The Beautiful Spaces

2010-08-12T23:35:00.001-04:00

2008-06-20T19:00:00.000-04:00

Wordle

2008-06-19T21:05:00.003-04:00

Well That's Something I've Never Seen Before....

2007-03-09T20:59:00.000-05:00

I don't like Quentin Tarantino. Never have, never will. But that's besides the point. Boing Boing posting these little beauties from somewhere. Each is an animated text using the dialogue and audio from Pulp Fiction. Sam Jackson really sells is so you don't even need the video. Like I said, I may not enjoy the movie, but damn these are pretty cool. Enjoy.

By the way, I should mention that these are in NO WAY safe for work, unless you are a sailor with really good internet acess

Weekly Music Video #14

2007-03-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

The world we live in has a hard time defining the quality of things in relation to other things, be them better or worse. The areas I think this is most usually dealt with is music, movies, books, and whatever else you want to lump in there. Something is the greatest and best ever, or the worse pile of doggie doo. Most of the time we tend to be overly positive about things that we'll forget about in a week or two. I'm not sure why we do this, maybe we can't honestly figure out a mental shelving unit. If you don't know where to put the shelves, it's hard to separate things. I do believe this does cheapen the value of when something is really really good. If I had to rate of the 1,000 or so movies I've seen in my life, I'd put maybe a handful or two as perfect 10s. Even movies I truely love can have their faults.

An example. I had to go to a seminar for work and I had to rate the speaker on a scale of 1-10 in a number of categories. I thought she okay. She didn't get a standing ovation or even anything close to that. In fact, some people, in an attempt to show their displeasure, asked blatantly disrespectful questions. So on my little questionaire, she got received a fair amount of 4s, 5s, and 6s, with a 7 or two thrown in for good measure. My co-worked, who wasn't the happiest of campers, took one look at mine and said "Oohh.. you were nasty." How, do I ask you, was I nasty? I reserve my 9s and tens for people who make me laugh, make me cry, make me want to give up my worldly possetions and join them in their cabin in the woods. The speaker, my friend, didn't make me want to give up my very small bag of complementary cookies.

The reason for all this? This weeks music video is GREAT. Could have been a bit better a points, but really a very solid 9. Enjoy.

The Go Team!-Junior Kickstart

"Impossible Is Nothing"

2007-03-09T18:16:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned before, I recently got a new job. If I hadn't, I probably would have made a video resume along the same lines as....

It's pretty darn easy to take shots at this guy. I would personally choose the under armour shirt on during dancing and the editing that made the breaking brick portion about 3 times as long as it should be. One kind fellow in the comments had this to say:

"Olympic Valley National Qualifier?Qualifying for what? The worlds shittiest 3' high 360?I didn't know that they built Jr. High kickers for National Qualifying. Tool."

Apparently Aleksey he doesn't quite understand why people find it funny. I do feel somewhat bad for the dude. Just something to help you next time you're looking for work.

Sorry...

2007-02-26T17:47:00.000-05:00

It's true, I haven't posted anything for a few months now. I was posting all the time, then it turned into just music posts, then pffff... Okay, I can't type the noise I would make if I was looking at you, but you get the idea.

There is a very simple reason for this. I got a new job. It requires more work than my old job by about a mile and a half. If you notice, I never actually post anything about work. This isn't on accident. I'm not sure what the legal ramifications are, so I just try and stay away from that whole hornet's nest. No I'm not a spy, heck I'm not even a mailman. I actually have more entertaining work stories than anything I can post on here. Just ask me next time you see me, I got some DOOZIES.

Anyway, this job takes time, effort, and to be honest, wears me out sometimes. I've also been busy with other stuff and writing endeavor ( still a secret, shh...). I do have instances during my day when I think to myself "Wow, I feel strongly about that." This is one thing I need to get off my chest.

Brittney Spears- Never a huge fan of hers. I just don't understand how people can:
1) Pay attention to the actions of someone else they have never met ( I don't look at it as a bad thing either. It just confuses me)
2) Be entertained by this.

The first one is self explanitory. The second one, not as much. I see this woman who went from nothing to everything in a few years. I don't see how this doesn't mess with your head. She was held up as a sex symbol and treated like royalty. Then she was turned on and slammed when people didn't like her choice of husband, decision to smoke, or desire to not wear underwear. I look at Mariah Carey and see how she "went crazy" a few years ago and wonder why this keeps happening.

My theory? There seems to be an underlying sense of helplessness. I see it every day, and have no idea how to help others handle it. I'm not quite sure where it comes from, but I do hear all about the disposability of culture and the lack of morals in "the young folk". If that's true, if that is the cause of this feeling, I would think it might be a tad ironic that a person who helped push it forward is now being bitten by it.

I know this has been dealt with better in a million places, but I just feel bad for her. I know she's rich, but when you're falling apart, you're falling apart.

Weekly Music Video #13

2006-11-18T00:08:00.000-05:00

So it's been a whirl wind few weeks here at the Castle (cause that's where Kings live). Sometimes you just need to throw everything out the window and go with something that's catchy and you enjoy listening to. That's what this week is for. Emo, hate it or love it, but some of it is damn catchy. This song is a good example of that, especially the begining. So don't be all snobby and hate on it, enjoy it for what it's worth:

Taking Back Sunday- Makedamnsure

Weekly Music Video #12

2006-11-10T21:08:00.000-05:00

Real quickly, why does anyone make a Christmas themed movie any more? Did Jingle All the Way , Surviving Christmas, and Christmas With the Cranks not show clearly enough how bad an idea this can be? I really can't imagine why anyone would make Deck the Halls. I understand the desire to make a quick buck just like anyone else, but come on Matthew Broderick, help me help you. And no, I'm not telling you to dance.

Anyway, it's been a busy week at work folks. Lots of stuff to get done+ late night soccer game + chest cold = useless me. So in an effort to bring my week to a happy and fun conclusion, we're heading back to a well we tapped earlier. I've already posted a video by Architecture in Helsinki. It was fun, cute, and cartoony. Well I think the first two apply to this video as well. To be honest, I haven't spent a whole lot of time in New York, but this is what I imagine Max and his friends do in their spare time. I could be way off, but somehow I don't think so. They must be like:

Architecture in Helsinki- It's 5

Weekly Music Video #11

2006-11-02T16:05:00.000-05:00

Alright, I think this week it's time for another classic to help raise your spirts. The fact that it's getting darker earlier always gets me down and I know this video will help pick me up, and hopefully you as well. Maybe you suffer from SAD or maybe you just don't have a very good winter hat.
Either way, this video will warm your heart. Love is love, if it is between a man and a woman or a woman and a cat, I don't judge. I hope you don't either when it comes to:

Bjork- Triumph of the Heart

Switching Gears

2006-11-02T15:52:00.000-05:00

Well now on to something that couldn't be further from the last post. I think everyone needs a little sunshine in their lives and this might be it for the day.

Don't adjust your monitor, what you see is correct. They are making a red Guinness. I think one of the great things about Guinness is that you always know what you're getting. There aren't a million different types like Sam Adams or even Blue Moon. They make one thing and they make it great. But I would love to give this a shot, just to how exactly they would pull it off.

The problem is they are only planning on releasing it Great Britain. Now I doubt I have the pull to get some sent over here, so it looks like I need to book some plane tickets right now. Who wants to go on a vacation?

What Is The World Comming To?

2006-11-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

I read about something a couple of weeks ago and still don't think I can fully wrap my head around it. It's pretty twisted and bizarre, but I still think it's interesting news. I'll give you a minute a to catch up on the story.

All done? Okay. What is confusing is the inability to identify the body. I'm fairly sure it must have been a gruesome and somewhat unique site, but I still can't find any information that says for sure if it was the girlfriend or not.

Also, following the hurricane, she wanted her and her boyfriend to be safe from looters and other trouble makes. So she decided to flash any police car that came by. That way they were more likely to return later on. It doesn't mention that in the article. I don't know if that makes the situation worse or not.

I Wonder What NWA Would Have To Say About This?

2006-10-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

So are you wondering where to take those few precious days of vaction next summer? Thinking about going somewhere urban, with a sense of history, cool attractions, and some world famous ice cream? Hey, St Louis sounds like a good place to visit. Um... or maybe not so much. Apparently they like to kill people early and often, ususally while planning it first.

I have a friend who lives down in the Loo (or Lou, not sure which) and I've spent a little time down there. I've never seen anything bad there and to be honest, thought it was a pretty nice place. Apparently I wasn't hanging out in the places where the crime rate rose 5.7%.

Maybe the funniest part about the article, if crime can be funny, is who St. Louis beat out. It's more dangerous to hang out in St. Louis than Compton. Yes, that Compton. Maybe my small hip hop education is mistaken, but accorting to every west coast rapper I've ever heard, Compton is like Hell mixed with prison. Apparently that combination isn't quite as bad as St. Louis. Yikes. Maybe I should visit south central L.A. next time I get a free week or two.

Also, the Mayor of former #1 city Camden N.J. had this to say about falling to 4th place on the list of most violent cities: “'You made my day!' said Faison, who has served since 2000. 'There’s a new hope and a new spirit.'” Nothing like bringing a little sunshine into the hearts of those in Camden, New Jersey.

Weekly Music Video #10

2006-10-26T15:08:00.000-04:00

Old people scare me a little bit. I think it's the constant need to repeat myself in front of them. I know they just have problems hearing, but I end up questioning the validity of my statement. Maybe they CAN hear me and just think I'm stupid, offering me a way out. Instead I always repeat it the second time, even quieter than the first, eventually just yelling"OH NOTHING!" when they say "What?" for the 4th time. For this reason as well as my intense fear of wigs, I tend to stay away from those over the age of 75. I know it's probably wrong, but there seems to be little I can do to change it. Well, that is unless old people start acting like they do in the video for:

Sigur Ros-Hoppipola

Pull The Uncle Doesn't Mean What You Think It Does

2006-10-26T14:46:00.000-04:00

Tired of the same old work out? Running on the treadmill with the rest of the robots got you down. Well then maybe Ike Taylor has got the answer for you. In In Sports Illustrated, he offers up a few helpful hints.

