Movie Reviews

I have seen a handful of movies the last few weeks that I thought I would review. We see tons of movies, but I always forget to review them. I am going to try a lot harder now to do just that. So, this is what we have sene lately...

Spiderman 3 - Saw this a couple of days after it came out. I am a huge fan of the first 2. They are both excellent films. The third was not quite as good. So what happened? Well, to start it all off, there was just too much going on. The first 2 films had one supervillian while this one had 2 and sometimes 3. It was overload. They didn't allow enough time to develop each story and I believe the inclusion of Venom was rushed and not well thought out. Some scenes were downright hard to watch. The action scenes were some of the best in the series, but action alone does not make it a great film. I would give this a 7 out of 10. Maybe a 6.5.









Half Nelson - Saw this on Netflix a couple of weeks ago. Wonderful film although it was sometimes painful to watch. This movie is about a teacher who is very good at what he does - teaching junior high. However, the teacher has a big drug problem as well and that leads to some interesting situations. This is a fairly slow drama, but if you can handle that, it is well worth the rent. Ryan Gosling was nominated for best actor, and although he didn't win, he does a spectacular job. 8 out of 10.












The Prestige - I am a big fan of Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman. This movie about rival magicians is awesome! To see the ways they try to one up each other is amazing. Great storyline and it keeps you on the edge for much of the movie. Scarlett Johanson is in it, but although I think she is a hottie, she is pretty much useless in her role. That was disappointing. Very good film. 8 out of 10.















POTC 3 - Ah, yes, Pirates 3. I love the first 2. The second I actually liked even more than the first. This one was decent and the end battle was amazing, but it didn't have the same feel as the first 2. I think it dragged in parts and although I was never bored, I don't feel it has the same replay value as the first 2. I am glad they tied pretty much everything up, but was disappointed with how it ended. All in all, I liked it, but I was slightly disappointed. 7 out of 10.

Day 93

This is just for Cassie. Actually a gift for Mike. I'm sure he would love it put on his computer desktop very soon. It's on mine as we speak. I am stealing Manuel's style on this one, but it might be my finest post ever.

Day 94..........late

So where was I you all ask? Thanks to some wonderful work with Comcast and my Mother they combined to kill my modem. I had no access to my lil computer. I realized I needed to begin backing up everything soon cause I would never recover from a crash. I could elaborate and bore you with the details of me whining about having two of my days off ruined by a slight computer inconvenience, but perspective just hit. It wasn't really a crisis and I didn't lose any hair over it. All my hair is gone anyway. I am officially the bald friend in the group. Yiiiipeeee.
Time for something goofy.

Is anyone else in the world completely obsessed with ITunes?

I was late to get into the Ipod generation because it wasn't always compatible to a PC. I even started out small. I got a Ipod shuffle. It is handy and nice for working out, but still doesn't completely give you the full Ipod experience. I upgraded to a Ipod nano about a year ago.
This allowed me to get into the storage capacity of the Ipod as well as it's ability to play soo much music. Thank heaven for Podcasting. It brought back my one true radio love. Opie and Anthony. Thanks to audible.com and XM radio I was able to listen to their morning radio show whenever I wanted to which was cool cause they are east coast guys. I'd never catch em live living in Sacramento. Now cause of my job as a driver I listen to them through my Ipod all weekend. I have listened to every broadcast since late August last year. Up until XM and Audible screwed me over by suspending the duo for absolutely NOTHING. Now I have been without for the past 3 weeks. I am forced to listen to old shows. Yes I have them saved and yes they are worth listening to over and over again. I am just a goof that way.

It's not just the radio podcasting. I visit the ITunes store on a daily basis. I have taken it as far as to watch a favorite TV show or movie and heard a song I liked and gone straight to the computer to see if it is in the ITunes store so I can download it. Classic example. I watch the TV show Smallville. The beginning moments of a recent episode had a song playing and by simply guessing the title I was able to listen to a sample of the song and determine it was the same one I just heard on the show. I downloaded it and listened to it nonstop for about a week. Just for disclosure purposes the song is "You Could Be Happy." The band Snow Patrol released it.

Oh and the pre-orders! If you know some of my history on this blog you might recall how I stayed up till midnight of the release date to get my pre-order copy of Christina Aguilera's "Back to Basics" CD. An hour after midnight the entire album was listened to and I was a satisfied customer. not to mention the pre-orders of albums usually come with extra tracks or other ITunes exclusive goodies. I at the moment had Daddy Yankee, T.I., and 50 cent on pre-order. I might have a problem.

This is my short advertisement for Ipods and ITunes. Without them I would not have Opie and Anthony, Joss Stone, Brother Ali, Joe Rogan, Young Jeezy, or NE-YO. My life would be emptier without em. Get an Ipod people. NOW! Rabble Rock.

How was your weekend?

Well, it is just about the end of a nice long weekend. There were plenty of posts on the site this weekend, but they weren't mine. For those of you who are somewhat new to my blog, you might not know that my friend, MrVideoGuy, also guest posts on this site. The last few posts that have a day countdown - not mine. You probably didn't notice and just figured I wrote them, but the bottom of the posts say MrVideoGuy. We have totally different writing styles so it gives you a little variety.

