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Friday, February 29, 2008
The Post with a letter to me
Brad Paisley's song on country radio right now is a neat little song entitled, "Letter To Me." It's a song about a guy who in his 30's writes a letter to himself at 17 and tells him not to get hung up on everything going on right then and look forward to all the good things upcoming.
I heard the song again on Sirius last night and the DJ said, 'What would you say if you could go back and write a letter to yourself?" So I gave it some thought since then and came up with this:
Dear 17 year old Brian,
I know you aren't going to believe this but this is you- almost ten years from now in February of 2008. It's cold as all get out right now.
You're probably wanting me to tell you all about everything that will happen over the next ten years and how awesome your life will be when you hit 27. Well I'm here to tell you that ain't gonna happen. I'm writing this to tell you to find some way to freeze time where you are because everything over the next ten years is one continual kick in the crotch.
Every decision you make do the opposite of what you eventually settle on. I'm being serious. There will be decisions you are posed with: college, girls, jobs, etc. weigh out the pros and cons and come to whatever conclusion you reach (I already know the conclusion and could clue you in but that would ruin some of your fun). Then just when you are about to verbalize your conclusion say or do the opposite thing. Because boy on the ratio of good to bad decisions you are running about 1 good decision for every 500 bad ones. And seriously don't care what anyone else thinks about the decision you do. It's you that has to live with it.
That whole thought about being with someone and preparing for the second stage of your life as a married person isn't going to happen either. Sorry to say that because I know you've had a pretty good run as of late (I remember that like it was yesterday) but that well will dry up quickly. Once it does you're basically trying to run uphill on ice in sandals. You'll be left a bitter person who is forced to smile and pretend to be happy for everyone you know when they get hooked up or get married or whatnot. To be fair though- in about half the cases you are genuinely happy for them. Believe me - you'll know the difference.
And that whole business you'll get told over and over about "It'll happen when you least expect it, or it will happen it just hasn't happened yet," is complete bullshit. It's something people say to try and make you feel better. It doesn't work but you need to make them think it does so they stop saying it. The people who say that are the people who forget what it was like to be single, and they damn sure aren't 27 and feeling like the sand is moving quicker and quicker through the hourglass. You can keep flipping it all you want but the fact is- you're gonna miss it once and then it's all over, and the screen flashes, "The End." The game has ended and you didn't even get a chance to get involved in it.
My advice would be- you should probably just settle for something. I'll point you to possibilities: Summer of 2000, spring semester 2002, fall of 2005, and fall of 2007. You'll know the situations because you'll be being pressured into them by others. Just give in and settle. Your only chance at happiness with women is to forget about what you want and do what others want you to do.
Also a possibility is the summer of 2003 when you are at your internship. You wouldn't have to settle for the girl- she digs you. The issue was it would've meant doing something you find kind of sleazy. Here's a secret though- the only person who cares about that is you. A guy who has his morals gets nowhere in life. This goes back to the decision thing. When your conscience tells you it's bad, do the opposite.
When you are confronted with the job situation when you get out of college just move then and there. Pack up the Cavalier and head somwhere warm. Worry about a job and shelter when you get there. Because the alternative sucks. I worked there for 2 years and hated almost every minute of the job itself. And if you don't listen don't tell yourself, "This will make me appreciate when I do get a job." You know what else makes you appreciate a real job- getting a real fucking job. Don't waste your days in that hellhole. At the very least you'll have a lot of free time to focus on other things. Your second job out of college is not bad although a little mind-numbing at times. That's one of the few things that mostly works out.
If you decide to not listen to me on any of these then I suggest turning to copious amounts of alcohol. If you aren't going to enjoy most of your life for 10 years then you might as well be drunk for a majority of it. Maybe it makes it more entertaining.
It's not all doom and gloom. You'll do some fun things, you'll meet some great people, and you'll make some new friends. So there are some things to look forward too.
In the end though- you'll be turning into a bitter person who finds it harder and harder to smile through things without feeling the need to scream out loud.
It's not to late to change all that.
See you in the future
27 Year old Brian
P.S. The Boston Red Sox will win the World Series in 2004- find a way to drop like 100 grand on that. You'll look stupid til it hits
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Post with the News You Can't Use
Dateline- Plaistow, New Hampshire
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/ODD_REPEAT_ROBBER?SITE=OKPON&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- I'm gonna guess, if Plaistow is anything like Boyertown, that there are roughly 137 banks within a 10 mile radius of town. Why would you try to hit the same one two weeks after you hit it previously? Not only that but why are you using the same speech? Are you too lazy to work on something different? And change your damn clothes. The bank people were probably thinking, "Hey I know that guy."
Dateline- Pitman, New Jersey
http://www.courierpostonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080227/NEWS01/802270369/1006
- Under your bed, in the attic, in the basement, in a loose floorboard, the hallway closet, a cabinet. With very little thought there is a list of places that would've been better to hide your homemade fireworks rather than the oven. You would assume if you are smart enough to make fireworks you should be smart enough to know how they light. Hot fuse means ticking timebomb, unless this is some kind of device they were working on to let you know when the oven was properly pre-heated.
Dateline- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2008/02/liquor_control_board_may_take.html
- This just has bad idea written all over it. Although this might lead to Pennsylvania setting the standards for encouraging drunk driving.
Dateline- New York, New York
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080205/hl_nm/sex_ed_dc_1
- Interesting. This may account for why so many teachers outside the sex ed field think hands-on learning is best.
