One More Time!

Let's try this again. I'm currently sitting in Logan Airport after the short hop of a flight from Bangor. During that short flight I searched all the in-flight magazines to see what my movie will be on my flight to LA. Nothing. Dear American Airlines please put your in-flight movie info available. If it's Flicka again there will be consequences. Maybe not. I could see how it ends this time.

A couple thoughts on Maine:

Where are the moose? Yesterday morning (by morning I mean 2am) I drove my sister Anne to the airport for her flight. That gave me two hours there and two hours back of driving in the dark of night. Isn't that when the moose come out to play?

During the drive back, I stopped for gas at the only place open at that time. As I pumped the gas, some kid drove up, got out and started pumping gas into his car. Problem is the car was still running. I was going to say something, but some other guy started asking him if he saw that buck on the road. So, they kept chatting while I was wondering why someone isn't saying it's dangerous to pump gas with the car running. Then the station attendant comes out. Did he say anything? Nope. He just joined their conversation. I forgot what they ended up talking about because I was looking for that emergency switch for the pump. I realized I was the only sane person among the four standing out there. I decided it would be best to just leave, so I stopped pumping gas and just left. For the first three miles I kept glancing in my rear view mirror for the fireball lighting the night sky. Never happened.

Brief recap of the break outside of the pictures: From the day I got there to about the 26th the temperature was pretty mild. Then around my birthday it became freezing cold. In case you didn't notice the my stepfather's house isn't completely finished yet. So, not only was it freezing outside but it was freezing inside. I wore my burka for five days straight. I even slept in it.

I'd also like to let the family know that once you left the bath water was no longer brownish.

My favorite quote of the break came from my four year old niece, Evie. At the dinner table one night she just said in a Samuel L. Jackson style, "It's alright baby, I made a mistake this morning." Apparently, this is from some out takes in some Star Trek special features. She was quoting Spock in a Samuel L. Jackson voice. Of course we kept trying to get her to repeat it the rest of the week.

Last night we went to the Calais movie theater to see "Night at the Museum." I will never ever complain about a movie theater again. Not only was it freezing in there. Not only was it a ridiculously small screen. Not only was it the size of a studio apartment, but it had one measly speaker set up front. There are home theater set-ups better than this. Still, it was an experience.

I'm paranoid right now about my comment above about the consequences and Flicka. Can't I be arrested for such things? I'm tempted to delete it.

I'm sitting outside the gate because I can't go 3 hours without one cigarette. To my left is a case with things that you shouldn't bring on the plane. In that case is a car battery, bag of charcoal briquettes, a gasoline canister, a paint can, and an old computer monitor. Are we a country of morons. Is there someone who walks by this display and realizes they shouldn't have packed that car battery or that Easy Off oven cleaner? Sweet, someone was trying to be funny and they made a label for the paint can called "I Don't Fly Paint Company." Dear American Airlines, leave the comedy to the professionals.

Bobby when are you coming in? I need to plan picking you up at the airport around my plans to see Pan's Labyrinth.

Jiff, I think you would've enjoyed the late night drive through Maine.

In a couple days I'm buying my HDTV. I've been daydreaming about chainsawing something in Gears of War in glorious HD.

I'm going for a smoke. Catch you on the flip side.

And on the Day Before I Left...It Snowed.

My condolences to the garbage can family. It seems papa got a little soused last night and couldn't find his way home before the cold got him. Let us all remember those garbage cans who have all lost a member to those chilly winter nights.

Christmas Part Deux

The nice thing about large families is that you end up having to celebrate Christmas more than once. Those that are around on Christmas day get to celebrate it together and then we get to re-celebrate? with each group that rolls in afterwards.

This morning we celebrated the Petrys coming into town.

Thing is we are still short two brothers, a sister-in-law, and a niece. Somebody needs to get a bigger house.