So where are the 5 things that pissed me off last week? It's a Monday and I didn't have to work, so I am not too pissy. Really though, nothing pissed me off too much last week except for some unlucky poker again this past weekend. With my birthday tomorrow (Tuesday), my wife treated me like a king all weekend so I can't complain too much.

I am going to be super busy this week with work, as my business partner is in Hawaii. Have to basically do 2 jobs this week. So, probably minimal posts this week to go along with less visits to your blogs. I try to comment on everyone's posts every single day, but it will be hard this week, especially if you are one of those with multiple posts in a day. Just know, I haven't ditched ya, just got a lot to do. I am almost at the 500 post mark though so if MrVideoGuy keeps posting like he has the last few days, we'll have a celebration post here very soon.


So with that, have a good week everyone...

Day 95

Nothing insightful. Just a tidbit from the past that seems worth sharing. I've found that sharing something random often brings you closer to people and eliminates any sense a barrier around yourself. Being labeled often times an introvert this is my attempt to bring yall in. Plus this allows others to share. I do warn you. You won't see me the same ever again. Stop reading if you prefer my image untarnished.

The first movie I ever cried to was titled "The General's Daughter." It was a murder mystery/military movie featuring John Travolta that released back in 1999. I didn't watch it while it was in theatres, but I did manage to rent it and check it out. I thought it was a pretty good movie the first time I saw it. The second time I watched it was slightly different. I am going to guess that I watched it back in 2000 which means I was about 22 years old and probably still jockeying my clerks role at my local Mr. Video rental store. During this second viewing I was alone in my room and just doing the usual thing any slacker fake college student does. Nothing! I admit that even now I am an emotionally suppressive individual and nowadays when it actually does come out it usually explodes outta me. I was even worse back then. I didn't really feel much of anything towards anything or anyone. A movie brought an end to that all and in an unusual way as well. If I am about to ruin the movie for you, once again stop reading.

John Travolta plays a military investigator charged with finding out who has murdered the General's daughter. Throughout the course of the movie more details are revealed as to how the murdered daughter came to her demise. Basically she was an overachieving military brat who took a turn for the worse after being brutally attacked and raped by her fellow officers during a training exercise. She began to act out and spiral down into the her eventual death. Much of her transgressions were targeted towards her father, the General. It is eventually revealed that the General had been involved in quite the cover up following his daughter's rape. Because of the position he held and his loyalty to the military as well as to his own progression through the ranks the General made a decision that was quite disturbing. At the end of the movie we are flashed back to the night of the rape. The General walks into his daughter's hospital room and proceeds to cease being her father. The fall out of having a female officer expose the military as a male dominated, over-bearing organization would not go over well for the General or the armed forces. As the General walked in that room and began to convince his own daughter to not say a thing about the entire incident I began to get too connected to the scene. I could feel myself being saddened by the actions of this man. I even said out loud, "I would never do that to my daughter." Then it happened. A tear. Then another. I kept repeating the same statement as I watched the life drain from the Generals daughters' eyes. The General told his daughter he would take care of everything, but just please don't do anything or say a word. All I saw was the bruises on her face and the blood covering her and the worst sight I took from it all was her eyes. It wasn't her tears so much as it was how hollow they seemed. Like her heart had just been ripped from her. I lost it. I immediately locked the door in my room to make sure no one walked in on me as I cried for seemingly no apparent reason. Crazy, right?

To this day I haven't watched that movie all the way through again. I haven't seen that particular scene either. I don't think I have avoided it on purpose, but it just seemed to turn out that way. I am single. I have no kids of my own. I may never have a daughter. But one thing is for sure. That moment and that movie probably made me more inclined to want a daughter more than a son. It probably made sure that I would never ever have that moment occur to me in my life. I would never do that to my daughter. I guess you could say this means I have a heart, but it's all just theory really. Maybe I'm just a soft-ass. Maybe I was just having a bad day that day. I have to admit that I have cried to other movies as well, but that was really based more on what I was going through at the time and my own emotional state rather than the movie itself. This was the original and probably the only that made me think I was completely in that moment and experiencing it as if I was looking at my own daughter. Probably why I still cry when I start expressing too many emotions. Should have seen me last Friday. Dammit! I should stop talking for now. Rabble Rock people!

Day 96

Ahhhhhh! 4 day weekend. Thank you Memorial Day. I do miss the fact that I am not in Virginia at the moment. 2 years in a row vacationing with my white family out east was freakin sweet. I miss em all and hope to get out there sooner rather than later.

Yes this will be 98 days in a row. Why? Find out on Day 1
TEASE!

Details? Not yet. Other things abound.

