Happy New Year!

It's just not New Year's Eve with out Dick.


*SMOOCH*

Where NOT to spend Christmas Vacation

Farris Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, realized that traveling to Iraq by himself was not the safest thing he could have done with his Christmas vacation.

And he didn't even tell his parents.

Using money his parents had given him at one point, he bought a $900 plane ticket and took off from school a week before Christmas vacation started, skipping classes and leaving the country on December 11.

His goal: Baghdad.

Read the article here.

Sheesh, I get all nervous when I go to Mexico for vacation.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas was magical,
I hope everyone had a Merry one.

Twas the night before Christmas...

...and all through the house, two goblins were destroying it.

Movie Friday

Fun with Dick and Jane!

Losing your job is not funny. It’s scary. I have never lost a job, but my current position is tenuous. So I could relate to what happens to Dick and Jane. At first things are looking up for Dick at work. He gets a promotion to Vice President of his company. But in almost the same breath, the company goes bankrupt.

Dick and Jane try to find honest work, but so are 6,000 others that lost their job at Dick’s company. So they have to lower themselves and try to settle for more meager positions. After a few mishaps they again find themselves with no job and no money. Dick hits rock bottom when he tries to find work with some migrant workers and mistakenly gets deported.

Up to this point, I had not really laughed all that much. The comedy had been weakly delivered. But once Dick and Jane start actually robbing people and stealing stuff, then the comedy kicked in. At least they turned it up a notch.

There are a lot better films in the theater right now though. I’d spend that hard earned money you made being a Walmart greeter on King Kong and Narnia. Wait for Dick and Jane to come out on DVD.

Good Times!

I love Calvin!

Top Ten Christmas Flicks

1. A Christmas Story (1983)
2. The Bishop's Wife (1947)
3. Miracle on 34th Street
4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
5. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
6. Jingle All the Way (1996)
7. Scrooged (1988)
8. Elf (2003)
9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
10. Trapped in Paradise (1994)

DVD Tuesday

• Serenity
• Battlestar Gallactica (New Series)
• The Brothers Grimm (Didn't see it)
  

Scared of Santa

See more pics here.

Quote

"Defeat is only temporary!"
-Carl Denham

Movie Friday

Stunning special effects and incredible scenery are King in this re-make of a classic, KING KONG. I would try and compare it to the 1976 version starring Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange but I honestly can't remember much about it.

I do remember that the Jeff and Jessica film was set in more modern times, with Kong climbing the World Trade Center. Peter Jackson's film is more of a period piece being set in the 1930's. I think he pulled that off quite well. It is amazing to see what Times Square might have looked like then.

The film starts out in New York during the depression, where work is hard to find. We follow the life of two people in the entertainment business who have something in common. They are both on the outs. Ann Darrow, played by Naomi Watts is an actress who has just lost her job and her theater is closed. Carl Denham a movie maker, played by Jack Black, is on the verge of having his film cancelled. His leading lady has turned the part down and the producers are hanging him out to dry. That's when he has a chance meeting with Ann Darrow.

He whisks her off to film on an exotic location. A secret island that no one knows about. Carl had come across a map showing the location of the island and he will let nothing stop him from making his movie there. In fact it is about an hour until we get to see the Island and its "Jurrasic Park" inhabitants. This is where "part two" of the film takes place. Ann has fallen in love with the screen play writer, Jack Driscoll played by Adrian Brody, on the voyage to the Island. We also get to meet the crew of the ship and find that it is full of heroes, including the captain and first mate. Interestingly Carl Denham slowly becomes a villin as members of his film crew are killed on the island and Carl says, "They died doing what they believed in! This film! And I will make sure it is completed and the proceeds go to their family!"

After his camera and film is destroyed in a little tussle with the big ape, he realizes he is ruined unless he can convince the captain to help capture Kong and take him back as a prize. I was a bit sad that after they do capture Kong, there are no scenes showing the boat ride back to New York.

The last part of the film simply starts on stage in New York at the premiere of KING KONG, the Eighth Wonder of the World. And of course that's where all ape breaks lose.

King Kong does its job. It entertains you for three hours. You know Peter, he can't make a short film. Breath taking scenes and visuals. Long action packed sequences, and one campy scene with Kong and Naomi on the ice in central park *rolls eyes.*

Don't monkey around and go see it on the BIG SCREEN!

Need a last minute Christmas gift?

LAS VEGAS - Looking for off-the-wall Christmas gift ideas? The Clark County coroner's office can help. Tucked away in the office is a gift shop with items that walk a fine line between humor and morbidity. There's a coffee mug with the inscription "Playing for Keeps," a $10 fake jawbone that holds business cards and a T-shirt that reads "Coroner ... Cashed Out in Las Vegas."

"That's about as risque as we go," Assistant Coroner John Fudenberg told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We certainly don't want to make a mockery of death."

"The Jaw" cardholder has proven its best seller so far. The shop's "Coroner's Collection" also offers a faux Nevada license plate, patches, pens and other knickknacks.

"We're always looking for slogans or phrases that have a little bit of a dual meaning, because I think that is part of the hook," Coroner Mark Murphy said. Fudenberg says television shows such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" have increased demand in such items.

Too Many DVDs?

Do you collect DVDs? Do you loan them to friends and family? I know people that have to have every season of their favorite show, every blockbuster movie, and every comedy that comes out on DVD. That's hundreds of DVDs piling up.

I mostly collect the big action, sci-fi, and fantasy films. I like to track my collection with Movie Organizer. It's a free program and its quick and easy to use. It will use your internet connection to automatically search and load all the details about the movie, like actors, run time, and genre.

And my favorite feature....You can mark a movie as loaned. You can give it the name of the person that borrowed your movie and the date they borrowed it! Very handy for slacker relatives.

Check it out at movieorganizer.com
Good Times!

Survivor

Congrats to Danni, winner of Survivor: Guatemala. I was pulling for Stephenie but she made too many enemies to pull it off.

I feel like Danni didn't deserve the win. I think the jury just voted for her as revenge for getting out witted by Steph.

Good news, Jeff Probst is coming back for several more suvivor seasons. The next one will be in Panama.

Movie Friday

Having read the books as a child, this week's movie, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, was a thrill to watch. Just as with Lord of the Rings, I enjoyed seeing a set of favorite books come to life on the big screen.

The movie remains very true to the books I thought. Four very proper English children are sent to country side at the height of WWII. They are staying at the museum-like house of a professor, (a professor of what is never mentioned). The children quickly become bored and set out for a game of hide and seek. The youngest girl, Lucy, discovers a magical wardrobe that becomes a gateway to a land full of talking animals and fairy tale creatures such as fauns, satyrs, and a white witch-queen.

The children learn that they are part of a prophecy that states they will lead a final battle of the goodly creatures against the evil queen and her minions. I thought the talking beavers were a bit over the top, but thankfully not as annoying as Jar-Jar from Star Wars Episode I.

Tilda Swinton makes an excellent white witch, and Liam Neeson lends his voice for the gentle and wise Aslan the Lion.

I highly recommend stepping through the wardrobe and visiting Narnia.

