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VP [Jun. 5th, 2008|12:21 pm]
[Current Location |Work]
[mood | amused]
[music |Bach - Suite for Solo Cello No. 1 in G Major]

In order to lock up the position as Sen. McCain's running mate, Gov. Charlie Crist has offered change his name to Spiro Agnew.




Did I mention that I get a creepy Nixon vibe from McCain?
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Good hands [Jan. 16th, 2008|01:31 pm]
[music |The End - "The Doors"]

      Florida's Insurance Commisioner, Kevin McCarty, temporarily banned Allstate Insurance from writing new auto policies until they comply with subpeonas to produce documents about their pricing procedures.  Allstate, like all other major insurance companies, does not want to turn over these documents and reveal "trade secrets" (i.e. how companies can increase your premiums and cut your coverages/services.)  
     In September, the Missouri State Supreme Court ordered that Allstate turn over all of their documents pertaining to claims procedures.  Allstate has refused and been fined $25,000 per day until all of the documents have been turned over.  So far, that's around $7.5 million (and counting) that Allstate owes Missouri.
     Auto insurance is the "bread and butter" for insurance companies. Will Allstate comply?  I don't think so.  Most likely they will sue the state, requesting more time to compile (::COUGH:: Shred ::COUGH::) all of the documents, and have the ban lifted.

     "You're in good hands with Allstate."

     Because, you need two good hands to abuse someone.
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"Hail Mary, full of grace......" BANG! [Jan. 8th, 2008|03:20 pm]
 HD-DVD is going the way of Fredo Corleone.

According to TheDigitalBits and FT.com, Paramount will make an announcement about plans to abandon HD-DVD and return to Blu-Ray.  It is rumored that Universal also has plans to follow Warner Brothers and Paramount.

Another rumor floating around has Steve Jobs making an announcement about installing Blu-Ray drives into Apple's new Mac desktop computers.

I guess Microsoft and Toshiba will have a lot of wound licking to do by the end of the year.

HD-DVD is as dead as disco!
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Format wars over? [Jan. 8th, 2008|08:59 am]

Last week Warner Brothers announced that they will make their titles available exclusively on Blu-Ray starting this May.  

According to Philips' Stewart Muller, Target will be going Blu-Ray exclusive soon.

A big rumor floating around now is that Paramount is preparing to use the "get out clause" of their HD-DVD exclusivity deal and go back to Blu-Ray.


I had hoped that the Blu-Ray format would win the "war" since I think that it's superior to HD-DVD. 

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Persephone returns to the underworld. [Jan. 4th, 2008|10:52 am]
      The temperature outside this morning was 23 degrees.  Tonight it will get into the low 30's.  Having spent most of my life in South Florida, this is exciting for me.  

     I love the wintertime!
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WOW! [Dec. 19th, 2007|02:43 pm]

     Bill Parcells turned down the Vice President of Football Operations position with the Atlanta Falcons because he is considering a job offer from the Miami Dolphins!  

    

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Stuff I'm looking forward to in 2008! [Dec. 11th, 2007|01:38 pm]

Movies:

 

“Cloverfield” – “It’s about people trying to survive during a catastrophe.” Screw that! It’s about monsters that can rip the head off the Statue of Liberty and chuck it across the harbor!  The shaky-cam trailer has me intrigued.  I don’t suffer from motion sickness but I may take some precautions before seeing this.

 

“Baby Mama” – Tina Fey (Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock) is everything I look for in a woman.  She has the smart and she has the funny. I liked her first film ‘Mean Girls” a lot more than I thought I would. This is the second film she has written & produced.

 

“Iron Man” – Having seen the trailer multiple times, I’m sold!  Robert Downy Jr. IS Tony Stark. The armor looks great. The shot at the end of the trailer got me all pumped up for this!

 

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” – ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ is one of my all-time favorite films. After seeing that film, I fashioned a whip out of old rope and a dirty jelly jar became the Peruvian golden idol. When the other two came out, I thought they were good, not great.  If George Lucas has taught us anything, it’s that you cannot go home again.  The only saving grace is Stephen Spielberg.

I’ll be there on opening day. My mantra however will be “Please don’t suck. Please don’t suck. Please don’t suck. Please don’t suck. Please don’t suck.”

 

“WALL-E” – PIXAR seems like they can’t do anything wrong.  I’ve seen the teaser for this film and the way WALL-E looks up at the sky kind of breaks my heart a little.

 

“Hellboy 2: The Golden Army” – Guillermo del Toro and Ron Perlman team up again for the sequel.  I loved the first one.

