Summer Movie Rundown

With Labor Day come & gone, so has the summer movie season. While I didn't get to see all the movies I wanted to, I got out to quite a few. And overall, I would have to say, that this was one of the better summers. Lots of good times were had, & only once did I really feel like my money had been wasted. Here's my list, from best to worst, of my 2008 summer movie going experience.

(1) The Dark Knight

I've already gushed all over this one in a previous post. So there's no need to do it again. I'll just say, this was my favorite movie of the summer. But honestly, not by all that much.

(2) Iron Man
This was a close second. But it was first in the most fun I had at a movie this summer. All the actors were on point, & gave themselves over to their characters.

(3) Wall-E
I don't know how Pixar keeps doing it, but I hope they do it forever. Great story. Beautiful visuals. Just an all around great movie.

(4) The Incredible Hulk
You can count me among the very few that actually liked the first Hulk movie. But this one delivered what the first one only teased you with. The Hulk causing mass amounts of havoc. Hulk smash!!

(5) Get Smart
I'm a big fan of the original series. So I went into this movie with a lot of skepticism. But, they really pulled it off. Alan Arkin is genius as The Chief. And Steve Carrell's take on Maxwell Smart payed homage to the old, while bringing him into the 21st century. I just wish Don Adams had been alive to make a cameo. That probably would have knocked this up another notch.

(6) Step Brothers
This movie made me laugh more that it had a right to. You could call me a fan of Will Ferrell, but I don't think he's a comic genius. But, teaming him with John C. Reilly is nothing short of that. These two have great chemistry & you can't wait to see what they're are gonna do next.

(7) Hellboy 2: The Golden Army
Love Hellboy. Loved the first movie. Really liked this one. But it was lacking something that made the first one a home run. The warmth of the relationship between Father & Hellboy. You get a small taste of it at the beginning. And they try to substitute the relationship between him & Liz Sherman for that. But, it's just not the same.

(8) Kung Fu Panda
Just a good kids movie. Unlike the Pixar movies, there's really nothing in it for the "adult" audience. But man-childs like myself just smiled the whole waqy through.

(9) Tropic Thunder
Another movie I didn't have high hopes for. But, again came out surpirsingly very entertained. Tom Cruise steals this movie by the halfway mark. He needs to do more stuff like this, that takes him completely out of himself.

(10) Wanted
Over the top violence & ridiculous physics. That to me always spells good times to me. This summers answer to Crank & Shoot 'Em Up.

(11) Death Race
The first of the movies that somewhat dissappointed me. This is a violent movie. unfortunately, all the aforementioned violence gets taken out on the cars. And after awhile, you get tired of watching bullets go into a 6" thick piece of steel. The gore that was present, was great. Just really could have used a bit more of it.

(12) Indiana Jones and the Kindom of the Crystal Skull
I think my friend Lisa summed it up pretty well, when she said this was great homage film to the Indiana Jones franchise. Way too much CGI, not enough practical stunts. George Lucas needs to learn that technology does not make everything better.

(13) The X-Files: I Want To Believe
And I wanted a better movie. This really just plays like a extra long X-Files episode. While I'll agree when people say that you don't need to know the charaters history to enjoy the film. It certainly helps though.

(14) Sex and the City
Not something I was really itching to see. But, it was a must-see on Liz's list. I'll admit, I've probably seen most of the episodes of the TV series. And I think that it was often entertaining. But, this is a movie for it's hardcore fans. Aka, women. Leave your penis at home for this one.

(15) Speed Racer
Truly the only movie on my list that I regretted giving money over to see. A complete disaster of a movie. This movie has no idea who it's trying to target. The bright colors & pooh flinging jokes aim right at the kids. But the 15 minute monolouge on how the stock market & business of auto racing effects how Speed should be racing, targets... no one I can think of. Swing & a miss.

Movies I Wish I Hadn't Missed
Hancock
Journey To The Center of the Earth
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Pineapple Express
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Hamlet 2
Traitor

Movies I'm Glad I Did Miss
(Even though I may still some on DVD, becuase I just can't help myself)
What Happens In Vegas
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
You Don't Mess With The Zohan
The Happening
The Love Guru
Meet Dave
Mamma Mia!
Swing Vote
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
Fly Me To The Moon 3D
Disaster Movie
College

Dear Silvio DiSalvatore

I had the opportunity to watch your directorial & writing debut "Black Cougar" this past weekend. And at this time I would like to have you arrested for theft. You've stolen 106 minutes of my life that I will never get back. No, that's not enough. I'd like to charge you with murder. For my soul suffered, & I became dead inside while I was watching your film. You killed a little part of me. Now if you could only add assault to the charges, & come beat me over the head until I forget I ever saw this piece of crap.