The Forbes Fictional Fifteen-Forbes.com

Hot Chocolate Rocks!

Research led by Cornell University's Chang Yong Lee found that hot cocoa, on a per-serving basis, has four to five times more antioxidants than black tea, two to three times more than green tea, and almost two times more than red wine.

"A cup or two of hot cocoa every once in a while can provide a delicious, warm and healthy way to obtain more antioxidants," Lee said.

On What Day Will You Buy the Farm?

Need to know what day you will die on? Need to plan in advance and get your affairs in order? Then visit -

THE DEATH METER

BTW, I will no longer be blogging after March 11, 2050.

Here's a Tip

How much should you give as a Christmas bonus to the people that serve you during year? Here are some suggestions:

Tipping experts say, and tip recipients implied, that cash is the best way to say happy holidays. "Tipping is not a time to try and be original," said Hilka Klinkenberg, founder of Etiquette International.

Other tipping tips include...

• If you frequent a restaurant daily, it's a good idea to tip your regular waiter. An extra $5 in a card is a kind gesture at your regular lunch spot, while at the Four Seasons you could shell out $40-$50, plus similar amounts to the maitre and captain.
  
• You don't have to give as much to the new hairdresser, doorman, etc. because you haven't forged a relationship with them yet.
  
• Alcohol is not recommended. Just because you
  may enjoy the extra splash of cheer, it might not be right for someone else.
  
  CHILD CARE
  Babysitter 1 evening's pay + small gift
  from child
  Au pair 1 week's pay or a gift + small gift from child
  Nanny 1 week's to 1 month's pay + small gift from child
  Daycare providers $20-$70/each + small gift from child
  Child's teacher Gift (but check the school's policy to see if it's allowed)
  Coaches, tutors, music teachers, ballet instructors, etc: A small gift from the child
  
  HOME/CAR CARE
  Housekeeper 1 week's pay or more (depending on length of service)
  Trash collectors $15-$20 each
  Parking attendants $10-$35 each or up to half a
  month's parking bill for the group if they regularly provide extra service
  Gardener $20-$50. If the gardener's last job before spring is a fall clean up, it's best to tip in the fall
  
  APARTMENT SERVICE
  Doormen $25-$100 each (those who provide the most service for you should get more than those whom you barely see)
  Superintendent/custodian $50-$300 (tip more if
  there's no doorman and the service has been particularly attentive, but tip less if you tip throughout the year)
  Porters/handymen $10-$50 each
  Elevator operators $15-$40 each
  
  PERSONAL CARE
  Hairdresser Cost of 1 cut (or $20-$100) if you go frequently + small gift
  Manicurist Cost of 1 session (or $10-$50) + small gift
  Personal trainer $25 up to 1 week's pay (or cost
  of 1 session)
  Massage therapist $50-$100 or cost of 1 session
  
  PET CARE
  Dog groomer Small gift + 1/4 to 1/2 the cost of 1
  session
  Dog walker/regular dog sitter Cost of 1-2 week's pay (as with a
  nanny, a small gift is optional)
  
  DELIVERY SERVICES
  U.S. mail carrier Gifts under $20*
  UPS Company policy discourages drivers from accepting tips, but they can accept something of nominal value. Tipping guides offer $15 as a guideline, but the amount and choice of gift are up to you.
  
  FedEx Company policy does not permit cash tips, but a gift worth up to $25 is okay.
  Paper carrier $15-$25 for daily delivery ($5-$15 for
  weekend delivery)
  *Civil servants are not allowed to receive cash tips. But if you wish to recognize your mail carrier, the U.S. Postal Service asks that your gratuity not exceed $20 in cash value.
  

Is it fun to be you?

At the end of the day when you look in the mirror, do you smile and say, "Gee, It's fun to be me!" If not, what can you do to change that?

It is usually fun to be me, because I try really hard not to be a grown up. You know, to stay young at heart. But doing that sometimes makes me selfish and self centered as I try to surround myself with a barrier of personal comfort. If anything disrupts that personal comfort then it is no longer "fun to be me."

I try and full fill my "grown up" obligations, then I am ready to have fun. Be it hiking, camping, games, movies, etc. I don't want to be tied to schedules, goals that I can't achieve, and meetings I can't make. I want to be spontaneous and a free spirit.

But as I said before, doing that can sometimes run over other people and that is not fair. I need to be more focused on others rather than myself. And during this season of giving, I hope to reflect on that and perhaps be proactive in making sure that it is fun to be me but also it is fun to be AROUND me too.

LOL!

Movie Friday

I have only seen two or three of the animated Aeon Flux episodes on MTV. They were interesting and disturbing at the same time. And I never saw enough of the series to understand what the premise was. Fortunately none of those are a problem for the movie Aeon Flux.

I first saw Charlize Theron in the fun caper movie, The Italian Job. I fell in love with her acting and Mini Coopers. I did not see her in her Academy Award winning role she played in Monster. (shudder). In Aeon Flux she plays a highly trained assassin working with a group of rebels that are fighting against the system in which they live. The earth's population was wiped out by a virus and only a city full remain. They were saved by a brilliant scientist named Trevor Goodchild. But people are beginning to suspect there is nothing "good" about Trevor as people are mysteriously disappearing. Aeon is sent to kill him.

The movie is very fast paced and we are slowly given the complete storyline throughout the movie as the dialogue is interspersed with the action. The film is not too deep, and the plot twists are cliche and weak, but never the less, the visuals of the near-future city and set design was suburb. I really believed the world exsisted as presented. It was a fun film to watch and I feel I got my five-fiftys worth.

Catch it before its buried by a large hairy ape.

Calvin and the Snowmen

I love Calvin!

Grrrrrrr!

No My Name is Earl and no Office last night! They had to have their two-hour finale of The Biggest Loser instead! Who wants to see a show about other people losing weight? Not me.

What's next? We watch chain smokers try to kick the habit? Compulsive gamblers stop going to the track? Online gamers get away from the keyboard more? Hey wait that's me!

Weeping Mary

(Sacramento, CA) - A Sacramento-area church is drawing the faithful and the curious for an unusual sight that some are calling a miracle.

In front of the Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church stands a statute of the Virgin Mary. The figure appears to be crying tears of blood. The tears streak down the left side of her face and onto the bodice of her garment.

Church parishioners first reported seeing the red teardrops last Wednesday.

Observers are interpreting the phenomenon in various ways. Some say Mary is crying for all of the tragic events in the world. Others see it as a premonition of what the future holds.

Super Cool

I love movies and I love super heroes. So put the two together and you have two great tastes in one, just like a Reese's Cup. Although if you are allergic to peanuts, I can't recommend eating one.

Superman Returns is months away from release but everyone's talking about it. There's a great Macromedia Flash preview now circulating around the internet and if you have a few minutes and want to watch something really good, click right here. The movie even has a bonus superhero, Batman. I am surprised they would write the dark knight into the script with Batman Begins still fresh in our minds, but the caped D.C. Comics heroes have crossed paths several times in their series, so it is fitting the Batman makes an appearance. It has my blessing.

