Love and Hope and Sex and Dreams

Back to the blog(?)

2008-01-24T16:09:00.000-05:00

...probably not.

Well, another actor died recently: Heath Ledger. Everyone seems surprised. I guess good looking, rich people aren't supposed to die doing drugs. That's just for the ugly and poor. I was flipping thru the channels last nite, and no fewer than nine were carrying some sort of Heath Ledger story, whether it was about how his work on a film made him tired, and he was so into the character he wasn't sleeping and had to take multiple Ambiens. How there was evidence of prior drug use ("I told him to watch it," so said Jack Nicholson--or something to that effect). Profiles on his family. His work.

Blah, blah, blah. The man was no hero. Just a good-looking guy who had some talent in the acting game and was "blessed" with some good roles.

I'm tired of hearing about this stuff. So tired, I may take an Ambien or ten.

Maybe I'll die and people will compare me with Heath Ledger. Nah, they would just say I was a copy cat. Or, more probably, there would be no mention of it at all, except a brief obit, should anyone care enough to send one to the paper.

My battery is running low, so signing off.

Say good night, Gracie. "Good night, Gracie."

My odd thought of the day

2007-05-17T16:22:00.001-04:00

These kinds of things keep me up at night.

Why do they have directions on shampoo bottles?

I'm guessing if you are old enough to read and don't know how to use shampoo, you have more pressing issues than some soiled follicles.

My new favorite New York Post headline

2007-05-09T10:06:00.000-04:00

My old favorite New York Post headline was from years ago when Hideki Irabu was stinking it up for the New York Yankees. There was a picture of the "Fat Toad" himself, after blowing a game, with the headline: "Hideki 'I Robbed You'". It was referring to how Irabu got a huge contract for a shitty performance.

However, I now have a new favorite. Ii saw this on a CNN piece about Paris Hilton. Paris, Britney and Lindsey together in a car with this caption:

Priceless!

Poor Elliot Mintz!

2007-05-09T09:54:00.000-04:00

Poor Paris Hilton’s press rep Elliot Mintz. He took the fall for his employer’s stupidness. He said he should have been clearer when she asked him about the terms of her probation.

What?

Wasn’t she there when the judge said her license was suspended? Maybe she was high.

But if I had a question about my probation, I wouldn’t ask my press agent. I would ask my LAWYER! You know, the guy whose job it is to keep track of that stuff. That’s like asking your stylist about your tax deductions.

What part of “suspended license” did she not understand? According to Mintz, he told Paris her suspension was for only 30 days and she could drive to work. Work? What the hell job does she have?

Well, someone had to take the fall. It’s never Paris’s fault. How could it be? She’s ‘hot”.

I hope he got a nice, under-the-table severance package.

When will Wolfowitz quit?

2007-05-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

I'm a big fan of Paul Wolfowitz. He's a very bright guy, and he knows his shit.

But he fucked up.

I don't think he is trying to advance America's agenda through the World Bank, even though the two entities mission is parallel in many aspects. I especially applaud his efforts to take away aid from corrupt countries. Why though millions and millions to governments, when only a portion of that gets through. It makes those firms who fund raise on behalf of the police look like altruist organizations.

But if you are going to talk the talk, you have to walk the walk. I know he didn't extort millions of dollars, or have sex with one of his teenage staffers. But to push for a huge raise and promotion for your girlfriend is clearly a conflict of interest that should not be overlooked.

While I think he is doing a good job, he has to step down to keep the credibility of the World Bank.

Sucks to be him.

Not much going on

2007-05-08T12:33:00.000-04:00

Not much going on here. But I come up with a million things to put in here (rants, mostly), but when it comes time to post them, they are long gone.

Couple of things, though:

I've been on a semi-warpath with people's forum postings on various message boards. What's with the text-message shorthand? It's not like they have to post in 20 seconds to their friend who's gonna respond right back. They are message boards, not chat rooms!

Plus, why not use some white space and capital letters and punctuation? It doesn't take much effort to hit the enter key every now and again, or hold down the shift key to at least start a sentence.

I'm frustrated just typing this stuff.

My, other, new blog

2007-04-25T14:19:00.000-04:00

I've created a new blog chronicling my World of Warcraft experience:

BG's WoW Blog

Feel free to stop by and comment...

American Idol mania

2007-04-05T16:08:00.000-04:00

It seems everyone (American Idol fans, at least) is saying what a crappy season American Idol is having. How there is a dearth of talent or good-looking people or whatever.

But they keep watching. Every week.

If it sucks, why watch it? Will it miraculously get better? I doubt it.

People amaze me sometimes.

It's been a long, long time...

2007-04-04T16:43:00.000-04:00

Jeez! I haven't posted since July! What have I been doing since then? Not much, sadly. I'm working now, so I don't have my mornings and afternoons free to muse. Although I do get some time (not much) to post at Wannabebig Forums.

There have been many times that I wanted to post, but I got really lazy
for a while. And then IT happened. For some stupid reason, I decided to try Blizzard's World of Warcraft. Dumb idea. It is now a part-time job. So much to do, so
little time.

I'll post more of what I've been doing and what I'm thinking about a little later.

I'm trying out a new (free) editor called Nvu (pronounced "N-view") that can be downloaded at: Nvu.