Dateline- Norristown, PA
http://www.pottsmerc.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Daily?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pg_article&r21.pgpath=%2FPTM%2FNews&r21.content=%2FPTM%2FNews%2FHeadlineList_Story_1645313
- That is going to make the next family gathering Barawkward.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The Post with a new comic strip
This shouldn't amuse me as much as it should...This site took old Garfield cartoons and removed Garfield leaving a comic about one man with bipolar disorder descending into madness
http://garfieldminusgarfield.tumblr.com/
Monday, February 25, 2008
The Post with me being generous to my readers
Saturday night for dinner I made myself some Honey Mustard Chicken and rice. My own little recipe for the chicken. So because I'm feeling nice I offer up my recipe to you guys.
First thing you need is chicken. You can use chicken breasts. I usually use chicken tenders because I think it works better for the dish but either way is good.
Put the chicken in a skillet on medium heat and cook uncovered until the pink is gone from the inside of the meat. Just cut little slits into the chicken keep checking.
While that cooks mix together:
1/3 cup of honey
1 TBSP Mustard
1TBSP Miracle Whip
2 TBSP Italian Dressing
Then add some spices. I usually use parsley and black pepper.
MIx those together.
When the chicken has all the pink cooked away drain the juice and add the mixture. Continue to cook on medium this time covered for about 5-7 minutes.
After that amount of time uncover the chicken and gradually reduce heat stirring and mointoring the chicken. This is an important step.
See for the 5-7 minutes the chicken has the Italaian dressing cook into the chicken leaving a nice consistency to the chicken. As you gradually reduce heat the sauce thickens and creates a glaze over the chicken. Wait until the glaze turns the chicken golden brown and then remove. You are ready to eat.
I had to try a few mixtures until I got the flavor I wanted. That honey mustard mixture tastes more like honey than the mustard. If you like your honey mustard tangier (more mustard taste) I would recommend adding an extra TBSP and maybe dropping the honey to 1/4 cup. Trial and error is your friend while cooking.
There- don't say I never gave you anything.
Friday, February 22, 2008
The Post with me ranting about a movie
There is a disturbing trend in Hollywood right now where creativity is taking a backseat to built in name brands. They are greenlighting every project based off a movie already shot years ago. Some work, some don't. Being that I'm a huge horror movie buff I've been subjected to the barrage of remakes more than most.The Amityville Horror, The Fog, The Invasion, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, House of Wax, Halloween- hell they are in the process of remaking Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th- even Prom Night is being re-made. To varying degrees those movies either work or don't work.
But one movie remake stand above the rest to me. One movie that the original was so great, and so fully realized that it should never have been touched. That is Robin Hardy's 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man. I would'nt have thought anyone in Hollywood cared about it because it was such a small blip on the radar but alas Neil Labute directed this vehicle that starred Nicholas Cage and a whole gaggle of women.
Remember the poster? Go back to the top of the screen if you need to see the flaming pile of shit even the poster was.
When this movie opened on Labor Day weekend back in 2006 I went to see it. Not becasue I thought it would be good. More because I was wondering how badly they would mess up the original, and hoped somewhere deep that maybe they would surprise me. It didn't.
The other day I was off work and caught it again on HBO- where I was hoping time would make me see the humor in it. It didn't.
(Spoilers ahead for both movies)
So let's see where we went wrong shall we?
In the original Sergeant Neil Howie is sent an anonymous letter suggesting he investigate the disapperance of a little girl on this island. So he flies a plane there to investigate.
In the new one we get a stupid ass back story about Nicholas Cage as a police officer- Edward Malus- pulling a car over in the middle of the desert. A big tractor trailer hits the car- because in the middle of the desert with no other cars around the only option was hitting the car. As the fire surrounds the car a little girl shows up in the backseat and Cage deciding to save her smashes in the back window. This causes the car to blow up. That means he gets time off and has flashbacks to that day- over and over and over again.
Original- the Sergeant (a devout Christian) is met by a whole community of Pagans who don't believe in a conventional God and are more enamored with sexual desires to ward evil spirits and worship the sun. In fact at one point the saloon sings a rousing song about how easy it is to bang the innkeeper's daughter. Also outside the inn there are couples getting it on in the open. Howie being religious and a virgin (saving himself for marriage) is appalled.
New version- Malus is met by an island of women who I guess beleive the same stuff but pretty much blow off Malus at every single turn. They also suspect Willow (the woman who contacted Cage) of doing harm to the girl.
Original- Howie meets with Lord Summerisle and is completely repelled by the way the island is run. He is upset by their heathenism. He is also immensely attracted to the landlord's daughter but keeps fighting his sexual urges.
New Version- Cage runs around a lot and gets stung by bees and passes out.
Original Version- Howie digs up the girl' s grave and find s adead hare and figures she is about to be part of a human sacrifice.
New Version- Cage runs around some more and comes to the same conclusion. He also gets locked in a well.
Original Version- Howie steals a costume to the celebration and joins along with the crowd before spotting Rowan (the girl) and grabbing her to run off through caves.
New Version- Cage punches a lady, karate kicks Leelee Sobieski and then puts on a giant bear costume and sees the girl died to a post. He runs up to her and punches out the lady standing watch, then runs into the woods.
Original Version- The girl runs through the caves to an alcove and Howie follows only to see the entire island standing there behind Lord Summerisle who tells him he is the sacrifice. He has come of his own free will and will die a martyr's death. They grab Howie and lead him to the giant Wicker Man statue leading howie to scream, "OH Jesus Christ."