Merry Christmas Everyboooody 2006

Thank You Ben and Julie and Sam

To Dare is to Do! COYS

The Two Days Before Christmas are for Baking! (And Anne Marie's Birthday)

Ten Minutes Till Boarding

My tooth is killing me. It began on the airplane. It must have to do with the altitude because I've only felt something like this when I drove through the mountains. Now that I'm back on the ground, we are good to go. In forty minutes I'll be back in someone's jabbing a needle in my tooth.

Some moron just set off some alarm.

We are up to forty-one on the Red Sox garb.

Some guy is walking around with a CSI hat on. I can't escape it.

Can there really be this many people going to Bangor? It always suprises me that so many people need to travel to the same place at the same time. Of course this is probably the only flight to Bangor today. Still.

For once I'm in a boarding group lower than 4. One day I'll be in group 1. we all have dreams.

I'm waiting to crash since I haven't really slept since 9 this morning. Still going strong. Group two. Almost kind of there.

Dunkin Donuts!

Why they would never start up a few of these in LA is beyond me. At least half of LA is East Coast transplants, and they all miss Dunkin' Donuts.

Lyin' Givin' and Flirtin'

In preparation for the flight I am currently on today, I had to go into REI for the first time in my life. I went because I needed gloves, thermal underwear, and apparently a burka. The burka though snuck up on me. I was just looking at gloves and saw these wool ski caps with flaps. They also have a string at the top for a reason I have yet to determine. I debated even trying one of those things on, but I gave in. No mirror to see how it looked on me. I just grabbed it and assume I totally have a hat that accentuates the goof in me. I still haven’t tried it on.

Anyway, REI is for those outdoorsy people. The ones that ski, snowboard, spelunk, hike, and camp. I am not one of these people. I think any desire for the outdoors ended when I burned my hand on a rock I used to surround the little fire I built. I’m still a pyro though.

Everyone assumes you must be one of them if you shop at their store. I just wanted something to make sure I don’t freeze in Maine. Next thing I know I’m telling the cashier I’m heading to Maine for a little skiing. Waxed wooden or fiberglass slats have never even come close to these feet. The problem is the cashier gave me options. He asked where I was going. I honestly answered Maine. Then he asked me if it was for “skiing, family, or a little of both.” If he had stopped at “family” I would have answered honestly, but he had to offer a third choice that was part truth and part lie. I couldn’t turn it down. I answered “a little of both.” At that point I realized I might be in some trouble if this conversation extended past my knowledge of skiing. I didn’t know any mountains in Maine. Where do you go skiing in Maine? Providentially, he asked what the weather was like. That I knew. I answered “It supposed to be in the high 30’s when I get there.” Then he tried to sell me a membership. I declined. It will be another 35 years till I step in this store again.

I quickly exited the building. Giving a quick “No thank you” to the Boy Scout Troop offering to wrap gifts. Is there a gift-wrapping badge? I could earn that badge. Wait. I bet they are really anal about the wrapping. I probably couldn’t earn a gift-wrapping badge.

I thought I had escaped the world of outdoors. I saw the daylight. Then some cute earthy girl steps into my escape route and I’m stuck. REI was blaring some ridiculous music outside, so it took three tries for me to understand that she was asking me if I was apart of the California Environmental Group. I could have easily said “No thanks. I have a plane to catch. (In eight hours).” But I’m a sucker for cute earthy girls out for a good cause. This is exactly why I saw “An Inconvenient Truth.” It was all in preparation for this moment! I can now talk pollution with the cute girl in the army hat. So I agreed to listen to what she was selling. “She was looking for donations for the environmental group.” It’s Christmas. I’m giving to anyone who asks…almost everyone. While I filled out the paperwork, she asked me, “Are you a skier, snowboarder, or hiker?” It’s always good to stick with the same lie within a one-mile radius of the original lie. “Skier” I responded. “You going up to Big Bear?” This is the place where the LA skiers and outdoorsy people visit. I said I was going to Maine. We then figured out that-
(They are now showing some Louie Anderson interview on the plane. He looks awful. I’m so putting him on my death list next year.) –we are both from Ohio. How cute. Almost as cute as her. Then the required “Why’d you move out here?” question followed. Turns out she moved out here for the music industry. Aw I bet she wants to be some cute folk alterna-chick singer. I would’ve been totally smitten if I didn’t already know that singers are psycho. So, we finished our transaction with a little wink and on I walked. I feel like I did a little good. Helped the environment. Somehow came across as an outdoorsy skier who enjoys Maine for it’s skiing. Also, education is the most important societal topic, and I think research is the most important in regards to the environment. They correspond with the numbers 1 and 11 on the questionnaire she asked me. Oddly, there was no 9 or 10. It went from 8 to 11. What were choices 9 and 10? It will haunt me.

