Man Child!

Yesterday I became the proud father of a son. Hopefully, I'll avoid turning him into a complete meathead. Often, parents purchase a newspaper to show a child what was happening in the world when they were born. My son has the distinction of his paper closing after more than 150 years of publication on the day of his birth! I used to throw the Rocky Mountain News as a kid and love the death / birth overtones.

I often hear boys are easier, and thus far its held true. Like any good male, he showed up to eat and sleep and is proficient at both. Perhaps this is becuase the kids and I have been reading a bunch of Garfiled during the pregnancy.

As if the day were not sweet enough, the cub and I were treated to a rare victory of the Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers. His first sports game ever, and I didn't yell and freak him out either. Perfect day.

Sad

For some reason, the Nuggets have an affinity for getting blown out by elite Eastern Conference foes at home. Especially when I show up to the game. My first outing was to see King James and he killed us 105-88. We were down by nearly 20 the entire game and it was never in question. Then, a Dallas game that was thrilling. I suppose it was a gift from the basketball gods for my daughter's first NBA game, coming down to the last second in a 99-97 win. Tonight I witnessed another complete show of ineptitude. Boston came in without KG and annihilated us 114-76. Toward the end I was practically cheering for a 40-point loss. To top it off, 1/5 of the crowd were Celtic fans who thoroughly enjoyed the game. A friend of mine nearly saw a couple's death match as passions ran high during the game. That was the highlight. Sad.

In three games I've seen a total score of 316 - 263, resulting in a 53 point loss total. Its like the Broncos and the Chargers all over gain. Hit me... OUCH! ... AGAIN! ... can't feel anything [sigh]. I am a homer, but this went beyond the pain of loosing to sheer apathy for me. Perhaps I'll stay at home until my team gets some heart and decides to stop taking the night off when people drop good coin to see them play. How sad.

25 Songs

Another challenge completed that I'll post on here for posterity. It is 25 songs at random on my Windows Media Player on my work computer, so I didn't have all of my stuff, but here it goes:

1.NFL Films – Power and the Glory
2.Han Solo Returns – Return of the Jedi Soundtrack
3.Best of My Love – Eagles Greatest Hits 1
4.Eine Kleine Nachtmusic – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
5.Country Road – James Taylor
6.Never Let You Go – Third Eye Blind
7.Vogue – Madonna
8.California Dreamin – The Mammas & The Pappas
9.Rich Girl – Gwen Stefani
10.My Sharona – The Knack
11.The Map Room – Raiders of the Lost Ark Soundtrack
12.Whip It – Devo
13.A Whole New World – Some Piano Guy covering the song
14.Hallelujah Chorus – Handel
15.You Learn – Alanis Morissette
16.You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You – Dean Martin
17.Witness – Sarah McLachlan
18.New Year’s Day – U2
19.Bad Cops – Simpsons cover of the theme song to the ol reality show
20.Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
21.Suburbia – Pet Shop Boys
22.Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
23.Song for my Father – Horace Silver
24.Are You That Somebody? – Aaliyah
25.Get Back – The Beatles

Good Times. I was thrilled to see Power and the Glory come out on top. Not sure I can divine any meaning from this list. I once took one of those hokey email personality tests that told me "Turbo Lover" from Judas Priest is the themesong of my life. I'm a bit dissapointed random selection kept it off the list... I guess I'm no longer a Turbo Lover.

India & the DAM

Happy Valentines Day. Friday the 13th was memorable, I had my black cat stalking me all day, but no damage done. Last night I was treated to two unconventional but fantastic experiences. I'm talking about some crazy good Indian food and modern art.

India's Castle - For the 2.1 people that read my blog in Colorado, if you have not been to this place, get out there. Ever since I left Provo and the Bombay House, I've been looking for a comparable Indian restaurant and have actually found something better. The Boss and I dined on Chicken Ticca Masala and Chicken Ticca Bhoona served with rice and garlic Naan bread. I was in heaven. Smoothest Masala I've ever tasted, the Bhoona had a wonderful tang and the peppers were excellent. They offer a complimentary Indian rice pudding (small portion) at the end of the meal as well.

Most of the dishes are $11 to $15 but are well worth it and could easily be shared for two people. If you've never tried Indian, this is the place to do it. The atmosphere is warm and our server was very helpful with the menu. I probably could have done without the "gratis" belly-dancing. Nothing against the performer, but I just don't do well with finger cymbals and undulating navels in my grill while I'm savoring some good food.

http://www.indiascastle.com/.