New Version- Malus puts the girl down and she tugs on his sleeve and points him to a clearing. They run and when they reach the clearing Lady Summerisle is standing there with all the women. The men who live there and are subserviant to the women come from behind Malus. They go through some of the same dialogue about free will which is complete bullshit here.
In the original it's an anonymous letter that brings him to the island. He decides to go investigate. He decides to stay. The girl doesn't ask him to follow her- he chooses to. In this one- Willow (his ex-fiancee) calls him and says her daughter is missing. She later says it is his daughter as well. They decapitate his pilot. The girl make shim follow her. How the hell is any of this free will? He is a friend/father trying to protect this girl. In the original it's a random girl, in this it's his flesh and blood- because the women come off the island and seduce men to have kids with them so they can have sacrific fodder in the future. FUCK THE HECK!?!?!?!
The old version- The islanders dance around the burning wicker man as Howie says Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepard...) At the end the head of the wicker man falls to the ground and the movie ends with the islanders singing.
New version- The islanders break Cage's legs- because 100 guys wouldn't be able to hold down 1 dude otherwise- and put him in the wicker. The little daughter lights it it burns- they chant something like "The Drone Must Die" It makes sense I guess becasue they harvest honey but it is still silly. The head falls and the end...or not.......A few months later Willow and Leelee's character are in a bar when two guys (cops) spot them and start hitting on them. Leelee tells the one guy "When you leave, take me with you." The end.
So basically we have an island of women- who for the most part are attractive- seducing men the first night they meet them. Having unprotected sex purposefully to get knocked up so they cna later sacrifice said man if the harvest fails.
In the original you get a sense of a real religion. There are people who truly believe what Summerisle is doing, but there are others who are jsut along for the ride. In the new one we have an island of loose women.
The original is creepy and unsettling for a majority of the time. The songs are a little jarring but there is a definite creepy factor throughout. The end where Summerisle and Howie verbally spar is intense because Howie is trying to rationalize with the islanders and they just don't believe him. Summerisle basically says "Your God won't save you here." In the new one we get very little of that as they rush through it and hustle him off to the big prop. The old version it's roughly a 5 minute scene..3 tops in teh new one.
The Wicker Man of 1973 was called the "Citizen Kane of horror films." The new one was laughed at and won Golden Rasberry awards.
Do yourself a favor and rent the old one and skip the LaBute/Cage mess- unless you have a thing for Nicholas Cage beating up a bunch of women.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The Post with The News You Can't Use
Dateline- Portsmouth, Maine
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NEWS/80221013/-1/NEWS19&sfad=1
- I was kind of excited until I saw the pitcure- then I lost interest. Person who lives at the homeless shelter bares ass would've been a better headline becasue it wouldn't have gotten my hopes up.
Dateline- Iowa City, Iowa
http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/NEWS/83210054/1001/NEWS
- I think other states are getting jealous of Florida and are looking to up their molestation rates. Also it's disturbing now that more and more of these teachers are really not that attractive. That one teacher from Florida was like 26 and a former Miss Tropic model or something- that I get. This lady looks like a cashier at the local arts and craft store. More proof that men don't necessarily care what the girl looks like. Over/under on the number of cats she owns: 3- place your bets
Dateline- Cheyenne, Wyoming
http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/NEWS/80220044/-1/rss01
- This is one of those classic good idea, poor execution stories. You've made it across the country and just really need that last paycheck. Basically- you sold yourself out for like probably 300 dollars. Smart plan dummy.
Dateline- Riverdale, Utah
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UT_WAL_MART_APOLOGY_UTOL-?SITE=CODEN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
- Makes you wonder how this person was able to get a job at Wal-Mart. And think about what that says for the person's IQ. I can't fathom what goes on in your head to not only think that statement but to say it out loud. Internalize people. Not everything needs to be said out loud to sound dumb.
Dateline- Mesa, Arizona
http://www.wsoctv.com/money/15340698/detail.html
- If you were going to counterfeit something- doesn't it make sense to at least know who is on the damn thing. At least he had a president on it, and not like Colonel Sanders or something.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Post with nothing much
I missed updating on Monday because I wasn't at work since we observed the President's Day Holiday. Hooray for free days off.
Yesterday I just had nothing to really say- plus I've been a little grumpy this week because I kind of don't feel good. This is affecting my mission some I've been on but not too much since I'm trying to push through the sickness. In actuality I'm hoping that whole thing boosts the immune system.
Being that I'm a little grumpy things are agitating me a little more than normal. But oh well.
Tomorrow I will post the news stuff and then Friday I have a doozy of a rant lined up. Monday I saw something that I had forgotten about and it brought up some terrible memories.
Enjoy
Friday, February 15, 2008
The Post with some commentary on people who deserve respect
I had another situation at the gym last night that I was going to bitch about, however having done one gym bitch session already this year I wasn't feeling it. Although next week I might feel like doing it and rehash it. I decided instead to talk about something positive from the gym. Also from my experience people who deserve respect.
There is this one couple who go to the gym. They started at the beginning of last year (Revolutionaries- my favorite). They were big- like really big. Then I hadn't seen them in there for a while.
The other week I did. I think between the two of them they have probably lost 100-150 pounds. They look thin- not great becasue they still have that big head fat people never lose- I know I have it.
