowl is good to go. Why do we have to wait 2 weeks? Because it's a media frenzy, that's why! Super Bowl isn't about the football, it's about the commercials, the media, and the attention going to the last two football teams. After some great football yesterday, we're down to the Giants and Patriots who just played a month ago in the final week of the season. Funny... the pro-BCS argument in college football would be "they just played, why make them play again in a playoff format?".... Sarah's Packers lost in a surprisingly bad performance by Favre in a VERY COLD game last night. At least Vikings fans everywhere can rejoice that we get 8 or so months off from the Packer banter around here.
Speaking of the beautiful Sarah - she enjoyed the COLD weekend in Rochester. We did as little as possible due to the freezing temperatures, but that's what happens this time of year up north.
Australian Open enters the Championship week with some great matches! James Blake hits the final 8 but now has to play the unstoppable Federer... GO USA!! Nadal might make it another Federer/Nadal final (expect that again this year for most of the big four tournaments). As for the women, typical top 8 seeds remain... as is usual with the women's bracket.
And not to overlook the primary holiday today, try not to forget that it's also SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY!!! So send your favorite squirrel a card or even a bowl full of nuts.
Haiku of the Day
Middle of winter
Why then to appreciate
Squirrels are SLEEPING!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Video for Dr. King's full speech in Washington in case you've never watched the entire thing.
Weblink of the Day - A clip that is probably actually happening around workplaces today....
Friday, January 18, 2008
Neither Snow, Nor Cold Weather....
Sarah arrived in Rochester despite normal airline traffic problems at O'Hare. I guess I've been through O'Hare many many times and only experienced limited problems. I'm thankful for that of course! Just the pains of traveling this time of year. As for today's blog - some more random thoughts to pass along:
Bobby Fischer died. Yeah, the guy that nobody would have heard of except for the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer... a movie that doesn't even have the character "Bobby Fischer" in it....
Another primary (this one counts) tomorrow in South Carolina. Voting on a Saturday? It's an interesting concept that I'd be curious to see the data on. Would that increase voter turnout or decrease it? Pros and cons for both sides of the argument I'm sure. I'm all for seeing changes to the process to increase voter turnout! Also watch for a more conservative approach by all of the media on declaring a winner before any results are returned!
Apple announces the MacBook Air.... this thing is TINY! I kind of like it, but I don't like the fact that the DVD/CD drive is not built in. I use this methodology currently with my USB drive for all of my MP3s/music and while it makes sense, it is kind of a pain to carry an external device around all the time and have to go dig it out of your bag when you want to use it. Trust me, this is a daily occurrence for me!
Today is the release of Cloverfield (previously titled 1-18-08) that has been an internet buzz since it was first previewed during last summer's Transformers revolution. I followed the conversations on the web (unfortunately... not proud of it) regarding all of the speculation and the crazy hints behind JJ Abrams movie. There were plenty of teaser webpages with photos, myspace pages set up of the main characters, and even a Slusho sub-plot to set up the movie.... which isn't even mentioned in the movie (supposedly). Yeah, I'll probably go see it one of these days. Hopefully it's on the digital screen here in Rochester so I can check that out for the first time.
Gene Simmons is gone from Celebrity Apprentice.... if you watch it, it's like he wanted to get fired so he could go back to his normal life. Omarosa is a b***h and I wish she'd get fired! Anyone watching this? It's not as good as a normal Apprentice season, but it's actually a little more entertaining.
Today is the birthday of A.A. Milne (1882) so of course it's declared "Winnie-the-Pooh Day". Just thought you'd want to know.
Football predictions - It'll be a New England/Green Bay Super Bowl.
Have a good weekend! Stay warm!
Haiku of the Day
Which are you watching?
Decision 2 oh oh 8?
Or Britney's downfall??!?!?!?!
Entertainment of the Day - Yes, I watched the newest Lindsay Lohan movie I Know Who Killed Me. My honest opinion? The movie plot was actually very intriguing. The acting was absolutely horrific! The execution of the movie (with some Saw-esque scenes that have too much gore) was pretty poor. I was disappointed on many fronts but again, the plot itself was actually pretty good.
Weblink of the Day - A game for Friday (to help the end of your day come on faster). Use the arrow keys to collect the green balls while avoiding the moving (and increasing in number) red balls. Yellow balls offer random specialties.
Bobby Fischer died. Yeah, the guy that nobody would have heard of except for the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer... a movie that doesn't even have the character "Bobby Fischer" in it....
Another primary (this one counts) tomorrow in South Carolina. Voting on a Saturday? It's an interesting concept that I'd be curious to see the data on. Would that increase voter turnout or decrease it? Pros and cons for both sides of the argument I'm sure. I'm all for seeing changes to the process to increase voter turnout! Also watch for a more conservative approach by all of the media on declaring a winner before any results are returned!
Apple announces the MacBook Air.... this thing is TINY! I kind of like it, but I don't like the fact that the DVD/CD drive is not built in. I use this methodology currently with my USB drive for all of my MP3s/music and while it makes sense, it is kind of a pain to carry an external device around all the time and have to go dig it out of your bag when you want to use it. Trust me, this is a daily occurrence for me!
Today is the release of Cloverfield (previously titled 1-18-08) that has been an internet buzz since it was first previewed during last summer's Transformers revolution. I followed the conversations on the web (unfortunately... not proud of it) regarding all of the speculation and the crazy hints behind JJ Abrams movie. There were plenty of teaser webpages with photos, myspace pages set up of the main characters, and even a Slusho sub-plot to set up the movie.... which isn't even mentioned in the movie (supposedly). Yeah, I'll probably go see it one of these days. Hopefully it's on the digital screen here in Rochester so I can check that out for the first time.
Gene Simmons is gone from Celebrity Apprentice.... if you watch it, it's like he wanted to get fired so he could go back to his normal life. Omarosa is a b***h and I wish she'd get fired! Anyone watching this? It's not as good as a normal Apprentice season, but it's actually a little more entertaining.