Time to inform and entertain.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship a.k.a. the UFC. The mainstream is starting to take notice and for good reason. Or reasons as the case may be. This past Saturday was the Pay per view presentation of UFC 71 live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Yes the number was correct. This was their 71st show. I think it is safe to say that this is not a niche sport or a fad. Floyd Mayweather Jr., the current pound-for-pound best boxer in the world, even realizes that the UFC is taking money out of his bank account cause young boxing fans are now young UFC fans. Why? How did this all change in a matter of just a few years? Why are 15,000 people attending these events? Why is Spike TV broadcasting 4-5 hours of UFC programming a week? Here are the answers I can come up with at the moment in no particular order. This is based solely on opinion and hours spent watching or reading about the UFC

1. Dana White, President of the UFC. Lorenzo Fertitta and Frank Fertitta III, Owners.

The UFC was born in 1993, but in 2001 these three men changed the organization into it's current architecture. They saw the need to change the rules and structures of the fights. They brought in weight divisions and timed matches. They have erred on the side of safety when comes to all the fighters in order to become legitimized in California, Florida, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania State Athletic Commissions. These are not to the death bloodsport type match ups. Two men enter the ring. Two men leave. Then they do it all over again a few months later. Serious injuries do occur, but that is the nature of the beast. The UFC did all of this to get into the public eye. They had to get a TV deal and they did through Spike Cable TV. They are the ultimate reality TV show. These three men are smart business men and excellent at public relations. It comes from the top down and Dana White is the definition of why the UFC is a success currently. He doesn't take shit from anyone. He is willing to go above and beyond in order to get his point across. He makes the same sacrifices all his fighters make. If you ever see a UFC event, look for the mid 30-s bald white man. That's Dana.

2. The Fighters

No one individual fighter has made the UFC what it is today. Therein lies the beauty. If you at all followed pro wrestling in the late 90's you became familiar with 2 men. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. As much as they wish it weren't true, once they left the WWE was never the same. So much of the company rode on the shoulders of these two men. On the other hand, the UFC will never be defined by one man. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell may have been on the cover of magazines and featured on the hit HBO series "Entourage", but he was not the sole reason 15 people crammed into my living room to watch him fight this past Saturday. He was not the reason ESPN live coverage of the weigh in for this most recent title fight between Liddell and his challenger Quinton Jackson. The UFC is survived and will be survived by it's seemingly endless run of quality fighters. They all share similar characteristics that make them all watchable. They are, aesthetically speaking, appealing to viewers. Cause I'm an ass I will draw this comparison to emphasize this point. People don't watch porno movies to see unattractive people having sex, right? People want to see gladiator looking dudes battle in the Octagon. The background stories on all these fighters are for the most part interesting as well. The build up to the PPV matches is very movieesque in it's attempts to give you a sense of who these fighters are and how they got to this point in their life. And all of these fighters believe the same exact thing when it comes to fighting. "I can kick your ass."

3. Other sports.

If you follow sports even a lil bit, you may have heard of a few of the recent stories in the headlines. Baseball and steroids. Football and the police. Floyd Landis. As we find out more and more about our athletes that we watch and support we discover things that make it all seem unreal. A shadow of doubt is cast over what they athletes do now. Are they really doing it themselves or is it performance enhanced? Is it real or fake? No matter your take on drugs and their place in sports, we all watch sports to get lost in the moment. To enjoy the drama of real people doing unreal things. Now it just seems as if unreal people are doing these things and making it lose credibility. If the public feels as if they have been lied to then they will simply turn away. The UFC is the benefactor of all these sports refugees. The UFC is definitive and undeniably honest. It has that drama that makes us as fans watch over and over again. It makes grown men scream and watch a fight over and over again in a matter of hours. It showcases abilities that we as fans could only dream of having, yet seem very attainable at the same time. You get your money's worth out of every penny. I know I have. Except for maybe that damn third fight between Arlovski and Sylvia. I still want my money back for that boring snoozefest. :)

All in all the UFC is real, honest, and dramatic. It is unscripted and conclusive. It is brutal and beautiful. It is here to stay. That's my short take. Rabble Rock!

Day 97

As the day finishes I update everyone with my prediction from yesterday. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is your new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. First Round knockout of "The Iceman" Chuck Liddell. Incredible fight. Cassie I told you about those Pride guys back in the day.

My day at work included...... Oh that's right I slept through it all. I do believe that is a major sign of time to get a new job syndrome. I know I was there for 10 hours and that I finished all my duties. It's just that everything from 730am to 600pm is just a blur. One more day to go before my 4 day weekend, so I will just push through.

Congrats to my dog Larry. We had tons of company over tonight and he behaved in a tolerable manner. Gotta keep him able to socialize with other humans and dogs. Thank you Dog Training for Dummies. Good book.

All credit to John Wooden for this one statement. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Explains a lot of my current status as a person. Details details, right?

Too late to come with something stronger. Peace folks.

Day 98

Back again once is the Incredible!!!

Did ya miss me?

So, after sucking down this mint chocolatey shake and finally shaving my head of this dreaded hair I have had to grow for 2 months I decided to come back home. Ya that was a run-on sentence, but I am outta practice and in need of a few days to wear off this rust. Where have I been you ask? No where in particular. I had plenty of things to write about, but I just never got around to them. For me anyways, once I have the idea I have to write it down as quickly as possible or else I risk it becoming irrelevant. That is what happened time and again. The result? This and many more to come of the daily ramblings of me.