 

“The Dark Knight” – ‘Batman Begins’ is one of the best “comic book” movies. I really liked how they played up the detective aspect of the character.  Heath Ledger’s Joker looks creepy. Michael Caine is perfect as Alfred.  This is another film I’ll be on line for opening day.

 

“Bond 22” – Daniel Craig is the newer, tougher Bond. ‘Casino Royale’ was a nice change of pace from ‘Die Another Day’. Bond still has the gadgets, just no invisible car this time.

 

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” – The film series has been quite good. Many people were disappointed with ‘Order of the Phoenix’. I still liked it. It was one of the tougher books to adapt to the screen.  Plus, it’ll be fun to see Alan Rickman get a little more screen time.

 

 

“Star Trek” – I want this to be good.  The only good Star Trek film to come out in the past 16 years was ‘First Contact’.  I hope this doesn’t become the ‘Batman & Robin’ of the Star Trek franchise.  That would suck.

 

 

Television:

 

Unfortunately, due to the writer’s strike (PAY THE WRITERS!), some of these shows my not be able to air their complete seasons….

 

The Office – In my opinion, the funniest show on television right now.

 

Alton Brown/Good Eats – I have a “man crush” him.

 

Lost – Some people I know have given up on this series but I’m hooked.  Last season’s finale was definitely a “game changer” and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

 

Battlestar Galactica – When I first heard that Sci-Fi was going to re-imagine this series with the two-part miniseries back in 2003, my eyes rolled. I’m glad I gave it a chance because this has been one of the better science fiction series in a long time.

 

2008 NFL Draft – At this point in the season (0-13) it looks like my Dolphins will have the first pick overall in the draft. I really hope they trade that spot for some more draft picks. The Dolphins picked up an extra 2nd round pick after trading Chris Chambers to the Chargers.  If the Dolphins can trade that first pick for a middle 1st round pick and an additional 2nd pick, they would pick up 3 players in the first two rounds. 

 

Books:

 

“Duma Key” by Stephen King – I love Stephen King.  Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I’ve been completely “HOLY SHIT!” about one of his stories.  With every new novel, there lies the possibility of getting my socks blown off.

 

 

“A Dance With Dragons” by George R.R. Martin – I’m all for an author taking their time writing a story instead of hurrying through the process in order to make the publishers happy.  However, George is not getting any younger, and with the passing of Robert Jordan, it worries me that one morning I will read that he has passed leaving the series unfinished.  I hate to sound callous, but have you seen a picture of him lately?  He’s two stuffed crust cheese pizzas away from a myocardial infarction. 

 

 

Music:

 

Rush: Live in Rotterdam – On October 16 & 17, Rush recorded this concert for an upcoming DVD.  I missed them in South Florida for the “Snakes & Arrows” tour so I’m pretty excited about this.

 

 

And finally….

 

The 2008 Presidential Election!  I become a real news junkie during an election year.  I already have November 4th planned out.  I’ll vote, go to work, come home and order a pizza, drink some beer and sit on the couch with my small dry erase board.  I love watching the Electoral Votes get tallied.  The only bad thing is I don’t get MSNBC on my cable system.  I can’t stand FoxNews so I’ll have to settle with CNN.

 

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It's a gas! [Nov. 16th, 2007|08:38 am]

     Last November, the month of the mid-term elections, the national average gas price was $2.23 a gallon.  This year, the national average gas price is $3.02.

     Who wants to wager that next November, the month of the Presidential elections, the gas prices will be back around $2.30 a gallon?

      This is just another way elected members of the "Republic", both Right and Left, f**k the working man and woman.

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Lethal Yenta [Oct. 25th, 2007|02:41 pm]
[music |The Rolling Stones]

On January 25th, 2005:

     "Halle Berry has launched a savage attack on Hollywood—saying the film industry is full of racists.  She confessed: 'I’ve been called a nigger straight to my face. but there’s also much more subtle insidious ways that racism occurs here in Hollywood.' 
     “I don’t care what anyone says—they may think it doesn’t exist but it’s usually those who aren’t black. The struggle for a woman of colour to find good material is still very present, and it’s a struggle I fight every day."

Then on on October 19, 2007:
     
     "Halle Berry has apologized for making an inappropriate joke at last Friday's taping of NBC's "The Tonight Show." Berry, who showed host Jay Leno photos of herself that she had distorted by using computer software, remarked that one snapshot—in which her nose appeared cartoonishly large—made her "look like my Jewish cousin."

     That's right Miss Berry, to use your quote, "there’s also much more subtle insidious ways that racism occurs here in Hollywood."

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Change is good (and necessary). [Oct. 25th, 2007|12:22 pm]
[music |The Rolling Stones]

      I think that a Clinton/Obama ticket will be unbeatable in 2008.  