Today is the birthday of A.A. Milne (1882) so of course it's declared "Winnie-the-Pooh Day". Just thought you'd want to know.
Football predictions - It'll be a New England/Green Bay Super Bowl.
Have a good weekend! Stay warm!
Haiku of the Day
Which are you watching?
Decision 2 oh oh 8?
Or Britney's downfall??!?!?!?!
Entertainment of the Day - Yes, I watched the newest Lindsay Lohan movie I Know Who Killed Me. My honest opinion? The movie plot was actually very intriguing. The acting was absolutely horrific! The execution of the movie (with some Saw-esque scenes that have too much gore) was pretty poor. I was disappointed on many fronts but again, the plot itself was actually pretty good.
Weblink of the Day - A game for Friday (to help the end of your day come on faster). Use the arrow keys to collect the green balls while avoiding the moving (and increasing in number) red balls. Yellow balls offer random specialties.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
You Are My Brother!!
It's "Announce Results Day" around here! Good news is expected and hoped for. It's also "Sarah comes to freezing cold (and currently snowing) Rochester Day".... expected high of -3 degrees on Saturday. Yes, that's the HIGH for Saturday.... -3! Windchill will probably get it in the -20 or -30 range for the day!
So if you've been watching Season 7 of American Idol, you'll understand today's title. Well worth watching so far as the humor continues to seep out of the auditionees. I think it's funny how many people are banking on AI changing everything in their life and how disappointed they are when they're told "no". Here's the funny clip from last night:
Can you feel the love? The one comment that Simon had on Tuesday's episode that i wanted to talk about was something about how in the US, people feel genuinely excited for the success of others (in reference to the excitement from the family that occurs when the auditionee leaves the room with a golden ticket). I know that his statement is true, people are genuinely excited for their friends/family when something good happens - but is the US unique in that regard? Per Simon (not calling him an "expert" by any means), it is a unique trait in our country. Interesting....
Other links worth sharing today:
Ignore the first minute (although it is entertaining... just isn't the good part of the video) but enjoy the newest fad on a car's rims! Pretty sweet actually and tempting to add to my next car!!
And for anyone who enjoys BigMacs (I confess that I do like BigMacs, I just don't eat at McDonald's anymore) - here's how to make your own BigMac (including how to get the hamburger patties like McD's). Now to just make your own cheap toys to play with while you eat your happy meal:
And that's all I have to say about that..... 1-18-08 (Cloverfield) is tomorrow....
Haiku of the Day
Some snow is falling
But soon it will be too cold
Yes, TOO COLD TO SNOW!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Mr. Brooks recently which has Demi Moore and Kevin Costner.... and William Hurt (who actually was awesome in this movie). So honestly, after some great movies in the early 90s (Dances With Wolves, Bodyguard, Robin Hood (the non-tights version), JFK... then some shitty movies in the late 90s/early 2000s (Waterworld, The Postman, 3000 Miles to Graceland), I think he's back to some good stuff and it started with Dragonfly in 2002... The Guardian and now Mr. Brooks. It's an interesting movie, VERY interesting. Well done as well with some decent acting (other than Demi Moore who plays the same cop-like character in every movie anymore). Rent it sometime!
Weblink of the Day - Some great family photos to view... most from the lovely 70s when all clothing/hair styles were listed as "anything goes"!!!
So if you've been watching Season 7 of American Idol, you'll understand today's title. Well worth watching so far as the humor continues to seep out of the auditionees. I think it's funny how many people are banking on AI changing everything in their life and how disappointed they are when they're told "no". Here's the funny clip from last night:
Can you feel the love? The one comment that Simon had on Tuesday's episode that i wanted to talk about was something about how in the US, people feel genuinely excited for the success of others (in reference to the excitement from the family that occurs when the auditionee leaves the room with a golden ticket). I know that his statement is true, people are genuinely excited for their friends/family when something good happens - but is the US unique in that regard? Per Simon (not calling him an "expert" by any means), it is a unique trait in our country. Interesting....
Other links worth sharing today:
Ignore the first minute (although it is entertaining... just isn't the good part of the video) but enjoy the newest fad on a car's rims! Pretty sweet actually and tempting to add to my next car!!
And for anyone who enjoys BigMacs (I confess that I do like BigMacs, I just don't eat at McDonald's anymore) - here's how to make your own BigMac (including how to get the hamburger patties like McD's). Now to just make your own cheap toys to play with while you eat your happy meal:
And that's all I have to say about that..... 1-18-08 (Cloverfield) is tomorrow....
Haiku of the Day
Some snow is falling
But soon it will be too cold
Yes, TOO COLD TO SNOW!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Mr. Brooks recently which has Demi Moore and Kevin Costner.... and William Hurt (who actually was awesome in this movie). So honestly, after some great movies in the early 90s (Dances With Wolves, Bodyguard, Robin Hood (the non-tights version), JFK... then some shitty movies in the late 90s/early 2000s (Waterworld, The Postman, 3000 Miles to Graceland), I think he's back to some good stuff and it started with Dragonfly in 2002... The Guardian and now Mr. Brooks. It's an interesting movie, VERY interesting. Well done as well with some decent acting (other than Demi Moore who plays the same cop-like character in every movie anymore). Rent it sometime!
Weblink of the Day - Some great family photos to view... most from the lovely 70s when all clothing/hair styles were listed as "anything goes"!!!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
My 5 Minute Blog
I have only 5 minutes this morning - so I'm typing as fast as I can and will publish when I run out of time.
- American Idol season has begun. I have to admit that I was very much entertained by last night's episode from Philly auditions. If you don't usually watch the opening audition weeks, you SHOULD START WATCHING TONIGHT!!! And if you want to know a secret, record it on DVR and start watching 40 minutes late at least. I did that last night and caught up by the end of the show. So basically the 2 hours is over 40 minutes of commercials. Now you know the heart of the success to American Idol.
- It's cold out - very cold this weekend too.
- Sarah arrives in Rochester for her 2nd trip to the cold state of Minnesota tomorrow!!
