Blog This -- Random Musings on Life/Entertainment

Vacation day one (and a half): Ireland

2011-10-16T04:44:00.000-05:00

So, the time has arrived and I am finally on vacation in Europe with my dad!!

This whole thing started on Wednesday morning at 3:30 am when we got up to head to Skyharbor Airport in Phoenix. From Phoenix we flew to Newark (Direct TV makes the flight so much more enjoyable!). Then after a five hour layover, that included a little lunch and a ton of Arrested Development, we were on our way to Dublin.

While the hop from Phoenix to Newark was nice...the six hour skip to Dublin kind of sucked!! The seats were smaller and more uncomfortable plus there was no Direct TV. But, on the bright side the in flight entertainment was free...so I did watch Captain America and a ton of one off tv episodes.

So, whatstarted out as an early arrival at the Phoenix airport turned into an earlyarrival in Dublin, Ireland. How early is early? Well the sun wasn’t up yet.Which, if you have never driven a car on the left side of the road (on purpose…becauseit’s the law) is a great time to be driving! We dropped our bags at the hotel and off we went to see Cork southernIreland and all points in between. Thedrive to Cork was uneventful once we made our way through a gauntlet ofroundabouts. Actually, the drive reminded me a little of the Midwestern UnitedStates in the fact that it was a ton of farm land and major roadways. Once wemade it to Cork we sought out the tourist trap of all Irish touristtraps…Blarney Castle.

Along the way we realized that with the exception of of the mountains the drive was a lot like heading through Wisconsin (with more sheep...none of which appear in this picture).

About an hour outside of Cork the flow of traffic seemed to be slowing to pass a single vehicle. When we caught up we saw what the slow down was all about. So, for the second time in my life, as far as I know, I came across a Google Maps car.

So after acting like complete idiots while passing the car we finally pushed forward to Cork and then to Blarney Castle.

Let me say that once we got onto the grounds of Blarney Castle that was more of what I had imagined the countryside of Ireland would be like.

The grounds to Blarney castle wereamazing. Serene rolling grounds withstreams, gardens, groves of trees are the norm here. Like many landmarks in thestates there’s a calm feeling you get as you approach. A silence, that seems tobe equal parts amazement and respect, that none seem to want to break. Not until you are in the shadow of the maintower do you begin to hear people talking to each other.

For those of you who have not madethe trip to the castle let me lay it out for you like this. In the movies whereyou see all the stairwells to the castle battlements are wide enough for twoguys in full battle gear to run up and down side by side…this is not that typeof castle. The climb to the top is scary in the fact that the stairs at somepoints are no more than 6-7 inches wide while going almost straight up on atight right hand twist. It really made me happy that I had done as much cardiotraining on the workup to the trip. As you make the climb you have the chanceto step off into man of the side rooms like the kitchen, master bedroom and afew others. A luxury that dad was more than happy to take advantage of whenthey presented themselves. It was either that or induce a heart attack!. Thepayoff though was worth it. Once you reach the top you are presented with twogifts.

The first gift at the top ofBlarney Castle is the chance to walk the battlements and get a 360degree viewof the grounds and surrounding lands. The second gift is, if you are soinclined, to lay down flat, bend over backwards….and kiss the Blarney Stone. Dad and I both engaged in that oldest ofIrish tourist traditions! Really , youclimbed to the top of the bloody castle, why the hell not?

After making our way down we spenta few minutes walking through the poison garden. Where all the plants aredeadly to either smell, touch or ingest. Good Times!!

After finishing up there we madethe long drive back to Dublin and grabbed a bite to eat. A meal that neitherone of us made it through without nodding off at some point. So, food was eaten Guiness was drank and wewere both passed out within minutes of getting into the hotel room. Day one ended at 10pm with the plan of gettingup around 8am the next day to drive to County Carlow and Duckett’s Grove Castle

Torchwood Miracle Day/Strike Back Series 2

2011-09-11T04:11:00.000-05:00

Just finished the finale of Torchwood: Miracle Day. The fan boy in me was going to love it no matter what. But, the realist in me knows that there were some major stumbles along the road. I have to say that the finale was really good. Not great..but really good. I hope that Russell T. Davies gets a chance to carry the story forward. The last 30seconds could be a game changer for Torchwood if it gets a new series in the states or elsewhere.

On the flip side of American/British TV show projects...season two of Strike Back keeps getting better and better with each episode. While I thought the new season was going in the wrong direction by the end of episode one (shocking!!) it has picked up running since then and never looked back. The first four episodes are as good as anything in the first series run, which was solely aired on SKY if memory serves.

This is how the formula should be handled. Torchwood stumbled by taking away the charm of Cardiff and exchanging it for Washington DC and sunny California. They also tried to appeal to an American only audience. A mistake that I hope doesn't cost the show a chance at a fifth (overall) series. Strike Back, on the other hand, has kept the international setting in place (kinda had to given the subject matter) and has replaced a one man show (Richard Armitage) with a kick ass ensemble.

Both shows are great in their own right. If you've never watched Torchwood, don't let this season sour you! Go back and start and series one and take the ride from the beginning. Or, at least go back and watch Children of Earth...but some of the emotional impact is lost without the back story of seasons one and two. Grow with the characters and learn to love them! Strike Back is the same way. GO back and watch the amazing performance that Richard Armitage gave over those first six episodes and then give me your opinion of episode one of season two!

Movie Review -- Alien Opponent (2010)

2011-08-16T00:14:00.000-05:00

Some movies defy explanation...some combinations are money. This movie is a little of both.

I came across this movie the other day on the Chiller network. Why did I watch? Strippers, rednecks, aliens, Jeremy London and Roddy Piper. I'm shocked that this movie is in no way available on Netflix. Streaming or disc.

Aliens crash land in a rednecks junk yard...shortly after the redneck was killed by his hot young wife's crazy mother. The problem is that they can't get his body out of the junk yard in order to collect on his life insurance. What is a person to do? Why put out a $100,000 reward for the person who will go into the junk yard, kill the alien and bring out the dead redneck losers body.

At this point the movie becomes re-DAMN-diculous. Yes, up to this point the movie was just bad...now its ridiculousness is on a whole new level. Including a drunk Jeremy London, a housewife with a full on Thompson submachine gun and Roddy Piper as a fighting priest. Oh, did I mention the French maid? Yeah, there's a girl who gets kicked out of a car at the start of the movie and spends most of her screen time in a French maid outfit even though she is dragging around a suitcase.

Apparently in this redneck town all you need to do is have people sign a waiver and it's okay for them to run around trying to kill an alien (or each other for that matter).

At the start of the movie the alien is what appears to be, how do I put this....a bear in a space suit with a Halo helmet on. But, when the idiots start to run wild in the junk yard they turn into the slugs from Slither. If this movie had a coherent thought I must have missed it.

The collection of characters ranges from the above mentioned nutters to: A man who is looking for his long lost daughter,only to find her before having a grenade blowup in his hands. A group of kids and their karate teacher. A bunch of jar heads. A woman looking for a husband (while dressed up like she belongs in the movie Gone with the Wind). A Lara Croft wanna be...or maybe Jill Valentine would be a better choice? A high school football team and baseball team! (for the record I refuse to spend time looking up/remembering any actual character names!)

Death scenes have't been this cheesy since, well, I really don't have a good point of reference for this level of crap. Jeremy London just acts like a dick the whole movie. At one point tossing a puppy for no reason other than he must really hate dogs. There's something that can only be described as a mechanical alien land shark. Oh and the alien makes some sort of mech out of the junk that has saws and shoots cell phones. (I COULDN'T MAKE THIS SHIT UP IF I WAS TRYING)

Seriously it was like this movie was written by 12 year olds who were asked what was cool? Aliens...cool! Halo...cool! Ninjas, guns, girls in bras, rednecks, more guns----cool, cool, eh.., cool and cool!!!

Classic Lines:

***Reverend Roddy Piper (I don't care enough to look up his real character name):

"Jesus doesn't approve of you ripping my fucking leg off!"

"I've got God on my side. What do you got tin can?" followed shortly by, "Robots don't go to heaven!"

***Crazy Mother: (after the first day of carnage) "We can't have those bodies lying around the yard! They'll attract flies!"

***Jill Valentine type: (after redneck dude kills zombie Roddy Piper) "I want to fuck your soul!"

What the fuck moments:

Cheerleaders fighting over the head of the recently decapitated football captain.

Guns, flame throwers and football players can't do a damn thing to the aliens mech warrior. But, Roddy Piper is able to rip it's arms off with his bare hands!

The dog that Jeremy London shows back up only to have his neck snapped by the crazy Jill Valentine girl!

ZOMBIE RODDY PIPER!!!

How do I describe the end of this movie? It was a little like Super 8 mixed with the last Predator movie. If either of them had a cannibal biker. I wish half this shit wasn't in the movie. It would make this so much easier!! There was a nice twist at the end....no really! It was kinda out of left field. Almost like it was something they thought of at the last minute and decided to throw in two extra lines to make it work! But, they did!

I wish I could say that I hated this movie. But,I didn't. I can't rightly say that I liked it either. It was fun in a jacked up, no real story, how did this get made type of way. If you enjoy bad movies I'd say avoid this one. If you like horrible movies I'd say avoid it. If you like movies that make no sense, have no plot and even less character development then this is your Citizen Kane.

IN TIME (trailer)

2011-08-04T01:21:00.002-05:00

To watch more, visit tag

Nerd....

2011-07-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

I'm a nerd. There I said it! How can I prove my nerd-y-ness?

I spent the better part of an hour the other night trying to re-thread my broken 8-track (nerd) copy of the soundtrack to Star Wars (double nerd). In the end I couldn't get the ends to match up correctly with the length of tape I had...so I made a splice and edited out about 8 seconds of music. Essentially I created my own cut of the master work! Can't wait until the 8-track makes its way back around to that spot to see what it sounds like!

I've also been re-watching a ton of Torchwood and Doctor Who. Which has led me to notice things that make me more nerdy for seeing them! But, also less nerdy for it taking this long to notice. Case in point.

The Resurrection Glove (or the "risen mitten" as Ianto said) from season one & two of Torchwood.

Jack talks about not knowing where it comes from or who built it. After the second glove was destroyed following the mishap with Owen....it was never mentioned again.

Just one of those strange Torchwood alien artifacts that popped up over the first two seasons that were cool trinkets but never really had a long lasting effect on the show. I think the glove(s) were the only items to make more than one appearance in multiple episodes.

So imagine my shock when watching the last episode of the David Tennant Doctor Who series when I noticed Time Lord Timothy Dalton sporting this fine accessory!

So, it would seem that the glove is a perfect match for Time Lord technology. Makes sense, everything relates back to the Time Lords.

Again I felt a little nerdy when I was all of a sudden saying, "Wait, haven't I seen that iron gauntlet with magical properties before?"

In the magical world of Who everything is connected. So I am not shocked that it was included. Either on accident or on purpose. Consider the scene in Flesh and Stone where Matt Smith's Doctor appears to Amy Pond in the forest when she had her eyes shut. That Doctor had lost his jacket whilst escaping from the Weeping Angels and was sans coat when he headed off with river. But, just a few moments later he appears to Amy and he's wearing his jacket again. A situation that I noticed at the time (cause I'm a nerd who is tuned into those things). But, it wasn't explained until the last episode of the season!

See the Doctor frolic in the woods with his swish pink/red stripped shirt, suspender and bow tie (bow ties are cool).

Then only a second after running off he's back and you can detect an obvious shoulder of tweed!

Seriously, only the doctor can pull off the combo of pink/red shirt, maroon bow tie, red suspenders,
brown slacks and a tweed jacket! That alone should be considered a super power.

It's those little things that make watching and re-watching shows like Doctor Who and Torchwood so much fun!

It also makes me wish I could make it out to Sand Diego for Comicon this year to see some of the amazing SciFi related goodies that will be on display.

I guess I will again have to resort to my back up plan....Paducahcon!! Follow on twitter at @paducahcon

The Wait is Over

2011-07-09T03:30:00.000-05:00

Captain Jack is back...

Very few things in life are worth a two year wait. The return of Torchwood is one of those things.

I would call myself a fan boy. I would say so in public with no shame. To show how little shame I have in this respect let me share this little glimpse.....

I gave a little yelp when Captain Jack Harness (AKA John Barrowman) showed up on the screen for the first time.

To ready myself for the first of 10 new episodes I recently re-watched all the Dr. Who episodes that featured the former Time Agent and all around bad ass. I also started to watch the original series from the beginning.

I've been looking forward to this ever since creator Russell T. Davis announced that BBC and Starz were partnering together to bring the show to the US as a joint venture. Very rarely do you get a favorite show back after thinking that there may never be more original episodes.

While the five day event "Children of Earth" was well received both in numbers and by critics there was no official green light from the BBC on a fourth series, limited or otherwise. There was also a brief time where it looked like Torchwood may find a US home on FOX. That idea was bittersweet for me.

If FOX had gotten the show it would have had some decent production values and we would have gotten probably 13 episodes for the first season. But, if it wasn't an immediate hit from the first episode then it would have been doomed to a one off turn. Kind of like the US Dr. Who movie they helped get together (kinda crap movie but I did enjoy Eric Roberts as the Master).

So with 10 episodes in the can, a strong media push, and hopefully great numbers I think we can see more Torchwood for years to come. Plush you can't hate a cast that has John, Eve Myles and Kai Owens from the original (oh, and the glorious return of Tom Price as PC Andy!) Then throws in Bill Pullman, Mekhi Phifer, and other great guest stars!! I'm looking at you Dollhouse babe Dichen Lachman.

Movie Review -- The Hangover Pt.2 (2011)

2011-07-09T02:00:00.000-05:00

She-males, monkeys and Chow....Oh my!!

If you were offended by anything in the first movie...stay away, stay far away.

This movie is not so much a sequel as it is a slightly altered copy of the first movie. A comparison that is not meant to slight this movie or the first one. I loved them both equally.

Vegas is replaced with Bangkok. A lost soon to be groom with a soon to be brother in law. And Stu marrying a stripper with, well an encounter that leads to the best reworking of the Billy Joel song Allentown that I have ever heard!!

Nothing is as funny as having one of those nights where you black out and wake up with a monkey, a naked Asian man, no hair and someone in the party is missing. Well, nothing is funnier when it's a movie about it happening to someone else. I 'm fairly certain that if that happened to me I would piss myself and cry in a hotel room for the whole day!

But, lucky for us the boys have been through this before and night club fires, international criminals, and the constant threat that "Bangkok has him (Teddy) now" won't stop our heroes from their appointed rounds.

Like with many raunchy film sequels the comedy is ratcheted up to a place that will either make you never want to watch this (or any other) film again. But, it works here. I wouldn't be taking my mother to this film...but that's because she doesn't like movies in general. I think she'd find the dick jokes and drinking humor funny actually!

As follow ups go I don't think it's better than the original in the fact that the original was just that....original. But, I also think that it can stand alone as a funny "worst case scenario" film. If you don't like bad things happening to people in movies, then don't watch this one.

If you look back fondly on your blackout dunk days then have at it. Or, even if you are still in your black out drunk days then enjoy. And with a box office take of almost $250Million on an $80Million budget it's no surprise that a third installment is being discussed for sometime in 2014.

Plus, you are kinda forced to respect a film that features Billy Joel's "Downeaster Alexa" for an extended period of time!! (Storm Front RULES)

Review: Transformers 3 (2011)

2011-07-09T01:43:00.000-05:00

Consider this an open letter to Michael Bay....

Dear Michael,

I went to the theater and threw down my $20 dollars for a ticket, popcorn and drink to see the new Transformers movie....I fucking hate you.

The movie was exactly like the other two movies and a little like every movie you have ever made.

It was: loud, had a crap ton of effects, was loud, had crap dialogue, was LOUD, and had talking cars that turn into other shit...granted that last one is pretty much only reflected in the Transformers movie. (I would say that Pearl Harbor would have been more fun with things that turned into other things!)

Basically I really enjoyed myself!!

I have no doubt that this will be no where near the Academy Awards, in any major category. Not so slight sound mixing and special effects artist everywhere! But, it will probably pick up a Teen Choice or two! Overall I enjoy this series. I even like the second film. Nothing was lost with letting Megan Fox walk...alternate hottie was found to plug right into the formula. As a matter of fact I think that this whole franchise could go on without any of the main actors.

Shia LaBeouf could be replaced with any young actor, Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson could be replaced by any halfway decent looking guy in an Army uniform to keep the ladies happy!

Comedy can always come from some wacky transformer or crazy actor a la John Malkovich and John Turturro....come to think of it...John Turturro may actually be the one actor that, if he didn't come back, I'd be pissed.

All things considered you know what you are getting with a Michael Bay film. Heavy on the action and SFX and low key on the dialogue. I didn't even have a problem with him using scenes from The Island in this movie. Hell, it was his film! Probably helped keep the cost low. Let's face it, the dude who noticed that scenes had been lifted from The Island for use in the freeway chase scene, must have been a fucking Michael Bay fan boy to start out with...either that or an extreme hater who was looking for a reason to rip the film. Either way the Island was a nice film...but I would have never noticed the lifted scene if it wasn't for the lead up buzz after the opening.

Michael Bay makes fun movies. Let's face it: The Rock was BADASS, Armageddon was a fun film, Bad Boys I and II both had their high points, Pearl Harbor...okay that one kinda tanked, and the Transformers films which will no doubt cross the $2BILLION mark once the third film runs its course...are box office gold.

I would say that if you had even a passing fancy with either of the first two movies give this one a shot. If you hated the first two? Don't expect sweeping changes with this one!

Oh, one more thing.....Leonard--FREAKING--Nimoy!! Nuff said.

Blargh....

2011-07-09T01:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing to say...nothing to do...

I really wish I had a hobby that involved...well hobby like activities. Right now I am a half assed gamer. Started LA Noir...started Dead Rising 2. I'm a half assed reader. Started like three books and currently haven't finished one book in the last maybe...three months. Got a ton I would like to read if I had the patience and time to read! But, usually I will just check out the audio book. And by check out I mean obtain through other means than purchase (library if you were wondering)

I'm not artsy, I'm not crafty. I have no patience for models or things with little parts that take a long time to make. Essentially I have a limited window of opportunity to get involved in, well, something.

Does surfing the internet count as a hobby? Are there meetings for people to attend and discuss "surfing" stories? Can I join a club and pay a dues to pretend that I have a hobby?