Later, I'll try adding some pictures or tables or lists, and maybe jazz
up the text with some color.

Ta ta for now...

Tired of Tiger Tears...

2006-07-26T13:15:00.000-04:00

Is anyone tired of seeing Tiger Woods crying yet? When he won the British Open on Sunday, all we saw were pictures and video of him breaking down whilst giving his speech. Am I the only one thinking that this crap is played out? The guy died, like two months ago!

I understand that he took some time off, and that his first time back would be news. But wasn’t his first tournament back on Father’s Day weekend? I’m thinking that someone wanting to purge the emotional demons of his father dying would pick something less public that Father’s Day for God’s sake!

Methinks Tiger (and the networks) knew what he was doing, trying to drum up ratings.

All we hear that weekend was how brave Tiger was for playing, and how he must be constantly thinking of his father. I’m sure he was. Mr. Woods was a big influence in the man’s life. But so are a lot of fathers. No one says anything about the train conductor or airline pilot who go back to their job two months(!) after their father died. (Between you and me, I’d rather know if the pilot of a plane recently had a parent die than a pro golfer.)

Now, Tiger (finally!) wins a tournament and people are saying he won it for his Dad. Bullshit. Do you think he played any harder this week than he did in the past few weeks? I would think that if Tiger could win at will, we woulda won on Father’s Day. Christ, what would that have been like?

How come Chris DeMarco wasn’t on the back page of the New York Daily News? He lost his mother only 2 weeks before the tournament, not 2 days!

Everyone now thinks I’m just an insensitive lout. But, I really am just railing out against the hero worship in sports, and how the lives of celebrities mean more to us than the lives of the people around us (see the pilot bit above).

They say people like to live vicariously through the lives of celebs. Well, tell ya what folks, each and every one of us will have somebody close to us die sometime in our lives. So there is no need to get our virtual kicks (or sobs) via somebody who doesn’t even know our names.

And, lastly, I don’t blame Tiger (mostly). I blame the media and the general public alike. The media says it only puts out this crap because people want to see it. The people say that if it’s news the TV stations will put it on and they’ll watch.

Idiocy makes strange bedfellows, indeed…

Children's game goes pro...

2006-06-17T18:43:00.000-04:00

Anyone see this? Last week, ON TELEVISION, was the "2006 World RPS Championships." That is RPS as in, you guessed it, Rock Paper Scissors.

Jesus! People will make a competition out of anything! What makes it worse is that people get paid to win this. And, on top of that, there are companies who bought ad time when this whole friggin' thing was televised!

There is even a website for the World RPS Society. There you can find instructions on how to play, strategies, trading cards (!?), tournament results, etc.

They refer to those who "compete" in their tournaments as "pro's". There are even "Pro-Am's". What would distiguish someone as a pro as opposed to an amateur is beyond me.

What strategy can there be in this? There are 9 possible combinations with the exact same percentages of winning, losing and tying with each throw (33.333%). I guess you can "study" your opponent to see if he or she tends towards any patterns. You can make "gambits" by throwing the same thing a bunch of times in a row: "I just know Pepe won't throw 'rock' five times in a row..." These are things we did as 9 year olds trying to figure who gets first ups in kickball or who has to go up and kiss the ugly girl.

And how lazy are we to watch this stuff? Being there is one thing--maybe your buddy or girlfriend is in it. (Even that is lame, though.) But how about sitting at home, expending zero effort, watching people do this? What's next? The world coin-flipping championships? Or, the finger-throwing thing? You know, when you say "let's shoot for it," call odds or evens and proceed to throw either one finger or two; I'm not sure what that's called.

I have to admit that I tuned into it for like a total of 10 seconds. They were interviewing a woman who just won a match. She said (and I quote, or at least paraphrase pretty well): "If I hadn't thrown rock just then, my life would have been changed forever."

Life changing forever? Her life must be very shitty if the RPS championships is a "life-changing" experience. Had she not won, what would have happened? Those multi-million dollar sponsorships might not have rolled in. The paparozzi might not be tailing her with the same vigor as they do for Britney Spears. Those cover pieces on Time, People and Wall Street Journal might not have happened.

Maybe I'm missing a big money-making opportunity by not producing TV shows involving the most idiotic of premises. Maybe there is a Wiffleball, or speed reading, or sand trap raking (for the golfers in the crowd), or lawn mowing competition in need of televising.

How about a spelling bee or cup stacking or rock, paper scissors? Wait. Those have been done...

(almost) Employed!!

2006-06-08T02:41:00.000-04:00

Well, BG, after a year and a half, is now almost officially employed! I start a job on Monday, June 12! It's in the glorious field of pension plans. Not only pension plans, but the compliance testing and government filings thereof! Exciting stuff.

But, it's great to get back to work. I say "almost" because I haven't got my first paycheck yet. That is when I'll be officially employed.

I will be knee-deep in HCE's, top heavy tests and form 5500 filings.

Stop! I know you are jealous.

Not only am I a geek; I'm a pension geek. Don't tell my girlfriend...

Find Your Seats, Please

2006-06-03T16:55:00.000-04:00

A while back, I wrote about automatic teller machines being part of America's growing illiteracy problem. (ATM's: Americans' new illiteracy problem) Well, I think I found another one: simply finding our seats at a ballgame or concert.