Growing up poor outside New Orleans, Ike's Uncle Francois didn't have the money to afford high tech training equipment like heavy ball or spray paint. So instead they oprovised. They created such great activities as:

Catch the brick-

Chase the Rabbit-(Yes, Rocky Style)

and of course, Pull The Uncle-

(Note, tire is much larger than the one Ike used)

They also used baking flour to make lines on the field since they didn't have any spray paint lying around. If anyone wants me to sit in a tire and pull me around a field, I got some time to kill. Let me know before it gets too cold though.

Weekly Music Video #9

2006-10-19T19:52:00.000-04:00

I don't know if this video is great because I love the band so much or if it's as funny as I think it is. I'm thinking it's funny because who doesn't laugh at guys dress like they are in 80's gym class. Plus, I really do love me some badmitton and the ending is an all time classic. You know what? You're also going to get a great song too. So this video is a winner on a number of levels and so are you. Congrats to you and congrats to:

Broken Social Scene- Fire Eye'd Boy

The 300 Trailer

2006-10-18T13:08:00.000-04:00

Since I posted about the 300 a few weeks ago, I thought I'd give you a follow up. The trailer is now online and it's also plays before "The Departed" (Two Thumbs Up!). It looks interesting and I'm still looking forward to it at this point. . This trailer is over three minutes long, which is pretty loco. I don't think I've ever seen a trailer this long before. It's like a baby sized cut of the movie, and everyone loves babies. Enjoy.

Weekly Music Video #8

2006-10-12T15:27:00.000-04:00

This might be one of my favorite music videos of all time. As I was watching it again, I was going to point all the stuff that made me laugh, but then I just gave up, there were too many things. Anyway, this is a classic and if you love the Muppets, I know you'll love:

Weezer- Keep Fishing

Lets Go Out To the Movies: November

2006-10-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

November 3rd
Borat

"In "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," Sacha Baron Cohen - star of HBO's hit comedy "Da Ali G Show," takes his outrageous Kazakhstani reporter character Borat to the big screen. In this hilariously offensive movie, Borat travels from his primitive home in Kazakhstan to the U.S. to make a documentary. On his cross-country road-trip, Borat meets real people in real situations with hysterical consequences."
Chances of Viewing-10/10
Everything I've read says this movie is fantastic

November 10th
Babel

"Armed with a Winchester rifle, two Morrocan boys set out to look after their family's herd of goats. In the silent echoes of the desert, they decide to test the rifle... but the bullet goes farther than they thought it would."
Chances of Viewing-9/10

Sounds very complex, maybe like Syrana

F*ck
"A documentary that takes a look at the infamous F word from both the liberal and conservative perspective. From Hollywood to the schoolyard to the Senate floor it's the word at the very center of the debate on free speech, and everyone seems to have an opinion"
Chances of Viewing-6/10

Gotta have some non-fiction, right?

Stranger Than Fiction

"Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, an IRS Agent whose world is turned upside-down when he begins to hear his life being chronicled by a narrator only he can hear. The Narrator, Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson), a nearly forgotten author of tragic novels, is struggling to complete her latest and best book, unaware that her protagonist is alive and uncontrollably guided by her words. Fiction and reality collide when the bewildered and hilariously resistant Harold hears the Narrator say that events have been set in motion that will lead to his imminent death."
Chances of Viewing-8/10

Very interesting idea. Not sure aboue Will Ferrell playing it straight though

November 17th
007- Casino Royale

"Daniel Craig takes over the role of the legendary British secret agent, James Bond, in the highly anticipated 007 adventure thriller. "Casino Royale" will be the 21st James Bond film."
Chances of Viewing-10/10

I always end up seeing Bond movies with my Dad. Can't imagine this one being different

Fast Food Nation
"A dramatic feature based on material from the incendiary novel "Fast Food Nation," a no-holds-barred exploration of the fast food industry that ultimately revealed the dark side of the "All American Meal."
Chances of Viewing-7/10

I like the idea. If I have any money left I'll go

November 22nd

The Fountain

"What if you could live forever? The Fountain is an odyssey about one man's eternal struggle to save the woman he loves. His epic journey begins in 16th-century Spain, where conquistador Tomas (Hugh Jackman) commences his search for the Fountain of Youth, the legendary entity believed to grant immortality. As modern-day scientist Tommy Creo, he desperately struggles to find a cure for the cancer that is killing his beloved wife, Isabel (Rachel Weisz). Traveling through deep space as a 26th-century astronaut, Tom begins to grasp the mysteries that have consumed him for a millennium. The three stories converge into one truth, as the Thomas of all periods -- warrior, scientist, and explorer -- comes to terms with life, love, death and rebirth."

Chances of Viewing-9/10

I can't imagine how they plan on pulling all this off, but I'm excited to find out.

Again, all movie posters and reviews by Movieweb.com

Lets Go Out To the Movies: October

2006-10-05T12:35:00.000-04:00

The next two months are probably the most highly antipated in my movie watching life. First I need to make sure I see these three already released movies at some point:

1. The Last King Of Scotland

2. The Science of Sleep

and I still somehow have yet to see

3. Talladega Nights

I did however manage to see the crapfest that is "The Last Kiss". The last movie I saw before that was "Beerfest". Talk about your 0-2.

Anyway, I better hurry up because the next two months are going to be filled with a bunch of great movies. I'm going to give you the movies, the release dates, a bit about them, and the likelyhood I'm going to see it. All the work is done for you. I can be so nice sometimes. In part one, we'll do October :

October 6th
The Departed

"Based on the Chinese-linguage Hong Kong gangster film of the same name ("Wu jian dao"), "Infernal Affairs" will be reset in Boston amid Irish-American mobsters and the cops who are their nemeses. The film was written by William Monahan. Damon would play a gangster who has infiltrated the Boston police department as part of its cadet class and has been steadily rising through the ranks. DiCaprio will play a cop who's been deep undercover inside the mob and is starting to come unglued. Each side works feverishly to flush the mole out, with deadly consequences."
Chances of Viewing-10/10

Wow, looks fantastic

October 13th

Man of The Year

"Robin Williams plays a Jon Stewart-like host of a latenight talkshow who runs for president only to see the stunt backfire when he actually wins due to a set of unusual circumstances. Linney plays the head of a computer company that investigates those circumstances."

Chances of Viewing- 7/10

Most people think it looks stupid, but yes, the John Stewart mention gets me

October 20th

The Prestige "Bale and Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The title refers to the residue left after a magician's successful trick."

Chances of Viewing- 10/10

Wow Part II. The preview looks amazing

Flags of our Fathers

"The film is based on James Bradley's book "Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima". The Battle of Iwo Jima, which took place in winter 1945, was a turning point in the Pacific theater. About 6,000 Americans died and 17,000 were wounded during the Battle of Iwo Jima. The battle produced one of the most enduring images of WWII: a photograph of U.S. servicemen raising an U.S. flag on the flank of Mount Suribachi, the island's commanding high point."
Chances of Viewing- 5/10
Looks interesting, but I really can't stand Ryan Phillipe

Running With Scissors

"Running With Scissors is the hilarious and poignant feature film based on the personal memoirs of Augusten Burroughs. Growing up in the 1970's, young Augusten (Joseph Cross) was living a middle-class existence with an alcoholic father (Alec Baldwin) and a bipolar mother (Annette Bening), an unpublished poet with delusions of becoming famous. When his parents divorce, Augusten's mother sends him to live with her wildly unorthodox psychiatrist, Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) and his eccentric extended family. Running With Scissors chronicles Augusten's survival under the most extraordinary of circumstances."

Chances of Viewing-7/10

I never read the book, which I think increase my chances

October 27th
Catch A Fire

"A political thriller based on the true story of Patrick Chamusso, an ordinary man forced to resort to terror in extraordinary circumstances. A story of one man's struggle amongst a nation's, set in a divided South Africa in the nineteen eighties, climaxing in the present day."

Chances of Viewing- 7/10

I haven't hear much about this, so I'll play it by ear.

All reviews and posters from Movieweb.com

Weekly Music Video #7

2006-10-04T14:48:00.000-04:00

So last week I went cute with animation. Well to get a theme going, here's another video with animation. Not only does it have that, but also a very happy sun, a giant game of connect four, and the least harmless food fight ever. The stuffed animals in the video are interesting because if you listen to the music, you might think our plush little buddies are the ones who wrote it. So here you go:

The Boy Least Likely To- Hugging My Grudge

Makes Sense

2006-10-04T12:54:00.000-04:00

So I was in line waiting to buy 4 cans of stewed tomatoes (Yes, your life isn't as exciting as mine) and I happend to see this on the magazine rack:

You know how sometimes an article title catches your eye and you have to find out what, exactly, the dilly is? Well I can promise you that "The Best Elementary Schools" article doesn't interest a man such as me who still worries about his NCAA 2007 team ( currently the 7-0 USC Trojans).

Instead, I was a bit intriuged by one of the smaller titles, "The Dentist and the Pimp: One Wierd Partnership." I thought about picking it up, but instead thought to myself "I would assume Pimps need to get their grills (or grillz, not really sure) cleaned, just like the rest of us." I know that's not a partnership, but I'm fairly certain that's what's discussed. Instead I looked at the woman in front of me's purchases. With a high degree of probablity, I determined she's a cat lady.

"Meow"

Finally

2006-10-03T13:34:00.000-04:00

Wondering why I'm posting a shirtless picture of Hugh Jackman? Well this is why.

All I have to say is it's about time. Our day in the sun has come gentlemen, so let's be proud!

Bears...

2006-10-03T12:31:00.000-04:00

Well I am from Chicago so I figured I should post a little something on this. The Bears are getting all the love they can handle around the country. Talking heads are saying they are now the team to beat in the race to the Super Bowl. A surprise to most has been the balance on offense. Here are a few articles about the squad that you can use to catch up if you've been living under a rock or outside the windy city:

E.M.Swift- In Rex They Trust

Michael Smith- Bears On The Prowl

Deadspin Weekend NFL Recap

The Seattlest Recap of the Bears- Seahawks Game

Brad Biggs- Grossman Has Bears Headed in the Right Direction.

I honestly thought they would finish 10-6, make the playoffs and get knocked out in the first round again. I didn't think Grossman would progress this fast and didn't think they had the depth at receiver to take the pressure off Moose. As of now, I appear to be wrong. Most people are taking a cautious approach, because a lot can happen between now and January. Things do look good though.

