Thursday, December 6, 2007

Life and other TV thoughts

If you haven't watched the new TV series, "Life", Wednesdays on NBC, you should check it out. It is a pretty good show. Both Liz and I agree it is hands down the best new show on TV. It is probably one of the best shows on TV period. It just ended its Fall run, so you would have to catch up with it online, but it is worth it. Good show.
Heroes finally got good again the last 4-5 episodes before going on their huge vacation. Give me a break, I can see taking 2-3 weeks off around Christmas, but some of these shows don't return until Feb. or worse. They act like they are doing us a favor by running 10 straight new episodes in a row to finish the season. Um, pretty sure that is what they used to do all the time. The Fall season would start in Sept. and take a month break around Christmas. They would take Thanksgiving week off too sometimes. Then return in January and go until May. Only a few reruns in that whole time. Usually prompted by major sporting events on competing networks.
The team we rooted for won Beauty and the Geek, so that was enjoyable. This is a pretty entertaining show.
Getting pretty burned out on Amazing Race and Survivor. CSI and The Office are still great, although both suffer from the rerun bug too often.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Taser Incident

Ah, the story that will not die. Many of you, especially those who reside in Utah, have seen or at least heard about the guy getting tasered by a Utah Highway Patrol officer during what should have been a routine stop. I watched the whole thing on youtube. First of all, I'm not sure why this was allowed to be disseminated to the general viewing public. Yeah, yeah, public records and crap, but is the UHP stupid? Ok, don't answer that. Seriously, keep that video under wraps. At least get a court injunction to allow for the video to only be viewed by attorneys and clients in a lawsuit. Regardless (irregardless is an invented word, people) of the video evidence, I personally think many people are missing the point. DO WHAT THE COP SAYS! Unless he is telling you to break a law, coercing you into "favors", or telling you to do something that will cause you bodily harm, DO WHAT THE COP SAYS. You can give your side in court later. When he pulls out his gun or taser, DO WHAT THE COP SAYS.

Of course some cops are corrupt, on power-trips, or merely incompetent, but they still are cops. Arguing with a cop is more often than not going to get you in more trouble. Repeat after me, do what the cop says. Be respectful and you have a good chance of getting nothing more than a warning. Or play really dumb. Obviously, this isn't going to work every time. When it doesn't there are better ways of handling it than arguing or provoking the cop. In a traffic stop, be respectful, say yes sir/ma'am, and if it is for speeding, ask to see the radar. If they refuse, you have some influence with the judge later. Arguing isn't going to work. What do you think will happen? The cop gets beat down enough verbally that he throws up his arms in defeat and says he won't give you a ticket and have a nice day? Never happens. They get aggravated. First of all, they are totally irritated that you aren't giving them respect of office. Second, they are human and don't like having attitude thrown at them. Third, they are cops. I believe it goes to their heads a bit having that power.

Now here is my real issue in regards to this story. Who in Hades does that idiot getting pulled over think he is? I'll tell you who this whiny, holier than thou jerk thinks he is. He thinks he is the moral superior to everyone around him. I know you know the type. He's the guy who is right all the time, just ask him. He's the guy who thinks he knows more about everything than everybody. Obviously he would know more about the law than the cop because he's him. He's the guy who thinks his intellectual skills will get him out of the perceived injustices that he encounters in life. He honestly believes he has the moral high ground in whatever argument he is in. He's like that brown-nosing AP on your mission that was better at kissing butt than really being a true missionary. He's like that bleeding-heart pansy who makes his decision based on an ideal rather than on the cold hard facts that make ideals unrealistic sometimes. He's the college professor who thinks he knows more than everyone else because he is educated, and thus is supposedly expected to spew his opinions about matters of morality, politics, or religion even though his expertise is something called Early European Literature. He is like politicians from both parties who claim to know what is best for you and everyone else based on their own limited experience and opinions.

As I watched this whiny pansy complain and try to verbally twist this cop around, I couldn't help but look forward to when the jerk got tasered. Listen to this guy. He's the guy in Sunday School who answers all the questions, but not exactly correctly. You know the type. He's the guy who tells you how to be, think, act, and live, but obviously hasn't read the U.S. Constitution to see that he is wrong. This guy got under my skin. His girlfriend/wife was almost as bad. How dare a cop pull us over. We are good people. We're not criminals. What did we do wrong? I've never even been grounded. Personally I would have wrote him about 3-4 tickets. Harassing a police officer, broken tail-light (which happened to break somehow after I pulled him over), the original speeding ticket, and finally resisting a police officer.

I thought that for the most part the cop was pretty calm throughout. I do think he finally overreacted with the tasering, but by then I hated the whiny guy and thought it was deserved just for being a butthole. The cop was pretty clear in his instructions, he told the guy what he was pulled over for (even though the guy kept asking after he was told at the beginning), and the cop wasn't being too much of a jerk himself. I think he should have yelled in the guys face saying "HEY BUTTFACE, I PULLED YOU OVER BECAUSE YOU WERE SPEEDING! STOP WHINING AND SIGN THE TICKET! IF YOU DON'T, AND LET ME BE CLEAR BECAUSE YOU CLEARLY ARE AN IDIOT, IF YOU DON'T COMPLY, I WILL USE FORCE AND ARREST YOUR HIGH AND MIGHTY BUTT! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" The cop doesn't have to read the guy his rights right away, he could do it in the car or when things settle down. The cop will get the shaft because he tasered the guy probably unnecessarily. But the guy was a complete jerk. This is a case where the cop is totally frustrated. The guy won't comply at all, but is not doing enough yet to get forceful with. The cop tried to be reasonable, but finally had enough. In this day and age, it is not a stretch to think that a guy that is this uncooperative could have a weapon or something. In reality, this guy is probably afraid to even hold a steak knife and the cop should have realized this and just grabbed him and thrown the cuffs on him. He was probably afraid of getting slapped by this guy.

