Monday, December 31, 2007

Merry New Year

That title keeps with the Trading Places theme.

On this, the last day of 2007, I sit here in Morrisville, VT just outside of Stowe. Stowe you say? You must be enjoying some hard-core winter sports! Not so much, I went cross-country skiing yesterday and fell about 341 times in about 2 hours. I got snow in places my doctor can't even find, and I broke the coat rack of the lodge trying to prevent my face from being one with the wall. Good thing that those cross-country people are super chill. Case in point, on my 35th wipeout of the day, I was buried in a snowdrift with my head poking out and a couple came up the trail. I joked to the guy, "Stay away from this part, it's deep over here." To which he replied "Right on man, thanks." Ah stoners.

So I'm in a small house with about 9 members of my family or their girlfriends/wives. Booze is really the key here, people. It's like the lubricant to get through family gatherings. So wishing you all the best in the upcoming year. And if you're not with someone on this lamest of holidays, fear not. For there's always booze and Twilight Zone marathons, and the Stooges. And me.

Be good everybody.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Hope this finds you all happy and with friends or family today.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

The Boob Tube

So I was watching TV a week or so ago and flipping through the Comcast on-screen menu and saw The Wedding Planner. No big deal. Awful J-Lo movie with Matt McConaughey, don't care about the story dreck. This is no big deal, as there's crap on TV all the time. But it was on AMC. American Movie Classics. Now I know they call themselves AMC now. This is reminiscent of how Kentucky Fried Chicken changed their name to KFC. Many said it's because legally they weren't allowed to call it chicken.

So as a film fan, I realized how much I do love the classics and to call this movie a classic pissed me off. So I did what any red-blooded American would do. I wrote an e-mail.

Here is the letter:

From: Ramblings of a Civil Servant
T0: Info@amctv.com
Date: December 9th, 2007 11:31PM

To Whom it May Concern,

I was watching TV a few nights ago and noticed that AMC was showing The Weddling Planner, starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. I wonder if perhaps had aired this by mistake, because this movie hardly could be considered a classic. First, it came out in 2001. I've got things in my fridge older than that. Second, it is an awful movie. This is not really open to debate. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a rating of 15% which is very bad. Very, very bad.

Please don't show this movie again. Screen the Godfather or Ben Hur anytime you see this movie coming up in your lineup. And if there was an intern who told you this was a good movie for your channel, fire him. Okay, make him watch the Godfather and then fire him. Note that I didn't say Godfather 3, which is almost as large a piece of crap as The Wedding Planner. Or you can continue to screen The Wedding Planner, but just change the name of your channel to Additional Mindless Cinema or something like that.

Sincerely,

Ramblings


They haven't written back.

Sunday, December 09, 2007

Spotters Ready! Gladiators Ready!

Holy Crap. It's on. I remember this like it was yesterday. My favorite game was the one where they used all kinds of different weapons to fire foam projectiles.


Though for some AG love, and to get you pumped for the redux, here's the Eliminator


Friday, November 30, 2007

Spike Lee would have wept


Last night I took in a professional basketball contest between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knickerbockers. I have gained some allegiances since moving up here from New York, and while I like the Celts the Knicks are still my team. Which really is too bad.

I remember the Knicks from high school, and names like Ewing, Starks, Anthony Mason, Smith and many more. Hell I even remember the white guy. There were no names asides from Marbury and Curry that I recognized last night. Which is fine, because I was too busy yelling "What the hell is the matter with you guys?" and "Are you serious?" In case you didn't hear, the score of that game it was bad. I promised my friend we could leave when the Knicks scored 50 points.

I left with three minutes left to go in the 4th quarter.

There are only 4 quarters in the NBA.

I spent most of the game booing Isiah Thomas, the worthless racist, sexist coach of the Knicks. I wanted to boo the owner, James Dolan, who has to pay some woman 11 million bucks because of Thomas, and he still keeps him on. People talk all the time about government employee job security. But tell me another job where you can make millions, cause your employer to lose 11 million, and be 5-10 on the season.

Fire Isiah. Now more than ever.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Tryptophan Movie Roundup

So on a weekend where you're eating more than is humanly possible, and need to break up that eating with 2-3 hour digestion periods, what's better than movies to break it up? So without further adieu....

Deathwatch: This movie was about an evil trench in World War I. I made the fam sit through it the morning of Thanksgiving. It was decent, not great. A little low-budget and it had a neat twist at the end. But it really wasn't worth sitting the stuff before the twist.

Verdict: If you like movies about war or horror then this isn't for you. However if you've been searching for a horror movie about trenches, then you need a life and this probably still isn't the movie for you.

Next up was the much awaited American Gangster, which is the movie about Frank Lucas, the real life black NYC crime boss in the 60's and 70's. I had heard from friends and readers of this blight on the internet that they found the first hour a little slow. I actually liked the whole movie and thought the first hour set up the film nicely. Some highlights in the movie for me:
  • The movie was filmed heavily in the 28th Precinct in Harlem, where yours truly used to be a cop. It was neat seeing a lot of the buildings I pulled people out of making cameos.
  • Armand Assante was excellent as a local mob kingpin. Really good and subtle work and much more courageous than his work in Partners in Action. Welcome back from TNT movies Armand. We missed you.
  • The cops in this movie are not New York cops. They're from Jersey, which I'm not thrilled about. The NYPD guys come off looking pretty poor actually. But it's reality.
Verdict: Good movie. Good cast. If you like Denzel, the mob, guns, or pretty much movies in general, you'll like this.

Finally, I finished up with the exciting Ryan Phillipe/Chris Cooper flick, Breech. It covered the takedown of Robert Hanssen, who is thought to be the one of the most damaging spys the U.S. has ever known. Phillipe plays Eric O'Neill who was an FBI kid on the track to be Agent and got asked to spy on Hanssen. And so he does and it leads to Hanssen's capture and then he decides he doesn't want to be an agent, which is virtually a lock for him . Takes guts, but don't worry. He goes on to be a lawyer at one of the biggest firms in the country.

Verdict: Decent spy flick. You won't be unhappy by watching it, but you really won't be missing anything if you don't see it.

That's the scoop for now.

Happy Turkey Day (Belated)


I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday. Hopefully there was much poultry consumed. It was cool that my Mom and step-dad came up and cooked in my oven. So that means that I have leftovers. Tomorrow begins the parade of turkey and stuffing sandwiches that I will consume this week. Huzzah.

That's me carving the bird. Carving that shit sexy-like.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

I have no honor

In a shameless plug, I would like to mention that one of my reviews was chosen as Review of the Day on the local Yelp page. It was for pizza at this fine place that I've written about.

