Ever been called "a racist"? It stings, especially when its unwarranted.
Saturday night, I'm at Starbucks working. My fellow baristas include Chris on the bar and Brian behind the counter. I had noticed we hadn't been really busy, but as the hours grew later, we did get a large number of teenagers in the cafe, which is not unusual. We had also served several older people, including two named Jackie and... and I can't remember his name--doesn't matter. What does matter, only because this comes into play later, is that they were both black.
In the cafe, in one corner are a group of about five black kids. None of them have a drink, none of them have spent any money with us, they are all just sitting in the corner in our comfy blue chairs. On the other side, is a group of white kids, five or six, and only one has a drink. Everyone else is just there. Though I could have asked them all to leave, it would have been tougher with the white group, because one did in fact have a drink. So, as the shift supervisor, I let it go.
As I'm ringing up another couple, Chris hollers to me from the bar, "Hey Dave... we have a problem in the parking lot. Some of these kids are getting rowdy." Great. Just what I want to hear. I asked Brian to finish up the transaction I was doing, and with a sigh, I headed outside. Most of the kids that had been taking up space in our cafe have moved outside, and it looks like a rumble.
I walked out, first asking a few girls that I saw what was going on. "I don't know... we just got here," said one of them. "Ask those guys." She pointed at several boys--all colors, mind you--that were probably all 13 to 15 years old. None of them could drive, I think, because most, if not all, were waiting for parents.
I stood in the middle of the group and asked loudly, "Okay, whats going on out here?" I got about ten voices at once, and finally pointed at one guy, asking for an explination. He gave me some story about some kids who were pushing them around, and how they weren't going to take it and blah blah blah blah.
"Okay, I don't care who did what, there is not going to be a fight in front of our store. Take it somewhere else." I announced. All the boys started talking again, at the same time. I noticed a woman sitting in a van nearby, so I walked up and she rolled down the window. She was probably in her late 30s, maybe early 40s.
Van Lady explained that some sort of disagreement was going on, and that her son (sitting next to her) had been slapped by one of the boys who was no longer there. She was a teacher, and since she knew several of the kids there, she wanted to wait until their parents came to pick them up. I told her that I was planning on calling the police to patrol the area, because I didn't want something to happen in our parking lot.
Mind you, there are still about ten to fifteen boys roaming around here, many using all sorts of fun language, and one black kid who seemed to like the "n" word an awful lot. Van Lady then pointed to one kid in a Carolina Panthers and said, "...and this boy was very disrespectful to me when I tried to talk to him..."
Carolina, of course, came over. "I wasn't rude to you, I told you you'd better step back before you get hurt and..." and Van Lady responded with "...I am an adult, and you need to respect me and..." so I had to yell loudly, "Hey... calm down, calm down. You (pointed to the kid) step back. Step back, man. You (Van Lady) roll up your window and let it go" I wanted back inside and called the Vestavia Non-Emergency Police Line, asking for an officer to just come to the area before we had an incident. Remember the police department is about 100 yards from Starbucks Vestavia.
As I began to walk back outside, I noticed kids were starting to disperse (I'm guessing they told each other I was calling the police). Some of the main black boys from outside were now inside, all in the corner again, none of them with a purchase in their hands. I said, very nicely, "Okay guys... none of you are customers, you haven't bought anything, so I'm going to have to ask you to give up the comfy chairs and step outside." They all complied, and I followed them out. I announced to the other kids outside that the cops had been called. One tall white kid said, "Man... everytime we come up here, those guys always mess with us and..."
I had to cut him off. "Listen, dude. I don't care. You guys can rumble if you want, but take it somewhere. There is a parking deck there--meet up, have a ball. You are not going to do it here." Van Lady was leaving, Carolina was gone and it looked like the disaster had been averted.
I opened the door to go back in, when Jackie and her man were walking out. I forced a smile and said, "Have a good night."
Jackie sweetly smiled at me, simply saying "Now you know that wasnt right."
"You mean what happend out here?"
"No... I mean you asking them kids to to leave. You didn't say anything to those white kids."
"Ma'am, I..." and before I could say anything else, she and Her Man were walking away. He held up her hand behind her as if to say "don't want to hear it."
Essentially, my decision to clear the cafe of non-paying customers was viewed by Jackie as a racist move. Of course, assuming my motives were racist based on only what she heard (inside, not outside) and what she saw is itself a racist statement, because she didn't know what was happening outside--therefore she assumed because those kids were black, and I wasn't, I didn't want them around the store.
So, Jackie and Jackie's man walked away, thinking that someone at Starbucks Vestavia has at least somewhat of a racist tone.
If you go to Guthries, you get bad service, as in, cold chicken, bad tea, whatever, you tell your friends about it. Based on that, most will probably go anyway, because I personally have never had a really bad experience there. On the same token, Jackie will now tell her friends that she had a racial experience at Starbucks, undoubtably adding her own embellishments to what she actually heard and saw. This is unfortunate, because this is the type of experience that would keep other people from coming.
It really upset me, to be honest. I didn't let on, because we had a job to finish, but when I got home, I unloaded on Stephanie. We talked about it until probably 2 in the morning. I think it bothers me so much because when someone calls you lazy, stupid or arrogant, those are things that all be remedied... being accused of racism, or at least acting with racist motives... that cuts to your moral value and integrity. Really hard to handle, I think.
Anyway, the night finished without incident, the police, headquartered 100 yards away, never showed up (or I never saw them--I'd like to think they would come in to find out who called and why), and life goes on.
A few days later, I'm still rolling the incident in my mind, though I'm now thinking it won't join "Ryan Smith thinks I got him fired" and "Melanie Dill stopped hanging out with me" and "Why Jaci didn't come to my wedding" (just kidding...) as major events that years later, I'm still seeking closure on. I know me, I know who I am, and more importantly, so do most of you. So, Jackie, if you are reading this, come see me. We can talk "Free at Last", Rosa Parks and assumption.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Sunday, February 19, 2006
The Deuce Weekly Returns
It's here.
On February 19th, 2001, I sat down in front of the computer I worked on, on the third floor of Saks Incorporated's Parisian Buying office over 7500 Industrial Drive. I typed out the following addresses and names from memory into an email:
David Dollar 'david_dollar'; 'Lupe618' (Ginger Thomas); 'jkpsmile' (Jennifer Pritchett); 'jfberthon' (Jill Berthon); 'Litlman16' (Matt Latta); 'brazzma' (Meredith Brazell); 'quintana@mindspring.com' (Meredith Quintana); 'Chelle0831' (Rachelle Thomas); 'RossManSF' (Ross Kingrey); 'kawlalove' (Sarah Hasha); 'slcampbe' (Stephanie Campbell); 'SNIPP2@aol.com' (Stephanie Nipp); 'lnipp' (Lynn Nipp); 'drj711' (Justin Glenn); 'lucy913' (Dana Mitchell); 'GuitarGuy25' (Brad Latta); 'sybil' (Sybil Johnson); 'ntcoffey' (Ty Coffey); 'CoachFuly' (The Wookiee); 'jessic5384' (Jessica Caldwell); 'DivAmy' (Amy Anderson); 'beccamos' (Amy Valdmanis); 'clberthon' (Cheryl Berthon); 'powelld' (Daniel Powell); 'dmo1' (David Mark Osborne); 'reddvl777' (Stephanie Crook); 'TIDE1AMY' (Amy Wible; 'lbeauty17' (Leslie Cordell); 'alil6' (Alison Lecroy); 'bigslam22' (Amanda Abbott); aldennistx' (Amy Dennis); 'jessielou21' (Jessica Caldwell); 'mockron' (Rona Mock); 'aubiti7' (Nikki Brown); 'culpelb' (Brook Culpepper); 'Wendy.j.brobst' (Wendy Brobst); 'hpkhill' (Hillary Kelly); 'nhtutor' (Nathan Tutor); 'justinsmith52' (Justin Smith); tmjohn (tom); shawngalensharp (shawn sharp); nubjubjr (Mikey)
Subject line?
"The Deuce Weekly 2/20"
And thus it began.
To see the rest, travel over to The Deuce Weekly blogpage, and check it every week for the next edition, each debuting five years from its original date.
On February 19th, 2001, I sat down in front of the computer I worked on, on the third floor of Saks Incorporated's Parisian Buying office over 7500 Industrial Drive. I typed out the following addresses and names from memory into an email:
David Dollar 'david_dollar'; 'Lupe618' (Ginger Thomas); 'jkpsmile' (Jennifer Pritchett); 'jfberthon' (Jill Berthon); 'Litlman16' (Matt Latta); 'brazzma' (Meredith Brazell); 'quintana@mindspring.com' (Meredith Quintana); 'Chelle0831' (Rachelle Thomas); 'RossManSF' (Ross Kingrey); 'kawlalove' (Sarah Hasha); 'slcampbe' (Stephanie Campbell); 'SNIPP2@aol.com' (Stephanie Nipp); 'lnipp' (Lynn Nipp); 'drj711' (Justin Glenn); 'lucy913' (Dana Mitchell); 'GuitarGuy25' (Brad Latta); 'sybil' (Sybil Johnson); 'ntcoffey' (Ty Coffey); 'CoachFuly' (The Wookiee); 'jessic5384' (Jessica Caldwell); 'DivAmy' (Amy Anderson); 'beccamos' (Amy Valdmanis); 'clberthon' (Cheryl Berthon); 'powelld' (Daniel Powell); 'dmo1' (David Mark Osborne); 'reddvl777' (Stephanie Crook); 'TIDE1AMY' (Amy Wible; 'lbeauty17' (Leslie Cordell); 'alil6' (Alison Lecroy); 'bigslam22' (Amanda Abbott); aldennistx' (Amy Dennis); 'jessielou21' (Jessica Caldwell); 'mockron' (Rona Mock); 'aubiti7' (Nikki Brown); 'culpelb' (Brook Culpepper); 'Wendy.j.brobst' (Wendy Brobst); 'hpkhill' (Hillary Kelly); 'nhtutor' (Nathan Tutor); 'justinsmith52' (Justin Smith); tmjohn (tom); shawngalensharp (shawn sharp); nubjubjr (Mikey)
Subject line?
"The Deuce Weekly 2/20"
And thus it began.
To see the rest, travel over to The Deuce Weekly blogpage, and check it every week for the next edition, each debuting five years from its original date.
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Weekend Links for Your Enjoyment
Here's a few links to carry you through a cold rainy weekend... (though I read all or most of the content on these sites, there is always a chance I missed something questionable, or a link that you should never link too)
First up, a station here in Birmingham has posted three Taylor Hicks songs available for free download. I especially like "Hell of a Day". Is it bad to say I'm a much bigger Taylor fan than I was a Bo fan?
Two other blogsites of mine are about to get moving soon... starting Monday, The Deuce Weekly goes up. Also, Dave's Random Emails of Encouragement will also go up starting next week sometime, starting with "Stephen", the first I wrote in 1999.
For some political wrangling, here's an intriguing article on the Democratic positioning for a Senate race. It's from Mother Jones Magazine.
For the Osar-philes, which I proudly say I am, Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on this year's Oscar nominees, and their past movie roles, or "gems" as they call them. Don't forget, there will be a live Oscar diary running during the March 5th telecast on this site.
Over on Vh1's site, they have a section called "You Oughta Know", with artists that... well, they think you should know. One of these is KT Tunstall, who's song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" as taken over the playlist in my mind... its infectious, its fun and it will get you moving. You can watch the video and see live performances by KT.
I'm a big proponent of how dangerous internet porn is, so places like XXX Church really make me smile. (also on the side links)
Ken Lass and Wendy Garner finally have a page on WDJC's website. Its not much, but its a start. Despite my working with Brooke Smith, Liz Artz and others, its well documented of my boyish crush on Wendy. She thinks its funny.
And finally, last night I stumbled across this treasure. Didn't know it was even available... and not sure how much I'd pay for it--certainly not $29.
First up, a station here in Birmingham has posted three Taylor Hicks songs available for free download. I especially like "Hell of a Day". Is it bad to say I'm a much bigger Taylor fan than I was a Bo fan?
Two other blogsites of mine are about to get moving soon... starting Monday, The Deuce Weekly goes up. Also, Dave's Random Emails of Encouragement will also go up starting next week sometime, starting with "Stephen", the first I wrote in 1999.
For some political wrangling, here's an intriguing article on the Democratic positioning for a Senate race. It's from Mother Jones Magazine.
For the Osar-philes, which I proudly say I am, Entertainment Weekly has posted an article on this year's Oscar nominees, and their past movie roles, or "gems" as they call them. Don't forget, there will be a live Oscar diary running during the March 5th telecast on this site.
Over on Vh1's site, they have a section called "You Oughta Know", with artists that... well, they think you should know. One of these is KT Tunstall, who's song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" as taken over the playlist in my mind... its infectious, its fun and it will get you moving. You can watch the video and see live performances by KT.
I'm a big proponent of how dangerous internet porn is, so places like XXX Church really make me smile. (also on the side links)
Ken Lass and Wendy Garner finally have a page on WDJC's website. Its not much, but its a start. Despite my working with Brooke Smith, Liz Artz and others, its well documented of my boyish crush on Wendy. She thinks its funny.
And finally, last night I stumbled across this treasure. Didn't know it was even available... and not sure how much I'd pay for it--certainly not $29.
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Reality Check -- AI's 24 and Misty Gets Booted
So, the final 24 of American Idol are set.. and Dave's Big Four--Kellie Pickler, Taylor Hicks, Katharine McPhee and Chris Daughtery--all made the cut... next week is the first performance for the women, when they'll cut them out two at a time per week, and also the first performance for the men, when they'll do the same thing.
Here's my Top 12 Girls:
12... Kinnik Sky, 28, from Duluth, GA. Who?
11... Brenna Gethers, 25, Mt Vernon, NY. She admits to owning Hoobastank's "The Reason". Punt her. She really annoyed me in her auditions and in Hollywood too... very diva-esque.
10, 9, 8 and 7... Becky O'Donohue, Heather Cox, Melissa McGhee and Stevie Scott. Who, who, who and who?
6... Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, GA. She really annoys me. She sounds like Billie Holiday, though, which will probably carry her to the finals.
5... Mandisa, 29, Antioch, TN. She impressed the heck out of me with basically sharing Christ with Simon on Wednesday night's episode. Very Frenchie sounding too, which is a good thing.