Just do what you are told. It starts at home with enablers. In school these are the kids that think the rules don't apply to them. What do you mean I can't text my friend all during class? That's silly. What do you mean it is wrong to copy someone else's work? That's not cheating. What do you mean no food in class? I'm hungry. Kids these days are more and more pampered. Let me give you one example. In my school, we HAVE to provide a complete review for the students for their final. No problem, I do anyway. But, we also HAVE to give them the answers to the review. Not have them go and find the answers. Not have them do some actual work and search their books for answers, no way, that is way too hard for these kids. So basically, I have to give my students a review that is basically a copy of the final exam with the answers provided. They are required to do nothing more than breathe. They are not required to put forth any effort or do any thinking other than memorizing the answers. Enabling is the name of the game. I remember getting no test reviews in high school. Maybe a review for the final that we had to fill out or make our own notes for. I give my kids test reviews with the exact test questions and they still whine because I make them actually look for the answers. The final is a different story, so the only thing I can make them do is copy the answer down rather than give them a printed copy. They whine about that too. These coddled, enabled kids are our future. They are appalled when they get pulled over. How dare anyone scold me or tell me what to do.

Doomsday is close.

That's my take on this situation.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

AnchorMan

Funny Anchorman meets ESPN

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Think about it

Jeff sent me this.

Subject: Three Things to Ponder:
1. Cows
2. The Constitution
3. The Ten Commandments
C O W S
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that during the mad cow epidemic our government could track a single cow, born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she slept in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to locate 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give each of them a cow.
T H E C O N S T I T U T I O N
They keep talking about drafting a Constitution for Iraq . Why don't we just give them ours? It was written by a lot of really smart guys, it has worked for over 200 years, and we're not using it anymore.
T H E 1 0 C O M M A N D M E N T S
The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse is this:You cannot post "Thou Shalt Not Steal," "Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery," and "Thou Shall Not Lie" in a building full of lawyers, judges and politicians...It creates a hostile work environment.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

My own grrrrs

There are some things making me nearly blow my lid. First, some idiot named Kucinich (Dem. congressman) is calling for Cheney to be impeached. Seriously, with all that is going on in the world and in this country, this is what these jackasses are focusing on???? What would that prove? Some of these Dems are going into panic mode. They just can't rest until they get either GW or Cheney. None of these politicians are totally clean, but they like to pretend they are. They claim the moral high ground, but they don't really live it. HOW ABOUT DOING THE JOB YOU WERE ELECTED TO DO??? Most people have more important things to worry about than political witch hunts. How about getting rid of worthless government programs that cost taxpayers more money and don't achieve anything worthwhile? How about passing some strong laws that will better protect this country from very real enemies here and abroad? How about really dealing with an out of control immigrant issue? How about reforming the court system so we don't have innocent people going to jail and guilty people going free all based on sleazy lawyers and their technicalities that determine what evidence is allowable and what isn't? How about more taxes on Hollywood productions, actors, studios, etc.? They love and support the Dems, who love and support raising taxes. The Dems want to tax the rich more. Well, guess who the rich include...that's right, the mouthy actors, etc.

Another issue that is becoming highly irritating to me is the flood of gay characters on every show on TV. We watched the premiere of The Amazing Race the other night. A middle-aged (well older actually) lesbian couple who are both ministers were one of the teams. Serious eye-roll here folks. Not to mention the "best friends" team with a girl and clearly (though not stated) gay guy. If that guy wasn't gay, then he reminds me of the Saturday Night Live character Dana Carvey played called the Effeminate Heterosexual. Come on, do we really need the whole gay thing thrown in our faces everywhere we turn? I DO NOT CARE WHAT THESE PEOPLE DO IN THEIR PRIVATE MOMENTS, SO STOP THROWING IT AT ME. 50 year old or so lesbian ministers. It's not enough that they were both a bit older. Not enough that they are ministers. Not enough they are lesbian. They are all three. What is amazing is that out of all the people who apply for the show, they come up with so many gays. Other than my uncle and his whatever, I didn't even know another gay person for most of my life. Now they must represent a huge percentage of the population. At least that is what TV is teaching us. Survivor isn't satisfied with the token gay character now. They have to make it a gay Mormon flight attendant. Sigh. I understand that it is assumed that most people are heterosexual. But if not why do they feel the need to publicize it so much? Amazing Race is getting totally predictable with their teams. There will be a gay couple, a blond girl team, a father or mother and son or daughter team, and a bunch of people that are dating. They will throw in a few others but they always have those. The team that is missing this season is the 20 year old buff dude team.