I don't question your motives. You wanted to create a superhero, for children. That's very noble. But what you actually created, was something that appeared to be made by a 5 year old. It was remarkably simplistic, while at the same time being completely convoluted & bloated. I could have edited this baby down to 30 minutes & told the exact same story. Actually, I could tell the story without in less than that. Here it is. It's Pinocchio!! There, done! I just saved someone else from excruciating torture, the equivalent of jamming knitting needles into their eyes & ears.


Since I've touched on the story & script, let's completely punch it in the face. I've seen more believable characterizations in Bugs Bunny cartoons. The villians were drinking out of skull chalices! They kidnapped children while driving up & down the streets in not one, but two, stretch limousines!! How do you sneak up on any one, in something so conspicuous!?! And how the hell does a Mayor of some suburban city warrant a limo? The Mayor of Los Angeles doesn't roll that large. That's one high class of criminals for such an underground operation.

And finally, the look of this film. I understand this is low budget. The entirety of which seemed to be blown on aforementioned limos. But there are things that just can't be ignored. YOU. THREW. A. RUBBER. RAT! WTF!?! I didn't realize rats could fly? An army of action figures!?! ... I have no words for that one. Actually, I have no words left. I spent too many on this travesty. Far more than it deserves.

That's not entirely true. I do have 4 more words for you...

Fuck you Silvio DiSalvatore.

Little Done & Little To Say

Not a whole lot to report this week. Plus, I've been working late every night this week, so this'll be a short one. Liz some how managed to strain her back Saturday morning, so no movies were seen, nor did we really leave the house for that long. The parentals came down on Sunday to take Liz out to lunch for her Birthday. A little late, but it's the though that counts. So, pretty much an uneventful weekend. And like I previously mentioned, I've been putting in extra hours at work. Which means when I get home, the last thing I really want to do is try to be funny for my 9 readers. I just got home from band practice. So now I'm extra tired & kinda stinky. So, we'll just leave this one here. See ya next week, with hopefully a better post. Late.

So That Happened

Don't know if I mentioned it, but my band Two Left Over had a show last week. Honestly, not one of my best. Near the end of our very first song, one of my cymbals falls right on top of me. It hits my hand, & takes a chunk outta the knuckle on my right pinkie finger. Then, while getting up to reset the cymbal stand, I manage to kick over my barely touched beer. Which spills on my backpack & hat. I knew then, it was gonna be one of those nights. Being off the stage for so long, had more of an affect on me than I thought it would. I was rushing things, missing ques & overall lacked focus. So much so, that after the show I neglected to retrieve a dropped stick & almost forgot my hi-hat stand. But, there was some good news. We debuted a new song, still in a somewhat rough form. Everybody dug it! So, that always makes ya feel good. We also hit that double digit mark I was hoping for. Maybe we could do this a little more often after all.

Thanks as always, go out to Mark & DiPiazza's for letting us take the stage. He's a great guy & runs an awesome venue. Not to mention, the pizza kicks ass as well. Hope to see y'all out there next we rock out! Late.

On Time & Did I Mention...

My band has a show on Thursday!! I do love playing live.  But, there is a reason why we haven't done it much, as of late.  And, truth be told, I think I'm the instigator behind it.

It's been almost two years since our last show.  At the very same venue we're about to rock in a couple of days time.  We had a pretty good show.  It was just really a shame that no one was there to hear it.  When you're an older band, your fan base is usually older as well.  Which means, they are harder to get out to hear ya play.  Also, it's not like we're a big time act.  So, it's also difficult to get people to multiple shows.  Our last show, we had (if I remember correctly) 4 people show.  After that, I said I wasn't gonna go through all the effort, for a glorified practice session.  But, I also didn't think it was fair to the people we booked with.  They expect us to bring butts through the door.  That's how they make they're money on the night.  I just couldn't justify it, on either side of the equation.

But, time moves on & things change.  Brian assures me he can bring in some new people he's met & have never seen us play.  I also have wrangled a person or two.  John's pretty much a non-factor most shows, as far as guests go.  But, as long as we can get double digits through the door, that'll be a successful night, in my eyes.  So, c'mon out & enjoy the night life.  We'll have a beer, or two, or three...