Wow, this post has turned out longer than I thought. It’s 12:03 in the morning and I’m stuck on a plane set to Boston. I’m very tempted to keep this going to create the longest post in history. Lets give this a try and see where we go.

Taxis make me feel professional for some reason. I also always over tip. Some people complain or question my tipping rational. I’d much rather look like an over spender than a dick of a cheap skate.

Why are people so scared of the self check-in at airports? People were standing in a line that was easily an hour from beginning to end. There was one person in line at the self check-in. It’s not that difficult.

The video entertainment for this flight is CBSsentric. I’m so hoping they show a CSI: Miami spot, so I can scream, “I do research for that f’ing show, suckas!” like a guy on his tenth mini-bottle. Then I’d run up with the special edition DVD and put it on all the screens. “See! I’m on the special features! That’s me! I’m famous! I’m the most famous person on this plane! Someone non-famous give me their business class seat! I need legroom! Give me some leg room!” Then I’d stumble down the isles bitching about Caruso. It would be the greatest celebrity type blow-up by a non-celebrity.

I’m in the middle seat even though I selected the aisle. I hope I don’t have to pee.

This isn’t going to bad.

I just spent thirty minutes trying to find out what the in-flight movie is. I thought the stewardess said it was Flicker. That can’t be right. Maybe she said Flicka. There was a movie recently out called Flicka. I think it’s nice they offer this movie for those who find it difficult to sleep on planes. The anticipation is building to see what movie they are showing. I’ve been stuck watching add for CBS and clips from their shows. Come on. You always lead with the movie and finish with the clips.

Two hours down and three and a half…till I get to Boston. Then a three-hour layover to Boston. Then an hour flight to Bangor. Then a two-hour drive to Calais. Why couldn’t I be born during the age of teleportation? While I’m wishing - Why couldn’t I be born with a voice like Al Green’s?

Who thinks showing a cooking show on a flight is a good idea. It’s called Hannah’s Storm hosted by Hannah Storm. Wow they really mailed it in on that title.

It must be getting late. I’m finding th- CSI: Miami TV ad! Trying to escape the heat? You can’t escape the heat suckas!” Anyway. I’m finding Alyson Hannigan (aka: Willow from Buffy) more and more attractive.

Sweet we are almost to see what the movie is…Flicka! It stars Alison Lohman, who was in that Kevin Bacon movie, “Where the Truth Lies,” where he and Colin Firth played Sinatra and Dean type singers possibly involved in murder. It has the one of the all time “I’m not a girl!” nudity moments. Katie Homes did it in “The C-something.” The weird thing is you always picture her as a underage teenager because of her rolls. Then that scene comes up and you’re completely thrown for a loop, and seriously creeped out. Now she’s playing some underage girl and her horse. I think that’s why most young actresses take up smoking when they hit there late teens. They tire of looking so young and will do anything to add a little age to their face.

I’m not sure what’s going on in this movie, but Maria Bellow just kissed a snake. What kind of movie is this? How badass of a horse can you be if you are named Flicka? I hope the subtitle to this move isn’t “Where Glue Comes From.”

Time to take a nap.

