I am amazed on a daily basis how much Owen has grown up in the past 21 months.
It seems like yesterday I was up with him in the middle of the night feeding him his bottle while “Hey Ya” played on MTV. Now he is climbing up the stairs to his bedroom when it’s time for bed and barely putting up a fight with the sandman.
Sometimes when we are in the back yard playing I will just sit back and watch him as he discovers the world around him. He is learning everyday something new, something unique.
He knows he likes the sound his voice makes when he screams in the garage.
He loves the hollow sound the fence pole makes when he hits it with a whiffle ball bat.
He chases bubbles like each one is as precious as a diamond.
He is still trying to decide if he likes grass or not.
He has discovered that the world looks a little different when you lean forward and look backward and upside down between your legs.
He is still working on the mystery of what liquid is coming out from underneath Hoagie.
He knows that balls bounce differently when they are actually filled with air, and that they bounce differently on the concrete than on the grass.
Rocks make good projectiles.
Bikes are not for riding they are just big Tonka trucks to be pushed around.
And that falling on concrete requires a follow up “uh-oh.”
Dad is learning too. He’s learning that life is so much better with this little guy around.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Friday, April 15, 2005
The 3-Point Defense
A few weeks ago there was an article written by Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe decrying the 3-point line as too easy a shot and that the line should be moved back.
All of this after one of the greatest weekends of basketball in the NCAA tournament with 3 of the regional finals going into overtime.
Ryan argues that the distance is too short and that the reward is not commensurate with the achievement. Well if that’s the case the whole freakin floor should be covered with spots and lines like the basketball floor in an MTV Rock and Jock basketball game. 7 point spot just past half court, a 1 point shot for a layup, a 4 point shot from the deep corner just behind the basket. How does that sound?
The fact is is that the 3-point line is not an easy shot. It actually requires skill to shoot.
Ryan suggests that any goof with a basketball can hit the rim at 19 feet 9 inches (where the line currently exists), and I argue that any goof can stand at the NBA line (23 feet 9 inches) and can hit the rim from there too, but it’s not about hitting the rim, it’s about making the shot.
There is a big difference between the NBA line and the 3 point line (4 feet). But there is an even bigger difference between the 3 point college line and a layup (about 18 feet). So if you want to start tinkering and changing the game then I feel that there should be an arc at 2 feet 9 inches that is a 1 point shot and anything inside that is worth 1.
Sound absurd?
Yep, it’s just like saying that the 3-point line is too close.
Ryan uses Sean May’s 29 points in the regional final (without shootng a 3) against Wisconsin as an example of how the game should be played and how it was artistry to watch him maneuver in the low post.
Oh please.
Did May have an awesome game? Hell yes. Is he unstoppable in the post? Hell yes, but what Ryan fails to mention is that North Carolina had balance, and that they were able to spread the floor with . . . ya ta da da . . . the 3 point line. Yes, if it hadn’t been for the 3 point line, Wisconsin could have collapsed in on May with 4 people and he may have scored 10 instead of 29. The 3 point line causes the defense to loosen up. Weak side defenders can’t float into the middle of the lane for help side defense, cause if they do May would have done what he did to Illinois and kick it cross court to McCants for a 3 pointer.
Also take WVU as a perfect example. Look at their offense. They shoot a ton of 3’s, but they also get a ton of layups. “How do they do that?” You may ask. It’s because with the 3 point line they are able to expand the defense, create driving lanes and unclog the middle of the floor for beautiful back doors and curl cuts to the basket.
Move the line back? If you do it would the same thing as having no line. If teams are shooting around 38% (and that’s pretty good) at the current line then I would bet that the percentage would drop to 25% or lower at the NBA line. Do you think I am coming out to guard a shot out there? No way, I will pack it in and get the rebound. Say good bye to the quality of the low post play.
Ryan says the midrange jump shot has disappeared, post play is nearly extinct, and that the 3-point line is a glorified free throw.
Oh no, is the sky falling too?
The reality is is that college basketball is as popular as ever (the same can’t be said for the NBA) and the game has changed with the 3 pointer, no doubt about that, but the change has been for the better. Plus, I find it difficult to argue with a part of the game that rewards a player for shooting the ball well.
The game is fine the way it is. The line is perfect where it is. Don’t change it.
Plus my last and best argument: Who would ever want to do something like the NBA anyway?
All of this after one of the greatest weekends of basketball in the NCAA tournament with 3 of the regional finals going into overtime.
Ryan argues that the distance is too short and that the reward is not commensurate with the achievement. Well if that’s the case the whole freakin floor should be covered with spots and lines like the basketball floor in an MTV Rock and Jock basketball game. 7 point spot just past half court, a 1 point shot for a layup, a 4 point shot from the deep corner just behind the basket. How does that sound?
The fact is is that the 3-point line is not an easy shot. It actually requires skill to shoot.
Ryan suggests that any goof with a basketball can hit the rim at 19 feet 9 inches (where the line currently exists), and I argue that any goof can stand at the NBA line (23 feet 9 inches) and can hit the rim from there too, but it’s not about hitting the rim, it’s about making the shot.
There is a big difference between the NBA line and the 3 point line (4 feet). But there is an even bigger difference between the 3 point college line and a layup (about 18 feet). So if you want to start tinkering and changing the game then I feel that there should be an arc at 2 feet 9 inches that is a 1 point shot and anything inside that is worth 1.
Sound absurd?
Yep, it’s just like saying that the 3-point line is too close.
Ryan uses Sean May’s 29 points in the regional final (without shootng a 3) against Wisconsin as an example of how the game should be played and how it was artistry to watch him maneuver in the low post.
Oh please.
Did May have an awesome game? Hell yes. Is he unstoppable in the post? Hell yes, but what Ryan fails to mention is that North Carolina had balance, and that they were able to spread the floor with . . . ya ta da da . . . the 3 point line. Yes, if it hadn’t been for the 3 point line, Wisconsin could have collapsed in on May with 4 people and he may have scored 10 instead of 29. The 3 point line causes the defense to loosen up. Weak side defenders can’t float into the middle of the lane for help side defense, cause if they do May would have done what he did to Illinois and kick it cross court to McCants for a 3 pointer.
Also take WVU as a perfect example. Look at their offense. They shoot a ton of 3’s, but they also get a ton of layups. “How do they do that?” You may ask. It’s because with the 3 point line they are able to expand the defense, create driving lanes and unclog the middle of the floor for beautiful back doors and curl cuts to the basket.
Move the line back? If you do it would the same thing as having no line. If teams are shooting around 38% (and that’s pretty good) at the current line then I would bet that the percentage would drop to 25% or lower at the NBA line. Do you think I am coming out to guard a shot out there? No way, I will pack it in and get the rebound. Say good bye to the quality of the low post play.
Ryan says the midrange jump shot has disappeared, post play is nearly extinct, and that the 3-point line is a glorified free throw.
Oh no, is the sky falling too?
The reality is is that college basketball is as popular as ever (the same can’t be said for the NBA) and the game has changed with the 3 pointer, no doubt about that, but the change has been for the better. Plus, I find it difficult to argue with a part of the game that rewards a player for shooting the ball well.
The game is fine the way it is. The line is perfect where it is. Don’t change it.
Plus my last and best argument: Who would ever want to do something like the NBA anyway?
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Movie Review #4: Collateral, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius, The Day After Tomorrow, and Mean Creek
More movies to review!
Collateral
Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver who hopes to some day open his own limo company; one night behind the wheel he picks up Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), an attorney working with the federal government who is attractive, friendly, and gives him her business card after paying her fare. Max thinks his luck is getting even better when his next fare, Vincent (Tom Cruise), offers him several hundred dollars in cash if he'll be willing to drop him off, wait, and pick him up at five different spots over the course of the evening. Max agrees, but he soon realizes Vincent isn't just another guy with errands to run — Vincent is an assassin who has been paid to murder five people who could put the leaders of a drug trafficking ring behind bars in an upcoming trial. As circumstances force Max to do Vincent's bidding, the cabbie has to find a way to prevent Vincent from killing again and save his own skin, a task that becomes especially crucial when he discovers Annie is one of the names on Vincent's hit list.
This movie is shot well and keeps you on the edge of your seat from about 10 minutes into the movie till the end. I enjoyed this movie a lot and even liked Tom Cruise as a bad guy. Did Jamie Foxx deserve an Oscar nomination for his performance? Not really, but it was a good movie none the less.
Final Verdict: Suspenseful, with action and a good plot. Not the best movie ever made, but well worth watching. 4 out of 5.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman is set during the 1970s and stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, San Diego's top-rated news anchorman, that and the fact that before I watched this movie my brother Adam told me he and some of his friends from high school could have made a better movie is all you need to know.
Final Verdict: Not funny, I would rather see what Adam, Chris and Chris could come up with.
1 out of 5.
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius
How do you tell a compelling story of someone that never really faced adversity in his life? I don’t know the answer either.
Based on the real-life story of golf legend Bobby Jones, Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius features Jim Caviezel as the highly talented amateur who threw a wrench in the golf world of the mid-'20s. The movie is long, not very captivating and after the first 30 minutes I could see why this movie spent a whole 30 seconds at the theatre before going to DVD.
Final Verdict: If you are having trouble sleeping, put a copy of this in your DVD player. 1 out of 5
The Day After Tomorrow
This mega-budget, special-effects-laden epic revolves around the onset of an international series of crises brought on by the long-term results of the greenhouse effect. At the eye of the storm is paleoclimatologist (huh?) Professor Adrian Hall (Dennis Quaid), who voluntarily takes on the preservation of the world in the dawn of the next ice age and all the disaster that comes along with it -- violent hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, massive floods, etc. Hall must also contact his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in the middle of an academic competition in New York City when the chaos begun. In addition to facing the largest-scale onslaught of natural catastrophes in the history of humankind, Professor Hall, in his journey north, must contend with the masses fleeing south in an attempt to resettle in a warmer climate.
This movie was ok until we got to the part where these computer generated (poorly generated) wolves were attacking Gyllenhaal. It seems like movies like these keep pushing and pushing the limit of believability until they inevitably cross the line.
Final Verdict: Has some good action, some good sequences, I am just glad I didn’t pay $7.50 at the theatre to see this one. If you want to just be a potato and watch some cool special effects (besides the wolves) then give this a try. Not a must see, but not horrible like the 2 above. 2.5 out of 5.
Mean Creek
Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Josh Peck, Trevor Morgan, and Carly Schroeder are teenagers living in small-town Oregon. Some of the boys take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions.
This is one of those small independent films that has a good story, but has you shouting at the screen as some of the choices that the characters make. The characters come off as pretty smart and intelligent, but then act out of character and dumb at the pivotal moment of the film.