It's late and I am tired so I leave with this thought. It only took me 28 years and one very special friend, but I am starting to accept certain things about people that I just couldn't in the past. My heroes have failings and flaws and I have to be able to say that it is okay. Mistakes are apart of the growth process. Only recently did I start making any, so now I can finally start to grow. Laugh that was the joke section of the rant! I can move on now and get over the actions of my friends and family that I once perceived to be unthinkable. Cause in 4 hours it will be time to work. Cause it will be time to hit the beach soon. Cause it will be tip-off time. Cause I will be 29 soon. Cause the other approach didn't work out so well. Cause I don't want anymore regrets than I already have.

UFC 71
Quinton Jackson vs Chuck Liddell
Get ready for it kids. "AND NEW Light heavyweight champion of the world......................Rampage Jackson!

Day 97 begins.
Thanks Maria. I owe you one.

Fat Free Friday #15

Egads, I gained 1.5 pounds last week! Actually, I shouldn't be surprised. I ate a lot last weekend and wasn't able to get it all off by today. What ocncernes me more is I will almost certainly be gaining again next week. Let's see..

Tonight - early birthday celebration dinner with my in laws since they are leaving for Hawaii tomorrow.

Tomorrow - Cake with my buddies for poker night

Sunday - We take our grandma to breakfast the last Sunday of each month
- Friend's birthday party

Monday - Barbecue at friend's house

Tuesday - My actual birthday - going out with my family for dinner to a casino buffett of all places

To top it all off, I am going to be so busy at work next week, I know that I won't be able to make it to the gym!

AHH!! What are you going to do? Correct me if I am wrong, but Mexicans eat when they celebrate. Not my fault. Hehehe.... Enjoy your weekend everyone....

Thursday Trivia #9

Ok, we've done this before. What movie are these screencaps from?

Guitar Hero 3

We interrupt Wordless Wednesday for this very important message. The first group of songs for Guitar Hero 3 have been announced. Now, this is not to be confused with Guitar Hero 80s which comes out in July and has this lineup so far:

"I Wanna Rock" - Twisted Sister
"I Ran (So Far Away)" - A Flock of Seagulls
"Round and Round" - Ratt
"I Want Candy" - Bow Wow Wow
"Metal Health" - Quiet Riot
"Holy Diver" - Dio
"Heat of the Moment" - Asia
"18 and Life" - Skid Row
"Bathroom Wall" - Faster Pussycat
"Lonely is the Night" - Billy Squier
"Nothing But a Good Time" - Poison
"Play With Me" - Extreme
"Shakin'" - Eddie Money
"Synchronicity II" - The Police


This is Guitar Hero 3 which comes out around November. So far, the lineup kicks ass! And, on the PS3 version, I can play online against other people! You can click on each song to remember what it sounds like...

Paint It Black
Cherub Rock
Sabotage
The Metal
My Name is Jonas
Knights of Cydonia
Rock And Roll All Nite
School's Out
Slow Ride
Cult of Personality
Barracuda

I am super jazzed about Paint it Black, Rock and Roll all Nite, and especially, Cult of Personality. Damn, November can't come fast enough.

Wordless Wednesdays #9

Top Five Tuesday #10

In honor of Star Wars Appreciation Week, which we are celebrating because of the 30th anniversary of A New Hope's release, I have decided to dedicate my top 5 to this great series. These movies have been full of great moments. Here are my top 5 moments.

#5 - "I love you..." - From Empire Strikes Back; Han Solo is about to be frozen in carbonite and taken away. Princess Leia finally professes her love to Han and says, "I love you." Han, because he is the coolest character of all time says, "I know." What is even better is that he improved that line.

#4 - Speeders - From Return of the Jedi. Not really a great scene now, but as a kid watching Luke on the speeder bikes was one of the coolest things I had ever seen. Such an intense scene.

#3 - "You're all clear kid..." - In a New Hope, Skywalker is about to destroy the Death Star, but is being trailed by Vader and in his missile lock. As Vader is about to fire, Solo comes back and shoots Vader out of the way. He then says the classic line, "You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!"

#2 - Duel of the Fates - Near the end of Phantom Menace, the good guys are storming the palace. Suddenly, Darth Maul appears to fight them. The sudden appearance, the music, the double lightsaber, and the look he gives the heroes make this a classic scene. It is the first 20 seconds or so of this clip.



#1 - Rebirth - In Revenge of the Sith, Anakin is defeated and turned into Vader at last. Then he breathes for the first time. This gave me chills to the extreme. This is a little after the two minute mark.

Another Trailer

Wow, 2 good trailer in one day! If you haven't heard yet, Fox has picked up the Sarah Conner Chronicles for next year. This is a tv show that follows Sarah and John Conner in the events between Terminator 2 and 3. I think it looks pretty damn good. Sure, it will probably be cancelled after 4 episodes for a lack of fanbase, but we can always hope. This is actually going to be a mid season show so nothing until next January.



Don't forget today's 2 other posts below...