Finally, I am just so sick of the continued fascination with Paris Hilton, Rosie O' Donnell and Britney Spears. Hilton is all over the news for her Halloween outfit, her trip to Tokyo to judge some beauty pageant, and her supposed upcoming trip to Rwanda to do her bit for charity (postponed). This is a person whose sole talent is that she was born into lots of money. She is physically ugly, mentally deficient, morally empty, and a total waste of space. Luckily she doesn't take up much space. She can't act, can't sing, and is NOT attractive. She's really not. Why do people care about her so much? Rosie is in talks to host a show on MSNBC. Who actually wants to listen to this crazy imbecile? She is so far off her rocker that she is a walking joke. The only reason that she is getting this gig is that the producers know that eventually she will say something completely off the wall and stupid, so people will watch. They want to see the next dubious Rosie moment. I won't be watching. I'd rather watch paint dry. I also don't quite understand why she gets away with some of the stuff she says and does that is clearly offensive. She totally mocked Chinese people and nothing was really said about it. Can you imagine the backlash if one of the Conservatives had done the exact same thing? She makes me sick. And finally, Britney Spears new album is somehow number one. We all know (or you should by now) that the music industry is completely corrupt. Certain artists (I use that word loosely) are promoted and certain albums are promoted. An album debuts at number one when it has been out for one day. It's weird. Who is really buying the new Spears album? Come on. It has been available online for awhile. At least some of it has. I can't believe that it would be that hot of an item by now. Besides, she sucks. She is one of the worst singers in recent history to become popular. Of course that never stopped Madonna. I chalk it up to all her dubious publicity and people's sick curiosity to want to see what the new album is like. I can tell you without even listening to it. It sounds a lot like her previous crap and has some recycled dance beats. Yippee. This girl should be in full-time counseling to learn how to manage her life and protect rather than endanger her kids. Are you like me when you hear a certain person is having a kid, you just cringe? You think to yourself, oh that poor kid. Britney. Pam Anderson. Madonna. The Clintons. Most of my students.

Friday, November 2, 2007

Reality show Idea

I have come up with an idea for a new reality show. It's called Celebrity Beat-Down. That may sound a lot like the previous Celebrity Boxing that was on. It's different. You, the winner of a call in contest, get to challenge a celebrity (of your own gender, sorry) to a UFC style fight. Anything goes except for eye-gouging, head-butting, groin shots, and biting. Kicking, boxing, wrestling, mixed-martial arts, etc. They have 3 weeks to get ready and meet you in the ring. If they refuse, they have to clean the restrooms in two high schools and a local airport for 2 weeks. So, for example you pick some punk celebrity like Sean Penn, Eminem, or Kid Rock and you get to knock em out. Or get knocked out. Penn thinks he's pretty tough going after photographers all the time. Eminem and his perma-scowl. There's a face I'd love to bash in. Like his life is so hard with his millions of dollars. These punk rappers lose a bit of their credibility as soon as they make the bigtime. Allen Iverson, I'd love to break his nose. Girls, take your best shot at Paris Hilton, as if she'd accept. There would be people challenging her left and right. Britney Spears would be a nice opponent. Wouldn't it be nice to see Rosie in the ring getting pummeled. Although, she would probably own the ring. If the celebrity loses, they have to take a 2 year break from any sort of movie, album, TV series or whatever they do. If you lose, you are their servant for a month. Unpaid.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Atheists and Idiots, Or is that redundant?

Ok, so Nicole Kidman (she of the oh so high morals) is in a new movie based on a book written by a so-called atheist. It is a series that is supposed to be about some girl who wants to kill God or some such premise. Look on foxnews.com archives. The article is from Monday, I believe. Anyway, the series author is a self-proclaimed atheist who just "hates" books like the Chronicles of Narnia because of their basis in Christianity. He says they mislead kids and crap like that. All the atheist fans of his books are up in arms because the movie has "sanitized" the anti-God stuff mostly out. Many go so far as to claim that Hollywood has, get this, caved to the Christian Right. Are you freaking kidding me? Is that not laughable? Hey, Idiot, if you don't like the way they are making your book into a movie, get a contract that gives you approval privileges on the screenplay.

Let's break this down. First, that icon of chastity, modesty, and humility, Nicole Kidman. Yeah, not too long ago, she was in a movie that had a scene in which she is in a bathtub with a preteen boy. Nice. I actually think she is a decent actress, but nothing more than Australian white trash, and quite frankly a co-conspirator with other adults in at least indecency with a minor. I think she will just disappear in a year or two anyway as she continues to shrink.

Complaining about a book of fiction because it promotes a certain mindset and then writing your own controversial book promoting your own mindset is pretty lame. Typical leftist thinking. Squawk about how awful the other guy's opinions are because they don't gel with yours, then go squawking your own opinion. I may not like what someone writes. I may think it actually sucks. I may question why that person is a writer or wonder how they are successful at it, but they can write what they want. If I don't like it, I don't read it. If it offends me, I don't read it. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but the way this atheist author ripped on C.S. Lewis and the Narnia stories sounded whiny and almost like Lewis didn't have the right to write those books. I dare say that the Narnia books have and will far outsell the "Atheist Trilogy" or whatever it's called. I don't condemn Atheist Man for writing his books. Who cares? I won't read it based on the fact that it doesn't appeal to my interests. I guess this whole paragraph is two-faced. Moving on.

As for the whole idea of an atheist. Give me a break. I believe whole-heartedly that there are very few true atheists if you take percentages of the world population. They are idiots, deluded, confused, lost, or just plain blind to the world around them. Reminds me of the Book of Mormon. Whenever some bonehead came around claiming that there was no God and we can do what we want, he was always shown to really believe in God. The Devil made him do it and stuff like that. Most of us have heard the saying "there are no atheists in foxholes." Probably true. I would go so far as to say that atheists fear God so much that they have just decided to discount Him completely. It's so much easier that way. What do they base their personal morals and values on? Whatever society tells them is ok? Most societies' laws are based on religion if you go back far enough.