Final Verdict: I found this to be good up until the “unexpected consequence” where the characters suddenly act out of character. Once again, not horrible, but not the best either. 2.5 out of 5.
Coming up next reviews of Saved!, Hellboy and the Hulk
Collateral
Max (Jamie Foxx) is a cab driver who hopes to some day open his own limo company; one night behind the wheel he picks up Annie (Jada Pinkett Smith), an attorney working with the federal government who is attractive, friendly, and gives him her business card after paying her fare. Max thinks his luck is getting even better when his next fare, Vincent (Tom Cruise), offers him several hundred dollars in cash if he'll be willing to drop him off, wait, and pick him up at five different spots over the course of the evening. Max agrees, but he soon realizes Vincent isn't just another guy with errands to run — Vincent is an assassin who has been paid to murder five people who could put the leaders of a drug trafficking ring behind bars in an upcoming trial. As circumstances force Max to do Vincent's bidding, the cabbie has to find a way to prevent Vincent from killing again and save his own skin, a task that becomes especially crucial when he discovers Annie is one of the names on Vincent's hit list.
This movie is shot well and keeps you on the edge of your seat from about 10 minutes into the movie till the end. I enjoyed this movie a lot and even liked Tom Cruise as a bad guy. Did Jamie Foxx deserve an Oscar nomination for his performance? Not really, but it was a good movie none the less.
Final Verdict: Suspenseful, with action and a good plot. Not the best movie ever made, but well worth watching. 4 out of 5.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman is set during the 1970s and stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, San Diego's top-rated news anchorman, that and the fact that before I watched this movie my brother Adam told me he and some of his friends from high school could have made a better movie is all you need to know.
Final Verdict: Not funny, I would rather see what Adam, Chris and Chris could come up with.
1 out of 5.
Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius
How do you tell a compelling story of someone that never really faced adversity in his life? I don’t know the answer either.
Based on the real-life story of golf legend Bobby Jones, Bobby Jones, Stroke of Genius features Jim Caviezel as the highly talented amateur who threw a wrench in the golf world of the mid-'20s. The movie is long, not very captivating and after the first 30 minutes I could see why this movie spent a whole 30 seconds at the theatre before going to DVD.
Final Verdict: If you are having trouble sleeping, put a copy of this in your DVD player. 1 out of 5
The Day After Tomorrow
This mega-budget, special-effects-laden epic revolves around the onset of an international series of crises brought on by the long-term results of the greenhouse effect. At the eye of the storm is paleoclimatologist (huh?) Professor Adrian Hall (Dennis Quaid), who voluntarily takes on the preservation of the world in the dawn of the next ice age and all the disaster that comes along with it -- violent hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, massive floods, etc. Hall must also contact his son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), who was in the middle of an academic competition in New York City when the chaos begun. In addition to facing the largest-scale onslaught of natural catastrophes in the history of humankind, Professor Hall, in his journey north, must contend with the masses fleeing south in an attempt to resettle in a warmer climate.
This movie was ok until we got to the part where these computer generated (poorly generated) wolves were attacking Gyllenhaal. It seems like movies like these keep pushing and pushing the limit of believability until they inevitably cross the line.
Final Verdict: Has some good action, some good sequences, I am just glad I didn’t pay $7.50 at the theatre to see this one. If you want to just be a potato and watch some cool special effects (besides the wolves) then give this a try. Not a must see, but not horrible like the 2 above. 2.5 out of 5.
Mean Creek
Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Josh Peck, Trevor Morgan, and Carly Schroeder are teenagers living in small-town Oregon. Some of the boys take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions.
This is one of those small independent films that has a good story, but has you shouting at the screen as some of the choices that the characters make. The characters come off as pretty smart and intelligent, but then act out of character and dumb at the pivotal moment of the film.
Final Verdict: I found this to be good up until the “unexpected consequence” where the characters suddenly act out of character. Once again, not horrible, but not the best either. 2.5 out of 5.
Coming up next reviews of Saved!, Hellboy and the Hulk
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
My Favorite Time of the Year
Ever since I was a kid I would look forward to the NCAA tournament. I remember taking the bracket that came with my Sports Illustrated and filling it out as teams advanced through the tournament, and when there was an eventual winner I would design a mini banner with that team’s name and colors.
In high school and college I started to pick the winners and play in different pools, but no matter if there was money involved, win or lose I still loved the tournament.
Now I run an Office Pool, that has grown into something rather large, and since I started working here at the college I have taken the afternoons of the first two days of the tournament and gone to Damon’s and surrounded myself with buzzer beaters and Cinderellas, beer and wings, and friends and family.
I have always watched the tournament with an outsiders’ view. Just enjoying the tournament and the games for what they were, just great games.
Things have changed a little for me this year. The Mountaineers are in the tournament and doing well. I was just happy with one win for my team, but last Saturday I witnessed one of the greatest games I have ever seen in the NCAA tournament (and believe me I have seen a ton of games).
So this year brings a unique combination that I would love to get used to. Having the tournament and all of the games and the drama that comes with it, and also having a team that I can honestly root for and get behind for more than one game.
I have enjoyed so many tournaments over the years. I have enjoyed rooting for the underdogs in the NC State team in 1983 and the Villanova team in 1985, probably the last real underdogs to win the tournament. Could this be another year for the underdog? I don’t know, but I would love the chance to not only root for the underdog, but it to also be the Mountaineers.
In high school and college I started to pick the winners and play in different pools, but no matter if there was money involved, win or lose I still loved the tournament.
Now I run an Office Pool, that has grown into something rather large, and since I started working here at the college I have taken the afternoons of the first two days of the tournament and gone to Damon’s and surrounded myself with buzzer beaters and Cinderellas, beer and wings, and friends and family.
I have always watched the tournament with an outsiders’ view. Just enjoying the tournament and the games for what they were, just great games.
Things have changed a little for me this year. The Mountaineers are in the tournament and doing well. I was just happy with one win for my team, but last Saturday I witnessed one of the greatest games I have ever seen in the NCAA tournament (and believe me I have seen a ton of games).
So this year brings a unique combination that I would love to get used to. Having the tournament and all of the games and the drama that comes with it, and also having a team that I can honestly root for and get behind for more than one game.
I have enjoyed so many tournaments over the years. I have enjoyed rooting for the underdogs in the NC State team in 1983 and the Villanova team in 1985, probably the last real underdogs to win the tournament. Could this be another year for the underdog? I don’t know, but I would love the chance to not only root for the underdog, but it to also be the Mountaineers.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Naming Rights
A woman sold the space on her cleavage on ebay for $15,000 for 30 days promising to wear revealing clothes so the ad placement would get the exposure it deserved. Another woman sold her bare very pregnant belly space on ebay saying she would walk around the Daytona 500 with it exposed. She was on the Today show Sunday morning, lifted up her belly and there was a temporary tattoo for Golden Palace.com plastered right there, on the belly, on the Today show. Was it worth the money they paid? You bet, you can’t get better exposure than that (no pun indented).
Now with me being in the marketing/advertising/PR arena that I might find these practices distasteful, but you know what? I don’t.
Professional sports teams sell the naming rights to their stadiums all the time (I believe that the only stadium that hasn’t sold its’ name is Lambeau Field) so why shouldn’t the average person be able to sell some ad space and capitalize on this new trend?
Apparently naming rights make all the difference to a business, so why not have your name associated with a venue in hopes of having that name plastered all over the building, not to mention TV, and all of the endless sports highlight shows.
Makes sense.
So then why did ebay pull a woman’s ad for wanting to sell the naming rights of her child? What better way to get your name out there then paying the $750,000 asking price and being the first company to pay for the right to name a child? She was just offering the first 5 years for that price. Half the time during the first five years they aren’t even called by their real name anyway. Most of the time it’s they think their name is “No.” PNC may have the naming rights to a stadium, but BankOne could name an actual living person, who in most cases would outlive a stadium anyway.
I can see it now . . . time for roll call in 2010:
“Comcast Burton. Alltell Daniels. FedEx Garrison. FedEx Garrison? Has anyone seen little FedEx? Elmer's! Stop eating the glue.”
Now with me being in the marketing/advertising/PR arena that I might find these practices distasteful, but you know what? I don’t.
Professional sports teams sell the naming rights to their stadiums all the time (I believe that the only stadium that hasn’t sold its’ name is Lambeau Field) so why shouldn’t the average person be able to sell some ad space and capitalize on this new trend?
Apparently naming rights make all the difference to a business, so why not have your name associated with a venue in hopes of having that name plastered all over the building, not to mention TV, and all of the endless sports highlight shows.
Makes sense.
So then why did ebay pull a woman’s ad for wanting to sell the naming rights of her child? What better way to get your name out there then paying the $750,000 asking price and being the first company to pay for the right to name a child? She was just offering the first 5 years for that price. Half the time during the first five years they aren’t even called by their real name anyway. Most of the time it’s they think their name is “No.” PNC may have the naming rights to a stadium, but BankOne could name an actual living person, who in most cases would outlive a stadium anyway.
I can see it now . . . time for roll call in 2010:
“Comcast Burton. Alltell Daniels. FedEx Garrison. FedEx Garrison? Has anyone seen little FedEx? Elmer's! Stop eating the glue.”
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Movie Reviews #3: Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, I Robot, and The Village
Ok, so this week there are three movies I need to review and I don’t want to take up a lot of time reviewing them, so I will try move fast quickly.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
This movie follows the life-changing (and mind-altering) journey of Korean-American investment banker Harold (John Cho) and Indian-American medical-school candidate Kumar (Kal Penn). Both underdogs, Harold and Kumar get high, then get hungry and then decide to spend what would have been an otherwise uneventful Friday night satisfying their intense urge for White Castle hamburgers. However, finding a White Castle proves a difficult task, and the two friends wind up on a road trip of (not so) deep thoughts, deeper inhaling, and enough half-baked, politically incorrect philosophizing to outweigh a White Castle value meal. Are some parts dumb? Yes of course, but there are some funny spots too and in the long run the funny outweighs the dumb.
If you are looking for a thoughtful, insightful, and touching movie, this is not it. This movie is much like the National Lampoon movies of old with Chevy Chase, but it’s not quite as funny as those movies, but there are some laugh-out-loud moments.
Final Verdict: This movie is much funnier than either Dodge Ball, or Napoleon Dynamite. Rent if you don’t want a few good laughs and you don’t want to think for 90 or so minutes. 3.5 out of 5
I Robot
In the future presented in the film, humans have become exceedingly dependent on robots in their everyday lives. Robots have become more and more advanced, but each one is preprogrammed to always obey humans and to, under no circumstances, ever harm a human. So, when a scientist turns up dead and a humanoid robot is the main suspect, the world is left to wonder if they are as safe around their electronic servants as previously thought. Will Smith stars as Del Spooner, the robot-hating Chicago cop assigned to the murder investigation.