Weekly Music Video #6

2006-09-28T21:21:00.000-04:00

Well I don't think I can say I've done a music video that I would call "cute". This one and this band I think would fall under that category. Well, the video is up until the very end. I like to think some how something good happens, but I think all you negative nellys out there might disagree. Anyway, here is:

Architecture in Helsinki - Like a Call

Here We Go Literacy, Here We Go! (Clap Clap)

2006-09-27T16:22:00.000-04:00

If you're always looking for something good to read, I've got a few sites for you. (Both are Via Largehearted Boy by the way)

If you didn't notice, I added Bookmooch.com to the side bar. If you have a lot of books that you don't really want anymore, this might be a great way to save some cash while getting some new ones. It's very simple. For every 10 books you post that you are willing to give up, you get a point. Every book you mail to some one, you get a point. Every point you get can be used to get a book from someone else. You can just browse around, pick books that you want, and all you have to pay is shipping and handling for the ones you send out. There are over 8,000 users and most books I looked up are on there. Sounds fantastic to me.

Also, if you are sick of asking friends for book suggestions, give Rating Zone a try. Once there, you rate books you've read on a scale of 1-10 and it offers you suggestions based on what it thinks you might like. Fun, easy and simple. The first book it recommended for me is "What Do You Care What Other People Think" by Richard Feynman. Never heard of it, but it sounds interesting. They also do movies, music, even wine. A great time waster.

Just thought those might help.

Lucky Ducky

2006-09-23T00:14:00.000-04:00

This is you-

Why? I'm giving you a 5th post of the week. Yes, I am feeling mighty productive these days and you get the benefit. As a little end of the week send off, I have a present for you.

You know how at a certain time in your life, a band or song or album is everywhere because of your friends. Like back in high school when your friend wouldn't stop playing the Third Eye Blind album and it became somewhat of an anthem? Or in college when your neighbor listened to O.A.R. every day that it became part of your routine? Maybe you had a roommate your junior year of college who listened to Daniel Beddifield so often that it when from bad to horrible to unbearable back to good and necessary? Well I when I was traveling I worked with a couple of white boy chefs and they absolutely love the rapper The Game. Every day when I was serving and they were cooking dinner for a month we listened to The Documentary, his first album. Well I have to thank them. Their love of The Game made these two clips, one old, one new, even better.

If you need a bit of background, check out his Wiki entry. His list of "beefs" is pretty long.

New- Apparently some rapper made fun of his son in a song. His response? Slap the shit out of him. Works for me.

Old- Before he became a Gangster Rapper, for some reason he appeared on the dating show "Change of Heart." He looks like the biggest whipped puss in the world.

If you read all that and want to leave me a response letting me know what that anthem was at a point in your life, I'd love to hear it. Have a good weekend.

Weekly Music Video #5

2006-09-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

Sorry this is a little late. It's actually been a busy week, but I've still posted one every week.

I like the Faint. Not everyone does. I think they do something orginal and do it really well. When people ask me to desribe their music, I always say it sounds like the Killers mixed with Alkaline Trio. This might be the most accurate comparison I've come up with in a while, so you're welcome. Anyway, here is their video for "Desperate Guys". It's got those cool art models dancing. Nice.

The Faint- Desperate Guys

300

2006-09-21T13:23:00.000-04:00

Wow. I hadn't heard about this movie until today. Here are a few alternative summaries. I haven't been able to find a trailer for it, but good god this sounds amazing if they do it right. The pictures seem to show that this movie is going to have a really originally feel to it, which is not surprising since it's based on a Frank Miller (Sin City) graphic novel.

Mr. Stevens, Why You Sure Are a Gentleman

2006-09-21T11:23:00.000-04:00

Many things have been said about Sufjan Stevens. Some good. Some not so good. Some people are charmed and interested in his 50 albums for 50 states idea. Other people think it's supid and just an attention grab on his part. Either way, one thing I think we can all agree on is he seems to be a fairly interesting dude. I've read a few articles on him and for the most part he seems to be an prolific artist who is a little shy and tells his and other peoples stories through his music. Relevant Magazine has a nice bit of backround information on some of the songs he wrote for his "Illinois" album, some of which ended up on the outtakes album, "The Avalance." If you've ever wondered what Illinois history was behind those songs, now you have your chance.

Bored?

2006-09-19T09:18:00.000-04:00

Bored at work? Want to watch some penguins? Well here you go. This is a live feed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located right outside Pebble Beach. They also have cameras so you can watch fishes swimming in kelp, sharks, and of course the otter camera. The otters weren't up this morning when we tuned in, which is too bad for all of us.

This Week In Soccer

2006-09-12T14:07:00.000-04:00

The number of soccer posts has really shrunk since the end of the World Cup, but here are a couple of articles worth reading.

Greg Lalas, brother of the famous redhead Alexi, talks about the future of MLS. He quite convincingly explains why MLS is right to hold on to talent unless they can get top dollar for it. Americans have proven they can play often and play well at the highest levels. Pay us quality money for quality players. The league will get both better and richer at the same time.

Melissa Segura writes an excellent piece about coaching a group of homeless men and turning them into a soccer team. Honestly, I originally thought it was some odd joke, but instead it's an interesting take on how to deal with the problem of poverty. It's pretty long, but I promise you won't read another article like it any time soon.

And finally, something completely unrelated to soccer. I don't often plan my night around TV shows, but tomorrow is the exception to the rule. On the Discovery Channel at 8 pm CT, they are airing part I of Mythbusters- Mega Movie myths. TV Guide.com has this to say about it:

"Movie stunts are tested to see if they are feasible, including dropping through awnings to break a fall, cutting a sword in half in a sword fight, jumping a car 175 feet through the air, and shooting a lock open with a handgun and a rifle. Also: automobile ejector seats."

The dropping through the awnings comes from Indiana Jones. The others I'm not so sure about just yet.

The show is smart, funny, and extremely well done. If you haven't yet caught an episode, you really should check it out at least once. They have done movie myths before, including, a great tribute to Jaws during shark week.

Also, many thanks to Erin for helping out with the song title of the Ok Go song, Here It Goes Again

Weekly Music Video #4

2006-09-11T13:50:00.000-04:00

I know this is supposed to be music videos that aren't seen most places, but I'm going mainstream on this one. Apparently they performed this on the MTV awards recently (anyone catch it?). I heard it took 8 days of practice in order to get this done right. The reason I'm posting it is because it's really pretty cool. The only problem is you don't really pay any attention to the song, which I don't think really helps the band long term. Then again, you know what they say, no publicity is bad publicity.

Ok Go- I actually can't find the name of the song anywhere.

My Life As an Empty Vessel

2006-09-08T14:51:00.000-04:00

No motivation, no desire, no drive. My life doesn't mean anything. Floating through life, meaningless action after meaningless action. And then one day it comes to me as if from a dream, but in reality, from the Morton Arboretum website. Now I have flame burning deep inside me, something that drives me to practice, to sweat, to bleed the bloodiest of blood. Yes, I will compete and I will not only win, I will dominate. Boo Yaka, yes, Boo Yaka. It will be a clinic in speed and precision. Like a squirrel chasing...another squirrel. Scamper is the word that comes to mind when describing my future actions. Sign me up for:

"Saturday, September 9th
Up A Tree!
Illinois Arborist Tree Climbing Championship
Members of the Illinois Arborist Association will demonstrate their tree climbing skills as they compete in five different climbing events. The winner of the challenge will represent Illinois in the International Tree Climbing Championship. Don't miss this opportunity to see professional tree climbers "in action," and test your own skill in a "family climb" activity (11-4 p.m.) We recommend you park in P-19/Daffodil Glade
8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m."

Yes fine sirs and madams, I will gladly park in Daffodil Glade, walk up Rose Bush Path, cross over The Itsy Bitsy Teeny River, and hop over the Thigh High Bushes of Prevention. I won't be stopped. Not with a clear goal and a full heart. Everything makes sense. It will be the most glorious 10 and 1/2 hours of my life. The fresh autumn air blowing my North Face fleece tight against my body, my doo rag pulled taught to gobble up any sweat that may try to make a run from my brow, swoosh pants woshing every inch higher I climb. I understand why I exist. Now I just hope if I can get my family together and that we don't have to compete against these people.

They may look like a friendly group of Asians, but don't like the calm demeanor fool you. They are ruthless killers.... as far as family tree climbing goes. They live in trees year round in order to prepare. Where I come to practice, they build a home. That's their house, really. Brutal, hostile, yet absolutely beautiful. If we face them, we could have trouble. My parents do not climb well.

That Wasn't Very Nice

2006-09-07T16:15:00.000-04:00

This is why I went to college in Illinois, unlike my siblings. What the hell kind of people are/did you guys hang out with? I now understand why there are so many toll booths in northern Illinois.

Weekly Music Video #3

2006-09-05T11:33:00.000-04:00

Good song, entertaining video, and it has Dennis Hopper in it. The only possible way to beat that would be to have gotten Steve Guttenberg. The only reason I can think of why he isn't in the video is because he's a bit too busy and it's a bit below him as an actor/director/writer/producer.

Gnarls Barkley-Smiley Faces

College Football

2006-09-01T13:16:00.000-04:00

Now I know most of you probably don't care a whole lot about College Football. Me? I think the day the new NCAA game comes out for Xbox, it should be a national holiday. How can anyone be expected to work when they are more concerned about getting Colorado to the big IIX Title game (Done!).

Yesterday was the start of the season, with a rather pathetic schedule of games. The only one I really wanted to watch was Northwestern vs. Miami (OH) and that was just because of the Randy Walker memorial and the fact that I hate the Wildcats. Lo and behold, that game was only on ESPN U which I apparently don't have and can't figure out what it is exactly. An entire network dedicated to college sports? I wonder what they cover in the summer?

But I did watch quite a bit of Central Michigan vs. Boston College and South Carolina vs. Miss. State because I am desparate and kinda pathetic.

So to help prepare you, here are a few links if you're interested:

-My favorite anaylst from ESPN (or anywhere for that matter) Kirk Herbstreit offers up some predictions for the up comming year with his Herbie Awards. Not a whole lot of Badger love, but still a quick overview of the upcomming season.

-Stewart Mandel's newest college football mailbag, including 10 reasons why college football is better than the NFL.

-A link to Every Day Should Be Saturday, maybe the greatest college football blog around. I should really give it a permanent place on the side bar.

-And finally, this video cracks me up. Taught me to never mess with a male cheerleader, even if they do look like a huge gaggle of pussies.

Nick Hornby

2006-08-31T14:22:00.000-04:00

I had a well thought out, nicely written blog about this, but then the computer decided to fart and I lost it. Instead, you get the Cliffs Notes....