Rambo 4 Trailer

Well, not an official one for the theaters as this is more of a red band trailer and will never see the light of a theater.

All I can say is hell yeah!

The Five Things That Pissed Me Off Last Week #10

I wasn't very pissy last week. Most of this was simply sports related:

#5 - The Golden State Warriors were eliminated from the playoffs. They gave us some good excitement and since the Kings weren't in the playoffs, they were the closest thing to having a team in the playoffs. They seemed a little outclassed there at the end.

#4 - The Suns got screwed in the playoffs. Granted, a rule is a rule, but when Amare and Boris set a few steps on the court after their teammate was the victim of a cheapshot, it turned the series around. The automatic suspension rule needs to be looked at a little more closely. I liked both teams and was just cheering for good games, but I don't like things like this to determine a series.

#3 - Manchester United lost in the FA Cup Final to Chelsea 1-0. A few weeks ago, they were close to winning a league title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League. Today, I can say that all they won was the league title. A little disappointing.

#2 - Last week I got the new ac adapter in the mail, but it wasn't a perfect fix. The next item will explain what was wrong, but what pisses me off about the ac adapter is that the one I ordered ended up being a used one. Not only was it used, but it looked like it had been in a laptop that fried because the ac connection was fried with some burn marks around the edges. I will never order from this company again.

#1 - I had to pay $150 to fix my laptop. I guess I shouldn't be too pissed because it was a good price AND, it was back to me in 24 hours. The guy told me that when he took it apart, some connection from the mother board to the DC connector or something like that had broke. So, he had to do a bunch of work, some soldering, some replacing, and now it is back to me. He even fixed the ac adapter from #2. Bottom line, my laptop is back.

My first weekend with the new camera

I had been thinking of getting a new camera for quite a long time now, so when Jess told me people were going to be giving me money for a new one for my birthday on the 29th, I became very excited as Best Buy was having a great deal on packages. I ended up buying a Canon so these are some of my first pictures I have taken with the new toy. Yeah, they aren't great yet, but I know it will take some practice and probably lots of advice from NightPanther.


Jess and Orko







Jess








Family members playing










Jess and her dad









Fountain







Playing in pond











Pond Picture









Flower in backyard

Fat Free Friday #14

I am down another half pound this week. That takes me back down to 6 pounds in 14 weeks. I guess a loss is a loss. I was so busy with work this week, I never made it to the gym so I guess I can't complain and instead, should be happy.

My laptop is fixed, but only slightly. I got a new ac adapter and it charges my laptop again, but if I bumb it or move it, it goes back to battery power and doesn't recognize tha adapter unless I hold it in. So, the new adapter helps, but it tells me the problem really is internally. I am going to try to find a place today that will diagnosis it, but will let me keep it until a part comes in. That's really the best I can hope for I think. Wish me luck. Have a good weekend everybody.

Final Transformers Trailer!!!

The final trailer for Transformers was released today and it gives me chills. Go check it out!

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/transformers.html

Click on Exclusive trailer.

I couldn't find it on youtube yet so that is why I don't have it directly on here. When I find it, I'll put it up.

Thursday Trivia #8

Pretty simple - name the band and the song that these lyrics came from:

1. "Need a woman gonna hold my hand, won't tell me no lies, make me a happy man."

2. "Captain America's been torn apart, now he's a court jester with a broken heart...'

3. "He wear no shoeshine he got toe-jam football"

4. "Forget your lust for the rich mans gold, All that you need is in your soul"

5. "They'll kick you, then they beat you, Then they'll tell you it's fair"

6. "And I know all the games you play, because I play them too..."

7. "Movin' on the floor now babe, you're a bird of paradise, cherry ice cream smile, I suppose it's very nice..."

8. "Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk, I'm a woman's man: no time to talk."

9. "I've been around for a long long year stolen many man's soul and faith..."

10. "Her mind is Tiffany-twisted, she got the Mercedes bends, She got a lot of pretty, pretty boys, that she calls friends."

Wordless Wednesday #8

Top Five Tuesday #9

Peeves. We all have them. Some just bug you a little while some make your blood boil. What are your peeves?

#5 - People who don't use their blinker. It's on the car for a reason. Use it. Don't keave me wondering if you are goig to turn or not and leave me having to wait to see what you are going to do! Although, that reminds me of a funny story. When I was in college, I had an old Mustang. Driving to school, I turned on my blinker and it fell off. So now, my blinker is going, and I have no way to make it stop because a)there is nowhere for me to pull over for a couple of miles and B) my blinker had fallen somwhere under my seat. I was so embarrased. Not only did I have to drive a couple of miles with the wrong blinker, but I had to get back over to the other lanes with my blinker going the opposite direction in tons of traffic. I am sure I pissed people off that day.

#4 - Cashiers who try to talk to me. Look, you can say hello and ask if I found everything. That's fine. But please don't start talking about what I am buying or try to start a new conversation. I don't need, "Looks like someone is really thirsty!" "So how is your day going today; got any plans?" "Hey, that's a good movie. What is your favorite part?" Ring me up and let me go.