I find this really baffling. Most venues have their seats broken up into large sections, or levels (field boxes, loge, mezzanine, orchestra, etc), then smaller sections, then rows, then seats. The small sections usually are denoted by numbers like 10, 213, 405 in stadiums and arenas and letters in theatres. The rows are usually letters, though some sections are so big, they use double letters or numbers. And we all know the seats are numbered in almost all cases.

So, to me, all it seems to take to reach seats is really just a rudimentary understanding of the Latin alphabet--the one English, Spanish, French and many other languages use--and a second, rudimentary, familiarity with the Arabic numeral system.

How hard can it be to read the ticket, glean which level on which we are sitting and then find the section and ultimately the row and seat? If we are lost or misdirected, many times an usher is around to help us. I will grant this: some venues are confusing when it comes to finding the sections due to poor design, poor signage or both. However, that does not excuse the utter lack of common sense people have when trying to find rows and seats.

It is very simple, people! 1) Look at the ticket 2) Find what's labeled as "Row". 3) Remember that letter or number. 4) Look down at wither the ground or the side of the last seat of each row. The row letter should be shown there. 5) Go up or down the stairs and find the row that matches the one on the ticket. Sound simple?

Well, anyone who has been to a venue of even modest size that had reserved seating has to have seen packs of people who look like they are more lost than a tourist navigating a Middle Easter bazaar. It is totally amazing at the stupidity of some people.

And all these stupid people ruin the experience for the rest of us thinking humans attending the event.

Another thing that pisses me off is when people try to enter a row from the wrong end! If you have seats 28, 29 and 30, why would you try to enter the row on the end where there are seat #'s 1, 2 and 3?? OK. Maybe you didn't know how wide the row was. fair enough. But when you have to get up (in the middle of an inning!!), please look around an pick the path of least resistance. That is, pick the shortest, or, more importantly, the least crowded way to the end of the row!

A few things to remember: Rows go in alphabetical order, with row A being closer (or lower) to the action than row B. B is closer than C, etc. Try to enter and exit a row at the point of least resistant, i.e. least crowded. If you are not sure, ask an usher--there is no shame in asking directions.

And before I sign off, one more rant: If there is a group of four guys, why do they each have to go to the bathroom, get something to eat or drink, or get up to make a phone call at different times?

I have a feeling all those stupid and lost people at stadiums and arenas and theatres are the ones who take forever at the ATM's.

2006-06-02T02:38:00.000-04:00

New posts coming...

Why can't people find their seats at a ball game or a concert, etc...

No high school diploma, wanna get into college, no prob!!!

I will get to these very soon...

2006-05-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

So who's excited for the new Miami Vice movie? Or how about Poseidon? Yet two more motion pictures in a string of 70's and 80's television shows and movies redone and moderized for today's sophisticated movie goer. Do we really need this? Is Hollywood so intellectually bankrupt that is has to crank out retreads and treatments of old television shows on an almost daily basis?

I guess the only way people between the ages of 25 to 45 (a very key advertising demographic, by the way) will go to the movies without their kids is if they are drawn by pure nostalgia. It is sad when people's sense of being is wrapped up primarily in the programs and movies they watched growing up. (Don't get me started on all the 70's and 80's music popping up in commercials...)

Remember the 50's wave of nostalgia that whipped through in the 70's? American Graffiti started it, and along came Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley and a host of other shows and products reminiscent of the 1950's. What makes that wave different is that it was based on a time and aura. They evoked memories of the way life was lived (though idealized). People re-lived their memories of their lives and lifestyles. Today, people are re-living the memory of the lives they lived vicariously through characters in tv and movies--things that already idealized (or parodied) the times in which they were set.

There seems to be a 15-25 year lag now between when something is popular and when Hollywood repackages it and sends it back out to the masses. So what shows or movies will we see 20 years from now?

7th Heaven (starring Freddie Prinze Jr as the father)

Shawshank (a remake of Shawshank Redemption)

Idol: Making of a Superstar (We may see this one this summer!)

Frasier (starring James Van Der Beek as Frasier)

NYPD Blue (but set in Vegas)

Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Yes! A gameshow becomes a movie!)

Friends (starring any kid who is on Nickelodeon now)

Where did it all start? I blame The Brady Bunch Movie. There may have been others, but for me, that where this downward spiral began.

You know what? There will be more movies using video game licenses. There have been a few, unsuccessful ones so far, but with kids these days living vicariously though video games instead of tv, you know that movies based on the games will be popular 15-20 years from now. Are you ready for Madden '99: Big Hits on the Big Screen in 2018, or the Kingdom Hearts live-action movie in 2021? They are coming. Maybe even sooner than you think...

RPG's: Some things I just don't get

2006-04-28T16:44:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of RPG's. That means "Role Playing Games" to the uninitiated. And, no, that's not the role-playing games in the bedroom (though, well, ahem, okay). It means video game RPG's--a la Dungeons & Dragons or Final Fantasy. GEEK ALERT!