     Mr. Obama dismissed the idea of having Al Gore as his running mate stating "having won the Nobel peace prize and an Oscar that being Vice President again would be probably a step down for him."  However, he did say, "I can promise you that as president I will have him involved in our administration in a very senior capacity in his role."

     I'm thinking that when, yes WHEN, Clinton/Obama take the White House in 2008; having Al Gore as Secretary of State might be a pretty good idea.  The question is, would he take the job?
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Things that......... [Oct. 19th, 2007|10:32 am]
...make me sad today.

1. 13 votes!   Just 13 votes.......

2.  A standing ovation for two of the six (Jena Six) young men at the BET Awards last night.  I think it's wrong that they are being accused of Attempted Murder.  However, I also think it's wrong to applaud anyone who participated in the savage beating (six on one) of another person.


...make me happy today.

1.  Rain.  We've received about 10 inches of much needed rain in the past 24 hours.  Plus, I like the sound of the raindrops against the window by my desk.  It is very relaxing.

2.  Cheese danish.  I haven't had it in a while so I thought I'd get myself a slice.  Tasty!

3.  It's going to be 56 tonight with a high of 82 tomorrow.  I love living in a part of the country where you can actually see and feel the change of seasons.
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70 and counting..... [Sep. 27th, 2007|12:58 pm]
[mood | energetic]
[music |Rush - "Force Ten"]

     When I was little, I was the typical skinny, toe-headed kid with glasses. I was so skinny (I really don’t remember how much I weighed) that it became a concern for my grandmother who promptly brought me to the doctor. I don’t remember all of the specifics of the doctor’s visit, I was 8 at the time, but I do recall the doctor saying “anemia” and “malnutrition”.
     Prior to the diagnosis, I had been living with my mother, after my parents split up. All I can say is that she did the best she could. I don’t think she ever paid any attention to the nutritional content of certain foods. She cooked what she liked to eat (lots of pasta, hardly any vegetables). Oh, we also ate out frequently. “McDonalds” and “Burger King” were frequent stops during a typical week. Occasionally we would go to “Sizzler”, which is the only time I would see her eat any salad, which of course was the only time I would eat any salad. Basically, her diet was my diet.
     So, after the diagnosis, my grandmother took every opportunity to stuff me with food. I was given three square meals a day plus any kind of healthy snack (and a few unhealthy snacks) I had wanted. Every glass of milk set in front of me had Ovaltine in it.
    After a few months, I permanently moved in with my grandparents, changed schools and began the slow destruction of my body with food.
    
      Food had become a big part of my life as did sitting on the couch and watching cable TV. The neighborhood my grandparents lived in didn’t have any other kids. It was mostly retirees or new families with very young children. I spent more and more time indoors in front of the numerous televisions we had in our house. We had a lot of TVs since my dad’s hobby was building electronics equipment.
     As I grew older, I changed from the skinny kid with glasses to the chubby kid with glasses and then the fat kid with glasses. By the time I was 12 I weighed 185 pounds. I could, and did so frequently, eat fish sticks (12-16 in a box by the lovely Mrs. Paul) in one sitting. My appetite was only matched by my desire to sit and do nothing.
     When I graduated high school in 1989, I tipped the scales at 242 pounds. By 1995 I weighed in at just over 300 pounds. At my heaviest, at Greenacres’ wedding in 2000, I weighed 390 pounds and had a 56-inch waist. I had gained 205 pounds in 16 years.
 
     At 28 years old I was preparing myself for an unpleasant life full of pain and illness. I did lose about 23 pounds through the course of 2001 but stopped and maintained my weight of 367 pounds for six more years. My feet and back hurt. I shut myself in because I was so embarrassed about my appearance. I had season tickets to the Dolphins’ games but could barely squeeze myself into the seat. I was a mess.
     In January, I decided I finally had enough. I had been lucky so far with regards to my health. Aside from some joint pain, I didn’t have any medical problems. At 35 though, I knew that some bad things were waiting around the corner. My dad had colon cancer; my mom has Type II Diabetes and my uncle died from a massive heart attack. At the rate I was going, I was heading for the “Illness Trifecta”.
     So, I stopped eating like an asshole. I ate smaller portions of healthier foods. I drank plenty of water. I started to walk and get some exercise. I eventually got to the point where I could walk to and from work (about 7 miles round trip) twice a week. You know what? In 9 months I lost 70 pounds! No pills, no shakes just clean living and exercise and I’m less than 300 pounds, 297 pounds to be precise, for the first time in 12 years.
     My joints don’t hurt, my feet don’t hurt, my back doesn’t hurt and my blood pressure is 104/70. I now have a 46-inch waist, which will soon become a 44-inch waist in the next couple of months. My doctor is thrilled with my progress. I feel much better about life and myself in general.
     I still eat chicken wings and drink beer. I still enjoy pizza and pasta. Sometimes I’ll get a steak with a loaded baked potato or a cheeseburger. However, I only do that one-day a week, usually on Saturdays, but I’ve switched to Sundays since it’s football season. If I want ice cream or a chocolate bar, I just wait till Sunday. I’m not depriving myself of anything. I’m just being smarter about what I do and exercise self-control. It's working.
     I’m shooting to get to 280 by the end of the year. Hopefully, I will be around 225-245 by the end of next summer. My doctor seems to think that due to my large frame, 245-255 pounds could be a healthy weight for me. I guess I’ll find out when I get there.
 