- Today is the 3 year anniversary of the passing of my good friend Shelly. I think she's still with us from time to time and she's missed as much as ever.....
Monday, January 14, 2008
Electoral College = OUTDATED
Well since there was at least one disagreement on Friday with my comment about Electoral College being "outdated", here's further reasons why I think the process should be changed:
1) Electors can change their mind at their own free will - if one person has that kind of power to change their vote (yes, it has happened - 158 times actually! And as recent as 2004 in Minnesota, probably by accident, but still it happened!) what is the point of voting anyway?
2) The College discourages votes in non-swing states. This means a republican in NY/Massachusetts has little motivation to vote other than to exercise his right as an American. Or a democrat in Texas/Utah not really having a chance. It also makes the independent vote incapable of having a chance. Ross Perot actually carried a lot of votes total (19%) but no electoral college votes so his efforts to create a strong 3rd party were lost. Discouraging people from voting should be punishable by prison time as that is the opposite of what we need our government to do - encourage and make it easier for people to become involved and vote to get a "true" representation.
3) Because of some states being "extreme red" or "extreme blue", the candidates don't do any campaigning in those states. Those residents lose out in opportunities to see and hear the candidates in person to develop a better opinion. The poor residents of the swing states have to listen to countless political advertisements which only draws people away from the process!
4) Electoral votes in most states are all or none (unlike the primaries). So a state that has a large amount of Electoral votes (Florida) that is settled by a few votes (537 votes out of almost 6 million cast!... that's a difference of about 0.00895%), the winner gets all 25 electoral votes rather than the 50% that was actually won. How many other elections work this way?
5) The College was set up to give the "small states" a better say in the government. But think about this.... In 2004, Florida had 27 Electoral college votes. If you add the electoral votes of the following 9 states (Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Montana, DC, Delaware, Idaho) there are 28 Electoral college votes. In 2004, the 9 states mentioned before had approximately 3.2 million votes. Florida had 7.6 million votes. So the smaller states say this way they get heard, but I see it as 4.4 million people in Florida got shafted with their votes.
How come we don't vote for governor, senators, congressmen/women in the same manner? Just seems like yet again, it's not allowing for a true representation of the voters as a whole. You could make the same vote in a lot of states like Minnesota where the popular vote favors the metropolis in the Twin Cities which dominate the total population of the state. So why not take out part of their dominance vote and allow all the counties a certain number of electoral votes.
I present my case and welcome any discussion. Remember, it's a sin of the government (candidates, electing officials, or whomever) to discourage voting ANYWHERE! You'll never win that argument with me.
Haiku of the Day
My new countdown shows
Bush's days left in office
as three seven two [372]
Entertainment of the Day - Despite what felt like a Tom Hanks weekend on cable (The Green Mile, The Da Vinci Code), I found time to watch even more movies.... 3:10 to Yuma is a remake but still a western. Not my favorite genre, I'll be honest. It's ok - Christian Bale will now be Batman in every movie though to me, not a western gunslinger type. Russell Crowe doesn't fit the western look either... was waiting for him to pull out a shield and sword like in Gladiator and start kicking everyone's ass! Anyway - 3:10 Till I Fall Asleep (in minutes) wasn't worth watching.
Weblink of the Day - An online version of "follow the card"... gets tricky at $50, and gets outright ridiculous after $75! I hit $90 before I failed. Wait for the random french fries coming on the screen:)
1) Electors can change their mind at their own free will - if one person has that kind of power to change their vote (yes, it has happened - 158 times actually! And as recent as 2004 in Minnesota, probably by accident, but still it happened!) what is the point of voting anyway?
2) The College discourages votes in non-swing states. This means a republican in NY/Massachusetts has little motivation to vote other than to exercise his right as an American. Or a democrat in Texas/Utah not really having a chance. It also makes the independent vote incapable of having a chance. Ross Perot actually carried a lot of votes total (19%) but no electoral college votes so his efforts to create a strong 3rd party were lost. Discouraging people from voting should be punishable by prison time as that is the opposite of what we need our government to do - encourage and make it easier for people to become involved and vote to get a "true" representation.
3) Because of some states being "extreme red" or "extreme blue", the candidates don't do any campaigning in those states. Those residents lose out in opportunities to see and hear the candidates in person to develop a better opinion. The poor residents of the swing states have to listen to countless political advertisements which only draws people away from the process!
4) Electoral votes in most states are all or none (unlike the primaries). So a state that has a large amount of Electoral votes (Florida) that is settled by a few votes (537 votes out of almost 6 million cast!... that's a difference of about 0.00895%), the winner gets all 25 electoral votes rather than the 50% that was actually won. How many other elections work this way?
5) The College was set up to give the "small states" a better say in the government. But think about this.... In 2004, Florida had 27 Electoral college votes. If you add the electoral votes of the following 9 states (Wyoming, Vermont, North Dakota, Alaska, South Dakota, Montana, DC, Delaware, Idaho) there are 28 Electoral college votes. In 2004, the 9 states mentioned before had approximately 3.2 million votes. Florida had 7.6 million votes. So the smaller states say this way they get heard, but I see it as 4.4 million people in Florida got shafted with their votes.
How come we don't vote for governor, senators, congressmen/women in the same manner? Just seems like yet again, it's not allowing for a true representation of the voters as a whole. You could make the same vote in a lot of states like Minnesota where the popular vote favors the metropolis in the Twin Cities which dominate the total population of the state. So why not take out part of their dominance vote and allow all the counties a certain number of electoral votes.
I present my case and welcome any discussion. Remember, it's a sin of the government (candidates, electing officials, or whomever) to discourage voting ANYWHERE! You'll never win that argument with me.
Haiku of the Day
My new countdown shows
Bush's days left in office
as three seven two [372]
Entertainment of the Day - Despite what felt like a Tom Hanks weekend on cable (The Green Mile, The Da Vinci Code), I found time to watch even more movies.... 3:10 to Yuma is a remake but still a western. Not my favorite genre, I'll be honest. It's ok - Christian Bale will now be Batman in every movie though to me, not a western gunslinger type. Russell Crowe doesn't fit the western look either... was waiting for him to pull out a shield and sword like in Gladiator and start kicking everyone's ass! Anyway - 3:10 Till I Fall Asleep (in minutes) wasn't worth watching.