I guess I could start stalking a celebrity on Twitter until they acknowledge I'm there...or until the block me. But, what fun would that be?

Honestly, I really don't want a hobby...because hobbies, like hookers, cost money. Not sure I have ever strung those words together to form that sentence before!!

Oh well...I'll think of something. Maybe I can start a Justin Bieber fan fiction chat site? That should be good for a few million hits! Maybe I could take up crappy internet poetry...nah. I guess I could take some online classes so I could feel like I was again wasting my time in college!! Those were fun years...and I seemed to always have something to do other than my homework!

Office/Mancave

2011-07-08T02:00:00.000-05:00

So, I finally got my home office/man cave all set up last week. Moved my tv from my bedroom, hooked up my computer to the tv. Brought in the PS3 to watch Bluray movies. Bought a ton of furniture from IKEA. Hooked up my stereo system (still need to buy speaker wire to get the last three speakers connected though.

All in all it's a fine area to work/play. Which got me thinking. Now that I am going to be spending most of my time in this room; what other accents should I add? I have posters for the wall (as you can see from a few posts ago). I have a panoramic shot of Soldiers Field above the couch which is one of the first thing to get replaced by the way..(couch not picture). I've also ordered another print of one of my photos from Canvas on Demand But, I still need a few special touches. Not sure what to go for, what will really make it special? Only time will tell I guess.

Right now I guess I have everything I need here to keep me busy on my down time at work and all points before and after. I have a Nintendo DS but all I find myself playing are mods of original NES games. I have a Playstation 3 with: L.A. Noir, Tiger Woods, Uncharted, Assassins Creed and a few other games but I only seem to play 24: The Game (ps2), Katamari Damacy (ps2) and Lupin III (ps2).

This is sitting on the shelf next to my 8-track player which is on top of my laser disc player, which is to the right of my record player. But my pride and joy is my Tardis money bank that is hanging out with my Yoda action figure, desk patrol Dalek, and Buddy Christ....yeah, that happened!

Tomorrow I am faced with the toughest question of all....what to have as my afternoon snack? Animal crackers, flavor blast goldfish, or Dunkaroos. Yeah, I'm six what's your point!

Making plans...

2011-07-02T01:38:00.000-05:00

So the planning has finally begun in earnest for my October trip to Europe with my travel companion Don (aka: Big Poppa Shields).

Originally it was going to be fly in to London for a few days, then go to Ireland, then back to London, then train to Paris....then leave. But, after thinking it over...that seems mighty stupid! More jumping around from country to country with London as base was killing our chances of doing stuff.

So a plan was hatched. Fly into Dublin, stay for three days and leave for London on the fourth day. Stay in London for three days, leave for Paris on the fourth. Three days in Paris and then home to the States on the fourth. Seems like a solid plan....until I realized that some of the things I wanted to do would be left out in the cold with that plan...namely Scotland!

One can never underestimate flexible travel plans! This is why I didn't want to get roped into a group tour. I can't even commit to a dinner choice long enough to order sometimes.

Now, I think we have a time table hammered down that we can live with...or at least not deviate too far from!

Day One: Get into Dublin around 7am...rent car and drive south! On way to Cork stop in Co. Carlow and visit Duckett's Grove Castle. Carry on to Cork to take in the sights and stay the night.

Day Two: Get up and drive back to Dublin. Grab hotel, hang out in Dublin and head north to Belfast for the afternoon/evening. Get back to Dublin late and crash.

Day Three: Fly from Dublin to Glasgow on early flight. Rent car make trip to Loch Ness. This was a must for me and one of the reasons that the travel plans were changed. I, for some reason, thought it was a much shorter trip from London to Loch Ness...not so much the case! Spend time in Loch Ness and then meander back to Glasgow in the the early evening....enjoy.

Day Four: Fly to London. Originally this was going to be a train trip through the English countryside. But, a rail pass (as far as I could see) was actually going to be about the same price, if not more expensive, than a quick flight. The flight would also cut out about 5 hours of travel...unless Google maps lied to me! Arrive in London and do typical touristy type things for rest of day.

Day Five: Stuff in London....trip to Stonehenge ("The Greatest Henge in the World"....I'm going to be seriously sad if I can't get that on a t-shirt!)

Day Six: Stuff in London

Day Seven: Stuff in London...and a trip to Cardiff. As a fan of British Sci Fi I can't pass up a trip to this great Welsh city. Home of the Millennium Centre, shopping, Cardiff bay...and of course the fictional former home of team Torchwood. (yeah that's right, I am planning vacation locations based on Russell T. Davis' Dr. Who spin off!)

Day Eight: Bullet train to Paris...hotel...food....museums

Day Nine: Paris...food .... Museums

Day Ten: Paris ...maybe out of the city travel...

Day Eleven: Wake up and get my ass to the airport to fly home and hate the fact that I am only a few days away from going back to work!

Now I need to find the small things to fill in those wide open days in London and Paris. Also, need to make sure that my netbook has plenty of space for movies (for the trip) and photos (of the trip). Probably would be a wise decision to renew my Flickr pro account too.

Things that will fill the gaps in time I am sure will include: eating, drinking, tours of places you can drink, tours of famous places, tours of infamous places. Shopping---oh God the shopping is going to kill me! Lounging in awesome locals...sadly it will be October so probably going to be indoor lounging.

Blogging, Facebooking, Twittering and generally lamenting the fact that I will eventually have to leave should also factor heavily into the rotation of things to do. Sadly the one thing that will not be on the schedule is the planned NFL football game between my beloved Chicago Bears and the Tampa Bay Bucs. Not necessarly because the game may not happen (boo)! The real reasons tends to lean more towards the fact that it would be cost prohibitive to stay the extra two days. Between tickets to the game, getting back to London from Paris, two more nights in a hotel and switching flights AGAIN, it would add about another $1200 to a trip that I already am on the boarder of not being able to afford!

But, stuff is purchased, plans are made...money can be made with extra work! It's all a go! Pretty sure that Europe (and myself) will never be the same after this trip.

Strange Dream

2011-06-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

Had a strange dream last night...

I was on the run from the cops here in Arizona. Seems I was under suspicion for drinking and driving. But, not alcohol. Just a Pepsi!!

Apparently in my dream world it was illegal to drink anything, and drive anywhere. So I decided rather than spend hard time in one of Sheriff Joe's fine tent city establishments I would make a run for it. I headed up north towards Flagstaff then decided to cut over towards Colorado. Which is when it got really strange.

Remember the musical/movie Brigadoon about the town that appears like once ever century (or something)? Well, apparently I ran into the town from the mid to late 90's. There was everything a kid who grew up in the 90's could ask for: kick ass Saturday morning cartoons, bad ass toys on every store shelf (the kind where G.I. Joe's guns didn't really fire), and Crystal Pepsi flowed like water. Seriously...it came out of the water fountains in this town!

Now I've never been able to nail down my fascination with a drink that almost did to Pepsi what "New Coke" did to Coke. But from time to time I have strange dreams that seem to feature this clear Pepsi product as some sort of Holy Grail of the soda world!

Apparently, not much a search is actually required thanks to ebay you can open the bidding at $49.99 or buy it now for $249.

I think I need to look a little cheaper for some Crystal Pepsi gear...maybe start with a magnet or sign before I drop $249 on an unopened 6-pack of almost 20 year old soda!!

Sadly I woke up before I ever got to Colorado...or resolved my issues with the state of Arizona. I'd like to think that somewhere in my dreams I am sitting back pretending that GI Joe is shooting Cobra, watching Denver the Last Dinosaur and drinking a tall Crystal Pepsi, the "clear cola". I man can dream.

Cub's...to this point.

2011-06-23T02:12:00.001-05:00

30-44

I wish I could say that my goal of watching/listening to all the Cubs games this year was on schedule. But, sadly that is not the case.

As I said before I was pretty solid through about the first 40 or so games. But since then I have fallen off the proverbial wagon, Not the bandwagon. I still love the Cubs and watch or listen at every chance. But, my simple plan of a quick blog update following those games has fallen off, way off over the last month or so.

When I last checked in the Cubs were 22-26, only four games under .500. Oh what great times those were!! As of today's lose to the cross town rivals the White Sox the Cubbies are 30-44 (fourteen games under the .500 mark),

Things are looking better though after taking three of four games from the Brewers and playing close games with both the Yankee's and White Sox. The team seems to be heading in the right direction, But, the question is can Mike Quade and crew turn thing around heading into the All Star break to help make a run at the second half? I would like to think that things are looking up. Carlos Pena is hitting home runs, Carlos Marmol seems to be getting back to his old ways, Carlos Zambrano is his old reliable self (too bad the bullpen can't keep a lead for him), Once Barney and Byrd are healthy I think we have the change to make a run

Changes....

2011-06-23T01:24:00.001-05:00

Well...things finally changed today. I was asked to pack my desk up and go home!!

The writing was on the wall. I pretty much saw it coming.

So here I am now....Working from home! Not in a make $1,000,000 in your spare time flipping homes...work from home. Instead I am doing my normal job, just much closer to my bed!

Here's an example of how my day has been altered: my usual day consists of a total of 90min between lunch and breaks...the rest, is work time.

On a normal day for lunch I will re-heat my lunch and watch some random TV show that I have brought in on a flash drive, then spend about 10-15minutes surfing the web. For my break I will surf the web or read a book. Not a lot else that you can get done at 10:30 at night.

Today though was a nice change of pace. I was able to run to Best Buy and return a Cat6 cable I didn't need. Drop a package off with my parents for delivery to the post office. Grab a bit of dinner at the Greek Pita and watch a little Hollywood Treasure over on Syfy. For my break I fixed a bag of popcorn, watched some Criminal Minds, straightened up my office, started some laundry, and wrote this. All in about 30 min.

Maybe it isn't a big change. Or even a dramatic change. But, I feel like I will be getting more out of my day if ever day can be as packed as this. Maybe in the future I will mix in some video games and cooking just for fun!

Games 39-49

2011-05-26T17:18:00.002-05:00

22-26

You would think that being flat on my back for almost two weeks would allow me ample chances to listen to and/or watch the Cubs play during that time. Not the case. While I was able to listen to or watch all or parts of the first 39 games of the season I have only seen maybe one game over the last few weeks. So instead of going game to game I am just going to look at an overview of the suckfest that has been these last few games.

Game three -vs- San Francisco was rained out

Two game series with the Reds resulted in two loses. Two with the Florida Marlins went the way of the Cubs.

Which brings us to a three game series with the Boston Red Sox. The first game was a blow out with the Cubs on the wrong side of a 15-5 final score. The next game would see the boys in blue putting 8 runs on the board in the top of the 8th inning to comeback for a 9-3 win. Game three, while closer than game one, would again go to the Red Sox.

The Cubs would then open a three game series with the New York Mets with an 11-1 win, Ryan Dempster would pick up the win to move to 3-4 on the season. Game two was a strange game. With major rain forecast, the Cubs went a little strange with their pitching. Casey Coleman would load the bases in the second inning, with a 4-3 lead. and would get pulled by manager Mike Quade. The bullpen didn't really help his cause...letting all three base runners score.

The game would go into a rain delay in the 7th, a move that would not sit well with Quade. Quade broke out from the dugout to have a screaming match with the umpires while the grounds crew pulled the tarp out to cover the field. After a delay the umpires called the game and the Cubs suffered a 7-4 lose.

For the third game of the series the Cubs would score four runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, and one run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Carlos Pena would hit his 6th home run of the season while Kosuke Fukudome hit his first to help Carlos Zambrano improve to 5-2 on the season. Big Z would also go 3-3 from the plate to help his own cause.

Overall in the 10 games I didn't really see or hear the Cubs went 5-5 and had one came washed out completely.

Torchwood: Miracle Day (Trailer)

2011-05-24T02:40:00.000-05:00

To say I'm excited about the upcoming 10 episode season three of Torchwood would be an understatement. I seriously hope this does well and STARZ keeps cranking out a few more Torchwood series. I remember reading somewhere that most of the principle actors signed something like six year deals. Fingers crossed it does well enough to get at least a few more series orders after this one....

Lonely Island

2011-05-24T02:24:00.000-05:00

Just for fun...couldn't resist I'm on a Boat after the others were posted...it just didn't feel right to leave this off.

SNL Shorts/skits Pt. 2

2011-05-24T02:20:00.000-05:00

Natalie Portman Raps

Schweddy Balls

SNL Shorts/skits Pt. 1

2011-05-24T02:07:00.000-05:00

Thought I would put up a few of my favorite SNL shorts/skits...starting with the EPIC--Dick in a box.

Lazy Sunday

It's Not Gay if it's a three way....

2011-05-22T02:17:00.000-05:00

Timberlake, Samburg and Gaga....love it. Also, I just realized that when she doesn't look like a complete nut job...Lady Gaga is kinda hot!!

R.I.P-- Randy "Macho Man" Savage

2011-05-21T05:52:00.002-05:00

For a pretty funny tribute to Randy "Macho Man" Savage take a look.

original content from: thefrogman.me - "thefrogumblelog"

There Can Be Only Only One

2011-05-21T03:03:00.000-05:00

While sitting around the house with a bum back. Or rather while laying on the floor with a bum back I decided to give my Bluray collection a bit of a work out. Last night I started in on one of my favorite movies series....The Highlander!

I can still remember the original Highlander (1986) as being the first movie I ever wanted to see based on a tv commercial. The scene from the original where MacCleod is taking the quickening, after killing the Kurgan, with the windows exploding was permanently seared into my 7 year old brain.

The original had great fight scenes, a great cast, an original idea and a kick ass soundtrack by Queen. When the original film was a hit the studios got to work on a follow up.

Five years after the original we got the abomination that was Highlander 2: The Quickening.

How this movie didn't kill the franchise I have no idea.

The film not only jumps into the distant future of 2025, but we finally find out the true origins of the Immortals. They were fucking aliens from the past of another planet!! MacCleod and Ramirez were exiled to the future from the planet Zeist for trying to start a rebellion. From there the film never really decides if it is a action film, drama, or an eco friendly diatribe on us killing the planet.

Essentially this movie is just as confused as the viewers who paid to see it at the time.

Somehow three years later someone was able to revive the idea of the immortals battling for the ultimate prize as a TV show. When the TV show found success Hollywood was convinced to make another feature film. Christopher Lambert would return for a third go round as the immortal Scotsman. This time there would be no Sean Connery but we would have Mario Van Peebles doing his best to bring back the swagger of the original films villain.

The only way you can watch all the movies is to realize that continuity means nothing...and most importantly, forget the second movie ever happened! Seriously, if you try to figure out how MacCleod won "the prize" in the first film if Van Peebles character was buried under a mountain like we see in the third. Or if you try to figure out why after the second movie that whole train of thought (fucking aliens!) is never mentioned again...you'll never wrap your mind around the series.

Lambert would team up with Adrian Paul (TV's Duncan MacCloed) for the last "good" Highlander film, 2000's Highlander: Endgame. Squeeze in a direct to video movie centered around the characters from the show Highlander: The Source (2007) and a fairly craptastic animated film Highlander: Search for Vengeance.

With a reboot on the horizon it seems the franchise is still alive and well....for now. There can be only one.

Gram Parsons....

2011-05-19T18:32:00.000-05:00

Spent some time trolling youtube while I was flat on my back and found some great Gram Parsons videos that I wanted to share. Gram has slowly become one of my all time favorite musicians and these are just a few of my favorites that I found. I only included either actual concert footage (very rare) and official music videos.

BIG MOUTH BLUES -- feat. Emmylou Harris

STREETS OF BALTIMORE -- feat. Emmylou Harris

CHRISTINE'S TUNE (AKA: DEVIL IN DISGUISE) -- Flying Burrito Brothers

OLDER GUYS -- Flying Burrito Brothers

SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD -- The Flying Burrito Brother (from the Rolling stones doc. Gimmie Shelter ... about the tragic Altamont Speedway show. While I like the stones I bought the Criterion DVD just for this performance.)

Doctor Who meets Top Gear

2011-05-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite things...Doctor Who and Top Gear (also Tennant and Clarkson..so technically four of my favs...)

I so can't wait!!!

2011-05-19T17:42:00.000-05:00

Backiotomy!

2011-05-19T17:29:00.001-05:00

I feel like Sir Smoke a Lot...you know without the lawyer having sex with my momma, the impotence, and the weed smoking. Really it's just the back part...but the clip is funny as hell!!

Games 37, 38

2011-05-15T01:58:00.001-05:00

17-21

Games one and two versus the defending World Series Champion San Francisco Giants

Ryan Dempster...this is how you pitch!

Dempster won his second game of the season (2-4) behind six innings of work where he struck out 11 and only allowed six batters to reach base. Dempster finally also got some back up from the bats!

Cubs hitters plated 11 of the eighteen hitters who reached (14 hits, 4 walks). The top four in the batting order wold go 9-18 with six runs scored, and six RBI's...including 3-5 for Starlin Castro (2runs, 2 RBI) and 3-5 for Darwin Barney (1 run, 3 RBI). The top of the order wasn't the only portion of the lineup to produce. Reed Johnson went 3-5 with four RBI's and a run scored out of the six slot in the order.

The defending champs pitched like anything but champs. all four pitchers to appear for San Fran gave up at least one run. Starter Madison Bumgarner 3 ER, Jeremy Affeldt 4 ER, Guillermo Mota 1 ER and Dan Runzler 3 ER.

Game two saw the return to the majors of Doug Davis who took the hill for the Cubs.

Davis, who hadn't pitched since July of last year, pitched five innings and gave up 3 runs while striking out six in a rain shortened game. Thanks to some untimely errors only one of those three runs was earned. It's been a rough year for Davis, according to the mlb.com story for the game "He (Davis) was diagnosed in 2008 with thyroid cancer, and one year ago in May, he discovered he had pericarditis, an inflammation of the lining around the heart. Then, his elbow flared up."

It looks like the Cubs may have finally found a stop gap pitcher while they wait to see what Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner pitch like on their returns from the disabled list.

The game ended up being official after a forty minute rain delay after six innings were played. That delay, and errors by Koyie Hill and Blake Dewitt, ended up costing Davis a chance at a win in his return.

Games 34-36

2011-05-15T01:03:00.000-05:00

16-20

Bring on the Cardinals!!

Game 1
Chris Carpenter and Carlos Zambrano faced off in the first game of a three game series featuring one of baseballs greatest rivals.

Carpenter pitched a solid seven innings. Well, solid in the fact that he got a win. Not sure if you would count 13 hits over seven innings as solid. But, he did get a win in a 6-4 game.