Ok I missed the ending of Flicka. Last I saw was Lohman was having hallucinations because she stood out in the rain too long comforting Flicka who just got mauled. They were going to shoot him, but then the dad comes back with the horse. He says something about there being no reason for the horse to be alive. The mother then says something like, “There’s a reason. It has mustang blood. It’s strong. Just like our daughter.”

That’s when I blacked out and can’t remember anything else. Dialog like that can do it.

I’m in Logan airport now waiting my 3 hours and 50 minutes till the flight to Bangor. Little did I know but the blonde guy with the fierce eyes in Band of Brothers was on my flight.

Logan airport kind of sucks. Maybe I’m just in the low rent district of the airport, but I’ve seen better.

I’ve counted twenty-five pieces of Red Sox clothing.

I couldn’t write this while on the plane, but I’m pretty sure if you combined the two guys I was sitting between you would get my brother Sam.

Ok, this is the end of part one. Technically this is a three page post in Word. I apologize now for those who have actually made it this far. And yet more is to come.

Where the Hell is My Psi-Ops 2?

Back in June 2004, Midway released a third person shooter where your character not only shoots the standard guns but has psionic powers that develop as the game goes on. You can throw people, crates, and propane tanks around. You can shoot fire from your hands. There's the nice mind control ability, and finally a vision to see through doors and walls.

Story wise it's a standard video game story where you are dropped into a group of evildoers with their own psionic powers. Their leader your formal general who helped you develop your powers. Of course you have to stop him, but you've been brain wiped and can't remember anything about your past. blah. blah. blah.

The fun had in this game was what came across at first as a gimmick: the psionic powers. The developers were smart enough to create each level like a personal playground where you can use your powers to destroy the enemy in numerous ways. Furnace doors are oddly left open so you can fling soldiers to barbecue. One level where you go through a factory with conveyor belts and flames and crushing machines seems designed to see how creatively destructive you can be. There are a ridiculous amount of propane tanks lying around to create exploding fire balls when needed. There's nothing like sending a soldier into a propane tank so that it explodes which send the flaming soldier off into a couple other soldiers. It's all about the mixing and matching your powers, guns, and the environment to your destructive tendencies. It even had great boss fights. Take the ripped off King Pin character that launches tanker trucks and semi trailers at you. It wasn't a perfect game with it's crappy camera, and appear out of nowhere enemies, but it was fun, and was a solid step in the right direction. So where's my damn sequel?

With a solid gameplay base to keep building upon, why stop at just one game? With this next generation think of all the possibilities with fully destructible environments. Think of the combos when applying the psionic powers to that fully destructible environment. How sweet would it be to send a car into a watch tower that causes the watchtower to collapse onto a tanker that explodes and destroys a wall you need to get through. You can then throw the broken pieces of the wall at soldiers, or toss soldiers that caught on fire into another car or truck with soldiers and blow that up. The combinations are endless. How could this not be a game that would be fun to develop? What are you thinking Midway? I should already be playing PSI-Ops 3 by now. Let's get on this.

Lost Song from the Lost Journey Christmas Special

This is what happens when nobody wants to be at work. Your mind starts playing tricks on you and you and your co-workers end up creating Christmas lyrics to a popular AOR hit. I like to think this is exactly what Steve Perry would write if there actually was a Journey Christmas Special. It's a little sad the things Santa and his elves have to do every year.

Be Nice People! (To the tune of "Don't Stop Believin")

Just a fat old man, livin in a snowy world
He took a late sleigh ride goin everywhere
Just a country boy, born and raised in the North Pole
He took a late sleigh ride goin everywhere

An elf in a crowded room
The smell of wood and Elmer’s glue.
Making gifts for Christmas night
It goes on and on and on and on

Rudolph, Flying, up and down the boulevard
Red nose searching in the night
Be nice people, leave Santa some milk and cookies
He’s coming, somewhere in the night

Working hard to bring us joy,
Everybody wants a toy
Makin things for those who are nice,
One more time
Some are bad, some are good
He knows which one are you
Oh, the night never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

(chorus)

Dont stop believin
Hold on to the feelin
Sleep tight people

Ramblings (Pre-Chri-er I Mean Holiday Edition)

Only 3 days left till break!