It May Be Late...

But I didn't forget altogether.  Things were just very busy this weekend, & when Tuesday rolled around, I was in a pretty vegetative state.  So, since I just got back from band practice & feeling kinda tired, I'll make this just a quick recap post.

This past Saturday was Liz's 25th Birthday.  Woohoo!!  To help celebrate, her parents drove down from Concord.  We had planned a beach shindig @ Huntington Beach, but we didn't count on one thing.  The US Open of Surfing, happened to be going on that weekend as well.  So, parking was at maximum capacity.  A few friends had to turn around and go home, because there was no parking to be had.  But, the few people that were able to make it, had a good time.

The other big news, my band, Two Left Over has a gig!!  We don't play out very often anymore, by our own choice.  So when we do, I get a little excited.  As soon as I put it together, I'll post the flyer at the top.  Maybe it's already there.  If not come back tomorrow.  Even if it there, come back tomorrow anyways, just for the hell of it.

Movie Review: The Dark Knight

Can you believe it!?!  I said I was gonna get back on schedule & I did!  Woohoo! 2 weeks in a row.  I'm unstoppable.  That is until I stop again, & who knows when that'll be...

I'm gonna talk about one of the best movies of the year today.  The latest Batman installment, The Dark Knight.  I know what some of you are saying, "Oh Paul.  We all know you're just a comic book geek, & this is all just one big fangasm.  It couldn't have been that good."  Well, douchey reader with your snide comments, you're partly right.  I am a comic book geek.  Not a nerd, but a geek.  I'll get into the differences between those at another time.  But, to your other point, this isn't just fan joy I'm spewing.  Because this movie goes beyond a genre film.  When it comes down to it, it's just a really good crime thriller.  The star just happens to wear a costume & talk like he's been gargling sulfuric acid.

The most interesting things about this movie, are the areas of psychology they delve into.  The Joker has been reinvented in this film, from the last we saw him.  Nicholson portrayed a Joker much closer to the Cesar Romero.  Just with a little violent streak added.  Heath Ledger brings out what the Joker has become in the past decade, or so.  A true sociopath, with no real purpose than upsetting what he sees as the "natural order of things."  What makes his character even more fascinating, is when you put him face-to-face with the Bat.  Batman, known as the world's greatest detective, approaches crime & criminals from a very logical & precise way.  Every step planned out, & every circumstance taken into account before executing said plan.  The Joker on the other hand, has no plan.  He only has drive.  A drive to make others see the world as he sees it.  Corrupt, selfish, petty, insecure, cowardly, chaotic.  He proves all of this by corrupting the one true shining beacon the city has, Harvey Dent.  Turning him into a villian, Two-Face, who is looking for fairness & justice, dispensed by him.  through the flip of a coin.  Guilty, or not guilty.  A 50-50 chance, to live or die.  And all of this just really cracks him up.  Batman sees all of this also.  But he also sees hope.  And that is his drive.  A hope that he can make Gotham a better place, & do it without taking lives.  And that is the final biggest irony.  Batman who won't kill, must face the Joker over & over, with the hope that someday he may be reached.  And the Joker, who the only person he won't kill is the Batman.  Because, where's the fun in that?

Another relationship that is explored, is between Batman & the city of Gotham itself.  At first, everyone embraces what he's doing for the city.  But, once the consequences of Batman's actions are taken out on the city, they are ready to sacrifice him for their own perceived safety.  As it turns out, that is what Batman truly needs to be a real difference maker in Gotham.  He needs to be the city's martyr.  He needs to carry on outside the law, & he can't do that while being celebrated by the police.  He needs to be a vigilante, working on his own terms, doing what they cannot do, nor should be doing.  Batman is the type of saviour the city deserves.  Not a white knight, but a dark knight.

See this movie!  Put aside your notions of caped crusaders & boy wonders in green speedos.  This Batman would punch anyone you said "Holy Half-Faced Villainy, Batman!"  This is not your Father's Batman.  This is my Batman, & I love it!