How do you offend an atheist? This is the part I really don't get. If you are a true atheist, why would you care if there is a religious image in the courthouse? Why would you care if someone said a prayer at school? So-called atheists always bring lawsuits out complaining about this kind of stuff. A true atheist would merely think that those people are foolish and go about their business. Why would they begrudge the rest of us something that gives us direction and hope? No one is saying they have to participate in prayers. No one is saying that they have to read the Ten Commandments monument at the courthouse. And yet, here comes the lawsuit. They have to get their name in the media. Probably want some easy money. I really doubt they actually care about these things. If a religious law is imposed on them, then they have a legitimate complaint. Doesn't it seem a little weird that someone with no God-based morality would get offended over something like religious imagery. They surely wouldn't like it, but offended? Their whole morality, their whole value system is completely different than the majority of people on the planet. Of course they have their rights. But, seriously get a life.

I would challenge them to take a single stalk of wheat, a single orchid, a tarantula, an eagle, and a sea anenome and study them. Can you honestly look at these and pass these off as the result of some big mistake? Look around you. Look at our universe and its order. A mistake. Sure, yeah, right. That is one absolutely perfect mistake. And where did that original single-celled organism come from? Did it just spontaneously emerge from nothing?

I'll tell you what, atheists. I'll pray for you.

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The Return

I actually started a new post last week, but got really busy with work and such so I never finished it. Now having reread it, I decided to just start fresh. PEOPLE PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS. Even if it is one word just to let me know you've been here. It is discouraging to get nothing because then I feel less and less motivated to expound my infinite wisdom to you.
So please leave even a brief comment. You are even allowed to disagree with me. However, I might go Hillary Clinton on your butt if you do. Actually, no one is allowed to dare speak out against her or they get her eternal and unholy wrath. She is probably one of the scariest people in politics right now. I fear her. I loathe her.

Anyway, what can I discuss on this fine brisk day in Houston, Texas. Yes, it is actually in the 60s. It feels great. I was in El Paso last weekend for a Texas Social Studies conference. If you have never been there, don't bother. It is nothing to write home about. A direct quote from my dad describes it, "there's not much there." I'm glad I went because I was curious. Now I'm good, thanks.

Jeff informed me, and then I read about it later, of the shortcomings in LAX as far as not catching undercover officers with "bombs." Let's face it, we aren't that safe. I was watching the guy who looks at the screen while your carry-on goes through the x-ray machine, and he just didn't seem to be giving a whole lot of care to his job. I did not feel reassured. Plus they are telling you to not bring such and such liquids or gels, etc. If you put them in your pocket, you can carry them right through as long as they are not in a metal container. They don't pat you down, so I could have a sharpened piece of plastic in my sleeve and no one would know. Am I the only one who predicts another incident involving a plane soon?

So Marie Osmond fainted on Dancing With the Stars last night. I didn't watch live, but saw it on the news, so by then they knew she was all right. Doesn't she remind you of that aunt that you sometimes like being around, but also need a break from shortly thereafter? Personally, I think the whole show has lost its edge. The novelty has worn off. Plus this season's crop of B-C and even D list stars is not that intriguing. I want to see stars like William Peterson of CSI, Steve Carell of The Office, Kate Beckinsale (for obvious reasons, sorry Liz), Hurley from Lost, Hannity and Colmes, Oprah, and the main guy from CSI-Miami, David Caruso. Can you imagine the judges telling him to stop looking at the floor before every move? LOOK UP!!! How about Jeff Probst from Survivor, Jon Heder, and Jay Leno? Is Jessica Alba available? She did the lame movie, Honey, where she danced. Anyway, let's spice the show up. NO MORE unknown news anchors.

Apparently today (Tuesday Oct. 23rd) is some anti-abortion day. One of my students is being silent today to protest abortion or something like that. I will ask her more about it tomorrow, but am 100% behind her. Abortion is about as wrong as it gets. What really gets me is that so many people who support abortion are against the death penalty. So killing babies is ok, but not convicted mass murderers? I don't get it. I won't get up too high on my soapbox today. I just thought that was worth mentioning. We should all take a moment to think about it at least.

I went to Daddy's and Donuts at Tyler's preschool this morning. That was fun. It is cool to see him at school. He loves it and is doing well there. It is a sure bet that he will be more successful than me. Not that that is a very high bar to reach. He's a fun kid. Brooke is almost crawling. She can get around, but it isn't crawling. She is fun, too.

Well, I will add some more soon. If you are struggling with something and need advice, let me know. I'm almost always right. And never wrong.