 
     That’s what’s been going on with me in so far 2007.
 
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Your soundtrack [Aug. 4th, 2007|03:08 pm]

I really don’t post much these days, but I will change that soon.

 

This was stolen, without hesitation, from [info]king_duncan:

 

 

IF YOUR LIFE WERE A MOVIE, WHAT WOULD THE SOUNDTRACK BE?
So, here's how it works:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that's playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don't lie and try to pretend your cool... and a lot of the songs fit with the setting

Opening Credits:  Mungo Jerry – In The Summertime

Waking Up: The Beatles - Your Mother Should Know

First Day of Work:  Elton John & Leann Rimes – Written In The Stars

Falling In Love: The Doors – L.A. Woman

Fight Song: Van Morrison – And It Stoned Me

Breaking Up: Donovan – Catch The Wind

Prom: The Eagles – Please Come Home For Christmas

Life: Rush – Roll The Bones

Mental Breakdown: Howard Shore – Anduril (Soundtrack – LOTR: The Return of The King)

Driving: Ray Lynch – Rhythm in the Pews

Flashback: Elton John – The One

Getting back together: Metallica – Low Man’s Lyric


Wedding: Hans Zimmer – At Wit’s End (Soundtrack – POTC: At World’s End)

Birth of Child: Tom Petty – Listen To Her Heart

Final Battle: Elvis Costello – (What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Death Scene: Garth Brooks – Everytime That It Rains

Funeral Song: Metallica – King Nothing

End Credits: Rush – The Way The Wind Blows

 

 






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Top 100 Movies meme [Jun. 22nd, 2007|05:34 pm]
Courtesy of [info]corsair2

"I went with the color scheme to differentiate between answers because with color, it's easier to reset the entire list at once.

For each of these you've seen, color the line a specific color. Bold the lines whose color you've changed (if anybody can think of a better way to do this let me know):"

black - haven't seen it
red - I didn't like it
purple - It was okay
blue - I liked it/loved it
green = I loved it so much I have rented it more than once, or it's in my permanent DVD collection.

1. "Citizen Kane," 1941.
2. "The Godfather," 1972.
3. "Casablanca," 1942
4. "Raging Bull," 1980.
5. "Singin' in the Rain," 1952.
6. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
7. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
8. "Schindler's List," 1993.
9. "Vertigo," 1958.
10. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
11. "City Lights," 1931.
12. "The Searchers," 1956.
13. "Star Wars," 1977.
14. "Psycho," 1960.
15. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
16. "Sunset Blvd.", 1950.
17. "The Graduate," 1967.
18. "The General," 1927.
19. "On the Waterfront," 1954.
20. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
21. "Chinatown," 1974.
22. "Some Like It Hot," 1959.
23. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940.
24. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
25. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
26. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939.
27. "High Noon," 1952.
28. "All About Eve," 1950.
29. "Double Indemnity," 1944.
30. "Apocalypse Now," 1979.
31. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
32. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
33. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975.
34. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
35. "Annie Hall," 1977.
36. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957.
37. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946.
38. "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," 1948.
39. "Dr. Strangelove," 1964.
40. "The Sound of Music," 1965.
41. "King Kong," 1933.
42. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
43. "Midnight Cowboy," 1969.
44. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
45. "Shane," 1953.
46. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
47. "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1951.
48. "Rear Window," 1954.
49. "Intolerance," 1916.
50. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
51. "West Side Story," 1961.
52. "Taxi Driver," 1976.
53. "The Deer Hunter," 1978.
54. "M-A-S-H," 1970.
55. "North by Northwest," 1959.
56. "Jaws," 1975.
57. "Rocky," 1976.
58. "The Gold Rush," 1925.
59. "Nashville," 1975.
60. "Duck Soup," 1933.
61. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941.
62. "American Graffiti," 1973.
63. "Cabaret," 1972.
64. "Network," 1976.
65. "The African Queen," 1951.
66. "Raiders of the Lost Ark," 1981.
67. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", 1966.
68. "Unforgiven," 1992.
69. "Tootsie," 1982.
70. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
71. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
72. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994.
73. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
74. "The Silence of the Lambs," 1991.
75. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967.
76. "Forrest Gump," 1994.
77. "All the President's Men," 1976.
78. "Modern Times," 1936.
79. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
80. "The Apartment, 1960.
81. "Spartacus," 1960.
82. "Sunrise," 1927.
83. "Titanic," 1997.
84. "Easy Rider," 1969.
85. "A Night at the Opera," 1935.
86. "Platoon," 1986.
87. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
88. "Bringing Up Baby," 1938.
89. "The Sixth Sense," 1999.
90. "Swing Time," 1936.
91. "Sophie's Choice," 1982.
92. "Goodfellas," 1990.
93. "The French Connection," 1971.
94. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
95. "The Last Picture Show," 1971.
96. "Do the Right Thing," 1989.
97. "Blade Runner," 1982.
98. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942.
99. "Toy Story," 1995.
100. "Ben-Hur," 1959.
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Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over! [Aug. 15th, 2006|01:18 pm]
[Current Location |Home]
[mood |awake]
[music |Howard Stern on Sirius]