It got me thinking how awesome it is they could do that because there is a high level of intensity you need to keep hitting. Like I said in my gym rant last month- most people don't stick it out long- they did. And I know that sounds simple but it truly isn't. Some of you may be thin and don't get it, some of you may be fat and just don't care. Some of you I'm sure are just genetically gifted where you can eat everything and do nothing and still stay thin. So let's break this down.
There is a certain amount of sloth that comes into play to be big. Let's be honest- people who run two miles a day normally aren't heavy or overweight. Some kind of activity is necessary to stay in some kind of shape. Once you lose that activity you balloon up.
So if you're fat and get it in your head you're going to lose weight that's great becasue you've cleared the first mental hurdle.
You hit the gym and decide to start running on the treadmill like at a 12:00 mile pace. Hit start and you're off. You're moving pretty good for a couple minutes unaware of what is going on inside your body.
Imagine your body as a construction site and your brain as the foreman.
At some point in the middle of the running you're brain thinks, "What the hell is going on? It's 7:30. I should be watching Seinfeld drinking a Pepsi eating Oreos. Why is my buddy- heart- working so hard?"
So it sends some sweat beads down to try and get you to stop. IN some cases it works.
When that fails it gets a little angrier. It sends out a work crew to start punching you in the side. The dreaded side-stitch. Sometimes you can work through it. BUt what annoys the foreman more is stopping- getting it straight- and then starting again. See when you stopped it lit a cigar and went back to counting money. Then you started again and really ticked it off.
So it decides to let its old buddy lactic acid loose and it starts pulsating through your legs. For those that have never felt that sensation- all of a sudden it feels like you are running in wet sand. Your legs are a little heavier. It's a pain more than a workout stopper. He's trying to kill you via frustration.
When you work through that he gets fed up and decides to hook up the dynamite and go right for the weak spot of the structure. You are running and the next you feel it in your calf.
CRAMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You laugh but I've seen cramps that knock 350 pound NFL lineman to their knees. If they can't take it, no one can take it.
As you start to fall and do your best to work it out your brain laughs thinking that did it. The worst part is once the cramp is worked out, it lingers for a day or so. You still feel a slight pull in it from time to time.
So see- people who are fat and get past all these obstacles deserve our praise and respect.
Now fat people who sit on couches and do nothign deserve our laughter- but that's another story.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Post with the News You Can't Use for 02/14/08
Before we get started Happy Valentine's Day to all you lovebirds out there. I don't celebrate it or nothing- because you shouldn't celebrate something you don't believe in. But for all of you that do I hope it works out well for you.
Dateline: Loudoun, Virginia
http://wtopnews.com/?nid=732&sid=1344191
- This is the ultimat ein stupidity to me. This parent really thinks a 6 year old kid will read this book and immediately think, "These penguins are gay." It amuses me how people think if they shelter this kind of stuff from kids it will help. It doesn't. It's the ultimate in an overreaction.
Dateline: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
http://www.nbc10.com/news/15296359/detail.html?dl=mainclick
- I'm so glad this story ended with the city taking the ticket back. This is what happens when we keep trying to take humans out of the equation. The best part to me was the cop knew the law and waved him through. The camera was just writing up tickets.
Dateline: Cincinnati, Ohio
http://www.wlwt.com/news/15292513/detail.html
- Thank god I haven't gotten this desperate......yet. Do you really think springing hardened criminal woman and then trying to position them for sex is a wise move. I can see that ending with an ass-kicking. Besides if you're going to spend that kind of money buy some earrings or something or a cute librarian or something and work here. She might actually willingly have sex with you at some point- plus she doesn't carry the baggage
Dateline: Phoenix, Arizona
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/108910
- If I were an asshole I would make the joke that he shot a 6 under on this course apparently....That's if I were an asshole
Dateline: Livescience.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080211/sc_livescience/thescienceoffairytales
- Hey guys- AIDS is still killing people. Cure that. I could really give a damn if I can climb up to a chick's bedroom if she had 40 feet of hair. That's why they make ladders and lattice-work.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The Post with recapping Clemens on Capitol Hill
Today was the big day for baseball as Roger Clemens faced off with Brian McNamee in front of a congressional hearing. It was how these things usually go with some grandstanding, some damning testimony, and some very pointed questions. The hearing went 4 hours and 41 minutes.
For those that didn't follow I'm going through the SI blog to try and find some pertinent quotes and moments to give you some context and some brief thoughts.
10:38 a.m. ET
From SI's Tom Verducci: "The first bomb to drop was reference to the devastating affidavits from not only Andy Pettitte, but also from Pettitte's wife, Laura. Pettitte swore that Clemens told him in '1999 or 2000' that Clemens used HGH and that it helped his body recover. Pettitte immediately told his wife about that conversation, and she corroborated it to congressional staff. In 2005 in Kissimmee, Fla., Clemens denied to Pettitte having told him that he used HGH, claiming that Pettitte misunderstood him and that he was referring to HGH use by his wife, Debbie. But as Waxman pointed out, that would have been 'Impossible,' because both Clemens and McNamee tie Debbie Clemens' HGH use to 2003 -- not as far back as 1999 or 2000. Now you understand why Pettitte didn't want to be in the same room with Clemens. It was a severe blow to his friend's credibility."
- That was the first of many blows to Clemens credibility. He can play Bill Clinton all he wants and quibble with the language but the timeline gives him away.