The movie is visually very well done, and I know what that comment means . . . that it’s not that good of a movie, but I do like I Robot. I think the movie is one of those cool futuristic movies. There is action and the movie makes you think a little because it is a kind of who done it? There just is something about the movie that is amiss. I am not sure what it is. Something is missing that just makes your interest fall off of for a few, maybe it’s the length of the story. It really could have taken 30 minutes off of this movie and you wouldn’t have missed it.
Final Verdict: Good Action sci-fi, but not amazing. 3 out of 5
The Village
The village of Covington is a small town in rural Pennsylvania that is home to 60 people. The citizens of Covington lead a quiet and peaceful life, but not without an unusual caveat -- terrible creatures lurk just outside the borders of the village, and the people of Covington have reached an agreement of sorts with the beasts, in which they are allowed to go about their business as long as they never cross the village's boundaries. However, this precarious balance is upset when a headstrong young man, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), decides to find out what lies outside Covington, and then invites the wrath of the creatures upon the town.
Ok, I can’t go into this movie too deep it is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also wrote The Sixth Sense and Signs. So you know there is a twist at the end, and for me, the twist was a true surprise. I hadn’t heard or read anything about the ending, so I was genuinely surprised with the ending. The story is a good one and well put together.
Final Verdict: Rent if you get the chance and you know nothing about the movie. You will enjoy. 4 out of 5.
Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle
This movie follows the life-changing (and mind-altering) journey of Korean-American investment banker Harold (John Cho) and Indian-American medical-school candidate Kumar (Kal Penn). Both underdogs, Harold and Kumar get high, then get hungry and then decide to spend what would have been an otherwise uneventful Friday night satisfying their intense urge for White Castle hamburgers. However, finding a White Castle proves a difficult task, and the two friends wind up on a road trip of (not so) deep thoughts, deeper inhaling, and enough half-baked, politically incorrect philosophizing to outweigh a White Castle value meal. Are some parts dumb? Yes of course, but there are some funny spots too and in the long run the funny outweighs the dumb.
If you are looking for a thoughtful, insightful, and touching movie, this is not it. This movie is much like the National Lampoon movies of old with Chevy Chase, but it’s not quite as funny as those movies, but there are some laugh-out-loud moments.
Final Verdict: This movie is much funnier than either Dodge Ball, or Napoleon Dynamite. Rent if you don’t want a few good laughs and you don’t want to think for 90 or so minutes. 3.5 out of 5
I Robot
In the future presented in the film, humans have become exceedingly dependent on robots in their everyday lives. Robots have become more and more advanced, but each one is preprogrammed to always obey humans and to, under no circumstances, ever harm a human. So, when a scientist turns up dead and a humanoid robot is the main suspect, the world is left to wonder if they are as safe around their electronic servants as previously thought. Will Smith stars as Del Spooner, the robot-hating Chicago cop assigned to the murder investigation.
The movie is visually very well done, and I know what that comment means . . . that it’s not that good of a movie, but I do like I Robot. I think the movie is one of those cool futuristic movies. There is action and the movie makes you think a little because it is a kind of who done it? There just is something about the movie that is amiss. I am not sure what it is. Something is missing that just makes your interest fall off of for a few, maybe it’s the length of the story. It really could have taken 30 minutes off of this movie and you wouldn’t have missed it.
Final Verdict: Good Action sci-fi, but not amazing. 3 out of 5
The Village
The village of Covington is a small town in rural Pennsylvania that is home to 60 people. The citizens of Covington lead a quiet and peaceful life, but not without an unusual caveat -- terrible creatures lurk just outside the borders of the village, and the people of Covington have reached an agreement of sorts with the beasts, in which they are allowed to go about their business as long as they never cross the village's boundaries. However, this precarious balance is upset when a headstrong young man, Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), decides to find out what lies outside Covington, and then invites the wrath of the creatures upon the town.
Ok, I can’t go into this movie too deep it is written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who also wrote The Sixth Sense and Signs. So you know there is a twist at the end, and for me, the twist was a true surprise. I hadn’t heard or read anything about the ending, so I was genuinely surprised with the ending. The story is a good one and well put together.
Final Verdict: Rent if you get the chance and you know nothing about the movie. You will enjoy. 4 out of 5.
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Championship Gear
One of the things I was most looking forward to this football post season (with the Steelers doing so well) was a chance to order some championship gear. You know, the hat, the t-shirt, the sweatshirt, the thong, the socks, the turban, all proclaiming the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl XXXIX Champions. The badge of honor letting the world know you are a fan and that your team won it all.
Letting my mind think about being able to buy some of that stuff jinxed my team but also made me think about the last time I got to buy championship gear.
I really think that my last championship piece of apparel is a 1993 WVU Big East Championship T-shirt, and I haven’t seen that shirt in about 3 years.
Before that you would have to go back to the late 70’s/early 80’s to find any other championship gear, maybe a Steelers “One for the Thumb” shirt, or a “We are familee” shirt, but it has been a dry spell.
The teams I consider “my” teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, and West Virginia Football and Basketball. Teams I root for, but don’t consider “my” teams are Duke Basketball, Pittsburgh Penguins, and occasionally the Orlando Magic (but I haven’t watched a whole NBA game since 1998).
I don’t think I would buy championship gear for the “root for” teams. Maybe Duke, but I like them because of Coach K and his principles not that I went there or anything, but had I gone there I would have all the championship gear I could wear.
The closest I got to ordering championship gear was when the Steelers won the AFC in 1995. I almost ordered an AFC championship hat, but they were so ugly that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They were brown and orange. Yea ugly. Plus I have something against a conference championship (unless it’s college). Yea it’s nice, but if you don’t win it all then it doesn’t really matter.
So I guess I will have to wait through another season. If WVU wins the Big East Tournament, I will buy some gear, if somehow the Pirates win the NL I will buy some gear, and if the Steelers win the Super Bowl I will buy some gear. (Side note: Next year’s Super Bowl is Super Bowl XL, so if the Steelers win it then all my gear will look like the generic stuff you find at Gabe’s Pittsburgh Steelers XL champions. It will look like a shirt size rather than championship gear.)
I need to find that 1993 Big East Champs shirt and dust it off although I think it is only a large.
Letting my mind think about being able to buy some of that stuff jinxed my team but also made me think about the last time I got to buy championship gear.
I really think that my last championship piece of apparel is a 1993 WVU Big East Championship T-shirt, and I haven’t seen that shirt in about 3 years.
Before that you would have to go back to the late 70’s/early 80’s to find any other championship gear, maybe a Steelers “One for the Thumb” shirt, or a “We are familee” shirt, but it has been a dry spell.
The teams I consider “my” teams are the Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers, and West Virginia Football and Basketball. Teams I root for, but don’t consider “my” teams are Duke Basketball, Pittsburgh Penguins, and occasionally the Orlando Magic (but I haven’t watched a whole NBA game since 1998).
I don’t think I would buy championship gear for the “root for” teams. Maybe Duke, but I like them because of Coach K and his principles not that I went there or anything, but had I gone there I would have all the championship gear I could wear.
The closest I got to ordering championship gear was when the Steelers won the AFC in 1995. I almost ordered an AFC championship hat, but they were so ugly that I couldn’t bring myself to do it. They were brown and orange. Yea ugly. Plus I have something against a conference championship (unless it’s college). Yea it’s nice, but if you don’t win it all then it doesn’t really matter.
So I guess I will have to wait through another season. If WVU wins the Big East Tournament, I will buy some gear, if somehow the Pirates win the NL I will buy some gear, and if the Steelers win the Super Bowl I will buy some gear. (Side note: Next year’s Super Bowl is Super Bowl XL, so if the Steelers win it then all my gear will look like the generic stuff you find at Gabe’s Pittsburgh Steelers XL champions. It will look like a shirt size rather than championship gear.)
I need to find that 1993 Big East Champs shirt and dust it off although I think it is only a large.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
Movie Reviews #2: Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State
Ok, so this week I went with two movies that I had heard good reviews about, one online (Napoleon) and one recommended by a friend (Garden State).
Napoleon Dynamite
I think with this movie I fell victim to the hype, how the movie was marketed and what my perceived notion as to what the movie was going to be, and the movie didn’t live up to my expectations.
Now with that being said I always try to like a movie, I don’t make a decision until after it’s over on whether or not I like it. I let it play out and then decide, and that is what I did with this movie.
The movie is a little bizarre and different. It follows the story of Napoleon (yes his last name is Dynamite), a strange odd kid who’s the outcast of his school. He’s picked on by bullies and has no friends. He then befriends the new kid in school, Pedro, who his also somewhat of an outcast and also hangs out with another freak, Deb who wears a ponytail on the side of her head. The interactions between these are sometimes humorous, but never hilarious.
Napoleon also has a strange home life, he and his brother (Kip who is 32, dates online, and talks with a lisp) live with his grandmother (who in the first 5 minutes of the film leaves on a trip). When the Dynamite boys’ grandmother gets hurt riding her 4-wheeler off a sand dune the boys Uncle Rico is sent to stay with them and take care of them.
One of the things that must happen to make a movie worth watching is the viewer wanting to spend time knowing what will happen next to the characters and being interested in them. In this movie you never feel like you want to know what is going to happen to Napoleon. He isn’t a character that you either root for or root against. You find him goofy and sometimes funny, but not interesting.
It is a small independent film and I wouldn’t say not to watch and to stay away from it, but on the other hand I would go out looking for it and saying “I must watch Napoleon Dynamite.”
Final Verdict: Rent only if Desperate. 2 out of 5.
Garden State
This movie is about Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), and actor who returns home for his mother’s funeral. Andrew has been away for about 9 years and on his trip home rekindles friendships with old high school friends and meets a girl Sam (Natalie Portman).
The movie was also written and directed by Zach Braff, from Scrubs fame.
There are definitely some more subtle funny moments in this movie than in Dynamite and I laughed out loud a few times. The movie moves at a slow pace and never really picks up, it’s hard to see where it is all finally going.
Andrew is a lot like Napoleon in terms of being a character that you neither root for or against as he works his way through his mother’s death. Actually the most interesting character is Sam and you would almost rather the movie be about her than Andrew. She is the character you root for and want to succeed. She is the more interesting character and you would like to see how her life continues after the movie ends.
There is some good dialogue, very good music, and the story is interesting enough to keep my attention, and as I said Sam (Portman’s character) is the one character that I would want to see more of on screen. Would I watch it again? No, but I think if you wanted to check out an interesting small independent film and you like Natalie Portman you should rent it.
