Eye Candy vol 15

Female Hottie: Alicia Keys


Alicia is a Grammy award winning singer and actress. Throughout all her success she has remained humble, a rare find these days, not to mention the fact she plays her own instruments. Talented and beautiful, is there any reason she makes this week's edition of "Eye Candy"? Side bit of info, Alicia's first acting role was in the Cosby Show. She was the little girl that got bounced on Cliff's knee at Rudy's birthday party. Bet you didn't know that.

Male Hottie: Robert Downey, Jr.


Talk about making a comeback! Has anyone had a bigger year than Robert Downey, Jr. this year? Movies such as Charlie Bartlett, Tropic Thunder and, in my opinion, the best movie of the year, Iron Man have people remembering that he is one of the best actors in Hollywood, even if he did have some problems and had to go to rehab. Apparently, the ladies never stopped loving him, though, so I figure he's deserving of this spot, plus he's Iron Man!

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Hilary Duff


Doesn't it seem like forever and a day ago when was Lizzie McGuire. My how she has grown up. Anybody want to call her "Duff Puff" after looking at this picture? Not with that stomach( even if there is some airbrushing done). Since the end of Lizzie McGuire, Hilary has had roles in movies and has released a couple of albums. Currently, she is in talks to star in a comedy for NBC and is promoting her newest album. She earns this spot for her role in War, Inc.

MILF: Gwen Stefani


A mixture of Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, with her own style, flair, and charisma, Gwen Stefani has made a name for herself in the music and recently the fashion industry. The mother of 2 is currently working off the baby weight from her son that was born in August as well as new music. "No Doubt" she is a MILF!

Classic/Retro Hottie: Elizabeth Taylor


Elizabeth Taylor is one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a movie screen. With 2 Oscars to her name and slew of ex-husbands (8), as well as those beautiful blue eyes, she is the gold standard when it comes to the "Hollywood lifestyle" of her time. At 76, she is still alive and kicking, but is rumored to have numerous afflictions such as osteoporosis, brain tumors, cancer, etc. She is confined to a wheelchair and is very reclusive, but still knows who she is and was.

The state of music

a friend sent this to me. for those of you that are offended by the language, I apologize.

What the Fuck Happened to Black Popular Music?

By Kenny Drew, Jr.
April 6, 2006

I've decided to add this section to my website as a vehicle to express my views on various topics, musical and otherwise, that have been on my mind lately. You may wonder why I'm talking about popular music in this first installment, since I am generally thought of as a "jazz" musician. However, anyone who knows me knows that my tastes in music are very eclectic (as are those of most jazz musicians, quiet as it's kept). In fact when I started my career as a professional musician, I was not playing jazz. I started out playing in R&B groups and Top-40 bands. We only played jazz if the club was almost empty!

The 60s - 80s was such an incredible time for all styles of popular music, but for the sake of this discussion I will concentrate specifically on black music (or rhythm-and-blues, or funk, or whatever the hell you want to call it).

Recently, I've been listening to a lot of my favorite music from that time, and to be honest, I am disgusted and sickened at how far our music has declined in the quality of the music and its message. How the hell did we get from Motown to Death Row; from Earth Wind & Fire to Ludacris; from Luther Vandross to 50Cent?

I remember a time in our music when songs had great melodies and chord changes, you actually had to be able to sing or play an instrument to become a musician, and Michael Jackson was black! It's a sad commentary on our culture and society when the biggest thing in popular music is an ex-crack dealer whose claim to fame is being shot nine times, and one of the greatest entertainers in the world was on trial for child molestation. If that's not a sign of the coming Apocalypse, I don't know what is! And if 50Cent was really shot nine times, why couldn't one of those bullets have hit a vital organ? Who the fuck was shooting at him: Stevie Wonder? And as far as all these black rappers getting shot, how about a little equal opportunity violence here? Can't somebody pop a cap in Eminem's white ass?

Another issue in the decline of music today is the stupidity and negativity in the lyrics and the video images that accompany this so-called "music". I recently discovered that there is now a form of rap called "coke rap", in which the lyrics deal mainly with the sale, distribution and use of cocaine and crack. I find it offensive that any record company would try to make a profit from glorifying something that has decimated the black community the way that crack has. I hope that one day while 50Cent is lounging by the pool in his humongous mansion surrounded by beautiful groupies, he might consider how many lives were ruined by the poison he used to sell, and how many more lives will be potentially damaged by the musical poison he's selling now.

"Another issue in the decline of music today is the stupidity and negativity in the lyrics and the video images that accompany this so-called 'music'."

There's a video by Ludacris that I've seen of a song called "Act a Fool". All I can remember about the video is that there were a lot of shots of him and his boys running from the cops. Don't we have enough young black men running around acting like fools without some idiot rapper encouraging it? (But then again, Ludacris probably makes more money in one month than I'll make in my entire life as a jazz musician. So who's the idiot here? Maybe it's me!) Remember when the lyrics in our music spoke of love or the loss of love? Who can forget the uplifting messages of peace, hope and spirituality in the lyrics of Earth Wind & Fire? Or the social consciousness and protest messages in the lyrics of Gil Scott-Heron and Marvin Gaye? How the hell did we get from "Just to be Close to You Girl" to "Back That Ass Up Bitch"? How the hell did we get from "What's Goin' On" and "You Haven't Done Nothin' " to "Me So Horny" and "My Hump"?

