Thursday, March 31, 2005
The customer is always wrong
You would think that living in the good ol' U.S.A., the epitome of a capitalist society, it would be easy to find an item or service you want, offer to pay money for it and make a very simple exchange in order to acquire said item or service. You would think...but you would be wrong.
Today's example is courtesy of the folks at SBC Yahoo! As you may or may not know, SBC Yahoo! is offering a great deal where you pay $20 a month for DSL...the only catch is that you have to sign up for a year of service. No problem. Even though Huge is leaving in six months 12 months of $20 is cheaper than 6 months of $50 which is what Al was paying. So Al calls SBC to let them know that he will need to deactivate the account at the end of March since he will be moving out and also tells them that I will be taking over the account and future bills should be sent to me. Seems simple enough. Being the organized person that I am, I decide to call SBC before all of this happens to make sure the transition is smooth. Following is a rough transcript of the conversation:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you excellent service today?"
Me: "My roommate called you guys to tell you that he was leaving and I was going to be taking over the payments...is there anything I need to do beforehand?"
SBC: "There is no way for us to just change the name on the account. You have to call back on April 1st and create a new account."
Me: "Okay."
[click]
No big deal. I write myself a reminder to call them on April 1st. Easy enough. Fast forward to March 30th where Huge and I have the following IM convo:
EP: "Yo."
Me: "Sup."
EP: "Do we still have DSL?"
Me: "I was going to ask you the same thing...I haven't been able to get online the past couple days...I thought maybe there was something wrong with the router."
EP: "Can you call SBC?"
Me: "Will do."
The next SBC phone call went something like this:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I was wondering what the status of my account was?"
SBC: "Your service was discontinued as of March 28th by Al Bolin's request."
Me: [under my breath] "That lying sack of..." [to SBC] "Oh...okay."
[click]
The next day (today) I had SBC phone call #3:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I need to sign up for DSL."
SBC: "Our records show your account is pending."
Me: "What does that mean?"
SBC: "It means you have to talk to the SBC office."
Me: "Okay."
[click]
SBC phone call #4:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "My account is pending...I need to change that."
SBC: "Let me put you on hold."
....after I am put on hold for 5 minutes or so and then give them my information so that they can change the account so it is in my name, I am assured that the "pending" problem is taken care of and I should be able to call the sales department and get my DSL..
Me: "Sweet...thanks."
[click]
SBC phone call #5:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I need to sign up for DSL."
SBC: "Our records show your account is pending."
Me: "Yeah...I just talked to the SBC office folks about that and got it taken care of so it should be good now."
SBC: "Well, it takes a while for it to show up on our records."
Me: "Well, the DSL was shut off 3 days ago so it should show up by now."
SBC: [sensing the slight tinge of frustration in my voice] "Let me get my supervisor."
...on hold for a few...
SBC: "Hi, this is Erica...how can I help you."
...I should stop here and point out that Erica is, by far, the nicest sales department supervisor I have ever spoken to in a situation like this...if someone at SBC is reading this, you should give her a raise...
Me: "I just want to get DSL."
SBC: "Unfortunately, we can't sign you up until the pending status drops off your account and that won't happen until the billing cycle is over."
Me: "When will that be?"
SBC: "April 17th."
Me: "So I can't get DSL until April 17th?"
SBC: "Yep..and since we go by phone numbers instead of names, you are not eligible for the $19.95 a month offer since you are not a "new" member."
Me: [click]
The conversations that took place today spanned over the course of a full hour...that should give you an idea as to how much on-hold time and run-around back and forth type stuff went on. The thing that burns me is that I could tell from the sound of Erica's voice that it was killing her to have to tell me this. I would imagine it was kind of how doctors feel when they tell family members that a mistake made by the hospital led to the death of their loved one. Basically, there is nothing I can say that will bring your relative back...and also, it was kind of our fault...please don't hold this against us and keep coming here for your medical needs. Even worse is the fact that they have the power to bring my relative back to life but can't do it until April 17th.
So we don't have DSL for over 2 weeks. Not because we don't have a phone line or the availability or the router...but because SBC can't fix the account status. Huge...if you are reading this...I am sorry...I have failed you. Now if you will all excuse me I think I am going to find some place to have a good cry.
Today's example is courtesy of the folks at SBC Yahoo! As you may or may not know, SBC Yahoo! is offering a great deal where you pay $20 a month for DSL...the only catch is that you have to sign up for a year of service. No problem. Even though Huge is leaving in six months 12 months of $20 is cheaper than 6 months of $50 which is what Al was paying. So Al calls SBC to let them know that he will need to deactivate the account at the end of March since he will be moving out and also tells them that I will be taking over the account and future bills should be sent to me. Seems simple enough. Being the organized person that I am, I decide to call SBC before all of this happens to make sure the transition is smooth. Following is a rough transcript of the conversation:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you excellent service today?"
Me: "My roommate called you guys to tell you that he was leaving and I was going to be taking over the payments...is there anything I need to do beforehand?"
SBC: "There is no way for us to just change the name on the account. You have to call back on April 1st and create a new account."
Me: "Okay."
[click]
No big deal. I write myself a reminder to call them on April 1st. Easy enough. Fast forward to March 30th where Huge and I have the following IM convo:
EP: "Yo."
Me: "Sup."
EP: "Do we still have DSL?"
Me: "I was going to ask you the same thing...I haven't been able to get online the past couple days...I thought maybe there was something wrong with the router."
EP: "Can you call SBC?"
Me: "Will do."
The next SBC phone call went something like this:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I was wondering what the status of my account was?"
SBC: "Your service was discontinued as of March 28th by Al Bolin's request."
Me: [under my breath] "That lying sack of..." [to SBC] "Oh...okay."
[click]
The next day (today) I had SBC phone call #3:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I need to sign up for DSL."
SBC: "Our records show your account is pending."
Me: "What does that mean?"
SBC: "It means you have to talk to the SBC office."
Me: "Okay."
[click]
SBC phone call #4:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "My account is pending...I need to change that."
SBC: "Let me put you on hold."
....after I am put on hold for 5 minutes or so and then give them my information so that they can change the account so it is in my name, I am assured that the "pending" problem is taken care of and I should be able to call the sales department and get my DSL..
Me: "Sweet...thanks."
[click]
SBC phone call #5:
SBC: "Hello, how can we provide you with excellent service today?"
Me: "I need to sign up for DSL."
SBC: "Our records show your account is pending."
Me: "Yeah...I just talked to the SBC office folks about that and got it taken care of so it should be good now."
SBC: "Well, it takes a while for it to show up on our records."
Me: "Well, the DSL was shut off 3 days ago so it should show up by now."
SBC: [sensing the slight tinge of frustration in my voice] "Let me get my supervisor."
...on hold for a few...
SBC: "Hi, this is Erica...how can I help you."