Kiss of Death

SAGUENAY, Quebec (AP) -- A 15-year-old girl with a peanut allergy died after kissing her boyfriend, who had just eaten a peanut butter snack, hospital officials said Monday.

Christina Desforges died in a Quebec hospital Wednesday after doctors were unable to treat her allergic reaction to the kiss the previous weekend.

About 1.5 million Americans are severely allergic to even the smallest trace of peanuts and peanut allergies account for 50 to 100 deaths in the United States each year.

The Washington Monument

I was born in Washinton D.C. in September of 1965. It was a dark stormy night. Sounds like the start of a mystery novel does it not? My father, like most fathers during that period was in the waiting room. He was watching a movie called....It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. Fitting I think.

Learn more than you care to know about the Washington Monument here.

Five Things I'm Thankful For [Day 5]

1. Christmas
2. Wind
3. Water (swimming, lakes, ocean, etc.)
4. Laughter
5. Love

Five Things I'm Thankful For [Day 4]

1. Movies
2. Our home
3. Good Neighbors
4. Sunshine
5. Home Videos
   

Food and Football

A big thank you to my sister who saved Thanksgiving. Otherwise we might have ended up at Denny's. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Five Things I'm Thankful For [Day 3]

1. Doctors
2. Football
3. 24 hour Walgreens
4. Pictures
5. Thanksgiving
   

Perfect Dark Zero

Well I said the heck with trying to score a Premium XBOX 360 bundle and I went out and bought all the gizmos I need to bring mine up to par. So look out, I am online and slaying the world.

For my first 360 game I chose Perfect Dark Zero because of its rave reviews. I really like the game so far. It's like Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, but easier and more fun. You play female secret agent named Joanna Dark. She has a variety of weapons and gadgets to help her infiltrate enemy bases and complete missions. There is a co-op mode and of course mulit-player.

The multi-player rocks. It's called Combat Arena. All the weapons, cool moves, and tons of ememies to frag. I highly recommend this title as a must have!

Game on dood

"Are you insane?"

That's what my wife asked when I told her I stood outside Target this morning for two hours to buy an XBOX 360 game system I did not want. Well I wanted the PREMIUM system, but all I could get was the CORE system, which has less essential accessories. I am going to hold it for a few days while I try and find a premium system. I hate Microsoft. They should have just made ONE system. Everyone wants the premium, but this Target store had 4 premiums and 12 core systems. It should have been the other way around! Did I mention I hate Microsoft!

Happy Holidaze!

Five Things I'm Thankful for [Day 2]

1. Music
2. Rain
3. My Job (no really I am!)
4. Computers
5. Blogs

Radio Peeps

I was listening to the Marc and Kim radio show here in K-Town on 102.1 fm and apparently Marc Anthony claimed he would strip naked and stand outside the studio naked and sing if gas prices ever fell below 2 bucks.

Well it is 1.99 all over town. So as a man of his word he went out side in 39 degree temps and rain and exposed his grapes. What will he do if prices drop to 1.09?

Five Things I'm Thankful For [Day 1]

1. Family
2. Church
3. Christmas Lights (duh)
4. Turkey
5. Cold Weather
   

I Love Christmas Lights

Their soft quite glow in the dark of the night is somehow comforting. Sometimes I stand on the porch alone in the cold and stare up at the twinkling motes. No screaming kids, no blaring TV, no keyboard demanding attention, no bills to pay, just me and the winking little balls of light. It can be peaceful for just a moment to collect my thoughts and take a deep breath.

The weather was not too cold this afternoon, so Lyn suggested I drag the lights out and put some up before it gets frigid for the rest of the year. Tangled icicle lights, twisted lighted garland, the blinking star, spiral trees, and coiled rope lights. Ladders, extension cords, plugs, and burned out bulbs.

Ahhh peace on earth. OK maybe not, but peace on my porch at least.

UT Football Update

They Stiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!

Four Cheers for Harry!

The lovable and often timid wizard, Harry Potter is at it again. I have not read the books and I lament not making to time for such an endeavor. I hear they are rather good. The movies aren't bad either. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened everywhere today.

This one got right down to business, with a scary introduction scene and then Harry was with his friends. I was a bit disappointed that there was no comedy scene with Harry's adoptive family this time as has been the case in the previous films. This film seemed a bit longer than the others, I guess something had to be cut out.

If you like any of the other movies, then you'll love this one as well. Mostly the same formula as the others, magic, special effects, mystery, and a Scooby Doo unveiling of the bad guy. The only thing that does change is the age of the three main characters. They are looking older with each film. Which is not a bad thing as the characters are supposed to develop as they pass each successive year at Hogwart's School of Magic.

They better hurry for the next film though, pretty soon Harry will be Hairy and need a shave!

Send yourself an email...in 20 years!

If you could talk to yourself in the future what would you say? Forbes.com is allowing us to create an email that you can send to yourself and then select when you would like to recieve it in the future. In one year? Five years? Ten or twenty years?

Its sort of like a digital time capsule. Perhaps you could describe to yourself what events are taking place in your life or in the world at this time. Or perhaps describe what you think or hope your life will be like in ten or twenty years and see how close you come.

I'll most likely pick a ten year "time capsule" a decade should be about right for touching base with my future self. I suggest using an email hosted by hotmail or gmail. Since these emails are more likely to be around in 10 or 20 years than say your current ISP account.

Click here to go to the Forbes Time Capsule Email.

See ya in ten years!

New Hobby?

I have always wanted a GPS (global positioning system). Why? Because they are cool. Because they are a gadget and I am a gadget guy. But I have never bought one. They are expensive and I really didn't have a use for one except for when I went hiking in the mountains. And I haven't done that in a while.

I was listening to TWiT today and they interviewed the creator of podcacher.com He explained an emerging new hobby where people are burying little caches of interesting trinkets all over the country and marking their location with a GPS unit. Then they post either clues to the coordinates or the coordinates themselves on the internet. So other people in the area can take their GPS unit and hunt for the hidden cache. The cache usually has a log book you can sign and if you want you can take the trinket (A knife, a coin, a whistle, etc.) and replace it with something you brought. What a neat idea.

You can learn more about this new "sport" at www.geocaching.com.

Now I have an excuse to buy one!

Toyota Certified Used Cars

Maybe I just do not understand the message here. I have bought Toyota used cars in the past, and I have bought Mazda, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, and Toyota again. I currently own a Toyota Camery and my most recent purchase, a Toyota Sienna Mini-van. When I bought the van, I was trying to decide between the Dodge Caravan and the Sienna. And I of course mentioned this to the Toyota salesman. He turns to me and says “But our used cars are certified.” I look back at him like “So?”

He says that means the car had a 160 point inspection! I said that means nothing to me. It may mean something to you but it has no sway with me. To me all “certified” means is that Toyota checked out the car to make sure they are not selling me a lemon. It GOES WITHOUT SAYING that they should check out their used cars before putting them on the lot for me to buy. WITHOUT SAYING. Yet this salesman is in my face going, “It’s certified! It’s certified.” Well duh! It better be certified. Every major car dealer in America better “certify” their used cars unless they want a reputation for selling junk to people. I am willing to bet Toyota has been “certifying” their used cars for years in some form or fashion. It’s just that some slick marketing person said “Hey lets make that a BIG selling point for our used cars.” Now, all their sales force and their ad campaigns and their signs shout “Our used cars are certified!” Big fat hairy deal! I just don’t get it.