Last, but not least, it's time to address the musical quality of this bullshit, or more accurately, the lack of it. Way back when, when I first started studying music I was told that music had to consist of three elements: melody, harmony and rhythm. Rap music (an oxymoron similar to "military intelligence" or "jumbo shrimp") has basically discarded the first two elements and is left with nothing but rhythm.

Since only one element of music is present in most of this crap it doesn't even justify being called music. Our culture has been dumbed down to the point where your average dumb-ass American can't tell the difference between a truly great musician and somebody who's been studying their instrument for a week. Playing a musical instrument at a high level is no longer a well-respected skill in our society. (I'm not 100% sure that it ever really was.) In fact, to be honest, I think that most of the students in music schools today who are studying jazz and classical music are wasting their fucking time and their parents' money! (Boy, am I gonna get in trouble for saying this!) Why spend all that time mastering an instrument when you can just get a drum machine and a microphone, write some asinine lyrics about fucking, ho's and pimps and make a ton of money? Sometimes I wonder whether I'm wasting my time in this cesspool called the music industry. These days it seems like the only way to make any serious money in music is to produce some bullshit that doesn't even sound like music!

So what's the solution here? Damned if I know! But I did see an encouraging story on the news recently. A billboard advertising 50Cent's new movie was put up in a black neighborhood not far from a school. In the billboard 50Cent is seen with his heavily tattooed back to the camera with his arms outstretched in a crucifix-like pose with a microphone in one hand and a gun in the other. Understandably, the community was outraged. They held protests, got some media coverage, and eventually succeeded in getting the movie company to remove the billboard. I say that we use this as a model nationwide.

I propose a nationwide boycott of rap music; perhaps by picketing in front of record company offices and major record store chains. Anybody remember the "Disco Sucks" movement in the 70s? Maybe it's time for a "Rap Sucks" movement now. Who's with me here? (Actually, looking back on the disco era, that music sounds like Beethoven in comparison to the rap garbage that's poisoning our airwaves now!) Maybe we could have a big "Rap Sucks" rally somewhere. (As long as it doesn't escalate into a riot like the "Disco Sucks" one did.)

"It isn't where you came from, it's where you're going that counts." ---Ella Fitzgerald

The article pretty much says it all. Some good points were raised. Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts. I'm anxious to hear what you have to say.

Hip Hop TaeBoFlex

oh sweet irony...i was flipping through the channels this afternoon since I was bored out of my mind. GRRR!!! Well, I just gave up and stopped on a George Foreman Grill infomercial. Here's the irony, they took some sort of break and the commercials the showed were for Bowflex, Tae Bo, Hip Hop Abs, etc. Kinda funny, don't you think? lol Here they are advertising a grill and at the same time trying to get people to eat healthy and get in shape. Make up your mind people...lol

The Return

Mmmm...Thanksgiving dinner...yummy! Oh...whoops, sorry, guess I should put down these leftovers and finish typing, huh? lol

Yes, I'm back. So, give me a couple days to fully catch up on my drops and whatnot. I did manage to get some done, but not my normal, just my faves and those that asked for ads. Didn't get through my inbox. I'll try and do that today, though. ---takes a big bite of sweet potato casserole--

What a great day to be a Texan Thursday was (unless you like the Naggies of Texas A & M...lol). Definitely one of the best Thanksgiving game days I can remember.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and didn't spend you life savings on Black Friday.

--eats more ham--

...and BREAK!!!!

Yes, I will be taking somewhat of a break from dropping and blogging the next couple of days. I'm not sure to what extent, but rest assured when I come back, I'll be dropping like a madman!

In the meantime, I'm off to my native Texas to see my beloved Dallas Cowboys decimate the Seattle Seahawks and then off to my sister's to watch the Texas Longhorn decimate the Texas A & M Aggies! Hook 'Em Horns!

Oh, speaking of college football. It seems to be forgotten that these guys busting their butts out there every week are STUDENT-athletes. Seems like the media wants them to go pro ASAP and forget about school. Well, this guy at Florida State got special permission from the NCAA to interview for a Rhodes Scholarship Saturday, which he got and they flew him to his game in Maryland afterwards. Guess not all athletes are dumb jocks.

They still have nothing on musicians, though...hahahaha

7 most annoying people at Thanksgiving Dinner

Found this article this morning and figured I'd share:

Thanksgiving is one of our greatest holidays. We eat until we feel like we're going to die and then we lay around and watch football. But you're also forced to see family members that can turn all the gluttony into a big downer. Here are the seven worst.

7. THE RELIGIOUS RELATIVE


It's fine if you love Jesus. No one is saying you can't. But you have to understand that for the rest of us, Thanksgiving is the only Holiday we get where we don't have to hear about the man upstairs. Therefore, I don't give a shit that the shape of my mashed potatoes reminded you of a passage from Corinthians, I just want you to pass the salt. I may not know Jesus as well as you do, but if he's as cool as you say he is, then if he was invited over to somebody's house for dinner, he probably wouldn't spend the entire meal talking about how awesome he is. That sounds to me like an asshole.

Typical Conversation:
You: You know, I think if the Colts could get healthy, they could make a run this year.
Religious Relative: And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. James 5:15

You: Right. I'm pretty sure the Lord wasn't referring to someone having "turf toe."


6. THE PERSON WITH THE SECRET EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS

You'll know this person is coming to your thanksgiving about three and a half minutes before they get there, because you're mother will pull you aside and say, "Ben is coming. Now, he's gay, but he hasn't come out to the family yet, so don't say anything about gay things. Everyone, did you hear that? Ben is coming and he's gay, but he hasn't come out yet!" Now, all anyone can think of when they look at Ben is "gay, gay, gay,gay" and because you don't want to bring any attention to the fact that he's got this secret, you end up bringing even more attention to it by striking up a conversation that is the direct opposite of it, which ends up awkwardly becoming about said secret.