...I should stop here and point out that Erica is, by far, the nicest sales department supervisor I have ever spoken to in a situation like this...if someone at SBC is reading this, you should give her a raise...
Me: "I just want to get DSL."
SBC: "Unfortunately, we can't sign you up until the pending status drops off your account and that won't happen until the billing cycle is over."
Me: "When will that be?"
SBC: "April 17th."
Me: "So I can't get DSL until April 17th?"
SBC: "Yep..and since we go by phone numbers instead of names, you are not eligible for the $19.95 a month offer since you are not a "new" member."
Me: [click]
The conversations that took place today spanned over the course of a full hour...that should give you an idea as to how much on-hold time and run-around back and forth type stuff went on. The thing that burns me is that I could tell from the sound of Erica's voice that it was killing her to have to tell me this. I would imagine it was kind of how doctors feel when they tell family members that a mistake made by the hospital led to the death of their loved one. Basically, there is nothing I can say that will bring your relative back...and also, it was kind of our fault...please don't hold this against us and keep coming here for your medical needs. Even worse is the fact that they have the power to bring my relative back to life but can't do it until April 17th.
So we don't have DSL for over 2 weeks. Not because we don't have a phone line or the availability or the router...but because SBC can't fix the account status. Huge...if you are reading this...I am sorry...I have failed you. Now if you will all excuse me I think I am going to find some place to have a good cry.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Thou shall not deliberate
Oh the irony. After reading this article, I couldn't help but wonder what God was thinking as he watched these jurors discuss whether or not Mr. Harlan should be sentenced to death. According to the article, some members of the jury "looked up such Bible verses as 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth,' copied them and discussed them while deliberating" during the 1995 trial. As a result, the Colorado Supreme Court reversed his death sentence.
It is hard to figure out where to start with what is wrong with this whole picture. Should I focus on the unfortunate misinterpretation of a Bible verse referring to arcane Hebrew laws predating Jesus Christ? Or I could turn my attention to the ridiculous notion of trying to fuse religious tenets with a secular nation's laws? Since the latter would probably take up countless paragraphs, I will stick with the whole misuse of the Bible issue.
One of the biggest tragedies in this scenario is the fact that most people will read this article and rack it up as one more example of Christians being a-holes with a double standard on the whole preciousness of life debate a la Terry Shiavo. While that may be true, I would like to take this opportunity to make a clear distinction between "Christians" and Jesus Christ, the guy whose teachings they claim to follow. I should point out that I consider myself someone who believes in Jesus and tries to do as good a job as I can at following his teachings. Needless to say, I fail miserably more often than not...but my hope and desire is to be able to say that each day of my life, I get better at it. That being said, it is becoming harder and harder to call myself a "Christian" without fear of being lumped together with others who make the same claim yet make no attempt to reconcile their beliefs with those of their supposed leader. My plea to you is that you not associate Jesus with some of the people who claim to follow him. Though most Christians mean well, or at least think they do, many of them just have no clue what they are talking about and make no attempt to remedy that particular deficiency.
The key to this particular problem is a question of context. If Bible verses are used or taken out of context, the results have been and can be disastrous. The passage at issue here (Exodus 21:24) reads:
"eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,..."
Okay. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the CNN.com article not only mentions a mere portion of the reference leaving the context out...but also manages to only include half of the verse itself. Even all of verse 24 by itself does not give anyone enough information on which to make a judgment. If you read further, it becomes clear that this arrangement fell within the context of what should be done to someone who inflicts permanent injury on another woman when she is pregnant. Looking even further into the context, one will find that this law falls under a distinct set of laws given by God to Moses for the Hebrews after they escaped from Egypt way back in ???? B.C. or B.C.E., whichever you prefer. I could go on and on, but in the interest of keeping it relatively short, the context for this law is no longer valid. We are not the Hebrew people of ???? B.C. with no ruling power or government other than God speaking out of a cloud of thunder and lightning to Moses...nor are the laws handed down at that time particularly relevant to us A.D. or C.E. folks. The very same chapter of Exodus gives instructions on how to properly sell your daughter into slavery. Do you think the jurors talked about that?
Juror #1: "Look, look...it says it right here in the Bible: 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth..."
Juror #2: "What is this stuff about selling daughters into slavery?"
Juror #1: "Don't worry about that part...it's not relevant."
Juror #2: "Oh....ok....alrighty then....well, I'm sold...this guy is toast."
The beauty of who Jesus is has to do with the fact that he died on the cross in order to forgive us for all the bad things we ever did and ever will do. The unfortunate result is that we would rather focus on some sort of zero-sum game with regards to our justice system. Jesus taught us to forgive and we just want to make everything fair. I am not saying that people should just get away with whatever they want because of this forgiveness concept. What I am saying is that if "Christians" actually spent more time understanding what it meant for Jesus to die on the cross, they wouldn't be so hard up on killing people like Mr. Harlan.
I would write more on this but I know that no one will read it if it is too long and it is already pretty long...soooo...chew on that one for a while and feel free to comment after you have swallowed. Peace, homeys.
It is hard to figure out where to start with what is wrong with this whole picture. Should I focus on the unfortunate misinterpretation of a Bible verse referring to arcane Hebrew laws predating Jesus Christ? Or I could turn my attention to the ridiculous notion of trying to fuse religious tenets with a secular nation's laws? Since the latter would probably take up countless paragraphs, I will stick with the whole misuse of the Bible issue.
One of the biggest tragedies in this scenario is the fact that most people will read this article and rack it up as one more example of Christians being a-holes with a double standard on the whole preciousness of life debate a la Terry Shiavo. While that may be true, I would like to take this opportunity to make a clear distinction between "Christians" and Jesus Christ, the guy whose teachings they claim to follow. I should point out that I consider myself someone who believes in Jesus and tries to do as good a job as I can at following his teachings. Needless to say, I fail miserably more often than not...but my hope and desire is to be able to say that each day of my life, I get better at it. That being said, it is becoming harder and harder to call myself a "Christian" without fear of being lumped together with others who make the same claim yet make no attempt to reconcile their beliefs with those of their supposed leader. My plea to you is that you not associate Jesus with some of the people who claim to follow him. Though most Christians mean well, or at least think they do, many of them just have no clue what they are talking about and make no attempt to remedy that particular deficiency.
The key to this particular problem is a question of context. If Bible verses are used or taken out of context, the results have been and can be disastrous. The passage at issue here (Exodus 21:24) reads:
"eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,..."