4... Ayla Brown, 17, Wrentham, MA. She's tall enough to scare me. Good voice, good work ethic with playing ball and being on Idol at the same time.
3... Lisa Turtle, 16, Anaheim, CA. Shocking that we haven't seen Screech right there with her. I just want to have Paris Bennett's Billie Holiday sound, and darn it, she'd be #1 I think.
2... Katharine McPhee, 21, Los Angeles, CA. Her mom was a voice teacher, which means she's had some proper training. She's cute but not too cute--which means she can't rely on her looks to make it through.
1... Kellie Pickler, 19, Albemarle, NC. Love this chick! Love her twank, she's got an awesome voice, and her resemblance to Carrie Underwood is only helping me like her more. With dad in prison, what a story.
Dave's Prediction for the Top Six Finalists: Paris, Lisa Turtle, Katharine McPhee, Pickler, Mandisa and either Brenna (because she's just annoying enough to make it), Becky or Heather (only because either are pretty hot)
And here are the Top 12 Guys:
12... Sway, 28, San Fran. You're kidding, right?
11... Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, NC. He just seems like a guy I've seen on Cops before, wearing a wifebeater and cursing at police while whizzing in the yard.
10... Bobby Bennett, 19, Denver, CO. He reminds me too much of Scott Savol, who I could not stand, but he's got a Bob Guiney sense of humor, which I like. He could grow on me--if he lasts.
9... Anthony Fedorov Part II, 16, Levittown, NY. He's like one Italian gene away from being Vinnie on Doogie Howser.
8, 7, 6 and 5... David Radford, Elliott Yamin, Patrick Hall and John Peter Lewis Version 2.0. Can YOU tell them apart right now? I didn't think so.
4... Ace Young, 25, Denver, Co. He'll do well because he's so dashing. Steph loves him.
3... Gedeon McKinney, 17, Memphis. A very Charles Grigsby look about him, with young Anwar hari. I like him, though. He might do well.
2... Chris Daughtry, 26, McLeansville, NC. This guy rocks. I love the fact he married a woman with kids, and she was all crying because she was so proud...
1... Taylor Hicks, 29, The Ham, Al. Taylor is my boy! He, unlike Bo, seems like the kind of guy that I would love to just hang out with, watch some football and lament on chicks and movies. This guy rules.
Dave's Predictions for the Final Six Guys: Taylor, Chris, Gedeon, Ace, Bobby Bennett (because there's always one) and Anthony Fedorov Part II (because there's always another)
On Survivor tonight, I'm finally getting a sense of who these people are-sort of. Freak of the Week Shane was still all hot and bothered, going crazy over a stump he declared his "thinking seat". At first, it looked to be in jest, but he went on and on, yelling more and more. Courtney was definately not a fan...
As winner of the reward challenge, La Mina picked Bruce Miyagi to go back to Exile Island and spend another night there. Since they showed us very little of his time there, it would not shock me if he found the idol.
Bruce comes back for the immunity challenge, which was flippin' awesome, as the editors worked overtime to blur out body parts falling all over the place. They put bags in the sand, and teams went mano-a-mano to find them--I dont know what Jeff was doing, but it took over half the challenge for him to yell out "hey, no choking or kicking!". Where ya been, Jeff? For the Misty/Danielle rumble, I swear all we needed was some mud.
Casaya takes it, leaving La Mina going to tribal. My girl Sally and Misty worked overtime on Austin and Nick, swaying their vote to the Crypt Keeper... but in the end, Misty says so long to Survivor.
If you are keeping score at home, and I know you are, here's how our annual Survivor game is going... Michael, Ashley, Steph and myself all have teams of four... once all your team have been voted out, you're out. Mikey and I both have full teams, with Mikey having Sally, Ruth Marie, Austin and Bruce Miyagi, and my having Courtney, Cirie, Bobby and Freak Shane. Steph has Danielle, Nick and Dan, having already lost Melinda last week. Ashley has Eros and Terry, losing Tina the first week and Misty tonight.
Here's my Top 12 Girls:
12... Kinnik Sky, 28, from Duluth, GA. Who?
11... Brenna Gethers, 25, Mt Vernon, NY. She admits to owning Hoobastank's "The Reason". Punt her. She really annoyed me in her auditions and in Hollywood too... very diva-esque.
10, 9, 8 and 7... Becky O'Donohue, Heather Cox, Melissa McGhee and Stevie Scott. Who, who, who and who?
6... Paris Bennett, 17, Fayetteville, GA. She really annoys me. She sounds like Billie Holiday, though, which will probably carry her to the finals.
5... Mandisa, 29, Antioch, TN. She impressed the heck out of me with basically sharing Christ with Simon on Wednesday night's episode. Very Frenchie sounding too, which is a good thing.
4... Ayla Brown, 17, Wrentham, MA. She's tall enough to scare me. Good voice, good work ethic with playing ball and being on Idol at the same time.
3... Lisa Turtle, 16, Anaheim, CA. Shocking that we haven't seen Screech right there with her. I just want to have Paris Bennett's Billie Holiday sound, and darn it, she'd be #1 I think.
2... Katharine McPhee, 21, Los Angeles, CA. Her mom was a voice teacher, which means she's had some proper training. She's cute but not too cute--which means she can't rely on her looks to make it through.
1... Kellie Pickler, 19, Albemarle, NC. Love this chick! Love her twank, she's got an awesome voice, and her resemblance to Carrie Underwood is only helping me like her more. With dad in prison, what a story.
Dave's Prediction for the Top Six Finalists: Paris, Lisa Turtle, Katharine McPhee, Pickler, Mandisa and either Brenna (because she's just annoying enough to make it), Becky or Heather (only because either are pretty hot)
And here are the Top 12 Guys:
12... Sway, 28, San Fran. You're kidding, right?
11... Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, NC. He just seems like a guy I've seen on Cops before, wearing a wifebeater and cursing at police while whizzing in the yard.
10... Bobby Bennett, 19, Denver, CO. He reminds me too much of Scott Savol, who I could not stand, but he's got a Bob Guiney sense of humor, which I like. He could grow on me--if he lasts.
9... Anthony Fedorov Part II, 16, Levittown, NY. He's like one Italian gene away from being Vinnie on Doogie Howser.
8, 7, 6 and 5... David Radford, Elliott Yamin, Patrick Hall and John Peter Lewis Version 2.0. Can YOU tell them apart right now? I didn't think so.
4... Ace Young, 25, Denver, Co. He'll do well because he's so dashing. Steph loves him.
3... Gedeon McKinney, 17, Memphis. A very Charles Grigsby look about him, with young Anwar hari. I like him, though. He might do well.
2... Chris Daughtry, 26, McLeansville, NC. This guy rocks. I love the fact he married a woman with kids, and she was all crying because she was so proud...
1... Taylor Hicks, 29, The Ham, Al. Taylor is my boy! He, unlike Bo, seems like the kind of guy that I would love to just hang out with, watch some football and lament on chicks and movies. This guy rules.
Dave's Predictions for the Final Six Guys: Taylor, Chris, Gedeon, Ace, Bobby Bennett (because there's always one) and Anthony Fedorov Part II (because there's always another)
On Survivor tonight, I'm finally getting a sense of who these people are-sort of. Freak of the Week Shane was still all hot and bothered, going crazy over a stump he declared his "thinking seat". At first, it looked to be in jest, but he went on and on, yelling more and more. Courtney was definately not a fan...
As winner of the reward challenge, La Mina picked Bruce Miyagi to go back to Exile Island and spend another night there. Since they showed us very little of his time there, it would not shock me if he found the idol.
Bruce comes back for the immunity challenge, which was flippin' awesome, as the editors worked overtime to blur out body parts falling all over the place. They put bags in the sand, and teams went mano-a-mano to find them--I dont know what Jeff was doing, but it took over half the challenge for him to yell out "hey, no choking or kicking!". Where ya been, Jeff? For the Misty/Danielle rumble, I swear all we needed was some mud.
Casaya takes it, leaving La Mina going to tribal. My girl Sally and Misty worked overtime on Austin and Nick, swaying their vote to the Crypt Keeper... but in the end, Misty says so long to Survivor.
If you are keeping score at home, and I know you are, here's how our annual Survivor game is going... Michael, Ashley, Steph and myself all have teams of four... once all your team have been voted out, you're out. Mikey and I both have full teams, with Mikey having Sally, Ruth Marie, Austin and Bruce Miyagi, and my having Courtney, Cirie, Bobby and Freak Shane. Steph has Danielle, Nick and Dan, having already lost Melinda last week. Ashley has Eros and Terry, losing Tina the first week and Misty tonight.
A Captive No More
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
Tonight, in my quiet time, I was reading Jeremiah 29:11 & 12. I've been working through the "31 Days of Prayer" book that my church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) has been sending us through, preparing us for the Worldreach Missions Week.
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Thats verses 11 and 12.
Even though it didn't say it, I read on to verse 13... You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Is that why I'm having a hard time finding him? Not seeking with all my heart?
Then I read 14 and it all came home. It says "I will be found by you and will bring you back from captivity." My commentary in my Bible's footnotes say "God may be preparing you, as he did the people of Judah, for a new beginning with Him in the center."
Somehow it clicked. No more NBC. New life at Starbucks. Struggles with habitual sin, only to be broken free by Him. A feeling of restlessness for months now, like there is something else, like there is something more for me to do... something... something. One day. Perhaps not now, but God has a purpose for my life, for my life with Stephanie, for my life at Valleydale, for my life in Hiim. Something. Something. I dont know what, but something.
Sin is such a captor. It keeps you from learning, it keeps you from seeking, it keeps you from desiring. From growing. From being in his will. Let sin be, it won't let you be. Suddenly, you just feel complacent. Then one day you just wake up and decide, "you know what? this sucks. life is more than this." Then you pull out the Sword and begin to go through it. Then prayer becomes more prevelant. Then Scripture becomes more necessary. Then things begin to click, at least with whats happened so far.
Its really late, I'm really tired, but I felt I had to share what God was sharing with me. "I will bring you back from captivity."
A captive no more, I delight in You, God. I desire in You, Lord. I want to see Your face, I want to lead Stephanie with an open heart and a faithful spirit. Here I am at freakin' 12:21am, just typing aimlessly (if this isn't what a blogsite is for, I dont know then)... I'm sleepy, but I can't sleep because I know I haven't been in the Word so far today. And I'm guessing that for the first time, something clicked. Something in the Word is filling me with Joy. Even just a small taste of the freedom, learning to live in the freedom that is Christ's forgiveness...
Here's some lyrics to one of my all time favorite Christian songs, one by Jill Paquette.
Throwing off the fetters and working on a smile.
Because its time that I felt better oh than I have in a while
I want to say I need You, don't leave until I try
Because I've been holding onto shadows, holding them inside
And they come from what I've learned in life and they put my faith to the test
Testing my drive, pulling me under, but hope won't be kept down forever
Lift my eyes, I've seen light lost to darkness, but You made a promise
So lift my eyes, trusting You wil be faithful, I'll do all that I'm able
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
No room here for the both of you, but who should I ask to go?
One holding out my Pardon, one holding all I've ever known
Love tells me without speaking, resonating in my soul
With a light that's ever reaching, ever letting me go
And some things make me want to hide from life, and some things put my faith to the test
Testing my drive and it's not over, oh no, its not nearly finished yet
Lift my eyes, I've seen light lost to darkness, but You made a promise
So lift my eyes, trusting you will be faithful, I'll do all that I'm able
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
I believe it.
How about you?
Tonight, in my quiet time, I was reading Jeremiah 29:11 & 12. I've been working through the "31 Days of Prayer" book that my church, Valleydale Church (an sbc fellowship) has been sending us through, preparing us for the Worldreach Missions Week.
For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Thats verses 11 and 12.
Even though it didn't say it, I read on to verse 13... You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Is that why I'm having a hard time finding him? Not seeking with all my heart?
Then I read 14 and it all came home. It says "I will be found by you and will bring you back from captivity." My commentary in my Bible's footnotes say "God may be preparing you, as he did the people of Judah, for a new beginning with Him in the center."
Somehow it clicked. No more NBC. New life at Starbucks. Struggles with habitual sin, only to be broken free by Him. A feeling of restlessness for months now, like there is something else, like there is something more for me to do... something... something. One day. Perhaps not now, but God has a purpose for my life, for my life with Stephanie, for my life at Valleydale, for my life in Hiim. Something. Something. I dont know what, but something.
Sin is such a captor. It keeps you from learning, it keeps you from seeking, it keeps you from desiring. From growing. From being in his will. Let sin be, it won't let you be. Suddenly, you just feel complacent. Then one day you just wake up and decide, "you know what? this sucks. life is more than this." Then you pull out the Sword and begin to go through it. Then prayer becomes more prevelant. Then Scripture becomes more necessary. Then things begin to click, at least with whats happened so far.
Its really late, I'm really tired, but I felt I had to share what God was sharing with me. "I will bring you back from captivity."
A captive no more, I delight in You, God. I desire in You, Lord. I want to see Your face, I want to lead Stephanie with an open heart and a faithful spirit. Here I am at freakin' 12:21am, just typing aimlessly (if this isn't what a blogsite is for, I dont know then)... I'm sleepy, but I can't sleep because I know I haven't been in the Word so far today. And I'm guessing that for the first time, something clicked. Something in the Word is filling me with Joy. Even just a small taste of the freedom, learning to live in the freedom that is Christ's forgiveness...
Here's some lyrics to one of my all time favorite Christian songs, one by Jill Paquette.
Throwing off the fetters and working on a smile.
Because its time that I felt better oh than I have in a while
I want to say I need You, don't leave until I try
Because I've been holding onto shadows, holding them inside
And they come from what I've learned in life and they put my faith to the test
Testing my drive, pulling me under, but hope won't be kept down forever
Lift my eyes, I've seen light lost to darkness, but You made a promise
So lift my eyes, trusting You wil be faithful, I'll do all that I'm able
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
No room here for the both of you, but who should I ask to go?
One holding out my Pardon, one holding all I've ever known
Love tells me without speaking, resonating in my soul
With a light that's ever reaching, ever letting me go
And some things make me want to hide from life, and some things put my faith to the test
Testing my drive and it's not over, oh no, its not nearly finished yet
Lift my eyes, I've seen light lost to darkness, but You made a promise
So lift my eyes, trusting you will be faithful, I'll do all that I'm able
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
Believing there's freedom in a life lived forgiven.