The DAM (Denver Art Museum) - Considering its unique architectural design and enjoyable collection, I'd guess this may be one of the most underrated museums in the country.

My younger brother got me into modern art, which I know many people hate, but I love the abnormal so I had a great time. The DAM also has a wide variety of art from most periods and styles, but I didn't get far beyond the modern stuff. I'll have most of you know, its not just kids paintings with some unknown meaning. Most of what I enjoy are the odd sculptures, themed exhibits and multi-media presentations. I won't ruin it for you by describing the art, it needs to be experienced and for $10/person, it is well worthwhile. I will say that Linda disturbed me, but then I realized my feelings were more about my insecurities projected onto the work rather than the piece itself. The following photo is of the interior of the building which has LED pannels everywhere telling the story of local Denverites.


Getting immersed in art reminds me of the beauty and variety the world has to offer that gets lost in the daily grind. Like most modern art, several items are raw or disturbing (nothing pornographic), but serve to make us think about difficult aspects of life. Overall, I highly recommend this, but probably not for the kids.

http://www.denverartmuseum.org/home

Sit Down

I've had strong feelings about the right time to quit for sometime and keep forgetting to put this list down. There are some people that just don't know when to be done and save their legacy.

Here's how my list will be executed. There is $12.4 Billion in funding from Barry's stimulus package for a "Concern for Career Control Panel" in Los Angeles, otherwise known as the C.C.C.P. Naturally the folks in Hollywood will march right into it. Here are the first targets they'll pursue with the unassailable might of their money (in order from least to wost):

• Brett Farve - I've mentioned him before on this site. Man-Crush drives me nuts. He should have quit after the first retirement announcement. $50 says the current retirement announcement doesn't stick.


• Ozzy Osborne - Don't you feel bad for this guy? He mumbles around like a crazed idiot whenever I see him on TV. He recently cancelled his 2009 Ozzfest to make a new album. Heavy Metal is a young man's genre. At 61, you are done making metal. Sit down Ozzy, enjoy the spoils and quit ruining your "Total, Metal" legacy.


• Verne Troyer - Best known as "Mini-me" needs to quit or wait for the next Willow sequel to happen. Yes, I somehow finished the Love Guru and this guy has outlasted his usefulness. You know when a sex tape leaks out about you, and its the only thing you have going, its time to quit.


• Maddona - Her ex-husband said it best: "You look like a grandma up there with your back-up dancers" Don't preach, you're in trouble deep. There's no greater power than the power of... Goodbye.


• Sly Stallone - I've railed on him in the past in my Rocky Balboa post. At least that film was respectable. The resurrection of Rambo? No. The guy just looks like he's made out of plastic and those dog-gone eyebrows continue to annoy me. It was a good career. Stallone gave me some of my favorite childhood movie memories with Rocky, but his time to be an action star has passed. Its as though we are watching the Russian beat him to a pulp and Apollo's ex-trainer is yelling: "Throw the towel!!! Throw the damn towel!!!"

I welcome your additions to the list, or any honorable mentions that knew when to bow out. Have a nice day.

A-Fraud & Us

If there is one thing I hate to hear on sports talk radio, its the steroid mob. However, this go-round with A-Fraud, A-Wad, whatever you want to call him has been intriguing. Not because of the steroid issue, but because we are now focusing on the ethics of honesty, apologies, forgiveness and how our society values the truth.

Many have felt A-Rod's apology was not sincere since he had no other options. In a matter of 48 hours since the story broke, he was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Sad thing is, most of us expected him to be guilty. We assume our stars and people in power are corrupt. So why should A-Rod risk defying the mob/congress and perjure himself? Things aren't going well for Bonds and Clemens. At least A-Rod decided to apologize and not waste any more tax payer time and money.

But who are we to blame him for not apologizing sooner? How many of us broke something in the house as a kid, swept it under the rug/stairs and hoped we'd never get caught? It happens all the time in our private an professional lives. We generally don't own up to mistakes and falsehoods unless we have to. Often, we assume that to do such a thing is stupid or unnecessary. A-Rod is no different. I find it very hypocritical that people are busting his chops over this.

I accept his apology and find it to be sincere. However, I'm sure its not the whole truth and its difficult to trust that he has been clean since 2003. So what? I think we'll be upset for a year, then it will gradually blow over. Look at Kobe, his scandal is a few years past and people hardly act like it happened. Phelps will sell Wheaties and Speedos once again when his sport becomes relevant in 4 years. I suppose its good to be an athlete where your mistakes can usually be forgiven, so long as you perform. Perhaps that's why our Senators and Congressmen go down in the flames of scandal so quickly... none of them produce results we care about. Perhaps that's why its so hard to take down a corporate executive, because they have a close-knit group of people/golf-friends that think they did great things for them.