Weblink of the Day - An online version of "follow the card"... gets tricky at $50, and gets outright ridiculous after $75! I hit $90 before I failed. Wait for the random french fries coming on the screen:)
Friday, January 11, 2008
Getting Cold Again.....
A busy morning already, so today might be a little brief. But I figured I've done well so far in the new year blogging daily so I'll keep the momentum going!
Big football weekend as we go from 8 teams to 4! Imagine that, a "playoff" style method to determine the National Champion. So if the NFL were college football, New England and Dallas would automatically play for the championship and they would still play it February 3rd with no games in the month of January. Does that make sense? So why does it in college football? Oh right, money and the television networks.
Anyway, I'm excited to watch the games this weekend - Hoping for a Seattle win over the much hated Packers... but I think the Packers will win:( So Packers win, Giants beat the falling Cowboys - New England and Indianapolis will each win to set up yet another rematch of these two great teams next week.
The Australian Open starts on Monday - I'm sure another title for Federer is on the way. Women's tennis is always exciting with a lot of players standing legitimate chances of winning in every tournament. Exact opposite of the men currently!
The biggest losers this week were the media who showed they really DON'T have a clue when it comes to predicting the political outcomes. Watch John Stewart this week and you'll see how every station has a different reason why a different candidate will win. Who do you trust then? You trust the FINAL numbers.... as long as Florida is not involved. My advice is to research each candidate yourself and VOTE - ignore the media. Oh yeah, and let's get rid of the Electoral College.... WAY outdated and in my opinion only discourages people from voting. Disagree with me? BRING IT!
And I know I promised more pictures of me and the BEAUTIFUL Sarah from our Florida adventures. I'll have a bunch more next week, but here's one today for everyone to enjoy:
And another picture that I was playing around with Photoshop last weekend.... oh the fun you can have with this program!
Have a good weekend!
Big football weekend as we go from 8 teams to 4! Imagine that, a "playoff" style method to determine the National Champion. So if the NFL were college football, New England and Dallas would automatically play for the championship and they would still play it February 3rd with no games in the month of January. Does that make sense? So why does it in college football? Oh right, money and the television networks.
Anyway, I'm excited to watch the games this weekend - Hoping for a Seattle win over the much hated Packers... but I think the Packers will win:( So Packers win, Giants beat the falling Cowboys - New England and Indianapolis will each win to set up yet another rematch of these two great teams next week.
The Australian Open starts on Monday - I'm sure another title for Federer is on the way. Women's tennis is always exciting with a lot of players standing legitimate chances of winning in every tournament. Exact opposite of the men currently!
The biggest losers this week were the media who showed they really DON'T have a clue when it comes to predicting the political outcomes. Watch John Stewart this week and you'll see how every station has a different reason why a different candidate will win. Who do you trust then? You trust the FINAL numbers.... as long as Florida is not involved. My advice is to research each candidate yourself and VOTE - ignore the media. Oh yeah, and let's get rid of the Electoral College.... WAY outdated and in my opinion only discourages people from voting. Disagree with me? BRING IT!
And I know I promised more pictures of me and the BEAUTIFUL Sarah from our Florida adventures. I'll have a bunch more next week, but here's one today for everyone to enjoy:
And another picture that I was playing around with Photoshop last weekend.... oh the fun you can have with this program!
Have a good weekend!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Reflections of.... BAND-AID!!!
I know you're all sick of Christmas music, but there's one last topic that I thought of over break that I never got a chance to research! Your favorite song Do They Know It's Christmas which is played at a minimum once per hour during the month of December. This song has been around for 23 years now, and probably played more than any other Christmas song (even Wham's Last Christmas also from 1984). So you know the song, you know the lyrics, you also sing along as loud as you can when you get to the "FEED THE WORLD" part, heck you may even remember the video for it (back from the MTV days of actually showing music videos).
But do you remember who everyone is? Some of us were 7 years old in 1984 (or younger) so some of the names might be foreign. Let me help refresh your memory.
On a sad note - the final Air Jordans (Jordans XX3, how appropriate!) are being released this year. I do like the new ones, but my favorites are still the Jordan IVs! Here's a slideshow of all the Jordans through the years. Which are your favorites?
Go Brews Brothers!!
Haiku of the Day
Bowling is for girls!
But it's fun to drink some beer
And watch all the fun!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Death Sentence which is with Kevin Bacon (who's really starting to look "old" lately), Kelly Preston (who still looks amazing at 45), and done by the same director as Saw. No, there is not a lot of gory parts, but I did enjoy the movie. The plot was interesting, makes you think. A VP of the business world loses his son to a random gang shooting and sees a maximum of 10 year penalty to the killer. Instead of that route, he decides to take the law into his own hands and starts a war against a gang. The camera work was actually pretty awesome with one foot chase scene being one of the better ones I can remember in a movie. Worth the time if you see it out there to rent!
Weblink of the Day - The Indian designed $2500 car is coming to the US! Interesting, interesting.... no radio, so you'd have to use your iPod and headphones while driving - a favorite of Kahn's! Don't expect to see these pulling into Menards to take a bunch of stuff back to the house!
But do you remember who everyone is? Some of us were 7 years old in 1984 (or younger) so some of the names might be foreign. Let me help refresh your memory.
- Starts with Paul Young singing (was a solo act.... not from any band)
- Then of course Boy George (from Culture Club).
- Add Phil Collins (was in Genesis at the time... still sucks) on drums with a goofy look on his face
- George Michael is next (of WHAM! He was a busy guy in 1984 but that was before he was playing games of "show me yours I'll show you mine" in public bathrooms)
- Then Simon LeBon. Simon was from Duran Duran (listen, you'll recognize his voice from Rio)
- Then you add Sting (of Sting/The Police fame --- remember Idol contestants, you sing Sting and you go home) and Tony Hadley (not related to Nori Hadley... at least I don't think so). Tony Hadley was the frontman for Spandau Ballet (WHO!?!?!?). They sang True (you'd recognize it if you heard it from most Weddings... or just watch this video).