This weekend was a rather pleasant weekend even though my head felt like it was a double stuff.

Saturday was two shot event. The early afternoon was spent at the Haynes, who are perhaps the nicest people on the planet. Bobby and I got to chat and drink root beer and hot cider while co-workers Jen and Megan decorated Christmas cookies with the Haynes' cousin Chelsea. Apparently my provision of the Holiday music was enough for me to reap the benefits of eating the "broken" cookies. How's that for getting in the festive mood? Christmas cookies, hot cider, music, and friends. The temperature even got kind of chilly for LA.

The night time was spent karaoking at co-worker Tamara's birthday party. This was my first time in one of those rented karaoke rooms. Actually, this was my first time on the mic in LA. A couple thoughts: I know karaoke is much more popular within the Asian population, but do we need three pages of Jap-pop to every US popular song? I was slightly disappointed and confused by their selection. I'll admit I was tempted but there is no reason for me to have the option of six Stryper songs. Six! Yet, none of them were "To Hell With The Devil." I would like to take a little bit of credit for getting a few more people involved. At first it was only Tamara, Ildy, and her husband Tim singing. Tamara is really good singer so it's difficult to follow her act. I know I tried to avoid it. Ildy's really good too, and Tim has the charm to pull off anything. But not till I croaked my way through a song did others feel more confident to join. See, my suckiness can be an encouragement. For those that missed the event, you missed me belting out "Sweet Caroline," "Copacabana," and "Centerfold." Did I mention I did this all with a head inflated by a head cold?

Sunday morning I went to church. To my surprise they were recognizing the Lord's Supper for the second time this month. Usually, it's the first Sunday of every month, but I guess for Christmas they recognize it twice. That's fine with me, except that I'm fairly uncomfortable with my church's process. They have everyone pull from a loaf and then dunk it in wine. That means I'm taking a bite from something thirty people have probably already grabbed. Does nobody else have a problem with this? Can't I recognize the Lord's Supper in sanitary ways? Fortunately, I was on the tail end of my cold cycle which always leads me to feeling a little bit invincible. Usually, I fear all germs but for a good two to three days I fear nothing!

I returned home to see my Tottenham Hotspurs earn their first away win against Manchester City. After a rough start to the season, Spurs have really turned it on recently. They have yet to lose in UEFA Cup and have won four of their last five in the Premiership. I'll admit I still hardly know anything about the league, but I'm learning. I'm also excited about the next five months of Spurs football. COYS!

I've realized what I need for me to really like a show. There needs to be moments where I say "Oh shit!" about every three or four episodes. I realized this watching the last episode of Dexter. There's nothing like watching a show about the life of a vigilante serial killer. It's a solid show. There's good acting, above average writing, and it's shot well. But, there were maybe two moments during it's short season that really grabbed me. Which is surprising because it's a show about a vigilante serial killer on Showtime. Most of the twists just felt lackluster or obvious. Actually, I just think shows like The Shield, 24, Lost, and Heroes has ruined it for me. Will I give it another chance? Sure. I'm still intrigued to see where they take it now.

No it's time to survive the next three days of work. We have to have a first draft of an episode by Wed. and I'm not sure we even have a story fully broke yet. Whoo Hoo!

The Pimp of Research

That hat on my head is the Secret Santa gift I received today. I don't know if this says more about me or the person who gave it to me. Time to go hang on the corner with my cup, cane, and ho's.

I Almost Had The Perfect Year!

After a whole year of not getting sick, it finally happened. I battled numerous viruses as they flew around the office this year. I dodged colds, flu's, and even a case of bronchitis. I laughed at those who got their flu vaccines and still got sick. I was all set to have a nice full year without illness. I was only three weeks away! Then I started feeling that scratch in the throat yesterday evening. Now I'm sick. It's not going to be the one day flu or anything. This is going to be one of those drawn out colds that last for weeks. I blame it all on the CSI: Miami Christmas party. I blame our PA Jen as well. She was the one that was sick first. It's totally Jen's fault. Three weeks! It's like blowing a no-hitter in the bottom of the ninth. Now I'm all rattled and will probably lose the game.