I believe it.
How about you?
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Cheney: The Only News Around
Only Five Days Until The Return of the Deuce Weekly
Okay, so lets get the obvious out of the way. Vice President Dick Cheney shot a guy in the face. He was hunting this past weekend, and accidentally put "birdshot" in the face of friend Harry Whittington, 78.
To clarify what birdshot is, if you shoot a bird with a shotgun, you are pretty much not going to have a bird. Birdshot is really just little pellets that kill the animal while keeping it intact. So Whittington got a face full of birdshot. This happened on Saturday, 630pm, in Texas.
Cheney's medical staff immediately rushed to Harry, began to take care of him, and by 7:30, Harry is in a hospital. The White House was contacted, and a press conference was set up the next morning to reveal the details of the accident. Cheney let the owners of the ranch, , contact the media, which for them was the local newspapers.
Okay, so lets get the obvious out of the way. Vice President Dick Cheney shot a guy in the face. He was hunting this past weekend, and accidentally put "birdshot" in the face of friend Harry Whittington, 78.
To clarify what birdshot is, if you shoot a bird with a shotgun, you are pretty much not going to have a bird. Birdshot is really just little pellets that kill the animal while keeping it intact. So Whittington got a face full of birdshot. This happened on Saturday, 630pm, in Texas.
Cheney's medical staff immediately rushed to Harry, began to take care of him, and by 7:30, Harry is in a hospital. The White House was contacted, and a press conference was set up the next morning to reveal the details of the accident. Cheney let the owners of the ranch, , contact the media, which for them was the local newspapers.
The news media has GONE NUTS. Dear GOD--WHY DIDN'T YOU DROP EVERYTHING YOU WERE DOING AND CALL US IMMEDIATELY???!!!?? That's pretty much the impression I'm getting. Cheney revealed that he and Harry had a beer over lunch, but no drinking by the time they were hunting. I've been reading some of the reader blogs (to James from CA, on the off chance you read this... What the crap do you think is going on, you moron? You're an idiot. Never reproduce, ever.) and paying attention to the media on this... you would absolutely believe that nothing else in the whole wide world is going on. The media is going crazy over this.
Tony Blankley of the Washington Times I think has one of the best takes on this. "In the absence of any pressing news these days -- other than Iran's nuclear weapons development crisis, the election of Hamas terrorists in Palestine, on-going worldwide Muslim riots and killing in reaction to a cartoon, Al Gore's near sedition while speaking in Saudi Arabia, the turning over of our East Coast ports to be managed by a United Arab Emirates firm, the criminal leaking of vital NSA secrets to the New York Times, Mexican military incursions across our southern border, the Iraqi crisis, Congress's refusal to deal with the developing financial collapse of Social Security and Medicare -- the White House press corps has exploded in righteous fury over the question of the vice president's little shooting party last weekend."
The press actually didn't find out until Sunday morning around the afternoon, 18 hours after the incident. I heard some of the press conference that Scott McClellen, the White House Press Sec., hosted on Sunday, and the reporters were livid. "Why didn't you tell us?" "Why didn't you call us?" "Why wait a full 18 hours before we knew? What are you covering up?" It was so bad at one point, McClellen actually called David Gregory from NBC News a jerk--because he was being one.
Blankley goes on to say: "As I understand the profound concern of the ever alert White House reporters, they smell a constitutional crisis because the shooting party failed to alert the media of the accidental shooting down in Corpus Christi, Texas. Well, actually they did alert the Corpus Christi media -- but that didn't count. Unless the exalted ones have been formally informed by an official government press secretary, no public communication has technically occurred. I checked the bylaws of the White House press corps, and they are right. It seems that the bylaws refer to Article XXIII of the U.S. Constitution which expressly designates that White House reporters with a minimum annual income of $375,000 (plus minimum stock options...) are the exclusive recipients of all government information. If information isn't hand-delivered in gold-edged paper to them while they are reclined on their chaise lounge, it hasn't been released to the public. And if they don't report a fact, it hasn't happened. This provision is vital to a vigorous and independent free press. (I should note, my copy of the Constitution must be outdated, because it doesn't have an Article XXIII.)
Of course, this provision technically makes the White House press corps not reporters, but receivers -- sort of glorified shipping clerks, but with the prerogative to rewrite and repackage the material before they deliver it to the public. When an out-of-town newspaper got the scoop, the dignity of the White House press corps had been impeached, so they threw a public temper tantrum."
When I say this, you'll think I'm exaggerating, but I think the media actually WANTS Harry Whittington to die. Yes, its true that a pellet, about a tenth of an inch in diameter, was lodged close to his heart, which possibly led to a mild heart attack, but the guy is 78 years old, and got shot. Even though the doctors are expecting a full recovery, here's what I pulled from Rush Limbaugh's site... soundbites (or scripts, anyway) from different journalists giving the impression that this guy is going to croak any minute:
RITA COSBY: If he had passed or something, under law, what could happen to the vice president? One of the options is negligent homicide.
KEITH OLBERMANN: Under the worst-case scenario, could negligent homicide actually come into play? (Keith... you used to be so cool when you did ESPN with Dan Patrick. How did you become such a schmoe so quickly?)
DAN ABRAMS: In the context of hunting accidents in the state of Texas, where someone does die, most of the time, is someone charged?
JOHN HARWOOD: Would there be charges against such a person? Would that be an involuntary manslaughter kind of thing?
JEFFREY TOOBIN: Was it so outrageous that it could be some kind of manslaughter if in fact, as we hope it doesn't happen, Mr. Whittington were to die?
And of course, its always fun when Hillary Clinton is yelling, "Hey, pay attention to me again!"
And as I just turned on the tv, I flipped to CNN for a minute (don't ask me why) and the first thing I heard from host Lou Dobbs was, "Spin control! How the White House is spinning Dick Cheney's weekend!" What's there to spin? He shot a guy. Cheney admitted it today on Fox News. The guy is okay.
Kiddies, this story is not about Cheney. You are hearing endless reports about this accident--and they do all concede it is an accident--because 1) Its another way to take a shot at Bush, and oh how they hate George W. Bush (more on that later) and 2) They are so mad that they had to hear the story from Corpus Christi, and that Dick Cheney had the nerve to hold his friend in his arms while he bled, waiting for the medical team to arrive, instead of instantly dropping everything and getting on his cell phone. Unless Cheney goes over to David Gregory's house, saying "Here's the exclusive story, Dave," its not going to matter that Dick said anything about anything.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
They're Guys, They're Sick & They're Out There
Caution... though I deal with this news subject carefully and with tact, nonetheless, we are talking about sex offenders. I'm writing about this because I feel very strongly about how dangerous this world is not only for your kids but my future kids.I'm not going to link anything here to any other site, simply because if you want to see for yourself what I'm talking about, you do it on your own. You can either come back in a day or two when something else has been posted, or read on with my warning.
So I'm about to write on a very, very disturbing subject. The desire for sex with underaged girls. You still with me?
On Dateline NBC recently, there was an entire show devoted to catching "Internet Predators". There is a group called Perverted Justice, and they set up fake profiles online, usually as 12 to 14 year old girls, sometimes 13 or 14 year old boys. Posing as these kids, they will go online and just wait in chat rooms. I did some research on Perverted Justice, and here's how they operate:
One of their rules is, they DO NOT message people or initiate conversation. They enter a chat room and simply say "F, 13" or something like that. Then they wait to be messaged... and within minutes, they usually are. And usually, its men. Men who are a little... well, sick. Very sick.
They will only respond to the men's questions--sometimes graphic--but won't ask graphic questions of their own. Instead, they ask informative questions ("where u from?" or "whaz ur name?" or "what u luk lik?") to find out about these guys. Most of these conversations are very, very graphic, and many of them lead to the men wanting to meet who they think are the young teenagers.
The "girl" will ask for a phone number, so "she" can call the guy quickly, just to hear him, or to talk to him for a minute. "She'll" also ask him for a web picture, so "she" can see him. Of course, the guy most always obliges... sending a webshot, then giving his number out. The P.J. staff will quickly verify this number to make sure this guy is who he says he is. When asked for a picture for the guy to see, many times the staff will send a picture of one of the staff members when they were kids. Frequently in the Dateline story, a Dateline staffer sent her picture of when she was 13... and its VERY obvious she's 13 there.
P.J. makes sure all the questions are answered--and they make sure they spell out exactly how old the "girl" is that he's talking to, sometimes saying the age three or four times. And in the course of the conversation via IM or Yahoo Chat or whatever, P.J. makes sure the man's intentions are very clear. And again, they are usually very graphic.
The story on Dateline was really disturbing... Del Harvey, a 23 year old woman with P.J., talks to each of the men at different times, and can do a girls or boys voice for the phone call. NBC and P.J. use the webchats to set up a meeting at a house at a certain time, so each guy that shows up walks in the sliding glass door and is expecting to meet their 13 year old rendezvous... instead, NBC's Chris Hanson walks out with that guy's webchat printed out on paper. Of course, the guy is very surprised, but Hanson starts talking to them, reading them aloud what the man himself had typed in his own webchat.
One guy rode a bus several hundred miles, then walked 2 miles to get to the house. One guy is a teacher at a local high school. Almost all deny that they were going to do anything, even though several show up with liquor, food, contriceptives and even Viagra. Even when Hanson shows them their own chat of what they said they wanted to do, they still deny it. Then, the other favorite excuse is "She said she was (fill in the blank with any age over 18)", which again, Hanson reads to them the very plain conversations that determined the "girl" was 13 or 14.
When the guys leave--or run out--they run right into a group of officers waiting in the street. Over three days, they arrested 50 men... sometimes, the men were arriving so fast, the officers would arrest one and have to hide him because another guy was pulling in.
I then went online and found the Perverted Justice website... which, though scary, makes you proud there are people willing to do what they do, because they have no fear. They post entire webchats, photos and phone numbers of these men so you will know who they are (and they will be shown to others). The chats are VERY sick, so proceed with caution.
"Kristen" is talking to one guy, and sets herself up as a 13 year old, who's parents are divorced and is very lonely. fleet_captain comes online, talks to her and immediately gets very disgusting... by the middle of the conversation, he demands that "Kristen" calls him "Master" and tells her how he is going to punish her.
"Lizzie" gets confronted by Shawn Barnette, who is--was--an Air Traffic Controller in Minnesota. This particular chat was being covered by KSTP News, as they were doing a piece on online predators... the most shocking part was when Shawn sent his picture. It was a pic of him, his wife and his newborn baby. P.J. said that the whole staff, including the tv people, gasped when they saw the picture. Anyway, it got very graphic... turns out, he was ON DUTY when he was talking to "Liz", which means he was on the government's time. He was arrested and lost his job, and is awaiting trial.
These guys are not the scuzzy freakbags you would imagine... well, some are, but actually, most of them look perfectly normal. Fathers, workers, all ages, all occupations... they just all share the same desire.
One thing I like about Perverted Justice, in addition to going after these sickos, is that they completely discourage vigilantism... they also work closely with the police department to cover all bases to make sure that no one can claim "entrapment" or find a legal loophole. Also, they have a big section on what to do if you are seeking help for your problem, and they encourage people to do so.
One big thing that is learned from the Dateline story is that places like livejournal, AOL IM, and especially myspace.com are HUGE targets for online predators. Keep your eyes open, friends. Most of you probably don't have kids, or your kids aren't old enough to really grasp whats going on... but when they get older, help them understand what is safe, whats not safe and how to not trust people online.
For more information, here's a MSNBC article on myspace.com. And here is an excellent article from Chris Hanson, the Dateline reporter, who did an internet blog while the show aired.If you are a stranger here, and you are struggling with these desires, please get help. Call a church or go online and find a Christian site that deals with this. Don't end up on the P.J. site... its not good. Not at all.
And if I see any of you on the P.J. website, I'll personally kick you in the teeth. Hard.
So I'm about to write on a very, very disturbing subject. The desire for sex with underaged girls. You still with me?
On Dateline NBC recently, there was an entire show devoted to catching "Internet Predators". There is a group called Perverted Justice, and they set up fake profiles online, usually as 12 to 14 year old girls, sometimes 13 or 14 year old boys. Posing as these kids, they will go online and just wait in chat rooms. I did some research on Perverted Justice, and here's how they operate:
One of their rules is, they DO NOT message people or initiate conversation. They enter a chat room and simply say "F, 13" or something like that. Then they wait to be messaged... and within minutes, they usually are. And usually, its men. Men who are a little... well, sick. Very sick.
They will only respond to the men's questions--sometimes graphic--but won't ask graphic questions of their own. Instead, they ask informative questions ("where u from?" or "whaz ur name?" or "what u luk lik?") to find out about these guys. Most of these conversations are very, very graphic, and many of them lead to the men wanting to meet who they think are the young teenagers.
The "girl" will ask for a phone number, so "she" can call the guy quickly, just to hear him, or to talk to him for a minute. "She'll" also ask him for a web picture, so "she" can see him. Of course, the guy most always obliges... sending a webshot, then giving his number out. The P.J. staff will quickly verify this number to make sure this guy is who he says he is. When asked for a picture for the guy to see, many times the staff will send a picture of one of the staff members when they were kids. Frequently in the Dateline story, a Dateline staffer sent her picture of when she was 13... and its VERY obvious she's 13 there.
P.J. makes sure all the questions are answered--and they make sure they spell out exactly how old the "girl" is that he's talking to, sometimes saying the age three or four times. And in the course of the conversation via IM or Yahoo Chat or whatever, P.J. makes sure the man's intentions are very clear. And again, they are usually very graphic.
The story on Dateline was really disturbing... Del Harvey, a 23 year old woman with P.J., talks to each of the men at different times, and can do a girls or boys voice for the phone call. NBC and P.J. use the webchats to set up a meeting at a house at a certain time, so each guy that shows up walks in the sliding glass door and is expecting to meet their 13 year old rendezvous... instead, NBC's Chris Hanson walks out with that guy's webchat printed out on paper. Of course, the guy is very surprised, but Hanson starts talking to them, reading them aloud what the man himself had typed in his own webchat.
One guy rode a bus several hundred miles, then walked 2 miles to get to the house. One guy is a teacher at a local high school. Almost all deny that they were going to do anything, even though several show up with liquor, food, contriceptives and even Viagra. Even when Hanson shows them their own chat of what they said they wanted to do, they still deny it. Then, the other favorite excuse is "She said she was (fill in the blank with any age over 18)", which again, Hanson reads to them the very plain conversations that determined the "girl" was 13 or 14.