Trying To Get Back On Track

When I started this, I made a commitment to myself to post once a week. It only took me a few months to break that commitment & skip a week. Once I start slipping, it's very easy for me to fall into a habit of doing so. I want to get back to the schedule that I intended to have. So consider this my first step. I originally planned on doing this over the weekend, figuring that's when I would have the most time. I learned early, that was a poor assumption. But, Tuesday nights however, are full of free time. Mostly because I'm by myself. Every Tuesday, Liz volunteers at the Orange County Ronald McDonald House. So, I find it an easy night to catch up on different things. Now, I'll use part of it to get this barely read blog back on schedule. For this week, I'll just fill it up with some random updates.

Last week, I had bunches of time on my hands, but couldn't manage to get my lazy ass to the computer. As previously reported, Liz has a new job. Her new employer sent her away from me, to far off Atlanta for the week to do some training. But, instead of doing something constructive, I watched movies. Good job, Paul.

Health update first. All better. The pain lasted about a week, like the doctor said it would. If that could never happen again, I'd be very thankful.

Saw some excellent movies in the theatre. Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Get Smart & The Incredible Hulk are all very worthy of your money. And, as I thought, The Incredible Hulk was a pretty kid friendly movie. Much more so than Iron Man. Still had some adult themes running through it, but the pace was more suited to keep easily distracted minds focused on the big green wreaking machine.

Also saw some Gawdawful movies at the most recent Bad Movie Night. It was a zombie double feature. The official remake of Day of the Dead, & the unofficial sequel to the original, Dawn of the Dead 2: Contagium. I won't bother trying to describe them, because no one should ever see them. Unless your like me & enjoy self-torture through cinematic equivilant of red hot pokers to the eyes & ears.

Almost finished with my annual classic novel reading. This year I chose "Uncle Tom's Cabin." And while trying to stay out of territory that no white man is safe, I'll just say this. I think using "Uncle Tom" as an insult, is very ignorant. Made by people who never actually read the book & understood who Tom really was. He held many characteristics I would be proud to share.

I think that's good enough for a comeback. Covered a lot of things In quick, easy to swallow bites. Now, let's see if I can keep it up. Until next week(?).

"Do You Smoke Cocaine?"

That was one of the fun questions I got to answer Saturday morning, by a very helpful person from Kaiser Permanente.  Why would they be asking me such a question?  Well, somehow on Friday, I managed to pull a muscle in my ribcage.  At first, it felt like a small painful twinge when I would yawn, or take a deep breath.  But, by 5am Saturday, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the ribs every time I attempted to inhale.  And, do mean attempt.  Breathing was not it's usual "take for granted something I do everday" thing at that time.  I had to concentrate to keep my breathing steady.  My head was telling my body, "Breathe dammit! I need oxygen!!"  While my body was screaming back, "Screw you brain!  It hurts when I do that!!  I'll give you little shallow ones, & you're just gonna hafta make due with those."  Well, that just was gonna do.  I had to call the after hours "Nurse Help Line" to get some help.  I tried to have Liz deal with them, because talking wasn't all that fun either.  But, they needed to ask me questions, including whether or not I smoked crack.  Then, I had to wait another 2 hours before I could go to Urgent Care to see a doctor.  But, by then, the 800 mgs of ibuprofen I had taken had kicked in.  It still hurt, but at least I was able to breathe normally again.  She told me it was a muscle pull.  Not really anything you can do for that, other than give ya more ibuprofen.  Can't really rest that muscle, because that would entail not breathing, & doctor's can't really recommend that.  So, that's where things stand now.  But, there's nothing like starting your weekend at the doctor's office.  Good times...

May... I Mean, June Flowers

Well, I was gonna blog about how our front porch turned into a pigeon graveyard.  But really, how much is there to say.  We came home, saw a big grey lump in front of our door.  Got closer, turned out to be a pigeon.  It wouldn't fly away, but we were able to get it away from the door.  Went inside, and Liz would check on the bird occasionally.  Couple of hours later, the pigeon was dead End of story.

What I really want to blog about is...  Liz got a new job!  Yay!!  It's right down the street from where she used to work.  The company does basically the same thing as her old company.  And, she's gonna get paid an itsy bit more than what she was making before, for pretty much doing the same job.  All is right in the world again.  We had enough in savings, plus the little she was getting in unemployment to get by.  But, it's nice not to have to worry about it anymore.  She starts this Tuesday, so wish her lots o' luck!

The Question That Dare Not Be Answered But Will Be Regardless

Nothing has really been going on around my parts.  Which can make it difficult for someone who's trying to do a somewhat regular blog.  So, today I decided to find the answer to the question I really don't want an answer to, but must have anyway.  How many people actually read this?  I figured the easiest way to do this, is with a simple poll.  So please take the poll over there on the right & give me the answer I fear.  Thanx!!