- Then Bono (of obvious U2 fame) and Sting.... add Simon LeBon again...
- Then Bono's famous "Well tonight thank God it's them, instead of youuuuuuu". Which by the way, he sang AGAIN in the 20 year remake of the song (2004). He was the only person to be in both groups (most of the originals are too drugged up to sing anymore). The 20 year version can be found here.
- The only other person who solos after this is Glen Gregory from Heaven 17.... don't know much about them.
On a sad note - the final Air Jordans (Jordans XX3, how appropriate!) are being released this year. I do like the new ones, but my favorites are still the Jordan IVs! Here's a slideshow of all the Jordans through the years. Which are your favorites?
Go Brews Brothers!!
Haiku of the Day
Bowling is for girls!
But it's fun to drink some beer
And watch all the fun!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched Death Sentence which is with Kevin Bacon (who's really starting to look "old" lately), Kelly Preston (who still looks amazing at 45), and done by the same director as Saw. No, there is not a lot of gory parts, but I did enjoy the movie. The plot was interesting, makes you think. A VP of the business world loses his son to a random gang shooting and sees a maximum of 10 year penalty to the killer. Instead of that route, he decides to take the law into his own hands and starts a war against a gang. The camera work was actually pretty awesome with one foot chase scene being one of the better ones I can remember in a movie. Worth the time if you see it out there to rent!
Weblink of the Day - The Indian designed $2500 car is coming to the US! Interesting, interesting.... no radio, so you'd have to use your iPod and headphones while driving - a favorite of Kahn's! Don't expect to see these pulling into Menards to take a bunch of stuff back to the house!
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Random Thoughts (again)
Political Thoughts: I love seeing the "record turnout" of voters for the primaries first in Iowa, now in New Hampshire. It's embarrassing to see the continued low voter turnout for our presidential elections every 4 years in the US which brags about the "power of democracy". Other countries around the world have 90%+ voter turnout which I think shows the true power of the voters. As for the Hillary "win" yesterday.... remember that primaries are not like the election with regards to delegates. No states do 100% of their delegates for one candidate as is done in the election. So even yesterday, both Obama and Hillary won 9 delegates. So with 2,209 delegates needed to win the Democratic Nomination, Obama is at 25, Clinton at 24..... so no need to get excited yet!
Yesterday was Elvis's Birthday - he would have been 73 years old! And while I celebrated yesterday by listening to some music from the King, I thought we should have all had a National Day Off (as if the Post Office needs yet another day not to deliver mail) in honor of Mr. Presley.
Yes, I saw the latest Elvis DVDs that include his concert of gospel performances. I was pretty pumped and as usual when I see TV infomercials or "only on TV", I threw out a price of $25. Unfortunately it was like $70 so the phone stayed off. I do that a lot with stuff on TV, if it seems cool, I throw out a price that I'd pay for it and unless it comes in under that price, I don't bother calling. But the Elvis Gospel era is some great music!
Minnesota Timberwolves WIN!!!! That would be their 5th win and their largest winning streak of the season... at 1 game....
And speaking of "has beens".... Taylor Hicks (remember him? He's the grey haired winner of American Idol 2 seasons ago...) after ONE record, was dropped from his record deal by Sony-BMG. Probably because he hasn't sold crap for records on his first album and pales in comparison to his Season 5 comrads (Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, and Katharine McPhee). He still is more popular than Bucky McHillbilly though.
And some of us "nerds" are following the CES (Consumer Electronics Show.... basically a gadget overload festival) - there's some cool stuff on display this year. I've been fond of the 1.5 inch thick LCD HDTV Televisions..... as well as the 150 inch Television screen that won't fit in my house at the moment....
And finally - catch up on some books that I read over the Holidays. The Glass Castle is a fascinating "memoir" of Jeannette Walls (who used to write the Daily Scoop on MSNBC with Hollywood Gossip). It's written in 1st person but from her perspective as she was growing up. She had a very abnormal upbringing, but it wasn't necessarily one you would call an abusive home. Her parents chose not to conform to society and money as most of us do, but this presented a LOT of problems for the 4 kids. It shows the power of her and her siblings watching out for each other. The book is a touching story of the power of the human spirit to always excel in life as long as you have the determination to do so. It's also a humbling story (that is extremely fun to read) that will make you laugh and be sad all in the same chapter. I recommend it to anyone needing a good read (about a 2-3 day read tops). BTW, Mom - I put my order in for the new Stephen King book coming out on the 22nd! Duma Key: A Novel
Haiku of the Day
The Thaw is still here
But makes for icy patches
Careful where you walk
Entertainment of the Day - um.... watched even more movies (a common theme in January for me). Rush Hour 3 was just what you'd expect from Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Just when you think it can't get any more repetitive and old humor.... it does! Worth watching? Maybe on free Showtime or free HBO weekend. And yes, you still get to hear Jackie sing "War... huh... good God..."
Weblink of the Day - After spending a LOT of time yesterday/last night to find the full episode of Wife Swap that was referenced yesterday... the internet let me down:( I'll keep looking though! But today's link of the 10 Drunken moments in Music History are pretty good too! The James Brown one is my favorite.
Yesterday was Elvis's Birthday - he would have been 73 years old! And while I celebrated yesterday by listening to some music from the King, I thought we should have all had a National Day Off (as if the Post Office needs yet another day not to deliver mail) in honor of Mr. Presley.
Yes, I saw the latest Elvis DVDs that include his concert of gospel performances. I was pretty pumped and as usual when I see TV infomercials or "only on TV", I threw out a price of $25. Unfortunately it was like $70 so the phone stayed off. I do that a lot with stuff on TV, if it seems cool, I throw out a price that I'd pay for it and unless it comes in under that price, I don't bother calling. But the Elvis Gospel era is some great music!