-The Telegraph interviews one of my favorite writers, Nick Hornby (About a Boy, Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, Long Way Down). He talks about reading habits of the masses. It also discusses how the type of book some one is reading on a train or waiting for the bus can change how we percieve them, in effect judging them by what they read. Some of these points really hit home with me due to the fact that I'm slowly wading through Moby Dick. It helped me realize that I'm reading it to have read it, and not really enjoying the experience all that much. It's okay to not enjoy a book that everyone else views as a classic.

-Also, I've posted a number of times on Broken Social Scene, and this is a pretty neat article about them if you're interested. (Via Largehearted Boy) It discusses how the basic format of the band isn't designed to handle fame and all the problems the notoriety they are getting causes.

-Finally, authorities found "The Scream". I've always like that painting. Seems to me that something appears to be missing from the whole story. I dunno, maybe explaining how you got it back might help.

Weekly Music Video #2

2006-08-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

This music video comes from a band called I'm From Barcelona, who are actually Swedish. Makes sense, right? Anyway, this is their video called We're From Barcelona. The song title might not be all that orginal, but everything else is. It also seems to me like they're having a great time to me, which is all that really matters. It makes me want to start a band with 30 of my closest friends. Only problem is I can't grow the sweet mustache. Maybe I'll ask Max to be the lead singer...

Enjoy

A Boy and His Woman's TV Network

2006-08-22T14:57:00.000-04:00

I can, in all honesty, say I have never watched Oxygen, the women's cable tv network. I know most of you are thinking I might not be entirely forthcomming if I did. If you know me, you know I'm not a real man's man. I don't chop down trees, work on cars, or wrestle deers. I'll even admit, I watch HGTV from time to time with the lady. It earns me enough credits to force her to watch The Daily Show. And I like Abe Lincoln, so I must be honest.

But back to the point, two things about the Oxygen Network caught my eye recently:

1. They are airing a made for TV movie about the winner of American Idol, Fantasia, called, oddly enough, "The Fantasia Barrino Story: My Life is Not a Fairy Tale". Normally I wouldn't give this a second thought other than the stellar cast, including my man Kadeem Hardison.

The thing that surprises me is guess who's playing the lead? That's right, Fantasia. She's playing her self in a made for TV movie on Oxygen? Even Amy Fisher didn't do that. Seems like an odd carrer choice to me.

2. Shannen Dohertey has her own show. Bad idea right? Well apparently the concept is....she dumps your boyfriend for you. It's called Breaking Up With Shannen Doherty. Wow. The sheer amount of things that could go wrong here boggles the mind. It's like graduating a monkey from med school. Of course, there is a slim chance it will be entertaining and some people might be helped, but it isn't worth the amount of death that is likely to be the result.

So if you have some time, and want to let me know how the second one turns out, I'd be interested to know how long before she flips out.

A New Weekly (Hopefully) Feature

2006-08-21T11:02:00.000-04:00

I know I've gotten a bit too addicted to Youtube recently, but there are worse things in the world I would assume ( I hear meth is pretty bad news).

A few weeks ago, I posted a lot of music vidoes that I felt showed something a bit outside the mainstream. I'm not going to start posting about obscure french impressionist painters or Brazilian Folk music, but I do think a little weekly dose of something differnt could be good for everyone's soul. So hopefully every week I'll post a music video that you wouldn't see on MTV or VH1 during the rare times they do show videos. I guess the reason I'm choosing music videos is I like music (+), I pretty moving things (+), they are fairly short (+), and the supply is constant and varried(+,+). Do what you will with these. Skip them every week, watch the bands you know and like, or try and expand your horizons, any choice is alright by me.

I will say this, the first one is a doozy. If you watch, pay attention. There will be a test.

Death Cab For Cutie- I Will Follow You Into The Dark

Poor bunny.

Note: The clip works again, until You Tube decides to take it down again. I don't advise that You Tube. You mess with the bull... well you know that happens.

I Had Heard About This....

2006-08-18T10:58:00.000-04:00

I had seen bits of this, but not the whole thing. I know it's a bit old, but bear with me.

This is why John Stewart is my boy. He goes after both guys for their inability to live up to their journalistic responsibilities. Thank You.

Paul Rudd

2006-08-14T16:27:00.000-04:00

I love my iPod. I really do. I don't often talk about it because I know no one cares, so I see no point to bore you to tears. I was however reading an interview with Paul Rudd on the Onion website and they had a little fun with his iPod. He picked the random suffle and then told them what popped up. The key is you cannot cheat and skip songs. What comes up, comes up. I decided to give it a shot and see how dorky I would end up. I have a 30 gig so I have a lot of music on here that I don't listen to often (Bad Dance Music) some that I'm not too proud of. (P. Diddy, Korn, a Hoobastank Song), and some that I'm not quite sure how it ended up on there (James Blunt).
Here's the 10 that popped up.

1) The Black Seeds-Senegal, Champions of Africa -A great band I picked up when living in New Zealand. Nothing to be ashamed of, as a matter of fact, damn proud of the way we started it off.
2) Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah- Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood- I like this song, but not huge into the band. At least I'm hip right?
3) Flaming Lips- Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1 - Great song, still no complaints.
4) Beirut- Canals of Our City -Honestly, I downloaded this on a whim off a blog and only gave it a few listens. Not bad.
5) Broken Social Scene- Stars & Sons (Live @ Lollapalooza) - Damn I'm cool for having this already. I actually put this on there last night and I'm glad I did. Nice work random.
6) Ryan Adams- Wild Flowers - Off of his Gold album, really haven't listened to this album all that much. I like his newer stuff, which I know is crazy insane stupid, so save your breath you damn hipster and leave me be.
7) I'm From Barcelona- Tree House - One of two songs I have by this band but I dig the shit out of it. Wierd how that pops up, not something by Wilco, Jeff Buckley, Bright Eyes, or Sufjan, which I have a combined 450 songs by (or there abouts). Still not hiding my face yet.
8) Bob Dylan- I Don't Believe You -Not a top 10 Dylan song, but it's Dylan so proud to have it on here.
9) Counting Crows- All My Friends- Not a bad tune, not a bad band. If this is the worst that's going to pop up, I'm getting off easy.
10) Bloc Party- So Here We Are (Live @ Coachella) Great song live. No complaints.

So I made it through without looking like a complete ninny. My Kelly Clarkson and Black Eyed Peas didn't make an appearance so thank God for small favors. This list does ignore my love of hip hop and rap and quieter folk music, while making me look a bit too much like the kid who would wear tight pants, a striped sweater and those itty bitty black glasses. I guess there are worse things though, no?

What did everyone else come up with? Leave me a comment or post on your blog. I'd be curious to see what you get. And remember, no cheating. If your Mulan soundtrack pops up, all the better.

I Love It!

2006-08-09T16:47:00.000-04:00

I know this is in serious danger of becoming a dumping ground for Youtube clips and offering nothing of substance, but in this case, I don't care. I love the Japanese. I have no idea what's going on here and I don't care.

It's funny that the first guy got out unscathed. I'm also not afraid to say I watched the whole thing with my legs crossed.

Not That I Find This Shocking In Any Way

2006-08-08T10:28:00.000-04:00

Oh brother...

Lollapalooza

2006-08-07T14:44:00.000-04:00

I spent quite a weekend at Lollapalooza. Here are a few videos of what you probably missed.

Gnarls Barkley-Crazy. I was up close for this one.

Cee-lo wants you to flash him.

Kayne West-Kanye's Work Out Plan

The Flaming Lips-Free Radical

Wayne and the Space Bubble

The Flaming Lips balloon release. You can see the 15 dancing Santas on the right side of the stage. You don't get to see the aliens or the steamers or the mega phone that shot out green and yellow smoke.

A very small clip of Nickelcreek covering Britney Spears.

Lyrics Born performing

and of course, the hightlight of the entire weekend and the last band for me, Broken Social Scene- Anthem for a 17 year old girl. Magical.

Only 361 days till next year.

Oh Sam Jackson

2006-08-03T11:53:00.000-04:00

If used correctly, Samuel L. Jackson can be hillarious in front of a camera. The Man is not a good example of the correct situation. This, however, is:

Oh the Inglewood Jack. Cracks me up.

Lifetime?

2006-08-03T09:16:00.000-04:00

I've never heard of a band called "Lifetime", but back in the day they must have had some pretty crazy bus rides. I'll just post what Pitchfork had to say about their old Bassist.:

"Back in 1992 and 1993, Lifetime had a bass player by the name of Linda Kay. She performed on the original version of the band's album Background, but wasn't featured on the actual recording. Her photo does, however, appear in the disc's artwork.

Over the past 13 years, Kay hasn't exactly followed a usual punk rock career path-- solo records, starting a label, other musical endeavors, etc. Oh no. She's been stripping at an all-nude Union, New Jersey bar called Hott 22...and apparently collecting human body parts in her South Plainfield home, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.Whoa.

On Friday, July 28, Kay was arrested after police found a human hand in a jar of formaldehyde and six human skulls in her basement. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported today that yesterday, August 1, Kay pleaded not guilty to "unlawful disposal of human remains." She is currently in the Middlesex County jail, with bail set at $50,000.

Lifetime's currently reunited members have no comment. No surprise there. "

Wow. You know who I blame this on? Pirates. I'm not quite sure how yet, but they were behind this.

Heatwave

2006-08-01T08:59:00.000-04:00

Well it's hot and I'm not a happy camper. I needed something to make me laugh, and I'll share it with you. I hope it brightens up your day as well.

The fact that the kid is running along is what makes it worth it.

Okay...

2006-07-26T16:51:00.000-04:00

I bet this will become bigger news later on, but it surpised me a bit that it was just sitting on the MSN homepage. They are reporting that Lance Bass from N'SYNC just came out as gay. Okay. I guess my only comment would be I don't think anyone is entirely shocked by this. Good for him.

He said the reason he didn't come out earlier is he didn't want to possibly jeopardize N'SYNC's music carrer. I think he realized he doesn't need to worry about that anymore.

I wonder how big a deal this will become? I'd bet dollars to dougnuts that he'll be on Acess Hollywood within the next two weeks.

Crazy Week

2006-07-26T16:40:00.000-04:00

Well it's been a busy work week so the post aren't exactly coming hot and heavy. I realize this, but I'm okay with it. In fact, I'm not going to beat myself up over the fact that you don't have ESPN Insider to fill up your online time.