Universal Spit-In-Your-Face Studios

This past week, I won tickets from a local radio station (KROQ) to go to Universal Studios.  They had a special event, where you got to enter the park before it opened, & go on the new "The Simpsons Ride."  This meant, we had to there between 7-8am Friday morning.  Which in turn meant, getting up at the really damn early.  But it was worth it.  "The Simpsons Ride" is whole lotta fun.  Even the line itself had things to keep you entertained.  They showed Simpsons cartoons, spoof-posters of other attractions in "Krustyland" and video vignettes of characters running different kiosks in the park.  The ride is of the simulation style.  The car doesn't go anywhere, but moves on hydraulics to give you the sensation of movement.  It's a far improvement over the "Back To The Future" ride it replaced.  A much more immersive experience.  But, maybe a little too immersive at parts...

This leads me to the title of this post.  After enjoying "The Simpsons Ride," we were allowed to stay in the park, & enjoy the rest of the day.  We took in a few more of the attractions at the park, which lead me to the following conclusion.  Every ride at Universal Studios has the central design of spitting water in your face.  We only went through a total of 4 attractions.  We got spit in the face 8 times!!  10 times, if you count the fact that we went on Simpsons twice.  It happens twice on Simpsons, once on "The Mummy" coaster & four(!) times in "Shrek 4-D."  Even on the Studio Tour, they have "Jurassic Park" dinosaurs that aim a water stream at your face.  What the hell is that all about!?!  Do they purposely sit down at the designing table & ask the following question?  "Yeah Bob, we really like the design for the new "Meet The Fockers" dog in the toilet special effects simulator attraction.  But, can we make the toilet spit in the audience's face?"

Rant #2 - Give Me Back My Voom HD!

I hadn't planned to do another one of these so soon, but I discovered something that must be vented upon.  But, this one will probably be pretty short & to the point.

I'm a subscriber of Dish Network, & am I big fan of their channel line-up.  At least I used to be.  I used to brag to my Direct TV friends, who gave a damn, that I had to of the best channels ever.  The first being Monsters HD, 24/7 of nothing but horror movies, from classic to current.  The other being, Kung Fu HD playing, you guessed it, 24/7 of nothing but kung fu movie goodness.  I loved these channels, & would flip to them often.  The other day, while scanning my DVR, I came across the last 2 (of the 5) Planet of the Apes, that I had recorded from Monsters HD, I had yet to watch.  It made me think, I hadn't scanned through the line-up lately to see if there were any new gems coming up in the next week.  I hit the "Guide" button on mt remote, & scroll down to where they resided in my line-up.  To my shock & horror, they were both gone!  What the HELL!?!  Where did they go!?!  Who said they could take these away from me!?!  

I did the only thing that was open to me, I contacted Dish Network.  They basically told me, while updated & upgrading their HD line-up, they removed some of the lesser performing channels.  Translation, Monsters & Kung Fu were part of the Voom HD 15 channel package.  The other 13 channels in that package were crap (in my humble (& correct) opinion).  And Voom probably sells them as an all or nothing deal.  So, they had to feel the axe as well.  BASTARDS!  So, I now turn to you, my readers (are there any out there?).  If you are a Dish Network subscriber & feel my pain, do me this favor.  Even you you don't feel my pain, & had no idea those channels even existed on your line-up, still do me this favor.  Contact Dish Network, & let them know you want them back!  Then, you too, can get on the internet, tilting at windmills.

Psst.  If ya like, you can just click the logo & it will take ya right to them.  Do It!

Rant #1: Comic Book Movies ≠ Kids

The top description of things covered in this blog lists three Rs. This is the only one that truly hasn't been covered. But, after my experience this weekend, I think it's time to post my first rant.