Final Verdict: Not a must see, but an average decent movie, neither great nor awful. 3 out of 5
Next Movies: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I Robot, Collateral.
Napoleon Dynamite
I think with this movie I fell victim to the hype, how the movie was marketed and what my perceived notion as to what the movie was going to be, and the movie didn’t live up to my expectations.
Now with that being said I always try to like a movie, I don’t make a decision until after it’s over on whether or not I like it. I let it play out and then decide, and that is what I did with this movie.
The movie is a little bizarre and different. It follows the story of Napoleon (yes his last name is Dynamite), a strange odd kid who’s the outcast of his school. He’s picked on by bullies and has no friends. He then befriends the new kid in school, Pedro, who his also somewhat of an outcast and also hangs out with another freak, Deb who wears a ponytail on the side of her head. The interactions between these are sometimes humorous, but never hilarious.
Napoleon also has a strange home life, he and his brother (Kip who is 32, dates online, and talks with a lisp) live with his grandmother (who in the first 5 minutes of the film leaves on a trip). When the Dynamite boys’ grandmother gets hurt riding her 4-wheeler off a sand dune the boys Uncle Rico is sent to stay with them and take care of them.
One of the things that must happen to make a movie worth watching is the viewer wanting to spend time knowing what will happen next to the characters and being interested in them. In this movie you never feel like you want to know what is going to happen to Napoleon. He isn’t a character that you either root for or root against. You find him goofy and sometimes funny, but not interesting.
It is a small independent film and I wouldn’t say not to watch and to stay away from it, but on the other hand I would go out looking for it and saying “I must watch Napoleon Dynamite.”
Final Verdict: Rent only if Desperate. 2 out of 5.
Garden State
This movie is about Andrew Largeman (Zach Braff), and actor who returns home for his mother’s funeral. Andrew has been away for about 9 years and on his trip home rekindles friendships with old high school friends and meets a girl Sam (Natalie Portman).
The movie was also written and directed by Zach Braff, from Scrubs fame.
There are definitely some more subtle funny moments in this movie than in Dynamite and I laughed out loud a few times. The movie moves at a slow pace and never really picks up, it’s hard to see where it is all finally going.
Andrew is a lot like Napoleon in terms of being a character that you neither root for or against as he works his way through his mother’s death. Actually the most interesting character is Sam and you would almost rather the movie be about her than Andrew. She is the character you root for and want to succeed. She is the more interesting character and you would like to see how her life continues after the movie ends.
There is some good dialogue, very good music, and the story is interesting enough to keep my attention, and as I said Sam (Portman’s character) is the one character that I would want to see more of on screen. Would I watch it again? No, but I think if you wanted to check out an interesting small independent film and you like Natalie Portman you should rent it.
Final Verdict: Not a must see, but an average decent movie, neither great nor awful. 3 out of 5
Next Movies: Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, I Robot, Collateral.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Perspective
Ok, so the Steelers lost. Despite some of my strongest beliefs about a team and game, I was wrong, dead wrong, about as wrong as a person can be. New England is the better team, bar none. They don’t make mistakes, they are consistent and they play as a team. Do they have more talent than other teams? I would say no, they just seem to get the most out of what they have.
Just when I thought I was depressed and upset about the loss I see Hines Ward on TV talking about how much it hurt and you could see the pain in his eyes, and no matter how much the loss bothered me, it can’t even compare to how the players, coaches and the organization as a whole feels about the loss. Kinda puts how I feel about the whole thing in perspective. It’s just a game and an entertainment outlet for me, I was looking forward to ordering my “Sports Illustrated Gift Set” with the special hardbound edition of SI with my free Super Bowl champion gift of a fleece blanket with the logo and “Super Bowl” champs” embroidered on it, but these guys were shooting for what every male that ever played a sport wants, a championship ring. Pales in comparison to my limited-edition leather-bound SI.
Just when I thought I was depressed and upset about the loss I see Hines Ward on TV talking about how much it hurt and you could see the pain in his eyes, and no matter how much the loss bothered me, it can’t even compare to how the players, coaches and the organization as a whole feels about the loss. Kinda puts how I feel about the whole thing in perspective. It’s just a game and an entertainment outlet for me, I was looking forward to ordering my “Sports Illustrated Gift Set” with the special hardbound edition of SI with my free Super Bowl champion gift of a fleece blanket with the logo and “Super Bowl” champs” embroidered on it, but these guys were shooting for what every male that ever played a sport wants, a championship ring. Pales in comparison to my limited-edition leather-bound SI.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
That large thud . . .
you just heard was the entire sporting community jumping off of the Pittsburgh Steelers bandwagon and onto the “Bill Belichek Genius of the Football World Space Rocket.”
I listened to some ESPN radio yesterday and some sports talks shows from Pittsburgh over the internet and all I have heard is how the Steelers (16-1 Steelers by-the-way) are no good and lucky to win and that the Patriots will just play with them and toss them around like a cat who plays with a dead mouse.
“Oh there is no way the Steelers will be able to compete with the Patriots. Belichek is just too smart, he’s the smartest man in all of football, oh hell he is the smartest man in the universe. Bill, we noticed that you were able to shut down Payton Manning, can you now please help us with the physics involved with time travel?”
Did the Steelers catch a break (actually 2 breaks)? Yes, of course they did. Did they get lucky? Yes, but that is what sometimes happens to good teams. Sometimes they get lucky. Sometimes they win the games they shouldn’t, but in actuality all but 1 game this season came down to “luck,” the Steelers won, outright, all other 15 games.
I have watched every Steelers game this season. By far this Jets game was the worst they looked since losing to the Ravens in week 2. They looked bad, tight, like a team carrying all of the hopes and dreams of an entire city on their shoulders. Do I think they will repeat this? No. They are too good.
The one thing about this team that can’t be said about Steeler teams of recent memory is the consistency of their play. The bad has never been that horrible and the good hasn’t been unbeatable. They always played in a certain range where even their worst was better than most teams (i.e. the Buffalo game which they used all third-stringers, and even the guy that carries the headset cable to beat the Bills).
Flat-out, the Steelers are a better “team” than the Patriots. Oh no! Look out; I will be struck by lightening soon. To speak such words is blasphemy. New England is considered the best “team” because they were announced as a “team” in the Super Bowl against the Rams. Awe, how cute and sweet and so freaking old. Yes, you cannot deny that they have 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls rings and they have played well in the clutch, but we are talking about THIS SEASON, and THIS SEASON it was the Steelers that went 15-1 and beat the Patriots in Pittsburgh.
Maybe I am being a homer; of course I am being a homer. Do I think the Patriots can beat the Steelers? Yes of course. They are good; there is no denying that. Are they better than the Steelers? I have my doubts. I might have officially lost my mind, but I feel better about the Steelers chances this week than I did last week. There was something about the Jets that scared me (probably how close the game was in December which drew my cause of concern, or the fact that minus good receivers, and any kind of offensive game plan the Jets are the Steelers).
The numbers are against the Steelers this week, 3 point underdogs, no rookie QB has ever won 2 playoff games, no team/QB has beaten the Patriots a second time in the same season the past 4 years, both home teams haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1996 (and just a few crazy people are picking the Falcons to beat the Eagles on Sunday) so that leaves the “team” of the world to beat the Steelers on Sunday.
The Steelers might as well just stand on the field with a confused look on their face because Bill “the Brain” Belichek will have something that will leave the uneducated, stupid and brainless Steelers confused.
“Well Phil, it looks like instead of playing defense Belichek has decided to have his defense perform Phantom of the Opera to confuse Big Ben and the Steelers. What a brilliant strategy by Belichek. He is the smartest man in the world! I love him.”
It looks like the Steelers have no chance on Sunday, and that’s just how I like it.
I listened to some ESPN radio yesterday and some sports talks shows from Pittsburgh over the internet and all I have heard is how the Steelers (16-1 Steelers by-the-way) are no good and lucky to win and that the Patriots will just play with them and toss them around like a cat who plays with a dead mouse.
“Oh there is no way the Steelers will be able to compete with the Patriots. Belichek is just too smart, he’s the smartest man in all of football, oh hell he is the smartest man in the universe. Bill, we noticed that you were able to shut down Payton Manning, can you now please help us with the physics involved with time travel?”
Did the Steelers catch a break (actually 2 breaks)? Yes, of course they did. Did they get lucky? Yes, but that is what sometimes happens to good teams. Sometimes they get lucky. Sometimes they win the games they shouldn’t, but in actuality all but 1 game this season came down to “luck,” the Steelers won, outright, all other 15 games.
I have watched every Steelers game this season. By far this Jets game was the worst they looked since losing to the Ravens in week 2. They looked bad, tight, like a team carrying all of the hopes and dreams of an entire city on their shoulders. Do I think they will repeat this? No. They are too good.
The one thing about this team that can’t be said about Steeler teams of recent memory is the consistency of their play. The bad has never been that horrible and the good hasn’t been unbeatable. They always played in a certain range where even their worst was better than most teams (i.e. the Buffalo game which they used all third-stringers, and even the guy that carries the headset cable to beat the Bills).
Flat-out, the Steelers are a better “team” than the Patriots. Oh no! Look out; I will be struck by lightening soon. To speak such words is blasphemy. New England is considered the best “team” because they were announced as a “team” in the Super Bowl against the Rams. Awe, how cute and sweet and so freaking old. Yes, you cannot deny that they have 2 of the last 3 Super Bowls rings and they have played well in the clutch, but we are talking about THIS SEASON, and THIS SEASON it was the Steelers that went 15-1 and beat the Patriots in Pittsburgh.
Maybe I am being a homer; of course I am being a homer. Do I think the Patriots can beat the Steelers? Yes of course. They are good; there is no denying that. Are they better than the Steelers? I have my doubts. I might have officially lost my mind, but I feel better about the Steelers chances this week than I did last week. There was something about the Jets that scared me (probably how close the game was in December which drew my cause of concern, or the fact that minus good receivers, and any kind of offensive game plan the Jets are the Steelers).
The numbers are against the Steelers this week, 3 point underdogs, no rookie QB has ever won 2 playoff games, no team/QB has beaten the Patriots a second time in the same season the past 4 years, both home teams haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1996 (and just a few crazy people are picking the Falcons to beat the Eagles on Sunday) so that leaves the “team” of the world to beat the Steelers on Sunday.
The Steelers might as well just stand on the field with a confused look on their face because Bill “the Brain” Belichek will have something that will leave the uneducated, stupid and brainless Steelers confused.