I do however have a website that you should check out if the feeling strikes you or if you have spare time:

That's right. Apparently there are enough cats out there that look like Hitler to warrant an entire site. I'm pretty sure there is a discussion board going on there too, but I'm too scared to look. What would you discuss exactly? Maybe a spin off? If you are, the idea of any animal looking like Fidel Castro intrigues me. Just a suggestion

The internet really is the greatest time waster in the history of the world. I'm convinced much more got accomplished in the work place before 1999.

Monday...

2006-07-24T09:05:00.000-04:00

Just a nice little soccer highlight video to start your monday. You don't have to enjoy the beautiful game to enjoy these. Good weekend? Glad to hear it...

Best Soccer Tricks - video powered by Metacafe

USA Basketball, It's Dominationtastic!

2006-07-21T15:46:00.000-04:00

I've never been one of those sports fan who got worked up about the USA Basketball losing it's dominance on the international level. Sure, it's a bit emberassing how far they've fallen, but I've always looked at it as a reflection of player choice, preparation, and tactics more than talent or heart. It's not like these NBA players show up and want to lose. They are just overconfident and that comes in part from the guys we select. Athletesm doesn't work in the international game, so why pick a bunch of 6'9" guys who can run and dunk, but shoot worse than me (which is saying something).

This time around, changes have been made to try and counter act this. Coach K came in from Duke. Now I hate Duke more than most people, but to me this is a great idea. Get a guy in there who will teach the players how to play with the different rules, three point line, and difffernt shaped key. Who's better and more respected than Coach K? No one that I can think of. So that should fix the tactics problem.

They also are going to keep this 12 man team together for a couple of years, get them used to playing together. They are having try outs and a training camp, spending time together. Coach K is also spending time working on drills, fundimentals, and knowing where to find King James open, or how to clear out for D-Wade. This should solve the problem of preparation.

Finally is player selection. You can tell they are adressing this. Shane Battier is invited to try out? Not one of the top 50 most talented Americans. But he will play defense, support his teamates, and try his best. Maybe most importantly, he won't bitch if he doesn't get 40 minutes a game, he'd just be happy to get on the team. A coach can only realistically give 9 or 10 of the players solid playing time, so those other 2 0r 3 have to be good "club house guys" and and provide energy in practice. If you have D-Wade, King James, and Captain Kirk out there at the 3 small positions, there is no ego. They will pass for the open shot and not complain if a match up dictates them being on the bench a bit.

This ESPN.com article goes into this a bit further. For the first time since Dream Team 1,

I'm actually excited to watch the red, white, and blue play ball. It's time boys.

More On Kevin Smith

2006-07-18T10:59:00.000-04:00

Well not only did I post about Kevin Smith's DVD and add his blog to the list on the right, I'm going to post about him again. Say what you will about the man, but boring is not one word I would use to describe him. I am really looking forward to Clerks II even though I was monumentally let down by Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl. This one just has a good feel to it.

Well as far as anyone can tell, the tech savy Smith was posting in the comments section of a short arctile written about him. As always, he had a lot to say and most of it I found interesting. You can give it a look here.

Also, in case you care, former USMNT coach Bruce Arena is now the coach of the New York Red Bulls. What a dissappointment. I was really hoping he would be the first US coach to work outside the US. Oh well, good luck Bruce.

More Music

2006-07-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

So I found this song/video this morning and I still don't know what to think of it. Neat, unique, Brazillian dance rock? Annoying, repetive, wierd-o music? I think it may some how be a bit of both or a lot of neither. Either way, I think it's pretty damn catchy and I absolutley love the shot of them dancing in the street. What do you think? Enjoy.:
CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above

How did that bass player end up in the group? Some one's older brother would be my guess? I also like how two members seem to be trapped in the 80's. If you're going to dress like that, you might as well wear a Voltron T-shirt.

It's A Bird, It's A Plane....

2006-07-11T14:35:00.000-04:00

So I was planning on seeing Superman Returns last night, but due to factors out of my control, I wasn't able to see it. Now don't cry for me just yet, this ties back in to you, I promise.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I was watching "An Ev ening with Kevin Smith" again. If you like Kevin Smith or have every laughed in your life at all, this really is worth at least a rental. Even the pompus ass on Amazon liked it.

Kevin Smith tells a few stories on the DVD including the first time he had sex with his wife, the surreal experience he had with Prince, and the story of his "feud" with Tim Burton. The reason the feud happened was due in part to a script Smith wrote that could have been the new Superman movie. Well after hunting around, I found a copy of it online for you to read if that's your sort of thing. Some neat things were done with the story, but I have no idea how it would have played out on screen, which is why I ususally don't read scripts. Let's call it and under active imagination.

So if you have a few hours and an imagination better than mine, then you might want to give this a read. You can definetly tell where he tried to inject a bit of his humor into it. It also said this was written back in 1997, so just lets you know they've been in the process of planning this movie for almost 10 years.

Also, apparently Mormons try to use ice cream socials to bring together singles. Talk about your good, clean fun.

Hmm...

2006-07-10T12:34:00.000-04:00

I like my job. It's nice (except when the steam pipe bursts raising the temperature in the room to well over 100º). One thing about my job is that it does allow me alot of free time. Well apparently this guy has way more time than I do. It starts to get good at about the 2 minute mark. Enjoy I guess:

So You Like Lost?

2006-07-10T12:07:00.000-04:00

I will admit to being a huge Lost fan. It's one of the few shows that I'll actually tape if I'm not able to watch it. I realize if you explain the plot to someone who doesn't watch the show, it sounds incredibly rediculous. Somehow, with in the framework of the show, it doesn't seem all that far fetched if you keep up.

Anyway, in the lull between Season two being released on DVD and the start of Season 3, the producers are dropping a little knowledge on us. According to the producers, co-creator Damon Lindelof is worried that the show will be dragged till it's death, rather than a logical conclusion. Instead of allowing that to happen, he says he would like to do 4 or 5 years tops, then create a movie to cap the whole thing off. And you know what? I LOVE IT. I would much rather have 5 years of a great show than 8 years when a show becomes hit or miss for the last 2 or 3 (ie. West Wing). I don't even mind paying to see the grand finale. As long as it ties everything up, that works for me.

I also saw something similar to this in the Harry Potter world. Apparently the author, JK Rowling, is planning on killing off two main characters in the seventh and final book. She's doing this to prevent someone else from trying to write sequels. This at least to me seems like an attempt and quality over commerce, which is refreshing for once.

I Got A Nice Little Monday Planned For You...

2006-07-03T11:35:00.000-04:00

I posted a number of months back about art and my love of it, and also where I think it fits into society today. Well to give a little bit of an example, I've been thinking about movies and music videos lately. That's probably the reason why I've posted about Michel Gondry and his up comming movies so much lately.

Well I've been thinking about it in the context of music videos. There is so much that can be done because of the sheer number of them produced. I can't imagine a more open medium for a director to work with. They are short, can be done for relitively cheap, and offer all types of interesting material to work with. What I can't understand is how come none of the real neat ones make it on the air? I'm not going to start bashing MTV for the lack of music they play because they are what they are. MTV isn't fooling anyone into thinking you should tune in there to find cutting edge anything.

But I do watch Fuse from time to time and even MTV 2 and it's nothing to be proud of. Sure, they do play some entertaining stuff, but it's crammed between the usual crap. I mean people still talk about the music videos Spike Jones did over 5 years ago. There is innovation, there is neat stuff being done, but for some reason no one seems to going after it. How can you watch videos with bling and nice cars, or a bad performing while a lame story is playing out in the background? I guess I just wish people cared more about quality. If you do a little work to find something other than what you are given, you'll be rewarded a million times over. A few examples for you to look at:

Rob Schrab's Crooked Teeth by Death Cab for Cutie

Bright Eyes- First Day of My Life

Arcade Fire- Power Out

Fiest- Mushaboom

Postal Service- We Will Become Silhouettes

Wow...

2006-06-28T16:30:00.000-04:00

I have never seen anything like this before. I can't even begin to imagine how to respond to this. I'm really pretty stunned. Make sure you watch the whole thing.

A Nice Link

2006-06-22T13:40:00.000-04:00

I posted a little while back about Michel Gondry's new movie called "The Science of Sleep" and how excited I was about it. Well here is an interview with Mr. Gondry himself where he talks a little about that, a little about "Eternal Sunshine" and his next movie, "Be Kind, Rewind". "Be Kind" seems like the perfect Jack Black movie and should be awesome. I have no doubt it will be with Mr. Gondry at the helm.

Me? I Look Like Steven Segal? You're Too Kind....

2006-06-22T12:38:00.000-04:00

So after posting that fake autobiography on Steven Segal, I ended with alerting people everywhere that you, YES YOU, can rent out a Steven Segal look-a-like for your next party/BBQ/work function/hot dog eating contest. It got me thinking, "How does a person decide to become a Steven Segal look-a-like for money." Making that puffy lipped mean look for friends is one thing, but getting an agent, a website, and spending time growing out that bitching ponytail means you had to really put thought in to it. Here's how I imagine the thought process went in his head:

You know what? People keep comming up to me and saying "If you only had a pony knob, you could totally pass for Steven Segal." At first I was somewhat pissed, but now I'm starting to enjoy the attention all this gets me. I wonder how I can be proactive, really make this one thing work for me.

Then one day it clicked. I thought to myself "I could quit my job working the buffet at the Sizzler and travel around the world, making untold riches, rubbing elbows with the movers and shakers of the world, beautiful women falling in my path, begging me to take them home in my 94’ Toyota Celica." First I need to work on the scowl (check).

Next I need to buy bottles of Pantene Pro-V in bulk (Thank you Ulta 3 discount card).

Finally I gots to root through thrift stores looking for something that looks vaguely like a karate outfit.

If I can do that, I have a chance."

The rest of it is, as you say, history. The saying goes "Don't hate the playa, hate the game". Word to your mother biatch.

Nice Hair...

2006-06-22T12:19:00.000-04:00

Due to the fact that I'm a little crushed about the soccer game today, I'm going to post some stuff that makes me happy. I don't even really feel like posting about the game at all because... I don't. Not very eloquent I know, but screw it.