Hide the truth from me so long as you are making my life better. Ignorance is bliss.

Personally, A-Rod does nothing for me and I'd bet 98.7% of the population. So why forgive him? For me, it is a Christian imperative or simply: the right thing to do. Whatever our reasons, we should forgive, the same way we would want to be forgiven. It doesn't mean we have to like the guy or celebrate his records, but perhaps we'll all be better off by forgiving and moving on, rather than dwelling on how much we hate him.

Why Speed Racer Bombed

I was recently invited to view Speed Racer by a fellow blogger who loved it. I was under the impression the movie was a terrible failure. Why? It scored a 36% on the Rotten Tomatoes meter (compiles hundreds of critics reviews), where good films usually score above 75%. Basically, 36% on this scale is an F---- and no, that's not a swear word. Box Office Mojo reports a production budget of $120M and the total wold-wide gross was $98M. That doesn't include likely marketing costs of $30, which would wipe out any pitiful DVD sales, making this a $30 to $50M mistake.



Was this movie that bad? No. This flick was misguided on its target audience. The W-Bros shot for a PG rated, kid friendly film, but tried to throw in serious messages about death, and devilish corporations, a cocktail that is sure to cause a hang-over for a 10-year old. Another major problem, this movie had Jar-Jar Binks syndrome with the kid and his chimp (Major Death Knell).

The answers to making this film gross near $200M are simple.

• Keep the action, the pacing, the beautiful and vivid cinematography, even the fighting cars. Suspending reality is not the problem.
• Less CGI would be helpful - it would loose the Jar-Jar/Starwars "nothing is real" feel
  
• Get rid of the kid and his monkey or make them very minor characters
  
• Drop 20 F-bombs and 10 S-bombs to make plenty of "tough guy" racing talk
• Throw in two totally unnecessary nude scenes and a gratuitous sex scene
• Embrace the Mortal Kombat factor: show genuine blood and violence
• Give us death: make several drivers die per race, none of this saved by foam egg stuff
• Have Speed sign a contract to race for Team Obama and "Change" - we love that word.
  

You guessed it! I'm saying any movie can be saved by a bunch of sex and violence. Go team Satan! The W-Bros should have embraced the corporate demonized ideology they rail on. Here are some typical corporate strategies to market a movie:

• Swear words make most of us feel grown up, real, respected and intelligent.
• How many guys have sat through excruciatingly boring films if they thought there was a slight chance of some nudity?
• Death always makes things more entertaining. 300 got this right.
• Buckets of blood make people happy. Once again, 300 got this right.
• Railing on corporations is much more accepted in R-rated films (Wall-e being the exception). IE - Fast Food Nation, Fight Club, Erin Brockovich, Any Given Sunday, Boiler Room, to name a few

So, if you don't want to see a bunch of sex and brutal violence, can get past Jar-Jar and enjoy tons of CGI action, this movie is for you and possibly your kids.

P.S. - Perhaps they should have just made this a really cool video game and scraped the movie.
P.P.S - Death Race stunk too and it apparently had all of my R-rated recommendations. Perhaps nothing could save this movie. Maybe Americans just hate Japanese Anime adaptation. Look out Dragon Ball Z!

P.P.P.S - I adored the pancake scene: "Pancakes are love."

Too Much Family Time

Loved this clip about a head coach getting his priorities straight.

25 Random Things

I just busted my hump for this elsewhere, so I may as well get some extra mileage out of it:

1. At the age of 3, I climbed the organ pipes at church while my mother was speaking. Dad was asleep. I made up about 9-feet before I was pulled to saftey for a beating.
2. My favorite color is blue... No! Yelllooooooooo
3. I had braces - on my teeth.
4. I can take amazing pictures of myself while driving thanks to my mad skillz as an appraisaler. 5. I have an innie not an outie belly button.
6. Often I go through food fetishes: once I ate nothing but racoon meat hot-dogs with hot sauce, immitation cheese and tortillas during dinner for a month.
7. I can't play any instruments, being the one child my mother could not teach the piano.
8. I sang choir in HS so I could play football, and now I sing (not well) for enjoyment.
9. I've created a small collection of techno music I made in college - a roomate described it as "The music they play in hell."
10. I'm known in some circles as "Negative Nancy" and "Positive Peter."
11. I prefert to ski rather than snowboard.
12. I've given up on music, generally favoring sport and ultra-conservative talk radio.
13. Running from and killing the Predator and Darth Vader are recurring dreams that have plauged me over the years.
14. I'm a huge fan of Christmas and try to over-do it every year, Griswold style.
15. My kids crack me up all the time. Best comic relief a man can get at the end of the day.
16. I have one of the ugliest basketball styles in the history of mankind.
17. I was a state champion in football, but didn't get a ring because I was too cheap.
18. I've lived in CO, MA, CA and NV.
19. Left my wife on Valenties day to interview with Sears in Chicago during college. Accidentally slept in the next morning. It wasn't meant to be.
20. If I don't talk while I'm eating, it means I'm enjoying my food. If you made it, take that as the highest compliment I can bestow.
21. I fight for every last scrap of cold cereal due to extreeme childhood deprivation.
22. Love 80s hair metal.
23. I am a minor-leauge audio/visualphile. Give me loud, exploding movies. Just ask my wife, I get obsessed. I'll set up your system for fun.
24. I've been nearly arrested for a drive-by shooting and potentially holding up a strip-center with a plastic uzi. Both cases earned me guns pointed up my nose.
25. Despite what everyone says, I like fruit. Just not Pears, Peeches, etc. You know, the mushie stuff. I also despise dried fruit. Its for elves and fairies. Fresh Pineapple, Bananas, Grapes and Apples are my staples in this food category.

Monday Morning Quarterback

Much like everything going on these days, our hopes have been crushed. In a painful way. Am I that much of a Cardinals fan? No. But it would have been nice to see the Cinderella team of the NFL, the flagship of American hope in a dark time sail into the sunset. Instead Darth Vader's minions set it on fire after a game that equated to a bag over the head/stomach punch for the Cardinals.

I'm convinced Darth has given Big-Ben a force field generator. How else could that guy have so many people around him all the time and not get sacked? James Harrison's (#92, the guy that ran back the interception) agent must have been doing cartwheels when his client made that huge play, then was ripping his hair out after the cameras got a first hand look at him beating that Cardinals blocker like the girlfriend he assaulted back in May 2008. (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3284544) I bet she was watching that going, "That right! that's what it was like every day!!!" ESPN is calling the Steelers "America's Team," I find that only to be true in the sense that they have become America's most hated team, behind the Patriots of course (I love the irony in that).

To be fair, the Steelers are the better team, controlled most of the game, played very tough and their fans deserve it much more than the ultimate band-wagon fans in AZ. I still think had the Cards won, consumer confidence would have climbed 1 point. (Don't ask me for my algorithm I used to make that calculation).

Fixing Overtime

During a long road-trip this week I had an epiphany while listening to endless coverage of the upcoming Superbowl. The topic was NFL overtime, some love it, others hate it. I'm make it clear right now that I'm a hater.

Why should any athletic contest be decided by a coin toss? Of course the defense has a chance to stop the offense, but let's face it, the game is geared for offense, most of the penalties favor offense and teams don't even need to score a touchdown. All it takes is a few first downs, a kick, and its over.

Boo.

For instance. Earlier this year the Chargers may have beaten the Colts regardless of the overtime format, but the refs handed them three very questionable calls that kept their drive alive until they scored. No chance for the venerable Peyton Manning to create some drama and answer back. That would be too interesting. Just cut to commercial, pay your taxes and shut your mouth. NFL overtime stinks.

I have not come to just whine today, I have a solution. Let's put the "foot" back in football. Let's get the equal opportunity of college football back into overtime. Give me a shoot-out. I say we can have it all. Here is my ideal overtime format:

• First overtime, college format but from the 40, not the 25.
• Second overtime, if the first ends in a tie, we move on to the shoot-out. Each kicker gets a try with an opposing blocking unit from the 45. If they tie, keep moving it back 5 yards to a 55 yard field goal.
• If both teams survive that, we repeat the process. Until a winner is PROVEN.

This allows the NFL to remain unique from the college game, and will create tremendous drama for America's #1 sport, making it even better than before. Think of the pressure upon scoring a touchdown and deciding whether or not to go for 2 in an NFL game. The nerve-racking anxiety of multiple field goals, Can you feel it? - Just do it!! I'm lovin it!!

If you disagree, I hope you enjoy your Vegas CRAP-shoot games where the refs significantly control the outcome. For all those with the competitive flame burning bright in their souls, who dream of a better tomorrow and the dawning of a new era... join me. Change is what we need, not overtime as usual. We can change the system. We will change the system and the future has never looked brighter. YES WE CAN!!