Typical Conversation:
You: So, Ben, how about that new James Bond Movie. He's a good James Bond right? I mean, just the way he acts, not like how he looks or anything. Not that he acts a certain way or that you can tell something from how somebody acts, but just like- wow, that's a lot of gravy on your plate. I mean, I like gravy-



5. THE FANTASY FOOTBALL GUY

Football on Thanksgiving is a tradition, but your fantasy team is not. So when the entire room wants to change the channel because the Lions are losing by 42 points with six minutes left, it's super annoying when you respond with, "Wait, wait, I just have to see if Calvin Johnson gets fourteen more receiving yards." To make matters worse, this person insists on telling you the score to their fantasy game, and the picks they made early in the season that have or have not panned out, like they were in a Nazi prison camp and a guard made them choose which one of their children lived.

Typical Conversation:
Fantasy Guy: YES!
You: Is it a close game?

FG: No, it's 46-20. Kevin Smith lost two yards. I need him to not gain more than ten yards the rest of the game, the guy I'm playing has him. I took Matt Forte instead of him, I was thinking of taking smith, but at the last second, I had Forte in my draft que and I just pushed "draft."

You: Great. Um, you think we can change the channel? There's three minutes left and we were hoping to watch anything but this.

FG: Yeah yeah of course, there's just three minutes left though. I just gotta make sure I win this week. Sorry.

4. THE NEW BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND THAT WON'T LAST

This person brought their boyfriend that they met three weeks ago when they were shit-faced drunk and letting people take body shots off their titties. Now everyone has to pretend like she and he are in a serious relationship, even though when he tells someone he's originally from Tuscon his "girlfriend" responds with "really, I thought you were from Fresno...Huh." And since now there's someone at the table that no one knows, everybody has to pretend like they have manners are care about what's going on in other people's lives. This leads to everyone at the table focusing on the fact that this dude they've never met before, and will never see again, is "in ad sales right now, but looking to maybe starting a club promotion business or something like that."

Typical Conversation:
You: I was thinking of buying a new Honda.
Cousin: Brian used to fix Hondas, right Brian?

Cousin's Boyfriend: Um, no. I know a guy who did, though.

Cousin: Really, I thought you did?

Cousin's Boyfriend: Nope.

(awkward silence)

Your Mom: Well, being a mechanic is a good job.

(more awkward silence)



3. THE OVERLY POLITICAL RELATIVE


You haven’t read the latest book by Ron Paul, and you have no idea what the trade deficit is, but that’s not going to stop the political freak from constantly quoting Ron Paul’s latest book about the trade deficit whenever there’s a two-second lull in the conversation. It doesn’t matter that your eyes glaze over like a ham when he starts spouting endless facts about civic policy and the economies of risk-management, he will not stop trying to get you to agree to a political stance that you have never heard of or couldn’t possibly care less about.
Typical Conversation:

You: Man, I can’t believe the holidays are already here.

Political Relative: You know what I can’t believe? I can’t believe that the S&P needs to increase by 33% just to get back to even over the next 12 months. And you know what else I can’t believe? The fact that Bernanke and Paulson have destroyed America as you and I know it. They’re the “experts”? Really? If they were so smart, then why didn’t they see this coming? Now we’re supposed to feel comfortable with these crooks in charge? Yes sir, you can kiss your nation goodbye forever.

You: Yeah, uhhh, time sure does fly.

Political Relative: And you know what won’t fly anymore pretty soon? Our bankrupt airlines. If you think Uncle Sam is going to keep bailing those mismanaged disasters forever you can think again.

You: I just want to eat some turkey.


2. THE SUPER OLD GRANDPARENT


We should all have some respect for our elders, but trying to have a conversation with your 96-year-old great grandmother is like talking to a junkie who just shot up. There’s a lot of mumbling and nodding off and when there is some conversation, it’s mostly just a series of repetitive stories from your childhood.
Typical Conversation:

You: Hey Grandma. Can I get you some stuffing? Are you thirsty?

Great Grandma: …zzzz…who? You remember when you used to come and visit us and you had such a good time? I remember that.

You: Yeah, that was fun.

Great Grandma: Remember when you used to come and…visit us in the summers? We had so much fun during those summers…zzzzz….hi! What grade are you in now?

You: I’m 33 and divorced, Grandma. I’m not in school anymore.

Great Grandma: Such a big boy! Look at you! I bet you study hard and get good marks. Are you going to come visit us this summer…

1. THE RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC


We get it. You don’t drink anymore. But we don’t need updates every five minutes that you “haven’t touched the stuff in six years, 48 days and 15 hours.” And you know what? I’m not an alcoholic. Just because one sip of booze would turn you into a raging alcohol monster who would drain the liquor cabinet and then start chugging Aqua Velva doesn’t mean the rest of the world can’t have a glass of wine. But the worst part about this guy is that he has absolutely nothing else to talk about.


Typical Conversation:
You: This turkey is delicious!
Recovering Alcoholic: Back when I was drinking, the only turkey I would have during the holidays was a bottle of Wild Turkey. And I would drink the whole thing by myself. I was so bad, back then. So bad.

You: Well, it’s great that you stopped.