Okay. I would be remiss if I didn't point out that the CNN.com article not only mentions a mere portion of the reference leaving the context out...but also manages to only include half of the verse itself. Even all of verse 24 by itself does not give anyone enough information on which to make a judgment. If you read further, it becomes clear that this arrangement fell within the context of what should be done to someone who inflicts permanent injury on another woman when she is pregnant. Looking even further into the context, one will find that this law falls under a distinct set of laws given by God to Moses for the Hebrews after they escaped from Egypt way back in ???? B.C. or B.C.E., whichever you prefer. I could go on and on, but in the interest of keeping it relatively short, the context for this law is no longer valid. We are not the Hebrew people of ???? B.C. with no ruling power or government other than God speaking out of a cloud of thunder and lightning to Moses...nor are the laws handed down at that time particularly relevant to us A.D. or C.E. folks. The very same chapter of Exodus gives instructions on how to properly sell your daughter into slavery. Do you think the jurors talked about that?
Juror #1: "Look, look...it says it right here in the Bible: 'eye for eye, tooth for tooth..."
Juror #2: "What is this stuff about selling daughters into slavery?"
Juror #1: "Don't worry about that part...it's not relevant."
Juror #2: "Oh....ok....alrighty then....well, I'm sold...this guy is toast."
The beauty of who Jesus is has to do with the fact that he died on the cross in order to forgive us for all the bad things we ever did and ever will do. The unfortunate result is that we would rather focus on some sort of zero-sum game with regards to our justice system. Jesus taught us to forgive and we just want to make everything fair. I am not saying that people should just get away with whatever they want because of this forgiveness concept. What I am saying is that if "Christians" actually spent more time understanding what it meant for Jesus to die on the cross, they wouldn't be so hard up on killing people like Mr. Harlan.
I would write more on this but I know that no one will read it if it is too long and it is already pretty long...soooo...chew on that one for a while and feel free to comment after you have swallowed. Peace, homeys.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
I Heart Huckabees: A Review
I saw this movie last night with HRK and "The OC" Jeff. I pretty much laughed the whole way through it. Any movie whose first line is a nonsensical string of 8 f-bombs and s-bombs with a few mf-bombs mixed in is going to immediately rank pretty high with me. This is not to say that I find profanity intrinsically humorous...but sometimes when I hear it spoken in a certain way it makes me laugh. The movie is centered around Jason Schwartzman's character Albert Markovski and his existential quest for the meaning of life...or something like that. By the way, did you know that Jason, who made his film debut in Rushmore (one of my favorite movies) as Max Fischer, used to be in the band Phantom Planet and wrote the lyrics to their song "California" which also happens to be the theme song to the hit FOX series "The OC"? Neither did I. Anyway, Jason is great in the film as are Dustin Hoffman, Lily Tomlin, Naomi Watts (rowr), and Jude Law...although he couldn't quite pull off the American accent. However, the performance that really stood out to me was Mark Wahlberg's....yes, that's right...Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch Wahlberg. He plays Tommy Corn, a firefighter struggling with cosmic quandaries similar to Albert's...however, he seems a bit preoccupied with how the use of petroleum ties in to everything. Both characters spend most of their energy trying to figure out whether everything in life is somehow connected or if it is all meaningless and chaotic in nature requiring no personal responsibility for one's own actions. The two find what seems to be a happy medium somewhere in between. It is an interesting look at what options you are forced to consider when you take God out of the equation. Apparently, the answer involves hitting yourself hard in the face with a big rubber ball. Good times.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie...especially Dirk Diggler's performance. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8...it had a good beat and it was easy to dance to. Well done, David.
Overall, I really enjoyed the movie...especially Dirk Diggler's performance. On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 8...it had a good beat and it was easy to dance to. Well done, David.
Monday, March 28, 2005
The Bolins
Al and Cleepa were married on Saturday and are now somewhere in the Caribbean. The wedding was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, the groom was devastatingly handsome and the wedding party was...well...you can imagine. As I was vacuuming his old room and preparing to convert it into a den of debauchery, I got all nostalgic. Most people go their whole lives and only live for an extended period of time with two people or groups of people: their immediate family and their spouse and offspring. Huge and I had lived with Albert 7 years out of our 29. That is close to 25% of our lives. Neither of us gave a toast at the reception (Ken was the best man and brought at least one of the people at my table to tears with his toast)...however, I would like to use today's post as an opportunity to share some thoughts on one of the two best roommates I have ever had.
I don't have to tell you about how funny Albert can be...you have no doubt discovered it for yourself, either through reading his blog or through just knowing him personally. What you may or may not know, however, is the fact that his sense of humor is but a small fraction of what makes him so special. Albert's kindness, compassion and generosity all compliment his hilarious personality in such a way that if you don't know him well, you wish that you did and if you do know him well, you are so glad that you do. Over the past few years, I have consistently boasted to people that I am the luckiest bachelor in Los Angeles for two reasons: I pay cheaper rent than anyone in the city and I live with the funniest people I know. Though it is sad to see one of the two go (and equally sad knowing that the other one will be gone in a few months), I couldn't be happier for him. It is hard to put into words the immense sense of gratitude I feel for having had the unique opportunity of living with Al...but I wanted to at least make an attempt. So raise your glasses...or coffee mugs...or whatever...and join me in toasting to (as the new Mrs. Bolin's father so aptly put it) the luckiest woman in the world and one of the funniest guys and best roommates I know.
I don't have to tell you about how funny Albert can be...you have no doubt discovered it for yourself, either through reading his blog or through just knowing him personally. What you may or may not know, however, is the fact that his sense of humor is but a small fraction of what makes him so special. Albert's kindness, compassion and generosity all compliment his hilarious personality in such a way that if you don't know him well, you wish that you did and if you do know him well, you are so glad that you do. Over the past few years, I have consistently boasted to people that I am the luckiest bachelor in Los Angeles for two reasons: I pay cheaper rent than anyone in the city and I live with the funniest people I know. Though it is sad to see one of the two go (and equally sad knowing that the other one will be gone in a few months), I couldn't be happier for him. It is hard to put into words the immense sense of gratitude I feel for having had the unique opportunity of living with Al...but I wanted to at least make an attempt. So raise your glasses...or coffee mugs...or whatever...and join me in toasting to (as the new Mrs. Bolin's father so aptly put it) the luckiest woman in the world and one of the funniest guys and best roommates I know.
Friday, March 25, 2005
The Café con Leche Awards: Her Royal Keekness
Since I seem to be running out of ideas on what to write about, I thought I would take a page from the late night talk show host book and introduce a recurring feature to my blog so that I can have another stand-by other than my referring URL posts to fall back on when the need arises. The CCL Awards will occur whenever and wherever I choose and for whatever reason. Today's reason is because I lost a bet...but we won't get into that...[freaking Stoudamire]...and the awards are taking place in the picturesque town of Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, the home town of our honoree....and they are happening right now.