Hot Razzies

Today I have to rip on a movie I just watched under the guise of scoring "wife points." Then, I discuss a recent and potentially dangerous obsession. First up, the Grecco-britan musical, Mama Mia.

During my stint in Las Vegas, Mama Mia looked like one of the few things on the Strip I could go for. But I couldn't seem to stomach the idea of paying $200 to watch a play. So I took the $1 option at Red Box. Now we're saving money!! Unfortunately, that was the best part of it. Basically this movie seemed miscast and horribly sung (for the most part). I know several musically discerning people that may read this, and if you loved it, I have no more respect for you. The problem boils down to Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. Both are wonderful actors that I've enjoyed over the years, but neither of them should be leads in a musical. It was awkward and painful every time 007 opened his mouth to sing.

Here is the worst part. This movie brought to mind "Waiting for Guffman," (a Christopher Guest flick - Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap) one of the greatest mockumentaries of all time. For those of you unfamiliar with Guffman, its about a play put on by some local-yokals in a small town in Missouri, led by a flaming, yet in-the-closet director. The cast thinks they are awesome and have a shot at going to Broadway. Of course they are terrible. Here is a sample.

To put it bluntly, these guys do a better job trying to be awful than the Streep and 007. How sad. I'm sure the play is better, the ABBA songs are great, I nearly wanted to dance, but then remembered I'm white, uncoordinated and don't know the lyrics. So I sat down.

Onto my newest obsession. Hot Sauce. Years ago in Boston I decided I needed to develop some intestinal fortitude against spicy food. (You could say I was inspired by how the Dread Pirate Roberts developed immunity to Iocane powder). So I began to gradually put more and more Tabasco sauce on my nightly dish of a raccoon meat meat, fake cheese wrap. At last, I could bear the sauce, peppers were still punishing, but I could hang in there.

I gained some sanity over the years until "The Sacramento Treat" recently introduced me to Habanero sauce. This combined with my recent eating of the jalapeno bratwurst sparked my interests to push my pain threshold higher. So I got a bottle of Habanero sauce and went to work. Now my usual Tapatio is just flavor. I find myself soaking all kinds of random foods in my Habanero sauce as my wife says: WHY??? I think I might be going insane, loosing my sense of taste or I've found another way to get an Endorphin high. Read the following blog from "The original Juan" (the pun is intended) to learn more about the science of spice.

http://www.originaljuan.com/heat_gauge/

The Wii in Review

Yes, I am breaking new ground once again, by discussing a new topic. Video Games. How many hours have I wasted/loved playing them? I'd guess 1 full year of my life. On to the game reviews. I'll rank the games I've played from from least to most beloved.

10. Wii Tamagochi. A kiddie popularity contest. We got it for free. I think they make people play this game in Hell.

9. Wii Princess. Disney Princess Stuff. No one gets hurt. Bought this for the kids. Enough said.

8. Winter Sports. The game control is detestable. I played it once and vowed to never touch it again. $10 spent, that could have gone to a trip to Casa Bonita.

7. Wii Play. This is a standard for most Wiiers as it comes with a controller. Most of the games are fun, but not great. Good to play with the kids. The one exception is the Tank Battles game. That makes the whole purchase worthwhile.

6. Super Smash Bros. This the equivalent of Wrestlemania with every popular and unknown Nintendo character ever. It's a good time, but a bit limited in moves. There is a story to play through, but this game just doesn't quite hold my interest. Great for group gatherings.

5. Wii Sports. This is great fun. However, the graphics stink and it feels like a promo for game developers. The Bowling, Tennis and Baseball offer hours of enjoyment and never seem to get old. The training modules are also fun to do. However, this is not much of a work-out and once you figure out things can be done with the flick of a wrist, the "athletic" side of playing video games goes out the window.

4. Metroid Prime 3 - Corruption. Still haven't finished this game, probably the best Metroid game I've played in terms of graphics, etc. Still is not the classic NES or SNES versions, but a worthy sequel. This game finally got me used to rotating my upper torso and walking in a different direction (this was the reason I could never play Halo). Thanks Samus! If you enjoy first person shooter games, this is probably one of the best available on the Wii.

3. Super Mario Galaxy. Wow. This game blows my mind. The 3D nature of the game is fantastic. Its simply very entertaining to play. Be forewarned, you'll get a kink in your neck from always trying to get a better look at the screen. Some people may hate this, but I love the challenge. Nothing new in the way of story or plot, but this is just pure gaming fun that anyone can enjoy. I highly reccomend it.