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Television Critiques

Ok, so the new TV season has begun. There are still some shows that have not yet debuted, and some that won't start until January. But, many have begun and I have spent many an hour in your behalf watching. I will help you know what is good, not good, so-so, or a non-factor on our television.
SUNDAY- Unfortunately for Liz, this is a football or golf viewing day. Sunday evening is open to her for whatever she wants. There is not much to pick from on Sunday. Extreme Makeover- Home Edition gets cheesier and cheesier. I can't watch it without a barfbag. We usually don't watch it, but occasionally are too lazy to turn the channel. I would give it a D. I don't watch Desperate Housewives, which is the big hit of Sunday. It's garbage and you all know it. You should be ashamed of yourselves. Now I am not trying to judge, I mean you all know what a nasty and inappropriate person I am, but seriously come on. Don't come in here trying to defend this crap either. Don't tell me it is funny or whatever. I did catch an episode once and wasn't impressed. The rampant adultery on this show is enough to turn me off. Call me old-fashioned. Rampant fornication is one thing...Just kidding. Des. HWs -F. We have watched Cold Case a few times and that is actually a pretty good, albeit depressing murder show (you can never get enough of those). I'd give it a B. All the Fox cartoons on Sunday except the Simpsons bug me. Simpsons is a classic, but it is on too early, so I don't watch it.
MONDAY- 24 returns in January. I like to suspend reality and watch Prison Break. It really is dumb and yes, it takes a lot of overlooking of the obvious to go along with the show, but it is fun. The first season when they were leading up to the actual breakout was really cool. Second season was ok, and this season is set in a prison in Panama. If I wouldn't have gotten hooked by the first season and first 2-3 episodes of season 2, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it. But, one of my quirks is that I find it nearly impossible to leave something before I know the end. I watch some crappy movies just to see the end. TV is the same, only with TV I am stuck for season after season. Not that Prison Break is crappy, it's actually pretty entertaining, and that is what I ask for most in my media viewing. Plus you really never know who will get blown away next on the show. I'll give it a solid B. Liz likes Dancing With the Stars. Well, I will watch this with her because I admire the hard work and dedication these people put into their preparation. Especially the ladies. Very determined bunch. No grade, I just watch. Also on Monday, Heroes. I give this show an A. I thought season 1 was great, but this season is starting a little slowly. I have faith in this show that it will soon be cruising along nicely. They need to stop teasing and bring back Syler. Hate him, but the character is awesome. One of the best villains in awhile. The Hiro part is a little too corny. Get on with it. I tried a couple of new shows, Journeyman and Chuck. Both get a C. Not enough to hook me. I don't even want to give them a couple more episodes, which I usually do.
TUESDAY- This is Liz night. Dancing/Stars results show, and the Biggest Loser. I usually watch with her because that is what's on. We like Beauty and the Geek too. Very amusing show. My favorite geek this season is the LARPer (live action role player). Entertaining every week. A. I am going to give Cavemen a chance tonight. Liz thinks it looks incredibly stupid. Exactly why I might like it. The Geico commercials are my favorites. But I am already conceding that this most likely will not work as a full show. We'll see. Liz loves House. I like to play house. Anyway, it is a good show, but a bit predictable sometimes. Solid B.
WEDNESDAY- Lost returns in January. A couple new shows have promise. First is Bionic Woman. I thought it was pretty decent. B so far. I'm giving this one a chance. The other is Life. We both really liked this one. Quirky. Pretty good. B+ so far. Til Death is actually pretty humorous. Some episodes are really funny, others just amusing. I watch when I feel like it, but don't sweat missing it either. B-. I need some more comedy since King of Queens is gone now.
THURSDAY- This is TV NIGHT. We have too many shows on Thursday. We still faithfully watch Survivor. It always amazes us how dumb people are. Do they not watch the show?? I am a little annoyed with the newly typical "gay mormon" character that a lot of reality shows (Esp. Survivor) regularly trot out at us. Can't just be Mormon or just gay. Anyway, still like the show. A-. I am a big fan of CSI-Original. I can't stand CSI-Miami. Original is still very good. They need to be careful that they don't get carried away with the characters getting in danger. A. Without a Trace is pretty good, but we don't watch it much. Too many other shows. Of course there is the funniest show on TV, in my opinion, the Office. We love this show. This show has made me laugh harder than any other TV comedy. Plus, the uncomfortableness of many of the situations is amazing. We actually squirm sometimes. That is good writing and acting. A+. Earl is pretty funny, but we don't watch it much. I still watch Smallville. It has actually gotten better. I was good then dumb, now good again. A sometimes shaky B. Liz really likes Ugly Betty, but I already have too many other shows. We used to watch ER, but we quit years ago. It is just too much. How many times can there be a shootout, bomb, brutal murder, or helicopter crash at a single ER? Stupid. Grey's Anatomy sucks. I know some of you are fans. Why?????????????? The first time I heard the narration, I was like "I'm out". Then I caught bits and pieces of a couple other episodes and realized if I kept rolling my eyes they might get stuck up there. One of the parts I caught was the 3-4 people all together in the shower. Ok?!? You know the writers were just trying to go for shock value and see what new lows they could reach on primetime TV. It played no real role in the show; it was a dream sequence. It was a lame excuse to get 3-4 naked people together in the shower. What is especially fun is that Katherine Heigl was raised Mormon. Nice Mormon girl. Is there a more pouty and annoying person than the main girl? She reminds me too much of Renee Zellwegger. Renee is totally overrated. Plus she is so squinty-eyed. I swear every girl in my classes love this show. I'll take a raincheck. I'm sure I ruffled some feathers with that critique, but I'm sure many of you think my shows suck. I'm cool with that.
FRIDAY- We usually watch 20/20 and that is about it. John Stossel is cool. He goes after everyone during his segments. Incidentally, I read one of his books and it was pretty good. Some interesting stuff. There were some parts I didn't agree with, but most of it I did. Friday Night Lights is a show I have half paid attention to. It is interesting sometimes and blah sometimes. What is interesting is that it is actually pretty accurate. One thing I like about it is that it portrays the high school students realistically, rather than as the over the top stereotypes. It is a fine line to walk, but they do it well. The only problem is that in some cases, it is so obvious that the actor is so much older than their character. Plus some of the storylines are lame.
SATURDAY- FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL I think Liz hates Saturdays.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Ode to Jeff-But you all might enjoy