“Well Phil, it looks like instead of playing defense Belichek has decided to have his defense perform Phantom of the Opera to confuse Big Ben and the Steelers. What a brilliant strategy by Belichek. He is the smartest man in the world! I love him.”
It looks like the Steelers have no chance on Sunday, and that’s just how I like it.
Friday, January 14, 2005
Nerves
Ok, so tomorrow is the biggest game of the year for the beloved Steelers. At 4:30 p.m. they take on the Jets, and I have been waiting all week for this.
At the first part of the week I didn’t read to much about the game, just did my usual sports updating and checked ESPN.com every so often like I normally do. I got onto ebay and even looked at prices of tickets, all way too expensive for someone in my tax bracket.
Then as the week moved along I started to read more about the game, and the more I read the more nervous I started to get. PostGazette.com story about the marketing of Big Ben, ESPN article about Ellis running his mouth, New York Post had a Pennington article about him missing practice, a few things here and there, but compared to the other games of this weekend the Steelers/Jets game is getting the least amount of play, which is fine with me. The less I hear the better I feel, until today.
Now the game is less than 24 hours away, and I am not sure what is going on with me. I get to the point where I start to get a little nervous but I am able to talk my way back down. One person that makes me be this way is my buddy Bruce. Bruce treats every game of the season like a playoff game, and I have become his voice of reason. Early in the season when we played the Browns in week 9 and I remember him calling and being nervous about that game and I had to talk him down to a comfort level. Actually me and Joey Porter getting into a fight helped calm his nervous about that one. Early this week Bruce and I talked again and me reasoning to him why he shouldn’t be nervous actually made me feel less nervous about this game. That combined with the relative lack of attention by the media as a whole has made me feel more comfortable about this game.
That doesn’t mean that at about 4:30 tomorrow that I won’t be wanting to jump out of my own skin, but at least I will be able to make it until.
Here we go Steelers, Here we go!
At the first part of the week I didn’t read to much about the game, just did my usual sports updating and checked ESPN.com every so often like I normally do. I got onto ebay and even looked at prices of tickets, all way too expensive for someone in my tax bracket.
Then as the week moved along I started to read more about the game, and the more I read the more nervous I started to get. PostGazette.com story about the marketing of Big Ben, ESPN article about Ellis running his mouth, New York Post had a Pennington article about him missing practice, a few things here and there, but compared to the other games of this weekend the Steelers/Jets game is getting the least amount of play, which is fine with me. The less I hear the better I feel, until today.
Now the game is less than 24 hours away, and I am not sure what is going on with me. I get to the point where I start to get a little nervous but I am able to talk my way back down. One person that makes me be this way is my buddy Bruce. Bruce treats every game of the season like a playoff game, and I have become his voice of reason. Early in the season when we played the Browns in week 9 and I remember him calling and being nervous about that game and I had to talk him down to a comfort level. Actually me and Joey Porter getting into a fight helped calm his nervous about that one. Early this week Bruce and I talked again and me reasoning to him why he shouldn’t be nervous actually made me feel less nervous about this game. That combined with the relative lack of attention by the media as a whole has made me feel more comfortable about this game.
That doesn’t mean that at about 4:30 tomorrow that I won’t be wanting to jump out of my own skin, but at least I will be able to make it until.
Here we go Steelers, Here we go!
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Movie Reviews #1 Dodge Ball and The Bourne Supremacy
After testing many online movie rental services for free (Netflix, Wal-Mart and Blockbuster) I finally decided upon Blockbuster and I think I will stay on for a few months. Hence I thought I would write reviews of some of the movies of course the movies all came out over 6 months ago at your local theatre, but I am seeing them for the first time on DVD. So here we go.
Dodge Ball
This movie was not nearly as funny as I thought it was going to be. After seeing previews and all of the hype I expected more hilarity and it just didn’t happen. Ben Stiller seemed to be trying too hard to be his character and I really didn’t empathize that much with the Vince Vaughn character. The best character was the guy who played Warren on Ed the TV show. He was funny with his physical comedy, and I did laugh in a few spots. There was one time I laughed hard, but that was about it. The cast was too good to come up with a product that seemed to be put together by a student doing his final film project so that he can graduate on time.
2 out of 5
The Bourne Supremacy
This is a good action movie with a lot of fast-paced scenes and you have to pay close attention to the action to see what is happening. You can figure out the reasoning behind what is happening and the person responsible for it all fairly quickly. The thing that makes the movie is the very well done action sequences, besides that there’s not that much more. I have seen better writing for an episode of Alias or 24. There will be a third installment of this series as the ending left that WIDE open. For a non thinking action movie it’s a decent watch.
3 out of 5
Next reviews: Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State
Dodge Ball
This movie was not nearly as funny as I thought it was going to be. After seeing previews and all of the hype I expected more hilarity and it just didn’t happen. Ben Stiller seemed to be trying too hard to be his character and I really didn’t empathize that much with the Vince Vaughn character. The best character was the guy who played Warren on Ed the TV show. He was funny with his physical comedy, and I did laugh in a few spots. There was one time I laughed hard, but that was about it. The cast was too good to come up with a product that seemed to be put together by a student doing his final film project so that he can graduate on time.
2 out of 5
The Bourne Supremacy
This is a good action movie with a lot of fast-paced scenes and you have to pay close attention to the action to see what is happening. You can figure out the reasoning behind what is happening and the person responsible for it all fairly quickly. The thing that makes the movie is the very well done action sequences, besides that there’s not that much more. I have seen better writing for an episode of Alias or 24. There will be a third installment of this series as the ending left that WIDE open. For a non thinking action movie it’s a decent watch.
3 out of 5
Next reviews: Napoleon Dynamite and Garden State
Monday, January 10, 2005
A Dog with a Bone
I don’t spend a great amount of time in my car on a daily basis. Probably all in all it may average about 20 minutes in the car a day (to and from work, to and from lunch). I listen to ESPN Radio usually during those times, I listen to music mostly at work so I like to get caught up on the daily sporting events and hear what people are talking about.
I never really realized how ESPN specifically gets on a topic, beats the topic to death, takes the dead topic and drags it through the streets, then throws it off a 30 story building, then takes the topic and runs over it 400 times with a car, then burns the topic, then comes back on Tuesday and repeats for about a week, until we were traveling last week and we heard Dan Patrick for the better part of 2 hours talk about whether or not Michael Vick was worth his new contract. Renea was the one to point this out, I saw her get aggravated about a topic she neither cared about nor wanted to listen to:
After the first 15 minutes . . . “What is the big deal!” she said.
After the first 30 minutes . . . “I am sick of hearing about Vick and Manning.”
After 60 minutes . . . “You have got to be kidding me.”
After an hour and half . . . “God! Just shut up about the contract!”
After 2 hours . . . “Please, for the love of God, cut my ears off. PLEASE!!!”
New topic today is the Randy Moss fake mooning.
Now Renea and I had watched the GB vs. Minnesota game yesterday and saw what Randy Moss did and we both kind of chuckled when we saw it, then we heard Joe Buck scold Randy and it was like seeing someone do something funny then have their parents scold them and you try not to laugh. That was us, we both looked at each other like “Whoops, maybe we shouldn’t have laughed.”
Today was much the same on the radio with this topic. On my drive into work I hear Mike and Mike discuss the Randy Moss “mooning incident”. Then coming home for lunch it’s Colin Cowherd’s chance to talk about the Randy Moss incident.
Now at lunch today Renea was going with me as we went to buy our new carpet during my lunch break, so I warned her before we even got into the car. “Now remember how mad you got last week when they talked about Vick’s contract?” She nodded. “Well I am telling you now all you are going to hear about is stuff about Randy Moss and him mooning.”
We drove down to order our new carpet and on the way down and the way back we heard Dan Patrick again talk for about 40 minutes total about this Randy Moss thing, and I guarantee that on my home there will be more of the same.
Just let it go people! The more people talk about it the more he enjoys it. Randy Moss has the whole sports world basically talking about a fake “mooning”. I mean if he had actually pulled his pants down I could justify the coverage, but come on! I have seen worse. Don’t show it and don’t talk about how outraged you are. That is what he wants. Do you think for a moment that if it didn’t get this type of response he would be doing it still? Do you think he cares that you are “outraged”? Randy only cares about Randy, so let it go. Just for once I would like one of these sports outlets to say, “We have decided that the Moss issue is a non-issue and we aren’t going to talk about it. Instead we are going to talk about how Brett Favre threw his teams hope of winning away with 4 interceptions, and how Payton Manning destroyed the Broncos defense in the first half.”
Those are topics I wish they would tackle, then drive a bulldozer over, then bury, then pour cement over, then . . .
I never really realized how ESPN specifically gets on a topic, beats the topic to death, takes the dead topic and drags it through the streets, then throws it off a 30 story building, then takes the topic and runs over it 400 times with a car, then burns the topic, then comes back on Tuesday and repeats for about a week, until we were traveling last week and we heard Dan Patrick for the better part of 2 hours talk about whether or not Michael Vick was worth his new contract. Renea was the one to point this out, I saw her get aggravated about a topic she neither cared about nor wanted to listen to:
After the first 15 minutes . . . “What is the big deal!” she said.
After the first 30 minutes . . . “I am sick of hearing about Vick and Manning.”
After 60 minutes . . . “You have got to be kidding me.”
After an hour and half . . . “God! Just shut up about the contract!”
After 2 hours . . . “Please, for the love of God, cut my ears off. PLEASE!!!”
New topic today is the Randy Moss fake mooning.
Now Renea and I had watched the GB vs. Minnesota game yesterday and saw what Randy Moss did and we both kind of chuckled when we saw it, then we heard Joe Buck scold Randy and it was like seeing someone do something funny then have their parents scold them and you try not to laugh. That was us, we both looked at each other like “Whoops, maybe we shouldn’t have laughed.”
Today was much the same on the radio with this topic. On my drive into work I hear Mike and Mike discuss the Randy Moss “mooning incident”. Then coming home for lunch it’s Colin Cowherd’s chance to talk about the Randy Moss incident.
Now at lunch today Renea was going with me as we went to buy our new carpet during my lunch break, so I warned her before we even got into the car. “Now remember how mad you got last week when they talked about Vick’s contract?” She nodded. “Well I am telling you now all you are going to hear about is stuff about Randy Moss and him mooning.”
We drove down to order our new carpet and on the way down and the way back we heard Dan Patrick again talk for about 40 minutes total about this Randy Moss thing, and I guarantee that on my home there will be more of the same.