Anyway, I know I have talked about my dislike of Wikipedia in the past, but some how, through random clicking on the purty links they put in each article, I ended up on their mullet page. The fact that it deals with the mullet in such a serious manner is a good way to go. Definently increases the entertainment level. They start off with different possible names for a mullet, which include:

-Achey-Breaky Big-Mistakey
-The Alabama Waterfall
-All Porch, No Awning
-The Barry Melrose
-Camaro Crash Helmet
-Canadian Passport
-Tennessee Tophat
and of course, my favorite
- The Louisiana Purchase

It also goes on to list different types and different famous people who have rocked them at one time or another. It's quite a list if it can include Shawn ( The Heart Break Kid) Michaels, Captain Planet, Ron Jeremy, and Dwayne Schintzius.

"James K. Polk and the Presidentail Mullet"

The site also talks about the mullet in other countries, what it's referred to, and the popularity. I really like the fact that they refer to it as "the cape" in Spain and "little mat" in the Netherlands.

It even has other mullet related links if you have some time to kill.

Ever Wonder What Happend to Steven Segal?

2006-06-19T10:41:00.000-04:00

A truely great website that needs to get more publicity is McSweeney's. It's updated fairly often with the best in independent humorous writing. It's a must stop if you have some time to kill on the internet. Well they have an excerpt from Steven Segal's Very Authorized biography. The funny thing is that it sounds about right.

Two other things you should know about Mr. Segal. Apparently he rocks. Hard.

Harder than me and you combined. Times Four. Plus 8. That's a lot of rocking by the way.

Also, you should know that if you have a party or function of some kind that needs a little extra pizzaz, you could hire a lookalike of Mr. Segal. There's nothing like showing up for the yearly sales meeting Tuson and beening greeted by a guy pretending to be a C level celebrity.

Me? Watching the NBA Finals?

2006-06-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

What do Lebron, and Carmello have in common? They aren't as good as Dwayne Wade. Since Jordan retired, and even before that, people in the media have been calling for the next Michael Jordan. Jordan was special. Not only was he the greatest player in the world, but he was clutch, he made his teammates better, and fans everywhere loved him. After watching Flash last night, he's on his way.

Scottie Pippen was at the game for ESPN and he said that Wade is more in the Jordan mold than anyone he has ever seen. I like watching Lebron play, but if it comes down to the last shot who do I want to take it? Lebron on the bench nervously chewing on his nails and passing up the shot? Or Wade, who yesterday, stepped up to the free throw line with his team down one and 1.9 seconds left. He hit his first shot, then Dallas accidentally wasted a time out. This gave Wade all the time in the world to look nervous, psych himself out, and miss. Like the stone cold dude, he stepped up and drilled it.

After the game he talked about how he was shooting free throws with his cousin the night before and he cousin was yelling stuff right in his ear like a cousin should. Wade said that he stepped up, and made those free throws too because "I don't miss those." I love that. Supreme confidence, ability, and yet a teammate who pushes his teamates to do better. That's what Kobe never had and never will. Sounds a lot like #23 to me...

Music

2006-06-14T10:52:00.000-04:00

I haven't linked to any music in a while and there is a good reason for that. The internet connection where I'm at, well let's just say it's not always fast. Instead of what you probably have on your computer, I'm fairly certain I have a pipe with little gnomes running back and forth, bringing and taking information.

They aren't even very fast, I think it's their shoes with the curled up toes that prevent the quick footspeed.

Anyway, if you are new or don't have acess to my iPod, here are a few songs that are worth giving a listen to.

Guillemots - Never Went to Church (The Streets cover)
The Streets-Dry Your Eyes (Feat. Chris Martin of Coldplay)
Rilo Kiley-Acccidntal Death
Jeff Tweedy-Not for the Season
Sugababes- I Bet You Look Good On The Dance Floor (Arctic Babes Remix)

Is Jason Bateman really news?

2006-06-14T10:26:00.000-04:00

I was looking at Cnn DOT com and I saw a story with the title "Bateman expecting baby" Now I love Teen Wolf Too as much as the next person,

but is the fact Mr. Bateman and his wife are pregnant really news? Why don't you just say Paul Anka's daughter is pregnant? Well you could, because Jason Bateman is married to Amanda Anka, daughter of Paul. By the way, for some reason the name Amanda Anka makes me giggle.

I can't even imagine what Christmas must be like in that house. I'm sure they talk about the memorable June '04 Big Paul played at the Hollywood casino right outside Chicago. He really is a creepy looking man.

I told you so...

2006-06-09T19:08:00.000-04:00

So a few months ago I told everyone to be on the look out. Well it looks like I was right. A football player at Tulsa died of an infection of flesh eating bacteria. They aren't sure why people catch it or from where, but they do know the how. It can enter the body through a cut as small as a pin prick or through the respiratory system after you cough or sneeze. I really need to speed up the building of my end of the world shelter. I'm thinking a nice blue rug in the middle of the otherwise barren floor.

What do you think?

Sooorry

2006-06-08T20:01:00.000-04:00

I know I keep saying that I'm going to stop posting about soccer and posting something entertaining from Youtube is like shooting fish in a small aquarium, but everyone should see this. His name is Kerlon Souza and he calls it the Seal Dribble. Never seen anything like it before.

Floating away...

2006-06-06T15:29:00.000-04:00

So I was reading the paper last week and I came across an article discussing the possible future of Navy Pier. The people that run it, the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, feel that they need to make some changes to they invited a couple of groups to take a shot at coming up with plans. The plan that was ultimately produced includes :

-A floating hotel
-A roller coaster
-Floating parking garages
-A monorail
-A larger ferris wheel
-And of course, a water park

My first reaction is "Wow, that's a lot of crap for a very small area." My second thought it "A floating hotel and parking garages?" I assumed that they would be built out of a material similar to this.

I then found out the hotel would look very similar to a large ship, which decidedly less exciting looking, though probably more stable.

I guess in the end, for me, it comes down to a simple lesson we should have learned from a little place called Springfield. You remember what happened when they got a monorail? Heed the warning windy city.

PS. I've been trying to be good and update, but blogger doesn't heart me for some reason. I'll remedy that though.

Quit It With The Soccer Already

2006-06-01T14:16:00.000-04:00

As much as I have been obsessing over the up comming World Cup, I was going to limit the number of the soccer themed posts mainly because I don't think many people care about it as much as I do. Then I read this article on ESPN.com and it caught my eye, particularly the part when he has this to say about why I love the World Cup:

"This season, in the NBA regular season, the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, Miami and Detroit. They finished the season in the NBA lottery. Those six teams they beat were arguably the six top teams in the NBA. These were single games, I hear you say, and what on earth does this have to do with the World Cup? Well, the World Cup does not feature a single best-of-five or best-of-seven series. It is not played over an 82-game season. It's a collection of one-off games. Under intense pressure. Thirty-one of the teams are playing on the road. Upsets can and will happen. And, moreover, anyone who can tell you what's going to happen in a World Cup, who will win, who won't, with certainty, has not experienced enough sport to understand its randomness."

Beautifully said. If on the off chance you do enjoy soccer, you should check out the new National Geographic issue.

It has a number of short articles explaining why this is important to a bunch of different nations. I know I broke up with Nat. Geo a few months back, but this was just a quickie. This doesn't mean we're back together. And don't call.

Update: You can actually read all the articles here for free, save yourself a few bucks. Oh, and your welcome.

Finally

2006-05-24T10:35:00.000-04:00

After looking seemingly everywhere for a World Cup Tv schedule, I've finally managed to find one. Here it is if you're interested. This is going to be a whole lot of soccer, with every game televised on one of the members of the ESPN "family". I know I'll be watching a ton of it.

A few things did surprise me though. The first would be the location of the US's first game, being held in Gelsenkirchen. I know a lot of people around the world don't particularly like America, but forcing the team to play it's first game in a made up place doesn't seem very fair. Why not just have the first game in Candy Land, with the second game being played on a fluffy cloud somewhere over the Atlantic ocean, and the third being played in Atlantis against a team of Mer-men. We should watch out, I hear #10 has a nasty left fin, and he doesn't even wear shoes.

The second surprise is the fact that the third place game takes place after the Championship game. Who really wants to watch teams battle it out for third when the big prize has already been decided. Seems a bit anti-climatic to me. I could be wrong though.

A Few Quick Links

2006-05-23T15:21:00.000-04:00

Since I've been bad about posting lately, I'm going to try and do it a bit more often. Somehow, I get the feeling that the frequency of posts is really going to pick up in the next month or so, just a hunch. Here are a few articles that I found interesting to tide everyone over.

A man explains how his loyalty was divided during the recent Champion's League final. It's discusses why he fell in love with Catalonia and how that caused him to root for Barca. I also like how he discusses our soccer rooting freedom. In most sports, I love the teams that my Dad loved or that represent my city. When it comes to soccer, I can pick a team only based on style of play, the players they have, or hell, even how often they win. I can imagine jealous Cubs fans everywhere.

I know I seem to post every so often about animals and humans battling it out, sometimes to the death, but for some reason this story bothered me. Maybe it was this part:

"The owner of Grand River Fur Exchange, Mark Gutman, was attempting to enter the bear's cage to clean it when the animal escaped"

How exactly does that happen? Is it like in the movies? The bear hides behind the door, and when the owner looks in a small hole he thinks "I wonder where my bear went?" So then he walks in, the bear slips out, behind him, slams the door laughing. I feel bad that a woman got hurt, but I find this whole situation a bit confusing. Maybe he was smarter than the average bear. Just to caution you, if a bear looks like this:

Stay away from it. The eye patch should be a dead give away.

Good For Him

2006-05-23T15:01:00.000-04:00

In case any of you were worried, Matt Nordgren signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles. Who is that you may ask? Well he's the dude with the unlucky distinction of being Vince Young's clip board holder for the past three years.

In order to get a football scholarship to the University of Texas to play quarterback, you must be a pretty darn good player. The problem for Mr. Nordgren is that he was stuck behind an amazing talent that never got hurt and never really left the field. According to CNNSI.com, he appeared in 19 games, completing 8 of 14 passes for 60 yards.

Not a very distinguished college career, but this happens. Last year Matt Cassel, who backed up Carson Palmer and Matt Leinhart was signed after the draft by the Patriots and now is their backup behind Tom Brady. Good luck running with the first team offense there buddy. He could have been the 5th best college quarterback for
all 4 of his years, yet he was always going to be behind the award winners.

Thierry!