Minnesota Timberwolves WIN!!!! That would be their 5th win and their largest winning streak of the season... at 1 game....
And speaking of "has beens".... Taylor Hicks (remember him? He's the grey haired winner of American Idol 2 seasons ago...) after ONE record, was dropped from his record deal by Sony-BMG. Probably because he hasn't sold crap for records on his first album and pales in comparison to his Season 5 comrads (Daughtry, Elliott Yamin, and Katharine McPhee). He still is more popular than Bucky McHillbilly though.
And some of us "nerds" are following the CES (Consumer Electronics Show.... basically a gadget overload festival) - there's some cool stuff on display this year. I've been fond of the 1.5 inch thick LCD HDTV Televisions..... as well as the 150 inch Television screen that won't fit in my house at the moment....
And finally - catch up on some books that I read over the Holidays. The Glass Castle is a fascinating "memoir" of Jeannette Walls (who used to write the Daily Scoop on MSNBC with Hollywood Gossip). It's written in 1st person but from her perspective as she was growing up. She had a very abnormal upbringing, but it wasn't necessarily one you would call an abusive home. Her parents chose not to conform to society and money as most of us do, but this presented a LOT of problems for the 4 kids. It shows the power of her and her siblings watching out for each other. The book is a touching story of the power of the human spirit to always excel in life as long as you have the determination to do so. It's also a humbling story (that is extremely fun to read) that will make you laugh and be sad all in the same chapter. I recommend it to anyone needing a good read (about a 2-3 day read tops). BTW, Mom - I put my order in for the new Stephen King book coming out on the 22nd! Duma Key: A Novel
Haiku of the Day
The Thaw is still here
But makes for icy patches
Careful where you walk
Entertainment of the Day - um.... watched even more movies (a common theme in January for me). Rush Hour 3 was just what you'd expect from Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan. Just when you think it can't get any more repetitive and old humor.... it does! Worth watching? Maybe on free Showtime or free HBO weekend. And yes, you still get to hear Jackie sing "War... huh... good God..."
Weblink of the Day - After spending a LOT of time yesterday/last night to find the full episode of Wife Swap that was referenced yesterday... the internet let me down:( I'll keep looking though! But today's link of the 10 Drunken moments in Music History are pretty good too! The James Brown one is my favorite.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Things that make you go.... WHAAAAA???
Here's a doozy of a story to get your head working today! I was going to just have it as the webpage of the day, but as the conversation over the article went on and on yesterday with some folks here at work, I figured it needed it's own dedicated day to discuss.
I stumbled across an article titled: Wisconsin Man convicted of sexually assaulting a dead deer gets MORE jail time. (insert Wisconsin joke here)
I'll give you a moment to let that thought sink in. And you MUST read the article to get the full effect - but here's some highlights:
What does one appeal in this case? Well I'm glad you asked. Seems that the Smoking Gun (not the X-Files version) already got a hold of this story and has some more details pertaining to the appeal. First off, the guy is only 21. 2nd, how many cases of "necrophilia bestiality" are there in the history of our judicial system? How do you treat this problem? Do you take him to a normal psychiatrist, or a veterinarian psychiatrist?
Page 3 of the photos is by far the highlight of today's blog. In Bryan James Hathaway's appeal from his lawyers: "The complaint fails to allege any facts that support the conclusion that Mr. Hathaway committed an act of sexual gratification with an animal. According to the complaint, Mr. Hathaway had sex with a dead dear. The statute does not prohibit one from having sex with a carcass."
STOP - nevermind the fact that "deer" was misspelled by the lawyers, I don't care which definition they use (which follows in the appeal report), sex with a carcass is still NOT GOOD! So to take this one step further, the lawyers bring in the longly debated ethical question of death.... 3rd paragraph on page 3:
My vote? LOCK THE GUY UP!!! You gotta admit, it's kind of funny to see Princess Bride quoted in a legal case.
GO OBAMA!!!
Haiku of the Day
Andre the Giant
Missed his calling as lawyer...
INCONCEIVABLE!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched 28 Weeks Later which is the sequel to the 28 Days Later zombie-esque movie from a few years ago. I enjoyed the plot of the first which is basically a unique virus breaks out in England and basically takes over the entire population (with few survivors). 28 Weeks Later takes place 6 months later as a US led NATO comes in to try to rebuild England now that the quarantine has ended. Well of course it hasn't, so it starts over again.... I liked it.
Weblink of the Day - You'll enjoy this brief episode of Wife Swap that includes a 15 year old Beauty Pageant Queen... wait for the crying moment (crying for her, you'll laugh your butt off!) Yes, I'm mean but this girl has a long career of no grasp on reality ahead of her!!!
I stumbled across an article titled: Wisconsin Man convicted of sexually assaulting a dead deer gets MORE jail time. (insert Wisconsin joke here)
I'll give you a moment to let that thought sink in. And you MUST read the article to get the full effect - but here's some highlights:
- He was found guilty in April 2005 of felony mistreatment of an animal after he killed a horse with the intention of having sex with it. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail and two years of extended supervision on that charge as well as six years of probation for taking and driving a vehicle without the owner's consent.
- Hathaway had just been released from prison for killing the horse when the deer incident happened. He is appealing his conviction on the deer charge.
What does one appeal in this case? Well I'm glad you asked. Seems that the Smoking Gun (not the X-Files version) already got a hold of this story and has some more details pertaining to the appeal. First off, the guy is only 21. 2nd, how many cases of "necrophilia bestiality" are there in the history of our judicial system? How do you treat this problem? Do you take him to a normal psychiatrist, or a veterinarian psychiatrist?
Page 3 of the photos is by far the highlight of today's blog. In Bryan James Hathaway's appeal from his lawyers: "The complaint fails to allege any facts that support the conclusion that Mr. Hathaway committed an act of sexual gratification with an animal. According to the complaint, Mr. Hathaway had sex with a dead dear. The statute does not prohibit one from having sex with a carcass."