When the guys leave--or run out--they run right into a group of officers waiting in the street. Over three days, they arrested 50 men... sometimes, the men were arriving so fast, the officers would arrest one and have to hide him because another guy was pulling in.
I then went online and found the Perverted Justice website... which, though scary, makes you proud there are people willing to do what they do, because they have no fear. They post entire webchats, photos and phone numbers of these men so you will know who they are (and they will be shown to others). The chats are VERY sick, so proceed with caution.
"Kristen" is talking to one guy, and sets herself up as a 13 year old, who's parents are divorced and is very lonely. fleet_captain comes online, talks to her and immediately gets very disgusting... by the middle of the conversation, he demands that "Kristen" calls him "Master" and tells her how he is going to punish her.
"Lizzie" gets confronted by Shawn Barnette, who is--was--an Air Traffic Controller in Minnesota. This particular chat was being covered by KSTP News, as they were doing a piece on online predators... the most shocking part was when Shawn sent his picture. It was a pic of him, his wife and his newborn baby. P.J. said that the whole staff, including the tv people, gasped when they saw the picture. Anyway, it got very graphic... turns out, he was ON DUTY when he was talking to "Liz", which means he was on the government's time. He was arrested and lost his job, and is awaiting trial.
These guys are not the scuzzy freakbags you would imagine... well, some are, but actually, most of them look perfectly normal. Fathers, workers, all ages, all occupations... they just all share the same desire.
One thing I like about Perverted Justice, in addition to going after these sickos, is that they completely discourage vigilantism... they also work closely with the police department to cover all bases to make sure that no one can claim "entrapment" or find a legal loophole. Also, they have a big section on what to do if you are seeking help for your problem, and they encourage people to do so.
One big thing that is learned from the Dateline story is that places like livejournal, AOL IM, and especially myspace.com are HUGE targets for online predators. Keep your eyes open, friends. Most of you probably don't have kids, or your kids aren't old enough to really grasp whats going on... but when they get older, help them understand what is safe, whats not safe and how to not trust people online.
For more information, here's a MSNBC article on myspace.com. And here is an excellent article from Chris Hanson, the Dateline reporter, who did an internet blog while the show aired.If you are a stranger here, and you are struggling with these desires, please get help. Call a church or go online and find a Christian site that deals with this. Don't end up on the P.J. site... its not good. Not at all.
And if I see any of you on the P.J. website, I'll personally kick you in the teeth. Hard.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Winter Olympic Thoughts
Okay, here's the quiz. Name ten Winter Olympic athletes. Go on, start whenever. Sure, past or present.
Okay... Michelle Kwan & Kristi Yamaguchi.
That was easy. Thats 2.
Bode Miller and Apollo Whatshisname.
Apollo Ohno. Okay, thats four. Give me six more.
Um... Katarina Witt. What about Nancy Kerrigan?
Do you think the Nancy Kerrigan Foundation helps kids with injured knees? Okay, you've already named four figure skaters. You only get one more skater, and the rest have to be non-figure skating people.
Fine. Jamie Sale.
Jamie Sale... the chick who won the disputed gold after the French judge finally admitted screwing everyone over in 2002's Games. What gets me about Jamie Sale is that if my very cute college friend, Jaime Bone, suddenly got hot, she would be Jamie Sale? They looked alot alike, but one is distinctively hotter than the other. I mean, do we all have hotter versions of ourselves out there? Am I Enrique Iglasius' un-hot twin? Or is there a less-attractive version of you out there somewhere, meaning you are the hot one? Where was I? Oh yeah. Three more.
Bonnie Blair. Oh, oh, and Vonetta Flowers.
You only knew Vonetta because she was from Birmingham. And Bonnie Blair, the speed skating queen from the early 90s. One more.
Um... uh... no more figure skaters, huh? Um... I'm done.
You know, its really sad we dont know more of our Olympians. Seems to me unless they win a gold medal, or some scandal happens to them (or seem to be really hot), we haven't a clue--and don't care--about them one way or the other.
Other countries live for this junk. Smaller nations like Sweden and Norway and Nepal send only a few athletes to represent their nations, and are heavily rewarded and honored for winning medals. We here in the States? "Good job, Medal Winner. Now I'm going to go check the scores on the UNC/Duke game."
We seem to have more fun laughing at the men's figure skaters, and wondering what "team" they play for... we also marvel at the fact its lawful to have nine year olds figure skating for their country... and I am always amazed at a sport that thinks 23 years old is nearing retirement age--though Michelle Kwan, who's been going to Olympics since 1936, just turned 87 and still hasn't won a gold.
Some of the names you should be familiar with are Irina Slutskaya (can you imagine if you called some chick a "slutskaya"? she'd hit you so fast...) and Sasha Cohen, who looks alot like a glamour shot of Rory Gilmore.
I read an article from ESPN.com's Jim Caple... I thought I would post it and let you enjoy his take on it. Couldn't have said it better myself--well, I would have if I could have, instead of letting him get all the good jokes:
We live in a world where people are killing each other over cartoons, so the fact that we can get together peacefully about anything -- even if includes ice dancing -- is reason to celebrate. Especially if Bode Miller is getting the first round.
If you aren't familiar with Miller's story by now, how come? The skier has been on so many magazine covers this winter, you would think he personally broke up Brad and Jen's marriage. He implied on "60 Minutes" that he has skied while drunk, but that was hardly the worst thing he has ever said. Here's what he told Newsweek about his sponsors.
"Look, a lot of the people involved with the U.S. Ski Team -- the people that I'm representing -- are unbelievable [expletive]. Rich, cocky, wicked conceited, super-right-wing Republicans. But because of my morals, my principles, I can't judge them for that. The things they've done for me warrant respect, and I'm trying to pay them back.''
Just imagine what he thinks about people who don't give him money.
Miller might be the most outspoken skier, but he's only one member of what might wind up as the most successful ski team the U.S. has ever sent to an Olympics. Miller, Daron Rahlves, Erik Schlopy and Ted Ligety are strong medal possibilities on the men's side, and Lindsey Kildow (this chick is a 175 lbs! and all muscle) and Julia Mancuso could win for the women.
Kildow is an interesting story. She grew up in Minnesota, where she learned to ski at Buck Hill, a 350-foot slope just off a Twin Cities highway and down the street from a mall (an online review of the "ski resort" said it's a great place to drop off the kids while the parents go shopping). Blink and you'll miss it. "I don't think the Austrians have ever seen anything like it,'' she said. "I don't think they would know what to make of it.''
Despite those humble beginnings, Kildow is a favorite to win several medals, including the downhill. However many she wins, she'll be able to display them more easily than the prize she earned with a first-place finish at Val D'Isere in December -- a dairy cow. "I don't know why I decided to keep her,'' she said. "They offered me money for her, about [$1,200], but I said, 'I'm keeping her.' I liked her. It was a very cool prize. She'll give me milk for a lot of years.''
Which, oddly, is something you never hear A-Rod say about his earnings.
When last we left the Winter Olympics, Canada had nearly declared war on France over the judging scandal in pairs figure skating, but that's all in the past. Skating has replaced its old capricious scoring system with a new, improved and virtually incomprehensible system that will end all judging controversies, much in the same way the BCS formula solved all college football controversies.
There's a chance figure skating could be different in another way, as well -- the women's medal winners might be old enough to endorse something other than Clearasil and Malibu Beach Barbie. After a steady string of teenage gold medalists, the favorites -- Russia's Irina Slutskaya and the United States' Sasha Cohen -- are all old enough to legally celebrate with a drink. And Michelle Kwan, back again for another try at a gold medal, has been around practically since Scott Hamilton had hair.
Hannibal marched his elephant-powered army over the Alps and laid siege to this area 1,800 years ago, which is nothing compared with the Olympic army. There are more than 2,500 athletes from 84 countries, and thousands upon thousands more in media, security, crew and volunteers.
"You can only tell yourself so many times that it's just another competition,'' figure skater Evan Lysacek said, "before you look up and see the Olympic rings every two feet.''
The home of Fiat, Torino occasionally is referred to as the Detroit of Italy -- although, thankfully, we won't have to read any stories about how Jerome Bettis grew up here. Like Detroit, Torino has lost many of its auto-manufacturing jobs in recent decades, but it is trying to revitalize itself in the shadow of its more glamorous neighbor, Milan (about 90 miles east). Fiat's old Lingotto manufacturing plant, once among the world's largest factories, has been remodeled into a mall. In fact, the 8,000 reporters in town for the Olympics are using part of the Lingotto as their media headquarters, representing the least amount of work ever done in an auto factory that doesn't include a General Motors layoff.
Security isn't as much of a story at these Games as at the previous two, in Athens and Salt Lake City (at least not yet). That's refreshing (so far), given that it takes a certain faith that you can hold an Olympics anywhere these days without something going horribly wrong.
Then again, faith is a major component of the Olympics. It takes faith to lie back on a luge and slide blind through curves at 80 miles an hour, or to race down the face of a mountain at 70 miles an hour, or to ski down a steep ramp and launch yourself into space as a wingless bird. For that matter, it takes faith to point your skis down a 350-foot hill next to a shopping mall in Minnesota and think you're beginning a run that will take you to the Olympics.
So pour yourself a cup of cioccolato con panna, relax on the couch and cross your fingers. The Torino haze cleared late Thursday; Friday dawned bright, blue and beautiful; and what do you know -- you could see all the way to the Alps.
Okay... Michelle Kwan & Kristi Yamaguchi.
That was easy. Thats 2.
Bode Miller and Apollo Whatshisname.
Apollo Ohno. Okay, thats four. Give me six more.
Um... Katarina Witt. What about Nancy Kerrigan?
Do you think the Nancy Kerrigan Foundation helps kids with injured knees? Okay, you've already named four figure skaters. You only get one more skater, and the rest have to be non-figure skating people.
Fine. Jamie Sale.
Jamie Sale... the chick who won the disputed gold after the French judge finally admitted screwing everyone over in 2002's Games. What gets me about Jamie Sale is that if my very cute college friend, Jaime Bone, suddenly got hot, she would be Jamie Sale? They looked alot alike, but one is distinctively hotter than the other. I mean, do we all have hotter versions of ourselves out there? Am I Enrique Iglasius' un-hot twin? Or is there a less-attractive version of you out there somewhere, meaning you are the hot one? Where was I? Oh yeah. Three more.
Bonnie Blair. Oh, oh, and Vonetta Flowers.
You only knew Vonetta because she was from Birmingham. And Bonnie Blair, the speed skating queen from the early 90s. One more.
Um... uh... no more figure skaters, huh? Um... I'm done.
You know, its really sad we dont know more of our Olympians. Seems to me unless they win a gold medal, or some scandal happens to them (or seem to be really hot), we haven't a clue--and don't care--about them one way or the other.
Other countries live for this junk. Smaller nations like Sweden and Norway and Nepal send only a few athletes to represent their nations, and are heavily rewarded and honored for winning medals. We here in the States? "Good job, Medal Winner. Now I'm going to go check the scores on the UNC/Duke game."
We seem to have more fun laughing at the men's figure skaters, and wondering what "team" they play for... we also marvel at the fact its lawful to have nine year olds figure skating for their country... and I am always amazed at a sport that thinks 23 years old is nearing retirement age--though Michelle Kwan, who's been going to Olympics since 1936, just turned 87 and still hasn't won a gold.
Some of the names you should be familiar with are Irina Slutskaya (can you imagine if you called some chick a "slutskaya"? she'd hit you so fast...) and Sasha Cohen, who looks alot like a glamour shot of Rory Gilmore.
I read an article from ESPN.com's Jim Caple... I thought I would post it and let you enjoy his take on it. Couldn't have said it better myself--well, I would have if I could have, instead of letting him get all the good jokes:
We live in a world where people are killing each other over cartoons, so the fact that we can get together peacefully about anything -- even if includes ice dancing -- is reason to celebrate. Especially if Bode Miller is getting the first round.
If you aren't familiar with Miller's story by now, how come? The skier has been on so many magazine covers this winter, you would think he personally broke up Brad and Jen's marriage. He implied on "60 Minutes" that he has skied while drunk, but that was hardly the worst thing he has ever said. Here's what he told Newsweek about his sponsors.
"Look, a lot of the people involved with the U.S. Ski Team -- the people that I'm representing -- are unbelievable [expletive]. Rich, cocky, wicked conceited, super-right-wing Republicans. But because of my morals, my principles, I can't judge them for that. The things they've done for me warrant respect, and I'm trying to pay them back.''
Just imagine what he thinks about people who don't give him money.
Miller might be the most outspoken skier, but he's only one member of what might wind up as the most successful ski team the U.S. has ever sent to an Olympics. Miller, Daron Rahlves, Erik Schlopy and Ted Ligety are strong medal possibilities on the men's side, and Lindsey Kildow (this chick is a 175 lbs! and all muscle) and Julia Mancuso could win for the women.
Kildow is an interesting story. She grew up in Minnesota, where she learned to ski at Buck Hill, a 350-foot slope just off a Twin Cities highway and down the street from a mall (an online review of the "ski resort" said it's a great place to drop off the kids while the parents go shopping). Blink and you'll miss it. "I don't think the Austrians have ever seen anything like it,'' she said. "I don't think they would know what to make of it.''
Despite those humble beginnings, Kildow is a favorite to win several medals, including the downhill. However many she wins, she'll be able to display them more easily than the prize she earned with a first-place finish at Val D'Isere in December -- a dairy cow. "I don't know why I decided to keep her,'' she said. "They offered me money for her, about [$1,200], but I said, 'I'm keeping her.' I liked her. It was a very cool prize. She'll give me milk for a lot of years.''
Which, oddly, is something you never hear A-Rod say about his earnings.
When last we left the Winter Olympics, Canada had nearly declared war on France over the judging scandal in pairs figure skating, but that's all in the past. Skating has replaced its old capricious scoring system with a new, improved and virtually incomprehensible system that will end all judging controversies, much in the same way the BCS formula solved all college football controversies.
There's a chance figure skating could be different in another way, as well -- the women's medal winners might be old enough to endorse something other than Clearasil and Malibu Beach Barbie. After a steady string of teenage gold medalists, the favorites -- Russia's Irina Slutskaya and the United States' Sasha Cohen -- are all old enough to legally celebrate with a drink. And Michelle Kwan, back again for another try at a gold medal, has been around practically since Scott Hamilton had hair.