I went to see "Iron Man" this weekend & really enjoyed the movie.  Why did I enjoy it?  Not just for the special-effects, even though they were amazing.  But, what really sold the movie for me were the things that an older viewer, like myself, would appreciate.  The back story was well fleshed out & the actors were of a high caliber & delivered their performances to that level.  Who didn't appreciate those aspects of the film?  How about the group of 4-6 year olds that were seated next to Liz & I.  This was not a high-action, flashy colors, fancy powered comic book movie.  This was the story of a alcoholic, womanizing billionaire who puts on a high-tech suit of armor.  He does this not only to fight the bad guys, but because he loves the attention he gets from doing it.  All, of these things go beyond the reach of the children spread throughout the theatre.  Because of this, the group next to us soon lost interest & became very antsy, unable to sit still.  Eventually, becoming a distraction, as I tried to enjoy the movie.  This could all have been avoided, with a little research on the film.  And when I say a little, a mean infinitesimal.  All you need do, is look at the rating.  This was a PG-13 movie.  Not G, not even PG.  This movie was made for an older audience.  Hence the rating.  Pay attention to these things people!

I won't accept the old argument, that you don't want your kid to be only one left out of the big super-hero movie.  When I was growing up, that might be a plausible argument.  If you missed a movie in the theaters, you might be waiting years before it appeared on TV, in some edited fashion, or on a pay channel, if you were lucky enough to have access to one.  Hell, even 10 years ago, I'd even give ya that one.  It normally would take at least a year, sometimes longer, before a movie was released on VHS, or DVD.  Now, it can take as little as 3 months after it's initial theatrical release date before ya can pick it up at your local Best Buy.  And with all the other means of entertainment available to kids these days, is missing the "newly hip" comic book hero movie that detrimental to the playground cred?  I think not.  They could easily use the excuse, while sipping on their juice box & squeezing some out for their hommies, that they were to busy cappin' asses on GTA4 all weekend to be bothered with Iron Man.

Let me do you a favor now.  Movies to show 'em:  The Fantastic Four (both of 'em), Any of the Superman movies, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin (I'm not saying you hafta watch them, but they will probably enjoy all the flash & over-the-top performances), the Spider-Man franchise & next year, take 'em to see Dragonball.  All of these are made with a younger audience in mind.  Don't take your kids to "Batman: The Dark Knight."  Don't take 'em to see "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."  And for the love of all that's holy, do not take them to see "The Punisher: War Zone" later this year!  "The Incredible Hulk," might be okay, but there's no rating yet.  But they have promised a whole lot more Hulk Smash goodness & it's only about 90 minutes long.  Which usually means, not a whole lot of talky-talky, but a whole lot more boom-boom.  But, definitely, take 'em to "Speed Racer."  I know this is technically speaking, not a comic book move.  But, it falls into the same overall genre of films.  It's got lots of pretty colors, high speed races & chimp shenanigans.  What's better kid entertainment is there than chimp shenanigans!?!  For my money, there isn't one.

My Football Fix

I know, I know.  It's Monday.  Not Saturday.  Not Sunday.  I again missed my weekend posting window.  But, I'm no longer gonna apologize for it.  I'm doing my best to meet that self-imposed deadline.  Sometimes, I'll miss it by a few days.  Other times, hopefully less frequent times, I'll skip the week entirely.  That's just the way it is.  The other reason I'm not apologizing, because I not entirely sure how many people I'm actually apologizing to.  Am I just talking to myself?  Hello...

Anyways, this past weekend was one of my favorites of the year.  NFL Draft weekend bitches!!  I'm not one of those people who will watch all 7 rounds in their entirety.  I only do that with the 1st round, then I'll check in throughout the rest of the weekend.  This year, the 1st round was a breeze.  Until this year, each team was given 15 minutes to make their selection.  Last year, just about every team took advantage of every second of those fifteen minutes.  The first round lasted over 6 hours!  I was starting to wonder if I could continue with my tradition.  But good 'ole Roger Goodell saved my butt, literally.  After the marathon of last year, he shaved each team's selection time to 10 minutes.  Which forced those teams to act quicker &  be more decisive.  The first round in 2008, right about 3 1/2 hours.  Nice.  They did push back the start time, but it still was over with plenty of time to enjoy the rest of my day.

Now, let talk about the Raiders & their draft.  I watch very little NCAA football, so most of the names in the draft mean nothing to me. I listen to ESPN podcasts everyday, & watch PTI religiously.  Those are my main sources of knowledge.  I know, by many evaluators of talent, the Raiders got a potential stud of a Running Back.  Darren McFadden, out of the University of Arkansas.  Did they need another RB?  In my opinion, not really.  But, when you draft as high as they did (#4 pick) taking talent over need is acceptable.  The rest of the draft they addressed some of those said needs, WR being one of them.  But, like I said, I don't know any of these guys from Adam.  So, I have no idea how to grade it.  Will they help the team?  With the way the Raiders have been playing the past few years, I don't see how they could hurt 'em.  Now only 97 days until pre-season starts, 129 days until the start of the regular season, 133 days until the Raiders week one match-up against the hated Broncos & a wee 279 until Super Bowl XXLIII.  Gawd I love Foobaw!!