Recovering Alcoholic: Whiskey, vodka, beer, sake, wine, rum, grain alcohol, bourbon, gin, you name it, I’ve drank it. But it’s been six years since a drop has passed these lips. Six loooooong years. It’s been great, but a day doesn’t go by when I’m not thinking about booze. It’s the first thing I think about when I wake up and it’s the last thing I think about before I go to sleep. I love booze. That’s why I had to give it up.

You: Well…good for you. So, how are your kids doing?

Recovering Alcoholic: It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I used to drink so much. Then I hit rock bottom and gave it up all together. I knew if I didn’t I wouldn’t be here today. But I used to love drinking. It was my life. You should probably quit drinking, too. I used to be like you, a glass of wine here and there and then all of a sudden I was stealing from my daughter's piggy bank just to go get a bottle of rot gut. That’s how it always happens.

Plain Jane

Is there something wrong with wanting things simple? I watch allot of Food Network (even though I can't cook anything not microwavable...lol), and notice that with the occasional exception of Rachel Ray or when they're specifically trying to do something simple, they make things unnecessarily complicated.

With Thanksgiving coming up, the little woman is getting her recipes together for Thursday's dinner. Usuaully everyday dinner consists of us eating two totally different things, even if we are eating the same thing. With people coming over this week, some preparing their own dishes to bring, I'm sure this will be just as bad.

Now, I don't totaly want anything fancy, but I just prefer it simple. I mean, I rememebr watching Food Network one day and they took mac & cheese and made it uber-complicated. On top of that, it didn't look that great, and if I remember right, only 1 of the judges liked it. The other two and the people that they prepared it for hated it.

I'm just a simple guy, I guess.

There is a line I was told when I was student teaching, K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid). Maybe this guy that jacked up mac & cheese should have thought about it.

Musical Monday vol 13

Usually my "Musical Monday" posts are old school...predominantly 80s, but this week, I've decided to bring in some modern music. Enjoy Paramore's "That's What You Get".



Enjoy that? Well, take a look and listen to this song by up and coming Welsh singer Duffy. Have fun with "Mercy".



Last night was the American Music Awards. A couple of the big winners were Chris Brown and Alicia Keys, so I'll put up some of their music for you, too. First, here is Chris Brown's "Forever". You may recognize it from the gum commercials.



Now here is Alicia Keys' "Superwoman". Truly an inspirational song!

Alicia Keys - New Music - More Music Videos

Ok...I just can't help it, we have to have something from the 80s. Hmmm...how "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley. Don't worry, you won't be Rick Roll'd.

Rick Astley |MTV Music

So, tell me, do you like this week's choices? Don't forget to join the Musical Monday movement!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are strictly for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted.

What's your blog type

Typealyzer is pretty intersting. It tells what your blog is. This is what it had to say about mine.

The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

Some of it is true and some it isn't. Try it out and see what you get.

Eye Candy vol 14

Female Hottie: Kim Kardashian


Kim is best known for having a butt that rivals that of Jennifer Lopez and a sex tape, but she has been working on having a legitimate career...in reality television with her appearance on Dancing With the Stars and her own show on E!, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, in which she stars with her family. Say what you will about her, she is a hottie.

Male Hottie: Antonio Banderas


Many have called him the "Latin ass from Heaven". Well, at least my ex-fiancee did. Antonio has been steaming up US screens since he American debut in 1994's The Mambo Kings. Women everywhere have been grateful to Spain ever since.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Kristin Chenoweth


A bittersweet entry here. Kristin gets this spot for her role as Olive Snook on Pushing Daisies. Sadly, word came down that the show will be canceled after the season finale. Kristin has also had roles in movies such as RV, Bewitched, The Pink Panther, and Disney's remake of The Music Man. Perhaps she is best known for her distinctive voice, but more so she is a Broadway veteran. Her biggest role to date is that of Galinda in Wicked. Hopefully we get to see more of this hottie sooner, rather than later.

MILF: Jennie Garth


Jennie is best known for her role as Kelly Taylor on Beverly Hills, 90210 a role she is currently reprising on the sub-par remake. Between 90210 stints, Jennie has had a successful sitcom with Eye Candy (vol. 12) alum, Amanda Bynes in What I Like About you and had her turn in the ballroom on Dancing With the Stars. Did I mention she's the mother of 3 girls?

Classic/retro Hottie: Whitney Houston


"Crack is whack!" Those were Whitney's exact words to Barbara Walters a few years back. Truer words were never spoken. Anyone that believe Britney had spun out of control must've forgotten the train wreck that is Miss Houston. Luckily, she is on the road to recovery. I have high hopes that she'll make it. She truly had one of the greatest voices of our time, and was a real hottie, to boot!

Cheap gas is awesome, but what's the catch

About 6 months ago, if I wanted to fill my car up, it took nearly $70. Today I filled up for $33! Happy Happy Joy Joy! However, and I hate to be neagtive, one has to wonder what the ctach is?

You know its coming. I've heard that it may actually get down to below a dollar, but then it's gonna skyrocket like its nobody's business. That scares the bejesus out of me! I hope that was just wild speculation and not truth.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoythe cheap gas as much and as logn as I can. what about you?

Stuck inheritance

A few years ago, my grandfather passed away and left me his 1992 Chevrolet Caprice. Now, just like most old men and their cars, he treated that thing with kid gloves. Even when he was real low sick, he found a way to get up, go out, and at least start it. I am the only other person, besides the shop guys and I think my mother, who has driven it, and the only one who he let set the clock, so it was only fitting he left it to me.