My longest-tenured friend, Jeff, is finally getting married. I offer a big congratulations, and a hearty sigh of relief. It is about damn time. Dude is only 37 years old. I've known Jeff for 34 years. There's a lot you can say about a person when you have known them that long. We have shared many interesting experiences. There was the time we were at scout camp and we were working on our Environmental Science merit badge. We, along with our other friend, Lane, had climbed a huge old pine tree. Lane and I were up a bit higher than Jeff, and I suddenly felt the need to relieve myself. Number two, that is. Well, it was "look out below" and you better be good at dodging, Jeff. Good times. There was the time Jeff and John almost got in a fight on my birthday after seminary. One of the only times in history that John actually lost his temper. He kicked Jeff. Then they both felt bad and said sorry by the end of school. Ah yes, so many good memories. There was the time in seminary when I was sitting right behind Jeff, who was pretty much asleep slumping in his chair, and I had to let some air out, if you know what I mean. Well, I had no idea that some air could smell so rotten. Let's just say that Jeff made a huge scene as he was jolted out of sleep. A very loud "UNGH!!!" escaped him as he bolted upright in his chair. "MAN, THAT'S SICK!!!" Our seminary teacher didn't really know what was going on, so Jeff got scolded, while I, the truly guilty party, just sat there and laughed. By the way, that seminary teacher went on to give a fireside a few years later in which he claimed to know the exact date of the Second Coming of Christ. Then he moved to Sandy, Utah and became a polygamist. And who can forget how he so wonderfully reminded me how to swear like a trucker after my mission.
A good friend and I am very glad for him to finally find his own happiness. Way to go Jeff.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Tip of the iceberg

A friend forwarded this to me:


THE CLINTON'S.... AMAZING!

Bill and Hillary (The Ideal happily married couple):

Bill Clinton registers for the draft on September 08, 1964, accepting all
contractual conditions of registering for the draft.

Selective Service Number 326 46 228.

Bill Clinton classified 2-S on November 17, 1964

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-A on March 20, 1968.

Bill Clinton ordered to report for induction on July 28, 1969.

Bill Clinton refuses to report and is not inducted into the military.

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-D after enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserves
on August 07, 1969, under authority of Col. E. Holmes.

Clinton signs enlistment papers and takes oath of enlistment.

Bill Clinton fails to report to his duty station at the University of
Arkansas ROTC, September 1969.

Bill Clinton reclassified 1-A on October 30, 1969, as enlistment with
Army Reserves are revoked by Colonel E. Holmes and Clinton now AWOL and
subject to arrest under Public Law 90-40 (2)(a) registrant who has failed
to report... remain liable for induction.

Bill Clinton's birth date lottery number is 311, drawn December 1, 1969,
but anyone who has already been ordered to report for induction is
INELIGIBLE!

Bill Clinton runs for Congress (1974), while a fugitive from justice
under Public Law 90-40.

After a long relationship over many years, Bill married Hillary Rodham,
who didn't pass the bar exam in Mass., but did pass it in Arkansas(???)

Bill Clinton runs for Arkansas Attorney General (1976), while a fugitive
from justice.

Bill Clinton receives pardon on January 21,1977 from President Carter.

***Bill Clinton FIRST PARDONED FEDERAL FELON ever to serve as President
of the United States.***

All these facts come from Freedom of Information requests, public laws,
and various books that have been published, and have not been refuted by
Clinton.

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, President Clinton promised
that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military
personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down
and punished.

After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and
injured 200 U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those
responsible would be hunted down and punished.

After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and
injured 5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted
down and punished.

After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39
U.S. sailors. Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted
down and punished.

If Clinton had kept those promises, an estimated 3,000 people in New York
and Washington, DC that are now dead would be alive today.

AN INTERESTING QUESTION: This question was raised on a Philly radio
call-in show. Without casting stones, it is a legitimate question.

There are two men, both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap
software and gives billions of dollars to charity.

The other sponsors terrorism. That being the case, why was it that the
Clinton Administration spent more money chasing down Bill Gates over the
eight years in office, than chasing down Osama bin Laden?

It is a strange turn of events. Hillary gets $8 Million for her
forthcoming memoir. Bill gets about $12 Million for his memoir yet to be
written. Their blind trust is estimated to be at least $25 million.

This from two people who spent 8 years being unable to Recall anything
about past events while under oath.

Sincerely, Cdr. Hamilton McWhorter USN (ret)

P. S. Please forward this to as many people as you can! We don't want
this woman to even THINK about running for president.

We don't want these people back in the White House!

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

SIGH

WHAT A CRAPPY FOOTBALL WEEKEND! I don't think I can even comment on some of the garbage I saw. Ok, yes I can. But first, it has been pointed out to me that the opposing political party always gets their rebuttal televised. I knew there was always a rebuttal, but I guess I always turn the TV off before it starts. To tell the truth, I haven't even watched a presidential address for like 2 years. I still think it is ridiculous to let someone come on and just totally undercut the office of the presidency and its credibility. What does this say to the world? Totally stupid.

Anyway, I caught some of the Emmy's and although it wasn't as lame as the Oscars, I just can't help asking why these elitists need so many awards shows to pat themselves on the backs. I thought it was funny when Colbert and Stewart even made a joke about them having a show like this. Our society is so insane. Celebrity worship is lame. So many of these people are just slimebags, too. I only saw about 10 minutes, so I missed the more memorable parts like Sally Field getting censored, Katherine Heigl being snotty about someone mispronouncing her name, and Doogie Howser making crass comments towards the Heroes cheerleader girl. Dude is gay, so what genius wrote that in? Anyway, how many of these shows are there? People's Choice, Academy, Emmy, Golden Globe, and all the music awards, just to name a few. I guess what makes them so annoying is that together (music/movies/tv) there is an awards show on almost every other week. Plus, all the celebs mix into each others' shows. Music people at the Emmy's and movie stars at the music shows. They make me nauseous.