Carlos Zambrano looked good again giving up only four runs over seven innings. Ultimately the Cubs bats and bullpen couldn't get on the same page and Kerry Wood took the loss giving up two runs on two hits with three walks all in an inning of work.

Albert Pujols held the hot bat for the Cards going 4-5 with a run scored in the game.

Game 2
Matt Garza picked up his first road win of the season with five innings of one run baseball. Garza failed to top double digit strikeouts...but he came close, K'ing 7 Cardinal batters.

This was finally a game where all the hitters in the Cubs lineup were in the zone. The Cubs combined for a total of 17 hits. Five of those 17 hits were for extra bases (3 doubles, 2 triples). Koyie Hill went 2-4 with a double, triple and 2 rbi's. Starlin Castro was a perfect 4-4 with a triple and three RBI.

Over all the Cubs plated 11 of those 17 batters that reached on the way to a series tying 11-4 win over the Cardinals.

Game 3
Casey Coleman ... Sucks! He started strong with a few good showings, but since then it's been a bit downhill. This time the damage was only nine hits, six runs and four walks in four and a third innings. The killer was the second inning where Coleman gave up five runs.

The series had a total of thirty five runs scored...but only one home run was hit (Matt Holliday in this game). The Cardinals 4,5,6 hitters went a combined 8-14 with five runs and 2 RBI's to back Jamie Garcia.

Garcia improved to 5-0 by spreading nine hits over seven innings. He struck out four while only walking one and only allowed one run to score.

Jeff baker was the only Cubs batter to collect multiple hits, going 3-4 with the teams lone RBI

Movie Review: Thor (2011)

2011-05-13T15:53:00.000-05:00

The God of Thunder is here...and he's awesome.

Why does Marvel make such awesome super hero movies? Source material is a strong first step...so major props to Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and the countless others. But, mostly Stan Lee...dude is a comic book icon, a twitter "general" and steals ever scene he's a part of!

Casting is another strong characteristic of most Marvel movies. Think about it...when was the last time you saw a Marvel movie with a weak cast? I can't think of one right now...but Thor would definitely not qualify as "weak".

Chris Hemsworth makes a good Norse God. Anthony Hopkins is amazing as always, Idris Elba (nuff said), Academy Award Winner Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgard...no weak links in this cast

For the movie itself I think a big part of my enjoyment was rooted in the fact that I had no prior knowledge of the Thor cannon. I was never a reader of the comics, honestly never got into the Avengers comics either as a kid. So, the extent of my Thor knowledge is a basic understanding of the Norse mythos. Due to those facts I wasn't really nit picking the movie the was I do when I watch an Iron Man movie or a Batman film.

I have friends who said they liked the movie overall but there were a few things that didn't click for them. Either info on a character or how a character was portrayed. Story wise people seemed to generally like the movie.

From start to finish it was exactly what I look for in a super hero movie:

It was a strong origin story--doesn't get bogged down in details but does set the stage to let you know what the character is about.

Strong casting -- as I said not a weak link in the cast. The only down side for me was I wanted more out of Hemdall (Idris Elba). When Elba was cast I wanted him to play a huge role in the film since he is slowly becoming one of my favorite actors. Watching the film I can see where if I had read the comics I would have maybe had lower expectations!!

The movie is serious...but doesn't take itself to seriously. The film, like many good movies, has a good balance of action/drama/comedy. If you take a superhero character and make him too serious you run the risk of the character becoming too dark. Even Thor, while not a dark hero like Batman, if he doesn't have a sense humor he just seems like a crazy person. The humor of the moves seem to humanize the characters. Thor, while an alien "god" becomes more human with his humor, and if you ask the women in the theatre...his ripped abs (a scene that had my dad asking out loud when Natalie Portman would follow suit!). Look at Iron Man, without humor Tony Stark would just be an alcoholic rich kid with dangerous toys...but the sense of humor seems to soften him and the obvious emotional and mental issues he may or may not have!

For me the move was entertaining from start to finish and definitely hooked me into the characters and just amped up my interest in The Avengers movie. Which reminds me...is Joss Whedon done making that yet? I really want to see it now!!

Games 31-33

2011-05-12T01:17:00.000-05:00

15-18

A three game series with the Reds was a close series...but one that would ultimately go to the team not from Chicago.

Game one --

Here we go again!! This game, once more, saw hard luck loser Matt Garza drop a close contest (5-4) to fall to 1-4 on the year. Garza tried to keep the Cubbies in the game with six innings of work and seven strike outs. But, he did give up all five of the Reds runs.Including a three run HR to Jay Bruce. A margin the Cubs hitters couldn't overcome.

Marlon Byrd was the only Cubs hitter in the game to collect more than one hit. (2-4)

Game two

Well, this was a close game again. But, this time the Cubs were able to come all the way back. Granted they needed almost every last out to do so.

The Cubs needed big home runs from Blake Dewitt in the 4th and Carlos Pena to eek out a 3-2 win.

With Reds closer Cordero having control issues the Cubs were able to tie the score on Carlos Pena's 3rd round tripper of the season. Blake Dewitt would follow with a single and move to third on a Jeff Baker ground rule double to center. A hit that most in the park thought was the winning hit. Dewitt wouldn't have to wait long to score the winning run though...he would come around to score the winning run when Kosuke Fukudome singled in the winning run one batter later.

Cubs pitcher Marcos Mateo would pick up the win in relief with a scoreless top of the 9th to even his record at 1-1 on the year.

Game three

This one would go back to the Reds who would have five pitchers combine to shut out the Cubs. Ryan Dempster would pick up yet another lose falling to 1-4 on the season. But, not for a lack of trying....Dempster would pitch seven innings giving up five hits and both Reds runs

Fox Blocked...

2011-05-12T01:12:00.000-05:00

Well, good tv (or mediocre but fun to watch tv) has died yet another sudden death over at FOX.

The network that brought you powerhouse shows like 24, House, Bones and American Idol has decided that some of it's shows needed to be turned out to pasture.

There was a long list of shows that were "bubble" contenders at FOX: Lie to Me, Human Target, The Chicago Code, Breaking In, Traffic Lights. Many assumed that a few of them would get another season. Personally I was holding out home for Human Target and Lie to Me to make it to a new year....sadly my choices didn't make the cut. But, neither did any of the other shows!

With Breaking In not getting picked up, or possibly finishing out this season, Christian Slater is now 0-3 (over three networks) for TV shows making it through a first season...let alone getting a second.

Human Target, a personal favorite of mine, also never found it's audience. Can't say this was much of a shocker to me. The show was bounced around for weeks at a time. For a few weeks Fox was burning off two episodes a night. Then it got pre-empted...never helps!

Lie to Me was always a solid show, but never really flashy or big on the ratings. Another causality of the Fox schedule. The three seasons of the show were broken up so strangely that it almost felt like there were four or more mini-season that ran.

Traffic Lights -- don't care, never watched it.

Chicago Code -- Well, I have mixed feelings on this one. While I am a huge Shawn Ryan fan I never got around to watching the show. So part of me is pissed that it got cancelled. But, part of me says I was a bit of the reason it never got the viewers! Guess I'll just save myself the time and pain and just delete the 13 episodes (or whatever number there were) from my DVR and forget about it.

On a bright note... it looks like the backdoor pilot for The Finder" was a success. According to Bones star David Boreanez's twitter account "the finder got picked up as a pilot as did a comedy staring Zooey Deschanel (sister of Boreanez's Bones co-star Emily Deschanel). In other good TV news, rumor on the internet has it that Chuck will get renewed for a fifth season!!

As the axe continues to swing at the networks where will the rest of my favorite shows fall? Is this the year that a CSI (not the original) gets canned? Do we lose a Law & Order spin off or two? Will the fact that Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior is still a Criminal Minds show be enough to get it to a second season?

Only time will tell....

Movie Review: Scream 4 (2011)

2011-05-08T02:01:00.000-05:00

"New Decade, New Rules."....same film!

Where I thought Fast Five did justice to elevating the franchise, Scream 4 just manages to not let the previous films down.

I can still remember seeing the first Scream in the theatres way back in 1996. It was a shocker. It set the standard for the genre at the time. As any wildly successful, and slightly unexpected, hit it was followed up with a sequel in the form of 1997's Scream 2. Three years later we had Scream 3 (a film that was highlighted by an appearance from Jay and Silent Bob). But, we then had to wait 11 years before the next chapter.

In the grand scheme of the series I feel that four sits in about third place. You can't mess with the original. Scream 2 has one thing that I have to love..Liev Schreiber...seriously! You say Liev, I say Cotton Weary....it's sad I know. But, I can't help it, Cotton rules.

Scream 4, while fun, didn't really bring anything new to the table. It was like watching the first one again. The only difference was the characters were older!!

Ever since the first movie "inspired" the internal films of "Stab" we have always had some really fun guest stars for the movie scenes within the movie and Scream 4 doesn't let down in that respect. Actually, it kinda felt like a Family Guy joke...it just seemed to go on a little too long! But, it did showcase Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell (love her) in a great scene.

This was supposed to kick off another trilogy of movies for the franchise. But, with lackluster box office numbers, $35,496,200 as of May 1st ($40,000,000 cost to make), odds are stacked against a 5th showing from the Ghostface Killer and crew. On a side note...was Ghost Face too busy to do a bit role in any of these movies? Wu-Tang for life!!

To me this was the ultimate, "if you liked the other movies you'll probably like this one" film. A newbie to the series wouldn't be totally lost if they went in with no back story. But, at the same time, wouldn't really feel compelled to run out and rent/but the other three films.

Movie Review: Fast Five (2011)

2011-05-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

Usually I would say if you've made it this far into a franchise you'll probably have no problem with the fifth installment. But, for Fast Five I have to go a little stronger.

If you've like the last four movies...you will LOVE this one. No doubt in my mind, not only is the franchise doing well, it may not have hit its peak yet.

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and a lot of your favorite car crazies are back for a fifth helping in the high octane bullets and muscle car series.

Directed by Justin Lin the movie starts out strong and ends even stronger. I'm gonna get this out of the way up front. If you usually leave as soon as the screen goes dark...don't!! Stay through the middle of the credits...you'll hate yourself if you don't!

Justin Lin has a great eye for action and he knows drama (Better Luck Tomorrow, Annapolis). With the last three Fast and Furious movies under his belt he's a lock to direct a fourth FF film. I'm also feeling a little more comfortable with him being attached to another personal favorite franchise, the reboot of the Highlander series.

With Rio as a backdrop you get all the hot cars, hot women and action that you would expect from a FF movie. The movie opens with enough of a flashback that if this is your first FF film you won't be totally lost. It's helps set up how the main characters Dom, Brian and Mia got to where they are at the start. From there you get a great action scene to open the story (train robbery hasn't looked this cool since "The Train Job" on Firefly). From there it's off to the races, if you'll pardon the pun.

Other fan favorites are back for this film: Vince (Matt Schulze), Taj (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Han (Sung Kang). Not to mention the addition of Dwayne Johnson and Elsa Pataky. If you have never seen any of the other movies...or if you haven't seen them all you may be lost on who the characters are and how they relate to the previous films, but that doesn't change the movie. You get enough of a background to see what their skills are and why they are being brought into the fold.

For me the movie was a fun departure from the previous films. It had almost a caper feel. Actually, I kept thinking, "This is the movie that's gonna kill any chance of The Brazil Job (long rumored follow up to The Italian Job) being made.!"

Vinny D. has decided to stop trying to be a dramatic actor, granted "Find Me Guilty" was pretty good, and he's back to playing to his strength...being a bad ass.

I was sceptical going in when people I knew were throwing around words like: Amazing, Awesome, Best of all...etc, or the critics who were labeling the move as a "must see". But, I am willing to admit when I am wrong...and in this case I jumped the gun, they were all right!

On a funny side note, THIS story from George Lopez's Facebook account was a pretty funny look behind the scenes at those fight scenes between Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel

It could happen to anyone...

2011-05-06T11:15:00.007-05:00

But, you'd think it wouldn't happen to a US Senator!

By now we all know that Osama Bin Laden was shot and killed by US Special Forces in a gun fight Sunday May 1st. In the aftermath of coverage we have learned that, for the time being, President Barack Obama has no plans to release a death photo of the terrorist leader. A step that was taken by the previous administration upon the death of Uday and Qusay Hussien back in 2003.

With no official death photo to be released that doesn't mean that there aren't "official" photos floating around the internet. Some look real others...not so much. But, you would think that a US Senator would have the best information he could before he went on TV to say that he had seen the proof and that Bin Laden was dead.

Sadly, that's not the case with Senator Scott Brown ...senator Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) ... or Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.)...

You have to feel bad for these guys for looking a fool like this. You'd also have to think that the staffer who gave them the info is probably feeling even worse.

On the bright side those guys are probably taking some personal time to flesh out their resume! I just hope that the "trusted source" that the article I read wasn't referring to a link on Facebook or Twitter! (#justsaying)

Games 28-30

2011-05-05T01:31:00.000-05:00

14-16

Three game set with the Dodgers
Game 1 -- James Russell - vs - Clayton Kershaw

I can't wait for Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner to be healthy and back in the starting line up so I don't have to see James Russell's name come up ever five games!

Four and two thirds innings, six hits, five runs (four earned) is not what I want to see from my teams starter. Granted it was a gem in comparison with some of the other guys starts over the last few weeks.

The Cubs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first but the Dodgers struck back with two in the second and three in the fifth. Andre Ethier extended his major league leading hit stick by collecting a infield single in the three run fifth.

Alfonso Soriano hit his league leading 11th home run in the seventh to score the Cubs final run.

Russell dropped to 1-4 on the season with a bloated 8.15 ERA. Clayton Kershaw improved to 3-3 with the win. Dodgers Closer Jonothan Broxton picked up his seventh win.

Game 2 Ryan Dempster - vs - Chad Billingsley

Happy Birthday to Demps. I think I speak for all Cubs fans when I say I really wanted to see him get a win on his birthday. But, keeping the team close and getting out of the first inning would also be acceptable as a present from him to the fans! Only one of those two things happened. Sadly both didn't.

Dempster, in contrast to last game, pitched seven innings of good baseball while only giving up one run. Unfortunately, the Cubs hitters decided to wait until the top of the ninth inning to wake up and score some runs.

When Dempster left the game after seven he still had a chance for the win as long as the team could score an eighth inning run or two. Well, if a win wasn't in the cards...at least it wasn't going to be a Lose.

New Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena finally connected on his first home run of the season for the team since signing in the off season from Tampa Bay. The seventh inning bomb into the right field bull pen would tie the game at one. The bats would rally in the top of the ninth off (soon to be former?) closer Broxton and Blake Hawksworth.

Kerry Wood worked a scoreless 8th inning to improve to 1-1 while Carlos Marmol picked up save number 8 with a scoreless ninth. Dodgers outfielder Andre Either extended his hit streak to 29 games with a bloop single in the fourth inning.

Game 3 Carlos Zambrano - vs - Ted Lilly

THANK YOU BIG Z!! It's nice to see one pitcher return to form while others struggle to regain theirs.

Zambrano had another stellar performance on the way to a 4-1 record on the season. One run on five hits over eight innings in gonna lead to a win 9 times out of ten and this game was no different.

Solo home runs from Geovany Soto and Carlos Pena (his second in as many games) along with a three run blast from Marlon Byrd kept the Dodgers from getting close. Sean Marshall worked a scoreless ninth in a non-save situation to seal the win.

Andre Either was a scratch with a wrist injury so he will have to wait another game to attack Joe DiMaggio's 56 game hit streak (a mark DiMaggio reached in 1941).

Blake Griffin: Rookie of the year....

2011-05-04T23:31:00.000-05:00

And in other news....water is still wet!

Games 24-27

2011-05-02T23:06:00.000-05:00

12-15

Four game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks

Short version: We Sucked, we played okay, we played okay, we sucked. In stat form that's: L-W-W-L

The first game of the series was all Arizona. With the D-backs rocking Ryan Dempster for seven first inning runs on way to an 11-2 victory. the seven runs on four hits, including a Steven Drew grand slam home run, and four walks over a third of an inning was by far Dempster's worst start of the season and was the second shortest outing of his career.

Game two was a little better for Chicago with Carlos Zambrano pitching another gem, going six innings and allowing only two runs. Alfonso Soriano went long for his 8th an 9th HR's of the year. While Geovany Soto hit second round tripper of the year in the fifth on the way to helping the Cubs secure a 4-2 win. Carlos Marmol picked up his fifth save of the season.

Game three was a lot like game two. Cubs starter Matt Garza again had double digit strikeouts (10) over 8 innings. Saving the Cubs bullpen to only have to work the ninth. Soriano collected his 10th home run along with his 19th and 20th RBI's of the season. Marmol got his seventh save while Garza finally got his first win as a Cub (1-3)

Game four....was more like game one. The Cubs had a golden opportunity to take three of four games from the D-Backs and inch closer to the .500 mark again. But, that didn't seem to be in the cards. The Cubs took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a infield ground out. Pena would also reach on a bunt single later in the game when the Arizona shift left the third base line un-guarded.

Arizona would tie the game on a Ryan Robert home run in the bottom half of the second and then tack three more runs on Cubs starter Casey Coleman (1-3) in the fourth inning. J.J. Putz would get a double play to end a possible 9th inning Cubs rally to secure his sixth save of the season and a 5-3 D-Backs win.

What does $30 million buy you these days?

2011-05-02T22:41:00.000-05:00

Watching coverage of the royal wedding, and by coverage I mean the actual wedding, I saw that Prince Charles dipped into his own personal wealth to come up with the $30 million that the royal wedding cost. Now if/when I get married I think that is the only way to go.

Westminster Abby (with live trees inside), Rolls Royce to and from the church, celebrity guests with crazy hats...that's the only way to go.

But, if you don't want to spend that cash on a wedding I thought, "What else could Charles have gotten for his money?" Most of the prices were found over at a fun little site called: most-expensive.net check em out....so here's what I came up with for Charles (keep in mind Charles you have the spare to marry off too!)

12 Bugatti Veyron Super Sports -- With a price tag $2,500,000 each Charles could have taken possession of 12 of 40 planned Super Sports for this year. He could have used them to bribe the Queen to abdicate the throne...let's face it at like 86 she's still going strong. I think her plan is just just make sure she out lives Prince Phillip!