Good pizza.

Movie Roundup

Today on Movie Roundup, I've got three movies to share with you. I had meant to write this a few days ago, but then tonight I saw No Country for Old Men, more on that soon.

First up, Host. This is a South Korean sci-fi movie basically involving a creature that steals a little girl and their family's attempts to get her back. It was good, with crisp clear effects. It also had a good sense of humor, much like another Ramblings fave, Kung Fu Hustle. But good story, even if America does come out as partly evil. Though I think given world events, a movie made outside this bubble might be justified in thinking that.

Verdict: Good action/thriller that would never have been filmed the same in the U.S.

Next on the list was Illuminados por el Fuego, or Blessed by Fire. This movie was about an Argentine who has flashback of him and buddies in one of the most lopsided contests since the original Olympic Dream Team took on Angola in 1992. I'm speaking of course of the Falklands War, or the Malvinas war, depending on which side you support. It was a good movie, made even better by the scarce material I had seen on the conflict. It weaves a current story with flashbacks well and tugs at the heartstrings.

Verdict: I liked it. If you are at all interested in the conflict, like war movies, or enjoy hearing spanish, then you will too.

Finally, I took in No Country for Old Men, which is the Coen Brothers new film. It was heavy. It is the sort of movie you find yourself following straight through and then sitting staring when the credits start rolling. It should be called "No Movie for Candy Asses." It was violent and yet slow at the same time, but in a good way. The movie also went against several Hollywood cliches, which I won't go into so as not to spoil them. But I like film and I liked this movie on several levels. Asides from the mentally imbalanced man sitting to my right that apparently thought the whole movie was a comedy, it was a perfect viewing experience.

Verdict: It can wait until DVD, but it can't wait much longer after that.

And that's all for now.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

So good....

Sorry for the double video post, but this is another really funny installment from Lunchbox.



Way to be Waks. Keep making the funny.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Monday, November 12, 2007

Weekend Movie Roundup

This weekend I saw two movies that came in those awesome red envelopes. I enjoyed both of them tremendously.

Let's start with Zodiac. It was a great movie that seemed to have everyone in it. My favorite surprise character was Anthony Edwards, who fit his role perfectly. The Director apparently wanted someone who represented good and order, so he rang up Dr. Green. The movie did start off with some decent violence and gore, but then it transitioned into the investigation. Oh, and I have come to love Robert Downey Jr. more and more. The movie was well shot and had some great visual effects. Not quite a straight thriller or crime drama, it really hit the mark.
Verdict: If you like crime drama or good movies, rent this.

I followed that the next night by King of New York. This is an older movie (1992), but it holds up well again thanks to terrific casting. Christopher Walken is pretty much awesome in most everything, this being no exception. I really liked Wesley Snipes and Lawrence Fishburne too. I'm not sure I'll ever like David Caruso however. Gritty and dark, it's a great portrayal of 1980's New York City.
Verdict: If you like violence, or Scarface, and perhaps want to remember when the subway cars had graffiti, rent this as well.

Quite the weekend

First of all, greetings late on this Veteran's Day. I called my Dad yesterday and thanked him for serving in Viet Nam, so that I could have today off. Seriously though, given the rising death toll this year for service men and women in Iraq, the day is quite sobering.

This weekend was important for other reasons. I threw off the shackles that are Cingular and joined the Verizon network. So I traded the Whogivesacrapistan commercials for the one with the annoying "this is my network" guy. I think I'm going to go start fights with people and then sue them when the army of Verizon linemen and cable splitters don't rush to get my back.

Observe my kick-ass phone. And it's not just me that thinks so. These guys do too. And because I trudge in the salt mines of public service, I got it free. So thank you taxpayers for allowing me to serve you at a deep discount, so that I may reap the occasional discount myself.

Hope everyone out there had a fantastic weekend.

Thursday, November 08, 2007

I am still a union man at heart

And as such, I fully support the Writer's Guild of America strike that is currently going on. If you have no idea why the WGA is striking, then watch this.



And sign this petition. Because when the man tries to get over, we need to be able to reach up and collectively bitch slap him down.

The Hawaiian Jerry Richards



So this is crap gossip news.... Dog the Bounty Hunter (Duane Chapman, I think on the right above) used the word "nigger" to describe his son's girlfriend. But this story has an incredibly awesome twist. He used it in a phone conversation with that son to try and warn him that son's girlfriend might hear him use the word, not understand that he means it as a casual use thing and not as a slur, and then she'd tell The Enquirer. So son tapes that conversation and sells it to who? The Enquirer.

Oh and you know those prescription drugs you have from that knee injury that you're afraid your kids might get their hands on? Reuters knows what to do. Hide your old pills in poop. I shit you not. Actual headline. Is this what Murrow fought for? And I'm pretty sure you could just throw them away without needing to feed the kitty mexican food the night after your arm feels better.

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Happy Election Day!

How many of you voted? I can't tell a lie. I was away for business and I couldn't get back in time. I know. That makes me a communist. It also means I couldn't shape the future of Somerville by choosing the next Alderman at Large.

I was in New Haven, CT for business today. Stayed in lovely Orange last night. Really special places. All I could think about when I was in New Haven was my friend Montu's stories about the ghetto convenience store he used to work in when he was younger there.

Birthday Shout-Outs to Mikie and Nicole(N.B. She's a lazy blogger. Foxy ladies who both entered this world on November 6th. Thanks for being here.

Finally, you'll notice that the thermometer has filled up for the DonorsChoose.org site to the right. I'd like to thank Ross for donating to an unknown cause before I could set up the challenge and then me for paying the 50 bucks. Cheap bastards. Not even a red penny from my readers, all 6 of you.

Friday, November 02, 2007

Bad Idea Jeans

So everyone should see this movie.

But you shouldn't watch it right before you go to bed. Jeebus that was depressing. If I had anything left in me, I'd follow with this, which is the cure-all for any sad movies.

"Work, work work work. Hello boys, happy to see me?"

Monday, October 29, 2007

Mas Lunchbox. Me gusta Lunchbox.

All Hallow's Eve

So this Saturday night saw me at a kick-ass Halloween party at my friends party. I actually went as him. This costume won't really make sense, until you learn that one day Chuck did get his shoe and sock eaten by the escalator at Alewife. Only this guy would then gimp back to his car, go home and change and then come back to work. I'm pretty sure I would have called it a day at that point. That's why he's the better employee. Ross went as Duff Man, well actually Beer Man, who is Duff Man's non-copyrighted cousin.