It’s like they are saying that before certification existed, they just took their used cars in and washed them off and set them on the lot without ever opening the hood. They are implying that all the other car dealers do just that cause they don’t say the word “Certified.” What a crock. If anything this sheer marketing ploy turns me off and makes me want to look elsewhere.

Maybe certified means more than just making sure the car runs good. I went to the certified warranty page where they list benefits of the warranty. Mazda has just as good a warranty as they do if not better. Toyota compares it against buying from a private seller. This means that when you buy a used car from your neighbor, Joe Blow, you are not going to get a warranty. Well no kidding Toyota.

Come on Toyota come up with a better strategy than that. How about “Our used cars smell nice!”

Milestone

Well I have now had over 200 unique visitors to my blog. Double that number and you'll be close to the number of times I have seen Ice Age in my family room. (I can't wait for Ice Age II)

Anyways, thanks for stopping by! I know I know, most bloggers have had over 2000 or more, but hey I am still impressed a few wanderers have taken a gander at my inane drivel. And I am impressed I have continued to blog this long. Its fun!

KOSOVO

Here's a picture of my uncle Wayne serving in Kosovo. How do you like his Humvee?

Ryan's First UT Game

I took Ryan to see the VOLS today. They played terrible as usual, but we had a good time anyways. "Put in Rick Clausen!" Ryan shouted. Coach Fulmer must have heard him, cause he benched Eric Ainge after he threw two interceptions and Clausen led the VOLS to a 20 to 16 victory over Memphis.

I'm glad Ryan got to see them win one!

Shot Through the Heart

It's an old formula. Tell someone you love them (on TV) and they are sure to die. On LOST last night, Sayid told Shannon he loved her and not a minute later...BLAM! She's dead. Shannon is the second "major" character to die on LOST, following her brother Boone who died last season. She turned out to not be the spolied rich brat we all were led to believe she was in the first season.

On a side note. Two other potential lovers, Jack and Kate were not shown on last nights episode. I was trying to remember if they have never been shown on an episode before. (Help me out here LOST fans). Don't tell Kate you love her Jack!

Next week looks awesome! We get to see what happened to the tail section of flight 815 and the people that survived. Plus it is an extened episode. (So fix those VCRs!)

Shhhhhh! I hear whispers....

Computers are EVIL

Computers, and more specifically computer games are massively addictive. I am a huge HALO junkie. Before that it was Mechwarrior.

I spend countless hours pounding the keyboard over and over as I frag and get fragged by faceless enemies. I scream at the screen crying out in anger as my opponents run off with the flag and my lame teammates do nothing to stop them. Why do I keep playing this stupid game all hours of the night? I am addicted. Somebody help me.

A man dropped dead from exhaustion after
playing computer games for more than two days. The 28-year-old South Korean man known as Lee began his online session on August 3 at a cybercafe in the southeastern city of Taegu, reports Reuters. He only budged from playing the "battle simulation games" to go to the toilet and to catch a few z's. After spending around 50 hours online Lee collapsed and died.

So far I have not jumped on the pay-to-play bandwagon with games like World of Warcraft and Everquest, (affectionately know as Evercrack). But this may change next year with the release of Dungeons and Dragons Online. I like the fantasy games like Dungeon Siege, Diablo, and the excellent Neverwinter Nights. Speaking of which, Neverwinter Nights 2 comes out second quarter of 2006. Check out some screen shots here. I'm Doomed.

In the News

Holeee Crap! My Name is Earl was so funny last night. I haven't liked a sit com this much since Boston Common, starring Anthony Clark. LOST is on tonight, oh yeah!

After watching Earl and The Office I was quickly returned to reality when I switched over to the news and saw the sad story of yet another school shooting.
A 15 year old Campbell County student brought a gun to school. When confronted by school officials, he shot them. Killing an assistant principal and wounding the principal and another teacher. Why? Why after all the recent school shootings are kids still taking guns to school? I don't get it. I guess it will be endlessly debated, that its the parents fault, its the video games fault, its prayer being taken out of school's fault. But the bottom line is, I doubt this will ever be resolved.

I can only pray that my boys will never be involved in such an incident. On either side, giving or receiving.

Fire in the Sky

The boys and I were playing ball out in the yard last night as the sun was setting.

I looked up and was amazed to see the autumn
rays ignite the clouds with glowing fire.
I had to run in and grab the camera.

Diggnation

Diggnation is a weekly tech/web culture show based on the top digg.com social bookmarking news stories. Every week Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht talk about the top digg stories. Their podcast is recorded in California. They are very funny and I crack up listening to them.

They plan to record their podcast live in Chattanooga TN, next week (11/18) at the cre824 webdesign festival. It's only an hour and a half from Knoxville. I should really hop in a car and be a fan boy! My friends say I would be crazy, but I say it would be F U N!

PIRATE YODA

"To me your booty belongs!"

Holland Farm Fest

We had our annual farm fest at Dr. Mark and Karen Holland's farm. There was chili (I ate too much), Dessert (I ate too much again!), hay rides, horse and buggy rides, a crisp November sky sporting a quarter moon and Venus twinkling through the dark tree branches over head.

There were horses, big dogs, babies, and 2 year olds running amok through the leaves to the play ground. We had wagon rides, another stellar performance by the UT vols on the big screen, brownies, cookies, pies (oh my), cake, and 22 bottles of soda. It was a good night!

TECH NEWS

Want a good incremental backup system? Want a FREE incremental backup system? I recommend Cobian Backup 7. If you have precious digital photos, tons of mp3s or important files you should back these up to cd or dvd and take them "offsite." Cobian is a great program for that. I suggest doing a full back up four times a year and incrementals every time something new is added. There is an online tutorial to help you. Check it out!

Want a better alternative to the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer? I recommend irfanview. This freeware program has many more options than the windows app, including things like Lossless JPG rotation, email option, and cut/crop features.

Finally, would you like to learn a foreign language? For free? How about French? (PUKE!) Well this is for Jetting Through Life's little girl who likes Spanish. Check out www.word2word.com, this is a portal site that will guide you to many free online language courses. ¡adiós!

JARHEAD

If you are looking for a war movie with a lot of action, don't go see Jarhead. The most war action in the film comes from a scene where the soldiers are watching Apocalypse Now. The movie follows the tour of duty of Anthony Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) during the Gulf War. It shows the everyday life of a marine, the fun times, the pressures, the stresses, basically as Swofford's comrade puts it, "The Suck".

I thought the film covered everything well, but it failed to really draw me in and give me a sense of bonding with the characters or even the main character. I was just along for the ride. Jamie Foxx does another superb acting job playing the role of their staff sgt. He continues to demonstrate his versatility in a number of different characters.