2 sets of Red Hot Fantasy Bra and Panties -- Courtesy of Victoria's Secret, this set of delicates contains 1,300 precious stones (including 300 carats of Thai rubies). Think of how smashing Camilla would look in this and maybe a set for the Queen. On second thought...strike that, reverse it...never think of that ever again! Clocking in at a cool $15 million each, Charles would have nothing left over for himself...poor royal!

4 Stuart Hughes iPhone 4 Diamond Rose Editions -- It's the blings, bling of cell phones. You take your typical $400 iPhone and hunt down you jeweler quality bedazzler to tack on diamonds...diamonds...and more diamonds including a 7.4 carat pink diamond for the home button. You also get a solid granite box and a 8 carat diamond to replace the pink one. I would imagine that's for the days you don't feel very rosy...or maybe for when you drop it in the toilet and the pink one is lost!

Fish and Chips -- If spent wisely on a fish and chips meal on a Tuesday through Friday, from noon till four, at The Fish Club, 189 Saint John's Hill, London ( 020 7978 7115). Charles could have treated approximately 2,564,760 people to an afternoon meal. Not to shabby...granted I wouldn't want to be there when they ran out of tartar sauce!

Whiskey -- Lots and lots of whisky!! If Charles is a drinker, and let's face it he probably is (I would be). He can drop that cash on a Bottle of Macallan Fine and Rare Collection 1926 (60year old). To be more precise he could pick up 789 bottles of what Forbes describes as, "The oldest and most sought-after of Macallan's revolutionary Fine & Rare Collection." Sadly, it's sold out... so those 789 bottles will not be avail. I guess he could always change it into about 715,000 bottles of something in the $40 a bottle family!

D-Bag...

2011-04-29T11:56:00.001-05:00

How would you like to be a young student who finds out that he has won 2 make that 1 ticket to the NCAA tournament game between Butler and VCU for winning a leadership award. Then finds out he has to go with his assistant principal rather than take someone he wants to take...oh, like say his dad. Then, imagine after the fact you find out that the assistant principal was full of shit and made up the one ticket deal in an attempt to go to the game himself.

Well, imagine no more because this ass hole in Texas did just that one of his middle school students. Go here to watch the news story and judge for yourself what should happen....

Ebay

2011-04-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

So I was trolling the wonder that is ebay the other night looking for, among other things, a copy of a couple of old Gram Parsons LPs.

Ebay, being the awesome monster that it is had just what I was looking for. But, there was a catch....it was a four week long auction. That's right, 28 days!

Now, since I really want a copy of this album I will keep an eye on it. But, what the hell is the point of a four week auction? Sure you can drum up interest, watch the price slowly creep ever so close to your dream high bid! In the end though you have a wait a damn long time to get your crap sold.

I guess if you were looking for a quick buck you could turn to a pawn shop or craigslist. But, four weeks seems like a long time to wait for something to sell that may only bring in $20-$30. Personally I'm more inclined to pay a stupid amount for an item if I get into a last second bidding war with someone. If I have to remember to tune in a month down the road to find out what happened I'm probably going to forget about it.

To me the month long auction for anything that has a starting bid under $100 is a waste of time. Now, if you are unloading a car...or even this rare Elvis gem I can see letting it linger for a while. But, if you have a month long (or more) bid time on a used cd that you can get at your local record shop for $7.99 you're just kidding youself. Granted most of those have the buy it now price set at under $2...so I kinda get that. Still crazy in my book.

Things have changed since I was selling on ebay about 10 years ago....at least you don't have to pay a fee to start the auction (up to 50 auctions a month). But, you still get the honor of handing over a percentage of the final price to ebay, for their service!

If you are looking for cash, and have a ton of merchandise to drop, I can see this being a decent plan of attack. Me, personally, I just take the crap I don't need and walk into my local Zia Records, or Bookman's and take my chances that I will walk out with a decent amount of cash or store credit.

But, I digress, what was the point I was trying to make at first? Oh, now I remember...there's some dumb ass auctions on ebay.

Enough said...now I need to get back to some last second bidding.

Games 21-23

2011-04-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

10-13

Long story short the Cubs have finally separated themselves from the .500 mark, and not in a good way.

Three games since they were 10-10 and they now sit at 10-13 and two games back in the central. Could be worse...they had a game against the Rockies called to to weather today. So, I guess no game is better than a loss at this point.

There have been a few bright spots during this three game slide though. Most notably is the fact that Kosuke Fukudome has raised his season batting average to .458 with an average for the month of April over .500, including a career high 5-5 in game one against the Rockies. In that game Fukudome outhit the Rockies 5-4 (Cubs hitters collected 11 total hits) but the Cubs still found a way to lose 4-3.

Fingers crossed that a Thursday through Sunday series with the Arizona Diamondbacks is what the team needs to get back on track!

Games 19, 20

2011-04-24T02:04:00.000-05:00

10-10

Game 19

Cubs and Dodgers open a three game weekend set at Wrigley in ugly fashion. Well, ugly if you are a fan of the boys in blue. Well, ugly if you are a fan of the boys in blue who are from Chicago.

The boy in blue from Los Angeles did alright for themselves. The Dodgers, on the day that Major League Baseball took day to day control of the club away from Frank McCourt, exploded for six runs in the third off starter Casey Coleman. Then got two more runs in the fourth off Jeff Stevens out of the Cubs pen.

Remember a few days ago when I said that Coleman looked like the real deal? I take it back. He looked like a rookie. But, he still has showed more signs of life this season than Ryan Dempster (who we will get to for the next game).

Juan Uribe would have a big day for the Dodgers going two for four with two runs scored, four RBI's (including his second home run of the season). For the Cubs...nothing really other than Kosuke Fukudome going three for four to bring his batting average up to .417 through the first 19 games.

Game 20 -- Ryan Dempster (1-2) vs. Ted Lilly (1-2)

Ryan Dempster: 5.2 innings pitched, 9 hits, 7 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 3 Home runs allowed....

You'd expect a stat line like that to end with a Lose and a new record of 2-2 on the season. Well Ryan...bust out your checkbook you owe Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney a nice dinner.

Castro and Barney would combine to go seven for ten with four runs scored and six RBI's (Castro would finish 4-5 and raise his batting average to .393). Jeff Baker would drive in another two RBI's on a double during the Cubs late 8th inning rally.

Jeff Samardzija would pitch and inning and a third to get the win in relief (2-0). Carlos Marmol walked one and struck out one in the ninth to earn his fifth save of the season and help bring the Cubs back to even on the season at 10-10.

Games 17, 18

2011-04-21T01:21:00.000-05:00

9-9

Let's Play Two...

Game 1 -- Matt Garza vs. Dustin Mosley

Both pitchers would look strong over six innings with Garza having the edge in strike outs (with nine to Mosley's four).

Garza and Mosley would both leave after six innings with the Cubs up 1-0. Garza looked like he was on his way to his first win as a Cub. But, Carlos Marmol gave up walk to Cameron Maybin who would proceed to score the tying run on a bunt single, all in the ninth. The Cubs would notch the winning run on a Reed Johnson 11th inning walk off home run.

Garza, who's 0-2 on the season, lowered his ERA to 6.27 and added to his strikeout total which now sits at 25 through his first four starts. But, he also allowed a season low for hits with just six.

Cubs batters fared no better against Padres starter Mosley (6innings, 5 hits, one walk, six strikeouts). Even the hot hand of Starlin Castro was cooled off by Padres pitching. Castro would go 0-5 and see his batting average drop below the .400 mark (.382)

Marmol got a blown save for the Cubs, Jeff Samardzija got the win (1-0). Luke Gregerson would give up the winning home run and take the game one lose to fall to 0-1

Game 2 -- James Russell vs. Aaron Harang

James Russell would make his second start of the season and last slightly longer this time than his last outing. Granted that wasn't hard when he didn't get out of the second inning in his last start.

This time around Russell would make it a four inning outing giving up seven hits and four runs on three home runs. According to his stat line over at CBSsports, "Russell has now lost both of his starts this season. He has allowed 14 hits and nine runs (eight earned) in 5 2/3 innings during those starts. There was a reason why Russell was better suited to pitch out of the bullpen and didn't win a rotation spot this spring"

The Cubs would try to come back before falling 4-5 and splitting the double header with the Padres. A bright spot in the second game was another good day at the plate for Left Fielder, Alfonso Soriano who went 2-4 with 2 runs scored, 2 RBI's and a home run in the losing effort. Reed Johnson would also have good second game against the Padres, going 3-4 with an RBI.

Padres outfielders combined to go 8-15 with five runs scored, 4 RBI's and all three of the Padre's home runs. With Chris Denorfia and Ryan Ludwick gathering three hits each. Starter Aaron Harang would pitch six innings and get the win, his fourth of the season. Heath Bell would work the ninth for his fifth save.

With the spilt of the double header, combined with a lose by Cincinnati, Milwaukee and a win by St. Louis there is a four way tie atop the NL Central with all four teams at 9-9.

The Cubs have Thursday off before starting a weekend series with the Dodgers, who just got a complete game win from Jon Garland in a win over the Braves.

Games 15, 16

2011-04-19T22:22:00.001-05:00

8-8

Game 15-- Vs. Rockies

Well, the Cubs dropped the rubber game of the series and two of three against the Rockies, thanks in part to a bad first inning and a total implosion by Marcos Mateo in the 8th inning.

Things got off on the wrong foot when the Cubs fell behind 4-1 after Chicago starter Ryan Dempster gave up four runs in the bottom of the first inning. From there the Cubs would battle back with one run in the second, two runs in the third and a go ahead run in the top of the fourth.

After the go ahead run was scored Dempster would give up one more run on a fielder's choice in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score at 5-5. The two teams would remain tied until the bottom of the 8th inning when Marcos Mateo would give up four runs on six hits.

The only bright spot for the Cubs was another great performance at the plate by Starlin Castro who would go three for four with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored (raising his batting average to .418).

Mateo would take the loss and drop to 0-1. Rockies reliever Rafael Betancourt (1-0) would pick up the win. Closer Houston Street worked the ninth in a non-save situation.

Game 16 -- Vs. Padres

This was the kind of game that fans either love or hate. a ten inning barn burner that ended with the Cubs getting a walk off double from Tyler Colvin to secure their 1-0 win.

Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano had another really good game pitching eight innings of shutout, three hit baseball. In the end 'Big Z' gave up three hits, walked one and struck out 10. Sadly, a win was not in the cards for Zambrano

Padres starter Tim Stauffer went pitch for pitch with Zambrano over seven innings. Stauffer would give up four hits, walk one and strike out four. Ultimately the day would end in a no decision for both starters.

Cubs closer Carlos Marmol would pitch an inning and a third to pick up his first win of the season, striking out two more batters in the process.

Starlin Castro, like many of the Cubs hitters, cooled off a bit in this game. Castro went one for four dropping his season average to .408.

Fictional Groups (that I wish were real)

2011-04-18T21:37:00.011-05:00

When ever you watch movies, or read books, you always run across a group of people that just seem way to cool to be real. Most of the time...it's because they aren't real. But, that doesn't mean you wouldn't have a damn good time hanging with them if they were.

That got me thinking about the top five fictional groups that I would want to hang with if they were, you know...real.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen -- How seriously cool would it be to hang out, and kick butt, with explorer Allan Quartermain, Captian Nemo (I was going to say Captain Captain Nemo...but that would just be silly), sexy Mina Harker of Dracula fame, Rodney Skinner (AKA The Invisible Man), Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Tom Sawyer.

I have only one question about this group of awesomeness. What is Tom Sawyer doing here? I can understand Dorian Gray-as long as no one screws with his portrait he's essentially immortal. Mina Harker has experience with vampires. Captain Nemo has a cool sub. The Invisible Man is, well, invisible. Allan Quartermain is a kick ass hunter/explorer. Dr. Jekyll is a Doctor...Mr. Hyde is a freaking crazy man. Tom Sawyer...is...southern?? What the hell does he bring tot he group? What is his special power... that he can con people into doing stuff for him?

However you look at it, Tom Sawyer aside, that's a pretty cool group to hang out with.

Timelords -- Granted there is really only the one left. Unless you count the Master who seems to pop in and out of existence whenever he feels like it. But, lets face it....traveling with a Timelord like The Doctor would open many avenues to you. Heck you wouldn't have to worry about hanging out with any other groups since you could hang with them all! Shakespeare, done. VanGogh, done. Crazy alien cat people, done!

Another plus is that you've got yourself a posh spaceship-y time travel vehicle to use. The only down side is that you may never get exactly where you want to go. I once read an article that said The Doctor is actually lost 90% of the time. The Tardis seems to go where it wants or is needed more often then where The Doctor wants it to go. Granted that may be part of the fun and charm of traveling with him. Plus, I'm holding out hope that if I was able to travel with him it would be the one time that he had regenerated into a woman. But, I'd still know that he had been like 11 other dudes. I guess it would make a big difference how hot he...er...she was at the time. I'm sure that says something about me on a deeper level...but I don't want to think of that.

The crew from Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Again, how can you argue with hanging with a group this cool? A giant Milkshake, a freaking wad of meat, and a fuckin' floating box of fries that can shoot lasers from his eyes. Plus, from time to time they solve crime...but not really.

Living in a world where these guys are real means also dealing with aliens from the moon, the cybernetic ghost of Christmas past, and Carl. Come to think of it...I'd rather hang with Carl. He's got a pool, sweet sweat pants and he always has the ladies over. Wait, he never has the ladies over. Damn another situation where I would be hanging with a bunch of dudes. I really need to rethink this list.

Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, Little Rock, Zombie Bill Murray - In a world over run by zombies he helps to hand with a neurotic dude with a laundry list of things to do to stay alive. A bad ass, gun carrying, Twinkie loving zombie killing machine. A hotty with a wicked sense of humor (and her little sister). Also, lets not forget zombie Bill Murray...gotta have a funny guy in the group.

I have a feeling that when not killing your way from town to town, in hopes of finding other survivors of the zombie Apocalypse, there would be some good conversation. Tallahassee could regale us with past zombie kills, while also playing the father figure role. Columbus would be just neurotic enough not to get killed or get anyone else killed. Wichita would either turn out to be your best friend of the biggest pain in the ass ever. Little Rock...well for a kid sister I'd say she would be pretty cool to hang out with.

In the end it would all come back to zombies. Which would be pretty cool. Unless you got bite taken out of you...then it would suck.

The Pentaverate -- It's a well know fact that there's a group of the five wealthiest people in the world known as the pentaverate, who run everything in the world, including the newspapers. They meet tri-annually at a secret country mansion known as, the Meadows. So who's in this pentaverate? The Queen, The Vatican, The Gettes, The Rothchilds and Col. Sanders before he went tets up.

By far my number one group. Money, power, fame, CHICKEN....who could ask for anything more. For just a taste of what awesome power would come with membership to this group check out The Queen's twitter page @Queen_UK .

You would never need to pay for anything, I would assume. Plus you've got an in at the Vatican, for whatever that would be worth (relocation costs and what not). The Queen has the hook up on the gin...read her Twitter account and you'll understand that one. Finally, we all know that Col. Sanders is not really dead. If he can find a blend of spice that makes you crave his chicken forte nightly...he surely knows the secret to ever lasting life!

P.S. -- How do these guys not have a wikipedia page or even a crappy photo shop produced photo? How is that even possible?

Games 13, 14

2011-04-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

7-7

The Cubs, on Friday, opened up a weekend series with the hottest team in baseball....the Colorado Rockies.

The Rockies, winners of ten of their first twelve games, own the best record in baseball at the start of the game. They would only improve on that record by the end of the game.

The Cubs sent Matt Garza (0-2) to the mound. According to Len Casper and Bob Brenly's twitter account, "Since 1946, only Rick Sutcliffe had more strikeouts (23) in his first two starts than Matt Garza (20)."

So, even though Garza is mowing down opposing hitters, he still has yet to pick up a win. This game would be no different. The tough luck for Cubs pitchers continued with Garza getting tagged for four runs in the second inning on a base clearing triple by Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta, who would then score on a Starlin Castro throwing error. The Rockies would hang another earned run on Garza when Todd Helton hit a fifth inning RBI single for the games final run.

Rockies pitcher Jhoulys Chacin (3-0) went the distance for his first major league shut out. Chacin's line for the game: 9 innings, 6 Hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts.

Garza (0-3) settled down after the second inning but the Cubs bats never caught up. Garza's final line: 6 innings, 7 hits, 5 runs (all earned), 2 walks, 5 strikeouts.

Game two of the series

Casey Coleman (0-0) vs Jason Hammel (1-0)

The theme song for this Cubs season should be "Roller Coaster of Love" (version of your choice)

Casey Coleman may be the real deal...either that or the Cubs are destined to only win every other day! The second year pitcher came out and held the streaking Rockies to only one run through his five and two third innings of work on the way to this first win of the season.

Cubs bats got working early and often in this one. Alfonso Soriano started the scoring in the second inning with a double to center field, one of three hits on the day, that scored Carlos Pena. Soriano would add a solo home run in the sixth inning, his fifth of the year.

Darwin Barney who is batting .313 on the season had an RBI ground out in the fifth driving in Starlin Castro. After Soriano's sixth inning shot Castro would connect for a three run bomb off of reliever Felipe Paulino. Aramis Ramirez would then drive in Darwin Barney on a single and then come home on a single by Koske Fukudome for the Cubs final run of the game.

The Rockies would get two final runs in bottom of the 8th inning on a Chris Iannetta 2 run home run off John Grabow.

Carlos Marmol worked the ninth in a none save situation to help end the Rockies eight game winning streak. He would strike out one, while giving up one hit.

Rockies drop to 11-3 while the Cubs hit the .500 mark again at 7-7. Through fourteen games the Cubs have only lost two in a row one time (Brewers) but have only managed to win twice in a row one time (Diamondbacks). Casey Coleman improves to 1-1 on the season. Jason Hammel drops to 1-1.

Zombie Hunter Arrested....

2011-04-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

How did I miss this story during my recent Zombie Week? Taken directly from the SyFy Blaster website (via NY Post)

You'd think that, with all the strange things on display in New York City's infamously skeevy Port Authority bus depot, a heavily armed dude with a vacant, hollow look in his eyes wouldn't necessarily strike one as being "out of place." Apparently, some things will still get you arrested.

Namely, walking around strapped to the teeth. According to The New York Post, two Port Authority cops became wary of self-described "zombie enthusiast" Christopher Rodger because he was wearing a trench coat on a warm night.