Tonight I saw a great movie I highly recommend called Layer Cake. Daniel Craig, of James Bond fame, was really good. An English drug dealing, double and triple crossing whodunit. The ending was the best. A must see. Really.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Can't I make your product with 5 fingers?


Today, I went shopping, but not at the shopping plaza near my house because that parking lot spawns cars and is constantly full. So I went to another one and bought $70 worth of food. On things like Hamburger Helper, and various juices and veggies and fruit. I don't buy food often enough, and I essentially buy food to replace the food that has turned colors in my fridge. Like my greasy turkey. Now I have new turkey. And bologna. Yes, there is a 30-year old that still eats bologna.

And don't know if your state is one of these 40, but you might want to check this article out. I totally agree with this policy and think everyone should do it. I think the changing lanes option is better than the slowing down policy.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Weekend Doings

So this weekend was full of fun and not fun, near and far.

Friday night saw me hanging out in Poughkeepsie with my friend Vinnie, who's a firefighter with Arlington. Always a good time. He and I are good friends, but you wouldn't have thought so when we first met. Our personal lives have followed the others closely with the peaks and the valleys. We always end up talking about life in his basement around some Michelob Lights. And there's no place I would rather be.

Saturday morning I was at the old alma mater. They were taking photos of donors who have apparently given large sums proportionally. I guess they thought the government salary was a a gimme. I had a really interesting talk with a woman from Development about what I see as a new way to look at raising money and connecting with alumnae. Hope that works out, because I got really excited about it. I'd write more, but I'm kind of spent.

Last night was a surprise party for my good friend Steve. He turned 30 and it was a shared party for him and his Dad in the Nutmeg State. Good times. Drank, hung out, saw the Sox get spanked and not quickly. Got to experience the joys of a Hilton Garden Inn. Good times.

Today was pretty crappy. For a few reasons, the biggest one personal. Did laundry, and started on a paper. I did fix myself a nice cocktail and watch Blood Diamond. That movie proves two things. First, my whole thing about wooden engagement rings is a social justice movement. Second, I want Jennifer Connelly to have my babies.

But even when the chips are down, sometimes there are signs that I'm not meant to stay down forever. I'm not saying life is great tonight. But I'm saying that thanks to these guys here, it's a little easier.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

My apologies

I'm sorry for what seems like a double post, but this is my friend Waka's video blog right after the Mets self-combusted in the home stretch. A must see for Mets fans or those who like baseball.

Waka breaks down the possible 8-way race in 08

Monday, October 08, 2007

A lil philanthropy

So you may notice a fundraising thermometer to the right of this post. Normally, some of you may only see these things outside your volunteer fire station when they're raising money for a new flagpole.

The link at the bottom goes to DonorsChoose which is a site that allows you to direct fund teachers in schools. It's actually pretty neat. I plan on donating enough to cover the balance. So that means if I only get $20 out of you skinflints then I'll put up $30. However, if we hit the $50 or over, the Ramblings staff will match the final total.

So give something. For your karma, or if only to see that stupid little thermometer get higher.

Update: My kind brother apparently gave before the charity was chosen. I'm raising the money for a 1st grade teacher to buy a rug for her classroom with a giant world map on it to show kids the countries. Ross's $20 are apparently floating around feel-good cyberspace.

Movie Trifecta in Play

Today, after seeing the Sox spank their way to the ALCS, I took in a film at the Somerville Theater. God bless local community cinemas. $7.

Eastern Promises. I won't give a very in depth review. Mostly because a friend of mine has already done a better job reviewing it than I can. It was well done. Cronenberg also did History of Violence with Viggo Mortenson and it's obvious. The film was incredibly violent, but very beautiful at the same time. It's worth a look, but you can wait for DVD.

And then came home and caught the last hour of Field of Dreams. And yes, I bawled like a baby when Costner asks his dad to play catch with him. Happens every damn time.

Sunday, October 07, 2007

If he was so super, how come he couldn't cross a river

So today brought some things, and took some others.

GPS unit was stolen out of my truck this morning. I was dumb and left it mounted. I have renter's insurance, so we'll see what happens with that. But you realize how heavily you rely on those things. I'll keep everyone updated on my next purchase and if USAA sees fit to give me some cash.

Helped some friends buy a plasma TV at Costco. I dearly love Costco. Not just because they're cheap, but the way they do business. Jim Sinegal, the CEO, answers his own phone and has the same desk he did 20 years ago. They carry less items than Sam's Club, but they choose each item they sell. They also pay more than the other guys.

Then tonight, helped my friends install said plasma TV and we then went to see Into the Wild. I read the Krakauer book. I highly recommend the read. I liked certain things about the movie, mainly the supporting cast, the cinematography, and the soundtrack. I found the story taken from McCandless's POV was quite an unsympathetic one. Sure he had a bum deal with his parents, but lots of people do and don't die in a bus in Alaska.

Sean Penn directed it and you can tell he has a kinship with the ghost of Alex Supertramp McCandless. It seems like it's going to be a coming of age story, but you realize that he doesn't really get it until the very end, at the edge of starvation and even then you're not sure. But the scenery was breathtaking and worth going to see for that alone.

But all of Alaska considers him a fool, and while it's a sad story, I tend to agree with them.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

This ain't right

So I got home after a lovely night with my brother and his charming girlfriend and I saw this on Boston.com

Sources: autopsies found alcohol, cocaine in fallen firefighters' systems

For those not in the Boston Area, two firefighters died fighting a fire in a Chinese restaurant. Firefighters came from all over the nation to pay their respects. Apparently some guy from the Medical Examiner's Office leaked the tox screens to the Globe. One of them was legally drunk and the other had traces of cocaine in his system.

How does this matter? They're both dead, so they can't face department sanctions. Are you going to take the pensions away from the widows? I'm all for going after yahoos who hit guys over the head with folding chairs, (Look under DOI's Examination of the Circumstances Surrounding the Assault of a Firefighter and Subsequent Cover-up at the NYC FDNY Engine Co. 151/Ladder Co. 76) but this seems a bit much.

I would argue that full disclosure here is not a good thing. It hurts morale, and far worse hurts those families who are already in incredible pain. Shame on those people that leaked this. It shows incredibly poor form.

Monday, October 01, 2007

The Weekend was Good

Had a great weekend filled with accomplishments, laughs and help for the kids.

Finished the 5K. Ran the whole thing, so even though my time was poor I didn't care. I didn't die, which is all me and my PCP really cared about. Then that evening went to the Westin and had a lovely time at the CTF Gala. Gave some money to help the kids, got to dance with enchanting women and laugh a lot.