Swofford is teamed with another grunt, Troy (Peter Sarsgaard). Peter looks a great deal like Ewan McGregor and also had an excellent supporting role. Overall I give it a thumbs up, but don't see me adding it to my DVD collection alongside We Were Soldiers, Black Hawk Down, Saving Private Ryan, or even Three Kings.

Hurah!

Top Ten Places I Hate

1. Funeral Homes
2. Prison*
3. Dentist Office
4. Hospital
5. Work
6. Chernobyl
7. Walmart
8. Cemetery
9. Any place with a crowd
10. France

*I've never been to prison, but I KNOW I would hate it.

TGIT

Huzzah! It's Thursday. My favorite day of the week. Oh wait. Back the bus up. FRIDAY is my favorite day of the week. Thursday is my favorite WORK day of the week.

Since I work ten hour shifts, Thursday is my last work day of the week. It is the antithesis of Monday. I have never really worked on Friday...ever. I mean I had a partime job delivering car bumpers when I was in highschool and college but Friday's were usually light deliveries, I got paid and ate non-fast food that day, and left early. And the 16 years here at TVA I have never worked on Friday.

Revenge of the Sith

Kyle was a bit under the weather today, so I stayed home from work (yea!), and we went shopping. He was pumped full of drugs so its otay. First we went to Walgreens to drop off some of my old Hi8 mm video tapes I'm having transfered to DVD.

Its expensive, (25 bucks a dvd), I should probably try and transfer them myself. I do my mini DV tapes, cause I can just plug it into my laptop. But its easier to just drop off the Hi8 stuff.

Then it was on to Target where my Widescreen Episode III - Revenge of the Sith DVD was awaiting my hardearned dollars (ok ok I didn't work so hard for the money). I was surprised to see it came with an exclusive retailer's collector's coin. That will go to Ryan, as I am all grown up and don't get cool stuff like that anymore. Yeah right!









You can pick one up on EBAY if your DVD didn't come with one. May the force be with you!

I'm too old to trick or treat, too young to die.

Fortunately I don't have to go door to door anymore. With kids, I just levy a hefty "Dad Tax" and I score some sweet chocolate bars. We're talkin Snickers, 3 Muskateers, Hershey, etc. Oh yeah it's good to be the king.

We had a surprisingly light crowd this year, just over a hundred Pirates, Witches, Mass Murderers, and several "I have no idea what you are supposed to be." Kyle was a Toy. Sherriff Woody. Ryan was a defender of the galaxy, a Jedi Knight.

CATastrophe

Well I thought I picked out a clever pattern for this year's pumpkin carving. I found a cute cat face to scribe my gord with.

Unfortunately the critics, ergo Ryan and Kyle were quite unimpressed. Apparently if it's not a fiendish visage from the bowls of perdition, these tikes are uninterested. Oh well maybe next year I can find a pattern of Martha Stewart in prison....now that's scary.

Happy All Hallows Eve

I'm sittin in my driveway handing out candy and blogging. The scary soundtrack the neighbors are playing down the street serenading me while I type. Lyn has the kids out with some friends of ours. I have a couple of pumpkins here to keep me company. Oh hang on, here comes a witch. "Skittles for you my pretty! And your little dog too!"

The Women of Oz

I thought I wouldn't have anything to blog about today. I was WRONG. At the last minute, mom sent me pictures of my sister dressed as Glenda the Good Witch and her daughter, Rachel, as the Wicked Witch. Hilarious! I haven't stopped laughing yet.

Spooktacular

Knoxville, TN - Halls High School - It is said that in the late 1970's a young girl was having a fight with her boyfriend at the top of the stairs by the office when he pushed her and she fell to the bottom of the stairs. He left her to bleed to death. When the boyfriend got nervous, he went back to where he had left her and she wasn't there. No one knew where the girl had went. She was filed under "missing persons" and no one ever found her. One year later on the day of her murder, the boyfriend was on his way home from a party when he was stabbed and killed and left for dead. No weapon was ever recovered nor was anyone ever convicted. It is said that it was his high school girlfriend that came back from the dead to avenge her murder.

Supposedly, many strange things happened in that stairwell that caused the school board to close it up. The doors are locked and it now leads to nowhere cause it has been built up at the top. There are many boxes of storage in there and no student is to be allowed in there at anytime. At night it has been reported that janitors can hear arguing, and sometimes you may even hear something falling down them.

I went to Central High, but Halls is just down the road. Scary.

BOO!

Z is for Zorro!

I enjoyed the long awaited sequel to "The Mask of Zorro" (1998) this afternoon. The new film, "The Legend of Zorro", reunites Catherine Zeta-Jones (Douglas?), Antonio Banderas (He was born for this part), and director Martin Campbell.

I love Zorro. He's like a Spanish Batman with his sword, whip, stirrups, and mask. Tornado, his powerful black stallion is of course the "Batmobile." The sequel was as charming as the first. Catherine and Antonio have great screen chemistry even though early in the film their characters are in conflict with one another. In this film, instead of Anthony Hopkins, Mr. and Mrs. Zorro have a mischievous little boy, Joaquin (Adrian Alonso). He provides some comic relief, but I think Zorro's horse stole the best comedic bit parts. (pardon the pun). The film runs a little long, but with all the excellent sword fights, action stunts, and energetic performances, it is worth it! I will have to rent the first one and watch it again.

I snuck some chocolate into the theater. Is that like downloading music from the Internet? Anyway I got it all over my shirt. Serves me right.

Check out The Legend of Zorro!

A Bright Yellow House

As a combat engineer in the 48th Brigade, Spc. Mathew Gibbs would scout patrol routes in a hulking armored vehicle the Army calls a "buffalo," designed to sniff out bombs before they kill other troops.

On August 2, the 21-year-old factory worker called his wife and family in the rural, southwest Georgia town of Ambrose. He'd been assigned to a new duty, manning checkpoints.

The next day, a suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives at the checkpoint Gibbs was guarding with two other soldiers.

The Fleetwood mobile home factory in Alma, where Gibbs worked building interior walls, stopped its fast-paced production line for a moment of silence.

Rae Gibbs asked her husband's fellow soldiers to tell all they knew. "They all assured me they didn't even know what was coming and didn't know what hit them."

Before he deployed, Gibbs planned to move his wife and daughters, ages 5 and 3, to a small house on his in-laws' farm. He had the restoration plans drawn up. He'd even picked the color -- bright yellow.

"He should have gotten to college like he planned. He should have gotten to watch his daughters grow up," said Lee Carver, Gibbs' mother-in-law. "He should have gotten to paint that house yellow."

I wish I were rich. His daughter's are close to my son's ages. I'd make sure they had the chance to go to college. And I'd paint that house yellow.

Broken Dreams

We all have our dreams.
Run over by the wheel of misfortune,
Squeezed by the thumbscrews of conformity,
Stretched on the rack of religion,
Skewered by the blunt lance of self censorship,
Burnt by the coals of higher education,
Devoured by the tumor of technology,
Seared by the corrupt breath of politics,
Served up on the platter of social injustice,
Sucked in by the illusions of the media,
Crunched in the jaws of corporate greed.
We all have broken dreams.
-TJ Taroo

The Paradoxical Commandments

• People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered. Love them anyway.
• If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway.
• If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway.
• The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
• Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway.
• The biggest persons with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest persons with the smallest minds. Think big anyway.
• People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
• What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway.
• People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them. Help them anyway.
• Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway.