Hannibal marched his elephant-powered army over the Alps and laid siege to this area 1,800 years ago, which is nothing compared with the Olympic army. There are more than 2,500 athletes from 84 countries, and thousands upon thousands more in media, security, crew and volunteers.
"You can only tell yourself so many times that it's just another competition,'' figure skater Evan Lysacek said, "before you look up and see the Olympic rings every two feet.''
The home of Fiat, Torino occasionally is referred to as the Detroit of Italy -- although, thankfully, we won't have to read any stories about how Jerome Bettis grew up here. Like Detroit, Torino has lost many of its auto-manufacturing jobs in recent decades, but it is trying to revitalize itself in the shadow of its more glamorous neighbor, Milan (about 90 miles east). Fiat's old Lingotto manufacturing plant, once among the world's largest factories, has been remodeled into a mall. In fact, the 8,000 reporters in town for the Olympics are using part of the Lingotto as their media headquarters, representing the least amount of work ever done in an auto factory that doesn't include a General Motors layoff.
Security isn't as much of a story at these Games as at the previous two, in Athens and Salt Lake City (at least not yet). That's refreshing (so far), given that it takes a certain faith that you can hold an Olympics anywhere these days without something going horribly wrong.
Then again, faith is a major component of the Olympics. It takes faith to lie back on a luge and slide blind through curves at 80 miles an hour, or to race down the face of a mountain at 70 miles an hour, or to ski down a steep ramp and launch yourself into space as a wingless bird. For that matter, it takes faith to point your skis down a 350-foot hill next to a shopping mall in Minnesota and think you're beginning a run that will take you to the Olympics.
So pour yourself a cup of cioccolato con panna, relax on the couch and cross your fingers. The Torino haze cleared late Thursday; Friday dawned bright, blue and beautiful; and what do you know -- you could see all the way to the Alps.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Dave's Reality Check
Only 10 Days Until The Deuce Weekly!
First up... American Idol. I have my favorites now in American Idol... I am a big fan of the following four:
Kellie Pickler--I think I just like the idea of anyone named "Pickler" becoming famous. And she's got some pipes.
Taylor Hicks--Dude from Birmingham with a head of almost solid grey hair... makes me feel okay about mine. I love to watch this guy sway while he sings... he's like a Joe Cocker mixed with Justin Glenn. And he sang "The First Cut is the Deepest", which surprised me... I know Sheryl Crow remade it, but still.
Katharine McPhee--Chick who's mom is a voice teacher, and it shows. And the judges love her too...
Chris Daughtery--Rocker guy who has the same name as the winner of Survivor Vanuatu, but can sing better. Married a chick with kids, and became Superduper Dad, so it will be cool to see him go far.
I also like the voice of Paris, but the look of Lisa Tucker. If they could have a kid together--Paris Tucker, maybe--I'd be all for them.
I'm not a fan of the Cryin' Cowboy. (I ain't never been nowhere!). He admitted in his auditions that he sings to turkeys back on his farm in Podunk, USA. He was standing in the ocean, crying, because it was so beautiful. And really? I don't think he's all that great, to be honest with you.
On Survivor, we're stil learning about the people... its only two episodes in, and it usually takes me about four shows to figure out who everyone is, instead of depending on their names to be shown during confessional.
They got rid of Tina last week, and tonight the four tribes went to two tribes, and now they chunked Melinda out of the way.
The Freak of the Week Award goes to Shane, who went on and on about leaving the show, until Aras made him renege... now they sent poor Melinda home, who wanted to stay so badly. Schitzo Shane is a weird guy.
I think my favorites would have to be Sally Schumann, whom I think is this season's cutest (every season has one... last year it was Danni... it all started with Elisabeth Filarski in Survivor Outback). The other guy I like is Bruce Kanegai, aka Bruce Almighty. He was sporting some Tai Chi Jujitsu on Exile Island... I expect him to point to his head and say "Jeffsahn... Survivor not in heah..." (then point to his heart) "Survivor in heah...".
The jury is still out, though, on how good of a season this will be. Survivor was doing great with Outback (Season 2) and so-so with Africa... to me, it hit a dry spell in Thailand, Vanuatu, Marquesis and Amazon (though the peanut butter incident is funny)... but with Pearl Islands, All Stars, Guatamala and Pulau, its been doing quite alright.
And I can't wait for The Amazing Race.
Saw "Munich" yesterday. Steven Spielberg's muh ballyhooed ode to the 1972 Israeli Olympic team who were taken hostage and murdered by Palestinian terrorists. The gist is that the Israeli government, soon after the massacre, hired a group of secret agents to hunt down and kill the men responsible for Black September, ie, the massacre.
What was the hardest for me, I guess, was watching Burton from Survivor play the main role. After appearances in Black Hawk Down, Troy and Hulk, which just sucked all around, Bana finally gets a leading role--and does really well with it.
Two problems I had with this movie... one, it was too long. Two... I dunno. Just something. My buddy Mikey loved this, and thinks it better than some of the other movies nominated for Best Picture, but I can't say that. "Munich" was, though, extremely well done and excellently shot. Its interesting watching Eric Bana go through a range of emotions when he goes from an unseasoned agent to a trained killer by the end of the movie (which was almost in real time, honestly).
Anyway, that leaves "Brokeback Mountain", "Crash", "Capote" and "Good Night & Good Luck" on my list of films to see before Oscar night... yes, I'll probably end up seeing Brokeback. I don't know that I want to, but I guess I should, as many jokes about it as I've made.
With seeing "Hustle & Flow" this weekend coming up, that will also help me see all of the Best Actor nominations. As far as Best Actress goes, I've already seen Reese in "Walk the Line", so I'll have to see Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (again, not sure I want to see that one either...). Everyone else--Keira in "Pride", Charlize in "North Country" and Judi in "Henderson"--really doesn't matter.
Oh, before I forget... I give "Munich" a $$$1/2
First up... American Idol. I have my favorites now in American Idol... I am a big fan of the following four:
Kellie Pickler--I think I just like the idea of anyone named "Pickler" becoming famous. And she's got some pipes.
Taylor Hicks--Dude from Birmingham with a head of almost solid grey hair... makes me feel okay about mine. I love to watch this guy sway while he sings... he's like a Joe Cocker mixed with Justin Glenn. And he sang "The First Cut is the Deepest", which surprised me... I know Sheryl Crow remade it, but still.
Katharine McPhee--Chick who's mom is a voice teacher, and it shows. And the judges love her too...
Chris Daughtery--Rocker guy who has the same name as the winner of Survivor Vanuatu, but can sing better. Married a chick with kids, and became Superduper Dad, so it will be cool to see him go far.
I also like the voice of Paris, but the look of Lisa Tucker. If they could have a kid together--Paris Tucker, maybe--I'd be all for them.
I'm not a fan of the Cryin' Cowboy. (I ain't never been nowhere!). He admitted in his auditions that he sings to turkeys back on his farm in Podunk, USA. He was standing in the ocean, crying, because it was so beautiful. And really? I don't think he's all that great, to be honest with you.
On Survivor, we're stil learning about the people... its only two episodes in, and it usually takes me about four shows to figure out who everyone is, instead of depending on their names to be shown during confessional.
They got rid of Tina last week, and tonight the four tribes went to two tribes, and now they chunked Melinda out of the way.
The Freak of the Week Award goes to Shane, who went on and on about leaving the show, until Aras made him renege... now they sent poor Melinda home, who wanted to stay so badly. Schitzo Shane is a weird guy.
I think my favorites would have to be Sally Schumann, whom I think is this season's cutest (every season has one... last year it was Danni... it all started with Elisabeth Filarski in Survivor Outback). The other guy I like is Bruce Kanegai, aka Bruce Almighty. He was sporting some Tai Chi Jujitsu on Exile Island... I expect him to point to his head and say "Jeffsahn... Survivor not in heah..." (then point to his heart) "Survivor in heah...".
The jury is still out, though, on how good of a season this will be. Survivor was doing great with Outback (Season 2) and so-so with Africa... to me, it hit a dry spell in Thailand, Vanuatu, Marquesis and Amazon (though the peanut butter incident is funny)... but with Pearl Islands, All Stars, Guatamala and Pulau, its been doing quite alright.
And I can't wait for The Amazing Race.
Saw "Munich" yesterday. Steven Spielberg's muh ballyhooed ode to the 1972 Israeli Olympic team who were taken hostage and murdered by Palestinian terrorists. The gist is that the Israeli government, soon after the massacre, hired a group of secret agents to hunt down and kill the men responsible for Black September, ie, the massacre.
What was the hardest for me, I guess, was watching Burton from Survivor play the main role. After appearances in Black Hawk Down, Troy and Hulk, which just sucked all around, Bana finally gets a leading role--and does really well with it.
Two problems I had with this movie... one, it was too long. Two... I dunno. Just something. My buddy Mikey loved this, and thinks it better than some of the other movies nominated for Best Picture, but I can't say that. "Munich" was, though, extremely well done and excellently shot. Its interesting watching Eric Bana go through a range of emotions when he goes from an unseasoned agent to a trained killer by the end of the movie (which was almost in real time, honestly).
Anyway, that leaves "Brokeback Mountain", "Crash", "Capote" and "Good Night & Good Luck" on my list of films to see before Oscar night... yes, I'll probably end up seeing Brokeback. I don't know that I want to, but I guess I should, as many jokes about it as I've made.
With seeing "Hustle & Flow" this weekend coming up, that will also help me see all of the Best Actor nominations. As far as Best Actress goes, I've already seen Reese in "Walk the Line", so I'll have to see Felicity Huffman in "Transamerica" (again, not sure I want to see that one either...). Everyone else--Keira in "Pride", Charlize in "North Country" and Judi in "Henderson"--really doesn't matter.
Oh, before I forget... I give "Munich" a $$$1/2
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Walking the Birth Line in Philadelphia
Only 13 More Days Until The Deuce Weekly Returns!
Before we begin, note that I've added links to all sorts of fun and various things in the Super Bowl Diary, including one to The Sports Guy's own diary.
Saw two movies for the first time, and saw another one for the first time in a long time...
The first is "Birth". This stars Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Anne Heche and this kid named Cameron Bright. Okay, so here's the set up... Nicole plays Anna, who has lost her husband and is still grieving, even years later. In fact, she's still grieving when she decides to remarry, marrying Joseph, played by Danny Huston (you might know him from Leaving Las Vegas, as "Barman 2"). Anyway, this 10 year old kid pops up (Cameron, who plays "young" versions of characters in at least half of his roles) and says he's the reincarnated version of Sean, who is Anna's husband.
Its a very weird movie with really no point. I invested 110 minutes into this movie, and the end has no substantial payout. Nothing. Since I figure you'll probably not see this movie, let me tell you how crappy it ends... after an hour and a half of this kid trying to convince Anna not to marry Joseph, that he's really Sean, he tells her that he's really not Sean. And thats it. Plus you get the disturbing picture of Nicole Kidman sitting in a bathtub with a ten year old boy. She's one of my favorite actresses, sitting close to the top of the "All Time Hot Actresses List" (which has had Ashley Judd at #1 for forever), but she just hasn't made the kind of movies in the last few years like the ones that made me fall in love with her to begin with... Dead Calm, The Others, Moulin Rouge, To Die For, even that suckfest The Peacemaker was better with her in it. And admit it--Cold Mountain was only good because of Jewel being in it. But I digress...
Next, I saw the movie "Philadelphia" for the first time in several years. Because this movie is a little older, 1993, some of you may not have seen it... but its fantastic. Tom Hanks is Andrew Beckett, a solid attorney with a long history of success who is suddenly fired after "losing" an important file. He sues the law firm, feeling they fired him because it becomes known that he has AIDS... and that he's gay. Beckett hires Joe Miller, played by Denzel Washington, to represent him, and they go after the big guns in the law firm.
Both Tom Hanks and Denzel are fantastic in this movie... remember, up until now, Hanks had been the guy in Turner and Hooch, and The Money Pit and those silly 80s movies--there was no Forest Gump, or an Apollo 13 or a Cast Away at this point, or even a Sleepless in Seattle... this was a major turn for him. Denzel had won an Oscar for Glory, but I dare say his character here, frightened by the fact he knows nothing about AIDS and how to get it, and how repulsed he is by Andrew Beckett's homosexuality, trumps his role in Glory. Just a great movie.
Finally, Stephanie & I finally saw Walk the Line" this week. Absolutely fantastic. Joaquin Phoenix... you know, if he insists that his name is not pronounced "Joe-Quinn", but instead "WahKeen", but still spells it like Joe-Quinn, then we'll call him WahKeen... is great as Johnny Cash, but the real treat in this movie is Reese Witherspoon. I have always been a Reese Fan, because even though the first thing that pops in your head is "Legally Blonde", she's got lots of other stuff... in fact, we'll do a column on her later. There is too much to say, and right now, we're talking about Walk the Line.
Reese is simply brilliant as June Carter, who is only slightly in the movie for the first third, but when Johnny gives in to his pill addiction and has his world collapse around him, she takes center stage, being his friend and helper and eventually his wife. I would luuuuuuve to see Reese pick up an Oscar for this part.
The movie starts right before Johnny is set to take the stage at the now famous Folsom Prison concert, and begins a flashback to his childhood (is that really the guy from Terminator 2 as his DAD??) on up through marrying his childhood sweetheart, Vivian (played by Gennifer Goodwin, who falls into The Jennifer Herndon Circle of Almost Beauty) and eventually meeting June Carter. You see Johnny Cash rise to the top, take the fall and crawl his way back up. Its also fun to see unknown actors play legendary artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Elvis and Waylon Jennings, who was actually played by Waylon's son Shooter.
The music is grand, you find yourself humming to Folsom Prison Blues and Ring of Fire, even as you see them being constructed, and to be honest I dont know much about June Carter's music... that being said, I would buy a Reese Witherspoon album right now if she had it out. Both Wahkeen and Reese did all their own vocals, and it was pratically flawless.
Bottom line is, I loved everything about this movie... I can see this being a Remote Stopper soon enough.
Dave's Movie Ratings
Birth: $$
Philadelphia: $$$$
Walk the Line: $$$$1/2
$ - Crap. Better film on teeth.
$$ - Eh. Not the worst I've ever seen, but not far from it.
$$$ - Not bad. Not my favorite, but I would watch it again if it came on TV
$$$$ - Very good film. Very well done, well acted, great movie.
$$$$$ - Absolutely Brilliant Movie.