#3 - Other customers in stores that try to talk to me. Listen, when I go shopping, I am there to buy what I need, not strike up a conversation with other customers. I hate when I am looking for something and they walk up to me and start talking about the most random things. "These aisles sure are messy." "I'm thinking that this sweater will go great with those pants I have at home." "Man, these sure are good prices that they have today, aren't they?" Ahh...go away and stop talking to me.

#2 - People who don't return phone calls. I hate that people don't have the common courtesy to call back when you leave them a message. It's not that hard. Pick up the phone and see whatthe other person wanted.

#1 - Misplaced apostrphes. My wife did a post about this as her very post that can be read here. It is such a common grammar rule, it amazes me that I see it everywhere. It annoys the hell out of me that people make som many mistakes with it. The most common culprit seems to be when people write "DVD's for sale." Nothing belongs to the DVDs, why did you write the apostrophe? C'mon people, you remember to put punctuation at the end of a sentence. Remember this rul.

The Five Things That Pissed Me Off Last Week #9

Damnit, another crappy week. Although, I did have plenty to be happy about, that isn't as much fun to write about.

#5 - We have new next door neighbors. They moved in about 3 weeks ago now. I share some of my lawn with them. They have yet to mow their lawn so the weeds are out of control. I mowed my half in hopes that they would get the hint and see the difference between my lawn and their lawn, but so far after a couple of days, nothing. Sure, I could just go mow theirs, but I don't want to get in the habit of doing that. I ALREADY mow the lawn of my next door neighbor on the other side who I share lawns with. Yeah, I have weeds in the back, but nobody sees them. This is your front lawn that everybody sees. Take some pride.

#4 - Last night was the finale of Survivor. At the end of the show, they asked people to send in applications if they think they have what it takes. As a HUGE Survivor fan, I sent in an application a few years ago. I have yet to be picked. The winner last night admitted he had never seen the show before he got on. This pisses me off. As a true fan of the show, I want on.

#3 - Despite one my clients being coached by me on how to do things the correct way so we have the least amount of headaches, she keeps doing the same damn mistakes. She's making it hard on the both of us. I charge her by the hour, so technically, these mistakes by her work out in my favor. However, I would rather have a couple less hours of pay by her and have a tremendous amount less headaches as a result of the mistakes she makes.

#2 - It was poker night again Saturday at my house and I was the first person knocked out of the tournament. I know I can't expect to do well everytime, but it was the way I was taken out that kills me. I wouldn't have done anything different. I played maybe 5 hands and on each one, I would play them the same way again. My friends even agree with me. I just got unlucky and on some nights, you know you are not destined to do well despite everything you do.

#1 - My laptop is still not better. Remember last Monday I said the part was coming? Well, it did, but it was the wrong one through my own fault. So, I ordered again and this one is supposed to come on Thursday. So, I was still on the desktop all week long last week. I miss my laptop. I miss surfing in the living room.

Because I just realized I never did it, the answers from Thursday's trivia are now posted in the comments for that post. Sorry I am so late there.

CONGRATS!

4th post today, sorry. Be sure to check them all out. This is important though. Be sure to head over to Battlerocker's site today and wish him congratulations. He is graduating from law school today!

Congrats, man!!!

Breaking news good and bad...

3 posts in one day...

First the good. For those who play Guitar Hero like me, there is a new one coming out THIS SUMMER. I thought I was going to have to wait until late 2007 for Guitar Hero 3, but they are releasing one even sooner. This is not Guitar Hero 3 , but rather, closer to GH 2.5 - 80s style. Here is the press release...

Activision has confirmed that the previously rumoured Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80s is heading exclusively to PS2 this summer, complete with 30 new rock classics.

"The 80s features an amazing variety of rock genres from hair metal to punk to new wave, and our dedicated Guitar Hero fans will definitely appreciate the opportunity to play all the new and exciting content we've added," said Dusty Welch, head of publishing at RedOctane. "As we delve deeper into the history of rock, we'll continue to offer a fresh experience and even more explosive tracks with the Guitar Hero franchise."

Activision also revealed Rocks the 80s features new characters and retro-inspired venues ready for you to trash. Unfortunately, only a snippet of the full track listing has been revealed by Activision at the moment, but so far it includes:

I Wanna Rock - Twisted Sister

I Ran - Seagulls

Round and Round - Ratt

I Want Candy - Bow Wow Wow

Metal Health - Quiet Riot

Holy Diver - Dio

Heat Of The Moment - Asia

Now the bad. Bruce Willis has confirmed that Die Hard 4 will be rated PG-13. Ok, that means less violence, but I am sure they can make it work. What else does it mean. Well, in a Pg13 movie, you can say Fuck, but no work may precede it to make it worse. So, Die Hard 4 will be without, "Yippee-ki-yay Mother Fucker." Travesty! Sta tuned...