Just let it go people! The more people talk about it the more he enjoys it. Randy Moss has the whole sports world basically talking about a fake “mooning”. I mean if he had actually pulled his pants down I could justify the coverage, but come on! I have seen worse. Don’t show it and don’t talk about how outraged you are. That is what he wants. Do you think for a moment that if it didn’t get this type of response he would be doing it still? Do you think he cares that you are “outraged”? Randy only cares about Randy, so let it go. Just for once I would like one of these sports outlets to say, “We have decided that the Moss issue is a non-issue and we aren’t going to talk about it. Instead we are going to talk about how Brett Favre threw his teams hope of winning away with 4 interceptions, and how Payton Manning destroyed the Broncos defense in the first half.”
Those are topics I wish they would tackle, then drive a bulldozer over, then bury, then pour cement over, then . . .
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Sucked In
Sucked in—To be drawn into believing there is a chance for success by West Virginia University athletic teams (specifically football and basketball) right at the moment when you are ready to give up hope of success, only to have those hopes dashed by a poor performance.
To a less severe degree I experienced this last night with the WVU basketball team. 10-0 so far, winning this past week over 2 ranked opponents, being ranked themselves, being Dickie V’s team of the week, and having a huge story in USA TODAY, I knew the floor would drop out soon, and it did last night with them losing, but not only losing, but being crushed by Villanova 84-46. I can deal with that loss. Was I excited they were 10-0? Of course, but I never thought they would go 14-0 or 18-0. So that loss tempered my enthusiasm a little, but I am still looking forward to watching the rest of the season.
The other occurrence happened on Saturday with WVU playing Florida St. in the Gator Bowl. I had planned on going to Buffalo Wild Wings and watching the game with wings and beer in hand to soften the blow of the sure to be destruction of the Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl. The team has underachieved all season. Undisciplined, penalty-laden, and bad performances at times when they needed to step up were the mark of this team all season, what would change that now? Heck, if Maryland did it last year there was no reason to believe that the same wouldn’t happen this year. I walked into the Wing joint with my only goal being for us not to embarrass ourselves. I knew I was walking into a WVU-friendly atmosphere where when things got bad we could console ourselves (misery does love company). No expectation, just wings and beer.
I will never forget the moment that FSU scored on the second play from scrimmage. I was eating a wing and my buddy Tom was putting one down too. As the running back broke through the line I would normally stop eating and yell “Stop him! Hit him! Catch him!” but as the FSU running back was racing 60+ yards for the touchdown I just kept gnawing at my wing and out of the corner of my eye I could see Tom doing the same. We have been here before. As he ran down the sidelines and into the end zone I swallowed my wing and reached for my beer. The only words exchanged between Tom and I were “Man that guy is fast,” as we sipped our beers. We knew this was coming and weren’t even shocked by how fast it happened.
On the ensuing kickoff WVU fumbled and FSU recovered and I knew this was the beginning of the end. My only goal was to not be embarrassed on national TV and it had taken a whole 5 minutes for that goal to be shattered. I quickly called my mom who the day before showed such innocent confidence by saying, “We are going to win this game.” I left her a voice mail on her cell that went something like this: “Mom. Ryan. I am sitting here at BW3 and I just watched FSU score on their second play from scrimmage and recover our fumble on the kick off, do you still think we are going to win this game?”
We hold them to a field goal. 10-0 and I have eaten only 2 wings, but the majority of my 20 oz draft beer is gone.
All expectations are gone at this point. Now all I want is that it doesn’t get out of control and turn into a 103-7 game or anything like that. If they can keep them to only 45 points I will be happy. It’s like getting take-out food from a place you know always screws up your order. You know something is going to be missing, you expect it, just let it be a sauce or something, not the chime ole.
WVU did something I never expected on the next drive. Couple nice passes, nice running plays and a throw and run into the end zone. What, no penalties? We scored? Disbelief. Confusion. A missed extra point. Ahh there it is. 10-6 FSU.
Back and forth for a few possessions, then the strange happens again. We drive down the field again in impressive fashion and score a second TD? Huh? What’s happening? Another missed extra point. Ahh there it is again. 12-10 WVU.
At this moment, here is where the “sucking in” takes place. Just when my hopes are at it’s lowest. Just when all is lost and there is nothing more to believe in, that’s when they get you. That is when they make you suspend reality and let yourself believe “We could actually win this game.”
It’s hard to resist at a place full of WVU fans. People start to cheer and get excited and suddenly you are cheering. What? Cheering? Getting excited over plays? Fist pumping? No this can’t be happening. All I wanted was to keep the score under 45 a few wings ago and now we are winning. Why oh cruel sports god would you do this to me? Why?
I call Trent to get him to talk me down off of this ledge of believement.
No answer, voicemail, “Trent, I am getting sucked in. Tell me we aren’t going to win. Tell me we are going to lose, make me not believe.” Knowing Trent he is getting as sucked in as I am. Many a time we have made runs like this at Mountaineer field and in the midst of my excitement I have high-fived Trent and we share the same look, the same feelings, we are both victims.
I need professional help. I call Adam, the eternal pessimist. I know he’s not sucked in yet.
“Adam, I am getting sucked in, tell me we are going to lose, let me know that I shouldn’t believe we are going to win this game.”
After a brief discussion about strategy (because you can’t just call and not talk about missed extra points and how the defense looks) he talks me off of my ledge.
“Well I imagine it will come down to a field goal, and we will miss it and lose.” Ahh the reasoning I was looking for. I feel a weight off my shoulders. I feel happy and relaxed. “Thanks Adam, you are right, what was I thinking.”
My second 20 oz beer is brought to the table. I was drinking before to ease the pain, now I am drinking to calm my nerves.
Halftime is 13-12 FSU. I field a call from my Mom now chastising me about my earlier wing/beer/early score induced voice mail.
A call from Trent on a beer run, obviously feeling the same way I am at this moment. We talk strategy. I share with him Adam’s pearl of wisdom, but poor kid, I think he is just as gone as I am.
They kick a field goal, we kick a field goal. 16-15 now in the 3rd quarter. And as much as Adam helped I am feeling drawn back in. The table of guys next to us are standing. Cheering with every good play I can’t help but to let out a “YEAA!” on a sack. Tom and I know we are officially sucked in and there is nothing we can do now.
Beginning of the 4th quarter, there is still a chance FSU is only up 23-18 now after we kick another FG. This could go down to the end. I receive a call from my old college roommate Giz. “They are sucking me in.” Giz, not nearly as close to all of the WVU action in Houston, TX is still feeling the vortex over 1,000 miles away and is calling me for help as my 3rd Killians is being brought to the table. I share with him what Adam told me and it seems to easy his anxiety.
FSU takes over on the kickoff and drives 80 yards in 7 plays and as my buddy Tim Brunicardi would say, “Ballgame.” It’s all over but the last 10 minutes. We haven’t put the ball in the endzone the whole second half and it’s not looking good. The last swallow of the 3rd beer is gone.
With about 6:00 left in the game, FSU up 30-18 and driving, Tom and I decide to leave and catch the last few minutes on the radio.
We hear WVU driving, Rasheed is hurt and Charles Hales comes in. The MSN broadcaster Dwight Wallace mentions that if we can go down and score and recover the onside kick we have a chance. Poor dope, he is sucked in more than anyone I know.
To a less severe degree I experienced this last night with the WVU basketball team. 10-0 so far, winning this past week over 2 ranked opponents, being ranked themselves, being Dickie V’s team of the week, and having a huge story in USA TODAY, I knew the floor would drop out soon, and it did last night with them losing, but not only losing, but being crushed by Villanova 84-46. I can deal with that loss. Was I excited they were 10-0? Of course, but I never thought they would go 14-0 or 18-0. So that loss tempered my enthusiasm a little, but I am still looking forward to watching the rest of the season.
The other occurrence happened on Saturday with WVU playing Florida St. in the Gator Bowl. I had planned on going to Buffalo Wild Wings and watching the game with wings and beer in hand to soften the blow of the sure to be destruction of the Mountaineers in the Gator Bowl. The team has underachieved all season. Undisciplined, penalty-laden, and bad performances at times when they needed to step up were the mark of this team all season, what would change that now? Heck, if Maryland did it last year there was no reason to believe that the same wouldn’t happen this year. I walked into the Wing joint with my only goal being for us not to embarrass ourselves. I knew I was walking into a WVU-friendly atmosphere where when things got bad we could console ourselves (misery does love company). No expectation, just wings and beer.
I will never forget the moment that FSU scored on the second play from scrimmage. I was eating a wing and my buddy Tom was putting one down too. As the running back broke through the line I would normally stop eating and yell “Stop him! Hit him! Catch him!” but as the FSU running back was racing 60+ yards for the touchdown I just kept gnawing at my wing and out of the corner of my eye I could see Tom doing the same. We have been here before. As he ran down the sidelines and into the end zone I swallowed my wing and reached for my beer. The only words exchanged between Tom and I were “Man that guy is fast,” as we sipped our beers. We knew this was coming and weren’t even shocked by how fast it happened.
On the ensuing kickoff WVU fumbled and FSU recovered and I knew this was the beginning of the end. My only goal was to not be embarrassed on national TV and it had taken a whole 5 minutes for that goal to be shattered. I quickly called my mom who the day before showed such innocent confidence by saying, “We are going to win this game.” I left her a voice mail on her cell that went something like this: “Mom. Ryan. I am sitting here at BW3 and I just watched FSU score on their second play from scrimmage and recover our fumble on the kick off, do you still think we are going to win this game?”
We hold them to a field goal. 10-0 and I have eaten only 2 wings, but the majority of my 20 oz draft beer is gone.
All expectations are gone at this point. Now all I want is that it doesn’t get out of control and turn into a 103-7 game or anything like that. If they can keep them to only 45 points I will be happy. It’s like getting take-out food from a place you know always screws up your order. You know something is going to be missing, you expect it, just let it be a sauce or something, not the chime ole.
WVU did something I never expected on the next drive. Couple nice passes, nice running plays and a throw and run into the end zone. What, no penalties? We scored? Disbelief. Confusion. A missed extra point. Ahh there it is. 10-6 FSU.
Back and forth for a few possessions, then the strange happens again. We drive down the field again in impressive fashion and score a second TD? Huh? What’s happening? Another missed extra point. Ahh there it is again. 12-10 WVU.
At this moment, here is where the “sucking in” takes place. Just when my hopes are at it’s lowest. Just when all is lost and there is nothing more to believe in, that’s when they get you. That is when they make you suspend reality and let yourself believe “We could actually win this game.”
It’s hard to resist at a place full of WVU fans. People start to cheer and get excited and suddenly you are cheering. What? Cheering? Getting excited over plays? Fist pumping? No this can’t be happening. All I wanted was to keep the score under 45 a few wings ago and now we are winning. Why oh cruel sports god would you do this to me? Why?
I call Trent to get him to talk me down off of this ledge of believement.