Screw it. I'm Seeing It.

Look, is it probably going to suck? Yes. Does anyone think this movie will actually be any good? At least it can't be worse than the fifth movie. Can it? At first I thought there's no way in hell I'm going to see that obvious attempt to cash in on nostalgia. I was adamant. Then I saw a trailer. Still wasn't completely sold till...that music kicked in. The music won me over that I kind of got excited. My mind began to completely ignore the bad dialogue, and the preposterousness of it all. I felt like a little kid again all because of the music. Now, I'm kind of excited about the whole movie. It's Rocky dammit! So sign me up. I'm seeing it. It's funny what a little overture can do to change my mind.

Christmas Kills the Skeptic...for now.

Co-worker, neighbor, friend, Megan invited me awhile ago to her church's "Journey to Bethlehem" event Sunday night. She tried to sell it with the fact that they have live animals like camels and donkeys...that you can pet! Any time live animals and Christmas are mentioned in the same sentence, I get flashbacks to my Senior year of high school where I played a shepherd in our church's Christmas pageant. This was one those big megachurch deals where they had it at the downtown convention center. The kind where two thousand people show up every weekend night for three weekends. There were live animals in that one too. I was in charge of wrangling a sheep up during the manger scene. This was fine except getting to the stage meant walking across a narrow platform over the orchestra pit. Ever night I was certain the sheep would revolt and take a nose dive into the tuba section. That never happened, but one night the sheep started gnawing on the straw in the manger with the baby Jesus. The headline: "Sheep eats Baby Jesus: Christmas Pageant Ruined" flashed through my mind while I tried to pull the sheep away.

Anyway, Sunday came and I figured it would be a nice thing to go. I was feeling a little guilty about Saturday night. So, I show up and the hardcore skeptic in me was waiting to rear his head. The Christmas spirit though never gave the skeptic a chance.

For Journey to Bethlehem, the church turned their parking lot into a recreation of the town of Bethlehem. There were over fifty people playing the town folk. There were centurions, Joseph walking around with Mary on her mule, the three wise men, dancers, and other town folk. There were shops where you would use shekels that were passed out to pay for food, flowers, and necklaces. Oh, and there were animals that you could pet.

Now the actors had to stay in character. The talked with their thees, thys, and thous as they talked with you about where I'm from and other chit chat. I will admit it got a little silly when they would be amazed and frightened at cameras and cell phones. The big highlight occurred about every half hour when the Angel of the Lord would appear. The sound of thunder would play over speakers. The actors would all act frightened. The centurions would raise their spears and protect the effeminate governor. Then up on the roof of one of the buildings the angel would rise on some contraption with the whole smoke and everything. He'd say his speech and then lower among a handful of other angels. When the angels would disappear with a the rising clouds, the town folk would all act excited and talk among themselves about the "good news."

I hung around with Megan, her husband Eric, and her grandparents. They left and I hung around for a couple more angel appearances while I ate baklava, fruit, and some cracker thing. I would normally be tearing something like this apart. But it was free, the production was pretty impressive and the children there were clearly having a great time. I even gave in and petted a few animals. For that night the skeptic was dead.

Oh and former super model Rachel Hunter was there in Bethlehem. Weird.

What The Hell?

For the past month I've been expanding my music collection to include more girl group's from the 60's. It started with getting the Phil Spector Anthology, "Back to Mono." I loaded up the album's on iTunes and hit play. I began straightening the apartment and doing some cleaning. Songs like "To Know Him is To Love Him," "There's No Other Like My Baby," "Uptown," and "He's Sure the Boy I Love" played. Mid-dusting a song I'd never heard came on. It was definitely a sad song, but it was something about it felt like a kiss. Then I listened more intently to the lyrics. These are the lyrics:

HE HIT ME (IT FELT LIKE A KISS)
(Gerry Goffin / Carole King)
The Crystals


He hit me
And it felt like a kiss.
He hit me
But it didn't hurt me.