2006-05-19T15:43:00.000-04:00

Some good news. After watching nearly all the Arsenal v. Barcelona Champions league game, it got me even more excited for the World Cup this summer. While watching the game, one of the announcers made an interesting point when talking about Arsenal star striker Thierry Henry. He mentioned how Henry was linked to Barcelona because his contract was due to expire after the game, which was the last club game of the season. The announcer went on to say that he hoped Henry would stay in England. The league is better off having players like him in it. I agree, and so does Henry apparently.

You're going to get to see a lot more of this. He signed a four year deal to stay with the club. I've always liked to watch him play and this gives me another four years to enjoy it. I think he said it best when he said:

"I always refer to Arsenal as my home town. I have been welcomed with open arms, the love I receive here - sometimes from non-Arsenal fans - is something I can't forget about."

Even though you may be a Man U or Charlton fan, I think people understand that while you never want your team to lose, the game is better off with Henry on the pitch.

Sweet Sweet Cover Song

2006-05-15T19:41:00.000-04:00

I'll be the first person to admit, I'm a sucker for a good cover song, especially when they take a pop songs and redo it in an entertaining way. I remember rocking out to CZAR's cover of Backstreet Boys "Larger than Life" in high school. I also loved Travis's cover of "Hit Me Baby One More Time", Ted Leo covering "Since U Been Gone" and tons of others. Well I got another one to add to the list.

Here you go, Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy covering Mariah Carey's Fantasy.

Honestly? This is just awesome. I think they do a great job and having a great time. Nice...

Steal the What?

2006-05-12T16:16:00.000-04:00

If you're bored this weekend and are looking for a little physical activty, give me a call because:

Apparently they changed the rules to my favorite game, Steal the Bacon. Now it's more of a soccer game I guess. This sounds like a ton of fun to me. Do you think it would look wierd if a bunch of 20+ year olds were playing this in a park? You know what? Don't answer that question because I don't care. Sounds like fun to me. Consider this part of my pre-draft training. Who's in?

I'm Declaring for the Draft!

2006-05-12T16:00:00.000-04:00

So I'm 5'11", fairly slow, very white, and a bit of a chunk these days. So what does this all mean? I'm going to follow this guy's lead and declare for the NBA draft next year. I know it's going to be hard to get invited to the pre-draft camp at the Moody Bible Institute right here in Chicago, so I will fill out a scouting report on myself to save teams the trouble. I will sign with an agent since I'm 23, and if I don't get the deal I want, I'm out. I'll play in Moscow for more money. So here's the scouting report:

Strengths- His dashing good looks often distract oppenents.
-Plays solid on and off the ball defense.
-Sometimes it appears if he has eyes in the back of the head (but he doesn't, we checked).
-A lot of upside
-Very Mature considering he graduated college 2 years ago.
-Eats lots of vegtables so he might grow another inch or two
-Plays with the passion of a Harlem Globetrotter and the basketball IQ simliar to Einstein in science
-Very resonably priced
-Always smells good and well groomed
-Fan friendly
-Enjoys to relax in the locker room

Cons- Considered a tad short for professional standards
-Possibly the slowest person ever to declair for the draft other than George Murisan
-Often misses open jumpers (but so does Steven Francis and he got drafted)
-Can't jump and not very "long" in the arms, but might be long in other areas, we haven't checked that yet.
-Can't really reach most rebounds
-Never played above Freshman B ball so motion offenses are a bit of a mystery
-Don't expect him to dunk....ever
-Every player in the league (except Earl Boykins) can take him down in the post and beat him like he deserves it.
-Missing 9 teeth
-Doesn't like Cold weather, so you better be south of the Mason-Dixon line if you want him to play for you.

So there you go. I'm going to get that ready for the next draft. I'm thinking second round to Lakers. Kobe could use some help in the backcourt. I gotta be better than Smoosh Parker right?

If you have any pros or cons you think I forgot, please feel free to give me a shout in the comments section.

Busy

2006-05-08T15:37:00.000-04:00

I know I've been somewhat lazy lately, but I really do have two good reasons.

is number 1. In case you don't know, this really is the worlds greatest 80's break dance movie. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you check it out. It will change your life.

Second is

For those of you who do watch this show, there is all sorts of crazyness going on. During last weeks episode, the had a fake commerical for The Hanso Foundation, the people who financed what is happening on the island. You can check out their website here. There are a bunch of hidden messages and information hidden all over it. The information doesn't deal directly with the people on the island, but the circumstances as to what the island is. It's interactive, has lots of other fake websites and seems to be growing every day. From what I hear the show hired a producer just to deal with the online aspect.

If you follow the show, you can catch up on all the online happenings here. Sure it's cheating, but some of the stuff is nearly impossible to figure out otherwise. Those of you who don't follow the show, well I just feel sorry for you. Enjoy Grey's Anatomy.

And if that isn't enough, Wilco has started putting together stuff for a new album. Drummer Glenn Kotche has this to say about it so far:

"I think anyone who's heard them (the new songs) can see stylistically that it's pretty much all over the place right now,"

Sounds good to me.

Woops

2006-05-03T16:03:00.000-04:00

I was reading the paper and I saw story title.

"New Lenox mayor apologizes over spending at strip club."

The story goes on to say that he charged about $1,500 at a bachlor party for him and another dude. Sounds like quite a night to me. He said that he left his wallet in his other pants and often charged things on his governement credit card, then paid them back before it was due. Okay, I can understand paying for dinner or a movie. Do you really want a credit card comming back to the office with a big charge to VIP gentlemen's club, espcially if you are a mayor.

The most amusing part is besides one woman, no one seems to care. Every one is saying that since he has done such a wonderful job, he shouldn't be judged on one situation. I agree with that, but the man showed a complete lack of common sense. If an adult wants to go to a strip club, even a man in the public eye, I'm not going to tell him not to. The problem becomes when you act like a moron. You think he was dressed something like this?

Draft Beer and Me

2006-04-29T15:52:00.000-04:00

So I love me some NFL draft. It's no secret. Everyone knows it, even my friend Duggity.

I was planning on doing some sort of live blogging event. I thought to myself "Self, what would my two readers love more than anything else in the world? A live update of the draft." Only problem is a few things came between me and my goals. One and two ladies and gentlement.

So I hope everyone is enjoying what I view to be a national holiday. I hope that you aren't in class or at at VB game, cause that would really suck. So I've had pizza, some nice dip, nachos, and some burrrr. Life is good. I got a laptop in front of me and am following Deadspin draft blog

I also want to mention how much I love Moster Pawn commercials. If you went away to collegel in a somewhat small town, you know the deal. There are always bizzare commercial by small local compaines. Imagine that bizzare commercial, only for a bald guy who ownes a pawn shop. This was my life for four years. I love it too.

Fox

2006-04-28T15:35:00.000-04:00

One thing I always liked about the Simpsons was the constant fact that they took swings at the network they are on and those who run it. It has such a high level of popularity that it can say things about the director of programming also being a hairdresser and the owner falling off a helicopter.

To me, it always made sense because this is the network that brought us "Married by America", "The Littlest Groom, and "Joe Millionaire." Well they are at it again. I don't even know what to say about this. Good luck to them.

I hope everyone had a good week. I'm running on empty a bit now, and sometimes you just need to shut it down for a weekend. Spend all day Saturday enjoying the greatest spectacle known to man. That's right.

Movie News

2006-04-26T10:37:00.000-04:00

Well I know what movie I'm most looking forward to this summer.

That's right, Michel Gondry, everyone's favorite music video director is back. He's following up Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with another movie that looks great. It's called The Science of Sleep and you can check out a trailer and description for it here. The star of it is Gael García Bernal, who I think is a great actor. You can also check out the movie site here.

I guess the volcano springing up out of nowhere is a nightmare he used to have when he was a kid. Rather that use CG, he constantly finds creative ways to convey what he wants to say and impresses the hell out of me.

A second bit of movie news.

Everyone's favorite Ghetto Superstar, Pras, is making a movie.

The rapper, formerly of the Fugees fame, is filimg a documentary in LA where he is homeless for 9 days. He was given a budget of a dollar a day and had to panhandle to get enough money to eat. Everyone who makes policy decisions in Washington or has more than 5 cars should spend a few days living on the streets, poor. Maybe that would give them a little perspective. He had this to say about the movie.

"People aren't going to understand what it was like until they see it. Human beings should not be sleeping amoung rats."

Should be interesting.

Baseball Tuesday

2006-04-25T10:22:00.000-04:00

Even though everyone's beloved White Sox lost yesterday, I figured today was a good opportunity to deal with some myths about baseball. I cannot for the life of me throw a curve ball and have no idea how Mr. Barry Zito does it. I do now know why a curve ball curves though.

This is why. Pretty descriptive eh? That graphic is from an excellent Msn article. It also explains how the myth of a rising fast ball is just that, a myth, and why taking a slow jog to catch a ball might be better than hustling under it. Very cool stuff. It's spring time, nice outside (except for today), lets go out side and play catch. Sound good?

Oh Those Wacky Canadians

2006-04-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

I happened to stumble across this little tidbit. Thought everyone should know this.

"Eight men were found dead on a farm in south-western Ontario in which appeared to be a resurgence of a battle among Canada's biker gangs for control of the drug trade."

I would say death is never funny, but this situation is a little funny. Why? Because this is how I picture Canadian bikers looking.

The eyebrows are the key. But I've learned my lesson. Never mess with a Canadian wearing leather pants. They have a tendency to be very ornery.

If you want to see more pictures like this, you can check out a page dedicated entirely to a crazy french disco party. If anyone can translate, it would be appreciated. I really do love Google pictures.

WOAH

2006-04-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

Pardon my string of french here, but HOLY FUCKING SHIT. I don't care what the doctors say, I'm getting me a bunker, some bottles of water, and as much canned food as I can fit my car. I'll see you all in 20 years. I suggest getting to the bank before the bank run starts. Remember, in the future, dollar bills won't be worth anything, but who ever controls the most scrabble tiles will have all the power.

Maybe I should buy this book. What do you think?

Happy Belated Easter

2006-04-19T12:11:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, a story falls through the cracks that everyone should hear. This is one of them. I don't know how this isn't the lead story on every news program in the country, but for some reason no one seems to care. I was watching CNN headline news when I caught this story.

There are so many things that I found beautiful about this story. First, he took of his head in front of 15 kids who all immediately went crazy. Can you imagine being 6, going to the mall all excited to see the Easter Bunny, then seeing him take his head off and have a guy in side? Those kids are going to need some professional help.