STOP - nevermind the fact that "deer" was misspelled by the lawyers, I don't care which definition they use (which follows in the appeal report), sex with a carcass is still NOT GOOD! So to take this one step further, the lawyers bring in the longly debated ethical question of death.... 3rd paragraph on page 3:
In addition, defining animal to include carcasses would lead to absurd results. At what point of decompose would the carcass cease being an animal? Would picked-over skeletal remains still meet the definition? At death, an animal ceases to be an animal [this part is deep and very philisophical... so why not follow it with:] As Billy Crystal noted in The Princess Bride(1987), "There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead."Are you speechless yet?
My vote? LOCK THE GUY UP!!! You gotta admit, it's kind of funny to see Princess Bride quoted in a legal case.
GO OBAMA!!!
Haiku of the Day
Andre the Giant
Missed his calling as lawyer...
INCONCEIVABLE!!!
Entertainment of the Day - I watched 28 Weeks Later which is the sequel to the 28 Days Later zombie-esque movie from a few years ago. I enjoyed the plot of the first which is basically a unique virus breaks out in England and basically takes over the entire population (with few survivors). 28 Weeks Later takes place 6 months later as a US led NATO comes in to try to rebuild England now that the quarantine has ended. Well of course it hasn't, so it starts over again.... I liked it.
Weblink of the Day - You'll enjoy this brief episode of Wife Swap that includes a 15 year old Beauty Pageant Queen... wait for the crying moment (crying for her, you'll laugh your butt off!) Yes, I'm mean but this girl has a long career of no grasp on reality ahead of her!!!
Monday, January 07, 2008
Wiggum in 2008!!!!
75% on my NFL picks from this weekend... not too shabby! As for my prediction for the "title" game tonight with college football? I'm hoping for a 40+ point win by LSU over Ohio State! Sorry, I don't like the Big 10 (play a title game like everyone else) and I think the BCS is a sham right now in its current state. So go ahead and crown a 2 loss team in LSU but leave Kansas with only 1 loss (to a very respectable Missouri team) at #2 proving yet again that better matchups could have been found.
Fresh new Wii games were played this weekend. I got my Blades of Steel "mojo" back and pulled off an easy championship at the Jr. level (level 1 of the 3). I need to work my way back into the upper echelons! I also got my Super Mario Brothers (the 1st one) groove back. While I did not beat the game, I was able to make it to 5-1 (without warping) on my first guy. I became distracted and had a quick downward spiral from there.... THEN come the new stuff. The best girlfriend in the world gave me two kick ass Wii games for Christmas: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (the sequal to the world's most unusual and strangely addictive game) and Tiger Woods 2008.
The January Thaw of 2008 is in full tilt with a high in the upper 30s in Rochester. Temperatures should be back in the 20s by this weekend.
The Simpsons last night was very political and I felt right on with some of their insight to the political process. I kind of like the thought of Ralph Wiggum for president! I do like their comments about the Patriot Act replacing the Constitution. How true, how true.
And 60 minutes last night had Roger Clemens denied using steroids. He made a compelling argument. I don't think the public would be so quick to throw him in the "guilty" pile if he didn't pitch for the Yankees. Seriously.... think about it. But then this morning he is now suing his former trainer McNamee who threw Clemens name out to the Mitchell Report. Overall, it just shows that there are still big problems in Major League Baseball!!
Haiku of the Day -
New Hampshire is up
All attention is with them
GO OBAMA GO!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Catching up on some past movies.... Hot Rod is with Andy Samberg (SNL crew) and is actually quite funny. I didn't know what to expect but Samberg has a life goal of becoming the next Evil Knievel and isn't very good at it. Some pretty funny moments in the movie!
Weblink of the Day - A little racy, sure... but still pretty funny! 25 Men who look like older lesbians!
Fresh new Wii games were played this weekend. I got my Blades of Steel "mojo" back and pulled off an easy championship at the Jr. level (level 1 of the 3). I need to work my way back into the upper echelons! I also got my Super Mario Brothers (the 1st one) groove back. While I did not beat the game, I was able to make it to 5-1 (without warping) on my first guy. I became distracted and had a quick downward spiral from there.... THEN come the new stuff. The best girlfriend in the world gave me two kick ass Wii games for Christmas: Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (the sequal to the world's most unusual and strangely addictive game) and Tiger Woods 2008.
The January Thaw of 2008 is in full tilt with a high in the upper 30s in Rochester. Temperatures should be back in the 20s by this weekend.
The Simpsons last night was very political and I felt right on with some of their insight to the political process. I kind of like the thought of Ralph Wiggum for president! I do like their comments about the Patriot Act replacing the Constitution. How true, how true.
And 60 minutes last night had Roger Clemens denied using steroids. He made a compelling argument. I don't think the public would be so quick to throw him in the "guilty" pile if he didn't pitch for the Yankees. Seriously.... think about it. But then this morning he is now suing his former trainer McNamee who threw Clemens name out to the Mitchell Report. Overall, it just shows that there are still big problems in Major League Baseball!!
Haiku of the Day -
New Hampshire is up
All attention is with them
GO OBAMA GO!!!
Entertainment of the Day - Catching up on some past movies.... Hot Rod is with Andy Samberg (SNL crew) and is actually quite funny. I didn't know what to expect but Samberg has a life goal of becoming the next Evil Knievel and isn't very good at it. Some pretty funny moments in the movie!
Weblink of the Day - A little racy, sure... but still pretty funny! 25 Men who look like older lesbians!
Friday, January 04, 2008
Random Stuff
One state down, only 49 more to go! GO OBAMA!!! But seriously, after this caucus/primary, does anyone else besides me miss our old friend Howard Dean? No rant and raves like this one last night:(
Next chapter in the ongoing psycho world known as the "Spears Household" has been written as Britney has a standoff with police and K-Fed over her kids. She must have been tired of her little sister getting all the attention and magazine covers. Is Lynne Spears the mother of the year or what?!?!?
Kansas wins the Orange Bowl last night! While not in the convincing fashion I was hoping for, I still think they can pull out a #2 finish on the season, possibly higher in a split pole? Hopefully Ohio State gets their butts whooped so Kansas would be an elite 1 loss team.