2. Mario Kart Wii. Tons of levels, fun music, best interactive family game ever. Wii love it!! (Ok go throw up now). Don't bother getting the Wii Wheels to play this unless your kids beg. Totally unnecessary. My advice, unlock all of the levels playing 50cc (easiest settings) so you have more courses to choose from. If you ever feel good about yourself, go online and play other people and return to the dust of humility. This is incredible bang for the buck and we'll be playing for years to come.

1. Legend of Zelda - Twilight Princess. This is the game of my childhood - why I've lost a year of my life to VG. Obviously I'm partial to Zelda, which is probably why this is my #1, but what the heck? Its why I wanted the system in the first place. The graphics are not stellar, but better than any Zelda game yet. With Wii controlls, its now possible to swing your sword among a host of other cool, but inate functions of the game. The Temples are big and fun to discover. Great music, game control, puzzles and I really felt like I got immersed in the world of Hyrule like I never had before. I wish the first several games could be redone in this fashion. My only complaint is the enemies are too easy to defeat and many don't come back after you kill them. (Why reality on that???). One more complaint. I want more. How about a second quest?

New Year Thoughts

I've had a few things bouncing around in my brain that I'll put down for therapy today.

• New Year's is the time of setting goals and if you don't look at past performance it is hard to gauge realistic goals for the future. As I review the past I often find myself thinking "I wish I had done that better, known better, etc." Sometimes I hear the sentiment, "I have no regrets" and wonder how these people ever got to such a place and lived such a perfect life. Personally, I do have regrets, about many things and that's because I've made plenty of mistakes. Is that such a crime? It certainly fits into the negative attitude I often harbor. Despite all of that, I find some light at the end of the tunnel when I realize I don't regret anything I've learned from my mistakes. Yes, many lessons have been painful, but they have each given me a little more depth, understanding, patience and empathy. Of course it is better to not make mistakes at all, but to not learn from them would truly be a regretful thing. So my goal this year is to learn from the past, improve and have a life with no regrets.I'll spare the details in the interests of privacy and boredom.

• Shannahan gets Sacked - This was truly a shocker. Am I sad? Yes. The "Mastermind" was the best coach in franchise history and gave us the golden era of Broncos football. I can still see Terrell Davis gaining 10 yards per run in devastating fashion. But those days are over and Shannahan is an average GM at best. He refused to give up that power and lost control of his team. It is time for a change. Perhaps fans are upset because they are scared of a 3 win season. Rightfully so, but it was clear we were not going to win another championship with him as GM/head coach. If you are not playing to win, why play at all? It was a very gutty move by Bowlen. I respect it, but only time will tell if he was a genius or an idiot.

• Movie reccomendations - Ghost Town, 2 thumbs up in the sky. The Dutchess, 2 thumbs down in the manure. Its that simple on these two films.

• I stumbled across a video from Rick Astley recently. I've heard this song before and figured it was a black singer due to the deep quality of the voice. Needless to say, I was shocked to see this dude singing (youtube won't let me embed) but its the pop-up version so it will have some fun facts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HrSN7176XI&feature=related. Classic 80s cringe material. This guy has a look that screams, "Punch me in the face and steal my lunch money." According to Rick's wikipedia site, I'm not the only one who thought he was a Milli Vanilli act. "During much of his career, due to his deep bass-baritone voice, many listeners assumed he was black. In one instance, the comedic entertainer Sinbad discussed him with a talk-show host, expressing his surprise that Astley was not "one of the brothers."

Alright, I've got 2009 off to a nice random start.

Marley & "PG"

I took my family to see Marley & Me for a celebration yesterday. I should say from the outset, I enjoy dogs, but they are not for me. Constant barking, huge piles of feces, potential biting all traded for some affection and the "I have a guard dog" thing. That's just my view, I know many would disagree.

So the movie? Very enjoyable. Great humour from broke-nose Wilson and Aniston gets back some of her comedic charm from her Friends days. Marley is down-right hilarious in many moments that are very memorable and make the movie. Some of the best stuff is from Alan Arkin (Wilson's Editor). I won't give it away. Even as a non-dog person, I found much of the movie to be be funny, endearing and realistic. Gives a good taste of how tough day-to-day life can be for working parents.