Big Bear Bad Movie Night!

I would've talked about this last time, but the whole "my wife is no longer employed" thing was kinda pushing everything to the side.  But, last weekend was my good friend Mike's birthday.  So, he & his wife rented a cabin up at Big Bear Lake for the weekend & invited some friends to come up, to relax & celebrate.

I got up there Saturday, just as the crew was heading off to the Alpine Slide.  And, boy am I glad I got there when I did.  The Alpine Slide is a luge track.  Ya take a ski lift to the top, grab a slide, sit your ass down & speed down the mountain!  There is no steering, mainly because there's no need.  But, you can control your speed, if ya feel ya need to.  Next stop, the arcade.  Not just any arcade though.  If you're my age, think of how the arcade was when you were growing up.  Everything cost a quarter, fifty cents at the most.  There was no physical exertion required (dancing, pedalling, etc.).  And most game consisted of a bunch of hand-eye coordinated button mashing.  That's what this arcade is all about.  Good times.

Back at the cabin, it was time to relax.  Which meant some Wii play (I hafta get one of these things now.  Damn you Andrew!!), billiards & DVDs.  The most notable DVDs, were brought by my good chum, Hillal.  He brought up 3 seasons worth of "Kenny vs. Spenny."  If you don't know who they are let me 'splain.  It's a Canadian show, about 2 life-long friends, now roommates.  The basis of the show is, they set a challenge for them both to compete in.  The loser of the challenge is subjected to "humiliation" by the victor.  Spenny is the straight-laced, naive, play by the rules guy.  Kenny is the lie, cheat & steal to win guy.  They are hilarious.  You can watch the show on Comedy Central now, or I'm sure you can NetFlix the DVDs.  If ya go the DVD route, I highly recommend the "Who Can Wear A Dead Octopus The Longest" episode.  Classic.

The weekend wrapped up with something we've been doing as a group now for about a year.  Bad Movie Night.  Basically, we take turns hosting & picking out a couple of "bad" movies to share with our friends.  Now, I'm sure some of you are asking the same question we hear all the time.  "Why would want to watch bad movies?"  Well, while these movies are "bad, they still have entertainment value.  The best way to describe these movies is like this.  Imagine your movie scale like a clock.  At the 12 position, you have the rating "Great Movie."  As you go clockwise, you hit 3 with "Good Movie." Onto 6 with, "So-So Movie" & 9 being "Bad Movie."  After that, is where these movies fall in.  They go past "Bad Movie," into the rarified air of "So Bad, It's Great Movie."  Those movies you can't believe were ever made, but yet you can't stop watching them.  Mike, being the host, treated us to the TV movie "Knight Rider 2000," starring none other that, you guessed it, David "The Hoff" Hasselhoff.  And, oh, how crap-tastic it was.

That pretty much sums it up.  May is my month to host BMN.  But, I'm not picking the movies this time.  I'm letting the person who helped start this whole thing do the honors.  Mr. Friebus.  I'll let ya know how that goes...

April Showers

I know when I started this thing, I said I would post every weekend.  Well, for those of you keeping track, & really how many of you are there(?), I missed last week.  I just really didn't have anything to post about.  And those little filler posts seemed kind of like a cheat.  So, I decided to skip it, & hope that something would come along for this week.  If I would've known what would have come, I would posted one those fucking little cheat posts.

Last post, I mentioned how good things had been in March, financially for Liz & I.  Well, April couldn't have started any more the opposite.  Liz lost her job on Friday.  It wasn't a performance thing, or anything she did.  Just like so many other places right now (including the city of Los Angeles), her company needed to cut costs.  They let go of her boss about a month ago.  And this past Friday, it was her & one the company reps that felt the axe.  But luckily, she's taking it very well.  She always knew that it was a job, not a career.  She's looking at it as a chance to improve her situation.  I'm very lucky to have someone like her in my life.  As far as how I'm taking it, it depends on when you ask me.  I'm very confident that she will have no problem finding a new job.  But, at the same time, I look at the economy & the aforementioned "so many other places," & I worry a bit.  But, if she can be positive, so can I.