The Keekster is being honored today for no other reason other than her awesomeness. I mean, what's not to like? She has good taste in music...an excellent dancer...speaks 12 languages (including Esperanto)...has a third degree black belt in Jeet Kun Do (The Way of the Fist)...plays the steel drums...the list goes on and on. Worthy of note is her keen ability to uncover the hidden treasures buried deep in the seldom visited regions of the internet. TVgasm before KiKi was like boy bands before TRL. Her finer qualities make it relatively easy to overlook some of her more unfortunate vices such as being a Spurs fan, listening to Limp Bizkit and reading Tiger Beat. Upon meeting this exquisite island beauty, it is impossible to resist her intoxicating personality. Men have fought, beaten and killed just to be near her...and women have done far worse. Unbeknownst to many is the fact that the tragic east-west feud that ended in the untimely killings of Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, Big Poppa) and Tupac Shakur came about as a result of a jealous love triangle involving Keek and the two artists. She has also been linked to Colin Farrell, Ben Affleck, David Duchovny and Abe Vigoda.
Given that her birthday is next week and I have already showered her with enough praise to inflate her head as big as Barry Bonds', I, Sean McDonell, declare March to be "The Month of Keek"....so let it be written, so let it be done.
By the way, by request, here the source of all the fuss:
Cowboy Killah
The Keekster is being honored today for no other reason other than her awesomeness. I mean, what's not to like? She has good taste in music...an excellent dancer...speaks 12 languages (including Esperanto)...has a third degree black belt in Jeet Kun Do (The Way of the Fist)...plays the steel drums...the list goes on and on. Worthy of note is her keen ability to uncover the hidden treasures buried deep in the seldom visited regions of the internet. TVgasm before KiKi was like boy bands before TRL. Her finer qualities make it relatively easy to overlook some of her more unfortunate vices such as being a Spurs fan, listening to Limp Bizkit and reading Tiger Beat. Upon meeting this exquisite island beauty, it is impossible to resist her intoxicating personality. Men have fought, beaten and killed just to be near her...and women have done far worse. Unbeknownst to many is the fact that the tragic east-west feud that ended in the untimely killings of Christopher Wallace (a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, Big Poppa) and Tupac Shakur came about as a result of a jealous love triangle involving Keek and the two artists. She has also been linked to Colin Farrell, Ben Affleck, David Duchovny and Abe Vigoda.
Given that her birthday is next week and I have already showered her with enough praise to inflate her head as big as Barry Bonds', I, Sean McDonell, declare March to be "The Month of Keek"....so let it be written, so let it be done.
By the way, by request, here the source of all the fuss:
Cowboy Killah
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Zug rules...Cowboys suck
I really should save this link for some day when I can't think of anything to write...but after I read it, I just couldn't wait to share it. This way it will be waiting for you all as you get in to work on Friday and decide to just web surf all day instead of doing work like you do every Friday. You're not fooling anyone with the cover sheet to the TPS report up on the screen as if you were actually going to fill it out. No one puts the cover sheets on the TPS reports...NO ONE!
Also, I would like to thank one Salim Stoudamire for effectively ending any chance of me making any money in any of my pools. I suppose it serves me right for betting against the Pac-10. I knew Washington and Stanford were overrated but I guess Zona is the real thing. I think the Cats have a pretty good chance of taking out Illinois next round and maybe even Louisville in the semis...but UNC is gonna be tough to beat. Anyway...stay tuned for a lost bet post. Curse you Cowboys! CURSE YOU!!!!!
Also, I would like to thank one Salim Stoudamire for effectively ending any chance of me making any money in any of my pools. I suppose it serves me right for betting against the Pac-10. I knew Washington and Stanford were overrated but I guess Zona is the real thing. I think the Cats have a pretty good chance of taking out Illinois next round and maybe even Louisville in the semis...but UNC is gonna be tough to beat. Anyway...stay tuned for a lost bet post. Curse you Cowboys! CURSE YOU!!!!!
Hypocrisy Watch 2005: The Wildcat Affair
I was reading through Dan Froomkin's White House briefing about the non-announcement before the Bush/Martin/Fox meeting in Texas when I noticed a little five sentence reference to an incident in Arizona titled "Banned in Tucson." Apparently, one of the U of A students in line for Bush's Social Security forum who was wearing a University of Arizona Young Democrats t-shirt was singled out by a staffer who banned the student from the event and tore up his ticket which had his name printed on it. (sorry about all the prepositional phrases in that last sentence) The Washington Post linked to this article in the school paper.
This is getting ridiculous, not to mention unethical. How is there not more outrage about this?! I will tell you why. It is because this is not nearly the first time the Bush camp has done something like this. The media has become calloused to these instances of dissident muzzling. It is one thing to force Dan Rather to retire...but refusing a student access to a public forum paid for by taxpayer money based on his political preference? Are we in Eastern Europe? Did someone rewrite the Constitution while I was sleeping and not tell me about it? This administration literally makes me sick to my stomach more often than not. Where is the justice!? I want my country back!
This is getting ridiculous, not to mention unethical. How is there not more outrage about this?! I will tell you why. It is because this is not nearly the first time the Bush camp has done something like this. The media has become calloused to these instances of dissident muzzling. It is one thing to force Dan Rather to retire...but refusing a student access to a public forum paid for by taxpayer money based on his political preference? Are we in Eastern Europe? Did someone rewrite the Constitution while I was sleeping and not tell me about it? This administration literally makes me sick to my stomach more often than not. Where is the justice!? I want my country back!
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Memogate
Josh Howard, the executive producer of 60 Minutes Wednesday (the same program that was responsible for reporting on falsified documents relating to George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard service) "resigned" yesterday according to today's New York Observer front page. After reading this article, something about it just rubbed me the wrong way. When I thought about it further, I realized why I was troubled...a certain someone named Jeff Gannon...uh...I mean James Guckert. I won't go into all the details of who this guy is...but if you don't know, Wikipedia has some helpful info. So a ridiculously biased "journalist" is consistently given a media pass to the White House and proceeds to use that opportunity to feed Scott McClellan a question that describes the democrats as "divorced from reality" while Dan Rather, a veteran reporter for a legitimate news agency is forced to resign after making one mistake? My favorite quote from the NYO article is when Ari Fleischer says, "It’s human nature that if someone was unfair or biased, they wouldn’t get access to the President," in reference to the Rather affair. Apparently, the same "human nature" does not apply when the bias is towards the right, as was the case with Mr. Gannon, who claims on his web site that he is "So feared by the Left it had to take me down." I suppose there was no reason to suspect Talon News, the "news agency" which employed Gannon, of being biased when they were owned by a web site named GOPUSA. Anyone else see the inconsistency? My second favorite part of the NYO piece is when Adam Levine, a former White House secretary, uses Fox News as a barometer for journalistic integrity. This is the same Fox News that chose to put up an "Axis of Evil" graphic whenever reporting on North Korea, Iraq or Iran after Bush used the term to describe these nations in his 2002 SOTU address...the same Fox News that called Florida for Bush in 2000 after CNN and many other prominent news agencies had called it for Gore...the same Fox News that had one of Bush's cousins working on the team that made the decision whether or not to call a state for a candidate...a cousin who had multiple phone conversations with Bush on the night of the election. This is the news agency that Levine ranks at a 90 out of 100 on the integrity scale while giving CBS "about a 10"....I mean...FOX NEWS?!!! Are you kidding me?! At the risk of guaranteeing an unwanted visit from the F.B.I., I would be so bold as to call the Bush administration a bloodless version of a dictatorship where advocates of a dissenting opinion are forced to resign and/or ostracized instead of killed and Fox News an English version of Al Jazeera where favorable news coverage is consistently given to the party in power.