My questions

I had had these a while, but with my computer problems which are STILL going (mor eon this next week) and my sickness, I never got to these. Here are the questions Sonja chose to ask me. Maybe you will learn some more about me:



1. If you had children, what would you like to name them? Well, as a couple who badly wants children and have been trying for almost three years now, we talk of names often. For a girl, we are thing something like Olivia Grace, Madison, and I feel like there are 2 others, but I can't think of them. For boys, it has been a little more interesting. We know the middle name will be Adam after Jessica's cousin who died in a car accident. For a first name, I think we might go with Mason or Ethan. I thought it would be fun to name him something strong like Thor or heck, even just Hulk, but I don't think i will win that. I suggested Axl Gunner, but she knew I was 90% joking. Or maybe 80%.


2. Besides your wedding day, what was the happiest day of your life? Hmm...that is a toss up. Probably a tie between my college graduation day and the day my little ister was born. Looking back, I felt more joy on the day I graduated. It was hard work and this was a celebration of what I had. My sister being born was exciting, but doesn't become as important as it is now until much later. When a sibling is born, you don't know how he/she will turn out. Now that I know she is the best sister I could possibly ask for, it makes the day that much mroe special. The day I got my PS3 was pretty special too.

3. If you could join any band currently popular today, which would it be? Crap, I have no idea. I don't need to join a band to pick up girls so a boy band is out. You know what I think would be really fun to do...join Weird Al's band. I am sure he is a riot. Sure, I won't make quite as much as if I joined U2 or some other global band, but I think it would be just plain fun.


4. Have you lived in Northern California your whole life? Well, for the most part. I was born in Torrance down south and lived in Gardena(I think that would be correct??) until I was 2. Then I moved up here to Sacramento. I have lived here pretty much the whole rest of the time except 3 years that i lived in Davis 30 minutes away when I was "away" at college. I like it here. Summer gets way too hot, but I think I would enjoy staying here.


5. You like to read when you can. What is your favorite genre and author? Novels, my favorite are mysteries/thrillers. I like trying to figure out who is the killer/what is going on/etc. My favorite author is James Patterson. The stories are very simple to read - probably 10th grade reading level at the very most. I like his very short chapters - each one only about 3-4 pages. The short chapters actually keep you reading more than a long chapter might. With long chapters, I look and see that I have 20 more pages and sigh. With small chapters, I finish one and say to myself, ok, just one more, just one more.

Thanks Sonja!

Fat Free Friday #14

There was no Fat Free Friday #13, but I don't want to throw myself off on how many week I have been doing this so it will be #14. I am down another half pound from 2 weeks ago. It's small, but actually ok becuase I actually worked off a lot more than that this week. I had gaine a bunch the previous week. Being sick I never went to the gym and I sat and ate and ate. I am not sure how much I topped out at, but I was able to get it off and then some. So, 5.5 pounds in 13 weeks. Way too small. Oh well. Still going down...

Trivia Thursday #7

1. Who averaged one patent for every three weeks of his life?

2. What's the ballet term for a 360-degree turn on one foot?

3. What is the least popular month for U.S. weddings?

4. What was the first planet to be discovered using the telescope, in 1781?

5. What state leads the U.S. with 15 tons of solid waste per citizen each year?

6. What's the flattest U.S. state?

7. What country has bee the planet's largest aid donor since 1991?

8. Which planet spins the fastest?

9. What U.S. president's State of the Union address lasted a record 81 minutes?

10. What studio did the Beatles use to record 191 songs?

Wordless Wednesday #7

Top Five Tuesday #8

It was just recently announced that one of my favorote acts, Marilyn Manson would be coming to town in August. I am jazzed because I have only seen him in concert once. Unfortunately, he is only co-headlining with 80s band Slayer, but you get what you can. This inspired me to do my top five favorite rock bands. Notice I did not say the top 5 rock bands of all time. That would include lists like Zeppelin, a band I LOVE. But they don't quite get on my top five favorite bands.

#5 - Kid Rock - He's just a badass. That is all I am going to say...



#4 - System of a Down - When I first heard a song from this band, I thought it was the weirdest thing I had ever heard, and that it just kicked my ass. I was instantly hooked. These guys do the whole, rock with a political message thing and they have a great time doing it. The changes in tempo, from really fast,to super slow, to everything in between is what turns me on to this band.



#3 - Marilyn Manson - Yeah, love him or hate him, and most people hate him, this guy is intense. Sure, a lot of his stuff is just for shock value. I just love his style. You have to check out this video I posted. This is for a video called Man That You Fear. Even mute it if you have to even though it is a soft song. The video is based on a short story by Shirley Jackson written in 1948 called, "The Lottery." It was written in the New Yorker and created all kinds of controversy. Watch the video and then follow the link to the short story if you are interested. It's actually pretty good and a quick 10 minute read.



The Lottery

#2 - Metallica - When everyone else in the 80s was into glam rock, these guys just rocked. Hell, we even danced to Metallica as our wedding song.



#1 - Guns N Roses. Without a doubt. I still curse Axl's name everytime I hear a GnR song for allowing this band to essentially break up at its peak. I curse his name for cancelling 2 shows on me. I curse his name for never releasing Chinese Democracy. But I still love him. And Slash. And Duff. And Matt. And Gilby. And Izzy.