Sunday held tickets to the last regular season Sox game. (Thanks Chuck) and plenty of reading for grad school.

All in all a great weekend. Now to tackle the week, which seems to be okay. Long weekend next weekend. And while the terrorists might not get Columbus Day off, this guy does.

Oh and my Mom called me to tell me she thought I looked a lot like this guy who apparently is some sort of Professor at a Christian college or something. I can see the resemblance.

Friday, September 28, 2007

God I'm slow.

My apologies for the slow pace of blogging. I'm currently using my old desktop as my laptop's power cord is fried, and it's not always easy to do this. (Read: I can't write from my bed.)

So I'm going to a benefit tomorrow night for a great charity, black tie optional. So of course I'm wearing a tux. But I didn't have a tux shirt. My friend Anne looked all over for one to no avail. Well, the Natick Mall recently became the Natick Collection. Not sure what the hell that means, except it's surely more expensive. They have a Nordstrom's so I went there. In and out in 5 minutes, so it was only in my car that I realized I had spent $321.00 on a shirt, a bowtie and some braces. Holy crap. It all happened so fast and she was very helpful and I didn't want to be the guy at the register who's like "Is that in Canadian?" (I know, that given the weakness of the dollar, this joke is losing it's relevance. Damn you Bernake.)

Then I went to the $14 haircut place down Route 9. It was the kind of place where all the clients are men under 25 who all have the state trooper haircut. The lady cutting my hair was also at least 7 months pregnant, meaning she could only get so close to me. Her belly was pressing into my shoulder most of the time.

Needless to say, I didn't see anyone getting their haircut who had also been at Nordstrom's. Gotta love Natick.

Tomorrow morning is the 5 K. And it looks like some people are going to punk out, but I'm in this thing. It's the only competitive sports event I do all year. I hate competition. I'll be done by the time some of you wake up. Ross, you can have my TV.

Monday, September 24, 2007

8 Days Straight

So I've worked for 8 days and I've done a bunch of stuff, but mostly worked.

I did find out a way to get rich though.

I do Big Brothers, and took my little Carlton apple picking on Sunday afternoon. I get less and less sure about having kids the more I do stuff with him. Not because of him, but because of the crowds. There were thousands of families at this orchard. And that's where the money comes in.
  1. Buy land that can grow apples, hopefully it has ramshackle barn, and pond for fake geese.
  2. Grow a crapload of apples. Seriously.
  3. Allow rubes with kids to come and pick said apples for $13 a bag. And I'm talking a small bag.
  4. Then bend over said parents with $4 hay rides. Pack 30 people onto a wagon being pulled by 15-year old making $8 an hour.
  5. Don't forget ice cream and candied apples
And that's as easy as it gets. Oh, and if you're going apple picking to try and take up time, it doesn't take as long as you think. I liked the parents who had the kids on their shoulders urging them to reach the good ones, "Reach Kyle! Get that one over there!" I'm pretty sure the Mexicans in California are treated better. Oh, and some people just pick them off the ground. If I was the manager at Stop and Shop in Boston, I'd just throw some apples on the floor and mark up the price 300% to make people enjoy it more apparently.

And then a former cop who I worked with called me. He too left the job and is in Florida looking for work. Something about NYPD guys going down to FL never seems to work out. But I was able to help him. I felt like the wise elder giving him career advice on jobs that don't require a test. It's a whole new world, Sunshine. Still, I'm happy I got to help out a friend and a former cop. That made me feel good. Especially on a day that was a little trying.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

News Flash...


So I was discussing Airwolf with a friend of mine who recently returned to blogging after a prolonged absence brought from 4-star trips and vacations. We all know that Jan-Michael Vincent died from a heroin overdose shortly after the show.

So I go to check the date of his death, and...

HE'S STILL ALIVE!


Are you serious? I thought everyone knew that he was dead. Apparently he's out of acting, which makes me wonder. What if his agent thinks he's dead also? Think how this is sinking his career. Do other people know this? I'm serious. I know some of you thought he was dead too. Don't lie.

Image courtesy of NNDB.com

Monday, September 17, 2007

Suck it NFL


If you cheat, and cheating is part of your job. And that cheating results in a fine, let's say $500,000. Could you deduct that on your next return?

Survey says?

God Bless America

Someone has a case of the Mondays

This weekend seemed to fly by. I spent a fair amount of time doing reading for grad school, which wasn't all that interesting. I'm taking a Leadership class where the professor loves to use the word "change agent." This bothers me. It seems too granola for me. Leadership is power, and it's generally not some incredibly soft concept that is warm and fuzzy. Certainly not in politics.

Name the movie:

"I'm a politician, which means I'm a cheat and a liar. When I'm not out kissing babies, I'm stealing their lollipops."

On Saturday afternoon I drove out to Sunderland, MA deep in the heart of Western Massachusetts to party with these kids. It was everything that makes America great. Cheap domestic beer, a country cover band, and a bunch of neighbors with crock pots full of their secret recipe for something or other. Oh, and the local girls high school soccer team was selling hot dogs and 50/50 tickets. The 50/50, for those urbanites unfamiliar with volunteer fire departments or small fairs is where you pay for raffle tickets and if they call your number, you keep half of the proceeds.

So TobacooFest '08 was a good time, until I got a headache and drove home. But it was a great night.

I'm currently careening through the final season of Rome. It's still really good. Perhaps a smidge less good than the first one, but still beating the pants of other television drama.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Captain Obvious

Apparently some study from England has shown why guys have taken up running in record numbers.

This really isn't news.

Weekend is coming

So the weekend is almost here. And it looks like I'll be heading out to Western Massachusetts for a Tobacco Festival. I'm not exactly sure what's happening, but I believe we're going to hospitals and smoking in the nurseries.

Only 6 days to go until International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which also happens to fall on my brother's birthday. Finally he can wear his shoes of questionable sexuality and not be scorned.

Speaking of questionable people, this guy needs help. (NSFW or humanity, really)

And please send all your maps to the Iraq, and such as.

General Betray Us

Stupid Libs....

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Never Forgotten


Hope everyone is doing okay today. Especially my peeps in New York.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Wow

Out of 173 countries, there are 4 that don't have paid leave for new moms...

1. Papua New Guinea
2. Swaziland
3. Liberia
4. Do you even need to ask?

Very nice. U.S. of A is #1!