Anyway, I would never presume to call myself a political pundit or anything more than a opinionated writer of occasionally humorous online journal entries...however, I did speak to an actual White House correspondent today...well...not so much speak but engage in one volley of conversation. Garrett M. Graff, the first person to blog from inside the White House press briefings...well...not inside the briefings, but inside the room where the briefings are being held...oh, you know what I mean, responded to an instant message I sent him...well, either him or someone logged in as "fishbowlDC" which is the IM name he lists on his blog. He actually has some pretty impressive credentials which you can view here. That was pretty cool. Check it:
I will never wash this screen.
Anyway, I would never presume to call myself a political pundit or anything more than a opinionated writer of occasionally humorous online journal entries...however, I did speak to an actual White House correspondent today...well...not so much speak but engage in one volley of conversation. Garrett M. Graff, the first person to blog from inside the White House press briefings...well...not inside the briefings, but inside the room where the briefings are being held...oh, you know what I mean, responded to an instant message I sent him...well, either him or someone logged in as "fishbowlDC" which is the IM name he lists on his blog. He actually has some pretty impressive credentials which you can view here. That was pretty cool. Check it:
I will never wash this screen.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Spider-Man 3: The Rise of Lowell
Thomas Haden Church is set to play the villain in the next Spider-Man movie according to CNN.com. That's right...Lowell from Wings will join Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina on the list of actors who have had to the honor of battling the best super hero ever on the silver screen. (I used to collect Spider-Man comics when I was a kid so I am a little biased) Absent from director Sam Raimi's announcement was which villain Church would be playing in the film. This got me speculating. Since Spidey's inception in 1962, he has had countless memorable enemies. Check out the cover of the first issue of "The Amazing Spider-Man":
Thank God they got rid of the armpit webs.
The first two movies were true to the comic in picking some of the more prolific and prominent villains: The Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus. Should they continue along that path, there are a number of options for who Lowell might be in the next movie. My brother and I used to play this game as kids where we would pick a comic book and then figure out which actors would be the best choices to play the different characters from that comic. It was a fun little game...we would usually play it on long car rides. Now the tables are turned and I am forced to try and figure out a character based on the actor who is already set to play him. Not an easy thing to do given how many villains Peter Parker has faced over the span of his illustrious crime-fighting career. Here are some options:
• The Sandman
• Dr. Doom (although this is unlikely since he is already the villain in the new Fantastic Four movie)
• The Lizard
• The Vulture (also unlikely since the character is on the older side)
• The Scorpion
The list could go on and on...but the villain I, and probably a host of other fans, would love to see is Venom. Back in the '80s, Marvel Comics did a special series called The Secret Wars. During this series, Spider-Man was given this wicked new black costume which turned out to be an alien symbiote. The costume made it's debut in Amazing issue #252 (which I still own a copy of)...check it:
Red and blue are so played.
Long story short, Peter eventually gets rid of the costume because of its insatiable appetite for web-slinging at night while Peter was sleeping. The Fantastic Four help him contain the suit but somehow it escapes and finds a photographer named Eddie Brock who happens to be one of Peter's rivals. Brock merges with the alien to become Venom, one of Spider-Man's most feared and powerful enemies. His first full appearance comes in issue #300 which is also happens to be Todd McFarlane's (my favorite Spider-Man artist) 3rd issue.
Back in non-alien Black
Yes, this is the same Todd McFarlane that bought Mark McGwire's record shattering 70th home run ball as well as the balls leading up to that last one of the season for over $3 million which are now all worthless since Barry Bonds broke his record. They are also pretty much worthless since he was more than likely on steroids when he hit the homers, much like Bonds was when he hit his 73. By the way, it looks like Bonds is out for the 2005 season. Sweet. Hopefully, he will never come back. Go Dodgers!
Anyway, let's recap:
• I am eager to find out who this mystery villain will be...if anyone has insider information on this, please tell me.
• I hope it's Venom
• Todd McFarlane rules (not so much at investing though)
• I am a huge nerd
I leave you with the most recent "Amazing" cover art by Joe Jusko:
Issue #518
Thank God they got rid of the armpit webs.
The first two movies were true to the comic in picking some of the more prolific and prominent villains: The Green Goblin and Dr. Octopus. Should they continue along that path, there are a number of options for who Lowell might be in the next movie. My brother and I used to play this game as kids where we would pick a comic book and then figure out which actors would be the best choices to play the different characters from that comic. It was a fun little game...we would usually play it on long car rides. Now the tables are turned and I am forced to try and figure out a character based on the actor who is already set to play him. Not an easy thing to do given how many villains Peter Parker has faced over the span of his illustrious crime-fighting career. Here are some options:
• The Sandman
• Dr. Doom (although this is unlikely since he is already the villain in the new Fantastic Four movie)
• The Lizard
• The Vulture (also unlikely since the character is on the older side)
• The Scorpion
The list could go on and on...but the villain I, and probably a host of other fans, would love to see is Venom. Back in the '80s, Marvel Comics did a special series called The Secret Wars. During this series, Spider-Man was given this wicked new black costume which turned out to be an alien symbiote. The costume made it's debut in Amazing issue #252 (which I still own a copy of)...check it:
Red and blue are so played.
Long story short, Peter eventually gets rid of the costume because of its insatiable appetite for web-slinging at night while Peter was sleeping. The Fantastic Four help him contain the suit but somehow it escapes and finds a photographer named Eddie Brock who happens to be one of Peter's rivals. Brock merges with the alien to become Venom, one of Spider-Man's most feared and powerful enemies. His first full appearance comes in issue #300 which is also happens to be Todd McFarlane's (my favorite Spider-Man artist) 3rd issue.
Back in non-alien Black
Yes, this is the same Todd McFarlane that bought Mark McGwire's record shattering 70th home run ball as well as the balls leading up to that last one of the season for over $3 million which are now all worthless since Barry Bonds broke his record. They are also pretty much worthless since he was more than likely on steroids when he hit the homers, much like Bonds was when he hit his 73. By the way, it looks like Bonds is out for the 2005 season. Sweet. Hopefully, he will never come back. Go Dodgers!
Anyway, let's recap:
• I am eager to find out who this mystery villain will be...if anyone has insider information on this, please tell me.