On to football. Ok, Utah annihilating UCLA??? What happened there? Now the Utes are going to go on about winning the MWC and strut around like they are the team of the decade. For whatever reason, they caught UCLA by surprise. I guarantee that if they played that game 10 times, UCLA would win at least 7. Utah will probably lose at least 2 more games to MWC opponents and this game will be the high point of the season. Unless they beat BYU, which looks more likely now. Then that will be the highlight because BYU is their bowl game every year. They get way more up for that game than BYU does. Unfortunately. BYU's loss to Tulsa is so typical of them. They get up and beat a Pac-10 team, play another one tough, then lose to Conference USA. Pathetic. Someone tell Kehl to shut his mouth. Every time some Coug starts mouthing off, they get beat. If they play even a quarter of defense, they win. And how about not shooting yourself in the foot with penalties? Finally, the Raiders. One of the most frustrating losses I can remember. The way they lost, or actually how the game was stolen from them, is just baffling. Denver is a team of chumps. Shanahan is a cheap chump. If that game had been at Oakland, the timeout would have been ruled too late or Shanahan would have called it earlier. I hate the Broncos. Even guys on ESPN are calling for a rules change because it was such a chump move.

Friday, September 14, 2007

There won't be too many politicians in Heaven

I happened to watch the President's speech last night. Whatever your view of him is and whatever your view of the war and everything else, I found something extremely disturbing in the broadcast. They let some idiot Democrat come on right after and totally discount and undercut everything the President just said. Does that sound right to you? I don't care if it is Bill Bimbo King Clinton talking or Ronald Reagan. That should not be allowed. This totally takes away the credibility of our Commander-in-Chief. I was blown away by the fact that they even broadcast this rebuttal. It didn't matter what Bush said, the Dems were going to politicize it and tear it apart. Their response was a prepared statement based on their own agenda and showed, once again, that they are not interested in true compromise or anything else but their own rise back to power. Plus, what does this tell our enemies? What does this tell everyone? It says, "Aw don't listen to that guy. He sucks." Excuse me, but this is not good for our country, people. This is not a presidential debate. This is not a congressional debate. This is the President of the United Freaking States giving an important speech. There has always been a rebuttal by the other side no matter who was talking. But this is the first time I have seen it televised. That is not a good thing. It tells everyone in the world that we don't have any respect for the office of the presidency. They will say, it only applies to Bush, but it better not. If that Devil Woman Hillary becomes president, the Republicans better get the opportunity to televise their rebuttal of her senseless drivel. But, really I don't believe they should. I don't think the party out of the White House should be able to come on right after the president and make such a huge attempt to discredit that president, no matter who it is. I have a serious problem with this. I have no problem with the released statement from the opposition. But don't televise it right after. That is downright disrespectful. Maybe I haven't seen a presidential address in awhile. Maybe they have done this before. I do not remember seeing a rebuttal like this televised. No they don't have the right to televise it either. This is not an election ad. This is not a case of they get their time, we get ours. This is the PRESIDENT. Shameful behavior once again.

If any of you have kept up with the General Petraeous (sp?) briefings, is it not obvious that it drives the Dems crazy that anything positive comes out in the report? They can't stand it. Shouldn't they as AMERICANS want good results in a war WE as AMERICANS are fighting. They want us to lose. They do everything possible to restrict the president so we lose. They ignore everything positive that comes out from Iraq. People honestly believe we are losing this war. WE ARE NOT LOSING. American lives have been lost and when even one is lost that is too much. But, compare those losses to the bad guys' losses. We have lost less than 4000. They have lost tens of thousands more. We ended two evil governments. We are rebuilding. Of course there are struggles. This is war. It isn't easy and it doesn't just fix itself overnight. But, why don't the Dems and Repubs for that matter give some ideas on how to help fix things rather than just say let's get out so we can assure that the war is a lost cause and Bush looks bad forever. In fifty years it will be interesting to see how history is written. Bush will not be the worst president ever, and sorry Dems, Clinton will not be the best. I wish we could pull all of our troops out today. But, it is not feasible. Why do the Dems not want to let our troops win this war? It is just amazing how much the Dems ignore the positives. I'm sure Repubs ignore the negatives too, but not as much. I remember the Clinton years, and the Repubs were nowhere near as harsh. It is impossible for a human to only make mistakes. But ask a Dem what good thing Bush has done and they will say nothing. You have to feel for the guy. How is he supposed to do anything, when there are unprecendented levels of opposition against him? What is it about him that they hate so much? I guess Dems never make mistakes or mispronounce words. Well, I didn't mean to rant so much, but I am sick of it. I lost all respect for Dems during the impeachment of Clinton proceedings. They have done nothing since to gain it back. JUST SAY NO TO HILLARY!!!!!

