Waaaahhhhhh!!!

Jeez Louise!! Can't a baby go full term around here. The new site is up. She ain't pretty. I think the term spartan would probably be suitable but she's all mine and with some help I intend to fix er' up. Thanks sissy for the push. Ha! Get it? Push...baby I kill me.

I got meme'd and it stung a little

Bou tagged me for the Movie Meme and I'm not sure if I'm honored or perturbed. Since I'm the new kid in class and a certain amount of hazing is to be expected, I'll go with honored. Thankey Mrs. Bou!! Here we go folks. 1. Number of DVD's that I own: I currently have 78 DVD's in my library. This however is a new thing. I've only recently begun to collect CD's, having decided that it's cheaper to buy than to actually go to the movie theater. Much like Bou, I prefer books, but when I want to watch a movie I'd rather not shell out $10.50 a ticket and have to sit behind some ass-bean who's talking throughout the whole movie. And I make better popcorn. 2. Last DVD I bought: Not too sure on this one. I think it was the HBO series Deadwood the first season. 3. Last DVD I watched: Hmmmmm...Oh yeah, Alien vs. Predator. Don't snicker, it didn't suck. On a sidenote Bou, I love the movie Sandlot. I had a Mastiff named Bacchus and that 210 lb. lap dog could put 8 baseballs and 1 softball in his mouth a one time. Of course you didn't want to play with them after they came out of the slobber factory. 4. 5 movies that I watch a lot or mean a lot to mean: Again, I'm mainly a book guy but these are a few faves: Trainspotting Office Space The Outlaw Josey Wales Swingers Snatch Grease True Grit Saturday Night Fever Super Troopers Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil The Perfect Storm Casino Leaving Las Vegas Raising Arizona Animal House Blues Brothers - ...."It's dark and we're wearing sunglasses, Hit It" The Last Samuri Biloxi Blues OK, that's more than 5 but I've never liked being confined to the norm. 5. Tag 5 others Sissy - she's me mum Contagion - cause he wants to be tagged David - just cause I'm interested Harvey - cause I don't know anybody else and I think we're related. Ogre - again, just cause I'm curious.....ooops he's already been tagged Sarah - cause I like penguins I'm not sure of the protocol on this stuff so any coaching/constructive criticism is appreciated.

One last blast before I split

You’re going to have to stay with me on this one. The route is circuitous but we’ll get there, I promise. I hate to shop for clothes. There are many other things that I don’t mind shopping for such as groceries, alcohol, cars, music, ammunition et al. You get the picture. Shopping for clothes however, is one of those things that I will put off until the bitter end. And I mean the B-I-T-T-E-R end. I love my underwear with holes in them. I don’t mind the occasional stain on a t-shirt. I think it gives them character. I have a Carolina shirt circa 1986 that I still wear religiously. And by religious, I mean that Napster prays for me not to wear this shirt. This could be why I usually go with one particular brand of clothing for work/play. I know what size I need with these guys and what will and will not look good given my meso/endomorphic body type. Plus they last a long time and that’s a cool with me since I don’t like to shop. If I have to purchase something from a different clothing maker, I will try on the clothes because I do NOT want to make a return trip. This is the part I hate the most. I have a story on changing rooms but it'll have to wait until another time. When did they start letting boys and girls in the same fitting room!!?? Now my better half has a completely different view of how to shop. She will go out and bring back sacks of clothing from all different types of makers and will not have tried on the first thing. Once home, the parade of clothing begins…Does this look good? Does this go with this…Does this look too tight…blabbity, blah blah, blah. I love her, I truly do, but I’m not the person to ask about this sort of thing. The only thing I know is, (A)-Woman looks hot and (B)-Woman does not look hot but don’t say that because you’ll wind up regretting it. I went shopping one time with Napster and Mo back when we were living in the “Place of a Trillion Peachtree Streets”. We went to some Outlet place and split up. Beavis and Butthead one-way, me the other. Approximately 15 minutes and $500 dollars later, I was done. Approximately 5 or 17 hours later, here come the twins. They were giggling and laughing and just generally yucking it up, while I was ready to shove a ballpoint pen in my eye. I think that after all was said and done, everything they purchased was returned. Shopping for these guys is just an excuse to get things, to take back and go shopping again. That’s cool with me just leave me out of it. That said, I do like to look nice and would like to experiment with different clothing labels. But I hate looking through all of the different types of clothing and having to try on everything I picked out. Oh the glory days of “Garanamals”. Once you knew your animal, everything slid into place. Well kiddies, here we are. A company called Intellifit has come up with a solution that I can’t wait to try. You walk into this booth and within minutes it has taken measurements with around 200, 000 points of reference. Then you receive a printout of what brands and sizes would fit you best. All of this happens while you’re still fully clothed. I don’t know if the ladies will like it but all I need is a list and I can fall right into hunter mode. Ain’t technology cool.