• I hope it's Venom
• Todd McFarlane rules (not so much at investing though)
• I am a huge nerd
I leave you with the most recent "Amazing" cover art by Joe Jusko:
Issue #518
Monday, March 21, 2005
Diggin' on Swine
Last night, Minnesota Mike made up some pretty grub pork tenderloins complimented by a delicious salad and side of Cuban rice and beans. Tasty. This got me thinking...if there are pork tenderloins and there are beef tenderloins then there must be some sort of an equivalent part of the cow as there is to the pig and vice versa...right? This made me wonder why we never see things like:
• beef bacon (there is such a thing as turkey bacon...so I know this isn't just a pig thing)
• beef chops (or is this the same thing as a T-bone steak?)
• cow's feet (not so much does it exist...but why don't people eat it?)
• cow's snout (see "cow's feet")
On the other hand, what about:
• pig jerky
• ground ham
• Salisbury swine
Maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch. You tell me. I hear the pork industry is trying to get consumers to choose pork over beef when deciding what to have for dinner. I guess the whole "The Other White Meat" campaign wasn't working. Maybe because pork isn't actually white meat...and even if it was, what is the other white meat besides pork supposed to be? Chicken? What about turkey? Is that the other other white meat? So now there slogan is "Pork. It's not beef." Or something like that. Brilliant. Anyway...I think I am going to have a hamdog for dinner. It's the mystery meat wrapped in some more deep fried meat with chili on top.
• beef bacon (there is such a thing as turkey bacon...so I know this isn't just a pig thing)
• beef chops (or is this the same thing as a T-bone steak?)
• cow's feet (not so much does it exist...but why don't people eat it?)
• cow's snout (see "cow's feet")
On the other hand, what about:
• pig jerky
• ground ham
• Salisbury swine
Maybe that last one was a bit of a stretch. You tell me. I hear the pork industry is trying to get consumers to choose pork over beef when deciding what to have for dinner. I guess the whole "The Other White Meat" campaign wasn't working. Maybe because pork isn't actually white meat...and even if it was, what is the other white meat besides pork supposed to be? Chicken? What about turkey? Is that the other other white meat? So now there slogan is "Pork. It's not beef." Or something like that. Brilliant. Anyway...I think I am going to have a hamdog for dinner. It's the mystery meat wrapped in some more deep fried meat with chili on top.
Marzo Loco
Number of correct first round picks: 25
Number of incorrect first round picks: 7
Not bad.
Number of correct second round picks: 6
Number of incorrect second round picks: 10
Bad.
Number of my elite 8 teams left: 5
Number of my final four team left: 3
Very bad.
Curse you Wake Forest. CURSE YOU!!!!!!!!
Number of incorrect first round picks: 7
Not bad.
Number of correct second round picks: 6
Number of incorrect second round picks: 10
Bad.
Number of my elite 8 teams left: 5
Number of my final four team left: 3
Very bad.
Curse you Wake Forest. CURSE YOU!!!!!!!!
Friday, March 18, 2005
Speaking of good men...
This may be one of the funniest things I have seen since Save Toby. (Warning: there are an exorbitant amount of f-bombs and other such vulgarity in this link...this is more for my parents and other family members who may reprimand me for pointing them in the direction of such filth after reading this...Mom and Dad, you guys probably wouldn't understand the humor in it anyway so you might as well not bother) Unlike Bob, I have no problem just posting links to other people's stuff...because, let's face it, no one wants to hear any more about how my picks are doing in the tournament and when I am perfectly honest with myself, I have to come to grips with the fact that I ran out of stuff to say around 3 days after starting this blog.
I...don't....understand
WHAT?!!!
Ladies, ladies...there ARE good men out there. Men who are NOT sentenced to die by lethal injection. Come on, people...I mean COME ON!
Ladies, ladies...there ARE good men out there. Men who are NOT sentenced to die by lethal injection. Come on, people...I mean COME ON!
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Outshined
The Bruins are done for the year in basketball. We looked good until the last 10 minutes of the game where we just fell apart. Unfortunately, that was only one of three losses I suffered in my bracket making me 12 for 16 after the first day. Not a good way to start...but, at least I didn't lose any more sweet 16 teams. All is not lost. Looking forward to tomorrow. As Kip Dynamite would say, "Peace out."
7 for 8
The first half of the first day of March Madness is over and I have started the tournament the way I always do: 7 out of 8. I can never seem to call all of the first 8 games....then again, I didn't pick any upsets for the first 8 games either. There should be 3 tonight: Nevada, Creighton and the Bruins...even though Nevada and Creighton are only 1 point dogs...not exactly going out on a limb there. I can't believe Caesar's was giving Pitt 4 points on Pacific...had I been in Vegas, I so would have bet on that....probably would have bet on Montana to cover the spread, too...Washington is soooo going down next round...Bee-lee dat!
Always pick a 12 seed
I broke the cardinal rule of March Madness. I picked all five 5 seeds to advance to the second round...even worse I had Bama upsetting BC in the second round. Now I have already lost one of my sweet 16 teams. Curse you, Crimson Tide. CURSE YOU!!!!!!!!
Tournament games completed: 4
Number of correct picks so far: 3
Work related tasks completed: 0
My current location: Los Angeles, CA
My desired location: Las Vegas, NV
Curse you, Eman. CURSE YOU!!!!!!
Tournament games completed: 4
Number of correct picks so far: 3
Work related tasks completed: 0
My current location: Los Angeles, CA
My desired location: Las Vegas, NV
Curse you, Eman. CURSE YOU!!!!!!
Shall we dance?
Game on....oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day. If you see me on the street and you are hot and not a guy, please kiss me...I am indeed one quarter Irish.
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
"One singular sensation...."
I went to see the Oxnard Community College's production of "A Chorus Line" last night. Though Waiting for Guffman came close to convincing me to never go see any sort of regional theater, I wanted to support my cousin who played Bobby in the play. He did a good job...actually, the whole cast did a decent job considering they had a total of 21 hours of practice time under their collective belt prior to their first show.
As I watched the kids do their thing, I realized something about myself: I have trouble watching live performances that aren't exceptionally good. I actually realized this fact a few weeks ago when I went to see someone play at a coffee shop with Eliz...I guess I was just reminded of this fact last night. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I automatically try to read into what is going on for the performer(s) as they perform. Consequently, if someone is off key while singing or misses a dance step or if the audience doesn't clap loud enough or not at all I find myself cringing with anxiety and shifting in my seat. (Side Note: if my cousin is reading this, I am not referring to your performance but rather some of your fellow castmates...you were awesome...and I mean that)
Actually, now that I think of it, this phenomenon is not just limited to performances but applies to other forms of potential awkwardness. For example, if I am having a conversation with someone and they start crying about something I will often find myself tearing up as well...no matter how well or little I know them. Even worse, I will even start tearing up when someone that I am not even talking to but rather watching from afar starts crying. One time when I was watching an episode of American Chopper where Paul Sr. made this commemorative bike for the wife of some artist who had passed away and everyone was getting emotional during the presentation of the bike, I totally started choking up.