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Remembering 9/11

Please take a moment and remember. I have been showing a video about it to my students. My normally chatty and often obnoxious kids have been totally silent, just watching. Most of them were probably around 10 years old when it happened. I'm sure at the time they were pretty scared of what might happen next. I'll never forget that day. Pretty sickening.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Miscellaneous thoughts

First of all let's talk football. WAIT, DON'T LEAVE! We'll get to some other stuff shortly. Pretty crappy football weekend. BYU lost a game they really could have won. They held UCLA in check for all of the second half except the final 2 minutes of the game. They had rallied from being down 20-0 and were within 3. Then they fumbled and that was that. They couldn't do anything in the 4th quarter.
Utah State, well, they lost again. Not much else to say about that. Michigan should give up football after a blowout loss to Oregon at home. Two home games, two embarrassing losses. Oregon is a decent team, but after Michigan's humiliating loss to Appalachian State, they should have been ready to destroy anyone. They weren't. Overall, there were a lot of games that didn't go the way I would have liked, but some did. It's always good to see Utah lose, Notre Dame lose, and Georgia Tech win.
And the Raiders. They choked the game away in the 4th quarter, just like they did so often last year. Pathetic.
OK, that's it for football today. Now on to other stuff. Anyone see the clip of an obviously drunk or high (or both) Britney Spears at the MTV video awards? She stumbles around, is a beat or two behind the music, forgets to even try to lip-sinc at times, and just looks like a pathetic loser trying to be sexy. She must have thought this would be the huge night that began her comeback started. She is a joke. The only question is who will end up dead first, her or Lindsay Lohan? Those two are on the fast track to an early death due to substance abuse and reckless behavior.
Hopefully, Paris Hilton will be in the car with them.
And yet another shameful Disney star. The nice, supposedly wholesome star of the High School Musical movies has a nude picture floating around. First of all, when you are a star at all don't you even try to make sure that doesn't get out? Second, who doesn't think it was the boyfriend's (also in the HSM movies) fault? You know he got it and was showing off to a friend who then leaked it. Third, isn't it sad how sluttly these girls are? Disney is like a brothel. Check out the list of stellar people that have emerged from there: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Lindsay Lohan, Justin Timberlake (forever linked with the Janet Jackson incident), and now this new girl. Did I forget any? What morals and high standards these individuals exude. Pretty sad when you have to put the parent block on the Disney channel.
Kanye West threw a tantrum because he didn't win anything at the MTV awards show. This follows the tantrum he threw a few months ago after not winning on a British awards show. Maybe he should get a clue. Face it Kanye, you suck. The jackass always pulls the race card too. This is the same idiot who said that George Bush hates black people. I know that I don't need to point out that his two Sec.s of State were black. Which is two more than the beloved Clinton had even though he is credited with being such a supporter of blacks. Can people be any dumber than to fall for the BS that the Clintons promote about themselves? These are two of the most despicable people alive. I fear for the country if Hillary gets elected.
Well, didn't mean for this to get all political, although I will be glad to share my wisdom in the future.

Friday, September 7, 2007

Best songs of the 80s

Recently I saw a show on VH1 counting down the top 100 songs of the 80s. Obviously, this is a totally subjective matter and no one can really pin down the best song of the 80s. Here is the problem, VH1 chose Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" as the top song of the 80s. EXCUSE ME???? Are you kidding me? First of all, in my humble but incredibly astute opinion, that song sucks bigtime. I can't stand Bon Jovi. Maybe 3 songs from them are decent at best, and that isn't one of them. What a load of crap. I knew I wouldn't necessarily like the top choice or many of the 100, but come on! "Living on a Prayer"??? I figured that it would be MJ's "Thriller." Whether you like that song or not, no one can deny how huge that song was. The video alone was and still is colossal. I don't think people remember how popular Michael Jackson was in the 80s. There literally was no one bigger. I can't believe I'm speaking for a pedophile, but musically you have to give the dude? props. The amazing thing is that it wasn't even in the top 5. What? Right, not even in the top 5. But, really back to the real issue; how does Bon Jovi get the top spot??? Ok, ok, I will give them their due for being really popular (but not even close to MJ, or even Madonna, or even Janet J, etc.), and I'm sure some of you (including my wife, unfortunately) are Bon Jovi fans, but even y'all gotta admit there is no way that song is the top of the 80s. NO WAY IN HADES! I almost fell off the couch. I knew there was going to be questionable choices, as there always are in top 100 lists. I would have been flabbergasted to have Bon Jovi be in the top 5 at all, but number one?!?! Again, obviously, very subjective. My top song is going to be different than yours, and what we like as opposed to what we know is more popular, more successful, and so on is probably different. But this is just ridiculous. Anyway, I don't like "Thriller" as my favorite song or anything, but as for its impact and enormity, nothing really tops it. "Tainted Love" should have been way higher (it was in the 30s or high 20s). You can probably find the complete list at VH1.com.

So what do you think about "Living on a Prayer"?
What would be your top songs?

Thursday, September 6, 2007

If you could tell someone to shut up...

Welcome.

I can't really think of anything to blog about, but I felt like starting a blog. So today's mindspark will be to respond to this "if you could tell someone to shut up..."

If I could tell someone to shut up, I would tell a lot of people to. I can't narrow it down to one, so I'll tell two: Rosie O' Donnell and Whoopi Goldberg. The heights of stupidity that these two reach are astounding. First Rosie and the missing supreme pizza mystery. Ok I made that up. Rosie, shut up! She is a complete idiot. The only reason people want to watch her, well listen to her, no one wants to actually watch her, but the only reason people listen to her is to see how much of an a-- she will make of herself on any given day. Some of the ridiculous things that have come spewing out of her mouth make Paris Hilton look smart. On second thought, nothing makes Paris look smart. I can't stand Rosie.
As for Whoopi, there is a reason she hasn't worked much in the last 10 years or so. Because she has been opening her cheshire cat mouth too much. The other day she defended the football player who got busted for dog-fighting. She said it is in his cultural background. Actually, most southerners are dog-lovers, dog-fighting is actually rooted in white cultures, and you never defend a slimebag like Vick. Idiot. Wow, good thing Barbara Walters knows how to hire true geniuses for the View. Joy Behar can shut up, too. She is a moron as well.

So who do you want to shut up?