11:05 a.m. ET
From SI.com's Jon Heyman: "McNamee's opening statement seemed powerful and compelling. He expressed remorse about being involved with steroids and HGH and about bringing shame to 'a sport I love.' 'I have helped taint our National Pastime,' McNamee also testified to the committee. McNamee scored points by reminding everyone that he has nothing to gain by making these admissions of injecting Clemens and stated that 'my livelihood is in ruins.' That remark jibed with House chairman Henry Waxman's statement that George Mitchell testified that McNamee's testimony regarding injections of Clemens hurt McNamee's economic interest. My own legal expert emailed me while watching the hearing on TV, and he said, 'You can't trust anything anyone says in court unless it's a statement against their own legal/economic/personal interest ... it is against McNamee's legal interest to admit that he injected Clemens (even if he admitted to injecting others ... each act of injection/individual he injected would be considered a separate crime) ... That is a strong indication of his truthfulness.'"
- I think that is huge to remember in all this. McNamee is admitting he did somethign illegal by coming forward in all this. He has nothing to gain by lying about Clemens
11:13 a.m. ET
From SI's David Epstein: "It certainly doesn't help that McNamee seems to have memory lapses. People on the committee differ on the importance, but they are interested in things that reflect on credibility. They were contacting other people about the Canseco party accounts, even though it isn't central to the investigation. The fluctuating number of injections and other inconsistencies in McNamee's memory are important, even though they aren't a deal breaker. Staff members said that committee members were not impressed that McNamee withheld the physical evidence from federal investigators."
- That hurt McNamee. He was pretty much saying the same thing he did in the Mitchell Report but his aloofness at times and inability to remember timelines hurt his credibility. Bascially when he talked he was mostly accurate according to his previous statements
11:25 a.m. ET
John F. Tierney (D-MA) is questioning McNamee's testimony. He admits he misled investigators last year. He said it was "part recollection and part not to hurt these players." Tierney is calling Clemens out on veracity. Clemens said that McNamee injected Debbie Clemens without his knowledge, in Debbie's bedroom. He said that his wife had a bad reaction to the injection. Tierney said Clemens told the committee that he and McNamee had a heated discussion about HGH and that his wife had not been feeling comfortable after the shots. Tierney said that Clemens told the committee he had never had a conversation about HGH. ("I have never," Clemens said.) He asks about the inconsistency because Clemens told Congress that he and McNamee never had a conversation about HGH. Any conversation. How does Clemens reconcile three times saying that he had never spoken to McNamee about about HGH? Clemens isn't really answering Tierney's question. There's a pause for Clemens to talk to his lawyer. He doesn't sufficiently answer the question. Clemens looks very bad here
- Good question. So clemens has now said they never talked about steroids, but this one tiem they did. Kind of contradictory there.
11:41 a.m. ET
Well, now it gets interesting. Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) is grilling McNamee. He is grandstanding but making points. "Why did you keep the needles and gauze pads? You do this to all your employers?" McNamee said that he also kept evidence on Chuck Knoblauch, which is now in the possession of the feds. McNamee says he felt bad about keeping them. "Gee whiz, are you kidding me?" Burton explained. Burton is really going after him. He asks if he is lying about Canseco's party. McNamee says he is not. Burton is reading from a Daily News story in 2006 in which he claimed never to have injected HGH into Clemens and Pettitte. McNamee says he lied. Burton is reading a series of statements in which McNamee denies having anything to do with steroids. Burton concludes by saying he doesn't see evidence of Clemens lying and grills McNamee. "This is really disgusting. You are here as a sworn witness, and yet we have lie after lie after lie! I don't know what to believe! I know one thing I don't believe -- and that's you!"
- I get what he's going for but who cares whether McNamee lied to the press. Lots of people do. And based on the information at the time he may have just been trying to prevent something like this happening. It means far more to me that when there are definitive consequences he is telling the truth and confirming statements in his deposition. Yes he may have lied once and told the truth once. But if the truth is one of those statements- the lie doesn't negate it.
11:59 a.m. ET
From SI's Tom Verducci: "Stephen F. Lynch (D-Ma) was a star of the last congressional hearing when he pushed baseball on therapeutic use exemptions. And the congressman came up big again when he showed that rather than get involved in grandstanding, he went out and did his homework to be prepared for the hearing. Lynch and his staff studied an MRI report from Clemens' days in Toronto, regarding an abscess, and consulted with medical experts. In one case Lynch redacted Clemens' name and had a medical expert examine the MRI report. The doctor's findings show that Clemens' buttocks problem appeared not to have anything to do with B-12 shots or a strain, but were more consistent with steroid injections. 'Given the physical evidence, [it] seems consistent with what Mr. McNamee is saying,' Lynch told Clemens. Dr. Ron Taylor, the Toronto physician, told Lynch that he gave 'close to one thousand B-12 shots' and never had such a complication. Asked about it, Clemens basically called out Taylor as either being wrong or incompetent. 'If he gave me a bad shot he gave me a bad shot,' Clemens said."
- Mr. Lynch did his homework apparently. Interesting medical analysis there. I'll trust medical evidence over both these snakes.
12:26 p.m. ET
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) thanks Clemens for "all he has done for New York." Gee, I didn't know Suzyn Waldman was in Congress. Maloney gets on better footing by bringing up the inconsistency between what Clemens told the committee and what he told 60 Minutes regarding not knowing that the Mitchell Report investigators wanted to talk to him. Clemens said that he was never told by his agents that Mitchell wanted to talk to him. He then basically put his agents on the hook for not bringing Mitchell's request to him. Maloney said she would fire her staff if such a thing happened to her, saying they would have committed a "breach a trust" by not telling her. Clemens says he has not fired his agents. Not a good moment for Clemens, a guy who has lived on the mound as someone in control of everything.