It just so happened, that at the time of his pasing, my 1998 Dodge Neon had gone kaput. Now, some may say it's a downgrade from a Neon to a Caprice. I certainly thought so. I mean, I'm not into big cars. Still, it was fully paid for and my rightful inheritance (other than my mom, i got the biggest inheritance...take that siblings :P)

Well, years have passed and I've since finished college, started teaching, and purchaed a new car. I kept his for sentimental value and this afternoon, while the little woman is away at Ren-Fair, I decided to kill some time and look under the hood, maybe take it for a drive.

Well, that plan hit a monkeywrench. You see, it's been about 2 years since I've started it nad its just been sitting in the carport gathering dust and pollen. The neighbors say its bringing down the property value. Whatever! They're just a bunch of elitists looking for something to bitch about!

So, I'm not sure if its becuse of the time elapsed, but the hood will not open. I'm sure the oil and gas in there is no good either. I tried every trivk in the book to get the thing open, becuse the steering wheel belt (can't think of the name, it also has something to do with the air conditioner) needs to be replaced before it goes anyplace. Kinda hard to do that if you can't get the hood up, though.

So, if anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears. I would like to drive the car again sometime and not let it just be a resting place for cats.

Never Satisfied

I got a private message this morning from an anonymous poster who apparently had gone through my previous posts and noticed that I am always sticking up for those women who embrace their curves, but when it comes to my "Eye Candy" posts, apparently, I have not used any of these women, or some of the more beautiful women in entertainment such as Angelina Jolie.

well, first of all, I do not find Angelina Jolie that pretty. Don't get me wrong, she is attractive, especially in Tomb Raider, but nowadays she's a skeleton and just isn't appealing to me.

As far as the curvier women being absent from the "Eye Candy" series, I had never even noticed, but rest assured, women such as Raven, Queen Latifah, Nikki Blonsky, America Farrera, etc. will be getting their spots sooner rather than later.

Now, having said that, can you believe someone took the time to bitch to me about this? I'm not going to go through the elaborate name calling that was in the e-mail, but needless to say, this person apparently took offense and found me to be a hypocrite. I bet after this is done, they'll still not be satisfied. Oy!

Sick and horny

Being sick sucks! Especially when you get sick in the middle of the day out of nowhere!!!

I woke up this morning feeling perfectly normal, then a little before lunchtime I started getting the queasy, nauseous feeling. No, it wasn't sue to the myriad of smells coming from the cafeteria...although, if the military wanted to make a new weapon, they could bottle up those odors and put them in some sort of chemical weapon. I'm sure it would smoke out any and everything...lol

So, anyway, I head to the restroom and upchuck some serious spewage, complete with blood. Not to get to graphic, but the results looked like something out of a horror movie and I looked like I had just finished around in Fight Club or UFC.

After it stopped coming, I head down to the nurses office to see what she had to say. Her prognosis was that I should go home, get plenty of rest, drink lots of juice and other fluids, and not eat anything heave for a couple of days.

In contrast, someone the little woman works with thinks it might be a stomach ulcer. Never had one, but honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if I did.

Let me ask you all something, when you're sick, do you get horny? I mean, even on what felt like my deathbed yesterday afternoon, when the little woman came home I literally ripped her clothes off. Conversely, when she stayed home earlier this week with the flu she couldn't keep her hands off me.

Are we just weirdos? Anyone else get horny when they're sick?

Have they lost their minds?

So, the automakers are asking for a bailout. Nothign wrong with asking. what's the worst that's gonna happen, the government is going to say no?

Well, if you're going to ask for a multi-billion dollar loan, why would you take a private jet from Detroit to Washington? I believe I heard the price was $2,000. WTF?!? A coach ticket was like $200 and a first class ticket was about $600. Those are estimates, but one has to wodner WTF?!?

Are these people insane? Apparently, all the top executives have a private jet. WTF?!? Sell off some of those jets, and that might help some of their finanicla woes. Ugh!

Not sure who is worse, the auto makers and their private jets flying in to ask for money, or the AIG CEOs using the money they got from the bailout to go get pampered.

Apologies and McAfee

Damn McAfee! Damn it to HELL!!!!

My apologies to anyone who was excpecting a drop from me yesterday. Monday night I foolishly installed a McAfee virus scan and when I attempted to start internet explorer it kept saying it was having to close becuse of an error. So, I ran a sytem restore, which took forever.

Now, things are working fine, except my wireless connection can't be found. THat seems to be just a matter of re-installing, though.

On top of this, my computer at work decided it wanted to give me the blu screen of death. Oy! What did I do to the computer gods to anger them so?

So, m apologies to my entrecard friends. If you dropped on me yesterday, I'm going to do my best to return the drop.

1978

In 1978 (the year you were born)

Jimmy Carter is president of the US US Senate votes to turn over the Panama Canal to Panama on December 31, 1999 Israel and Egypt reach a peace settlement at the Camp David Accords The US and mainland China announce that they will restore full diplomatic relations Members of Jim Jones' People's Temple commit mass suicide in Guyana Pope John Paul II becomes the first non-Italian pope in centuries Ted Bundy is captured in Florida The first computer bulletin board system is created Garfield debuts in newspapers Ashton Kutcher, Kobe Bryant, Usher, Clay Aiken, and Nelly Furtado are born New York Yankees win the World Series Dallas Cowboys win Superbowl XII Montreal Canadiens win the Stanley Cup Saturday Night Fever and Grease are the top grossing films "Night Fever" by the Bee Gees spends the most time at the top of the US charts Diff'rent Strokes and Mork & Mindy premiere

What Happened the Year You Were Born?