Then they spotted the camouflage duffel bag. After the officers questioned him—during which Rodger admitted that he was carrying a gas-powered pellet gun—they searched the 25-year-old and discovered five samurai swords, three daggers, night-vision goggles, burglar tools and hand-drawn blueprints.

The partridge, apparently, wouldn't come down from the pear tree. It heard there might be zombies.

Record Store Day

2011-04-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

Make sure you get up early this Saturday and walk/run/drive to your favorite independent record store to experience the goodness that is....

RECORD STORE DAY!!!

What makes this day different than any other day of the year at you local store? Well, if they are participating they will probably have a ton of Record Store Day promo items, in store contests and possible live music or appearances by local and national artists.

If I was back in Illinois I would be spending my hard earned cash at Exile on Main Street in Champaign. If you are in the Champaign area I say stop in since Talib Kweli will be doing an in store appearance before his show that evening at the Canopy Clubs. But, since I am in the Valley of the Sun I will be dropping into my local Zia Records to avail myself of some of the great deals.

The one item that I have my eye on is a 7" vinyl that has Gram Parsons and EmmyLou Harris with the Fallen Angels band on the A side doing "Love Hurts" and Jenny and Johnny on the B side doing the same track.

Other great Record Store Day items include: more Gram Parsons in the form of the International Submarine Band's "Safe at Home", Mumford & Sons / Laura Marling full LP and many more...

Basically, it's a fun excuse to head to the record store, act like the true music snob you are, pick up some killer tunes on vinyl, and support those independent record stores that keep on keeping on!!

British TV

2011-04-15T02:13:00.000-05:00

Many times I've wondered, out loud even, why British TV seems to kick American TV's ass. For some reason it seems the quality is higher on foreign TV than most shows in the states. Of course there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part I am going to stick to my guns on that statement.

As a foreign viewer the only hard part to deal with is that there are FAR less episodes that comprise a series. Even when you take into consideration that most dramas have a run time closer to an hour, while their American counterparts clock in at around 43min. The run of a series is far less for most shows.

An average US show will run anywhere from 13 episodes (the new gold standard for cable shows) to 24 episodes for broadcast shows. A show like Spooks, which I talked about the other day, has had a run of anywhere from 6 to 10 episodes for a series. Other shows like the new Sherlock series run in an almost movie of the week format at 90min and only three episodes for series one.

That got me thinking....what are some of the longer running British TV shows? You really have to get a long run in order to have the episodes pile up. When Spooks finishes it's 10th series run it will have a total of 86 episodes, or approximately a four season run in the states. With only a few exceptions I could only think of a handful of shows that may have had a longer run...so I went to the web and found the following.

Soap Operas: as weekly shows go these are always going to have a bloated episode count. But, when you can get to the follow two numbers who can argue!?

Coronation Street - 1960-present, over 7565 episodes to date it
According to wikipedia (fine source that it is) on 17 September 2010 it became the world's longest-running TV soap opera currently in production. Daily soap opera or not...if you can come up with story lines for 50+ years you are the gold standard!

EastEnders - 1985-present. 4185 episodes to date
"Currently ranks as one of the most watched shows in the UK. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End of London." --Wikipedia

Drama- Usually anywhere from 45-65 min. per episode.

Monarch of the Glen - 2000-2005, 7 series, 64 total episodes
Walking a fine line between Drama and comedy this show was a success for it's five year, seven series, run on BBC One. With a final series of six episodes, Monarch never topped more than 11 episodes in a series.

Hustle - 2004-present, 7 series, currently 69 total episodes
With a cast headed by the great Robert Vaughn this shows has been a hit since it broke on the scene back in 2004. From one of the producers of Spooks, Hustle focuses on a group of con men who specialize in the long con, or the grift. To American audiences this may seem a lot like Leverage. Except consider the Leverage crew more of the A-Team of con artists....while the Hustle crew are more...well...hustlers!

Sci-Fi - only one king here...and the format has fluxed from 20min to almost an hour

Dr. Who - 1963-89, 2005-present, 26 total series, and 770 episodes to date
Over forty-eight years and 11 different Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGuinn, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith), Dr. Who has blazed forward as one of the greatest sci-fi series of all time. The only US sci-fi show to come close was Stargate SG-1 which, when it ended it's 10 seasons and 214 episodes, holds the title of the longest running North American series (surpassing the X-Files, 9 season and 202 episodes). Part of the charm of the original Dr. Who was the almost flimsy set pieces and monsters. A high mark of the new series is the coupling of great story telling with great (but still cheesy at times) special effects.

Comedy -- mostly half hour formats, can be upwards of 45 min. from time to time

'Allo 'Allo! - 1982-1992, 9 series and numerous specials, 85 episodes
Not since Hogan's Heroes or M*A*S*H has wartime been so funny. Set against the backdrop of a German occupied French town during world war 2. Similar to Mash you get a TV show about a war that lasted longer than the war itself.

Are You Being Served? - 1972-1985, 10 series, 69 episodes.
I was a fan of this show before I even knew how awesome British comedy was. Thanks to PBS this show, Monty Python and Black Adder were known to me before I knew about US comedy. That's a good thing because this has earned a place on my all time favorite list. Somewhere between an early version of The Office and a good slacker comedy comes the exploits of the few, the proud, the men and women of Grace Brothers. God bless those crazies, especially my personal favorite Mrs. Slocombe (played by the late Mollie Sugden).

Other/Reality

Top Gear - 1971-2002 (Original format) 2002-present (Relaunch) --18 series. 133 episodes
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May, the Stig. Some say this is the most illegally downloaded show in the world. Others say that car shows don't get any cooler than this. All I know is that at 133 episodes over 8 years and 18 series...the current format of Top Gear is a force to be reckoned with! With numerous spin off shows in other countries (including a US version I don't totally hate) the show is as informative as it is entertaining. Just don't tell US authorities if the boys try to come back. In that case theya re strictly an informative show! With laps around the track in super cars like Lamborgini's, Koenigsegg's and Bugati's down to "stars in a reasonable priced car" and comedic challenges...the show is a hit by any standard.

On the flip side of the long running shows you have some greats, especially comedies, that only got a few series.

Life On Mars -- 2006-2007, two series, 16 episodes
Ashes to Ashes -- 2008-2010, three series, 24 episodes
Monty Python's Flying Circus -- 1969-1974, four series, 45 episodes
Coupling -- 2000-2004, four series, 28 episodes
Black Adder -- 1983, 1986-1989, 1999, four series 24 episodes and three specials

Fawlty Towers -- 1975, 2 series, 12 episodes.
*Possibly my all time favorite comedy...period...hands down!! With a total of 12 episodes this show was comic genius. John Cleese, Prunella Scales, Connie Booth, Andrew Sachs (Manuel esta funny!!), If I was forced to name a favorite episode it would be a tie between all of them. But seriously, "The Germans" and "The Kipper and the Corpse" are my top two of the twelve.

Games 11, 12

2011-04-13T23:39:00.001-05:00

6-6

GAME 11

Well, James Russell started the game, he threw some baseballs at home plate....but things really didn't go according to plan. Unless his cunning plan was to just play for and inning and two thirds and to give up 5 runs on seven hits! Russell was follow up by Jeff Samardzja who didn't really fair any better. Samardzja went three innings giving up three runs on two hits to put the Cubs down eight to nothing.

The good news is that Cubs pitching didn't give up any home runs in the game. The bad news is that they did surrender 11 runs on 16 hits. When the Cubs finally got on the board in the seventh inning on a solo home run by Tyler Colvin the Astros answered right back with another four runs in the inning.

Brett Meyers pitched seven strong innings to pick up his first win of the season. Russell fell to one and one on the year.

GAME 12

Carlos Zambrano was again lights out for most of the five and two thirds innings that he pitched. Big Z was charged with five earned runs, all of which were given up in the sixth inning. With three walks and four runs Zambrano left the game with a 6-5 Cubs lead and a chance to pick up the win if the bullpen could hold the lead.

The Cubs put a five spot on the board in the first inning with a two run double by Jeff Baker and a three run home run by Alfonso Soriano.

The Astros fought back and tagged Zambrano in the sixth for five runs. RBI singles by Carlos Lee and Brett Wallace, and a RBI ground out from second baseman Bill Hall brought the Astros to 6-3. Zambrano would then give up a 2-run home run to Matt Downs and walk catcher J.R. Towles before being lifted for reliever Marcos Mateo.

The insurance run in the top of the sixth ended being a big run as that run staked Zambrano to his one run lead. The home run, a solo home run to left center, came off the bat of the pitcher himself. Chicago would add 3 more runs in the top of the ninth on a double by Starlin Castro, a throwing error on a Marlon Byrd hit and a single to center by Aramis Ramirez put the final tally on the board to give the final score of 9-5.

Marmol finished out the gave in the ninth, even though it wasn't a save situation, striking out one. On the season Marmol already has ten strike outs to go with a record of 0-1 with four saves in six and a third innings on the season

Spooks

2011-04-12T11:33:00.011-05:00

I miss the original Spooks
Crew!

If you aren't a fan of British TV you may or may not be familiar with this great program. Spooks (also known as MI-5 in the states) is probably one of the most addictive shows I have ever gotten sucked into watching.

Fans of shows like 24 should be kicking down doors, or at least running to the store, to get their hands on the DVD's of this show.

The show follows the exploits of the British secret service department (MI-5) that is tasked with keeping Britain, and the rest of the world, safe from terrorism and other threats. The threats are real world types. Situations that you can believe will/have happened. But, most importantly, the outcome isn't always a positive one.

Like in the real world...sometimes the terrorists win the battle. Sometimes the innocent do suffer. Sometimes those tasked with protecting us do lose their lives in service of the greater good. That is what makes this show such a must watch in my book.

Between the rotating cast and the up-to-date political intrigue you still get moments of tenderness and light hearted fun. Granted the fun is few and far between when you have to live in and protect a country where suicide bombers are a possibility.

The heart and soul of the show is the relationship between the head of MI-5 Harry Pearce (Peter Firth) and Spy/information analyst/all around amazing gal Ruth Evershed (played by the amazing Nicola Walker). The dance that those two do on the will they won't they relationship front is fantastic drama in and of itself.

When I found this show through reruns on A&E back in the day I only remember it as the show that I got to see Anthony Stewart Head play a bad ass who wasn't Giles from Buffy. When I revisited it just about a year and a half ago I got pulled in with a gusto that had only previously been reserved for jumping on the Lost bandwagon a few seasons late.

At the time I started with series one Spooks was airing series 8. As a BBC drama series I didn't have the usual 150+ episodes to catch up to the current. Plus, since it wasn't airing in the US I had to resort to DVD and eventually (psst...don't tell) *other* sources to get my fix. At the time I was only 64episodes behind.

That started as, "Oh, I'll watch an episode over lunch each day at work!" Quickly changed into, "Okay so I can watch one episode at work....then another three or four when I get home!!" The next thing I know I am waiting for new episodes to appear "online" after they air. I truly wish that American TV was this good. At times it can be...but for the most part I prefer British television any day of the week.

Spooks, Robin Hood, Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars, Dr. Who, Torchwood, Cracker just to name a few.

I was left in shock at the end of last season of Spooks. Not by the events of the show (granted that was epic too) but by the fact that there was no word on the fate of the show being picked up for a 10th series. Lucky for me, and everyone else, a new six episode series 10 is set to air this year in the autumn. Crisis averted!

Now that the BBC iPlayer is a subscription app for the iPad....and available to users in the US I may finally have a reason to pick up an iPad!!

Games 9 & 10

2011-04-11T22:45:00.001-05:00

5-5

It's early in the season but the Cubs are already having to test the depth of the organization when it comes to pitching. With Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner on the DL the Cubs recalled 2nd year pitcher Casey Coleman. Coleman was 4-2 in twelve appearances, including eight starts, last year and showed that he can hold down the fort while the starters are on the mend.

Game 9 -- The Cubs hitters helped the pitchers never fall to far behind in this game...for the most part. Cubs pitching really only made three mistakes during the game. Too bad they were all two run homers! Making his first start of the season Casey Coleman left the game after five innings with the score tied at four each. The Cubs then took the lead in the top of the seventh on a RBI ground out by Tyler Colvin.

The eight inning was turned over to Kerry Wood who couldn't manage to hold the score and set up Carlos Marmol in the Ninth. The Brewers third two run home run was hit by former Cubs farm hand Casey McGehee. The other two run bombs for the Brewers were off the bats of Ryan Braun (his fourth on the year) and Prince Fielder (number 2 on the season).

Kerry Wood took the lose (0-1) for the Cubs, while Kameron Loe pitched and inning and two thirds for his first win (1-0) John Axeford work the ninth for his third save.

Game 10 -- Ryan Dempster vs Nelson Figueroa

This was the first game in a new series with the Houston Astros...and a series that will hopefully see the Cubs string a few wins together. Dempster again pitched well for the Cubs, going six and a third strong innings. Well, really he went about six strong innings. It's hard to call three runs in the span of three batters "good"...especially when those three batters go Home run, single, Two Run Home run.

Ten games into the season and it looks like the Cubs pitchers are going to be giving up a ton of long balls this year. Thankfully it also appears that it's not going to take Aramis Ramirez and the rest of the hitters almost half a season to get in the swing of things.

Starlin Castro also had a Cubs first today when he stole second. With that swipe the Cubs finally have a stolen base for the season. Prior to the steal the Cubs were the only team in the majors not to have a single stolen base. Castro would end the game three for five with three runs scored and the stolen base.

Ryan Dempster finally picked up his first win (1-2) and Carlos Marmol struck out three batters in his inning and a third of work to pick up his fourth save in five chances. Nelson Figuerora, who gave up all five of the Cubs runs in four innings of work, fell to 0-2.

Nine of the last ten runs given up by Cubs pitching have been by the long ball. (4-2R HR, Solo HR). James Russell will make the next start for Chicago in place of Randy Wells.

Ugh...

2011-04-11T03:52:00.000-05:00

So...for some reason the power went out at the house last night. Apparently that was the straw that broke my external hard drives back.

The Western Digital drive was about three years old. But, that is 750gb of data that I won't be getting back anytime soon. I had a lot of the data backed up on other drives that weren't plugged in at the time. Mostly I lost my iTunes library. But, since I no longer own most of the CD's that are in the library I took precautions to double back that up. So all that was really lost was a crap ton of downloaded movies and music videos. Most of which were taken from movies I already own so, while a process, I can get that back.

Right now I just have the drive plugged into a different port on my computer hoping for signs of life to the point where I can back up the most important files to my computer hard drive for a transfer to another, as yet to be purchased, hard drive.

Suck......

Random Movie thoughts

2011-04-10T11:15:00.001-05:00

Random thoughts while watching a few movies and tv shows this week along with reading a few articles on-line.

1. Geena Davis needs to get another good role! -- I really missed the bad ass Geena Davis. I don't care what the critics say, The Long Kiss Goodnight was a fun movie. Cutthroat Island....not so much. For fun though check out this look back from Den of Geek.

2. On Joan Jett's brief appearance in Repo! The Genetic Opera -- She looks pretty damn good for a 53 year old Rock Goddess!

3. Arthur's being remade!! -- This one both saddens me greatly and makes me really happy. Dudley Moore was a comic genius. The original Arthur, along with Arthur II on the rocks and Wholy Moses are some of my favorite comedies of all time. Russell Brand is an acquired taste. From what I have seen in the previews and interviews...this could be great. I loved him in Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek. His stand up kinda does nothing for me. But, I will reserve judgement until I see the movie this weekend.

4. Sequel to Monster, Inc is coming in 2013 -- All I need to say about this is... HELL YES!! More Mike and Sully? Yes Please (plus any world where Billy Crystal is still making movies, animated or not, is a better world)

5. When Harry Met Sally 2 -- Just watch...then see above comment.

6. I now officially hate MTV with every fiber of my soul...and it all has to do with this news release (I hate them so much...I'm not even going to type the words!)

7. Hop took in more in it's first weekend than Sucker Punch as to date...makes me kinda worried for Superman!

8. Diary of a Wimpy Kid has taken in almost $10 million more than Sucker Punch...makes me kinda worried for Superman!

9. Back for another Den Of Geek story that has me excited -- Taken 2 Finds is director, and Maggie Grace is back.

10. Bill & Ted 3?? -- Still undecided about this one. Keanu has stated that he thinks there is still a story there to be told. Me...I'm not too sure. One thing I know is that, San Dimas High Football Rules, the movie will not be the same without George Carlin.

Game 8

2011-04-09T21:10:00.000-05:00

4-4

Wow...this game was so bad I don't even want to call it a Cubs game. The Cubs were there, they were both in the field and at bat, but I wouldn't say they actually "played".

Brewers jumped on Matt Garza early and often to start the game and never looked back.

There was never really a point where the Cubs threatened. Heck, the only exciting point for the Cubs was when Starlin Castro whiffed on a throw down to second and took the baseball right off the face.

Brewers starting pitcher Chris Narveson got the win with six strong innings of six hit baseball, striking out nine and walking one. He was helped by a monster game from Prince Fielder who had 4 RBI on two big doubles.

Next up for the Cubs is the rubber game that will feature newly called up righty Casey Coleman who will take Randy Wells spot in the rotation while Wells in on the DL with forearm stiffness. Coleman was 4-2 last year in 12 appearances (including 8 starts). Coleman will be opposed by Brewers starter Yovani Gallardo (1-0) who pitched a complete game shutout in his last appearance to beat the Atlanta Braves.

MLB at Bat 11...

2011-04-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

Just another reason why this app is awesome!!

Just realized that each game has the option of free (for now) "look ins".

Essentially when the orange "L" is on the screen you can view free live video from the game you are listening to. So, if you only want a little TV fix of the game your are listening to then this is a fun tool.

In other awesome news...thanks to Volvo all users of At Bat 11 (or at least everyone who bought the full version) have free MLB.TV access on the phone for the month of April.

Way to go Volvo...you made my month, but I'm still not buying a car from you. Sorry!

Game 7

2011-04-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

4-3

Carlos Zambrano -vs- Randy Wolf

Zambrano was the old Z that Cubs fans love to see take the hill. Over six innings Zambrano allowed four runs on seven hits, while walking three and striking out five. He did give up an early home run to Prince Fielder...but Z's boys had his back when they exploded for five runs in the top of the fifth.

Aramis Ramirez got a gift single, when a ball fell between three Brewers. Geovany Soto made them pay for the mistake with a long home run to dead center field that tied the game at two each. Just a few batters later Alphonso Soriano singled and Zambrano helped himself out with a single. With those two on base Jeff Baker came up and drove a pitch out of the park to put the Cubs up 3-2, a lead they would not give up.