Written By Kent M. Keith in 1968

DOOM

I saw DOOM Friday. It was a lot better than I thought it would be. I have played all the DOOM PC games, but I didn't think it would make a good moive. I was happy to be proved wrong. The film stars The Rock, who is perfect for the role as the muscular space marine sargent.

The film makers altered the story line from the game a little. In the game you are fighting demons from hell. The monsters in the movie are just scientists that have been gennetically mutated. And so we are missing some of the original horrors like towering cyberdemons and flame-tossing imps. The main scientist is named Dr. Carmack which is a nod to the creator of DOOM and a co-founder of ID Software, John Carmack.

Another small let down was the weapons. The sarge finds the BFG (Big Freaking* Gun) but it is hardly used. *Insert colorful metaphor. Karl Urban, who played Eomer in Lord of the Rings, did a great job too.

Overall I enjoyed the film, the first person perspective segment at the end of the movie was great.

If you liked DOOM, you'll like the flick. Check it out.

UT Football

Sucks. nuff said.

Bears, Deer, and Spiders

We had a great hike to Laurel Falls (I didn't die after all). We ate lunch at the falls. Ryan was a great hiker.

Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw was a large wolf spider. We did stop at the visitors center where we saw a stuffed bear and deer.

See ya in the woods.

I hate networks.

Arrrgh! Three weeks till a new LOST. Why! Why do they torture their devoted fans? I'll end up getting out of the habit of watching and then miss the next new episode.

Oh well, my problems pale compared to Katrina victims and people in the path of Wilma.

Tomorrow Lyn, Ryan, and I are going to go for a hike to Laurel Falls, in the Smoky Moutains. He is out of school, so we took the day off. He has been begging us to take him hiking. If you never hear from me again. Start searching at the Falls. I won't be lost, I'll be passed out from the hike. I'm so not in shape.

Fortunately it is a short hike. The paramedics should be able to reach me quickly.

Remember, you're never lost if you don't care where you are.

Earl is Back

Another great episode of My Name is Earl, last night. It was quite funny and guest starred a major movie star, Giovanni Ribisi. He had a reoccurring role on FRIENDS as Phobe's messed up brother. But you have probably seen him in Saving Private Ryan, Skycaptain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation, Cold Mountain, and Flight of the Phoenix.

It's nice to see a big star like that come back and do some small screen stuff. In Earl, Giovanni plays an ex-con long time friend of Earl's who can't stop stealing. Jaime Pressly was also back as Earl's ex, Joy. Comedy is her calling, she makes the show.

I also watched the special features on Disk 2 of the deluxe edition of Batman Begins. All I can say is; when I win the lottery, I'm buying a Bat Mobile.

I'm Batman!

Alright I admit it. I'm a Gotham City fan boy. What little boy isn't? I collected the comics and even watched the campy Adam West Batman. KAPOW! ZAP! So I was thrilled when I heard they were going to make a Batman movie on the big screen. Starring Micheal Keaton. WHAT? Holy Mr. Mommy! Not Keaton. He's... He's Beetlejuice for goodness sakes! He can not be Batman. Jack Nicholson as Joker? Perfect.

Surprisingly Keaton pulled it off rather well. In fact in my opinion he was the best Batman of the series of Batman films. The ones after Batman Returns were almost as campy as the TV show.

So I was a little skeptical when I heard they (Hollywood) was starting a new set of Batman movies with Batman Begins starring Christian Bale. I again was pleasantly surprised. The new movie was awesome. It was dark, focused, and a decent story. Gary Oldman did a good job as Jim Gordon, same with Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Jedi Knight Liam Neeson was excellent as the arch villian, Ra's Al Ghul, and kudos to Michael Caine as Alfred. Katie Holmes was the only character that I thought was miss cast.

Batman Begins is out on DVD today. Buy it!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to Oakes Farm today for a hayride and to pick out a pumpkin. The boys had a blast climbing through the tangle of vines hunting for the perfect gourd.

Kyle found one that had a lovely shade of green. After finding a gourdgeous pumpkin, Kyle rode a large white horse. It was tethered with two smaller ponies, but Kyle told the man he wanted to ride the big horse.

Ryan wants to carve the pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern today. We told him he had to wait till closer to Halloween.

Cya.

Bomb, James Bomb

Well it's a sad day for me. I just found out Daniel Craig is the new James Bond.

Can you tell I'm not happy? I had heard rumors that the franchise was not doing as well as the producers would have liked. I had also read that they felt they needed a YOUNGER, more "hip" bond to draw in the younger crowd and create a whole new generation of Bond fans. While I can agree and understand that line of thinking, how is choosing a blonde, blue-eyed, Daniel Craig that looks older than Pierce make sense? Look at that receding hairline! He's anything but young and hip. I thought they'd find a British version of Matt Damon (Bourne Identity) or even Leo Dicaprio.

Very disappointing. Especilly since Pierce Brosnan was still willing to carry on in the role. Well I hope the new guy bombs at the theater. Then maybe they will listen to me! Will I go see the new movie when it comes out? Oh yeah.

U2 - My Favorite Band

Yard Work Stinks!

I just got through spreading fertilizer all over my yard, my pants, my arms, and my shoes. I really don't know why. I can hear all the little blades of grass and weeds chanting, "You just wasted 90 dollars at Lowes!"

I hate yard work. I don't have a green thumb. I'm a geek, a gear head, a nerd... ok maybe not a nerd. But I know I don't like gardening. I can stand in the shade doing nothing and I start to sweat like my uncle Andy in church. So I am drenched when I get out in the sun and do something.

I tried to keep the yard up when we first moved in. I seeded, aerated, fertilized, and limed the yard. But the weeds came, the earth is red clay, and sometimes I just couldn't spend the money on grass and weeds. So the yard is what the yard is and at least I can say I tried something today.

Au revoir

Google it!

Google is just exploding with all kinds of cool sites and products! Are they on the way to becoming the next "evil tech empire" like Microsoft? I don't know but for now their stuff is really cool and really free! You should be using it. You can personalize your own Google Home Page, by adding content and even dynamically dragging it around the page.

You should also sign up for a free Gmail account. Your Google home page will display any new messages in your inbox. Picasa is awesome for organizing your digital pictures and touching them up. Google Earth is mind boggling satellite imagery of the planet with spatial data overlays. Google maps for great directions. Hate pop-ups? Their toolbar does the job. Below is a list of Google Sites and Products. The products you install on your personal computer.

Sites:

Google

Froogle

Google Maps

Google News

Google Video

Products:

Google Earth

Picasa

Google Toolbar

Touchy Feely Show

LOST was good last light, but nothing really intense happened. That's ok, every show doesn't have to be a life or death cliff hanger.

The main focus was on Hurley, and I love that character, he's a hoot.

We finally get to see the rest of the passengers for flight 815 and that they have been hiding in one of the other bunkers. And that Roses' husband, Bernard is in fact alive. Good Show!