So there it is: I am a sympathetic crier. Embarrassing as that may be, I guess it could be worse. I had this friend in college who was a sympathetic puker. Whenever she saw someone throw up, she couldn't help but follow suit. How bad would that suck? I wouldn't be able to sit through an episode of Jackass or Wildboyz. I love watching Steve-O puke. Good times.
As I watched the kids do their thing, I realized something about myself: I have trouble watching live performances that aren't exceptionally good. I actually realized this fact a few weeks ago when I went to see someone play at a coffee shop with Eliz...I guess I was just reminded of this fact last night. I am pretty sure it has something to do with the fact that I automatically try to read into what is going on for the performer(s) as they perform. Consequently, if someone is off key while singing or misses a dance step or if the audience doesn't clap loud enough or not at all I find myself cringing with anxiety and shifting in my seat. (Side Note: if my cousin is reading this, I am not referring to your performance but rather some of your fellow castmates...you were awesome...and I mean that)
Actually, now that I think of it, this phenomenon is not just limited to performances but applies to other forms of potential awkwardness. For example, if I am having a conversation with someone and they start crying about something I will often find myself tearing up as well...no matter how well or little I know them. Even worse, I will even start tearing up when someone that I am not even talking to but rather watching from afar starts crying. One time when I was watching an episode of American Chopper where Paul Sr. made this commemorative bike for the wife of some artist who had passed away and everyone was getting emotional during the presentation of the bike, I totally started choking up.
So there it is: I am a sympathetic crier. Embarrassing as that may be, I guess it could be worse. I had this friend in college who was a sympathetic puker. Whenever she saw someone throw up, she couldn't help but follow suit. How bad would that suck? I wouldn't be able to sit through an episode of Jackass or Wildboyz. I love watching Steve-O puke. Good times.
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Shall I play for you?
It has always been my dream to learn to play the drums. Money was a hurdle as a child and now time and a certain level of respect for my neighbors keep the dream just out of reach. But thanks to Andrew Hill Newman, I know now that all I really need is a little help from my friends and a set of sticks. Check it. Thanks and props also to Christie.
Monday, March 14, 2005
Oso Grande, the Bruins, Discovery Channel and KAOS hockey
The 5th Annual Chinatown Youth Club Big Bear Snowboarding Retreat is in the books. This year was somewhat bittersweet since, as one of the kids aptly put it, "It's just not the same without Albert." Truer words were never spoken. Albert and Christina, we missed you terribly but managed to have a good time nonetheless. Eug and Esther dazzled us with their culinary skill and Younga's supervisory prowess was undeniable. But the greatest thing about the trip had to be the fact that we escaped the perilous mountains of San Bernardino County with no major injuries for the fifth year in a row! God has truly blessed our group every year by protecting us from broken bones and the wrath of the kids' parents. One of the kids had a close call that involved a pretty good tumble and some momentary drooling...but aside from that, a good time was had by all. I was really impressed with all of the kids and their proficiency on the slopes. A couple of them even braved the double black diamond run. They just get better and better every year. Hopefully, CYC will still be around next year so we can do it all over again.
Second up, the mighty Bruins of Westwood were named the 11 seed in the Albuquerque region of the NCAA Tournament (or as Huge likes to say "tornament"). We face Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first round. That means that when (not if, when) we beat them we will most likely have to beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs (my Grandpa's alma mater) to make it to the 3rd round (or as Jim Hill likes to say, "the round of sweet sixteen"). The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest will be our next victims followed by the over-rated U-Dub Huskies...that is, unless Pacific knocks them off in the second round...which they probably will...in which case we will most likely see Louisville or Georgia Tech in the regional final. After we win that game, it's on to the final four in Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis where we should see a 1995 semi-final rematch with the Oklahoma State Cowboys after they take care of top-ranked Illinois. I would imagine the Tar Heels (if they can survive their bracket) will win the Syracuse regional and face Kentucky in the semis who will have disposed of the over-rated Blue Devils. I would actually rather see Duke and North Carolina face each other so Coach K can get owned once again by Roy Williams and Co....but Tubby should pull this one out. UNC will be too much for the struggling Wildcats however, and the finals will be a showdown between the two teams who have sold the most collegiate sports paraphernalia than any other schools: UCLA vs. North Carolina...and then, of course, the Bruins will win their 12th national championship and riots will engulf the streets of Westwood just as they did 10 years ago. Final score: 111-42. Go Bruins!
On another note, the Discovery Channel is the greatest thing on cable tv. Not only do you get to see the Teutul's argue with each other while creating some amazing bikes or Boyd Coddington push his crew to meet some deadline that they always seem to be under or even Adam and Jamie dispel or confirm a myth, you can also catch some pretty amazing specials. Yesterday, they had this unreal show about the Icehotel in Sweden. Apparently, every year designers build a beautiful hotel out of snow and ice and bring in world class artists to do ice sculptures and design individual rooms. The founder, Yngve Bergqvist, promises "you will never experience anything like it elsewhere." I tend to believe him...I only wish I could experience it... I would imagine it costs a nice chunk of change to stay there for a night. Check out this picture of one of the rooms:
That's hawt.
Moving on, my hockey team clinched a playoff spot last night with a 5-0 shutout win. Yours truly scored a goal which had absolutely nothing to do with my skill and everything to do with the other team's goalie mishandling a relatively tame wrist shot. Eh...I'll take what I can get.
How was your weekend?
Second up, the mighty Bruins of Westwood were named the 11 seed in the Albuquerque region of the NCAA Tournament (or as Huge likes to say "tornament"). We face Bobby Knight's Texas Tech Red Raiders in the first round. That means that when (not if, when) we beat them we will most likely have to beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs (my Grandpa's alma mater) to make it to the 3rd round (or as Jim Hill likes to say, "the round of sweet sixteen"). The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest will be our next victims followed by the over-rated U-Dub Huskies...that is, unless Pacific knocks them off in the second round...which they probably will...in which case we will most likely see Louisville or Georgia Tech in the regional final. After we win that game, it's on to the final four in Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis where we should see a 1995 semi-final rematch with the Oklahoma State Cowboys after they take care of top-ranked Illinois. I would imagine the Tar Heels (if they can survive their bracket) will win the Syracuse regional and face Kentucky in the semis who will have disposed of the over-rated Blue Devils. I would actually rather see Duke and North Carolina face each other so Coach K can get owned once again by Roy Williams and Co....but Tubby should pull this one out. UNC will be too much for the struggling Wildcats however, and the finals will be a showdown between the two teams who have sold the most collegiate sports paraphernalia than any other schools: UCLA vs. North Carolina...and then, of course, the Bruins will win their 12th national championship and riots will engulf the streets of Westwood just as they did 10 years ago. Final score: 111-42. Go Bruins!