- Seriously- fire your reps. They created a bigger mess for you.
12:49 p.m. ET
Nannygate! Waxman says that the committee repeatedly asks to contact Clemens' former nanny and felt they were stonewalled. Finally, the Clemens camp provided the nanny's name on Monday and the committee spoke to her on Tuesday. Waxman said Clemens called the nanny on Sunday and asked her to come to his house. Waxman said Clemens spoke with the nanny, who had not spoken with Clemens since 2001. Not good for Roger. The nanny told the committee that Clemens, his wife and kids were at Canseco's house. Waxman is implying that Clemens is coercing a witness. At one point Clemens' lawyer, Rusty Hardin, stood up and shouted that it was his idea to investigate what the nanny knew. Waxman said that the right way to handle it was to let the committee interview her before Clemens and his camp did: "It sure raises an appearance of impropriety. The right way to handle this would have been to give the committee and certainly for you not to talk to her personally about the interview as you did. You chose, I think, the worst approach. You invited her to your home and had a specific conversation about whether you were at Mr. Canseco's house." That prompted Hardin and Lanny Breuer to stand up in the chamber and accuse the committee of slandering Clemens. ("With all due respect, this is nothing but innuendo," said Breuer). Clemens said he is "hurt" by Waxman's implying that he was coercing a witness.
- This could be a huge part of this testimony. Why did they delay the information until after Clemens had invited her to the house?
2:26 p.m. ET
From SI's Tom Verducci: "Finally. Elijah Cummings is the MVP of the hearing. Straightforward, with no grandstanding, Cummings stepped up and finally asked the most important question to Clemens: Why would McNamee tell the truth about Pettitte and Knoblauch but lie about Clemens, especially when Pettitte, by Clemens' own testimony a honest man, backed McNamee's story? Clemens whiffed. 'Congressman, I have no idea,' he said, before devolving into a rambling discourse on Pettitte's friendship with him. Cummings came back again. 'How do you explain that?' Clemens again stumbled, asking why Pettitte didn't tell him when he used HGH, which was not important to the question at hand. Finally, Cummings slammed the door on Clemens. 'It's hard to believe you, sir,' Cummings told Clemens. 'You're one of my heroes. But it's hard to believe you.'"
- I agree wiht Mr. Cummings and he really was the star of the show without looking to be. That's my question in all this. If Pettitte is an honorable man and would have no reason to lie- according to Clemens- and has been proven true in other cases: why is he lying now? That's the big question.
A fun day and there will be clips everywhere, Seek out one of the blogs either on ESPN.com or SI.com and read up
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
The Post with some good news to read and the start of a mission
First the good news I read today. Two of my all-time favorites got voted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year. First Emmylou Harris who I still really enjoy and must say- for a 60 year old she is still pretty sexy looking at times.Some really good music in her career. Of course she had the big hit, "Two More Bottles of Wine," but I was always a fan of, "Wayfaring Stranger." If you call yourself a country fan you need to find her album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town- great stuff.
Also Tom T. Hall got in. He was kind of what Brad Paisley was song writing wise back in the day. Such good stuff by him, "Everything From Jesus to Jack Daniels," "Faster Horses," "Old Dogs, Children, and Watermelon Wine," "That Song is Driving Me Crazy," are all required listening.
Congrats to both of them.
Now on my front- I started a new undertaking last night which will carry me for 3 months. It's nothing earth-shattering but it is notable to me because it is doing something for myself that has no other motive. That got me thinking. When is the last time you did something becasue you purely wanted to. By that I mean even, that the initial getting into the activity was purely self-motivated. For example, some people try to lose weight becasue people make a comment to them about being overweight. That motive is based off an outside force. Some people buy a new car becasue they say another person buy a new vehicle. Again outside forces.
So how many things have you done in your life that was strictly instigated by yourself?
I think it's an important you need to ask yourself. But I won't tell you to do anything about it because then I'm corrupting the beginning stage.
Monday, February 11, 2008
The Post with some clear thinking
I came to a conclusion recently. I think I'm done offering advice up to people. Not because I feel like people don't listen to me (sometimes they do). And not because I feel like people should be screwed if they make a bad decision. More because I don't need to live with the decisions. So really why should I give one ounce of care in any direction.
For years I've made this a staple. Engaging in a discussion where situations come up and then offering pieces of advice on the situation. I actually enjoyed it. Not becasue it's my mission to tell people what to do. Not because of that whole, it's easier to look at other people than yourself. Believe me, I'm well aware of my faults and deficiencies as a person. Rather because of somethin I learned from my grandmom at a young age. Few decisions made in the heat of the moment are the right ones. People may call it playing devil's advocate but I don't look at it that way. I learned an ability years ago- one everyone should learn- to step back, take a breath, and asess the situation- then proceed. Does it always work? No. But more often than not it keeps you from taking a small thing and making it a bigger thing.
There have been at least 5 instances in the past two months where I've said something to someone trying to get them to rationally look at a situation before diving head-first. All to varying degrees of success. And more often than not you are met with a whole blockade of excuses or rationales for their behavior or actions. I've found that people don't listen to you- not because they are denying you may be right, but rather because they are denying they might be wrong. Believe me, I've been caught in that trap. And no one wants to feel like they are leading themselves astray. That's weakness- even if it is enitrely internal and noone else notices it. Foolish pride is a dumb and dangerous thing.