Before we begin, note that I've added links to all sorts of fun and various things in the Super Bowl Diary, including one to The Sports Guy's own diary.
Saw two movies for the first time, and saw another one for the first time in a long time...
The first is "Birth". This stars Nicole Kidman, Lauren Bacall, Anne Heche and this kid named Cameron Bright. Okay, so here's the set up... Nicole plays Anna, who has lost her husband and is still grieving, even years later. In fact, she's still grieving when she decides to remarry, marrying Joseph, played by Danny Huston (you might know him from Leaving Las Vegas, as "Barman 2"). Anyway, this 10 year old kid pops up (Cameron, who plays "young" versions of characters in at least half of his roles) and says he's the reincarnated version of Sean, who is Anna's husband.
Its a very weird movie with really no point. I invested 110 minutes into this movie, and the end has no substantial payout. Nothing. Since I figure you'll probably not see this movie, let me tell you how crappy it ends... after an hour and a half of this kid trying to convince Anna not to marry Joseph, that he's really Sean, he tells her that he's really not Sean. And thats it. Plus you get the disturbing picture of Nicole Kidman sitting in a bathtub with a ten year old boy. She's one of my favorite actresses, sitting close to the top of the "All Time Hot Actresses List" (which has had Ashley Judd at #1 for forever), but she just hasn't made the kind of movies in the last few years like the ones that made me fall in love with her to begin with... Dead Calm, The Others, Moulin Rouge, To Die For, even that suckfest The Peacemaker was better with her in it. And admit it--Cold Mountain was only good because of Jewel being in it. But I digress...
Next, I saw the movie "Philadelphia" for the first time in several years. Because this movie is a little older, 1993, some of you may not have seen it... but its fantastic. Tom Hanks is Andrew Beckett, a solid attorney with a long history of success who is suddenly fired after "losing" an important file. He sues the law firm, feeling they fired him because it becomes known that he has AIDS... and that he's gay. Beckett hires Joe Miller, played by Denzel Washington, to represent him, and they go after the big guns in the law firm.
Both Tom Hanks and Denzel are fantastic in this movie... remember, up until now, Hanks had been the guy in Turner and Hooch, and The Money Pit and those silly 80s movies--there was no Forest Gump, or an Apollo 13 or a Cast Away at this point, or even a Sleepless in Seattle... this was a major turn for him. Denzel had won an Oscar for Glory, but I dare say his character here, frightened by the fact he knows nothing about AIDS and how to get it, and how repulsed he is by Andrew Beckett's homosexuality, trumps his role in Glory. Just a great movie.
Finally, Stephanie & I finally saw Walk the Line" this week. Absolutely fantastic. Joaquin Phoenix... you know, if he insists that his name is not pronounced "Joe-Quinn", but instead "WahKeen", but still spells it like Joe-Quinn, then we'll call him WahKeen... is great as Johnny Cash, but the real treat in this movie is Reese Witherspoon. I have always been a Reese Fan, because even though the first thing that pops in your head is "Legally Blonde", she's got lots of other stuff... in fact, we'll do a column on her later. There is too much to say, and right now, we're talking about Walk the Line.
Reese is simply brilliant as June Carter, who is only slightly in the movie for the first third, but when Johnny gives in to his pill addiction and has his world collapse around him, she takes center stage, being his friend and helper and eventually his wife. I would luuuuuuve to see Reese pick up an Oscar for this part.
The movie starts right before Johnny is set to take the stage at the now famous Folsom Prison concert, and begins a flashback to his childhood (is that really the guy from Terminator 2 as his DAD??) on up through marrying his childhood sweetheart, Vivian (played by Gennifer Goodwin, who falls into The Jennifer Herndon Circle of Almost Beauty) and eventually meeting June Carter. You see Johnny Cash rise to the top, take the fall and crawl his way back up. Its also fun to see unknown actors play legendary artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Elvis and Waylon Jennings, who was actually played by Waylon's son Shooter.
The music is grand, you find yourself humming to Folsom Prison Blues and Ring of Fire, even as you see them being constructed, and to be honest I dont know much about June Carter's music... that being said, I would buy a Reese Witherspoon album right now if she had it out. Both Wahkeen and Reese did all their own vocals, and it was pratically flawless.
Bottom line is, I loved everything about this movie... I can see this being a Remote Stopper soon enough.
Dave's Movie Ratings
Birth: $$
Philadelphia: $$$$
Walk the Line: $$$$1/2
$ - Crap. Better film on teeth.
$$ - Eh. Not the worst I've ever seen, but not far from it.
$$$ - Not bad. Not my favorite, but I would watch it again if it came on TV
$$$$ - Very good film. Very well done, well acted, great movie.
$$$$$ - Absolutely Brilliant Movie.
Friday, February 03, 2006
The Super Bowl XL Diary
Note: Even though what you read was typed pretty much as it happened, I have gone back and added various links from this site. Nothing else has been edited.
Oh, and real quick... The Sports Guy's own running Super Bowl Diary is right here. Yes, its funnier than mine, but hey, I think I have my moments. Mos Def aside, that is.
2:06pm... Just got home from lunch with The Lovely Steph Leann, plus two others in our Sunday School class, Brian & Jessica Mays. We ate at Formosa. Turned on ABC, it reminded me of the Rolling Stones performing at halftime tonight. Excuse me while I poke out my eyes with a sharp turkey baster.
5:11pm... Got here at the Nipps a little while ago... just saw the procession of Super Bowl MVPs... they were missing some.
5:12pm... Aaron Neville is singing the Star Spangled Banner. I watched "Philadelphia" yesterday. I think Aaron has Tom Hanks' leisions on his face. Now Aretha Franklin is singing. Wookiee said "It looks like someone is baking loaves of bread in her dress."
5:13pm... Aretha just ate the microphone. Mikey just said "this is the worst opening of any Super Bowl." Wookiee added "how many chincillas died to make that coat?"
5:19pm... Harrison Ford is doing "Oh the Places You Go" with a football theme. I can barely hear it over the noise in the room, yet I have the urge to set my hair on fire with a stick and some flint, a la Survivor.
5:29pm... Typing in scores that everyone is picking, so I missed not only the coin toss (why the heck was Tom Brady there??), I missed the kickoff. Most people here are rooting for Seattle, mostly because of Shaun Alexander. I hope he stays with Seattle next year, and doesnt take the paycheck.
5:33... Bud Light does another hilarious commercial--the Bud Light around the office. The Whopperettes? Not so much. That King creeps me out. And Brooke Burke is standing IN a hamburger.
5:35... Okay... Seattle punted, Pittsburgh has the ball. Ben Roethoelesothis Burger behind center. And we have our first Tautaupauapu sighting (dad Mosi). Wookiee says the best thing about Jerome Bettis--"When its 3rd and 3, he gets you 3 yards. When its 3rd and 15... he gets you 3 yards."
5:40... Magic Fridge. Magic Fridge. Good stuff.
5:40... Bruce Willis' new movie... DieHard 4: 16 Blocked Hostage, Deep Rising with the Last Boy Jackel. My Sixth Sense is telling me I've seen this before. Sean Hall just walked in with a shirt that says "Big Daddy". I think I will laugh at him now.
5:48... Josh is keeping a running tab on Bud Light's bill. At 2.4 a pop, we're up to 9 million dollars. FedEx may be my favorite so far. Only cause he kicked the dinosaur. Thats funny.
5:55... Hasselback just tossed a TD... called back. Come on Blue... let them play!! The same guy reffed the Vandy/Florida game. Seattle got a field goal. 3-0 Seattle. According to Josh, Bud Light is up to 11.5 million. Paula Mackey won the first quarter prize in our score game.
6:10... Suzy Kolber has something coming out of her head. Its weird. Joe Jurevicius is rocking tonight too. Bud Light just went up to $14.0. In a Brokeback Animals commercial, of all things.
6:17pm... When monkeys and Quiet Riot are in an ad together... comedy gold. And Cadillac has an Escalade commercial with a bunch of models in it. Mikey yelled "Blue Steel!". I replied "Magnum!". In a related story, Ben just tossed it for it all... and Seattle's Boulware caught it. Seattle is going to win this game.
6:21pm... MI-3. I am all about seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman as a bad guy. P.S.Hoff rocks. Sybil and Dan just came in. Did you know that Dove now has the Dove Self Esteem Fund? Orlando Jones Sighting!! We have just had an Orlando Jones sighting!! ABC's "The Evidence", with Orlando and the guy from Silk Stockings.
6:28pm... Antwan Randle-El just got hurt. And Berman is narrating a Shaggy Dog commercial. Do you think he likes doing that, or his bosses make him? When does he have enough clout to not do crap like this? If Berman isn't exempt, none of them have it... and Kermit is in a Ford commercial. One about global warming and hybrids. Kermit has been sucked into the liberal view. I will now play in traffic.
6:30pm... Big Ben tossed one of those "you make it, you look cool, you miss it, you look like a 'tard" passes to Hines Ward. Ken Nipp pointed out, "Where's Bettis?" Guess they don't need three yards just yet. Benny tossed another long pass, they are taking it down the field. Don't you know that he's so happy he's not with the Jets? Can you imagine the Elton John jokes he'd get, like, all the freakin' time?
6:34... Ben just had approximately 32 minutes to throw the ball--but he got the ball to the five. Mikey just predicted they'd put the Bus in for the TD... and here's a Go Daddy ad. Back to the game, the Seahawks are holding the Steelers from scoring. Who knew they could play ball? Earl asked a great question... "Do we need another "Poseidon?"
6:41pm... Got a TD in. Controversial play, but the ball did in fact break the plane. Just went downstairs and had a piece of Sybil's frozen icebox lemon pie. It rocked my face off.
6:50pm... Hass tossed a TD... but the guy was out of bounds. The refs are going to review it. Came back. Seattle is moving this ball... for Pittsburgh, defense schmefense. This game is moving fast too... Earl says "Dont they know they have Grey's Anatomy coming on? Lets go with this!"
6:53pm... Seattle's FG kicker just pulled a Scott Norwood and shanked the ball wide. Pittsburgh kneels for the second quarter's end. Tommy takes the $20 Best Buy card. They just had Cower in an interview... you know he had three daughters? Man, I hope they take after their mom, whoever she is. And Holmgren is pretty ticked off at the refs... he just gave Suzy Kolber the shaft. And here comes the Rolling Stones during halftime. Whoopee. I don't know that I could be any more excited.
Now that its halftime, let me just say this about the ads... there is an awful lot of violence in these commercials.. I've seen dinosaurs being kicked, women being tackled, punches, kicks, and just now, a cell phone tossed twice at a guys face. Very violent. Funny as crap, but violent.
Desperate Housewives commercials are all over the screen too. Oh, here's another one with some guy getting nailed by his son in a swing.
7:01pm... The Stones are setting up--Jimmy just said "I hope Mick Jaggar doesn't have a wardrobe malfunction." Michael Irvin is doing game review on halftime... which leads to a great room discussion on Irvin's drug bust and DUI a few months ago, and how ESPN suspended him for one whole week. Almost ruined his career, that did.
7:06pm... Oh, so this commercial for "Lost" just came on. When Eko and Locke started the film about Dharma, instead you see Robert Palmer singing "Addicted to Love", though they changed the "Love" part to "Lost". Naturally.
The Stones are playing now... Sybil says "I'm not so sure Jaggar doesnt look better now than he did a few years ago." He sounds awful. Jimmy says "Take all their ages, combine them... you get more than the total age of Europe". Earl just sang along... "you stop me up..." I'm not convinced Keith Richards isn't actually dead, and they are doing a Weekend at Bernies and propping him up. Earl called for Driveshaft.
Michael pointed out the proverbial roof-dropping stuff when the sashes dropped from the ceiling. I never thought I'd think this, but I miss Britney and Aerosmith. Jason said he thought he just saw some woman throwing their depends on the stage.
Makes me wonder if Carly Simon and Mick Jaggar just pass their lips back and forth. Earl said that they've never been seen together. Its plausible. I think he's scanning the crowd to see how many of the audience are his own kids.
We are now all discussing the best ways to kill ourselves with a hot metal spatula.
Jimmy: Keith Richards should have died at 41.
Earl: He embalmed himself.
Michael: Is that Michael McDonald on keyboards?
Man... its over.... thank goodness thats over. The chick on the Belk commercial is pretty hot. And for some reason, I'm strangely attracted to Sandra Oh... maybe I should like Lucy Liu as my favorite Asian chick, but Sandra just has something going on. And we've just had a Sean Hall Big Daddy sighting upstairs.
7:30pm...
Michael: I think Jerome Bettis gets bigger everytime they show him.
Ken Nipp: He had lunch.
7:32pm... Willie Parker just busted WIDE open for a TD. Earl said "are they going to review this?" Someone asked if that was Bettis, to which Jason replied "He'd have an asthma attack before he got there."
7:35pm... ABC keeps showing Lost promos, which makes Earl and Jimmy wince--they have only seen Season One. And we just found out that Willie Parker made the longest running play--75 yards--in Super Bowl History.
7:37pm... Random room discussion on Mos Def, the pronunciation of his name and his recent movies.
7:38pm... This just in... Shaun Alexander IS actually in the game. Jonathan Marbutt just pointed out that the dead guy on the ice in "Fargo" is Prince. And the Seahawks just missed another field goal. Score: Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 3
7:43... Holy crap. Fabio. We just saw Fabio in a Super Bowl XL commercial. Very funny junk.
7:47pm... Michael observed the obvious. Seattle is falling apart. Pittsburgh is getting the ball down the field, with Hines Ward and now the Bus have gained some major yardage.
7:50pm... That Hummer commercial. Its good to see Aretha Franklin and the Iron Giant still have careers.
7:52pm... SEATTLE GOT THE INT!! Herndon took it down the field, but ran out of steam towards the end. The awesome block on Big Ben was the best though... classic. Now they are trying to get the ball in the end zone. And...
7:53pm... Seattle score. Wookiee just went Wookiee Berserker. Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 10. And in ads, when you add Spandau Ballet, Taco Bell and a hot chick, you get a great commercial.
8:07pm... Pittsburgh just punted the ball down to the four yard line. Seattle is going to have it work cut out for them.