The Brewers would get two runs back with a tally in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings.

Jeff Baker was the star of the day though. He came back up in the sixth and gave the Cubs another insurance run with his RBI single. Marlon Byrd would then drive Barker in for the final run of the game on his ninth inning RBI double setting the final score at 7-5 Cubs.

Carlos Marmol came in and struck out two more batters on the way to his third save in four chances this season.

Bear Down Chicago Bears...

2011-04-08T11:47:00.003-05:00

If you haven't heard this story you may not be a Bears fan...or you just may be avoiding good news in this day and age.

Turns out that Cliff Forrest, age 10, of New York City has reached out to former Bears player William "the refrigerator" Perry in a rather unique way. He has gift the ex-nfl star his own Super Bowl Championship ring.

According to numerous news reports, Perry had to sell the ring when he ran into hard financial times dealing with Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disease that can lead to weakened muscles.

The ring found it's way to Mickey Mantle's Restaurant in NYC...where Forrest spied it. Seems this ten year old really likes his sports collectibles. So he bought it using $8.500 of his college fund (wish I had that kind of money to blow). But, after researching Perry on the Internet he decided that Perry could use the ring more than him.

According to NBC sports, "Cliff was able to add to his collection on Saturday. Although he wasn’t looking for anything in return, Cliff received two autographed Bears jerseys and some cards from an appreciative Perry, who was conducting an autograph-signing session. “It was exciting,” Cliff Jr. said. “He looked really happy. He said, ‘Thanks.’ “It’s what I wanted to do. When I Googled Mr. Perry after I got the ring, I saw he had the disease and went through rough times. And I thought he needed it more than I did."

My favorite part of the story was the last line when it was pointed out that Forrest isn't even a Bears fan.... he's a Steelers fan. Either way I say good on ya kid!

Movie Review -- Monsters (2010)

2011-04-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

Monsters (2010) -- Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

For a movie called monsters...not a whole lot of "monsters"!

Imagine a world where an alien organism has "infected" portions of the Earth...as usual it was all out fault! By "our" fault, I mean America. A NASA probe that was gathering proof of life in other parts of the solar system crashes on return to Earth. In the process Infecting a large portion of Mexico and Central America.

That portion became...the Infected zone. In order to flee to America people have two options. 1) Pay a crazy price for a ferry ride to a US port. 2) Risk a trip through the Infected zone on foot.

The story in Monsters is that of freelance photographer Andrew Kaulder (Scoot McNairy) who is tasked with getting Samantha Wynden (Whitney Able) the daughter of a publish mogul, who he happens to work for, back to the US safe and sound.

You've probably guessed that things aren't as simple as putting the young woman on the last ferry ride! What should have been a quick drop off at the docks turns into a nightmare push the the Infected Zone. Which is where the movie got both awesome and crazy for me.

As I said earlier, for a movie called "Monsters" there were very few glimpses of any. With the exception of one main action sequence in the middle and an encounter at the end Monsters is more of a drama piece about two strangers thrust together and forced to survive in an unpredictable situation.

I don't want to ruin the film but I will say this, "If you are going in thinking it is going to be a monster attack movie like Godzilla or Cloverfield....you won't be happy." If you go in looking for an interesting character movie with a genuinely nice twist at the end then you will be pleased.

Right now it's available to watch via Netflix instant and is, in my opinion, worth the 94 minutes

Kids in the Hall

2011-04-07T05:00:00.000-05:00

I can still remember the time that my buddy Ryan and I were at his house as kids watching Kids in the Hall and this came on. I don't even think we fully got the joke at the time. We just knew that "Faggot" was a bad word...and we weren't supposed to be watching Kids in the Hall. So, when his sister who was probably all of 7 or 8 (if that, I'm bad with dates and ages and the such) started running around the house singing "running faggot" over and over at the top of her lungs we knew we were in trouble.

I still can't remember if/how we got her to stop before Ryan's parents got home and killed us...but the sight of her running around "singing" almost made us two young guys have a heart attack.

My how times have changed...Brooke is getting married soon....and I doubt this spot would run in a re-airing of Kids in the Hall.

Game 6

2011-04-06T23:52:00.002-05:00

3-3 on the year

Well, today was not a good days in Cubs land. Day started with word that Andrew Cashner AND Randy Wells were both headed to the DL. Wells is heading to the DL with a strained forearm and Cashner a sore rotator cuff. So, 40% of the rotation just went down. Should be fun three to four weeks! But, at least we have Ryan Dempster pitching pretty well. Oops!!

Things got off to a rocky start for Dempster again this game, Willie Bloomquist slammed a triple into left center scoring two runs. Aramis Ramirez tied the game in the bottom of the inning with a two run home run, his first of the season. Willie Bloomquist got the D-Backs rolling again in the 5th with a single scoring one on way to a three run inning and a 5-3 D-Backs lead.

Alfonso Soriano brought the Cubs within one run with a solo home run in the 7th. But, Arizona catcher Miguel Montero matched that score with his second home run of the season to give his team a 2 run lead in the top of the 8th.

That Montero insurance run would come in big when the Cubs would score one more run in the bottom of the 8th when Tyler Colvin grounded out with the bases loaded driving in Starlin Castro for the final tally of the game.

J.J. Putz came on to notch his second save of the season for Arizona. The win went to Armando Galarraga (1-0) with the lose going to Cubs starter Ryan Dempster (0-2). The Cubs fall to 3-3 on the season heading into a Friday, Saturday, Sunday series with the Milwaukee Brewers

$12...Really!!?

2011-04-06T10:04:00.000-05:00

Nothing screams kickem' while their down like an offer of $12 to reimburse a person for their troubles. I don't think I'd be offended by that offer if I had to wait too long in line at a store or restaurant. I am fairly sure that the offer would piss me off something serious if it was to help ease the pain of my possible exposure to high levels of radiation!

That is what the people of Namie, Japan (and other town around the damaged Nuclear power plant) have been offered for their "troubles".

Seriously, what the hell!! Too many dropped calls is trouble. A payment being misapplied is trouble. Growing a radioactive lump on your testicle or having a child born with half an arm is a little more severe.

According to a story over at CNN, "The company (Tokyo Electric) called the initial offer "payment for their troubles," and would not detail how much money is being offered to each community. But Kousei Negishi, who is the manager of general affairs for Namie, said that it was 20 million yen -- about $12 for each of Namie's roughly 20,000 residents."

Talk about making a bad situation worse....We are so sorry for the inconvenience of you having to move out of your homes and your jobs. We understand that the stress of the situation, along with the possible effects of radiation leaks may cause a serious drop in your quality of life. So, for your troubles we would like to offer you this foot long sub, large Pepsi and a bag of sun chips....but wait there's more...free cookies!!

The only way the $12 offer could have looked worse to me is if they had presented every person with a giant novelty check for the amount!

Seriously...get you act together and realize that just because the situation may call for an offer of money to the people doesn't mean you should make an offer with the first number that comes to mind!

Two in a Row

2011-04-05T19:12:00.000-05:00

Glad to see the Diamondbacks are still good for a late inning collapse!

Game Five -- Andrew Cashner, newly anointed 5th starter for your Chicago Cubs, took the mound only to leave after five and a third innings with a sore shoulder. From there it was up to the bullpen...a bullpen that manager Mike Quade was trying to avoid using Kerry Wood and Carolos Marmol for a fourth straight game.

Tyler Colvin put the Cubs up 4-1 with a two run home run in the third. But, the Diamondbacks got to the bullpen when they scored 3 runs in the top of the 7th. Thanks to some bad pitching and James Russell allowing all three of his inherited runners to score the Cubs found themselves tied going into the bottom half of the inning but put a 2 spot on the board to go up 6-4.

With Wood and Marmol unavailable, Quade turned to Sean Marshall to get the side out in the 9th for the save. Marshall came through to notch his third career save and give the Cubs a series victory and a chance at the sweep on Wednesday.

Cubs, Games 3 & 4

2011-04-05T04:59:00.000-05:00

Well, year in and year out some things never change. The Cubs will alternate between making me want to throw up and jump for joy. Four games into the season and not much has changed from past years.

Game 3 -- Matt Garza makes his first official start as a Chicago Cub. Coming over in the off season to help bolster the front of the rotation Garza pitched a very good game. When you give up 12 hits it also helps if you get a ton of strike outs...and Garza did just that. A career high 12 K's to be exact. Leaving with the lead he turned things over to the bullpen. Which, in years past, has been a good thing. With Kerry Wood, Sean Marshall and Carlos Marmol things should have been locked down. Marmol was lights out the night before....sadly this ending wasn't the same. Carlos couldn't find a groove and the Pirates were allowed to come back and take the swing game of the 3 game set, dropping the Cubs to 1-2 on the season. But, there are more games to play so why dwell on this one?

Game 4 -- What's the best way to kick the bad taste of a losing series to the Pirates to the curb? Follow it up with a series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Now, there is no way the D-backs can be as bad as they were last year. But, that doesn't mean they are going to be good either. For the 4th game of the season the Cubs starter put in quality work with Randy Wells striking out 6 through 6 innings. His only mistake was a lead off home run to the games first batter. The Cubs would come back with one run in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th innings and added two insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th and Marmol came in and shut things down for his second save in three appearances this season.

Four games in and we've gone L-W-L-W....but we still have two more games with the D-Backs. So, fingers crossed that we get out of this with a string of W's and some momentum heading into this weekends series with the Brewers.

Best (worst) sign in the world

2011-04-04T01:18:00.001-05:00

I really hate to see any business fail. A business going under means loss of jobs, families scrambling to make ends meat, one less option in the community of places to go for those services. Really, even if it's a business I don't use, I feel bad.

So why is this my new favorite sign?

Seriously, I almost cause traffic accidents when I spot a new Blockbuster is going out of business! Who doesn't like getting DVD and Bluray deals at up to 25% off the standard used prices? I know I sure as hell do!

The funny thing is that while they all seem to have the same selection and prices there are a few titles that stick out as odd. The last store I stopped into had used PS3 games on sale for 40% off...but they were still marking a used copy of Tiger Woods 2006 at close to $15. Who wants to pay even $5 for a game that is almost six generations behind?

Movie titles are the same way. While I was excited to get a copy of Fast and Furious on Bluray for $5.15 I was shocked to see that they were looking for $60 for a used copy of Casablanca (granted it was 25% off but still...that's a bit crazy) or a used Bluray copy of Monsters (good movie) was listed, pre-discount, at $29.99. The hands down winner was a Bluray copy of Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the ring for $84.99. Call me crazy, but if you are going to buy a movie that has been abused like a rented mule...then it should probably list a lower than new prices. The whole Extended bluray trilogy is only $83.99!!!!

In the end I had to reject the copy of Monsters (finally watched it for free on Netflix instant) and picked up an obscene number of titles over the last few weeks.

1. Silence of the Lambs
2. Fast and Furious
3. The Mummy
4. The Mummy II
5. The Mummy III
6. Twister
7. Davinci Code
8. Angels and Demons
9. Day of the Dead
10. Land of the Dead
11. Brothers Grimm
12. Hot Fuzz
13. The Crazies
14. The Collector

My collection has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few weeks and there is still about 5 days before the stores close for good! Now, the only quesion is do I need a fax machine, filing cabinets, massive quantities of candy...or a box of 6 snuggies all at up to 80% off!! (P.S.--the answer to those is no)

The Ride Begins...

2011-04-02T18:09:00.001-05:00

Just a few days into the baseball season and the roller coaster is in full motion. Please, keep all arms and legs inside the car.....this could be a bumpy ride!

Go Cubs Go!!

Game One: Ryan Depmster is our opening day starter and things are looking pretty darn good. Demp seemed to have ironed out all the kinks that showed up in his last spring training start. That is until the top of the fifth when he got wild and ended up allowing a Grand Slam to Pirates 2nd Baseman Neil Walker. Two innings later Demp let another one fly when Andrew McCutchen connected on a 2 run shot. The Cubs came back with 1 run in bottom of the inning...but nothing more. It's kinda hard to win a game when you are out hit 11 to 7 and leave 8 of 10 runners in scoring position...in scoring position!!

Game Two: Carlos Zambrano was on the hill. Seven innings pitched while giving up three isn't a bad start of the season for a guy who had to seek anger management treatment last year. May have been longer if hand cramps hadn't gotten to him. Which is too bad because if he could have lasted one more inning he may have walked away with win. Seems the Cubs bats finally decided to show up in the bottom half of the 8th inning. Cubs batters strung together hits and walks to hang a 5 spot on the Wrigley Field scoreboard. Included in the rally was a two out two run double by pinch hitter Blake DeWitt To score the winning runs. Carlos Marmol Came in and struck out the side in the top of the ninth to notch his 1st save of the season and bring the Cubs up to the .500 mark.

So we are two games in and I have to say I like what I am seeing so far. I think that if the staff can stay healthy we have a shot of hanging with the anointed ones (Reds) and hopefully can handle our business with the Cardinals, Brewers and the rest of the NL. It's early on in the season I know...but I'm hopeful that this is the year we turn things around!! Next year is here.

Which leads me to another thought....If the Cubs make the World Series this year....I will probably have to be up at odd times to get to see most of the series games since I will be in Europe!!! I can see it now, Cubs win World Series and I'm in France or England! The only way it would be worse is if they played the Angels or another team close enough to go see the games! But, I would take it for the chance to say those immortal worlds, "WORLD SERIES CHAMPION CHICAGO CUBS"

Final Zombie Week Thoughts....

2011-04-02T11:47:00.000-05:00

I'm pretty sure that if the zombie Apocalypse hits tomorrow I would have a better than average chance of survival based on my knowledge of the subject over my physical conditioning. But, if you are uninformed on the subject I will leave you with an abbreviated list of important things to know. (Stolen with love from Zombieland)

1. Cardio -- running is your friend, as long as the zombies are walkers!
2. Double Tap -- Better to be Safe than Sorry!
3. Beware of bathrooms -- Nothing like getting bit while taking a crap.
4. Wear seat belts -- applies to non-zombie apocalypse situations
5. Swiss Army Knife -- It's not just for MacGyver anymore
6. Don't be a hero -- well...unless you really have to (Example: she's really hot!)
7. Limber up -- Nothing sucks more than pulling a hammy and getting eaten!
8. Get a Kickass partner -- safety in numbers bro...safety in numbers
9.Check your back seat -- same goes for leaving the strip club...
10. Avoid strip clubs -- watch Zombie Strippers to find out why
11. Enjoy the Small things -- When the apocalypse comes this will be important to keep your sanity.
12. Hygiene -- Again a good rule to follow in all situations...but the smellier you are the easier you are to find.

Fido...

2011-04-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

Zombie Week Continues...

2011-03-31T11:17:00.002-05:00

Zombie or Supermodel...you make the call!

For a larger easier to read version head over to Eatliver.com

Best and Worst of Zombies...

2011-03-30T11:52:00.002-05:00

Just a few pro's and con's of dealing with, being, and watching the Undead!

Pro's

*No need for a job! -- Let's face it, you are not going to get hired to do a damn thing if you come back from the dead. I don't care how great your CV was prior

*There doesn't seem like there is going to be a big need for cash for anything. -- What with the running (or fast walking) around and eating of brains and all.

*You usually don't see a lot of Zombie on Zombie violence. -- Think about that one. When was the last time you watched a zombie movie that had one Zombie attack another, unprovoked.
*Life span, such as it is, seems to be pretty decent as long as you can get some brains!
*Pretty much everyone knows how to kill a zombie...so even the dummies among us shouldn't have a steep learning curve on how to battle their way to freedom (or at least help their smarter friends survive a little longer).
*Finally those fencing lessons, baseball swing coach sessions and redneck bow hunting sessions will come in handy.

Con's
*You're Fucking un-dead. -- enough said
*Communication skills seem to revert back to grunts and groans with no discernible vocal structure-- On the bright side --> I'll never have to hear a new Justin Beiber song on the radio!!!
*A ton of walking. -- Apparently zombies don't remember how to drive cars so there is a lot of walking and staggering from A to B.
*No sex...at least as far as we know.-- What's the point of living forever as a grumpy flesh eater if, you know, you can't get it on, or even rub one off, without the risk of vital parts just falling off?
*Let's face it, at a certain point we are going to run out of ammo.
Best and worst of the Zombie culture

Best:
World War Z -- Max Brooks
Zombie Survival Guide -- Max Brooks
Shaun of the Dead
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
The Walking Dead
Fido -- tragically under seen zombie movie in my opinion. It's a touching story about a boy...and his pet zombie (p.s. Billy Connelly is Awesome)
Everything George Romero

Worst:
Zombie Strippers
Zombies of Mass Destruction
Most TV zombies prior to The Walking Dead
Running Zombies -- as the motivational picture at the top says, Running Zombies -- Now we're fucked.

Too Close to call:
Internet Zombie Fan fiction-- now I'm not one to begrudge a growing writer...my own blog is no prize winner. But, there has a to be a point where someone says enough is enough. Some of these writers have to have at least one friend who can say "dude, maybe you should just keep that one for yourself." Really this extends out to the whole fan fiction sub genre. Don't get me wrong. Some is actually really good. There are also some underground zombie fanfic graphic novels that are both well written and well drawn. And as zombie art goes...the Internet is filled with bad ass Zombie art. Take this guy for instance who has been tattooed to look like the undead. Over Kill? Yes. Bad Ass? Hell Yes!

While trying to think where my love of the living dead started I would have to say it was one of the many original Night of the Living Dead movies. Which transitioned me nicely into video games like Resident Evil and then back into movies like Shaun of the Dead, Resident Evil, Night/Dawn/Day of the dead.

More Zombies....

2011-03-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

I'm starting to think this is Zombie theme week for me! I can't seem to shake thoughts of the undead. Most of which are the normal thoughts:

Where do I go when the undead rise?
How many weapons are too many weapons to carry around when fending off the flesh eaters?
If I get bitten, do I want to turn of be popped in the head?
Would I kill my best friend if he turned into a zombie? Or keep him in a shed in the back yard chained to a post so we could play Playstation? (thank you Shaun of the Dead for making that an option!)

But, the real mind benders are the thoughts that, as George Carlin once stated, "are the ones that kept me out of the good schools!"