BUt now, who cares? I'm not the one who has to live with the consequences (good or bad) that come with said decision so why should I worry? This person does that to that, or they do this to them- doesn't bother me because I'm on the outside looking in.
Also the thing I've known for a while but have only recently confirmed true to myself (see that trap thing) is that as much as I look out for other people- there has never been anyone that's looked out for me. I've run through the timeline of my life in my head and can think of no occurrence where that has happened. Perhaps I'm an even bigger shithead than I thought. Yes, that's entirely possible.
It doesn't matter because I've decided I am done trying to be the voice of reason with people. I'm tired of watching people keep bashing their head against the wall and being the buffer. As long as I act maturely, calmly, and rationally- that's all I can ask for. Took me long enough to learn all that
Friday, February 08, 2008
The Post with a small plea
Tongiht at 9 on NBC may be your last chance to catch an episode of the best show in a long time Friday Night Lights before it gets canceled.
It is possibly getting canceled becasue NBC doesn't recognize great television anymore apparently.
Do yourself a favor- watch, enjoy, then buy season 1 on DVD and catch up before Season 2 comes on DVD in April
Thursday, February 07, 2008
The Post with the RETURN of News You Can't Use
It's a Thursday and I promised after football season was over it would make a return. Here it is. For those of you knew to the blog in '08, we scour the Interweb to find some strange or just downright dumb stories and throw some of our own comments on them.
Dateline- Denville, New Jersey
http://www.nj.com/starledger/stories/index.ssf?/base/news-3/120236311011890.xml&coll=1
- I'm schocked, schocked I tell you that a guy who owns a coin-operated laundromat is a pervert. How low must one be to steal their son's phone to send the messages in a plan to pass it off on your kid at some point? Also- what do you text to a 15 year old girl? I'm serious- that's like a legitimate question. I hope texting- "Let's hit the roller rink and then have a sleepover LOL!!!!!!111" was worth 15,000 dollars.
Dateline- Goldonna, Louisana
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,329150,00.html
- So let me get this straight: To perform one illegal activity, you do another illegal activity. And you do this all while on probation? Outstanding. I wonder what goes through people's heads when they do stuff like this. Do they actually feel there is no way this can backfire on them? Like this guy thought the best way to print money was breaking into a residence and using their computer? And if you're going to go that far- why not just steal the computer and take it back to your place where your car won't be parked suspiciously?
Dateline- Tempe, Arizona
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/0206abrk-tempefire-0206.html
- That kneeling on the ground and doing it all by hand doesn't seem so bad now does it?
Dateline- Richmond, Virginia
http://www.wtop.com/?nid=600&sid=1331687
- It's a good thing Virginia doesn't see this as a huge problem. With what money gets spent on is 32 million dollars really that big a hit to help hunt down predators that they knew are there but they don't have the resources tobuild cases against them? Basically Virginia is sending the message that we would catch you but we are monetarily strapped to catch you. Something seems out of whack there with the priorities.
Dateline- Okaloosa County, Florida
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/article/11869
- All the people who had mullets 20 years ago can now breathe a sigh of relief
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The Post with some Political stuff
I watched some returns last night and this morning for the Super Tuesday votes. Couple things:
-Mitt Romney delivered a speech saying, "We are going to the White House." I wish I would've been there to yell "No you're not." Seriously- the guy isn't even beating Mike Huckabee in many states. Give it up.
- huckabee sounds like a dope everytime he talks.
-Slate.com asks the question who won Super Tuesday. The real answer is the 2008 presidential election becasue there are record numbers turning out for this.
BUt slate still tried to break it down:
A spooky ad that ran repeatedly during CNN's Super Tuesday coverage suggested that you should contemplate your life as if you had only one month to live. If you do that, expect to exit without knowing the Democratic nominee. After Super Tuesday voting, the clearest thing about the race on the Democratic side is that it's headed into March—and quite possibly beyond.
Both the Clinton and Obama campaigns emerged from Super Tuesday with bragging rights. Clinton trounced Obama in Massachusetts, 56 percent to 41 percent. It was a thrashing that almost matched the one he gave her in South Carolina. She had been ahead in polls in the state, but for the last week, Barack Obama has had about the best press imaginable there. He was being compared often to JFK by Kennedy family members, who did everything but play touch football with him on the lawn. Obama also had the support of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.
Clinton also won the toss-up state of New Jersey and the largest popular-vote prize in California, where she was able to stop Obama's movement with two crucial blocs of voters. She won Latino voters by 32 points even though Obama was endorsed by the state's largest Spanish-language newspaper. She won by 18 points among women despite a widely publicized rally attended by Michele Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Caroline Kennedy, at which California first lady Maria Shriver made a surprise appearance and endorsement.
Obama, for his part, can brag about picking up Connecticut, a state in Clinton's own back yard. He also stole more votes from her home state of New York than she took from him in Illinois. And Obama claimed his share of the toss-up states, winning the popular vote in Colorado and Delaware. These wins, plus his victories in Georgia and Alabama, allowed Obama, like Clinton, to claim a geographically diverse set of victories. By several measures, Obama was the victor: He picked up 13 states to Clinton's eight, and he won more pledged delegates. This gives him additional momentum going into some promising-looking primaries over the next couple of weeks. The contests in the next two weeks in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., on Feb. 12, followed by Wisconsin and Hawaii on Feb. 19, all favor him. His $32 million fund-raising record in January shows that he will have more money than Clinton to wage a protracted campaign. Obama will also have time to become better known—particularly for the March 4 primaries in Ohio and Texas—than he did in the 22 states in which he competed today.