The second part that amuses me is the fact that he got in a fight with a woman. What kind of person dressed up as an Easter bunny, then hits a lady. You have to have serious issues to let a little disagreement about what time the bunny finishes to end up with blows. It reminds me of the Anchor Man anchor fight with the line. Best summed up with "Well that sure escalated quickly."

I also enjoyed that CNN decided to go against tradition. Instead of first showing the mug shots of the man and the woman, as is the custom, they showed what appeared to be a file photo, similar to this:

Yes, to help you the viewer visualize the fisticuffs that took place, they showed a very nice picture of a solitary Easter Bunny. It was almost like they were saying "Alright, imagine a guy dressed like this trying to slap a woman." The reporters both held a straight face through it all, for which I give them credit. I wouldn't have been able to get through that newscast without laughing. Oh what is the world coming to.

More Religion

2006-04-18T13:24:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what the United Church is. All I seem to be able to figure out is that they stand for two things:

1)Commas and

2)Inclusion

They produced the 30 second commercial that seems to be very polarizing. It can be seen here. The idea is that the undesirables of other churches get booted out via ejection seat. The commercial makes the point that if you are gay, black, or homeless, God doesn't discriminate against you, so a church shouldn't.

To be honest, the first time I saw the commercial I had the sound down and all I saw was people getting shot out of a church. I didn't know what to think. Now that I've seen it again, I like it. I think it proves a point that a lot of organized religion seem to miss. If the God loves everyone, shouldn't that mean everyone on earth too, regardless of their preferences or lives. Plus, as the website says, you can get yo mama a comma. No idea what that means, but it rhymes, which is really enough for me.

Wow

2006-04-18T13:12:00.000-04:00

Rev. Fred Phelps Sr has managed to pull of a rare feat. He has pissed of both liberals and conservatives in this polarized country. Phelps and his flock of 75, most of which are members of his family, claim that God hates homosexuals and that they all burn in hell. Cue angry liberals. He goes on to claim that any major disaster that causes death, including the war, is due to God's outrage over homosexuality. Cue the angry conservatives. I don't think they like like the "Thank God for Dead Soliders sign." and the protests that take place outside military funerals.

He also has this quote :
"God promised dire outpourings of very painful wrath, and there’s nothing more painful than killing one of your children and that’s what’s going on in Iraq,” Phelps said. “That’s what we’re preaching and the forum of choice to deliver such a message, obviously, is the funeral of the kid that’s been blown to smithereens." according to MSN.

I do have to give him a little bit of credit. He managed to do something I thought was impossible. I didn't think you could get both political extremes to both hate some one so much. This dude is off his rocker. Something that surprised me was the fact that he first gained fame by defending African Americans during the Civil Rights movement. What a wacky dude.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

2006-04-17T15:39:00.000-04:00

I'm a huge college footbal fan and I don't think anyone is surpised by that. One thing that I've never known was how teams decided who to play. I knew that for out of conference games, teams mutually paired themselves up, but not much other than that. Last year Wisconsin was well into June before they had their schedule finalized. I also didn't know the sneaky back room dealing that takes place, mainly involving the evil empire that is ESPN. CNNSI has an excellent article about it. Who comes off as some of the biggest jerks in all the land?

That's right, the Oregon Ducks.

I was also surprised at the part about USC. During their huge winning streak, I figured teams would be lining up to knock off the champs, get their day in the sun. How many teams wanted to play the Trojans? One, Fresno State, who will play anyone, anywhere. I really respect that attitude. Coach Pat Hill seems like one cool dude to me.

Disney Kills Again

2006-04-13T15:37:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, this guy (pointing my thumbs at myself) went on a vacation to a little place called Orlando, where the beer flows like wine. While there I did all the touristy things including going to all the Disney theme parks. Among these parks was Epcot, or as it's more commonly know, the place with the giant golf ball.

I have a special place in my heart for Epcot. I like the countries, I like the idea, I think it's fun. Well they had a newish ride there called Mission:Space. It was supposed to simulate a space ride from Earth to Mars, including "hyper sleep" to make the whole experience go faster. After getting off the ride (which spins the astronauts to simulate twice the force of gravity by the way), I was feeling a bit ill.

My Dad then mentioned that this ride had kill two people already, which I found out was inaccurate. It only killed one person. How did I find out this mistake? It killed again. The first time it killed a 4 year old boy, back in June. It was later found out that the boy had heart condition that wasn previously unknown. This time, it was a 49 year old woman who was dizzy and nausious after getting off, just like me. Unlike me, this woman suffered from at least high blood pressure, passed away. That sure puts a damper on the visit the the Animal Kingdom. It also proves a long standing belief of mine. Mickey is pure evil.

Beat Me To It

2006-04-13T14:50:00.000-04:00

So today I was finally going to get around to a couple of things that made my laugh when reading the last issue of Sports Illustrated. Deadspin beat me to one by about ten minutes. It neglected to mention another thing that cracked me up, and this doesn't even include the page spent on the Phoenix Suns' Gorrilla mascot and how he works out. This is what the mag had to say about star Gator Joakim Noah in the locker room after Florida beat UCLA in the college basketball title game.

"'This is better than sex!' Noah exlaimed, then clarified in case anyone forgot that he's half-French. 'And trust me, I'm doing it right'"

I was kinda hoping he went pro. I'm pretty sure that's what the Bulls are missing this year. A quick big man who can shoot, pass, and have good sex. That's a void that will remain now that Noah is returning for his Junior year.

Go Nationals!

2006-04-11T15:42:00.000-04:00

I don't really care who wins the NL east each year. The Braves story of 13 straight division titles in a million different ways is always a good store. This year though, I think I might have to root for the Nationals. I like the way their fans think.

Enjoy Scrubs tonight, I know I will.

In the Jungle....

2006-04-10T15:52:00.000-04:00

Guess who's back!

That's right! Tommorow VH1 is playing the first three episode of "Love Monkey". They could also be called "The only three episodes CBS aired because they needed more time for another CSI". While the show isn't great, it works for me. I know that part of my loyalty to this show is simply because of the ED connection with Tom Cavinagh. I don't think I'll watch the first three over again, but I will catch the fourth episode next week. If you are sitting home with the lady and can't agree on a show, you might give this one a shot. It seems to me it is for sure something you could both enjoy and bond over. Give it a whirl

What a Connection!

2006-04-10T15:35:00.000-04:00

So I was chill'n in the crib yesterday getting my schwerve on and watching some Nick Cannon presents Wild N' Out when I noticed something very interesting....

That's right, our favorite ex-Step by Step cast member (besides Sasha Mitchell) is a member of the Wild 'N out Crew. The girl who played a 10 year old on the whitest show set in small town Wisconsin is now a purveyor of fine ghetto improve comedy. Didn't expect that one.

While we're on the subject, I have a little assignment for both people who read this. If you know what Patrick Duffy or any other awesome members of the TGIF family are up to, drop me a line. I'm curious like the cat.

Baby or No Baby

2006-04-07T10:24:00.000-04:00

So Sufjan Stevens is not having a baby. Despite the rumor on Pitchfork.com from earlier in a week, Rosie Thomas, the supposed mother came clean. Apparently it was a joke he and her producer friend were playing on the website and as far as I can tell, Sufjan too. That I don't understand. You don't joke about someone being a baby daddy. If I was Suf, I think I would have been changing my underoos after hearing I might be having a child.

The other part that didn't make sense was Mr. Stevens is obviously a religious man so putting "his seed in her bush" (thank you Roots) didn't seem like something he would do. But the good news is he's releasing album out takes from his much loved Illinois album on album July 25th. This happens to be very close to someone's birthday. This is only okay if they run out of autographed Billy Dee Williams pictures. If you want a track listing for the album, you can get it here along with the rest of the story. Yeah Illinois history and long rambling song titles!

A Bit of Sad News From the World of Sports

2006-04-07T10:15:00.000-04:00

Well I hate to start the weekend on a downer, but I heard about this and it kinda made me sad. Army Women's basketball coach Maggie Dixon died yesterday.

Now I know this may not seem like a big deal but there are a few things about it that make it a tough story. First, she was only 28 years old. That is only 4 years older than me. It wasn't a freak accident either. She had a "arrhythmic episode to her heart" which means her heartbeat was disturbed for some reason.

Another thing that bothers me is that I don't know if there is a person who had more going for her. She was a young and upcomming coach taking the Army team to the NCAA tourniment for the first time ever. Her brother is the head coach at Pitt and he took his team to the men's tourniment. A month ago the whole family must have been celebrating. Now they are mourning. So I guess hug your loved ones, have a good weekend, and I'll try to come back with something more positive later.

Buddha?

2006-04-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

Apparently a 15 year old boy living in Nepal is believed by many to be the reincarnation of Buddha. He has spent the past 10 months fasting and none of the visitors have seen him eat or drink anything. The area he lives in is closed at night so who knows what goes on then. The problem is he keeps going missing. He was gone for a few days because all the noise interrupted his meditation, came back for a few, and disappeared again. It's a very strange story and pretty interesting. I won't get that deep into it and I hate to use Wikipedia, but they have a pretty good synopsis of this up until his last disappearance.

I guess the thing that interests me the most is that he could be the living, breathing embodiment of his religion. I keep hearing that Christ will come back to earth and so will Mohammed, but no one has ever assumed a living person could be them. The amount of scrutiny this opens not only this kid, but the entire religion up for is mind boggling. He doesn't claim he is Buddha yet, it would take him 6 more years of meditation. I don't claim to be an expert in Buddhism, in fact I don't really know all that much, but this seems pretty crazy. Wouldn't it be crazy if the quiet Buddhists have been right all along?

I Can Live With This

2006-04-04T15:49:00.000-04:00

I know they are down 7-1, but guess who scored that 1 run? That's right.
I really could get used to this.

Out of order

2006-03-31T21:07:00.000-05:00

I don't understand how to work blogger all that well so one of my posts is out of order. It's new but saved as an earlier date and I like it. It's a direct response to the no-picture movement some people are trying to start.

That said....
This is a happy Friday picture. I think Martin will like it for some reason.

Some how I don't think she's 18.

And here's a song to rock out to all weekend
My latest Novel-The Hope Edition

Plus I've started to post my top 7 songs on myspace if you're interested in that sort of stuff. I should keep it updated regularly.