No answer, voicemail, “Trent, I am getting sucked in. Tell me we aren’t going to win. Tell me we are going to lose, make me not believe.” Knowing Trent he is getting as sucked in as I am. Many a time we have made runs like this at Mountaineer field and in the midst of my excitement I have high-fived Trent and we share the same look, the same feelings, we are both victims.
I need professional help. I call Adam, the eternal pessimist. I know he’s not sucked in yet.
“Adam, I am getting sucked in, tell me we are going to lose, let me know that I shouldn’t believe we are going to win this game.”
After a brief discussion about strategy (because you can’t just call and not talk about missed extra points and how the defense looks) he talks me off of my ledge.
“Well I imagine it will come down to a field goal, and we will miss it and lose.” Ahh the reasoning I was looking for. I feel a weight off my shoulders. I feel happy and relaxed. “Thanks Adam, you are right, what was I thinking.”
My second 20 oz beer is brought to the table. I was drinking before to ease the pain, now I am drinking to calm my nerves.
Halftime is 13-12 FSU. I field a call from my Mom now chastising me about my earlier wing/beer/early score induced voice mail.
A call from Trent on a beer run, obviously feeling the same way I am at this moment. We talk strategy. I share with him Adam’s pearl of wisdom, but poor kid, I think he is just as gone as I am.
They kick a field goal, we kick a field goal. 16-15 now in the 3rd quarter. And as much as Adam helped I am feeling drawn back in. The table of guys next to us are standing. Cheering with every good play I can’t help but to let out a “YEAA!” on a sack. Tom and I know we are officially sucked in and there is nothing we can do now.
Beginning of the 4th quarter, there is still a chance FSU is only up 23-18 now after we kick another FG. This could go down to the end. I receive a call from my old college roommate Giz. “They are sucking me in.” Giz, not nearly as close to all of the WVU action in Houston, TX is still feeling the vortex over 1,000 miles away and is calling me for help as my 3rd Killians is being brought to the table. I share with him what Adam told me and it seems to easy his anxiety.
FSU takes over on the kickoff and drives 80 yards in 7 plays and as my buddy Tim Brunicardi would say, “Ballgame.” It’s all over but the last 10 minutes. We haven’t put the ball in the endzone the whole second half and it’s not looking good. The last swallow of the 3rd beer is gone.
With about 6:00 left in the game, FSU up 30-18 and driving, Tom and I decide to leave and catch the last few minutes on the radio.
We hear WVU driving, Rasheed is hurt and Charles Hales comes in. The MSN broadcaster Dwight Wallace mentions that if we can go down and score and recover the onside kick we have a chance. Poor dope, he is sucked in more than anyone I know.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Time
The best thing about this job is the time off, no doubt about it. In the summer I have taken days off to golf and not had to log it down as actual "vacation days" and over the winter break when the college is closed all of those days off are not part of my 20 day vacation, but simply days off. What's not to love about going from Dec 22 to Jan 2 without working?
The last company I worked for made us work even the day after Christmas. Who gets business done on that day? No one, we sat around all day and talked about our holiday and what we did and got as gifts. All of our clients were off that day so we had nothing pressing to do. It would have been a nice gesture by the company to just give us that day and it would have saved them having to pay us to sit around that day.
Since the Christmas break starts we start our traveling tour again. Christmas day we are off to PA to visit Renea's family, then the next day (with the Steelers playing at 1:00 mind you) we will be traveling to Fairmont to do christmas with my Mom, then back home on the 27th. I just hope we can bring back all of the gifts for Owen or that someone gets us a car for Christmas.
The last company I worked for made us work even the day after Christmas. Who gets business done on that day? No one, we sat around all day and talked about our holiday and what we did and got as gifts. All of our clients were off that day so we had nothing pressing to do. It would have been a nice gesture by the company to just give us that day and it would have saved them having to pay us to sit around that day.
Since the Christmas break starts we start our traveling tour again. Christmas day we are off to PA to visit Renea's family, then the next day (with the Steelers playing at 1:00 mind you) we will be traveling to Fairmont to do christmas with my Mom, then back home on the 27th. I just hope we can bring back all of the gifts for Owen or that someone gets us a car for Christmas.
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
My grad students
This semester I taught a graduate level course, MCM 541 for the Master of Corporate Media degree at Marietta. It was a desktop publishing elective course for those people in that masters program. I had 6 students this semester, 3 students from China and 3 students from the U.S. (specifically the surrounding Mid-Ohio Valley).
Now this class is not the hardest grad-level course there is out there. We met about 13 times and the class was held on Tuesday nights and we were supposed to meet from 7-10 (and that happened just a handful of times.) So anyway the week after Thanksgiving we go over the final project, a 24 page magazine and they can start that night. Plus I am giving them the next class period to work on their projects and I will be there so if they have any questions I can answer them for them. The projects are due on Dec 14 at 7:00 p.m., so essentially they have 2 full weeks and 2 3-hour class periods to do the projects. Pretty generious huh? They will all have their projects done on time, right?
Wrong.
First of all I go the class on Dec. 7 (the lab class where they have 3 hours to work on the project) and none of them have started. So basically they have wasted a week. For 3 hours I help them the best I can, and some even leave early.
I then expected to get calls and e-mail the next week leading up to the deadline. No calls, no e-mails, no one stops by my office for help. I am thinking, “I taught these kids so well that they don’t need my help. They are fine and completing the project with no problems.” Then I get an e-mail on Monday, Dec. 13 the day before the final is due (from one of my American students) asking if the final is due tomorrow and if it is she isn’t sure she can finish it on time. Are you kidding me? 2 weeks to do this project and then you don’t know when it is due. Now if one of my Chinese students came to me and weren’t sure when the project was due I could understand, the communication barrier, maybe they got confused, but the fact that all 3 Chinese students knew when it was due and my American student didn’t, now that’s just a simple case of wax in the ears and not paying attention.
Later on Monday I have 2 Chinese students stop by and ask for help (not a problem I expected that to happen).
I then have another American student stop by and have me help her with her project on Tuesday. She mentions that she thinks it won’t be done by 7:00 p.m. What the F---? If I even thought about being late for a project (let alone the final) I know it would have been at least a grade drop.
So I decide I will give them the last class period to finish up and that the projects will be due at 10 and not 7, and if they want to turn them in on Wed then the best they can do is a B. Turn it in on Thurs and the best you can do is a C.
That night no one had their project done at 7. They all had some work to do on it, some more than others. And one person didn’t show up at all. This kid had an A going all semester, thought there was no way he could turn in his project by 7 (little did he know I changed the guidelines to accommodate the lazy) and decided not to show.
My one student who e-mailed me about her project and claimed she didn’t know when it was due, lost her project on the computer and had to turn it in late. The other American student who didn’t think it would be done by 7 did a very good job on her project, and the 3 Chinese students turned all of theirs in on time and did well.
Overall I handed out 2 A-, 1 A, 2 B+, and 1 F. And when it came down to my 3 American students vs. my 3 Chinese I have to give the Chinese students the nod. They did a better job and they did the simplest job of all and actually followed directions.
Now this class is not the hardest grad-level course there is out there. We met about 13 times and the class was held on Tuesday nights and we were supposed to meet from 7-10 (and that happened just a handful of times.) So anyway the week after Thanksgiving we go over the final project, a 24 page magazine and they can start that night. Plus I am giving them the next class period to work on their projects and I will be there so if they have any questions I can answer them for them. The projects are due on Dec 14 at 7:00 p.m., so essentially they have 2 full weeks and 2 3-hour class periods to do the projects. Pretty generious huh? They will all have their projects done on time, right?
Wrong.
First of all I go the class on Dec. 7 (the lab class where they have 3 hours to work on the project) and none of them have started. So basically they have wasted a week. For 3 hours I help them the best I can, and some even leave early.
I then expected to get calls and e-mail the next week leading up to the deadline. No calls, no e-mails, no one stops by my office for help. I am thinking, “I taught these kids so well that they don’t need my help. They are fine and completing the project with no problems.” Then I get an e-mail on Monday, Dec. 13 the day before the final is due (from one of my American students) asking if the final is due tomorrow and if it is she isn’t sure she can finish it on time. Are you kidding me? 2 weeks to do this project and then you don’t know when it is due. Now if one of my Chinese students came to me and weren’t sure when the project was due I could understand, the communication barrier, maybe they got confused, but the fact that all 3 Chinese students knew when it was due and my American student didn’t, now that’s just a simple case of wax in the ears and not paying attention.
Later on Monday I have 2 Chinese students stop by and ask for help (not a problem I expected that to happen).
I then have another American student stop by and have me help her with her project on Tuesday. She mentions that she thinks it won’t be done by 7:00 p.m. What the F---? If I even thought about being late for a project (let alone the final) I know it would have been at least a grade drop.
So I decide I will give them the last class period to finish up and that the projects will be due at 10 and not 7, and if they want to turn them in on Wed then the best they can do is a B. Turn it in on Thurs and the best you can do is a C.
That night no one had their project done at 7. They all had some work to do on it, some more than others. And one person didn’t show up at all. This kid had an A going all semester, thought there was no way he could turn in his project by 7 (little did he know I changed the guidelines to accommodate the lazy) and decided not to show.
My one student who e-mailed me about her project and claimed she didn’t know when it was due, lost her project on the computer and had to turn it in late. The other American student who didn’t think it would be done by 7 did a very good job on her project, and the 3 Chinese students turned all of theirs in on time and did well.
Overall I handed out 2 A-, 1 A, 2 B+, and 1 F. And when it came down to my 3 American students vs. my 3 Chinese I have to give the Chinese students the nod. They did a better job and they did the simplest job of all and actually followed directions.
Monday, December 13, 2004
g'day mate
Renea and I went to the Outback on Friday and I have to tell you this restaurant chain is a license to print money. I have never been to one that is not busy and I have never been to one that I had some sort of wait to be seated because it was so busy. I have never had a bad experience at an Outback, ever. I am not sure how these people are trained or who does the training, but all the employees seem top notch. Not one has been snooty, rude, obnoxious or unwilling to help make our dining experience the best.
When we got the Outback, and went to sit at the bar (there was a 45 minute wait) it was still happy hour (buy one, get one free) and we ordered our Fosters and then had 2 more coming. Then we moved to our table and the waitress said, it’s just past 7:30 (when happy ends) and she said she would try to get our next round in for Happy Hour and we could get our next round of drinks for buy one, get one free.
Of course we had to order the cheesy fries, excellent, then we got our salads, always big and fresh, then we got our steaks, the same, always big and fresh. Service was excellent, drinks were always refilled and it was a great dining experience.