This post will mean nothing to anyone who doesn't play video game RPG's, but here goes:

There are things that I don't understand about some of the "standards" of RPG's:

--Why does money weigh nothing? Some games have weight restrictions for its characters. But usually money weighs nothing. Do you mean I can carry around an 80 pound sword, but 30,000 gold pieces (or gil, or gp, or gol, or whatever the monetary unit is in the land) weigh nothing towards my total? I guess in every game, everyone has a "bag of infinite holding" for money. One example: Elder Scrolls: Morrowind. (Told you it was a geek alert!)

--The villains always seem astonished at being defeated by the hero. Why are villains astonished by being defated by the protagonist? (S)he always says: "How could you defeat me?" or something like that. Usually, it is the hero, along with his buddies who kills the boss. Just think about any street fight: when does a four-on-one result in the "one" beating the "four"? Only in RPG's.

--Are there any main characters who were studs to begin with? Why do all the stories involve farmboys who were dropped off at someones doorstep and must save the world through some cruel twist of fate? Don't any of these twists of fate happen to the best knight of the king, or any powerful wizards? Why is it just the teenage boys or girls?

--Why doesn't magic only hurt enemies? I've seen iceballs destroy entire rooms of enemies from the skies, but all my friends (or my "party") were okay.

There are more...I'll post them as I think of them...

Why the hype over the NFL draft? (I'm talkin' to you, ESPN!)

2006-04-28T15:54:00.000-04:00

I just don't get it...why all the hype over the NFL draft? Every time I turn on ESPN these days (or cruise most sports websites), I see one of the NFL draft "experts" droning on about how this or that will affect so-and-so's standing. I think there is more analysis of this thing than there is on who is going to win the NCAA hoops tourney or the Super Bowl.

I understand that fans would like to see whom their teams are going to take. Heck, I'm interested in who Dallas is going to get. But c'mon, my life doesn't stop every time I read that they may take Dante Whitner or Marcus Macneil or Bobby Carpenter (didn't he play for the Washington Capitals?).

Each of these analysts thinks he is best one at knowing what each team needs and why. But they aren't privy to the front office discussions and don't have access to all the data and film these guys (the team guys) get. But, oh, no! The analysts are sure.

Almost any idiot can predict the top ten or fifteen guys. Who cares where they go? Sure the fans do. But I could probably make a case for Vince Young being picked by the Seahawks. It's called a TRADE!

Plus, I don't see any incentive for any of these people to be right. If they were talking about the above-mentioned NCAA's or Super Bowl (or the World Series or, hey, even the World Cup) people could make money on this stuff. Is there really a market for people gambling on the NFL draft? But what has being correct have to do with anything? Nothing about nothing!

Don't get me wrong. The actual draft can be pretty exciting to watch live. Anyone remember the team that missed two picks in a row due to slowness? And there's always the: "...and the number five pick has been traded to XYZ". No one knows what can happen. It's riveting TV. It's just the droning of these "experts" that gets me!

Why play sports? One word: Gear!

2006-04-17T11:27:00.000-04:00

Why do we play sports? Some play because of the competition. Some for the exercise. Some for the fun of it. Some people like the camaraderie and some like to be outside. Some do it for the chicks (or the men).

I play sports because of one word: GEAR!

I am not a materialistic man; I do not have the need to buy or have tons of things. Other people need the latest and greatest of everything—a big house, HDTV, cars, women, men, pools, art, etc. All I need is my gear.

What makes sports fun for me is all the stuff you can get. Sometimes you need certain gear (like a tennis racquet or a basketball) in order to play. There are also some extraneous items you carry around: do you really need 3 racquets or 2 baseball gloves or 4 different wedges in your golf bag?

I usually don’t go crazy and get every little thing for every sport, but then again, I play (or have played, at least) many different sports. So I’ve accumulated my share of gear over the years.

The ultimate gear sport, to me, is rock climbing. Ropes, harnesses, carabiners (‘biners), shoes, chalk, cams, straps, backpacks, etc. It’s a gear maniac’s paradise. Camping comes a close second for gear.

Fishing is right up there. You really only need a decent pole, some string (that’s what I call fishing line), a decent reel and some bait or a lure and you are set. I got my initial set up for about 50 bucks. But then I realized I needed (wanted, really) a better reel. More tackle was a must, because I kept losing it in the rocks. When I got better, that meant I needed (wanted) better line. Different weights for different conditions. Tools: needle-nose pliers are a must. The I needed a head lamp. It just goes on and on.

Some of the sports I have gear for:

Tennis: Couple of racquets and some cans of balls
Racquetball: See tennis
Skiing: Skis, boots, poles, coat, gloves, goggles
Golf: Clubs, bag, balls, shoes
Volleyball: Beach ball, indoor ball, shoes (yes, they make volleyball shoes)
Lacrosse: Couple of sticks, balls, cleats
Baseball: Glove, batters gloves, arm bands, eye black, bat, spikes, cleats
Softball: Much the same as baseball, but different bats and cleats
Flag football: Cleats
Basketball: ball, sneakers
Weight lifting: Wrist bands, lifting straps, belt, water bottles
Mountain biking: Bike, toe clips, helmet, water bottle
Hockey: Sticks, pants, shoulder pads, elbow pads, skates (ice and street), shin guards, gloves, helmet, pucks and balls.