March Money Madness

Before we get into this week's post, let me address last week's.  The rocking did not happen.  My lungs would not permit it.  But, on the up side, the rest has done me some good.  My cough is about gone & my voice is almost back to normal.  So, by next week, I should be able to get back behind the kit & make some noise.  We're shooting for late April to try the recording thing again.  I'll let ya know how that goes, when it finally does.

Now, back to the topic at hand.  This past month has been a good one, financially speaking.  We've had some pretty good things happen for us.  I got a raise.  Liz got a raise.  We filed our taxes, & we both are getting returns.  This couldn't come to us at a better time.  We've decided that we'd like to buy a house.  We're hoping to be able to take advantage of the down market.  Our credit is good, & our debt is under control.  Right now, we're trying to see how much of a loan we can pre-qualify for.  After that, it's diving head first into the housing market.  Wish us luck, & if any of you home owner friends have any advice, we're listening.  Thanx!

BTW, my bracket sucks, so don't even bother asking.

The Time To Rock Is Nigh!

I'm still getting over my cold.  I'm coughing so violently, that I sometimes throw-up.  Also, that combination, has also destroyed my throat & voice.  I hate going to the doctor, but I hate this cough even more.  I may hafta break-down & go.  Especially, since I have pretty big plans next weekend.

Like my profile says, I play drums in a band.  That band would be Two Left Over (I've got a link to our MySpace page, if ya'd like to check us out).  And next weekend, we're heading back into the studio to do some recording.  We do this, mainly for ourselves.  To make a permanent record of our creative process.  Not really to sell them.  Because, honestly, who's gonna pay us for them?

I'm gonna take this opportunity to talk about the band.  We've been together now for about 5 or 6 years (I think, I can't quite remember).  It's myself on drums & backing voclas, Brian Tiller on guitar & lead vocals, & John Torres on bass.  It started out as just Brian & I.  We were originally in another band, called Overview.  It started as a 4-piece, became a trio, & eventually just the two of us.  Hence the name, Two Left Over. John came along about year after Brian & I decided to keep making music as a duo.  We played one show that way, before John rounded out our sound.  I describe our music as Alternative Rock/Pop.  Our influences include Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Dinosaur Jr., Sebadoh, The Beatles, to name just a few.  We've played a few shows, but grew tired of trying to make that work.  None of us like to do bookings & none of us like to promote.  So, our show's attendance reflected all of that.  But, the lack of live shows have had an adverse affect on the band, in my eyes.  It's grown stale.  It's no longer as much fun as it used to be for me.  It's no longer something I always look forward to doing.  I'm hoping the recording session will reinvigorate my love for this thing I helped create.

So, with all that said, I'll let ya know how it went.  And when it's all done, I'll point ya in the right direction to hear it yourself.  Until then, I hope ya head over to our MySpace page, & let me know what ya think.

Best Part Of St. Patty's Day!

I feel like crap today.  Caught some kind of chest cold.  My head hurts.  My throat hurts.  My chest hurts.  I'm ready to take some Ny-Quil & pass out for the night.  But, before I do that, I wanna talk about something that makes me feel good.

I've never been one to really take part in what I call "The Excuse To Drink On A Weeknight Holidays."  Cinco De Mayo & St. Patrick's Day, are always filled with people who feel like it's not celebrated properly until they're puking their guts out, passing-out somewhere they may or may not be familiar with, then having some douche-bag, who calls themselves "your friend," write all over their face with a Sharpie.  No thanks, I'll pass.

With all that said, St. Patty's Day does hold a special place in my heart.  I am of Irish descent, so it's a day I can celebrate that.  It's also my Mother-In-Law's birthday.  But, most importantly, it's the one time of year that I get to enjoy one of my favortie treats.  Shamrock shakes!  Green, minty goodness, from McDonald's.  SInce I was kid, they have been something I've always looked forward to. I even loved the ad campaign that they had back then.  Grimace was my favorite friend of Ronald.  Or at least he was tied with The Hamburglar for that top spot.  But, what made the commercials great was the appearance of Uncle O'Grimacey.  A green Grimace!  How awesome is that!?!  I'll tell ya how awesome, really freakin' awesome!  This past Friday, I made my first McDonald's trip in maybe close to year, and treat myself to something my makes me feel like a kid all over again.  Mmmmmmm....  Shamrock shake.....