8:09pm... Just observed Roethlisburger's name on the shirt. I mentioned that the chick that sewed those letters on his jersey probably got overtime. Michael replied that Hasselbeck is worth more in Scrabble, because of the C and K on the end.
8:11pm... We are watching the game on the fifty inch upstairs. Downstairs is the smaller tv, albeit in HD. In the basement is DDR--Dance Dance Revolution--for the people who don't care about the game. Out in the hall is Ashley, Amy, Jennifer and a few others playing Uno.
8:17pm... Toyota Tacoma commercial. Price is $15,445. As shown? $31K and some change. Jason says "What do you mean you want a steering wheel with your truck?"
8:20pm... Random exchange:
Jason: Does anyone watch The Shield?
Michael: They had Glenn Close, but they got rid of her. I heard Anthony Anderson was really good last year.
Me: I heard he got snubbed at the Golden Globes
Michael: He might have won if he didn't rape that girl.
Me: All he had to do was score 81 points in a NBA game and no one would remember it.
8:22pm... Hass just tossed an interception. Ty just left. He said "I have a long week." I understand. Mine is seven days long.
8:28pm... Big Ben just tossed the smack out of that ball. Antwan Randel-Els caught it. Pittsburgh 20-10. Someone mentioned Kordell Stewart. Thought he was dead.
8:29pm... Just saw Richard Dean Anderson in a classic MacGyver commercial for Mastercard. Could be my favorite commercial of the night... random thought. If I go see Brokeback Mountain, no matter how bad I have to go to the bathroom, I will NOT go after that movie with all those guys who are coming out of the theater. Standing at a urinal might never be as uncomfortable.
8:30pm... Hass just had a great run. AND THEN FUMBLED THE FLIPPIN' BALL!!!! Pittsburgh gets it. They are reviewing the play now... this is pretty big at this point.
8:35pm... Yosemite Sam in a borderline-porn commercial for a truck. Actually it was kinda funny.
8:36pm... Seattle gets the ball back, because Hasselbeck was down by contact. So the lesson here is, When you are in the Super Bowl, HOLD ONTO THE FREAKIN' BALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Class dismissed.
8:37pm... Madden is giving us math lessons. What the crap is he talking about? "Here's a guy that when is helmet is knocked off, he's bare headed."
8:39pm... Jennifer Adams just left. I forgot how borderline hot she is. Hasselbeck just got taken down, so Seattle gives the ball back. Six minutes and some change, Pittsburgh leads 21-10.
8:43pm... I think Bettis just called out for some fried chicken.
8:46pm... The ref just pulled a Brokeback on one of the players. Why cain't I quit you? Pittsburgh just got a "monster first down", according to Al Michaels.
8:47pm... Random discussion on "Havoc" and "Brokeback Mountain" parts with Anne Hathaway, who was Princess Mia in The Princess Diaries movies. She got naked in both. No comment.
8:49pm... Jerome Bettis, Motivational Speaker. They showed him, mic'ed up, giving the guys the rah-rah. Big Ben Rotheleistheilisberger got another first down. Looks like this might just be it. Sgt Slaught... er, Bill Cower is pretty excited. Seattle used their final timeout. Three and some change left, the only time the clock will stop now is the 2 minute warning.
8:53pm... Random Matthew Lillard sighting in the stands. Seattle has the ball back with 2:04 left. They are down 11 points. This could be a pretty good ending, provided that Hasselbeck doesn't goob it up.
8:55pm... 1:51, no time outs, Seattle has the ball on the 20. Matt Hass is tossing in the middle, which is bad, because the clock is running like a beast. And Joe Jurevicius just caught a massive pass, rolled over a guy and kept running. That rocked. 1 minute left.
8:57pm... Two crappy passes from Hass. Seattle has to try the FG, then hope the onside kick works later.
9pm... Three seconds. Game over. Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10. Jerome Bettis has come home to win the Super Bowl, in case you haven't heard that angle lately. Bill Cower, who has been coaching for 143 years, has won the gauntlet of the NFL and won the championship. Pittsburgh now joins Dallas and San Francisco as the only team with five Super Bowl wins in franchise history.
9:04pm... According to Josh, Bud Light spent 19 million on commercials this year. Paula Mackey, Tommy McLeod, The Lovely Steph Leann and Mikey Nipp walk away with the gift card prizes.
9:07pm... my blog counter was at 74 this afternoon. Don't think I haven't noticed some of you people have been looking at my blog site. Its at 95 now. You people rock.
9:11pm... Trophy presentations now. Bart Starr is presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Slaughter and the Steelers. Daniel Rooney, the really old guy, looks bored. I mean, he won five now (four in the 70s) as owner of the Steelers. He doesnt care.
9:13pm... Hines Ward wins the Super Bowl MVP now. I'm shocked they dont give it to Bettis, because he's a hometown boy, he's been playing for so long, and he's such a good guy. Mackey just said "The Bus is up there. He must be getting a Bus Trophy."
9:14pm... Jerome Bettis just retired on the podium. I wonder if they call his kid The Short Bus.
9:20pm... They are showing the Sports Illustrated special Pittsburgh Championship Pack. I'd give anything for them to accidentally show the Seattle Championship Pack commercial I know they had to make (in case Seattle won).
9:22pm... So thats Super Bowl XL. I hope you enjoyed the blog, I hope you liked the updates. We'll do this running diary gimmack for The Oscars in March. See you soon!
Oh, and real quick... The Sports Guy's own running Super Bowl Diary is right here. Yes, its funnier than mine, but hey, I think I have my moments. Mos Def aside, that is.
2:06pm... Just got home from lunch with The Lovely Steph Leann, plus two others in our Sunday School class, Brian & Jessica Mays. We ate at Formosa. Turned on ABC, it reminded me of the Rolling Stones performing at halftime tonight. Excuse me while I poke out my eyes with a sharp turkey baster.
5:11pm... Got here at the Nipps a little while ago... just saw the procession of Super Bowl MVPs... they were missing some.
5:12pm... Aaron Neville is singing the Star Spangled Banner. I watched "Philadelphia" yesterday. I think Aaron has Tom Hanks' leisions on his face. Now Aretha Franklin is singing. Wookiee said "It looks like someone is baking loaves of bread in her dress."
5:13pm... Aretha just ate the microphone. Mikey just said "this is the worst opening of any Super Bowl." Wookiee added "how many chincillas died to make that coat?"
5:19pm... Harrison Ford is doing "Oh the Places You Go" with a football theme. I can barely hear it over the noise in the room, yet I have the urge to set my hair on fire with a stick and some flint, a la Survivor.
5:29pm... Typing in scores that everyone is picking, so I missed not only the coin toss (why the heck was Tom Brady there??), I missed the kickoff. Most people here are rooting for Seattle, mostly because of Shaun Alexander. I hope he stays with Seattle next year, and doesnt take the paycheck.
5:33... Bud Light does another hilarious commercial--the Bud Light around the office. The Whopperettes? Not so much. That King creeps me out. And Brooke Burke is standing IN a hamburger.
5:35... Okay... Seattle punted, Pittsburgh has the ball. Ben Roethoelesothis Burger behind center. And we have our first Tautaupauapu sighting (dad Mosi). Wookiee says the best thing about Jerome Bettis--"When its 3rd and 3, he gets you 3 yards. When its 3rd and 15... he gets you 3 yards."
5:40... Magic Fridge. Magic Fridge. Good stuff.
5:40... Bruce Willis' new movie... DieHard 4: 16 Blocked Hostage, Deep Rising with the Last Boy Jackel. My Sixth Sense is telling me I've seen this before. Sean Hall just walked in with a shirt that says "Big Daddy". I think I will laugh at him now.
5:48... Josh is keeping a running tab on Bud Light's bill. At 2.4 a pop, we're up to 9 million dollars. FedEx may be my favorite so far. Only cause he kicked the dinosaur. Thats funny.
5:55... Hasselback just tossed a TD... called back. Come on Blue... let them play!! The same guy reffed the Vandy/Florida game. Seattle got a field goal. 3-0 Seattle. According to Josh, Bud Light is up to 11.5 million. Paula Mackey won the first quarter prize in our score game.
6:10... Suzy Kolber has something coming out of her head. Its weird. Joe Jurevicius is rocking tonight too. Bud Light just went up to $14.0. In a Brokeback Animals commercial, of all things.
6:17pm... When monkeys and Quiet Riot are in an ad together... comedy gold. And Cadillac has an Escalade commercial with a bunch of models in it. Mikey yelled "Blue Steel!". I replied "Magnum!". In a related story, Ben just tossed it for it all... and Seattle's Boulware caught it. Seattle is going to win this game.
6:21pm... MI-3. I am all about seeing Philip Seymour Hoffman as a bad guy. P.S.Hoff rocks. Sybil and Dan just came in. Did you know that Dove now has the Dove Self Esteem Fund? Orlando Jones Sighting!! We have just had an Orlando Jones sighting!! ABC's "The Evidence", with Orlando and the guy from Silk Stockings.
6:28pm... Antwan Randle-El just got hurt. And Berman is narrating a Shaggy Dog commercial. Do you think he likes doing that, or his bosses make him? When does he have enough clout to not do crap like this? If Berman isn't exempt, none of them have it... and Kermit is in a Ford commercial. One about global warming and hybrids. Kermit has been sucked into the liberal view. I will now play in traffic.
6:30pm... Big Ben tossed one of those "you make it, you look cool, you miss it, you look like a 'tard" passes to Hines Ward. Ken Nipp pointed out, "Where's Bettis?" Guess they don't need three yards just yet. Benny tossed another long pass, they are taking it down the field. Don't you know that he's so happy he's not with the Jets? Can you imagine the Elton John jokes he'd get, like, all the freakin' time?
6:34... Ben just had approximately 32 minutes to throw the ball--but he got the ball to the five. Mikey just predicted they'd put the Bus in for the TD... and here's a Go Daddy ad. Back to the game, the Seahawks are holding the Steelers from scoring. Who knew they could play ball? Earl asked a great question... "Do we need another "Poseidon?"
6:41pm... Got a TD in. Controversial play, but the ball did in fact break the plane. Just went downstairs and had a piece of Sybil's frozen icebox lemon pie. It rocked my face off.
6:50pm... Hass tossed a TD... but the guy was out of bounds. The refs are going to review it. Came back. Seattle is moving this ball... for Pittsburgh, defense schmefense. This game is moving fast too... Earl says "Dont they know they have Grey's Anatomy coming on? Lets go with this!"
6:53pm... Seattle's FG kicker just pulled a Scott Norwood and shanked the ball wide. Pittsburgh kneels for the second quarter's end. Tommy takes the $20 Best Buy card. They just had Cower in an interview... you know he had three daughters? Man, I hope they take after their mom, whoever she is. And Holmgren is pretty ticked off at the refs... he just gave Suzy Kolber the shaft. And here comes the Rolling Stones during halftime. Whoopee. I don't know that I could be any more excited.
Now that its halftime, let me just say this about the ads... there is an awful lot of violence in these commercials.. I've seen dinosaurs being kicked, women being tackled, punches, kicks, and just now, a cell phone tossed twice at a guys face. Very violent. Funny as crap, but violent.
Desperate Housewives commercials are all over the screen too. Oh, here's another one with some guy getting nailed by his son in a swing.
7:01pm... The Stones are setting up--Jimmy just said "I hope Mick Jaggar doesn't have a wardrobe malfunction." Michael Irvin is doing game review on halftime... which leads to a great room discussion on Irvin's drug bust and DUI a few months ago, and how ESPN suspended him for one whole week. Almost ruined his career, that did.
7:06pm... Oh, so this commercial for "Lost" just came on. When Eko and Locke started the film about Dharma, instead you see Robert Palmer singing "Addicted to Love", though they changed the "Love" part to "Lost". Naturally.
The Stones are playing now... Sybil says "I'm not so sure Jaggar doesnt look better now than he did a few years ago." He sounds awful. Jimmy says "Take all their ages, combine them... you get more than the total age of Europe". Earl just sang along... "you stop me up..." I'm not convinced Keith Richards isn't actually dead, and they are doing a Weekend at Bernies and propping him up. Earl called for Driveshaft.
Michael pointed out the proverbial roof-dropping stuff when the sashes dropped from the ceiling. I never thought I'd think this, but I miss Britney and Aerosmith. Jason said he thought he just saw some woman throwing their depends on the stage.
Makes me wonder if Carly Simon and Mick Jaggar just pass their lips back and forth. Earl said that they've never been seen together. Its plausible. I think he's scanning the crowd to see how many of the audience are his own kids.
We are now all discussing the best ways to kill ourselves with a hot metal spatula.
Jimmy: Keith Richards should have died at 41.
Earl: He embalmed himself.
Michael: Is that Michael McDonald on keyboards?
Man... its over.... thank goodness thats over. The chick on the Belk commercial is pretty hot. And for some reason, I'm strangely attracted to Sandra Oh... maybe I should like Lucy Liu as my favorite Asian chick, but Sandra just has something going on. And we've just had a Sean Hall Big Daddy sighting upstairs.
7:30pm...
Michael: I think Jerome Bettis gets bigger everytime they show him.
Ken Nipp: He had lunch.
7:32pm... Willie Parker just busted WIDE open for a TD. Earl said "are they going to review this?" Someone asked if that was Bettis, to which Jason replied "He'd have an asthma attack before he got there."
7:35pm... ABC keeps showing Lost promos, which makes Earl and Jimmy wince--they have only seen Season One. And we just found out that Willie Parker made the longest running play--75 yards--in Super Bowl History.
7:37pm... Random room discussion on Mos Def, the pronunciation of his name and his recent movies.
7:38pm... This just in... Shaun Alexander IS actually in the game. Jonathan Marbutt just pointed out that the dead guy on the ice in "Fargo" is Prince. And the Seahawks just missed another field goal. Score: Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 3
7:43... Holy crap. Fabio. We just saw Fabio in a Super Bowl XL commercial. Very funny junk.
7:47pm... Michael observed the obvious. Seattle is falling apart. Pittsburgh is getting the ball down the field, with Hines Ward and now the Bus have gained some major yardage.
7:50pm... That Hummer commercial. Its good to see Aretha Franklin and the Iron Giant still have careers.
7:52pm... SEATTLE GOT THE INT!! Herndon took it down the field, but ran out of steam towards the end. The awesome block on Big Ben was the best though... classic. Now they are trying to get the ball in the end zone. And...