My powers are all encompassing

So work is going fine. The weekend was pretty much a blur, were it not for the fact that my friend Amy came up from New York City and I got to hang with her. We went to a party that made me feel old. Let's just say I brought wine and the first guy I run into is wearing a T-shirt that says "I got Bourbon faced on Shit Street." Needless to say, my wine was not as popular as the suitcase of beer. But the girl who had the party is terrific, and there was some rockin' pasta salad. So all good.

And tomorrow I get to drive to the other end of the state before the sun comes up. .40 cents a mile baby. That's how daddy makes a living wage.

An update to The Guy Before the Guy. So we all know that I am 6 for 6, but I have elevated to a new level. Two of those six have gotten engaged. One of the girls just got engaged. And the other one has apparently had a ring for a month or two by my roommate didn't know how to bring it up.

Jeff: Hey, so i bought some laundry detergent and noticed you have a headlight out. And there was something else...
Me: Either I forgot to put the dishes in the sink into the dishwasher, or C got engaged.
Jeff: Both.

Yeah, that probably would have been weird. But ladies, now more than ever I think it's proof positive that my superpower is legit. I could look at this in a glass half full "I'm going to be 50 and eating ramen in a studio apartment" kind of way. OR I could look at this as another way for me to give back to the community. And I'm nothing if not a giver.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

A Ha!

So the Daily News political blog linked to my post of the NYPD officer being grinded on, which is all good. So welcome people who will most likely only read that post and then leave me alone with my imaginary friends, who are currently tied with the number of real friends I have.

But speaking of real friends, one of them has written a book. Her name is Melissa Walker, and asides from being incredibly brilliant and quite attractive, she was also my dorm Vice President when I was President sophomore year of college. And while she probably doesn't remember that, I do, mostly because my other house officers were criminally incompetent. (Hear that, Amar? )

She has written a book about a girl coming of age...well here's the description:

A wallflower in the spotlight can do one of two things: wilt, or blossom...

Violet Greenfield's life changes forever when a lady in giant Chanel shades tells her she could be IT, the next Kate Moss-but taller, and without the PR problems. That's how Violet winds up with a business card in the front pocket of her jeans on her first day as a senior in high school. Angela Blythe from Tryst Models in New York City wants to put Violet on a plane and whisk her into the world of high-heeled boots and oversized sunglasses. Tall, skinny Violet, who's been P-L-A-I-N practically forever.

So buy this book. I don't care if you don't have a girl between the ages of 12 and 20, doesn't matter. Melissa needs to keep her DVR as part of the Time Warner package and that shit costs money, yo. So help out a wonderful girl and buy a book, wherever fine books are sold. And if your bookstore doesn't sell it, yell at them and speak in tongues and don't leave until they order like a thousand copies.

Amazon is carrying it.
Borders is too.
Or help out the little guy.

Here's her site. But men, please no crazy letters or photos of your junk. She's got a man. You can send the photos of the junk to your primary care physicians though. They like the whole virtual checkup thing. Make sure to cough when you take the photo.

Wednesday

1) I love The Dirty Dozen.

2) You know how people think there's a trend of kids at colleges getting smarter, with more valedictorians each year than the year before? Well, tell that to these knuckleheads at Northeastern. Oh Huskies, bow your heads in shame.


Photo courtesy of ropeofsilicon.com

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Not just Labor Day

So yesterday was Labor Day, a holiday many celebrate by going to the beach or having a cookout.

It was also reason# 264 why I'm happy I'm not with the NYPD anymore. See, yesterday is the West Indian Day Parade in Brooklyn. And while the news covers it with the normal fluff and pomp, "It's a pageant on wheels at this colorful, unique cultural celebration." It's more like a riot on wheels.

The Festival starts the night before with a band concert called the Juvee. The band I escorted one time was a shopping cart with pans that some guy banged and a bunch of scantily clad women. A bunch of violence happens on the overnight, and it's totally out of control. Suffice it to say, if this was held on 5th Ave, it would be held for one more year.

My old friend I work midnights with, Nate, sent me this clip up on Youtube. He said, "You get what you pay for." This in reference to the low cops salaries.



Yes, that's snowfence. It's how they corral the people in the parade. They really use snowfence. Note the guy in the light blue polo behind the cop. He works for Community Affairs. Those guys have their hands full that day.

Ahh Brooklyn. I've got a bunch of funny stories about those nights. My favorite involving a man with sunglasses on in the dead of night, covered in motor oil and baby powder, humping the street. Oh yeah, totally naked. It's not just a job, it's a stand-up routine.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Bathroom ettiquite

In light of Senator Craig's stepping down, I reprint the article from The Onion that my friend Sam pointed me to.

Friday, August 31, 2007

Not too shabby

So just wanted to point out that I'm blogging from a bus driving on 95 right now.

Oh, and watching The Good Shepard which is pretty good.

Not that bad. Here I come, my high school hooligan friends.

Thursday, August 30, 2007

I love these photos.

I added my brother's link to the links sidebar, but in case you don't want to look over there....

The Bird's Nest

So handful of people who read this, meet my nephew Atticus. Atticus, please say hello to my family friends, ex-girlfriends, lurkers and Level 3 sex offenders who read this thing. (Amar, congrats on being upgraded from Level 2)*


How cute is this kid? I'd like to be swaddled.

* Please note: Amar is not a sex offender. This is called humor. I can provide references that all the women he has hung out with are over 75.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I always liked To Kill a Mockingbird

So sometimes writing a blog is not easy. I was looking for something to write about. It's late and I have to be up at 5AM for work tomorrow. And then the phone rings from an unknown number. I was about to let it go to voicemail, as I am usually wont to do. But I picked it up.

It was my brother Willett calling from Hong Kong, to tell me that I was an Uncle. Atticus Reid Bird was born on August 29th at around 8AM which was about 2 hours ago.

I'm an Uncle. How cool is that? I'm apparently already Crazy Uncle Graham, but I can deal with that. Nephews and nieces usually like their crazy uncles more than their uncles who wear designer jeans.

Family really is everything, isn't it? I can't wait until Christmas when I get to hold my nephew. I remember my Uncle Craig, my Dad's brother, once gave my brother and I this gigantic cinammon roll before we got on the plane to leave Montana where he lived. I remember thinking he was the coolest uncle ever. Now I realize that he was really screwing over my Dad by pumping his kids full of sugar and giving them 20 sticky fingers to wipe on everything and everyone. Genius. Strong Work, Uncle Craig.

You want Crazy Uncle Graham? You got Crazy Uncle Graham.

Bye Bye Gonzalez

Sunday, August 26, 2007

I'm going to join the priesthood

So in my never ending quest to find a mate, so I can procreate and eventually have my offspring take over this puny planet, I posed a personal ad on Craigslist. Here it is:

I promise not to ever use LOL - 30 (Somerville)


Reply to: pers-405441470@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-08-24, 11:29PM EDT



Holy Crap, how is this so hard?