Talking 'Bout My Generation

You Belong in the Silent Generation

You fit in best with people born between 1925 and 1942. You are a person of high values and character. Family, your country, loyalty, and hard work all important to you. You are willing to do what's right, even when it's difficult.

What Generation Do You Belong In?

Cut those things

I don't know about you, but I don't think a guy should have long fingernails, especially when they scratch the skin off your hands when you get some paper from them. That was the case this afternoon when I noticed one of my students' fingernails were nearly as long, if not longer than some of the girls! He handed in his pop quiz and nearly scratched the skin off my hand.

Now, I'm not the most qualified person to talk about hygeine and whtnot. I've gone long periods of time without a haircut or cutting my own nails, but I never let them get to this point. I'm not sure if its laziness or some sort of style that I don't know about, but it just seems rather stupid and makes him look like he has no home life (for lack of a better term).

Ugh! I wanted to say, go cut those things, but I couldn't. Oh well. So, what do you think? Do you like long fingernails on a guy? Should I have said something more to him about his nails?

Courtesy dropping

This post is for my fellow entrecard droppers. I noticed as I was ding my dropping last night and this afternoon that those that are advertising on my site are not dropping. Now, what you do is your prerogative, but I find it rather rude to buy up some space and then not come back and drop.

Maybe it's just me, because for everyone that I advertise on, I drop a card everyday. It's just common courtesy, but then again, maybe I'm one of the few out there that still has this.

Mind you, this is not directed at anyone with an ad in cue, but just a generalization. However, be warned those of you intersted in buying up some space in the future...if you do not drop every now and then until your ad runs, chances are I will cancel your advertisement.

Musical Monday 12

For this week's Musical Monday, I've chosen to remember one of the most creative ad campaigns from the late 80s. Remember the California Raisins? If not, then enjoy!

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are strictly for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted.

Eye Candy vol 13

Female Hottie: Mila Kunis


Perhaps best known for her role as Jackie on That 70s Show, this gorgeous woman is an up and coming star. Last spring she was seen in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Here's hoping that's not her last movie, and we get to see her for a long time to come. I think she looks like a mix of Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie, but with some meat on her bones. Can you believe she's the voice of Meg on Family Guy

Male Hottie: Daniel Craig


Bond...James Bond. Yes, ladies, this week's male hottie is the current James Bond. Along with the Bond franchise, Daniel has been in The Golden Compass and the first Tomb Raider. I'm sure you'll be seeing lots more of him. As a matter of fact, I believe there's a scene in Quantum of Solace where he is butt naked.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Jordana Brewster


Chance are you're not too familiar with Jordana. She's not a household name when it comes to acting, but she could/should be. Currently, she's guest starring on NBC's Chuck and has had roles on the daytime soaps All My Children and As the World Turns. She also had a role in The Fast and Furious. With a face like that, how can you not want to see her more?

MILF: Meg Ryan


There was a time when Meg Ryan was called America's sweetheart. I'm not sure who has that "title" now, but as far as I'm concerned Meg never lost it. She now has 2 children, one of which she adopted and is as beautiful as ever (of course I'm not a fan of the "alleged" lip injections she's sporting these days).

Classic/retro Hottie: Sally Field


From her roles in the 60s on Gidget and The Flying Nun to her movie roles in such hit films as Steel Magnolias and Forrest Gump and back to TV in the current hit Brothers & Sisters, Sally Field has never slowed down. If not for a few wrinkles here and there, you wouldn't even know that she's 62. If she's had work done, it doesn't show or it's very minimal. She still has a very youthful looking face (please not this is an old pic, and I'm not referring to it). One thing is for certain, though, as Sally said after winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1985 for Places in the Heart, "you like her, you really like her!"

Cold vs. Rain

I believe I've blogged before about not wanting to get up and going when it's cold. Something about it makes one lazy and sluggish...or maybe its just the comfortableness of being all wrapped up in the blankets.

Well, when its raining, it can cause a similar feeling. Not necessarily the comfy cozy feeling of being wrapped in a blanket, but a sense of relaxation. Does this make sense to anyone? Or am I the only wacko the feels like this when its raining. Keep in mind, I'm not talking about heavy downpour type, but rather the kind where its steady beating against the window in a rhythmic cadence.

Assassination

I just read that reports of assassination attempts on President-elect Barack Obama have been on the rise since he got elected. I'm not going to sit here and say that is due to his winning, although, I'm sure that is a reason coupled with the tactics used by the McCain campaign to make the man seem like he's evil incarnate.

However, this is our president-elect. WE must stand behind him. Heaven forbid he gets assassinated, then Joe Biden becomes president. Something tells me that these would be assassins are thinking McCain would get it.

That is totally not the case, at least not immediately. In high school, I did a project on presidential succession, and as it turns out after weeding through all the major players, if I remember right, it goes to the senior senators and down, but there's so much that has to be done before all that, though.

Back to what I was saying, it is very disconcerting that these reports have arisen. Guess it just goes to show you how some people are spoiled losers.

Now that I think about it, one has to wonder if Bush picked Cheney as his VP to ensure he didn't get killed....lol

Generation Gap

I found myself thinking of what it will be like when I get old. The reason for this is that I recently watched Cocoon. In it, the older people live in a nice retirement community and listen to some of the greatest music of all time. Big band jazz.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and go into what life will be like when and if I make it to that age, but I do wonder is jazz going to be dead by then? Will those of us in my generation sit around jamming to the music of the 80s and 90s instead?

I hate to say yes to that question because I'm a huge jazz lover, but I also love the 80s and 90s. So, for me, I'd probably be listening to it all, but I am curious...what about you? Thoughts? Opinions?