On another note, the Discovery Channel is the greatest thing on cable tv. Not only do you get to see the Teutul's argue with each other while creating some amazing bikes or Boyd Coddington push his crew to meet some deadline that they always seem to be under or even Adam and Jamie dispel or confirm a myth, you can also catch some pretty amazing specials. Yesterday, they had this unreal show about the Icehotel in Sweden. Apparently, every year designers build a beautiful hotel out of snow and ice and bring in world class artists to do ice sculptures and design individual rooms. The founder, Yngve Bergqvist, promises "you will never experience anything like it elsewhere." I tend to believe him...I only wish I could experience it... I would imagine it costs a nice chunk of change to stay there for a night. Check out this picture of one of the rooms:
That's hawt.
Moving on, my hockey team clinched a playoff spot last night with a 5-0 shutout win. Yours truly scored a goal which had absolutely nothing to do with my skill and everything to do with the other team's goalie mishandling a relatively tame wrist shot. Eh...I'll take what I can get.
How was your weekend?
Friday, March 11, 2005
"If they should ever bar wars..."
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Best Blog Ever
Why didn't I think of this?
This guy is brilliant. I hope he makes every cent of that 50 Gs. I laughed out loud when I saw this on goldenfiddle...does that make me evil? Perhaps. You know some obscenely rich animal lover is going to save Toby and make that guy rich. I am so mad that I didn't think of this. Idiot!!!
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
In all seriousness
I am going to write on a subject that some of you have probably experienced at least once in your life: loss. Whether you are young or old, rich or poor, jet or shark, you have probably had to deal with the anguish associated with losing something or someone you love. Needless to say, this is not an easy thing to go through. For some, a loss can be so devastating that the meaning of life and all its accoutrements comes into question. I have suffered this very pain that I speak of on more than one occasion. I usually avoid talking or thinking about these times as it tends to cause such a wellspring of emotions that I am overwhelmed and unable to prevent the tears from flowing like rivers. Despite my aversion, I must tell you of such a time for me whose effects have yet to subside. With my eyes still red and my heart still broken, I ask you to join me as I mourn the end of "The Real World: Philadelphia." MJ, Landon, Sara, Mel, Karamo, Willie and the oh-so-lovable Shavonda said their farewells to each other amidst a torrent of sobs and a bevy of hugs. As the Keekster and I sat and watched this genuine outpouring of love and tenderness, I couldn't help but bemoan the fact that I would never again see Mel's passive aggressiveness or MJ's feeble intellect or Landon's cow t-shirt. I have grown to love these things and now they are gone. This hurts.
Tuesday, March 08, 2005
"Mooooon River....uh...using the whole fist, doc?"
Did Lefty win or lose?....I can't tell.
[your funny caption here]
Wow....um....well, wow.
[your funny caption here]
Wow....um....well, wow.
"God told me..."
Click for article
Former Korn guitarist Brian Welch got baptized in the Jordan river. It is with complete sincerity when I say that the angels are rejoicing in heaven. I remember back when I was just starting my freshmen year at UCLA when Korn put out their first album. He says he plans to continue making music...hopefully, music slightly better than the stuff he did with Korn. I'm just sayin'.
Monday, March 07, 2005
2005 SNAPY Volleyball Tournament Champs
That's right...the Chinatown Youth Club are the reigning champions. I have never been more proud...except for that one time when I won that hot dog eating contest...and the other time when my car started rolling down the street and I was able to stop it with sheer brute force...or the time that I sent General Zod and the other Kryptonians hurling into outer space trapped inside a prison shaped like a big piece of glass...that ruled.
Sunday, March 06, 2005
Yeah Baby!!!
Click for recap
All is right in the world. UCLA finishes the season tied for 3rd in the Pac-10 and USC finishes last. Mwahaha.
Friday, March 04, 2005
I'm moving to Canada
Just kidding...it's too cold up there. But, I did find a great Canadian article (actually, it's more like an open letter to our new Secretary of State) that made me proud of the fact that my great-great-great grandfather Axel McDonell emigrated here from Canada. Actually, I don't know how many greats I was supposed to use there...but you get the point. You tell her, Lloyd.
I think I found my wife (Part 2)
Kate is wonderful and amazing and all that...Salma and Natalie are gorgeous...but, Maria Olivia da Silva puts them all to shame.
Oldest woman? How about Finest Woman!
Not only are Brazilian women beautiful, but they live long, LONG lives. She is only slightly younger than W.C. Fields (by about a month). What a looker, huh? Okay...I am going to stop now before people start thinking I am Willard Scott.
Oldest woman? How about Finest Woman!
Not only are Brazilian women beautiful, but they live long, LONG lives. She is only slightly younger than W.C. Fields (by about a month). What a looker, huh? Okay...I am going to stop now before people start thinking I am Willard Scott.
Beavers down, Ducks to go
Click for recap
Although, ESPN's "bubble watch" thinks that we only needed one of the two to wrap up the at large bid. Go Bruins!
Thursday, March 03, 2005
random
The internet is a wonderful wonderful place. The more my workplace fails to provide me with things to do, the more I find this fact to be true. Sometimes, I find things on the internet that blow my mind. "What things have you found?" you might ask. "Things such as this," I would say:
Click on the pics (there are two of them) to see a larger version. Click here to see where they originally came from...and seriously...DON'T DO DRUGS!
Click on the pics (there are two of them) to see a larger version. Click here to see where they originally came from...and seriously...DON'T DO DRUGS!
Wednesday, March 02, 2005
I think I found my wife
Yep...you heard it here first. She is from Princeton, New Jersey and her name is Kate Stelnick. She is 19 years old and weighs 100 pounds...and she ate this in under 3 hours:
Not Kate...I hope.
Click the pic for the more info. Here are some highlights:
• 6 lbs. of meat
• 12 slices of cheese
• 2 whole tomatoes
• A half-head of lettuce
• 2 entire onions
You have to go to Clearfield, Pennsylvania to get it...but I think we all know I'll be heading straight for Princeton to find my bride. Wait for me, my darling.
Not Kate...I hope.
Click the pic for the more info. Here are some highlights:
• 6 lbs. of meat
• 12 slices of cheese
• 2 whole tomatoes
• A half-head of lettuce
• 2 entire onions
You have to go to Clearfield, Pennsylvania to get it...but I think we all know I'll be heading straight for Princeton to find my bride. Wait for me, my darling.
mocos locos
I didn't post yesterday because I was and still am sick. I think I have the West Nile Virus. Awesome. That'll teach me to play ice hockey for the first time in 3 months. I stayed home yesterday but came in to work today. I can't afford to use my days off since I am going on a cruise with my family in June. Never been...should be fun. Anyway...back to the task of keeping my snot from running down my upper lip. I guess it could be worse.
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