If the dead return...would the Beatles get back together?
What would zombie Jimi Hendrix sound like?
Who would be the first person to get a Zombie reality show?
Who (and you know this would happen) would be the first celebrity caught with a zombie hooker? -- even money is on Charlie Sheen at the present time. Hell, he may actually be a zombie when the revolution comes!

See what I have to deal with when I let my mind wander on a topic??

Zombies, Zombies and More Zombies (with a little Donald Duck too)

2011-03-28T11:00:00.005-05:00

Apparently I've had zombies on the brain for the last few days. I had a dream last night that I had to fight off the zombie attack with nothing more than a broad sword and the help of Donald Duck. I swear I was doing no drugs before I went to bed...I have no idea where Donald came from. Also, it's sadly not the first time I've had that dream!

On a side note -- Donald Duck sucks at killing zombies. His height is an advantage to eluding zombies, but does tend to decrease his accuracy at acheiving proper zombie kill shots (he has to shot them in the knees then the head, not very practical).

Apparently, in my dream state zombie dream world there are no rules. The dead rise, robots are on the side of the zombies, cats lay with dogs, and cartoon characters have joined the fight to stop the revolt. Yeah, there were robots too...and some pretty witty dialogue if I remember correctly. I'm pretty sure if I cold rememebr all my jacked up dreams I would be able to pull a killer movie out of the ramblings. Or, at least a good graphic novel.

Not to toot my own horn...but I have some awesome freaking dreams. Maybe I should keep a note pad near my bed, or a tape recorder to save these nuggets of awesomeness. If you are into dream analysis I beg you to tell me what this is all about. The big book of dreams I got at Boarders about 10 years ago covers 10,000 dreams and nothing comes close to covering this one!!

Nutter Radio -- the follow up

2011-03-26T17:25:00.002-05:00

This is the first time I am actively setting time aside to listen to Coast to Coast AM. I usually find it on the way home...or when my Pandora app doesn't want to work (iHeartRadio also a fine app). But, for tonight...I am eagerly waiting for my Coast to Coast AM Show.

What topic has be all excited? Aliens...nope! Economics...nope! Ghosts...Nope! The answer is politics. That's right politics....with a twist.

Vote or Die! or could it be
Die and Vote!

Zombies baby...zombies!

Tonight on Coast to Coast AM...the ramifications of the coming zombie Apocalypse on world government. Specifically, what if they get organized and take control of government. Awe--wait for it--SOME!!!

Apparently there have been some "serious" studies that have been done on the subject that have dealt with the ramifications of the dead returning to this world and possibly holding a majority vote advantage over the living.

This may be the finest few hours of radio EVER broadcast. Forget "War of the Worlds", forget charity concerts, politics in a world over populated by zombies = best ever!

For a good read check out this pdf file that, a few years back, was up on the University of Florida's website. It lays out the student guidelines for a zombie outbreak on campus. It has all the important info: where to go, how and when classes would be cancelled. Most important of all it answers the age old questions of, "When does it become acceptable to kill you teacher/roommate?". All around good info to have!

Nutter Radio

2011-03-26T11:05:00.004-05:00

God Bless AM radio!!

AM radio...especially late night AM radio is by far the best form of free entertainment. Nothing beats a no holds barred call in show that is on at like 12:30-4:00am. This is when you can hear what the "local expert" has to say about everything from: your favorite sports teams, to the hot political debate of the day.

Then you have my personal favorite of all late night programs: Coast to Coast AM with your host George Noory Never has there been a finer collection of crack-pot theories, absolute wack-jobs and truly interesting discussions.

On the show you will hear "experts" talk about everything from the global impact of the Gulf Oil Spill and the Japanese Tsunami to UFO sightings, Ghost hunting and Mayan doomsday predictions. Then you get a few hours of callers either on topic or calling in on the "Wild Card Line" where anything goes!!

The best part of the show is that George is the most even keeled, honest, respectful host I have ever heard. I really don't know how much of the topics on the show that he personally believe. But, he has never talked down to a guest or caller, belittled a point of view, or laughed at someone.

What really gets me laughing is that out here in Phoenix he is on 550am KFYI (a Fox radio station). The slogan for KFYI is "Fair and balanced"....I guess there is some truth in advertising. At least George fits that bill. Not sure if the same can be said for Michael Savage, Rush Limbaugh or most of the other show hosts!

Keep going George. I love the fact that one day I am sitting in my car mocking and laughing at people's crazy ass stories. I said that George never mocks...I on the other hand mock the crap out of most of these people! The next day I am amazed at what I am actually learning. Either way I remember what is said...and that's the mark of a good entertainer.

The Times They Are a Changin'

2011-03-25T11:34:00.008-05:00

Pretty sure Bob Dylan never saw this one coming....

Libyan plane destroyed by French jet

I can fondly remember a time, just a few months ago, when the French were simply a bunch of "cheese eating surrender monkeys" (thank you Simpson's for forever etching that phrase into my mind!) Now they are bona fide warriors...striking fear (or at least mild confusion) into the hearts of the Libyan Air Force.

Which brings up another thought.... Was I the only one shocked to find out that Libya had an Air Force?

I know, I know, I'm not all that up-to-date on the status of other countries armed forces. But, for some reason that kind of shocked me.

Maybe it has something to do with the news reports that showed Libyan rebels who were heading to the front lines and didn't even know how to load their guns!! I get the fact that those are rebels with found guns. Essentially, the modern day equivalent of a peasant uprising with pitchforks. Still, that's kinda of sad, it also colours my view of their actual armed forces.

Now, I'm not a big gun nut but let's face it. How hard is it to figure out that you need to slide the clip with the bullets into the gun from the large hole in the bottom of the grip. I'd say that's something that really needs to be worked out before you jump into your ass old Toyota and head to the front lines!

That's almost as funny to me as the report a month or so back where Chinese State television used a clip from the movie Top Gun and claimed it was news footage of their Air Force doing practice maneuvers. Pay no attention to the fact that their 2011 Air Force was made up of 80's era F-14a Tomcats and 80's era Soviet MiG-28 fighters! (those are just details).

I don't point these things out to make light of what is a very serious situation in Libya...but it does make you step back and realize that there are people out there who have issues that may or may not far out weigh you and your problems.

Slow down, you move to fast!

2011-03-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

I never realized how much I enjoyed going to the gym! I try to go a few times a week. Usually after work around 12:30am. It wasn't until the other day that I realized how much I must really enjoy going to work out in the late night hours.

How excited was I? Well....I'm glad you asked.

I was so excited that I got to have a personal chat with a friendly Arizona DPS officer after he pulled me over for speeding!

Apparently I was traveling at about 75mph in a 65mph zone. Now, I will be the first to admit that I was going above the posted speed limit. But, I really don't think that I was tooling along at 75! But, who am I to argue with "The Man"!??

So now thanks to my over eagerness to get to the gym, and the first DPS officer I have seen on that stretch of road in two years, I get the joy of attending traffic school for the first time since about 1998. On the bright side things have changed since last I selected to attend this type of schooling!

1-It's no longer an 8 hour class (thank God)
2-It can now be completed in 4 hours via the internet
3-I have the option of attending the class via The Improv (comedy traffic school...hell yes!)

So I now have to block out 4 hours to sit back relax and pretend to (re)learn stuff I already know. They claim that they have never had anyone fail the quiz...so that's a plus.

Oh, and I get to spend $164 for the privilege.

Work from Home....

2011-03-22T13:00:00.003-05:00

So, I may have the opportunity to start working from home in the near future. But, I am a little unsure about if I want to make this kind of change!?

I'm a big fan of Pro -vs- Con so I thought I'd just put this out there as a list.

Work from Home PRO's:

No travel time means more time to sleep!
No travel distance means less money spent on gas!
Working from home means No Dress Code (take that one how you want!)
During the summer I can go to my parents house less than a mile away to take a swim on my lunch hour!
During the summer, and other times really, I can go to the Gym during my lunch hour rather than having to go when i get off work at 12:30am!
Probably would spend a lot less on food since I wouldn't find myself eating a few meals a week out!

Work from Home CON's:

Wouldn't get face to face time with leadership and coach's.
Wouldn't get to see work peeps with the exception of once a month
When the dog barks he may not stop for a LONG time.
Would really need to invest a little money in office furniture type objects...like a desk, chair, Cat 6 cable to connect to internet!
Seems that work from home computers have a tendency to get "buggy" and I already get frustrated enough when my desktop goes down!

Everyone who works from home seems to love it. There is almost never a request to return from work at home to working back in the office. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do or what to look for if I do decide to take the leap and request the move home?

Jessie J -- Do It Like a Dude, Price Tag (feat. B.O.B)

2011-03-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Last round of video's for the day...may just start a week of videos for fun next month!!

Tinie Tempah feat Ellie Goulding -- Wonderman

2011-03-21T12:01:00.001-05:00

Noah and the Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

2011-03-21T11:30:00.001-05:00

Skepta -- Amnesia

2011-03-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Wretch 32 -- Traktor

2011-03-21T10:30:00.001-05:00

New (to me) Artists

2011-03-21T10:11:00.008-05:00

So thanks in equal parts to my sister and BBC radio 1 I am now hooked on a host of new bands. The Script, Skepta, Wretch 32, Noah & the Whale just to name a few.

There is always a pro and con to situations like this.

Pro: New music to listen to!!
Con: Not a lot of the music is available in the states if they are just big overseas!
Pro: If you like the new stuff there is usually a back log of old albums to listen to
Con: Not a lot of the old stuff is available in the states! (Pattern)

In these cases the are a few avenues to turn to...you can download the music from an illegal source (BOO!!!) or you can turn your hard earn money over to Amazon.co.uk (Yeah) or you can fire up the Pandora Radio and Sirius app (both good options).

As of right now I was able to buy the Script and all three Noah and the Whale albums at the local record store--Winning! I was able to legally download a few of the choice tracks I was looking for--Winning! I have new Pandora stations set up for Noah and the Whale and Skepta!! But, I still can't get my hands actually on a CD for Wretch 32 (which is because album isn't out).

I had a chance a few weeks back to pick up a copy of Noah and the Whale's "Peaceful, the Wold Lays me Down" at a used book store. But, at the time I had no clue who they were!! I only remember because my sister was talking about them and lets face it...the name will stick with you! Lucky for me I was able to find the albums the other day at Zia Records.

For now I will just have to live with Pandora, BBC1 and a handful of songs!! My current favs for those guys are:

Skepta (feat Diddy Dirty Money) -- Hello, Good Morning (Grime remix)

Skepta -- Rescue Me

Skepta -- Amnesia

Wretch 32 -- Traktor
Noah and the Whale -- L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N

other favs that you may want to keep an ear out for are:

Jessie J (feat. B.O.B) -- Price Tag
Jessie J -- Do it like a Dude
Katy Perry (feat. Tinie Tempah) -- E.T. (remix)
Tinie Tempah (feat. Ellie Goulding) -- Wonderman
Twista (feat. Chrs Brown) -- Make a Movie ...Just the other day I was wondering "What the heck is Twista doing right now?"

There are also two songs that I am kinda ashamed to admit that I like...but what else is the Internet for other than making bold crazy statements and professions of like/love!? Those two songs are:

Willow Smith (feat. Tinie Tempah) -- Whip My Hair .... seriously, I have no right liking this song!
Brittney Spears (feat. Flo Rida) -- Hold it Against Me

Both songs I attribute to the featuring artist that helps pull me in...even though I am not really a fan of Flo Rida. But, Tinie will get me to listen to any track. I mean come on, I listened to Willow Smith!!

Best Job Ever (pt2)

2011-03-19T11:52:00.006-05:00

Just a follow up thought...

Wonder if Shigeo Takuda has missed anytime at work due to the quake and tsunami? Or if he has powered through and kept his job going.

Because remember Mr Takuda...if you don't go to work...the terrorists win! (terrorists...mother nature...whomever!)

Best Job Ever...

2011-03-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Remember....Respect your Elders.

They may just be secret Japanese porn stars! Seriously, you can't make this stuff up! I

According to a LA Times story by John M. Glionna, "For years, a Tokyo grandfather kept a dirty little secret from his family. Longtime travel agent Shigeo Tokuda, who resembles countless older men who ride the Tokyo subway each day, admitted to his wife and daughter that he sometimes performed cameos in small-budget films."

By far my favorite part of the story is a quote by Tokuda which states, "I'm a role model for a lot of men...I do my best."

Bravo to you sir! Don't let the strict culture and ageism of today keep you from doing what you love. (even if that is much MUCH younger girls!)

It's stories like this that make me think about revisiting a few past favorites of the blog.

Crazy story of the week/Dumb Criminal activity and Douchebag of the Week. May have to give it some serious thought.

Crazy unproductive...

2011-03-17T21:13:00.004-05:00

Best part of not doing a NCAA March Madness bracket...being able to enjoy the crazy upsets and random stories of the tourney.

In the past I've gone a little crazy with March Madness. Well...crazy is a relative term I guess. I would go so far as to say that at one point I may have been closing in on Charlie Sheen levels of crazy. Granted that was college and what else is a guy going to do but fill out like 40 different brackets between classes, friends, online, family, coworkers, friends of friends...etc! It was out of control.

But, over the last few years I have narrowed it down to maybe 1 bracket if I find the time (1-2min) to fill it out online. Thankfully that has allowed me to be able to enjoy the last few years of games without having a aneurysm when there is an upset that will knock me out of the money round somewhere. Believe me, when you do upwards of 20 brackets at a time....every game has the ability to "take you out of the money".

This year has already been marked by a few upsets...most notably being Louisville losing in the first round. Which did kill the one bracket that I was doing! But, lucky for me it was on Facebook and there was no money involved.

You know what else comes with no bracket? More time spent working and less time spent watching ESPN score tracker or CBSsportsline.com!! The most time I will lose to the tournament this year will be on my days off and the one half day of work I put in for so that I could watch Illinois play tomorrow!

I-L-L I-N-I

Go orange and blue!!

(untitled)

2011-03-17T11:00:00.001-05:00

I got a moment to ponder things last night at work. Seems people finally decided that late night wasn't the right time to be calling a customer service oriented job. Fingers crossed that the same goes for today with people getting drunk/lucky or both!!

What I got to thinking was the following...God I'm glad I have an unlimited data plan with my iPhone. While spending most of the day listening to Pandora Internet Radio, then most of the night watching episodes of Man-Vs-Food and Futurama on my phone I realized that if I was tied down to a set limit of 2gb I would be going broke pretty damn fast!

Which leads to to another problem for down the road...cell plans for while I am in Europe later this year. I know that I can purchase international minutes and an international roaming plan. But, I live on the web with my phone. I text and play games, listen to music and watch movies. All using a data plan that I won't be able to use for the 10 days I am out of country.

So, I guess my options are try to curtail my data usage as we get closer to travel time. Or, and this may not be a smart idea, try to go cold turkey! Once I'm out of the country I'm off the web with the exception of at the hotel or Wi-Fi hot spot!

While cold turkey can be fine. It can also cause more problems then it's worth. Case in point when I tried to stop drinking caffeine cold turkey (not that data usage and a substance dependency is the same) but I ended up sick for a few days and just gave in and chugged a Dew and drank some coffee. Falling off the cold turkey wagon in this case could lead to a cell phone bill that only teenagers have achieved before!

I know I don't want to leave my phone at home and just pick up a European burner! I can only imagine how much fun that would be!

Long story short...I love my unlimited data and if AT&T ever decides that I am no longer "grandfather" eligible and have pay for a data tier I'll probably bitch and moan and consider changing carriers (but probably won't). Until then I will enjoy my unlimited data during a month where I use close to 12gb of data!! Thanks in small part to MLB2011, Netflix, Pandora, Sirius and a host of games!

App addiction

2011-03-16T22:20:00.000-05:00

I am always amazed at the price of apps in the iTunes app store! There is always that one app that is like $999 and does essentially nothing. But, somehow got approved by the Apple App deptartment. I always see those as the great in joke around the Apple office.

Employee 1: "Let's see what the most over priced piece of crap is that we can push out and actually have someone buy."
Employee 2: "Yeah, useless and at a price point that people will have to believe it's awesome. How about just under $1000...let's say $999!!"
#1: "Awesome, I just made the first one!!"

That's the only way I can justify some of the crappy apps I have seen in the past. Essentially my phone is filled with a ton of free apps and only a handful of things that I have paid for. There is a large grouping of games that were all purchased for $.99 with the most expensive one being the $4.99 I spent on Press Your Luck.

Year in and year out though there is one app that is worth it's weight in gold, MLB's "At Bat" app is a steal at $14.99

For the year you will get every home and away radio broadcast, news, video highlights, the occasional free MLB.TV game. Every displaced home fan should look into this app. The only down side is that if you listten to multiple games a week or if you watch one of the free games/videos then you can chew through your data plan pretty quick!

Pretty damn awesome though if you have unlimited data and a need to listen to every Cubs radio broadcast during the regular season and spring training.

Robin Hood -- A look back

2011-03-15T21:36:00.002-05:00

So, if you've looked over some of my old posts you will realize that I am a huge fan of all things BBC. Especially their dramas.

MI:5, Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes, Dr. Who, Primeval, Chris Ryan's Strikeback, and of course Robin Hood.

BBC Dramas for some reason just seem to have better acting, better story telling, and a much cleaner look than their American cousins (some being Bastard cousins in the case of the Life on Mars remake). Not sure if you can attribute that to a severely reduced number of episodes per "series" or the fact that in many cases you don't have a team of writes kicking out stories, but rather one or two really good writers who can craft a series' arc and development.

Robin Hood is a great example. With three series and only 40 episodes the show accomplished pulling off a sweeping tale of intrigue in what would amount to not even two full US seasons. The best part was there were still stories to tell. But, thanks to the lead actor Jonas Armstrong wanting to branch out and do other projects it was ended after three series with a rather unique spin on the Robin Hood tale.

That got me thinking what are some of my favorite band of merry men doing with their post RH acting careers?

Jonas Armstrong -- Robin Hood -- Wanted to end the series so he could focus on other projects. According to IMDB there haven't been a whole lot of others since Robin Hood ended in 2009. He has done the Clive Barker film "Book of Blood" which was pretty good for what it was. 3 episodes of the show The Street, and two movies one in post production and one in pre production. So, right now it looks like that next big project hasn't come.