While they'e bailing folks out

Seems as if the government is bailing any and everyone out who asks, so my question is, why not bail out those of us that have student loans?

At first this came up in a new group that was started on Facebook, but it has been gaining steam since then. I'm not a fan of bailouts, because I see it as a handout, but I do see the logic in bailing out college loan holders.

It costs an arm and a leg to go to college in this country. I went to a small La. university and still had to depend on scholarships, loans, and a grant to pay for my schooling. I wouldn't mind them bailing me out, but I'm not asking for it.

The idea is intriguing, though. Especially since it seems as though the government is helping all but the people.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Don't they have their own network?

So, last night ABC decided to forgo their usual Wednesday night programming in favor of the Country Music Awards. Now, let me say, I do not care for country music, but I respect the artists and the hahrd work they do.

I don't know where you all live, but down here we have 2 country video stations. Shouldn't the CMA's be on one of those? Isn't that what they're for? To give an outlet for country music?

Hell, the hip-hip awards are confined to BET, with maybe a mention on MTV or VH1. I belive the metal/hard rock awards (the name escapes me at this monent) is on VH1, as well. Yet, the CMAs gets a spot on major network TV? WTF?!? This is not right.

Of course, my bitching about this on this meeger blog isn't going to do much, but at least I can get my feelings out there. I'm sure I'll be flipping through the channelslater and see said CMAs on one of those country stations becuse the 2 or 3 hrs it was on last night wasn't enough. Oh, and don't forget the endless fashion analysis on E! and the TV Guide network. Ugh! Make the pain stop!

The halfway point for my NFL teams

It's roughly about halfway through the NFL season, give or take a week or 2. I like many teams, but there are 4 that get my unending support...until the play each other, than I'm happy for whoever wins, unless its a crucial game that one needs to win more than the other. However, it seems every year, I have 2 teams that are setting the league on fire and 2 that are in the doghouse. This is not as big an issue this year, but its still there.

Let's take a look shall we?


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a pretty solid team.They did have some quartback controversy in the off season and early in in the season, but it seems to have been resolved...for now. Last year early in their season they lost their star running back, Cadillac Williams. Luckily, Ernest Graham stepped in (and saved my fantasy football team). Cadillac was cleared to return this week, so I'm curious to see what impact he will have. Hopefully he'll just make things better. Thank goodness there's no drama around the Bucs, other than rumors that Gruden is coveted by the University of Tennessee.

The Denver Broncos started the season like it was 1998. They were on fire. At times I thought John Elway was back out there. Since then, they have reverted to the Broncos of the past few years. The offense is not a big issue. It is strange that they haven't been able to plug anyone in at running back and they just rip up the league when it comes to rushing yards as they had in years past, though. Rookie Eddie Royal really stepped up while star receiver Brandon Marshall was out. The Broncos problem is the defense. If they can find a way to fix that, they'll be ok, but not safe. The Broncos are still atop the division at the time I'm writing this, but the San Diego Chargers are...well charging. The Broncos need to win every game they can in order to make the playoffs. Hopefully they can get in as AFC West champs, but if they have to go in as a wild card, so be it.

Last year, the Miami Dolphins won only 1 game...barely. In the offseason, they completely overhauled the front office starting by bringing in Bill Parcells as Director of Football Operations (or something like that). Parcells went to work immediately and after getting rid of lame duck coach Cam Cameron, he brought in some of his guys from Dallas. Unfortunately, perennial defensive star Zach Thomas was released and subsequently (possibly ironically) picked up by the Dallas Cowboys. That wasn't the biggest loss of the offseason, though. Parcells didn't seem to care for Jason Taylor's decision to no focus on football in the offseason. Taylor spent the summer on Dancing With the Stars. This didn't sit well with Bill, but the contract was signed before Parcells was hired, so its not like Taylor could do anything. It is believed that this is the reason that he was traded. With the teams best players off to different teams and coming off the worst season in franchise history, many Dol-fans believed that this was going to be an even worse season than last. Not so fast, the Dolphins have set the league on fire with the Wildcat offense and a resurgent Joey Porter have this team 2 games out of the lead in the AFC East and in contention for a wild card spot in the playoffs. I wouldn't be surprised if they make it.

The Dallas Cowboys in recent memory have been synonymous with drama. Before the season started I posted a blog about Jessica Simpson being a curse for Tony Romo. Since then, she hasn't really been seen near him. This may be because she promoting her country suckfest...er...album. More than likely, though, her PR people are keeping her away or out of sight, so that she won't be hated more than she already is. Jessica is the least of Dallas' worries, though. This team started the season out as the clear cut NFC favorite to go to the Super Bowl. Early on they seamed like they were the best team in the league, then something happened and it stopped clicking. Oddly enough, after the first loss, sports writers immediately wrote them off and jumped off the bandwagon saying that it was the beginning of the end for them. I'm not pessimistic like they are, but I will say that something does seem broken. Speaking of broken, the past few weeks while Romo has been healing his broken pinky, I believe us Cowboys fans have been is just as much pain having to watch, what all thought was capable backup in Brad Johnson, a multi year veteran and Super Bowl winning quarterback. It's obvious he's lost it. Just one of the issues that the team faces, along with what will T.O. do, is Wade Phillips on his way out, Adam "Pacman" Jones' legal issues, injuries, and expectations. T.O. has not been himself this season. I'm not sure if its because of his not getting the ball as much as could or if his age is starting to catch up with hims or what, but he just isn't having a productive year. Marion Barber and Jason Witten have been bright spots, as has Felix ones before e got injured. Hopefully Witten's injury won't keep him out of this week's game and that Felix will be back sooner rather than later. Roy William will probably turn out to be a good mid-season pickup, but hasn't had an impact, yet. Of course, this may be due to the Bead Johnson era and his not fully picking up the system yet. Fact is, its hard for receivers to pick up a system if their traded mid-season. Look for his impact to be felt next year. This year, he'll pick it up more and more each week, though.