Let's see....I'm a 30 year old guy who is done with drama, and looking for adventure. I have a job I love that pays me okay but more importantly lets me sleep well at night. I have friends I love who I will fly anywhere for, and I love taking road trips, watching bad movies, and laughing with someone while refusing to get out of bed on a Sunday morning.

You ideally are in decent shape, are around my age, don't believe that typing OMG is professional. You like to read, and don't think that international destinations mean either Cancun or an island in the Caribbean. You should like your job, or at least be passionate about something. You don't have more than 10 cats. You will be able to get basic pop culture references, and you don't have Myspace as your homepage on your computer.

I'm not sure if all this makes sense. I'm just looking for a pretty, smart woman who likes to have a good time and isn't psycho. Barring this, I'm joining the priesthood.

Photos would be good.




I received three responses, my personal favorite was this one (Italics are mine):

From : XXXXXX@msn.com
Re: CL Post
Thank goodness!
I think that all those acronyms are so tacky, not to mention very effeminate for a guy. I'm a woman and I would never use them! Okay....good start
OK, so now we're simpatico with that...Now let's see about the other stuff.
Not only do I love authentic travel ( probably like you, no Club Med, cruises (how can anyone call that travel?) or even Florida for that matter, but also love authentic food. No fast food (wait, that's an oxymoron!), no subs, soda, chain restaurants. etc. Are you still with me? Her dislike for sandwiches concerns me a little, but let's keep going....
I hate cats and love dogs and am very opinionated. I'm very feminine and also speak my mind, in an oh so ever diplomatic (wink) way... Right....good good.
OK, now the sticky stuff...Huh? Sticky stuff, what?
I'm married, happily so and have the OK to be doing something like this.Wait. What the fuckballs? Are you serious? We are very open and honest with each other. Let me know how you feel thus far. Thanks! How I feel? I feel like it's probably not going to work out.
Ciao for now...

So I wrote her back. Mostly out of morbid curiosity. I mean, does she want a threesome? I don't know what this all means. And my head hurt a bit. My response to her:
From: Me
To: Mrs. Psycho

Wait....I'm confused.

The sticky part is you're married? That seems a little more than sticky.

You said you have approval to do this? So it seems like you have an open marriage and what would you expect from me? I'm not working the camera. Did that once and it was bad. Too much zoom.


And finally, Mrs. Psycho's response to that:

I know, it sounds very suspect---at best. It definitely requires "thinking outside the box".
No, we’re not into 3somes or anything else. If you met me ---or us, you wouldn't get it. Yes we are happy and do love each other. However, I feel that I need more---a fun buddy to hang out with to do the things that my husband doesn’t like, such as dancing, which is my number one passion! I'm much more worldly and gregarious than he and just recently he has told me, "go out and have fun".
I am a very emotionally deep and socially conscious person who also happens to have a tremendous amount of positive emotional energy to share with people. OK, that just sounded very crunchy granola---believe me---I'm anything but!
Now what say you?

I give up. Seriously. I assumed I didn't have to put "Please don't be married on my personal ad." But as my old theater teacher told us, "Assumption is the mother of fuck up." Touche Mr. Gilbert. Touche.

Show me on a 61 to the bar, Central

So this weekend brought me down to New York City, by way of Mystic, CT. My old roommate was staying with her parents for the week in Mystic, and I went down for two nights. Really nice people from outside of Chicago, though Mystic is a little too much for me. It's packed with people buying shirts with lobsters that say "Mystic, CT" on them.

I soon left the Nutmeg State and drove down and woke my old partner from the NYPD up and hang out with him. He's got a nice little place in Ridgewood, Queens. And a plasma TV that is awesome. I almost feel bad for the people he locked up on overtime to buy it. Almost.

Will and I were partners for a little over 3 years. Both brand new out of the Academy, and working together in a car. So it wasn't like the movies. Also unlike the movies, most partnerships are work-only affairs. You come to work, spend 8 hours in a car together, and then go home. Luckily, we weren't really like that. We got to know each other's family. I was invited to his sister's wedding. And if my brother ever gets his crap together, Will will be invited to that one. He's like a best friend and a brother all rolled into one. Plus, he saved my ass from a few scrapes.

Returning to NYC is like putting on an old glove. It's different at first, but then you slip right back in and feel incredibly comfortable. And we returned to our old habits, which were...

Drinking at a local bar where $30 will take you all night.

Crank calling old colleagues who have now made supervisor and are forced to pick up the desk phone when it rings.

Enjoying a light repast at a trendy bistro, consisting of chicken rings, buffalo bites, and chicken with cheese sandwiches.

So it was a good night. And while there are still times I miss the NYPD. I have come to realize I mostly miss the people, because they have giant hearts, filthy mouths, and are clinically insane. So I will try and return to New York more often, because I miss laughing like that. Laughter is good for the soul.

P.S. White Castle is a great idea. However, make sure there are plenty of rest stops the next day if you are driving three hours or more. WC does to my insides, what smoking does to your lungs.

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Reply Al....Oh Holy Crap

So you know that person in your office who doesn't understand that there's a difference between "Reply" and "Reply All"? I had an old boss who used to write all sorts of disparaging things to a person that then went to an e-mail list of 50. Classy.

Even classier if you are in charge of an airline.

Good Dinner

So I'm still reeling from my favorite movie experience of recent months.... God that was good stuff.

So today, I was thinking about the fact that The Guy Before The Guy is now 4 for 4. The last lady has found love recently, which is really great for her. She told me that sometimes when you want something it just happens. I told her I wanted Keira Knightly to show up at my door in a Broncos jersey and a Double-Double Animal Style. Still waiting, sports fans. So I was a little down, but I had a dinner tonight planned with a guy I haven't seen since my elementary school in 8th grade.

A little bit here about my elementary school. It was like where WASPS were bred. It valued winning and homogeneity above difference and effort. It was probably the worst place for a kid like me to go to school. I made some good friends, but overall it was a horror movie. And the guy I was meeting was in the "in-crowd" there. Was a good athlete, a real golden child.

So we got to talking about how we wound up in Boston from New York, and about school. And he was actually the one who said "I think all of us have permanent scars from that place." We laughed about how some of our classmates still live in that bubble because it's all they've known, and how we're happy we're in Boston and making our own way. It was really good. Therapeutic in some senses. It felt good to have him validate how upside down that place was. We did PFI (President's Fitness Initiative) every week. I thought it was normal to get timed climbing a rope affixed to the ceiling every Wednesday morning. Only in college did I find that PFI, which now the President's Fitness Challenge, was not mandatory. I'm looking forward to hanging out with this guy and his wife.