Sam Troughton -- Much -- Sadly, nothing since Robin Hood ended. But, if you need a fix you can always pick up movies like Vera Drake and Alien -Vs- Predator or Messiah: The Promise, a mini-series that is a personal favorite of mine,

Gordon Kennedy -- Little John -- Again not a whole lot. According to IMDB Gordon has done a handful on one off appearances in TV shows like Skins and Doctors. Plus, he has a TV movie Red Faction: Origins in pre-production that will also star T2 star Robert Patrick and one of my favorite people on the planet -- Gareth David-Lloyd (Ianto from Torchwood)

Joe Armstrong -- Alan A Dale -- I know it's only been two years since the show ended but this seems to be a trend amongst the cast....only a few TV guest spots. The most notable of which is an appearance on Hustle sometime this year.

Richard Armitage -- Guy of Gisborne -- Hands down the best post Robin Hood career of anyone in the cast. 25 episodes of MI-5, 6 episodes of Strikeback (with a 2nd series being ordered). Plus his movie career looks to be in pretty good shape since he is going to be in Captain America: The First Avenger and the two film adaptation of The Hobbit. Gotta say things look pretty good for Guy.

Lucy Griffith (Marion), Keith Allen (The Sheriff), and Harry Lloyd (Wil Scarlett) all have series appearances under their belt with Harry Lloyd being the only one with a "regular" appearance with 5 episodes of Taking the Flak.

All in all the post Robin Hood haze seems to have cleared with Richard Armitage being the clear cut winner! It's sad though since I loved the group as a whole...oh!! lets not forget Anjali Jay (Djaq) who only has one episode of a show called the Fixer. :-(

Uncle Charlie

2011-03-14T11:51:00.002-05:00

Sorry kids, I have some bad news to tell you. Are you sitting down? Good....

Uncle Charlie has gone crazy!

Now I know, you thought he was just a little strange, eccentric maybe. What with his cocaine and hooker fixation. But now he has gone over to a new level of crazy. I'd say I have to add a new level to my current scale of crazy.

As it sits the scale is as follows (from Lowest level to Highest):

Slightly off-- Run of the mill everyday insanity. Example: job has you frantic, kids won't shut up, life seems to be ganging up on you.

Nuts-- A little more than slightly off...there may actually be some emotional issues at play here. Example: these are the people who claim to talk to aliens, see portals to other worlds, and generally creep you out when you see them talking to themselves in public

Crazy-- Here you have serious lapses in judgement. Usually followed by a period of "normal" activity. Example: Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson and most other celebrities.

Nic Cage Bat Shit Crazy-- Not actually saying that Mr. Cage is crazy...but he does play a crazy person in the movies...and rather well too! Example: Gone in 60 Seconds, Snake Eyes....pretty much anything done in the last 15 years!

That is where the chart used to cut off. But, now...thanks to Uncle Charlie we have added a new level. Bat Shit Nic Cage Crazy is no longer the gold standard. Now I unveil....(Drum roll please.....)

Charlie "Tiger Blood" Sheen out of your fucking mind, Mel Gibson is thankful he isn't you, Balls Ass Crazy!!! -- This is some next level shit! Example: Charlie "Tiger Blood, Adonis DNA, Winning, Warlock, Vatican Assassin" Sheen. Granted I may need to find a shorter title or an abbreviation for this one as it doesn't roll of the tongue quite as nice as Nic Cage Bat Shit Crazy does..

Hopefully Uncle Charlie gets his act together before he ends up another tragic Hollywood footnote like John Belushi, James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. There is still hope though that he could come out on the other side of this thing like only a handful really have. This is very similar to the start of the road that Robert Downey Jr. was heading down about 11 years ago! Fingers crossed!!

On a side note if you are enthralled by all things Charlie Sheen you can catch him on the road! That's right... Charlie is taking his show on the road! "My Violent Torpedo of Truth / Defeat Is Not an Option Show." Opens with a show in Detroit and one in Chicago and possible future dates TBD. Sign up now if in the area $35 gets you a ringside seat to this three ring circus/train wreck!!

Reading list...

2011-03-12T11:45:00.000-06:00

Take a Look, it's in a Book...
Reading Rainbow.

I really need to read more! Just noticed that I haven't really read a book in while. The last being "Heat Wave" by Richard Castle. Yes, that Richard Castle (aka: Nathan Fillion, aka: a novel tie in to a tv show)!

While Heat Wave was a fun read it wasn't very much of a challenge. It essentially was an extension of the series. Which means it was dead on target! Some of the gags and situations were lifted right from season one. Which makes sense since Castle was shadowing Det. Beckett during the time leading up to the book! So, it pays off on what I thought it would be.

Before Heat Wave the last book I read was "Assholes Finish First" by Tucker Max. While funny, it was a re-hash of the same stuff that appeared in his first book, "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell". Granted there were some truely funny moments I kinda of lost interest by the end of the book.

Other titles in the last year are a collection of novels based on the TV show 24 and Dr. Who. So, what I am trying to say is that I need some substance in my reading life! I have a copy of Chuck Klosterman's "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs" just mocking me. A biography of Gram Parsons that has been screaming to be read for about 2 years now. A few Christopher Moore books tha I still haven't finished ("Coyote Blue" and "Fluke") and a novel by Jimmy Carter called "The Hornet's Nest" that I bought right when it came out in 2003!

The moral of the story so far is that I suck at finding time to read!

I have a ton of recomendations for books and authors to read: Dave Eggers, Nick Hornsby, more Klosterman, and a second Richard Castle novel!! The sad fact is that I just don't find the time to sit and relax with a book. Usually, relaxing at my house involves TV shows that have been on my DVR for months, a movie, or a drive around town.

I think I need to find an excuse to read more. Or maybe I should channel my reading in another direction...how about learning another language? Nah, not worth my time...three days in Paris isn't enough of a reason to learn French!

Childhood memories

2011-03-11T00:02:00.000-06:00

Watching Community the other day got me thinking about Reading Rainbow (Levar Burton is awesome) and a few of my other childhood memories. Some things and people, outside of your immediate family, have a lasting impressino on you. Some of my childhood favorites are....

Levar Burton -- Don't listen to the kids who taunted you for liking Star Trek the Next Generation. Just blame in on an extension of the awesomeness that was the long running show Reading Rainbow. Levar Burton made reading cool. Whenever this show came on as a youth you knew it was time to have fun, learn something, have fun, uh...and have fun. Kids shows didn't get a whole lot cooler than this. PBS back in the day was a goldmine of great children's programming. Seems sad that we may soon have a generation of kids who don't know what public broadcasting (on a national level) is. If it wasn't for PBS I wouldnt' be the person I am today, a friendly guy who loves reading and enjoys the comedy of Monty Python and Are You Being Served. Yeah, PBS did that and Levar Burton helped!

Fred Rogers -- That's Mr. Rogers to you!! Remember when you were a kid and all that mattered was getting up, watching some cartoons, playing with friends and finding out what was going on in this man's neighborhood? It was a simpler time. Even to this day I have to smile when I seem some random old man in a red sweater. Mr. Rogers was not only a role model for kids to look up to he was the kind of guy who was a role model to all types (and ages) of people, Next time you are in your local book store look for the books that have the wisdom of Mr. Rogers. There is still a great deal he can teach you about being a grown up, or for finding the kid still inside us all.

OG Readmore -- Yeah that just happened. Not sure why he makes the list. As Saturday Morning Cartoon PSA spokesmen go I think he ranks well below Smokey Bear and...well...I can't really think of another one! But, I still love this book loving nautical cat. I seriously almost went as OG to a Halloween party a few years back. But, after further thought realized that I would spend most of the night trying to get people to figure out a costume for a character that I probably have no right remembering myself. So I think OG Readmore was dumped for just some random O.G.

Bill Cosby -- The man was America's dad for god sake! Funny guy, strict dad, devoted husband. Lover of all things jazz and grilled. Bill showed America that just because a family looked different that you...that didn't mean that they were different than you. I'm pretty sure that his comedy and TV dad style rubbed off on my own father. Looking at the picture to the right I would say that if he didn't have that exact sweater in his closet he had it's near clone. Funny without ever being vulgar or degrading, Cosby set the standard for wholesome funny. Even his 8:15 12:15 album which was supposed to have a more adult oriented second disk was tame by today's standards. Not afraid to speak his mind on a host of topics today, Bill remains one of my favorite, non-family, people who have been in my life in some form since I was a youngster.

Bob Ross -- How can you not like a guy who makes painting seem cool. Cool catchphrase "Happy little trees"!! A giant white Afro! The man had it all! Again another product of PBS being a big draw at our house. Still have to watch anytime it's on in re-runs. Sadly, I tend to fall fast asleep every time I watch it. Bob's soothing voice is like a lullaby from my youth!!

The Event

2011-03-10T10:00:00.002-06:00

Well, looks like I may be walking down a familiar path real soon. As I said the other day when talking about The Cape getting pulled by NBC...things unfortunately do not look strong for my other favorite new show, The Event.

According to the Syfy news forum Blastr, " The series returned from its three-month mid-season hiatus with two back-to-back episodes that could only score a 1.4/4 rating, with 5.53 million total vies in the first hour and 4.59 in the second, or a shocking drop of 25 percent."

When will networks learn that what a show NEVER needs is three months off the air when it's trying to find an audience. A week here and there is bad enough to screw with the most loyal watcher of a new show. But, three months off in mid-season is a killer!

Blaster went on to quote show executive producer Evan Katz (who previously worked on Fox's 24) about the down time. "I think the mistake was not starting us in January to begin with. I mean, as a serialized show. It was like, we need to run these episodes straight through."

I agree with Katz. One of the great things about 24 was that once it started it hit the ground running and you knew that, baring a national event, there was going to be no break in episodes. 24 even had the added bonus of running episodes on back-to-back nights to increase the pull.

The Event is a good show, with a great cast. I personally love serialized drama like this.

Another point the Blastr artricle brought up was that DVR numbers are another story for the show. When the last episode aired in November it got an almost 53 percent boost in DVR numbers. I think it's about time the networks realized that the traditional TV view who sits down and watches a show as it airs, on the night it airs has become a thing of the past. The family that sits down around the TV every Monday night at 8pm to watch their favorite show is dead...long live the new king...and that king is the DVR.

Fingers crossed that the network gets the message and waits until all the information is in and doesn't make a knee jerk reaction and cut the order or can The Event all together.

European Bucket List.

2011-03-09T21:34:00.000-06:00

With my impending travel to Europe (you know...where History comes from) I have decided to think about the few things that will be readily available to be added to my to do list. I was thinking of amending my actual bucket list. But, now that travel plans have been made and the actual trips is in sight I feel like that may be cheating. So some of these will be lifted from my original bucket list of a while back, while others will be new and improved. Right now the plan is to visit England, Ireland, France and maybe a few other countries.I think I'll break them up into a few sections. -- submissions are welcomed, encouraged even!

Section I: food and beverage.
1. Drink a pint of Guiness in an actual Irish pub.
2. Slam down some Absinthe in France
3. Fish and Chips in England...possibly from a lunch van..
4. Eat TRADITIONAL Haggis (not from a can)
5. Try at least one traditional dish in each country that I can't get in the states.
6. When possible eat local. Skip eating anywhere that I can find at home (unless desperate and/or broke)

Section II: Locations and events
1. Hit as many nerdy Dr. Who spots as possible...including a trip to Cardiff
2. Some sort of Ripper tour
3. The Louvre
4. Buckingham palace
5. Stonehenge (the greatest henge of them all)
6. South Shields
7. Eiffel Tower
8. Try to find some sort of local concert to go to...up and coming bands or established acts, comedy...whatever!
9. Visit a Castle....check the tapestry! (get it? get it?)

Section III: Unk
-- this is the section that I will leave open for suggestions and late arrivals to my brain!

The Cape....a good show gone wrong.

2011-03-08T22:48:00.000-06:00

Seems like NBC is killing it's super hero drama "The Cape". Which is kind of a bummer for me. I have always had a soft spot for the super hero genre.

It would appear that the exploits of The Cape and his fight against the evil ARC Corporation and it's chairman Peter Flemming AKA: CHESS haven't really caught on with the fans. Some saw the show as a low rent Batman. Other apparently just had no time to give to a new show that never really developed its footing right off the bat.

For those who may have skipped the show the premise goes a little something like this.

Former cop Vince Faraday (David Lyons), after being framed as the evil genius Chess, takes matters into his own hands to bring down ARC and win back his family who think he's dead. In a world of crazy comic book bad guys the only thing Vince can do to regain his good name (and family) is to become his son Trip's favorite comic book hero....The Cape. With the guidance of Orwell (the always lovely Summer Glau) and the aide of the Carnival of Crime, Ringleader- Max Malini (Keith David), midget strongman- Rollo (Martin Klebba), acrobat- Raia (Izabella Miko) and hypnotist- Ruvi (Anil Kumar). Vince fights the good fight to bring the coruption in Palm City down to a resonable level and hopefully expose Peter Flemming (James Frain) and the ruthless psycho that he truely is.

Throw in Vinnie Jones, Richard Schiff, and other guest stars it was starting to shape up to be a fun show.

Viewers knew the end was near when NBC decided to cut the season order of episodes from 13 down to 10. Then came word that the final episode of the season (series?) probably won't even air. Seems NBC has decided to run the final episode as a special event...online only. While no official word has been given yet if that final episode with wrap the story up or leave viewers hanging....I'm not holding my breath. This is the reason I don't like to get too invested in new shows. I gave this a shot since it seemed like a fun concept, had Summer Glau, was getting a good deal of publicity on the run up and oh yeah...it wasn't gonna be on FOX!

Now I just need to cross my fingers that my other favorite new show doesn't get canned early. Bring on the return of The Event!

Spring training 2011

2011-03-07T02:52:00.000-06:00

Below are a selection of the photos that I took at the Cubs vs. Dodgers game on 3/6/11. Tickets were gifted to me through Steve's Dream. If you are looking for a great and unique charity to donate to I would highly encourage you to check out their website for more information on what they do and how you can help.

View from our seats!!

It was close...but he was safe at third.

So glad to see Kid K back in Cubbie blue.

Matt Garza, Mike Quade, Ryan Dempster

Game winning HR in the bottom of the 10th.

Len and Bob with my cousin and her friend. Two great guys.

Len and Bob working the 10th inning post game show.

Celebration after the walk off!

More Baseball...

2011-03-06T11:00:00.000-06:00

So last Sunday I was "forced" to endure the opening game of spring training for the Cubs. They lost to Oakland which sucked. But, on the bright side I did get to spend time with good people and have a few Old Styles so the crappy game was washed out by beer and company!

Now this Sunday I am again finding myself forced into attending another Cubs game! Needless to say my life has hit a bit of a rough patch right now. Come to think of it...this is what I will be doing next Sunday too!

Maybe I will find some time to upload some of the pictures I took last week...and the shots I will be taking today. We'll see.

Life is good. Go Cubs -- Next year is here.

Um...what?

2011-03-05T12:00:00.005-06:00

Saw this on Amazon...Um....What?

Could you have choosen a stranger picture?

Random Quotes on/about Baseball...

2011-03-04T20:19:00.000-06:00

I feel safe in saying that the MLB season has officially started. Pitchers and catchers have reported. Games have been played. My dad has tickets to the All-Star Game (and Weekly activities). So with that in mind I started to think about great quotes about Baseball, from baseball players, or just referencing baseball.

Here are my personal favorites.

"How did that conversation go from you talking about your vibrator, to him talking about baseball?" -- Yours truly (very proud of this one!)

"I'm too much speed in my mouth!" -- Ricky Henderson, on why he says the crazy things his does.

"The day I become a good loser, I'm quitting baseball. I always had a temper. I think it's nothing to be ashamed of. If you know how to use it, it can help. Temper is something the good Lord gave me and I can't just throw it out the window." - Billy Martin in the Sporting News (10/26/1968)

For the next few they are all the gems of a great man. Catcher and quote machine Yogi Berra:

"All pitchers are liars or crybabies."
"Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours."
"I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did."
"Baseball is ninety percent mental, the other half is physical."
"Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded."
"So I'm ugly. So What? I never saw anyone hit with his face."

Move quotes about baseball:

A good friend of mine used to say, 'This is a very simple game. You throw the ball, you catch the ball, you hit the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.' Think about that for a while." -- Bull Durham

"There are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary. And there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance." -- Bull Durham

"The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good, and what could be again" -- Field of Dreams

Serrano: "Ahh, Jesus, I like him very much, but He no help with curveball." .
Haris: "Are you trying to say Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?"" -- Major League

Needless to say....I am so glad it's baseball season again! Go Cubs!

Thundercats....Hoooooo!

2011-03-03T12:00:00.001-06:00

One of my all time favorite childhood cartoons is getting the reboot treatment. Thundercats is coming back, but this isn't your mid 1980's Saturday morning cartoon!

From what I can find on the internet it's the same basic story with a little darker feel! It's still going to be aimed at young kids (can't miss out on the toy market!)...but will have a little more depth than it's 80's predecessor.

The first official images have been released by the studio and you can see that there is a stark change in the look of Lion-O. Seems he's slimmed down since his last TV appearance. Panthro looks a little meaner, Cheetara is also a little sleeker and Tygra looks pretty much the same. The only bad news, in my opinion, to come out of the reboot stories is that while Snarf will probably be in the series...he will be mute. So no witty remarks and quips and no "Snarf Snarf". Essentially they have removed the JarJar Binks factor from the new series. It's kinda bums be out since I was a big fan of Snarf!

Looking back on the original it has lost some of it's luster. It wasn't until just a few years ago that I rewatched some of those old episodes. While still fun, they don't really hold up. Mostly, it's the voice work that kinda killed it for me. Panthro was too dull, Lion-O had no depth, Snarf -- was AWESOME though! Just kidding. It is actually the childhood standard bearer for disappointment for me! If I watch a favorite childhood show or movie and it doesn't match my memories I say it suffers from "Thundercats Syndrome". Another example of that is the Disney movie "The Black Hole"...really not good!

Here's what the gang looked like back in the 80's. So you can see there has been a changing of the guard in looks. The older HeMan like look has been replaced with a more Anime style look for Lion-O and friends.

Still no word that I can find on if Wily-Kit and Wily-Kat will be in the series. Damn kids were always getting in trouble!!

So fond memories of the original are leading the way for me to get sucked into the new series. All I can hope is that they decide to give Snarf his due and let the best character in the whole show shine like he should. Heck, the show was going to be called Snarf and Friends .... but people thought it was too close to Smurf (really!...no not really!...really!....nope)

Cartoon Network will be airing the new series which is a collaboration between Warner Brothers Animation and Studio4c of Japan.