Sometimes I feel like Carrie on Sex and the City in that I have different shoes for, like, everything I do. A selection of my footwear (and then I’ll sign off for today):

Golf spikes, rock climbing shoes, lacrosse cleats, softball cleats, baseball cleats, baseball spikes, football cleats, volleyball sneakers, tennis sneakers, cross trainers, trail running shoes, street running shoes, (used to have) clipless mountain bike shoes, rollerblades, hockey rollerblades, ice hockey skates, hiking boots, sandals, ski boots, soccer cleats.

Cheers!

Play Ball!

2006-04-03T14:05:00.000-04:00

So who's excited for this year's baseball season? BG, for one! I love April baseball. It's been five months since a meaningful game was played. They've been teasing us with pretend games with split squads for a month and a half. Starting pitchers will finally go more than six inning; maybe.

But who scheduled the Chicago White Sox and the Cleveland Indians to open the season with a night game? It had to be freezing! The opening games are supposed to be about optimism for the coming season for the fans. I can't picture much optimism coming from 40 thousand people sitting outside, freezing in 40-degree weather and rain that is Chicago weather for most of April.

I can understand wanting the World Champions for your opening game, but how 'bout scheduling them against the Angels (in Anaheim--not LA!), or Texas, or Tampa or Minnesota--cold, but indoors?

Well, it's the 2006 season. Let's go Redsox!!

Some Random Rants

2006-03-31T16:15:00.000-05:00

Why do people steer to the side of the road and slow down when an ambulance with its lights on comes their way in the opposite directon!? Do you think the ambulance will suddenly veer into your lane for no apparent reason? Do you think the drivers are so blinded by their mission of delivering the patient that he or she cannot control the vehicle or cannot see you? I have yet to see an emergency vehicle get hit by oncoming traffic...

Why does everyone on sports talk radio--hosts and callers alike--have to yell, as if each point he is making will be more salient or true by shouting? I love sports. I'm no fanatic; I'm a fan. I like to discuss the state of sports as well as my favorite and least favorite teams. But why must people (mostly guys) have to yell and almost scream to get a point across? I was listening to several sports talk stations today and I had to turn them all off--it was all noise, no talk. They should call it Sport Yell radio, not Sports Talk...

Hollywood. I will take a larger view on this waste of a once-proud industry soon. To wit: Take the Lead starring Antonio Banderas. Wow, what a new concept! Or rather concepts, plural. (1) A man out of his element, teaching in an urban school. (2) That man tries to teach some hoodlums (who are really good people at heart) something (science, math, the arts). (3) Kids in inner cities are generally reticient to accept anything but what they know from the street. (4) The kids who are initially skeptical, accept the teacher's ideas. (5) They are scoffed at by their peers, parents and society at large--these kids have no chance at succeeding because of who they are and where they come from. (6) In the end, the children win (or come close to winning--even better for character building!), thus silencing the preconceptions of society and learning self-respect along the way. (7) Now the kids have a way out of the ghetto and look to the future...

I haven't seen this movie yet (and I probably won't), but I have a feeling that the script will follow close to the theme(s) I've outlined above. Haven't we seen this before? Stand and Deliver, Dead Poets Society. Okay, Dead Poets wasn't about inner city kids, but replace them with "rich kids" in the above paragraph, and it's almost the same thing. And the movie industry wondoers why no one is going to the movies any more...

Apology and BG's Temporary State of Mind

2006-03-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

Hey all. Once again, sorry for the delay in posting. A combination of boredom, sadness, depression, mopieness, tiredness, stress, lack of motivation has casued me not to post. It seems like every day I come up with something to put up here, but I don't seem to have the wherewithal to aggregate my thoughts into a coherent, meaningful missive. (Not that everything thus far has been either coherent or meaningful...)

There are so many topics I'd like to touch on, but I don't want to seem like I'm ranting on anything and everything. After all, this is supposed to be about ALL of me:" my thoughts, hopes, rants, peeves, loves, losses, passions, et al."

One thing I'm frustrated with is that I spend so much time at this computer looking at stupid shit when I could be putting my time to productive uses. One such use would be to keep up with my blog. It would be much better to post than to sift through Yahoo! Sports and Drudge and Wannabebig.com (see sidebar) and looking for torrents to snag.

I also have, like, five books with bookmarks in them that I could be finishing. Right now I'm in the process of reading Alexander Hamilton, Guns, Germs and Steel, this Sunday's New York Time Magazine, the current National Review, The Worldy Philosophers and History of Western Philosophy. I also have an unopened copy of Truman to begin. Fortunately, I at least finished The Kite Runner (thank you Tracy, my love, for buying that for me!)

Some rants to come...

Ridin' the pine, ridin' high!

2006-02-27T15:21:00.000-05:00

I am a sports fan. I watch a lot of sports. Not tons, but a lot. I don't only watch the players on the field (or court or ice or whatever); I like to watch everything else too: the refs, the fans, the cheerleaders (who doesn't?), and, yes, the benchwarmers.

Watching this latter class of athlete intrigues me: he has the talent to make the team, but not quite enough to actually play when it matters. Yet benchwarmers are the most enthusiastic people in the stadium when something goes well, or, badly, for their team. Take basketball, the easiest of the sports to watch benchwarmers in action--they are in almost every TV angle.