I know that NASA has copies, but how could you lose the originals?
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I like to steal things.... [Jul. 13th, 2006|10:43 pm]
This was stolen from [info]sprindew and [info]aurora1116.

"This one is shorter and different than most of these "fill in the blanks". Enjoy "things you may or may not know about me."

A) Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. Camelot Music sales associate
2. Camp Counselor
3. Assistant Pastry Chef
4. Hot Dog Vendor

B) Four movies I have watched over and over:

1. Goodfellas
2. Back To The Future
3. The Empire Strikes Back
4. Boogie Nights

C) Four places I have lived:

1. Dania, FL
2. Margate, FL
3. Lauderdale Lakes, FL
4. Marianna, FL

D) Four TV shows I WANT to watch:

1. Lost
2. Big Brother
3. Battlestar Galactica
4. Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip (New Aaron Sorkin goodness coming this Fall!)

E) Four places I have been on vacation:

1. Cleveland, OH
2. Disney World
3. Cozumel
4. Nashville, TN

F) Web sites I visit daily (or almost daily):

1. AintItCoolNews.com
2. DrudgeReport.com
3. Myspace.com
4. Wikipedia.org

G) Four of my favorite foods:

1. Tacos
2. Spaghetti
3. Lasagna
4. Cheeseburgers

H) Four places I would rather be right now:

1. Epcot
2. London
3. Las Vegas
4. Maine

I) Four people I think will respond. The pressure is on now!!

1. Hmmmmmm

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Total eclipse of the sun...... [Mar. 29th, 2006|03:00 pm]
[mood | chipper]
[music |LIttle Shop Of Horrors]

I wonder if any Audrey IIs showed up in Brazil during the eclipse?
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"Woke up this morning...." [Mar. 12th, 2006|08:11 pm]
[mood | excited]

After a long wait (approx. 17 months), a new season of "The Sopranos" starts in less than an hour.

The suspense is killing me!
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Just rambling.... [Feb. 20th, 2006|12:22 am]
[mood | restless]

*I've never read the book, or any book by Phillip K. Dick; but I want to see this movie right f***in' now!!

*Giada De Laurentiis is beautiful and I love the way she says "pancetta". I want to marry her.

*I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the film "Hustle & Flow".  Terrence Howard gave a wonderful performance as DJay, a pimp who wants to become a rap star.  When I first saw the previews, I blew it off, thinking it would be terrible.  It took his nomination for "Best Actor" to get me to rent this, and I'm very happy I did.  This film may not be for everyone, but I sure did like it.

*Yesterday I made a pot of sauce and had rigatoni with hot italian sausage for dinner.  After I drain the macaroni, I like to put it back in the pot with a couple of tablespoons of butter and a ladel full of sauce.  I throw the pot on the burner (High heat) and cook the macaroni for about a minute then add the rest of my sauce/sausage, then take off the stove.  

*Rum & Coke is my new favorite drink.  It's like a funky Dr. Pepper.

 

*James Blunt’s “Back To Bedlam” is a fantastic album and “Goodbye My Lover” is my new favorite song.

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Giamatti [Feb. 18th, 2006|10:01 pm]
[mood | chipper]

With his work in "American Splendor", "Sideways" and "Cinderella Man", Paul Giamatti is becoming one of my favorite actors.
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