The exit polls in the 16 primary states in which they were taken showed that the contours of the race as we've come to know them are still in place. Obama did well with African-Americans, men, the wealthy, those with college degrees, and liberal voters. Clinton continues to do well with women, older voters, Latinos, and those with less education and lower incomes. Inside those patterns, some shifts were visible. In recent national polls, Clinton's lead among women was 15 percentage points. Exit polls showed that her margin among women was only seven percentage points (though among white women, her margin was 20 percentage points). Obama also turned in strong performances among white male voters, picking up 40 percent in Georgia and almost 50 percent in California.
Both candidates took advantage of their strengths but didn't put to rest questions about their weaknesses. Obama beat Clinton by 40 points among the 52 percent of voters who say they want change. Clinton trounced him 91 percent to 5 percent among those who say experience is the most important quality in a candidate, but that group represented only 22 percent of the voters.
In a political year during which the conventional wisdom has taken beating after beating, perhaps no assumption has been made more obsolete than the idea that the front-loaded primary system would foist an early winner on the American people. I suggest you ignore that One Month To Live ad and plan on living at least through the Democratic Convention.
Monday, February 04, 2008
The Post with some Super Bowl talk
I am glad I was wrong on Friday. I picked the Pats (in a close game) but was hoping the Giants would win just becasue I have a deep dislike for Bill Belicheck. A dislike that was furthered by his post-game antics.
That was a great game. Some have called it boring but what you had was two teams playing very well. Both offenses were struggling to get on track, and the defenses were playing very well. The Giants front 4 especially controlled the tempo of that game and bailed the Giants out time after time. Without them playing as well as they did that game is a blowout midway through the 4th.
Of course though all everyone wants to talk about is the Eli Manning pass to David Tyree that was improbable at both ends of the play.
First let's backtrack to about 3 weeks ago. It was at the time the NFL announced Mike Carey would be the referee for the Super Bowl. I read that and thought "Awesome." Carey is hands down, bar none the best referee in football. For many reasons- he is dramatic, he is very good at explaning calls, and he lets guys play.
Now go back to 3rd down with the game on the line. Eli drops back and the Pats pass rush collapses on him. Vince Wilfork has his jersey and there are Patriots surrounding him. 9 times out of 10 that is blown dead and called a sack. Carey though saw Eli still fighting with his feet to get free and swallowed his whistle. Manning shook loose and drifted back a few yards before throwing a jump ball downfield to David Tyree.
Rodney Harrison had the coverage and more often than not he makes a play. However, Tyree went up- balanced the ball on his head and wrestled it away from Harrison. It was a game saver and at that moment you could tell the Patriots were done. Harrison got up and the defense looked at each other like Johnny Lawrence looked at John Kreese in Karate Kid went Daniel went all crane kick on him.
Next play Plaxico Burress fakes Ellis Hobbs out of his boots and catches the game winning touchdown.
Eli wasn't great in the game but he was great when he needed to be and that is all that matters in sports.
The big play to me that I felt changed the momentum was the Patriots foregoing a chance at a 50 yard field goal and throwing a deep pattern out of the end zone. If you are going to throw that low percentage pass then you're best bet is trying the field goal. Gostkowski has been good in his young career and if he hits it's a 17-10 game. That means the Giants only tie it, and we go to overtime. Coach Belicheck outthought himself and it cost his team. Maybe that's why he left the sidelines early- that and he acts like a 3 year old when he loses.
THe Patriots were perfect for 18 weeks of the season before getting beat by a team that didn't give a damn about the Patriots run at history. They just wanted to win, and they got their title.
Congrats to the Giants
Friday, February 01, 2008
The Post with my Super Bowl Pick
We have reached the pinnacle of the season for two teams. Those teams are the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. That's right- it's Boston vs New York in football now.
Last year I did a whole breakdown but I'm not doing that this year- partly because I'm lazy, but mostly because I have no real vested interest in this game. In fact, I have no idea who to root for.
See the Giants are led by Eli Manning who I dislike greatly. He dissed my Chargers before coming into the league so screw him. The Chargers made a great trade to get rid of him and the Giants looked stupid for giving up so much for a guy that didn't seem like a legitimate quarterback. Then he started winning and now the Chargers look bad. I don't want him to win a title before San Diego.
However, I have a deep dislike for Eagles fans as well so if the Giants win the Super Bowl it would most likely cause Eagles' fans heads to explode which would amuse me greatly.
BUt I dislike the Patriots as well. Forget the fact that they are cheaters. They are one of the most unlikeable teams ever. They are smug, Belicheck acts like a baby when things don't go his way- and they just have nothing to like about them.
However, this is history if they would go undefeated. PLus the 72 Dolphins have become unbearable about this whole "We are the best team ever" nonsense. Even going so far as blowing off when the Pats went 14-0 by saying, "Let me know when they're at my front door, and not just in the neighborhood." So seeing their record topped and finished off would be awesome.
See- I'm being torn apart here so we'll make this short and sweet.
A 12 point spread is crazy considering the Giants only lost by 3 the last time they played and had the Pats down 12 in the third quarter. Also the O/U of 53 seems low considering the two teams scored 73 points their last outing. 53 is a tough number to go above but I think these teams can.
So I'd bet the Giants to cover the points and the Over- (I usually suck at this though so I take no fault if you bet what I would do)...HOWEVER
New England- 34 New York- 30