Earl let me down last night

For the first time, My Name is Earl was not as funny as the previous episodes. First, his wife Joy, played by Jaime Pressly, was not in the show. And Earl's brother Randy, played by Ethan Suplee, had really bad lines. His antics are usually first rate, but they were sorely lacking this time. Hopefully the show will be up to par next week.

I’m outta here.

How to pay for college?

That's a question, not a statement. Marc and Kim were discussing the subject on their radio show as Marc has a high school senior that is beginning her quest for higher education. The more I listened the sicker I got. I wanted to change stations but I couldn't find the buttons in the dark. Ryan is six years old and I haven't set aside a plug nickel for his education. And me buying the occasional lotto ticket may not work out as the best plan.

I look over our budget and see that we tend to live a few dollars beyond our means every month. I make it up twice a year with a tax refund and a bonus check from TVA. My only hope is that I have put some money in an After-Tax 401k plan that I may be able to tap when he's ready. Also with TN having a lottery, there are some HOPE scholarships he may qualify for. I'm not counting on it but maybe he will have better grades and ACT scores than I did. He will have to get a part-time job to help out with incidental costs like books and transportation. Finally he can apply for financial aide. School Loans. So that's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

Sure there's the 529 section savings plan but again, unless there is suddenly an ice rink in Hell and I get promoted to a manager postion here at TVA .... there's no extra money. Kyle, I have three words for you; SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS. Good luck son.

Unleash the Hounds!

The dogs are out to get us! First the Georgia Bull Dogs stomp the toast out of the UT VOLS. Then today my wife gets bitten on the backside by a dog.

She does home health physical therapy and so goes to people's homes all over the county. So she has this one bed bound patient who has a younger dog and an older dog. She usually lets the younger dog out into the yard for the patient. The younger dog is a large puppy and likes to nip and tug at your pants.

Well the dog nipped my wife tearing her pants and slightly breaking the skin. So I am guessing the doctor will want to give her a tetnus shot to be safe.

Bad dog! Bad dog!

Dungeons and Dragons II

The first D&D movie was a major disappointment to most gamers. Will the sequel redeem itself? D&D II premiered on the Sci-Fi channel this weekend. The first movie had a higher-quality "A" movie feel to it. Big name actors like Jeremy Irons. The sequel, which only has Bruce Payne reprising his role as Damadar, has the distinct "B" movie quality and premieres on cable rather than the big screen.

It was fun to watch. The sequel was no Lord of the Rings, but it did seem to capture the feel of the table top game. A party of adventures are summoned to save the land from impending certain doom. They even referenced a few of the old school modules in the film. They also had a few more special effects than the first movie. They were cheesy, but I appreciated the attempt. While the gamers will be the movies' toughest critics, it was after all made for them.

Violent Movie

With a title like "A History of Violence" you can be pretty sure there is going to be some violent scenes. I thought the characters in this movie were well developed and believable. Well, ok, Ed Harris' scarred face might have been a little Hollywood over dramatization but it does provide his character's motivation. Also William Hurt shows up near the end of the film as a crime boss. I couldn't decide if he pulled it off or not. Perhaps my indecision means he did. There are two half-dressed steamy sex scenes and dozen dead bodies. I give it a thumbs up.

*Spoilers*
The movie sets the stage for a family man, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen) living the American Dream in a quite mid-west town. Until two murdering thugs cross his path and he is forced to deal with them. The incident garners regional if not national attention and the plot thickens as Tom's past comes back to haunt him. A side story in the film involves his son who is dealing with his own violence at school. It doesn't overpower the main plot and blends nicely. Tom's wife also has to deal with her husband's past and she is forced to accept him for it or reject him. I was only disappointed with the final scene. There was no dialog, just body language and gestures that show Tom's son and daughter accepting him back into the fold and we are left with Tom and his wife looking at each other. Did she finally accept him or not? You decide.

Columbus Day

Well it's a beautiful Monday morning. It's beautiful cause I'm not at work! Kyle however has been sickly all weekend. So I am watching him this morning and Lyn is taking him to see the doctor this afternoon.

So I will slip off to the movies and see A History of Violence. Then I need to run to Lowes and get some winterizer for my yard. Why you ask? Because the commercial on TV promised a rich lush green lawn this spring if I use their product. They wouldn't lie. Would they?

Window Seat

This is the clock outside my office window. Is it time to go home yet?

Wise Man

"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." - Epictetus

Where did I put that lotto ticket?

Dawg gone it!

Defeat. Google defines defeat as: "For every winner, There are dozens of Losers. Odds are, you're one of them." The mighty volz were handedly defeated by Georgia Saturday, and as I predicted it was becuase I was there in person to witness the slaughter. The credit for our first score of the game goes to the defense. They played well. But a good defense alone can not carry a team. At least the Petro and the company I was with was good.

The weather has finally turned a little "Fall" like. I like a few days of overcast skies and steady rain. Feels cozy.

I hope to salvage this weekend with a government holiday on Monday. Columbus Day. Historically, Columbus was not the first to discover America, nor was he the first European to land at America. He was the first to exploit, kill, and enslave the Arawak Indians of Haiti. Three cheers for history!

Arrivederci.

Who let the Dawgs out?

It's overcast and drizzley. Perfect soccer and football weather? We'll see. I gotta take the boys to the soccer field this morning, rush home and feed them, then I am off to the UT game to watch the VOLS smack Georgia on the nose with a rolled up newspaper. Lyn is shopping with her friends Wendy and Terri.

I didn't get to see A History of Violence yesterday. Kyle's daycare called saying he was sick. I picked him up and he seemed fine. He had complained of a tummy ache. I think he just had gas. Now I have it.

Oh well it's a federal holiday Monday, (I love my job [sometimes]), perhaps I'll make it to the movies then.

Take Care!

The Italian Job

Mom returns from Italy tomorrow.

I hope she brought me back Sabrina Ferilli or Isabella Rossellini or Téa Leoni. Hey what's wrong with a souvenir?

Speaking of Téa Leoni, she will be starring next to Jim Carrey in the remake of the 1977 film, Fun with Dick and Jane. (don't click on that unless you have high speed internet)

I am now off to Wally World to buy the things we can't live without. The necessities of life. Mountain Dew for example. And of course the sticky little gooey gummies that my kids consume each night during the latest Power Rangers show before going to bed. Of course they brush their little teeth first.

Asta La Pasta.

Into the Blue

I caught Jessica Alba and Paul Walker's new movie. Paul Walker's breakout film was Fast and Furious. You may not remember him because you were too busy looking at Vin Diesel. Vinny must not be into sequels e.g. Fast and Furious2 and xXx II, except for the The Chronicles of Riddick which was the sequel to Pitch Black. But back to Into the Blue, I thought the film was pretty good but not as good as Serenity. The characters were good but not very deep, and the film dragged on in a couple of places.

There is also a brief appearance of James Frain, the ugly British man who played Paul Raines, the separated husband of Jack Bauer's lover Audrey Heller Raines in 24. Follow that? It was way too soon to see that guy again.