So let me know what you think. Did you watch a video? Did you read the story? Who do you like in the history of rock?

The Five Things That Pissed Me Off Last Week #8

"Oh I'm back, the fog has lifted
The earth has shifted
and raised the gifted
You knew I'd be back
so pack your bone And hit the road jack
cause daddy's home..."

I'm back and better than ever. Sorry for my long absense and I promise to visit all of your sites by the end of the day. In fact, that is a guarantee. I have PLENTY that pissed me off last week. Here it is narrowed down to five!

#5 - One of my clients is an idiot. She makes me waste so much time because she can't get her shit together. Last week she did more of that, but it almost expected now. What I didn't expect is that I found an error I made on her stuff and now I have to go back and spend time and redo it. CRAP!

#4 - Manchester United lost 3-0 in the semi fianls of the Champions League on Wednesday. They had beaten the team 3-2 the previous week and only needed a tie then proceeded to get outclassed in the second leg of their match. They did win the English League title this past weekend, but I wanted the Treble (3 championship titles in one season).

#3 - I was sick as you all know. Luckliy, I have a pretty good immune system and I recover quickly. I was sick as a dog on Wednesdy morning, but by Wdnesday night, I feel I was at 75% and by Friday, I feel I was pretty much back to 100%. How is that for recovery?

#2 - Had to take Jessica to the emergency room on Thursday for what turned out to probably be a major migraine. She never gets them, but she couldn't see clearly , was dizzy, and had a lot of trouble walking. More concerned about her ability to see than the headache, I took her in early Thursday morning. She got check out, got a CT scan as a precaution, etc. What pisses me off is that the doctor there asked us to go to our opthomologist that day to make sure everything was ok with her eyes. We called and they told us we needed our promary care physician's office to send a referral for that first. When we told them we were a) in the emergency room and b) that it would take some time to get the doctor to actually send one, they wouldn't budge. Screw them. We found another one willing to take us in that afternoon.

#1 - Easy, being away from the computer all week. I hated not being able to check your sites all week. I hated not being able to sit on the sofa and surf while I watch tv. I hated being stuck in the back room when I needed the computer. My laptop isn't fixed yet, but I am scheduled to rceive my new ac adapter today from Fed Ex. If that doesn't solve the problem and it is going to have to be taken into the shop, my anger might cause some kind of ripple in time and space.

Sick...

I'm sick. Going to take the rest of the week off. Well, at least til the weekend and they I will see how I am doing. See ya..

Top Five Tuesday #7

DMarks wanted me to do a post on the top 5 places to eat. I assumed he meant in the local area so here goes. I like to eat so it is no problem coming up with a list!

#5 - King Egg Roll. Actually, this place isn't here n Sacramento. It's actually 2.5 hours away in San Jose, but since it is so good, I have to include it. As you can probably guess, this place is Chinese, but it is more of a Chinese deli instead of a restaurant. What makes this place so good? Again, as you can probably guess, it is the egg rolls. They are easily the best I have ever had. In fact, they are so popular, that every time I go, there is a line out the door and down the sidewalk in front of 3 or 4 other stores. I hate Seinfield, but it is basicallylike the Soup Naiz episode. People stay in the line, go to the counter, order their egg rolls, and movie on. And they are huge egg rolls and here is the topper - they are only 50 cents each. So, I can go and order these huge, delicious eggs rolls for only pocket change. I love it. This would be #1 if it was in town.

#4 - Murder Burger - Thsi place is 30 minutes away in Davis, but it has the best burgers I have ever had. I miss living in Davis to make Murder Burger runs. They actually tried to open one here in town, but it failed and along with that, people made a stink of the name because Murder is such a horrible name. Now it is called Redrum Burger, but we still call it Murder Burger. They have awesome season fries and great fresh fruit shakes. God, I need to go back.

#3 - BJs - A brewery chain that is great because it has literally a zillion things on the menu. Bugers, pizza, homemade meals, etc. What really seperates it rom other placeslike this is the Pizookie. The pizzokie is a GIANT cookie that is cooked and then served with a scoop of ice cream on top. Words can't describe how good this is. My favorite is the Oreo pizookie which is basically an Oreo Cookie(w/o the middle) that is cooked warm and gooey. So good.

#2 - Sunrise at the Oasis - Another Brewery. I don't know how all their food is because I only get one thing there. For an appetizer, I always get the Blue Fries. This is a plate that is filled with chili oil, chili sprinkles, and melted blue cheese and topped with a pound of fries. It is to die for and serves plenty. The for main dish I always get the Buffalo Burger which is BlueCheese and BBQ Sauce burger. It is delicious!

#1 - The House of Chicken and Ribs - Only discovered this place a couple of years ago. This is a southern style BBQ place. I always get the spicy tri-tip. It is amazing. With some great sides like cornbread, mac and cheese, and baked beans, this place is one tasty place to go!

What do you like in your town?

Again, in case you missed it yesterday, I am going to have a hard time visiting everyone's blogs this week due to my computer problems. I should be back up and running by next week. I will try to stop in here and there, but it will be scarce. I promise to be back in full force commenting on your sites next week!