So it went from a so-so day to a good night. Maybe things do happen when you want them to.

Monday, August 20, 2007

The Grey Team on Lunchbox

Great use of video Waks....


Wagons ho!



I just got back late last night (or early this morning) from my trip out to Oregon. Some friends from college rented a house for a few days in Seaside. It was great and only rained one out of the 4 days. I would like to point out that Delta sucks. They rest somewhere near telemarketers and insurance salesmen in terms of their business practices. What the hell kind of airline needs to send me to Atlanta from Oregon, just so I can connect back to Boston? They have a hub in Salt Lake City, and Cincinnati. But they chose to use neither of those. And so I returned to Logan at 1:30 this morning. The idiot making the on-board announcements asked if we had any trouble with our connections to check the flight monitors. Listen you dizzy broad, if I had a 1:30 connection out of Logan, we're both in big trouble. Sorry....rant over.

I flew a kite, had some delicious microbrews, sat by a bonfire, and generally had a fantastic time. My freshman roommate Amar was there and we were the only uncoupled people. The last night, I was sleeping on the couch and he on the loveseat. And just after the lights went out he said to me, "Well bro, did you ever think it would turn out like this? The two of us, 30, banished to the common area due to our ill fortune with the ladies?" I thought that was quite funny. Here's a photo of the sky the day we left.

I like that photo. I'll post some of the other ones on Flickr. But that was a great trip. I'd like to go out again. Our friend, Liam, who lives out there and his wife are expecting, which is great. He's a monkey, but he'll make a great Dad.

Went out to lunch today, and hit up Wendy's. Had the Baconator. It basically made me sweat grease, but it tasted good...for a while. And then I had to go for a run to sweat out the swine. I passed by the spot that I fell and did not collapse again, so that was good.

Finally tonight, I saw Sgt. Kabukiman, NYPD. This is a film from Troma Films, which is Lloyd Kaufman's shop. His daughters went to my high school, and I got to meet him when I coordinated a film festival there. Wacky guy, but man that movie was awesome. And by awesome I mean bad. But in a good way. Let's go over the highlights:
  • NYPD Sgt. gets kabuki spirit breathed into him by dying man
  • Gains ability to become Kabukiman and throw chopsticks and sushi at people.
  • Tons of gratuitous boobie footage
  • Has a chase scene involving a guy in a clown suit on a tricycle being chased by three cars full of bad guys.
At times the movie thought it was a little funnier than it was, but overall it was great.

Good friends, great movies, a run, and a burger with 6 strips of bacon. This my friends is why Canada will never beat us. Hose off, eh.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Go Ducks

I'm off for the next few days to Oregon for Oysterfest. It's usually Lobsterfest, but it's being held on the West Coast this year. And of my college friends, it's going to be a smaller group as a bunch of people couldn't make it. The only non-coupled people going are me and Amar, my freshman year roommate. I have plans to mount him by Saturday.

I will not be little spoon.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Waks reviews the Dems Debate

K, this is a few days old. Sorry Waka. But he did win Editor's Pick.


I'm like Eddie the Eagle of really slow jogging

So today, in an effort to purge the toxins from my skin, I resumed my jogging. And all was going well, I'd passed a mile and was running up Mass Ave right near Porter Square, when something went wrong.

I felt myself in the air, and a man of my girth took a surprisingly long time to hit the ground. I scraped my knee and cut up my hand. I did manage to land in a puddle right in front of this woman who stopped and was staring at me. I guess I know what people thought when they saw this thing finally come back to earth.

But, I kept on running like a Navy Seal. I'm going to get Nike or New Balance to do a commercial on me. My roommate thought I should have looked for some kind lasses to help me tend to my wounds.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Detroit will never be the same


Ladies and Gentlemen, the brothers descended on Motor City and wreaked havoc. And if that weren't enough, we went to Windsor, Ontario and gambled, drank, and perhaps saw some boobies. The highlights of the trip....
  1. I have to say here that seeing my brother so happy, and getting the chance to marry him and his wife was really the best. It was a nice short ceremony that I have no photos of as I was talking the whole time.
  2. The NAFTA Shot. In honor of our trip to Canada, and in celebration of the NAFTA Agreement, we made Broxton drink a shot of ingredients from all the three nations. 1) Tequila from Mexico 2) Tabasco from the U.S. 3) Bacon Bits from Canada. I wanted to float a slice of Canadian Bacon on the top, but the waiter wasn't down with my genius. Here is a shot of that glorious drink.
  3. My younger brother, Ross, forgot which car rental agency he made the reservation at. We were already at Hertz when he realized this, and Hertz had never heard of my brother and didn't care for the excessive amount of product in his hair. So I reserved the biggest thing they had, G-Diddy style. A 2007 Lincoln Navigator. Awww yeah son. It ate gas like a mofo, but I had to dim the lights and cap some fools, this would be my vehicle of choice.
  4. We got pulled over by Birmingham's finest, and I didn't get a ticket. Always appreciate a little professional courtesy from fellow terror fighters.
It was a really nice weekend. The highlight I would guess would be a tie between driving the Navigator and getting two slow dances with a very nice girl from Pittsburgh. I think when you're with someone you can forget how nice a slow dance with someone other than your mother can be.

I'm back for a few days before I fly out again to .... The City of Bridges. Any guesses as to where that is?

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Congregation may be seated

I'm off tomorrow morning for my brother's wedding. So the brothers will be uniting like the Knights of the Round Table in Detroit, Michigan. (Except there won't be swords and there will be beer.)

I'm marrying my brother and future sister-in-law on Saturday. So we're going to catch a Tigers game tomorrow and then see what Windsor, Ontario through a tunnel to Canada.

I'll see if I can update the blog when I'm there, but it might not happen. I promise photos upon my return and I'll try not to create any international incidents. I'm on some sort of U.N. Watchlist for vagrants and malcontents I think.

I think Detroit PD is hiring. And as an incentive to working in the murder capital of the U.S., you get to work with this guy:

Sunday, August 05, 2007

I am become Death

My apologies to Robert Oppenheimer for the title, but I'm sick y'all. It might be plague or the black lung. Either way, I've been sneezing, coughing and honking my way through the weekend.

The upside of my illness is that I've plowed through about 10 episodes of Rome: Season 1 on DVD. I love this show. I love Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo so very much. I like this only a little less than the Wire, which is to give it high praise. HBO makes the best shows on TV. So go out and rent this, if you haven't already.