He couldn't stand to hear me say
That I'd been with someone new,
And when I told him I had been untrue

He hit me
And it felt like a kiss.
He hit me
And I knew he loved me.

If he didn't care for me
I could have never made him mad
But he hit me,
And I was glad.

(instrumental break)

Yes, he hit me
And it felt like a kiss.
He hit me
And I knew I loved him.
And then he took me in his arms
With all the tenderness there is,
And when he kissed me,
He made me his.

Now listen to it.

What the hell, Carole King? With the dirge like music and the emotionless singing of the chorus results in a really creepy song. This lead to me researching to find the reason behind the song. I found this in Wikipedia.

Ramblings

Let me explain a little bit about the TV writing business. I'm sure you all know that writers get paid for their script, and when it reruns. Did you know that when you create a character you get a small chunk of change every time that character appears in an episode? Yeah. Take for example a Mr. Black, who wrote exactly one awful episode during season one, and was then fired. In that episode he created the Frank Tripp character in our show. The Frank Tripp character has now become a series regular. So even though he was involved for a brief moment he is making money in nearly every episode. It's not a lot of money, but still...

Why do I not feel that nervous over the fact that Ohio State has to face Florida for the BCS championship? I hope I'm not jinxing us, but I'd be much more concerned playing Michigan again or USC. Wow, I hope the Ohio State players aren't thinking the same thing. It could turn out being a reverse of Ohio State vs. Miami. Let's forget I said anything. Moving on...

The Black Crowes album "The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion." Overrated, underrated, or why even rate? I don't think Eddie Money gets enough late credit as an artist of the 70's and 80's. Why must Boston, Journey, or REO get all the retro hate/love?

With a lot of research I've calculated what I would need to build the home theater set-up for my apartment. The total has come to only $3,125. That includes a 37" HDTV, hdmi switching amp, 7.1 speakers, and an HD tivo. That's completely reasonable. Who wants to donate?

Meet Greg Oden. He's why the Buckeyes could possibly when a championship in football and basketball. He's also why six to seven NBA teams will try to tank their last half of the season. Clearly, some teams are trying to get an early jump to their losing this season.

Am I the only one that can't resist pantomiming playing a trumpet during the chorus of Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline?" I know I'm not the only one. It's impossible not to do it. You know you can't resist. "Hands touching hands reaching out. Touching me! Touching you! Sweet Caroline!" Bomp Bomp Bah! See. I told you. It's irresistible.

Studio 60 might have saved itself tonight from my own personal chopping block. I really enjoyed it. Maybe this is finally the episode where they turn it around. Heroes tough once again ruled tonight. I'll feel sorry for those that either didn't get a jump on this when it began, or left after the first two rough episodes. Hiro: "I need to find that sword." It's geektastic.

With us just getting our toes wet in December, it's almost that time again kids. Yes, that means we are coming up on the 2006 version of Snobfest. For those who have come late to this blog, Snobfest is when the world finally learns what they should've been listening to, watching, or reading during the past year. Who could be that arrogant to think they could tell people such thing? Me, of course. I would like to say that this will happen before Christmas break, but who am I kidding. We are probably a month away. But that's a month head start I'm giving you to prepare. Here's Snobfest 2005.

Perfected

Returning home from my Thanksgiving weekend I borrowed one of my father's photo albums, so I could scan them all in. Also, I'm going to replace the album they are in as a Christmas present for him. The pages are so yellowed it could pass for brown. Flipping through the album I came across this photo. It's nice to see that at such a young age I had perfected my "You're a moron" look.

Congratulations Anne Marie!

At 1:54 pm today, Anne Marie was the 9,000 hit on Throwaways! So, what does Anne Marie win? A cardboard cookie and a winky button of course.