7:53pm... Seattle score. Wookiee just went Wookiee Berserker. Pittsburgh 14, Seattle 10. And in ads, when you add Spandau Ballet, Taco Bell and a hot chick, you get a great commercial.
8:07pm... Pittsburgh just punted the ball down to the four yard line. Seattle is going to have it work cut out for them.
8:09pm... Just observed Roethlisburger's name on the shirt. I mentioned that the chick that sewed those letters on his jersey probably got overtime. Michael replied that Hasselbeck is worth more in Scrabble, because of the C and K on the end.
8:11pm... We are watching the game on the fifty inch upstairs. Downstairs is the smaller tv, albeit in HD. In the basement is DDR--Dance Dance Revolution--for the people who don't care about the game. Out in the hall is Ashley, Amy, Jennifer and a few others playing Uno.
8:17pm... Toyota Tacoma commercial. Price is $15,445. As shown? $31K and some change. Jason says "What do you mean you want a steering wheel with your truck?"
8:20pm... Random exchange:
Jason: Does anyone watch The Shield?
Michael: They had Glenn Close, but they got rid of her. I heard Anthony Anderson was really good last year.
Me: I heard he got snubbed at the Golden Globes
Michael: He might have won if he didn't rape that girl.
Me: All he had to do was score 81 points in a NBA game and no one would remember it.
8:22pm... Hass just tossed an interception. Ty just left. He said "I have a long week." I understand. Mine is seven days long.
8:28pm... Big Ben just tossed the smack out of that ball. Antwan Randel-Els caught it. Pittsburgh 20-10. Someone mentioned Kordell Stewart. Thought he was dead.
8:29pm... Just saw Richard Dean Anderson in a classic MacGyver commercial for Mastercard. Could be my favorite commercial of the night... random thought. If I go see Brokeback Mountain, no matter how bad I have to go to the bathroom, I will NOT go after that movie with all those guys who are coming out of the theater. Standing at a urinal might never be as uncomfortable.
8:30pm... Hass just had a great run. AND THEN FUMBLED THE FLIPPIN' BALL!!!! Pittsburgh gets it. They are reviewing the play now... this is pretty big at this point.
8:35pm... Yosemite Sam in a borderline-porn commercial for a truck. Actually it was kinda funny.
8:36pm... Seattle gets the ball back, because Hasselbeck was down by contact. So the lesson here is, When you are in the Super Bowl, HOLD ONTO THE FREAKIN' BALL!!!!!!!!!!!! Class dismissed.
8:37pm... Madden is giving us math lessons. What the crap is he talking about? "Here's a guy that when is helmet is knocked off, he's bare headed."
8:39pm... Jennifer Adams just left. I forgot how borderline hot she is. Hasselbeck just got taken down, so Seattle gives the ball back. Six minutes and some change, Pittsburgh leads 21-10.
8:43pm... I think Bettis just called out for some fried chicken.
8:46pm... The ref just pulled a Brokeback on one of the players. Why cain't I quit you? Pittsburgh just got a "monster first down", according to Al Michaels.
8:47pm... Random discussion on "Havoc" and "Brokeback Mountain" parts with Anne Hathaway, who was Princess Mia in The Princess Diaries movies. She got naked in both. No comment.
8:49pm... Jerome Bettis, Motivational Speaker. They showed him, mic'ed up, giving the guys the rah-rah. Big Ben Rotheleistheilisberger got another first down. Looks like this might just be it. Sgt Slaught... er, Bill Cower is pretty excited. Seattle used their final timeout. Three and some change left, the only time the clock will stop now is the 2 minute warning.
8:53pm... Random Matthew Lillard sighting in the stands. Seattle has the ball back with 2:04 left. They are down 11 points. This could be a pretty good ending, provided that Hasselbeck doesn't goob it up.
8:55pm... 1:51, no time outs, Seattle has the ball on the 20. Matt Hass is tossing in the middle, which is bad, because the clock is running like a beast. And Joe Jurevicius just caught a massive pass, rolled over a guy and kept running. That rocked. 1 minute left.
8:57pm... Two crappy passes from Hass. Seattle has to try the FG, then hope the onside kick works later.
9pm... Three seconds. Game over. Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 10. Jerome Bettis has come home to win the Super Bowl, in case you haven't heard that angle lately. Bill Cower, who has been coaching for 143 years, has won the gauntlet of the NFL and won the championship. Pittsburgh now joins Dallas and San Francisco as the only team with five Super Bowl wins in franchise history.
9:04pm... According to Josh, Bud Light spent 19 million on commercials this year. Paula Mackey, Tommy McLeod, The Lovely Steph Leann and Mikey Nipp walk away with the gift card prizes.
9:07pm... my blog counter was at 74 this afternoon. Don't think I haven't noticed some of you people have been looking at my blog site. Its at 95 now. You people rock.
9:11pm... Trophy presentations now. Bart Starr is presenting the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Slaughter and the Steelers. Daniel Rooney, the really old guy, looks bored. I mean, he won five now (four in the 70s) as owner of the Steelers. He doesnt care.
9:13pm... Hines Ward wins the Super Bowl MVP now. I'm shocked they dont give it to Bettis, because he's a hometown boy, he's been playing for so long, and he's such a good guy. Mackey just said "The Bus is up there. He must be getting a Bus Trophy."
9:14pm... Jerome Bettis just retired on the podium. I wonder if they call his kid The Short Bus.
9:20pm... They are showing the Sports Illustrated special Pittsburgh Championship Pack. I'd give anything for them to accidentally show the Seattle Championship Pack commercial I know they had to make (in case Seattle won).
9:22pm... So thats Super Bowl XL. I hope you enjoyed the blog, I hope you liked the updates. We'll do this running diary gimmack for The Oscars in March. See you soon!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Dave's Ramblings & Questions
Only 18 Days Until the Deuce Weekly Returns!
...so, my computer has been on the fritz for a few days. Friend of mine has it, is working on it. Nice guy, he is.
...had lunch today with a friend of mine from my days at Parisian Corporate, Lisa. Being a guy in my early 20s at the time, I had crushes on all the good looking chicks there, including, but not limited to Sally Carter in advertising, Janna Morrison in the home store, Lee Rubino in the cosmetics, Paige Tatum in advertising and Lisa Taylor in Men's Buying. Sally was six years my elder, and after she left the company, I even got up the gumption to ask her out (she said no). It was a good lunch, good to catch up.
...went hiking in the Vestavia Hills Nature Trails last weekend. Talk about your Blair Witch surroundings. Some of the trails go into nowhere, and I even went walking through the woods about fifty yards before I figured out I wasnt on a trail anymore. Had to cross a creek and climb a hill to figure out where the crap I was. Speaking of crap, got some on my shoe.
...now that I'm working at Starbucks, I'm a little more aware of the rumors that float around. A friend of mine sent me a forwarded email about a Marine Sgt who was refused service because "Starbucks doesn't support the war", and the email was calling for a boycott of the coffee chain. I visited Snopes, which is my favorite site for the truth of urban legends, and found the truth about it.
...I love Snopes. I have added the link to my Truth Detectors section on the side there. Check it out.
...concerning American Idol, check this story out from Entertainment Weekly: What's up with the rumor that Paula, Simon, and Randy never actually went to Austin? Apparently, it's true: ''The judges never came to Austin because of our influx of Katrina and Rita evacuees. Instead, the Austin auditioners were flown to San Francisco, where they sang for the star judges,'' writes Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman. The show was then edited to make it look like it was filmed in the Lone Star State. IS THERE NO TRUTH ANYMORE???
...I think I've finally entered the I'm Obsessed with Kelly Clarkson phase. Her song "Breakaway" came on the radio last night, and I didn't turn it. I don't like that song. Very few people have entered the "Don't Turn the Dial When They Come On" Pantheon of Musical Artists. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a single one. Besides Kelly, of course.
...had lunch a few days ago with a friend from NBC13. She said that Ken Lass & Wendy Garner are doing well, after leaving the station. Its good when good things happen to good people.
And now, a few things that I'm wondering...
...so, Kanye West is on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns, imitating Jesus. Can you imagine what would happen if, say, tobyMac dressed up like Martin Luther King or Malcolm X?
...and speaking of Mr. West, what if he had come out and praised W for the job he's doing? Don't you think they media would be all over him for being a sell-out and untalented?
...if the media is so willing to crucify James Frey for making stuff up in his memoir "A Million Little Pieces", shouldn't they be willing to crucify themselves over the crap they make up?
...is it just me or is Green Day completely overrated? When they sing "Wake Me When September Ends", Billie Armstrong sounds like he's got an M&M stuck in each nostril, and is suffering from a nasty case of the whooping cough. Weren't they better when they were just silly and fun, not political and ignorant?
...when all those people who can't sing on American Idol walk out and says things like, "Oh, I'm gonna be a star, and you gonna be sorry you didn't sign me...", how come I've never seen or heard of any of them again?
...I just saw a fat guy with a shirt that says "Beat Anorexia." Isn't that funny?
...we give out used coffee grounds at work to customers for free, to use on their gardens. One guy put some on our coffee plant. Isnt that like cannabalism?
...do you really think that Gavin Rossdale actually listens to his wife's music? "Uh, B-A... N-A-N... A-S... um... uh... that's great honey... I guess A-P-P-L-E didnt fit, huh?"
...can you not see Avril Lavigne as 2005's Nelly Furtado? A few hit songs, a whiny voice and a presence which ended up lasting MUCH longer than it should have... then never heard from again. In fact, I couldn't even find a working webpage for Nelly to link to. Is it me?
...where the crap is Jennifer Knapp?
...at the end of Independence Day, when they finally bring down the ships, wouldn't that signify only that the battle has turned in favor of Earth? I mean, consider the fact these ships are 2 miles across, and as they crash and burn, either there are going to be a lot of surviving aliens that are going to be really, really mad, or a lot of dead and decaying alien bodies carrying alot of disease, some of which we probably have never experienced before.
...surely now that Ray Charles passed in 2004, Stevie Wonder is secretly excited that he is now the last blind living legend. Besides Ronnie Milsap, that is.
...so, my computer has been on the fritz for a few days. Friend of mine has it, is working on it. Nice guy, he is.
...had lunch today with a friend of mine from my days at Parisian Corporate, Lisa. Being a guy in my early 20s at the time, I had crushes on all the good looking chicks there, including, but not limited to Sally Carter in advertising, Janna Morrison in the home store, Lee Rubino in the cosmetics, Paige Tatum in advertising and Lisa Taylor in Men's Buying. Sally was six years my elder, and after she left the company, I even got up the gumption to ask her out (she said no). It was a good lunch, good to catch up.
...went hiking in the Vestavia Hills Nature Trails last weekend. Talk about your Blair Witch surroundings. Some of the trails go into nowhere, and I even went walking through the woods about fifty yards before I figured out I wasnt on a trail anymore. Had to cross a creek and climb a hill to figure out where the crap I was. Speaking of crap, got some on my shoe.
...now that I'm working at Starbucks, I'm a little more aware of the rumors that float around. A friend of mine sent me a forwarded email about a Marine Sgt who was refused service because "Starbucks doesn't support the war", and the email was calling for a boycott of the coffee chain. I visited Snopes, which is my favorite site for the truth of urban legends, and found the truth about it.
...I love Snopes. I have added the link to my Truth Detectors section on the side there. Check it out.
...concerning American Idol, check this story out from Entertainment Weekly: What's up with the rumor that Paula, Simon, and Randy never actually went to Austin? Apparently, it's true: ''The judges never came to Austin because of our influx of Katrina and Rita evacuees. Instead, the Austin auditioners were flown to San Francisco, where they sang for the star judges,'' writes Diane Holloway of the Austin American-Statesman. The show was then edited to make it look like it was filmed in the Lone Star State. IS THERE NO TRUTH ANYMORE???
...I think I've finally entered the I'm Obsessed with Kelly Clarkson phase. Her song "Breakaway" came on the radio last night, and I didn't turn it. I don't like that song. Very few people have entered the "Don't Turn the Dial When They Come On" Pantheon of Musical Artists. As a matter of fact, I can't think of a single one. Besides Kelly, of course.
...had lunch a few days ago with a friend from NBC13. She said that Ken Lass & Wendy Garner are doing well, after leaving the station. Its good when good things happen to good people.
And now, a few things that I'm wondering...
...so, Kanye West is on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns, imitating Jesus. Can you imagine what would happen if, say, tobyMac dressed up like Martin Luther King or Malcolm X?
...and speaking of Mr. West, what if he had come out and praised W for the job he's doing? Don't you think they media would be all over him for being a sell-out and untalented?
...if the media is so willing to crucify James Frey for making stuff up in his memoir "A Million Little Pieces", shouldn't they be willing to crucify themselves over the crap they make up?
...is it just me or is Green Day completely overrated? When they sing "Wake Me When September Ends", Billie Armstrong sounds like he's got an M&M stuck in each nostril, and is suffering from a nasty case of the whooping cough. Weren't they better when they were just silly and fun, not political and ignorant?
...when all those people who can't sing on American Idol walk out and says things like, "Oh, I'm gonna be a star, and you gonna be sorry you didn't sign me...", how come I've never seen or heard of any of them again?
...I just saw a fat guy with a shirt that says "Beat Anorexia." Isn't that funny?
...we give out used coffee grounds at work to customers for free, to use on their gardens. One guy put some on our coffee plant. Isnt that like cannabalism?
...do you really think that Gavin Rossdale actually listens to his wife's music? "Uh, B-A... N-A-N... A-S... um... uh... that's great honey... I guess A-P-P-L-E didnt fit, huh?"
...can you not see Avril Lavigne as 2005's Nelly Furtado? A few hit songs, a whiny voice and a presence which ended up lasting MUCH longer than it should have... then never heard from again. In fact, I couldn't even find a working webpage for Nelly to link to. Is it me?
...where the crap is Jennifer Knapp?
...at the end of Independence Day, when they finally bring down the ships, wouldn't that signify only that the battle has turned in favor of Earth? I mean, consider the fact these ships are 2 miles across, and as they crash and burn, either there are going to be a lot of surviving aliens that are going to be really, really mad, or a lot of dead and decaying alien bodies carrying alot of disease, some of which we probably have never experienced before.
...surely now that Ray Charles passed in 2004, Stevie Wonder is secretly excited that he is now the last blind living legend. Besides Ronnie Milsap, that is.
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