But this movie has a major shortcoming that prevents it from being a "family" classic. Its not exactly kid friendly. Not so much because they put the dog to sleep at the end of the movie (we warned the kids before going), but for adult content. Yes, adult content in a PG flick. So I'm sharing some "Parental Guidance" with you. Think twice before showing to kids. Would you believe this film contains skinny dipping? And its no quick fade to black sort of thing either. Not to mention multiple scenes of Aniston and Wilson on top of each other ready to "make babies." Its not overly scandalous; if it were just me and the wife, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but with my kids, yes. Anytime I feel compelled to cover my kids eyes, I'm ticked. Plus, it ruins the ability of this film to be a cheap baby-sitter for the kids on DVD!

Overall, this is a great movie; just not for the kids, which is disappointing. You'll laugh and cry. Guys, my advice is just let the tears flow if you are with women. Huge points. Shoot, I'd cry more if I could, but I'm too cold hearted most of the time, but this dog found a way through to me.

We Don't Deserve to Win

My Beloved Broncos are playing for their playoff lives this Sunday. They have overcome tremendous adversity to even be thinking about the playoffs, but when you are in the worst division in football, anything is possible.

In order to pull this off, we'll have to beat San Diego (my ESFIL's team) at their house. Our recent history against the Chargers is not good. Since 2006, we are 1-4, with a combined point total of 185-92. That's some serious beat-down losses. Phillip Rivers is a hot-head and a poor sport, but I'm sure he felt the swagger when he tauted Cutler after an embarrassing loss on Christmas Eve in 2007. The only win we have against these guys in that stretch was handed to us by the Ed "The Body" Hoculi, the ref who blew a call. Granted, we came back, made plays and they didn't to win the game, but it could easily be said we are 0-5 against the current Chargers squad. Since we stole the last game, I'd say Karma demands the Bolts win this next game. Sad but true.

But here's an even better reason. Our team is being sabotaged by our trainers. Clearly they have a personal vendetta against Pat Bowlen. Think I'm crazy? How else do you explain Selvin Young, Andre Hall, Michael Pittman, P.J. Pope, Ryan Torian, Peyton Hillis and Anthony Aldridge all going in the IR in one season? We have turned to Tatum Bell, an ex-Bronco who was recently selling cell phones at a kisok in a mall to run the ball for us. Is this a movie? And lets not forget Champ Bailey our best cornerback, and our first string linebacking core of D.J. Williams, Nate Webster and Boss Baily have all gone down at some point this season. We got so desperate that we turned to a rookie Spencer Larsen, to start BOTH WAYS, a first in Broncos history. (Incidentally, Larsen goes to church with a colleague of mine).

So what gives? Did Bowlen cut their salaries? Father an illegitimate child and offer no support? Deny the trainers full access to Shannahan's tanning bed? I don't know, but his is mutiny. During the season we are at sea and mutiny calls for death. Yes, I'm calling for the public execution of the 2008 Broncos training staff. We'll do it by firing squad in front of the capital on the 5,280 Ft above sea level step. Even if we do that, I hold out no hope for our team. We'll roll over so another pathetic 8-8 team can go to the playoffs and at least have a healthy chance of winning.

Christmas Thoughts

On this joyous day I have a few quick things to share.

1. I created some high-fructose masterpieces earlier in the month to offer as a sacrifice to the immortal being known as Santa. Although I was quite pleased with my offerings, as was Cain; I could not wait for the appointed time of death and ate my supplications before the appointed hour. Perhaps things would have gone better for Cain if he had done the same. My handiwork is below:

In the spirit of the holidays, I created a ginger-bread-esque man in homage to Quato, the mutant that hides in a man's stomach on Total Recall. I could almost hear him murmuring "OPEN YOUR MIND TO ME." Next, I created what appears to be an Angel of Death, but that's just the Ghost of Christmas Future. No big difference. Finally, I made an unconventional JOY cookie to show that even bad colors can be festive at Christmas time.

2. My 24 Hr. Fitness is closed on Dec. 24th (after 4PM) and on the 25th. Rather infuriating. Are there no heathens in this place to watch overweight people run like gerbils on treadmills during Christmas???

3. While waiting to get a video chat from my mother today, I looked up one of my favorite topics, DEATH RAYS. I found this highly reliable article on the Internet and thoroughly enjoyed it. As a fan of the Prestige and all the Tesla stuff therein, I now give it to you:
http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/tesla/esp_tesla_2b.htm

Alright. This could be the worst Christmas Post ever. I'll do something serious later. Happy Holidays!