Mom's kicking me out

Sissy gave me a ring last night for a little chat and it felt like we were breaking up. Or better yet, it felt like the conversation a parent would have with their 30 yr old who's still living at home. O.K. , it wasn't that bad but I get the hint. I'm off into the wild. Sissy's even going to chip in for my security deposit. That said, I'm still going to post here for a couple of days. Richard Cheese, King of the Lounge Singers has a new album. I don't know why, but this guy cracks me up. Stop by and step into the lounge. NASCAR racing's Jeff Gordon sang "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at Wrigley Field the other day and good gravy did the crowd ever boo this guy. I haven't heard booing like this since Rosanne Barr butchered the National Anthem in San Diego. What is it with Gordon that brings out this emotion? I'm what you would call a recreational NASCAR viewer. So I don't live and die with it like I do with the St. Louis Cardinals. But from what I've seen, he's either loved or hated with no real middle ground. Hell, even Napster thinks he's a jack-ass and she really doesn't pay attention when a race is on. Do you suppose it's because he's won so many times and people like to root for underdogs? Or do you think he's just a tool. Albeit a little tiny one... I guess you could make the same statements about the "Evil Empire" huh? I tend to root for the uunderdogs. And having went to USC, boy does that come in handy. I have a little bitching to do about work but I promised myself that I wouldn't. Maybe later...

On a lighter note

I enjoyed Bou's post about Disney World. Man, I really enjoyed that place. I might have enjoyed Epcot more than the Magic Kingdom. OK who am I kidding, Epcot serves beer. You know I loved that place. Anyway, for those of us challenged by geography or fiscal liquidity try this site. It's a virtual Disney beta.

Don't know why I was thinking of this....

The first time I saw Pat Tillman was on ESPN. The show was highlighting College Football Super Studs. Pat was a Junior I think, but what I remember thinking was that this guy didn’t fit the mold. With his long hair and flips flops he appeared more surfer than samurai middle linebacker. Flash forward a few years and Pat was drafted to play in the NFL for the Arizona Cardinals. Again, I remember seeing him on ESPN and thinking, he must be doing something right but he really doesn’t look the type. Since I lived on the East Coast and the Cards generally stink, I don’t ever remember seeing him play live. I’ve only seen highlight footage and it looks like Pat really laid the leather on someone when he hit them. I also remember that Pat turned down a $9 million dollar offer from the Rams (who were good at the time) to return to the Cardinals. My thoughts were that this guy was bonkers. Flash ahead again to 9/11. This was the catalyst that supposedly made Pat give up the NFL and enlist in the military. He specifically joined the Army and more specific to that he became a Ranger. I remember seeing the story and again saying, hmmm maybe this guy is just eccentric. I didn’t hear anything about Pat for a few years and then one day, ESPN is breaking the news that Pat Tillman was killed in action while defending fellow soldiers. I watched most of the coverage and subsequent tributes and was moved by how much character this man apparently possessed. There were, as they say, many layers to this onion. He was too small to be a linebacker but led Arizona State to the 1996 Rose Bowl. A year later, he was named Pac-10 player of the year. He graduated summa cum laude in 3 ½ years with a 3.84 GPA He wasn’t drafted until the 226th pick but would up starting in the NFL. In 2000 he broke the franchise record for tackles with 224. Before the 2000 season, he ran a marathon just to see “what it was like”. Before the 2002 season he walked into his coaches office and him that he was going to be a Ranger. Pat received the Silver Star posthumously for his actions on the day he died. But here is another twist to the story. After the military presented stories and descriptions about Pat’s death, it was revealed that his own men killed him. Pat was a victim of friendly fire. I’ve never served in the military, so I can only imagine how difficult and crazy things get when you are engaged with the enemy and I’m sure my imagination doesn’t even come close. I can see and even understand how things like this can happen. But what I don’t understand is why this was covered up from family and friends. The family is still trying to get answers from the military and I hope they succeed. I never met Pat or saw him play live, but he’s a person that I will always remember. Not for the way he died, but for the way he lived. Update: I go to sleep watching the news so maybe that's how this got in my head. But Keith Olbermann has more on the story in his blog.