And the other exciting news of the weekend was my brother buying a car. We went to brunch this morning at Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown and I had their full stack of pancakes. So good. I didn't even mind that I couldn't taste a thing with this cold. And then we stopped by the nearby dealership where Ross made the deal. So the car should be ready tomorrow evening. 2005 Jeep Wrangler, hard top, sand color, manual with 11K miles. Nice job little brother.

I've taken my Nyquil and I'm off to sleep.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

I hate Meth

So I'm sick. Took a sick day today and everything. I normally sound like Barry White when I'm sick, however today I sound much like a seal. Not so hot. Anyway, I went to CVS to purchase some cold remedies. This always strikes me as funny because there's no cure for the common cold, which makes this akin to visiting some place that sells hair tonic or something.

At CVS I remembered again why I hate methamphetamine. Not because the explosions from meth labs kill hundreds of people a year, or because it destroys peoples lives and families. No, I hate meth addicts because they make it hard to get decent cold medicine. The good stuff, with pseudophedrine. In case you didn't know, Sudafed is one of the main items needed to cook meth, which means I had to go to the counter and give over my driver's license and a signature before I could enjoy clear nasal passages.

As a kid, you would see condoms behind the register and think what a hassle it must be to get those. Now, cold medicine is the new condoms. And sadly, I needed what was behind the counter today a lot more than what was behind it years ago.

Monday, July 30, 2007

Beer of the Week (Old)

The Beer of the Week last week was Baviera. It's a beer they make in Paraguay that comes in wonderfully big bottles. It's nice and smooth lager and reminds me again that most other countries have national beers that don't suck.

Observe the smoothness of the man who drinks Baviera.



Good luck finding it around here.....

Ahhh my second home

So I'm back. I actually got back last night, but the thought of writing about the trip seemed a bit overwhelming. It still does, to be honest. So I'm thinking of breaking this down into pieces.

The Trip Down

The trip down was long but uneventful. We were on American, which has this nifty thing called the Gold Challenge that I participated in. If you want status and you know you're going to fly on American a bunch in the next three months, it basically allows you to gain status with 5,000 miles instead of 25K. So I got status on my flight down, which is cool. The leg from Miami to Sao Paolo was on one of their new 777s, which was nice. It looks like this:
We rented a car to get back and forth to work in. It a manual and I guess that as I was the trip leader, I drove it. Lemme tell you something, driving in Asuncion in a stick shift is an experience.

Highlights of the trip included:
  • Getting the Hooters Asuncion T-shirt.
  • Working for 22 hours one day delivering food. Food in sacks that weighed about 100 pounds. Oh yeah ladies.....The beach is that way.
  • Going out at midnight, because it's the early bird special if you go out any earlier.
  • Hearing Dancing Queen blaring on the stereo with 4 guys in the car driving back to the hotel on that long, long day.
  • Speaking enough Spanish to be dangerous.
  • Enjoying a sunset so pretty it could make you cry.
  • Spending quality time with amazing people and feeling like you make a difference in this world.
And there's tons more. I'll try and post some of the photos to Flickr.


It wasn't all hard work. Here I am with three of my colleagues...Susie, Haidee, and Mimi. Building Bridges.....


More later.....

Friday, July 27, 2007

Lo siento

Sorry this is a little late.....let`s make this quick. I leave tomorrow.

In the past few days I have:

  • Spent 22 hours out of a 24 hour day actually working.
  • Had my rental car broken into and my sunglasses stolen. Stupid thieves. Hope they have an astigmatism and amblyopia.
  • Off loaded over 40,000 kilos of food to people along a river bank off a boat.
  • Been inside a U.S. Embassy.
More stories later. Tonight, the bridge building with my counterparts continues.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Hola!

Greetings from America de Sud. I ran through two separate airports in less than 12 hours. It was awesome. We made it here safe, as did our luggage. I´m afraid there won´t be photos posted during the trip as my camera adaptor is at home.

I´m driving down here, and it´s a stick. Yes, they drive on the same side we do. But having had Driver´s Ed in Manhattan, Asuncion isn´t all that tough.

I´ll post more as I can. I really love the Boeing 777. The seats are extra wide, which is nice for my fat ass.

Off to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream. Dream en espanol.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

I hate this part

I usually fly in the mornings. That means I avoid this part of the trip the most. The time when you're waiting to go to the airport. I've packed a whole bunch of things. I've probably packed waay too many boxers and not enough shirts. And I'm just going a little stir crazy, but it's okay.

Nervous jitters I suppose.

Catch up...

Alright, I have a bunch of stuff and there's not a lot of time to dilly-dally.


First, Tammy Faye died. I'm sure most of you know this. I can still see her and her husband sobbing "I have sinned" after it was found they were embezelling tons of cash. Her bio is here. I don't really care about this, but it seemed pop culture worthy.

Second, I saw Transformers last night. Oh my God did I love this movie. Some might not remember the older Transformers movie, which my friend Steve showed me. That was good. This is better. The characters were great. John Turturro and Bernie Mac were perfect in parts that didn't eclipse the movie. Also, in a world of CGI and unbelievable action scenes, most people aren't that impressed. I was throughout this entire movie. Very well done melding of CGA and real life action.

I didn't like the fact that this movie, just like the 2nd Matrix was a very long GM commercial, but I guess the sponsors needed to get their bucks worth somehow.

My favorite reason for loving this movie was that sitting in a crowded theater in Burlington, MA surrounded by families and their kids, I felt a kinship with this movie. When Optimus Prime growls "Autobots, roll out," I had this big grin on my face. I watched the cartoon and played with the giant clunky plastic toys, which any normal child will tell you was 10 times cooler than the lame Go-bots. And so there was a great joy in seeing my childhood brought to life, and I secretly loved that I got it and most of these kids just thought this was a cool movie.

Finally today, I am almost all packed for my trip down to Paraguay. I am excited. However, I need to travel through Brazil, which has not been scoring points on aviation safety recently. First there was this. Then there was this last week, which I posted about earlier. And finally this morning, the radar across the country went dead with planes in the air thanks to a short circuit. And the radar snafu happened after Reuters wrote their little summary entitled Brazil's Deepening Aviation Crisis.

Awesome. But the way I look at it, if I can survive Harlem and a few summers of the Rucker, then landing in the Brazilian rainforest is nothing. I hope to post from down there. Don't know about any photos, but I'll at least write a little bit. If I miss you all and need a little America, a place just opened to help with that.