They jump around like maniacs if one of the starters hits a three and they bury their heads in a towel if someone misses a freethrow, as if the benchwarmer himself was the offender.

I've had experience on both ends of the spectrum: I've been a starter as well as rode the pine. When I started, or at least was playing, I never understood the enthusiasm of the people who were not in the game. I can get being happy that your team is winning (or coming back). As a fan, that is totally cool.

But as a bench-rider, that sucks. At least for me. As I said: I have been on both sides of the spectrum. I have been relegated to the pine (for offenses I'd rather not go into here--nothing illegal or sick, though) and it royally sucked! I wished that I was in there, contibuting to the cause--whether it was a winning or losing effort.

Every time I was sitting (be it baseball, soccer, basketball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, volleyball, etc) I was majorly pissed. Why wasn't it me out there? That is not to say I was resentful of the fellas in action.

And I always hoped we would win. But I would never jump around like a fool when the guys who were on the court (field, ice, etc) were doing what I so wanted to be doing. Some of these guys on the bench put the fans to shame in their exuberance for their team.

I just don't get it. These guys need to get laid sometimes...maybe they won't need to live vicariously through their (actually playing) teammates...

"Where's Captain Kirk?" He's on Ebay

2006-01-18T17:35:00.000-05:00

Spizzenergi did a song years ago called "Where's Captain Kirk?" It's a neat punky (not true punk) tune that's fun to listen to. Unfortunely, the answer to the title of the song is: eBay. Captian Kirk, aka William Shatner has sold his kidney stone, yes, KIDNEY STONE!, on eBay for, get this: $25,000!!

It was sold to an online casino that also bought, get this, a grilled cheeese sandwich that kinda looked like the Virgin Mary. Where does an online casino exhibit such a collection?

But the biggest question here is why anyone, anywhere, for whatever reason would buy anyone's kidney stone. I'm sure some medical schools may be intrerested in these kinds of stones, but I would think they are generally free from the "donors." Why there is even a market for this kind of thing really scares me.

Capt. Bill, himself said: "This takes organ donors to a new height, to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of me worth?" What does Mr. Shatner consider an organ? Does he really think he is an organ donor now? Does he mean to say other people should offer their stones up for donation? Or sale? Or even auction?

I'm wondering how many Trekkies were sending in bids from their parents' basements before the bidding got too high. I've seen some sad things in life, but (at least lately) this takes the cake.

What's next? Chachi's polyp? Or maybe Luke Skywalker's (that's Mark Hamill) toenail clippings? Frodo's stool sample?

Do farmers ever actually work?

2006-01-05T21:13:00.000-05:00

I have never seen a farmer at work. Seriously. Sure, I've seen them on TV, but never in real life.

I'm not suggesting that they don't work, just that I have never witnessed it.

What I'm really talking about is the farms along the interstate highways in the east. I am no intrepid voyager, but I've been up and down route 81 and the NY Thruway and east and west thru Pennsylvania seveal times. Travelling those roads, there are many farms. And I have yet to see anyone working the fields. Ever. Not in march. Not in May. Not in July or August or October. Ever.

I've seen a lot of idle tractors and tons of barns with no discernable activity. Sure, there is some livestock (mostly cows and horses), but no one tending them. Sometimes there are some rolls of hay. Where are all the farmers? Maybe the rolls of hay and the few cows and horses that we can see from the road are just decoys. Maybe all that land is owned by the government and are secret military facilities.

Sorry that this post wasn't too insightful or funny. It's been a rough day. But I haven't posted in a while, and I didn't want to lose my (one or two) reader(s).

It'll get better--I promise.

Happy New Year, all!!

"Skating" with disaster

2005-12-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

On January 19, 2006, the nadir of television will be upon us. "Skating with Celebrities" begins on the Fox network. Who here thinks this should be called "Skating with Disaster"? Hell, the SwC website even bills itself as a "trainwreck on ice"! (Skating with Celebrities) You know this is going to be a tough sell when in the promos, the only "celebrity" they tell us about is Todd Bridges of Dif'rent Strokes and Los Angeles County Correctional system fame.

It's only saving grace may be that my girl Deborah (please go back to Debbie) Gibson is on the show. I will make it a point to watch just for her.

But who came up with this show anyway? Maybe it was the same guy who came up with "Manimal" (premiered Oct 11, 1983, canceled Dec 17, 1983).

And who will be watching these also-ran personalities and also-ran skating personalities? Anyone brave enough to watch this stuff must be a very sad type of star-struck. Or maybe just very lonely.

To anyone who will watch this (except to see Deborah) I say this: Get a life!

Heisman hoopla

2005-12-10T17:41:00.000-05:00

The Heisman Trophy is one of the most coveted awards in sports. It only goes to one man each year. It is to "the best college football player in the United States" (heisman.com) This award is the acme of any college football player's career. There are not many pastimes on which a "best of" accolde is bestowed with such fanfare.

Many people see the NCAA as a minor league system to the NFL (which leads to cries of paying these guys). So it would lead one to think that the "best player" of this minor league would be, at worst, a viable candidate for sucesss at the next level: NFL. But past results are counterintuitive to that idea. To wit: Mike Rozier, Andre Ware, Gino Toretta, Charlie Ward, Rashaan Salaam (sp?), Danny Wuerffel, Chris Weinke, Eric Crouch, etc...