70s Night at the Pepsi Center

A friend of mine recently hooked me up with some tickets to go see the Nuggets tangle with LeBron James at the Pepsi Center or more affectionately known by locals as "The Can." (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi_Center for hard, undeniable facts that I don't care to re-hash). Can is hardly an appropriate description for this lavish modern-day gladiatorial area. Unfortunately for me, the Nuggets had all the fire of a bunch of pixies in pink tutus. Most of the game they were down by nearly 20 as King James showed his prowess while lame 70s themed promotions occured. Groovy Baby Yeah!! Here a few quick thoughts:

1. LeBron is a FREAK OF NATURE. For some reason seeing him person and at eye-level gave me an appreciation of how tall the guy is compared to everyone else and how the dude is built like a tank. It reminded me of how Karl Malone made the other guys on the court look like girls. Melo looked like some punk kid next to him.

2. The Nugz have the best PA announcer in the world! Kyle Speller has 1.21 Gigowatts in his voice, but due to extreme apathy from our team, he could not ignite the crowd despite his best attempts. I secretly wish I had the pipes to do something like that for a living. I'd live in a stone castle with the "Bulls Warm Up" theme (on the left if you care to listen) playing over and over and me introducing my favorite athletes of all time and doing NFL Films lines "Larry Czonka played full-back like a horse ploughs a field... with a high pain threshold and great determination."

3. The Dancers. Dude. If you went to a game and had seats placed in front of these girls, you'd get cold-clocked by your girlfriend/wife. Its about 1 or 2 steps away from the ol Spearmint Rhino.

4. Games go by quickly when you are poaching a good seat. I snuck down to the first level after the first quarter and nearly wept like a child with fear. Everytime someone would pass by, I'd notice out of the corner of my eye and start forming plans to explain myself. One might say I have authority and punishment issues, but it sure made a horrific game go fast.

5. The parking was awesome. And that's all I'm gonna say, because I don't want anyone else using it.

6. Handle the hot stuff. Thanks to my sneaky seat maneuver, I had to hold the fort and was unable to score any grub at half-time. However, a jalapeno bratwurst was presented to me before the start of the third quarter. It looked like hell on a German Sausage. There must have been 10-15 small peppers on there. I dared to nibble a few and found that the bun actually helped significantly with the heat. Perhaps I'll start taking some Costco rolls with me when I dine Mexican in the future.

Feats of Strength

Wow. Strongman competitions have come a LONG way since the days of Tony Atlas and Ken Patera. Horrible trash talking, classic sports announcers (one who does nothing), bad socks, side burns and a ridiculous event. I now have a new contest for the next bachelor party I attend. Needless to say, the 70s may be the most awkward decade of the last century. Hope you enjoy it!!

Stolen Memories

This is part of an email from the past where I described my car being stolen from our driveway. I'm posting it here for those who may have never heard the story.

Prolouge - It all started one fine morning as I marched out the door to hop into my Honda Civic and battle my way to work. The only problem was that my car was not in the driveway. I marched back into the house thinking Julie was playing a practical joke on me. Her family loves stuff like that. Of course she denied it and we laughed. I accused her again, another denial and we laughed. Finally, I said "Seriously. I have to get to work. Where is the car?" No laughing. We searched the street and it was gone. I called the cops and they had the gaul to tell me they would likely find it within a week. Riiiight. But to my shock and astonishment, we got a call about a week or so later from the police department saying they had found my car. Here is my reaction:

Justice has been served. [THUD] Around 11:00 AM the cops called Julie to tell them they found our car and had 2 suspects in custody. The thieves had stolen 3 civics and left them in a parking lot (covered at least) in an older apartment complex. I went to claim the vehicle and assess the damages. My plates and registration were gone, AND THEY EVEN TOOK THE FLIPPIN NUGGETS LICENSE PLATE COVER!! WHO ARE THESE SICK PEOPLE??? All of my CDs were there, (what? they didn't want Jesus the Christ and 2 sessions of General Conference? What about my lame techno music? They didn't even want that. -- that may be the most insulting thing in this whole fiasco). Overall, the "perps" got to joy ride in my car, kill my ignition, steal my front right signal and go to jail (hopefully). But look at what I got when the car was reclaimed!

1. Set of hardwood nunchucks

2. Empty container of strawberry milk

3. Green crowbar

4. The coat hanger used to break into my car

5. One black glove

6. Cigarette buttock (and they gave me a new lighter - oh joy)

7. Tan jacket

8. A black bra

9. A pirated CD entitled: "Good Sh** -- Kyle's Mix" (full of Ozzy, AC/DC, Metallica -- you were right Mom. Naughty people do listen to that music) and finally...

10. I can now start the car with a screwdriver!!! (how cool is that?)

The healing process can now begin. It wasn't my fault. And like the chick says on "Red Eye" -- never again. [as I slam a pencil in the throat of the perps].