There was only one time we had bad steaks that had sat under the heat lamp too long. The manager came, asked if we were happy, we said no, and then they gave us new steaks (no charge) and free desserts. All of a sudden the bad memory of dried out steaks turns into a story I am still telling 3 years later about my excellent service. If only more places would adopt this philosophy of service and food quality then most places would have a 45-minute wait.
When we got the Outback, and went to sit at the bar (there was a 45 minute wait) it was still happy hour (buy one, get one free) and we ordered our Fosters and then had 2 more coming. Then we moved to our table and the waitress said, it’s just past 7:30 (when happy ends) and she said she would try to get our next round in for Happy Hour and we could get our next round of drinks for buy one, get one free.
Of course we had to order the cheesy fries, excellent, then we got our salads, always big and fresh, then we got our steaks, the same, always big and fresh. Service was excellent, drinks were always refilled and it was a great dining experience.
There was only one time we had bad steaks that had sat under the heat lamp too long. The manager came, asked if we were happy, we said no, and then they gave us new steaks (no charge) and free desserts. All of a sudden the bad memory of dried out steaks turns into a story I am still telling 3 years later about my excellent service. If only more places would adopt this philosophy of service and food quality then most places would have a 45-minute wait.
Wednesday, December 08, 2004
Towels from the Hilton
This morning I put the towel back. I decided that it is better for someone to think I broke in to use it then break back in and replace it than rather thinking that someone stole it. Kinda restores your faith in the modern man eh? Oh well it was the right thing to do, and besides leaving a note saying "thank you" that is about the best a man can do.
Ok I am sick of Paris "the woman who won a VH1 award for saying That's Hot." Hilton. I mean is it possible to actually be popular by being Joey Tribiani in real life? That is what this woman has done. I seriously doubt she has one intelligent thought in her brain and for some reason she is all over TV and the magazines. If she had no money she would be the slut girl from high school. You all know the one, she's a little skanky and dresses so you can tell what kind of underwear she is wearing. Everyone knows who she's been with and what she will do in bed. That's Paris. I guess I can say I might be jealous that a moron with not an ounce of talent or smarts is worth more than I will ever see in a lifetime, but aren't we all. I mean don't we all want to see her fall on her surgically enhanced face? I guess I can take it I mean really she is 15 years from being Bridget Nielsen anyway. Drunk, fat and stupid. I can't wait until that Surreal Life.
Ok I am sick of Paris "the woman who won a VH1 award for saying That's Hot." Hilton. I mean is it possible to actually be popular by being Joey Tribiani in real life? That is what this woman has done. I seriously doubt she has one intelligent thought in her brain and for some reason she is all over TV and the magazines. If she had no money she would be the slut girl from high school. You all know the one, she's a little skanky and dresses so you can tell what kind of underwear she is wearing. Everyone knows who she's been with and what she will do in bed. That's Paris. I guess I can say I might be jealous that a moron with not an ounce of talent or smarts is worth more than I will ever see in a lifetime, but aren't we all. I mean don't we all want to see her fall on her surgically enhanced face? I guess I can take it I mean really she is 15 years from being Bridget Nielsen anyway. Drunk, fat and stupid. I can't wait until that Surreal Life.
Tuesday, December 07, 2004
something witty and towels
I started this blog because a lot of the time I feel that I have funny things to say or commentary to add, but as I sit down to compose this blog entry I realize that I am blank. I have no funny thoughts. Nothing funny to comment on. Until now (I knew if I just started to ramble something would come to me):
A funny thing happened to me yesterday, it is either funny or gross, you be the judge. I work out here at the college over at the rec center and I usually go in the mornings at 7am. I work out, shower in the locker room and then get dressed for work, so I take all of that stuff with me on a daily basis, occasionally on Mondays I forget to pack something in my workout bag, cause it's Monday and I usually am packing in a hurry or I forget on Friday that I ran out of shampoo or forgot my shoes for work and have to wear running shoes all day, or something like that.
Well yesterday I workout, go down to the locker room and unpack my bag and get ready to go to the shower and realize I forgot my towel. There are some things I can make do without, I can wash my hair with soap if I forget my shampoo, and I can use soap to replace my shaving cream, wet paper towel to replace my Q-tips, I am the freakin' McGyver of toiletry items, but I can't find anything to replace my towel. Not paper towels, not toilet paper. So I had to weigh my options.
Do I get dressed and go back home to shower? No, that would take too much time and I would be late for work. Do I go upstairs and get about 10 little workout towels and use them? No, I have to get dressed again and I don't want to be walking out of the workout room with 10 little towels. People would stare. So, last resort. I know that I keep the combination for my locker on the back of my lock. I would never remember it otherwise and there is nothing kept in my locker that anyone would want to steal unless someone is really hard up for cologne and I have a bottle of Liz Claiborne Sport in there. So I though let's look around the locker room find a locker with a towel and then see if they do what I do and keep the combination on the back.
I search the room for lockers with towels. I find one, no combination on the back, I find another, damn, it's a key lock, another, no combination on the back. I am down to my last one, it has 2 towels, now hopefully A. It has the combination on the back and B. No one walks in and sees me breaking into someone else's locker, YES! It has the combination. So I frantically dial up the combination, once, won't open, twice, won't open. You would think I was on a big bank heist nervously opening the vault that contained all the gold you could carry. I tell myself "Ok slow down and get it right." I slow down entering in the numbers and presto open locker. I quickly pull out what looks to be the cleanest towel. I give it a sniff check and surprisingly it is fine. I don't mean like it's bearable, I mean it actually seems like a newly clean one, one not previously used (at least that is what I believe and I will believe it forever). I quickly close the locker and grab up my newly acquired towel and head to the shower. I sniff the towel at least 3-4 more times just to make sure it's ok, and use it dry off after my shower.
Now if I could put a face on the towel, no matter who's towel it was, if the owner had a face I don't think I could have used it. It would have been me and a roll of paper towels drying off, but because it was a little towel stuck in a locker with no owner I was able to put my fears aside and use the towel, and no I didn't put it back in the locker after I used it. I am taking it home and washing it, then putting it back.
The next question is, do I fold it up and put it back like I am saying, "Someone broke into your locker, not only to steal this towel and use it, but broke back in later to put it back." Or do I make it look like it was never taken? I will keep you posted.
A funny thing happened to me yesterday, it is either funny or gross, you be the judge. I work out here at the college over at the rec center and I usually go in the mornings at 7am. I work out, shower in the locker room and then get dressed for work, so I take all of that stuff with me on a daily basis, occasionally on Mondays I forget to pack something in my workout bag, cause it's Monday and I usually am packing in a hurry or I forget on Friday that I ran out of shampoo or forgot my shoes for work and have to wear running shoes all day, or something like that.
Well yesterday I workout, go down to the locker room and unpack my bag and get ready to go to the shower and realize I forgot my towel. There are some things I can make do without, I can wash my hair with soap if I forget my shampoo, and I can use soap to replace my shaving cream, wet paper towel to replace my Q-tips, I am the freakin' McGyver of toiletry items, but I can't find anything to replace my towel. Not paper towels, not toilet paper. So I had to weigh my options.
Do I get dressed and go back home to shower? No, that would take too much time and I would be late for work. Do I go upstairs and get about 10 little workout towels and use them? No, I have to get dressed again and I don't want to be walking out of the workout room with 10 little towels. People would stare. So, last resort. I know that I keep the combination for my locker on the back of my lock. I would never remember it otherwise and there is nothing kept in my locker that anyone would want to steal unless someone is really hard up for cologne and I have a bottle of Liz Claiborne Sport in there. So I though let's look around the locker room find a locker with a towel and then see if they do what I do and keep the combination on the back.
I search the room for lockers with towels. I find one, no combination on the back, I find another, damn, it's a key lock, another, no combination on the back. I am down to my last one, it has 2 towels, now hopefully A. It has the combination on the back and B. No one walks in and sees me breaking into someone else's locker, YES! It has the combination. So I frantically dial up the combination, once, won't open, twice, won't open. You would think I was on a big bank heist nervously opening the vault that contained all the gold you could carry. I tell myself "Ok slow down and get it right." I slow down entering in the numbers and presto open locker. I quickly pull out what looks to be the cleanest towel. I give it a sniff check and surprisingly it is fine. I don't mean like it's bearable, I mean it actually seems like a newly clean one, one not previously used (at least that is what I believe and I will believe it forever). I quickly close the locker and grab up my newly acquired towel and head to the shower. I sniff the towel at least 3-4 more times just to make sure it's ok, and use it dry off after my shower.
Now if I could put a face on the towel, no matter who's towel it was, if the owner had a face I don't think I could have used it. It would have been me and a roll of paper towels drying off, but because it was a little towel stuck in a locker with no owner I was able to put my fears aside and use the towel, and no I didn't put it back in the locker after I used it. I am taking it home and washing it, then putting it back.
The next question is, do I fold it up and put it back like I am saying, "Someone broke into your locker, not only to steal this towel and use it, but broke back in later to put it back." Or do I make it look like it was never taken? I will keep you posted.
Monday, December 06, 2004
Basketball Hoops and Steelers
Did something that was so much fun this past weekend. I shopped for my son. He is a year and a half and should really enjoy Christmas this year. One thing I wanted to buy him (from Santa of course) was a basketball hoop. No, not a real one, just one of those little ones you can set up in the living room or in our case one that you can also set up outside or the living room. I had to choose between the 4ft. adjustable or the 6ft. adjustable basketball hoop, and of course me being the positive thinking father I thought to myself "He will grow out of the 4ft. hoop in a year so we better go with the bigger one so it will last longer." So that is how I justified getting the larger hoop because I am confident that my 1 and a half year old son will out grow his 4 ft. hoop in a year. Just watch, he will spend about 20 minutes with it on Christmas Day and then forget about it and go spend 4 hours with the $4 tonka truck.
I am a big Steelers fan and if they were going to lose a game this year it would have been that game last night, but something strange is happening with this team. We drove down the field and scored the game winning field goal like we were supposed to do that. As a Steeler fan, that doesn't always happen. Usually someone drops a pass or fumbles or we have to try a 60 yard FG or something, but last night Big Ben drove us right down the field got us in field goal range and kicked the winner with 18 sec left. All like this is the way it was supposed to go. Strange I have to get used to this.
I am a big Steelers fan and if they were going to lose a game this year it would have been that game last night, but something strange is happening with this team. We drove down the field and scored the game winning field goal like we were supposed to do that. As a Steeler fan, that doesn't always happen. Usually someone drops a pass or fumbles or we have to try a 60 yard FG or something, but last night Big Ben drove us right down the field got us in field goal range and kicked the winner with 18 sec left. All like this is the way it was supposed to go. Strange I have to get used to this.
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