It bothers me that someone who is deemed the "best player in college football" can do so crappy at the next level. A main goal of the fellas who play major college football is to get to the NFL. You would think that the "cream of that crop" would have some success at the next level. Indeed, many do. That would lead to the "best" of that group being successful.

The whole point of this is: How can (many times) the "best college footlaball player in the United States" be so shitty in the NFL when many of the "other guys" be so great?

It is the same in all the other sports. The #1 draft pick in the NBA or NHL or baseball isn't always a bone fide MVP, but with college football, the "MVP", the Heisman winner is touted as the be-all and end-all of players for the year. Why is that, when more than not he is the "we shoulda known" pick or the "let's take a chance on him" in the 12th round pick?

I just don't get it...

Storm of the Century--get to Food Town!

2005-12-06T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well, we were supposed to get some snow yesterday. Two to four inches were expected. Also expected were long lines at the grocery store. One prediction was correct--the lines. I don't think we got that much snow.

What is it about bad weather that gets everyone all excited? Bad weather, not catastrophic weather. It seems that every time the weather folks predict a "storm" people go disaster-crazy. I'm not talking about hurricanes or blizzards. Just an inch of rain of a couple inches of snow. Also, I'm referring to my area: Central New Jersey. I can understand that a couple inches of snow could paralyze a place like Atlanta or Baton Rouge. But we are used to snow here. Why do people go so crazy?

I would think that most normal families usually have enough food in the house for two or three days, even at the end of the week. Can anyone remember when we couldn't leave the house for more than two days because of the weather? Blizzards and hurricanes not withstanding, no. So why do people raid the grocery stores, buying food for two weeks and water enough for a month as soon as the weather people even hint at a dusting of snow? When was the last time you had no running water for even a day due to a storm that wasn't a disaster. Never.

I'm standing on line with a pound of chop meat and a box of Hamburger Helper for dinner behind some lady who's preparing for Armegeddon or Ragnarok: two carriages full of all sorts of groceries and water. The irony? I see a lot of stuff that needed to be cooked in her lot. Funny, considering when the storm is really bad, my guess is there will be no power to refrigerate or cook this stuff.

Some of the blame rests on the TV stations who use hype and hyperbole in their teasers: "How much snow will we get and why you should be stock up on TV dinners enough for two weeks! Right after this: Bradjolina in foursome with Jessica and Nick--and why they are afraid of the snow 3000 miles away!"

I don't weep for America. I weep for myself because I have to put up with this shit.

Are Cheesesteaks Italian?

2005-12-01T20:32:00.000-05:00

Around here, we have a ton of little pizza parlors; I can count at least 12 within three miles. They all offer pretty much the same fare. Pizza's of course. And hot and cold submarine sandwiches such as Italian heroes or meatball sandwiches or sausage with peppers and onions. Plus all the traditional pizza parlor dinners such as spaghetti and meatballs or veal parmigiana or fettuchinni alfredo. And cheesesteaks.

Cheesesteaks? Are they Italian? Did I miss something? Why do all these places have this on the menu? I never figured that cheesesteaks were even ethnic. And it may be the only thing on the menu that is cooked on the grill.

Maybe I missed a class or something.

Just a quick question...

2005-11-27T13:06:00.000-05:00

Why do we always pee when we poop, but don't always have to poop when we pee?

ATM's: Americans' new illiteracy problem

2005-11-22T23:32:00.000-05:00

How many people in this country have ATM cards? Lots! How many of those people use ATM's? Lots. And how many of those people know how to use those machines? Hmmmm. None?

Cash machine menus might change from bank to bank, but not much. How tough is the process of going thru a few menus to get some cash? Once you get past the English-Espanol-Russian-Korean thing, it's pretty much all the same people. I see idiots studying these things like it's the friggin' Rosetta Stone or something. 99% of the time, you are going to an ATM for the express purpose to take a few bucks out. Not get your balance, or to transfer money or make a deposit. So the process should flow pretty smoothly:

Put your PIN in (more on PIN in a moment) and either hit "enter" on the keypad or the button on the screen that affects the same result. Simply find "Get Cash", press the button. Choose whether or not you want to pay the fee, press the button. Choose whether or not you want a receipt, press the button. Get your cash and your card...Process complete.

So why does it take people, like, 5 minutes to do this? Maybe for the elderly or really stupid it is an okay timeframe, but for the general public, I think it should go a lot smoother than it usually does. And I am always the guy behind the morons; I can't tell you the last time someone was behind me at an ATM.

And, for Christ's sake, people! It is just "PIN". It is NOT"PIN number"!!!! PIN number is redundant, since PIN stands for "P"ersonal "I"dentification "N"umber. See? "Number" is already in there....Please, just say PIN. Please?

The AMA's: where pop's greatest stars come out to shine!

2005-11-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

Tonite was yet another meeting of the Mutual Admiration Society, aka an awards show. How many of these things are there, and does anyone really care? In the distant past, these things were the only places we could see the pop stars live. Then came MTV and then the massive proliferation of shows based solely on celebrities. Now, with the internet and boatloads of downloadable content, these shows seem kind of redundant.