This Friday I plan to see A History of Violence. Starring our favorite ranger, Viggo Mortensen, who played Aragorn in Lord of the Rings. Hopefully this will be better than Hidalgo.

W00T! I've been bloggin for a week now. Nobody is reading my Blog, but I'm havin fun. And that's all that matters. Right?

Auf Wiedersehen.

Sick Day

*cough* I called in sick today, *sneeze*

I'm planning on giving my old Pentium II to the church if I can get it cleaned up. Ryan doesn't need a PC yet. He'll probably get the one I am using now and then I will of course upgrade.

I got an invite to the UT game Saturday at 3:30 vs the Georgia Dawgs. I apologize in advance. Since I get to go to the game, they'll mostly likely get the numbers knocked right off their jerseys.

My name is Earl was funny as usual last night and if you are lucky enough to see it in High Definition (HDTV), there was an "Easter Egg" for the "High Def" viewers.

Well lets wander to the mall for lunch.

CYA.

Too much TV?

Ryan played at the neighbor's house last night so it was just me and little man Kyle. I drug his four and a half foot plastic basketball goal out and we shot hoops together. This was after the fifth time he had asked me to lift him up to the rim of the "big" goal so he could make a basket.

Jim, had come over the other night and was kind enough to lift him up in the air to make a basket. Jim's two feet taller than me. I can barely get the boy up there. Thanks Jim.

But he was satisfied to get his own goal out there and he directed me to place it right next to mine. Fun was had by all.

My Name is Earl comes on tonight, that's a funny show, I don't care who you are. I heard that people watch eight hours of TV a week on average. Doesn't sound like it but that's a lot of TV. At least with DVR and Tivo we are watching less commercials. That's good right?

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO–Jonathan Hargrove, a Colorado Springs-area peeping Tom, expressed exasperation Tuesday, when a fifth consecutive victim did nothing more with her evening than watch hours of television. "I thought peering in on strangers would be more, I don't know, exciting," said the 44-year-old Hargrove, speaking from his hydrangea-bush hiding place. "I guess I somehow expected other people's lives to be more sexy or interesting than mine." Hargrove did note, however, that Big Brother 6 is "really starting to heat up."

Chow.

Groan....it's Monday

Good morning...early morning. I walk through the office doors every work day at six a.m. sharp. I also have some prime real estate for sale on the Gulf Coast if you are interested.

I listen to Marc and Kim in the morning on Star 102.1 FM on the way in. They are pretty funny and they like LOST too. Check out their LOST blog here.

Well, no TV tonight that I can think of. Oh wait, scratch that. Monday Night Football is on. I like to follow the TITANS, but that's about it for me. I'll shoot some hoops with Ryan and then frag people on the internet in an online game of HALO.

Adios.

Thank God it's NOT Monday

Sunday. The first day of the week. A day of rest, reflection, oh and Walmart.

It's a mixed bag for me, for Sunday heralds the coming of Monday. Monday means returning to the headache factory, the salt mines, the cubicle farm where one finds row after row of boxes filled with human compost. The fluorescent lights overhead suck the life force out of you right through your eyes.

It wasn't always like this for me. I used to look forward to going to work. I enjoyed it. And I thank God for my job, I really do. I get a decent computer, with a large monitor, internet access, and I get to make cool maps. The pay and benefits and my co-workers are very good as well. Then why do I dread Monday? My wife used to say I should be doing cart wheels in the morning when I get up because I get to go to such a job. Over the years though, I have seen any chances to advance diminish. I don't care how good the job is, everyone has a need to feel like they are appreciated for their hard work and years of service by being rewarded with opportunities to take on more responsibilities and greater challenges. These have been few and far between.
In addition, for whatever reason, our workload and projects have dried up with no new endeavors on the horizon. So our group begins to wither. When this happens in an organization and comes to the attention of upper management, rather than try and save the dying appendage, it is usually ... Pruned.

So that's why I hate Mondays. There are small groups of people in favor of restructuring the weeks as we know them. They propose a six day week with each day having twenty-eight hours. The day they would eliminate? Monday. Oh yeah, they have my vote.

At least the VOLS won again, and the movie I saw, Serenity was very good, if you like sci-fi action flicks with a dash of horror and a splash of humor thrown in.

Well I will do what I always do and try to make this excellent weekend last all week till the next one.

Toodles.

Go VOLS!

I was rudely awakened this morning by my 2 year old, Kyle. It's hard to be mad though as I peek out from beneath my warm covers at his smiling cherubic face. I give him a smile and rub his head. "Daddy is nite nite," I say. (which translates to I'm trying to sleep here dood).

He giggles as if to say "Not any more dood!" He dashes out of the room and down the hall to his waiting cereal bowl. I roll over hoping not to see him for another 30 minutes. Yeah right. With in seconds he returns with a sticky cereal marshmallow in his hand and offers it to me. "No thank you," I reply. "You eat it." He giggles again and pops the packed, processed sugar into his mouth. I only feed my kids the best.

Ryan is at a friend's house and they will be bringing him to the soccer field at 2:00. I mention to Lyn that that will be in the middle of the UT vs Ole Miss game. She suggests that I stay home with Kyle (who will be napping at that time) and watch the game. She will go to the soccer game.

Now I'm not the biggest UT fan out there, but I like to watch the most unpredictable team in the SEC and I'd like to see what craziness they do especially after their miracle win over LSU.

Well that's my day in a nutshell.

Go VOLS!

Serenity Now!

Thank the lord... I'm home!

The day started off crappy when I went out to the rental car, (the new Chevy HHR) and the battery was dead as a Louisiana nursing home patient.

Yep, seems some moron left the lights on. Heck I thought a new fangled car like that would have sense enough to turn its own lights off. Not so. Oh it has auto lights to be sure, but I've never had "auto" lights and did not know you have to engage them.

Anyway 45 minutes and 30 bucks later I am on the road to K-town.

And now I am late to my movie. (See yesterday's post.)

TTFN.

No Windows

I am still stuck in Chattanooga.

It was raining this morning, but hopefully that will go away later.

The lady I am working with is not in yet. She usually gets here around 10:00 but it is 10:30. What do I do?? The voice mail on the phone is blinking but I don't know how to use it.

Guess I'll look for something to clean up around this dusty warehouse I am stuck in. Oh yeah, there are NO windows.

Bleh.

As much as I would like to see Jessica Alba's new movie, Into the Blue, tomorrow;

I think I will go see Serenity.

Sorry Jess!

Hello World!

Well I finally created a blog. I'm a bit late jumping on the band wagon of this geeky computer reveloution. I mainly have delayed jumping into this because like creating a family website, I will not keep with this or post often. In fact inside of three weeks, I'll probably forget I created it.

But for the same reason I created a family website, I decided to create a blog just to say I had done it. I digress. Well its done or started.

All I have to say is that I am sitting in a Country Inns hotel room in Chattanooga on a business trip for TVA. The inn is fabulous, high speed internet connection (bring an Ethernet cable), excellent breakfast (waffles!), and your room has a living room with table, couch and kitchenette.

So here I sit typing away and watching my favorite show - LOST I also like 24, My Name is Earl, and of course SURVIVOR

Cheers.