Still working out stuff

Thanks Dave for the tips. I still had to have Napster do a little on site demonstration but I think I'm starting to get the hang of things.

Sissy flew the coop

Way to go Sissy on your new site. It looks great!! So, I’m left all alone with no parental guidance. MUAHAHAHAHA!!! Somebody cue the music and tap that keg!! I’m kidding of course but that reminds me……. When I was younger (teens) and my parents would go out of town sans the kids, they would ship my little bro and me’ off to the grandparents. Then, my father would chain up all the entrances to the house. I’m talking full on master locks. All because of one little mishap when they were out of town. Something about police and fire trucks and bottle rockets and skinny-dipping with the principal’s daughter. All laughable and mostly unproven. Anyway, the place was locked up tight. I always felt bad because he went to a lot of trouble and we would just have the party outside anyways… For those of you who don’t know, Napster is my better half. I’m a very lucky boy to have found someone like her. She is also a girly-girl. Now I don’t have a problem with this because for one, I get to have my own bathroom and two, I get to have my own bathroom. So we’re watching T.V. or something this weekend, and knowing her proclivity for all things chickesque, I was quite a shocked when she pronounced, “Wouldn’t it be fun to go camping next weekend?” I’ve seen Napster throw a fit because the cable was out, I can only imagine camping. I love to camp but haven’t in a while. So I said, sure babe that sounds like fun. We’ll see. Today at lunch she brings it up again. Napster – So, do you know how to do the tent and things? Me – Yes Napster – You can make a fire? Me – What do you think? Napster – What do you do out there? There’s no TV and stuff. Me – We can hike, swim, explore, all kinds of stuff. It’ll be fun. Napster – Will you bring guns? Me – Wha!? I hadn’t planned on it but if it makes you feel better. Napster – It would make me feel better because of all the freaks out there. Me – Uh, O.K. Do you want automatics or semi-automatics? Napster – What about the bathroom? Me – What about it? Napster – Where do you go? Me – Just grab a tree and hang on. Napster – (Eyebrows arching) Nuh-uh you’re lying. Me – Nope it’s true. Just put your arms around a tree that’s not to big, squat and have at it. But watch out for ticks. Napster – Ticks!! Anyway, I think that may have hit a nerve. She’s going to look for drive-up campsites but I think we may be looking at a cabin…If I don’t watch it, she may go for the Ritz in Austin. I’ll keep you posted.

No cool tag line

Dave over at Third World County has a link to an article by Bill Whittle that kicks ass. I haven't figured out how to do the linky thing yet(Sissy's gonna give me a crash course) but you really should crusie over to his site and check it out. The "Land That Time Forgot" TX has 351 churches in the Yellow Pages. I counted. With a population of around 200K that means there's a church for every 570 people. And yet there are only 2 listed "Gentlemen's Clubs"......... Another funny thing is that you can by an adult beverage in a bar or restaurant but not, I repeat not, in a grocery store or convenience store. I guess you're better off getting juiced up in a bar and driving home than simply having a drink at home. Sports Illustrated did an article about High School football stadiums. And in Denton, TX they just opened a $18.3 million, 12,000 sseat facility that has 2 VIP suites and a $900K scoreboard. Holy Crap!! I guess no child will be left behind as long as he can rush for 2000 yards and 20 TD's. It's hot here. Really hot. I'm from the South and have experienced my fair share of heat but this is face of the sun hot. With my Irish lineage you could say I'm melanin challenged. O.K. I'm Capt. Whitey. Since I've been here I've developed a Farmer's Tan from simply driving to and from work. Napster thinks it's funny. The other day I jumped in the car and put on my shades(that were sitting on the dash) and almost burned off both of my ears. Went to sit on our deck in the chairs made from metal and branded my damn leg. The nights however, are great. Once the sun dips below the horizon the temp drops to about 65 and dig this sports fans, No Mosquitos, I repeat for Sanddollar No Freaking Mosquitos!! I off to put salve on my ears......

I've Moved

I have not been to bed yet...

but I got my Munu site done!

Yippee!! :-) So come on over, take a gander, update your blogrolls, check out the Word of the Week, and come drool over some of the great work My Blog Heroes have done!

And What Next...