And I don't understand the nominating protocol. Greenday was nominated as Favorite Band in Pop/Rock and also Best Artist in the Alternative category. In the past, the latter group was an "alternative" to pop and rock. So if a band or artist is considered in both categories, what are they an alternative to? I'm sorry, if I hear a band on Z100, they are not alternative!

If you ask me, the hero worship in this country has gotten way out of hand. Remember when every kid (boys at least) wanted to be a fireman, or a cowboy, or President, or an astronaut when they grew up? Now they want to be NBA stars or rappers. Doesn't anyone aspire to be an unemployed blogger? I weep for the future generations...

Will "Seinfeld" ever die?

2005-11-16T23:14:00.000-05:00

I'm not talking about Jerry himself, but the show "Seinfeld." I just read that the cast is reuniting (for a third or fourth time) on the Regis and Kathy Lee show. Oh, I'm sorry, it's the "Regis and Kelly Show". Reeg will be devoting the entire show to this crew!

Ostensibly, it is to promote the new DVD set of seasons five and six. I think it is just a stunt to remind us that they are still alive. When was the last time we heard anything from these people? Elaine: a couple failed sitcoms. Kramer: a couple failed sitcoms. George: a couple...well, you get the point. And Jerry? Raking in the syndication bucks! But has he done anything else besides bang his young bride? Without looking it up, I thought I remembered him doing something on Broadway. A few years ago!

I have to applaud their agents. Maybe showing up for an hour on a popular morning show will help some (one) of them get a show and make someone even remotely interested in watching it.

Maybe they should all revel in their type-casting and just do a movie every couple years: "Seinfeld and Friends", "Seinfeld and Friends in Breaking Training", "Seinfeld and Friends Go to Japan."

Jesus! "Seinfeld" went off the air in, like, the Eisenhower administration it seems, and it's not enough that the reruns are on twenty different channels throughout the day--now there's a whole hour of this shit on Regis?

C'mon!

It's about time, BG!

2005-11-12T23:23:00.000-05:00

Wow! When I set this blog up, I thought I would be posting tons of crap, like, all the time. I guess not! Last post was the 4th. :( Oh well. The past week or so, all I though of postings were rants and I don't want this to be a Lary David-esque rant-fest.

But I saw something the other day that I thought was worth mentioning: I was at a restaurant and on the door they had "Hours of Operation." The first listing was: "4:00 PM--Closing." First, I think the "PM" is a bit extraneous, because who in their right mind would think the place opens at 4 AM? But the part that gets me is "closing". Unless you are open 24 hrs, your business will close at some time. And an opening time implies a closing time. So how about letting us know what it is, huh?

I have been so tired lately. I have no idea why.

Also, my back has been bothering me. Sometimes it is just the lower back-right hip area. Sometimes it is the entire lower back area. maybe a few days off the gym will cure it. Last time I went was Thursday. I was thinking about going tomorrow (Sunday) but I'm thinking Monday will be a better bet. Wish me luck: heavy squats and heavy bench await me...

OK, BG. Wahhh! Fuck it. It's my blog!

Just got my cable back...

2005-11-05T23:01:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been some months since I've had cable TV. Any TV to be specific. Can someone tell me why I got it back in the first place? Springsteen said it best: "57 channels and nothing on". I've been watching the "What's Happing" marathon on TV Land most of the day. Throw in some mediocre college football matchups and a documentary on volcanoes and you'll know how I spent my day.

Well, I did see "Meet the Fockers" on HBO (thank you, cheater box). The only funny part of the movie was during the credits, when Greg (Gay?) busted Mr Byrnes w/ Little jack...hilarious! But the rest of the movie should have hit the cutting room floor.

Saw some of "Scarface" on Bravo. What is the appeal of this movie? It's beyond me. Pachino forcing that accent. C'mon...did you ever believe he was Cuban? Jeez!

VA Tech losing. That sux. But at least I saw Rerun do his dance on the Gong Show for "What's Happening". Highlight of my day. Damn. My life sucks.

(Actually, the highlight of my day was around 8 AM or so, but that's another story.)

Hi Tracy!

Watching the "What's Happining" Doobies Brothers episode. Best ever...(of What's Happening, that is)

What the hell were black people doing at a Doobie Brothers concert anyway? Color me confused.

Hello!

2005-11-04T20:25:00.000-05:00

Good evening, all. This is my first attempt at a "blog". At first I thought that these were stupid, to be honest. But I've thought about doing one for a while now that I've got back into weight training. I figured this would be a good place to track my progress.

But what really moved me to do this is a class I'm currently taking at Brookdale Community College, English Composition: Writing and Research. In that class, we do a one- to two-page "journal" each week. I found that I enjoy doing it, and my teacher seems to like what I am writing. So maybe other people might, too. Probably not, but blogs are as much for ourselves as they are for other people.

Who knows? Maybe someday I will have a world-wide following with thousands of hits a week for my thoughts, rants, raves, loves or losses. Then again, maybe it will be just my Mom and Dad and girlfriend who'll read this.

Expect a bunch of stuff right off the bat. Hopefully, I'll keep it up. Worse comes to worst, I'll delete the whole damned thing. Good comes to best (is that a phrase?), I'll be an internationally known pundit.

Well, here goes nuthin'!!!!