Big playoff weekend for the NFL! Some good games both Saturday and Sunday. My predictions? Jacksonville over Pitt, Seattle over Redskins, Tampa over G-men, and San Diego wins HUGE over Tennessee. Super Bowl prediction? New England over Seattle.
Brews Brothers took 5 points last night. Should have had all 7, but lost the 2nd round by 2 pins. Still, a victory feels good!
Martina Hingis is banned from tennis for testing positive for cocain. 2 YEAR BAN!!! Much more severe in an individual sport than in the team leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL) where a player gets paid while on his leave of absense. In tennis, you don't compete, you don't really make money. She's "retiring" again at the age of 27. How many people can say they've retired 2 times by the age of 27?
Have a great weekend!!!
Next chapter in the ongoing psycho world known as the "Spears Household" has been written as Britney has a standoff with police and K-Fed over her kids. She must have been tired of her little sister getting all the attention and magazine covers. Is Lynne Spears the mother of the year or what?!?!?
Kansas wins the Orange Bowl last night! While not in the convincing fashion I was hoping for, I still think they can pull out a #2 finish on the season, possibly higher in a split pole? Hopefully Ohio State gets their butts whooped so Kansas would be an elite 1 loss team.
Big playoff weekend for the NFL! Some good games both Saturday and Sunday. My predictions? Jacksonville over Pitt, Seattle over Redskins, Tampa over G-men, and San Diego wins HUGE over Tennessee. Super Bowl prediction? New England over Seattle.
Brews Brothers took 5 points last night. Should have had all 7, but lost the 2nd round by 2 pins. Still, a victory feels good!
Martina Hingis is banned from tennis for testing positive for cocain. 2 YEAR BAN!!! Much more severe in an individual sport than in the team leagues (MLB, NBA, NFL) where a player gets paid while on his leave of absense. In tennis, you don't compete, you don't really make money. She's "retiring" again at the age of 27. How many people can say they've retired 2 times by the age of 27?
Have a great weekend!!!
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Happy New Years 2008!!
It's been a while, but we're back in the saddle again (insert Aerosmith immitation here)!
And with 0% of the precincts reporting in, we are ready to declare ALL OF AMERICA already sick of the Presidential Caucus focus.... but a big day for Iowa none the less. Cause it makes sense that Iowa and New Hampshire go first to be the first step in choosing our next President!! If you're wondering when all of the primaries are for the next 6 months, go here. The sooner we get rid of the candidates that are just wasting money, the better. Still feel there's way too much money spent on this thing by everyone involved!
I'm back in the frosty land of Minnesota. After a WONDERFUL week with Sarah and her family in Florida, where the weather was perfect pretty much the entire time! We were in Naples, Florida (about as far south as it's worth going) on the Gulf side of Florida. We had plenty of time in the sun, swam with the fish and dolphins pretty much every day, and enjoyed the relaxation time away from home. I'll be posting pictures next week as soon as I have a chance to go through all of the photos!
And a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to everyone! It was my first full holiday week NOT over seas and NOT working and I enjoyed every second of it.
Vikings season is over because rooting for them is like rooting for the Cyclones in so many ways. The NFL Playoffs should be a good time this year as I don't think New England will walk in uncontested.
Anyways - a huge WELCOME BACK to all of us experiencing the vacation hangover.
Haiku of the Day
Damn it's cold outside
Where is the "global warming"?
DAMN!! It's cold outside!
Entertainment of the Day - I FINALLY watched The Simpsons Movie and it was indeed funny! Yes, it's basically a 90 minute episode, but it was much better than a normal episode. I liked how they continued to poke fun at their weekly 30 minute position on Fox by having advertisements on the screen, and the "To Be Continued..... RIGHT NOW" stuff. But Homer was at his best in the movie. Well worth watching for any Simpson Fan. Not a lot of "extras" on the DVD though.
Weblink of the Day - This one will make your head hurt after a couple of listens.... the pitch continues to drop, even as you restart the whole video! Have fun with this one. Yes, there's an easy explanation to this if you want to know, email me.
And with 0% of the precincts reporting in, we are ready to declare ALL OF AMERICA already sick of the Presidential Caucus focus.... but a big day for Iowa none the less. Cause it makes sense that Iowa and New Hampshire go first to be the first step in choosing our next President!! If you're wondering when all of the primaries are for the next 6 months, go here. The sooner we get rid of the candidates that are just wasting money, the better. Still feel there's way too much money spent on this thing by everyone involved!
I'm back in the frosty land of Minnesota. After a WONDERFUL week with Sarah and her family in Florida, where the weather was perfect pretty much the entire time! We were in Naples, Florida (about as far south as it's worth going) on the Gulf side of Florida. We had plenty of time in the sun, swam with the fish and dolphins pretty much every day, and enjoyed the relaxation time away from home. I'll be posting pictures next week as soon as I have a chance to go through all of the photos!
And a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to everyone! It was my first full holiday week NOT over seas and NOT working and I enjoyed every second of it.
Vikings season is over because rooting for them is like rooting for the Cyclones in so many ways. The NFL Playoffs should be a good time this year as I don't think New England will walk in uncontested.
Anyways - a huge WELCOME BACK to all of us experiencing the vacation hangover.
Haiku of the Day
Damn it's cold outside
Where is the "global warming"?
DAMN!! It's cold outside!
Entertainment of the Day - I FINALLY watched The Simpsons Movie and it was indeed funny! Yes, it's basically a 90 minute episode, but it was much better than a normal episode. I liked how they continued to poke fun at their weekly 30 minute position on Fox by having advertisements on the screen, and the "To Be Continued..... RIGHT NOW" stuff. But Homer was at his best in the movie. Well worth watching for any Simpson Fan. Not a lot of "extras" on the DVD though.
Weblink of the Day - This one will make your head hurt after a couple of listens.... the pitch continues to drop, even as you restart the whole video! Have fun with this one. Yes, there's an easy explanation to this if you want to know, email me.
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