So, there you have it. None of my teams are below .500, which is something I could not say at this time last year. It is possible all 4 could be in the playoffs, but not likely. I'll just have to see how this all plays out.

Scary

I was flipping through the channels last night and heard this headline, but paid it no attention. Then today, I come in to work and everyone it talking about it. In a short time, its gathered national attention. Many have thought the Klan had disintegrated, well according to this article, that's not the case.

Eight people have been arrested in connection with the slaying Sunday of a Tulsa, Okla., woman who tried to back out of a weekend Ku Klux Klan initiation at a remote campsite in northeastern St. Tammany Parish, authorities said.

Raymond “Chuck” Foster, 44, of Bogalusa, who authorities said is a high-ranking Klan member, is accused of shooting the unidentified white woman with a .40-caliber handgun during an argument Sunday afternoon about her intention to leave the initiation, authorities said Tuesday.

Foster and the seven other white men and women implicated in the case tried to cover up the slaying, St. Tammany and Washington Parish sheriff’s deputies said.

Someone had removed the bullet from the woman’s body, investigators determined. The woman’s clothing, other personal effects and the campsite next to a sandbar in the Pearl River Navigation Canal were set afire, said Capt. George Bonnett, St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s spokesman.

The canal, a waterway which gives marine traffic access to the Pearl River and is next to the Bogue Chitto National Wildlife Refuge, is a popular area for boating, fishing and camping, Washington Parish authorities said.

Foster, booked Monday with second-degree murder, was being held without bond at St. Tammany Parish Prison in Covington, deputies said.

Bonnett said the seven others, all of whom are from the Bogalusa area and are believed to be Klan members, were booked Monday and Tuesday with obstruction of justice and remained in St. Tammany Parish Prison on $500,000 bonds.

Deputies identified the seven as Shane Foster, 20; Frank Stafford, 21; Timothy Michael Watkins, 30; Alicia M. Watkins, 23; Andrew Yates, 20; Random Hines, 27; and Danielle Jones, 23.

The shooting victim, whose identity has not been confirmed, was recruited over the Internet and was supposed to return to Oklahoma after joining the KKK in Louisiana to start recruiting new members, St. Tammany Parish sheriff’s deputies said in a statement.

The woman arrived by bus last week in Slidell, met two people, and during the weekend was taken to the campsite, deputies said.

Washington Parish sheriff’s investigators became aware of her death early Monday morning after getting an anonymous tip about two men turning up at a Circle K convenience store near Bogalusa with bloodstains on their clothes, said Shannon Lyons, deputy chief of the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office Criminal Division.

Frank Stafford and Shane Foster, who is Chuck Foster’s son, went into the store north of the intersection of La. 16 and La. 21 and asked the store clerk how to get bloodstains out of their clothing, Bonnett said.

Once alerted, investigators found the woman’s body Monday a few miles south of the campsite under loose brush at the end of Lock No. 3 Road near the village of Sun, deputies said.

Later Monday, deputies said, they found the campsite along with a number of items, including weapons, several flags and six Klan uniforms — five white and one black.

Bonnett noted that the Klan members moved the woman’s body from a wooded, remote campsite only accessible by boat to a roadside accessible to the public.

Lyons said investigators believe Frank Stafford, Shane Foster and Chuck Foster had intended to dispose of the body but that plan went “haywire.”

By telephone Monday, deputies were able to persuade the five others still hiding in the woods and Chuck Foster, who ended up elsewhere in the woods, to surrender. All but Foster were being held on $500,000 bonds, deputies said.

Bonnett said the FBI has been contacted about the shooting. An FBI spokeswoman deferred comment Tuesday to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Though tales of Klan activity may seem like a throwback to another era, experts say the Klan has chapters in Louisiana as well as 5,000 to 6,000 members nationally.

It was unclear Tuesday exactly how Chuck Foster and the Bogalusa Klan chapter deputies say he headed fit into the Klan’s regularly changing hierarchy.

At a news conference Tuesday, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain identified Chuck Foster as an “imperial wizard” who headed the Dixie Brotherhood of the Ku Klux Klan, Bonnett said.

Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project for the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., which tracks hate groups, said the descriptions he has been given of the patches that the Louisiana Klansmen were wearing seem to be similar to the insignias used by the Dixie Rangers Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

The Dixie Rangers is headquartered in Walker and has another chapter in Shreveport, Potok said.

Also, a Web site entry for a white supremacist ministry shows that a Chuck Foster held a high-level position with the Southern White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in 2001, identifying that man as “Imperial Wizard Rev. Chuck Foster.”

The experts who study such matters say KKK organizations frequently dissolve and splinter into different factions, making them difficult to track.

“The Klan has splintered into a lot of small groups with a range of leadership from sophisticated to pathetic,” said Chip Berlet, a senior analyst at Political Research Associates in Boston who has studied and written extensively about white supremacist organizations and hate groups.

“Its history is as a white terrorist organization that preaches violence,” Berlet said. “People who join it should not be surprised when violence is used to deal with struggles within the group itself.”

Potok said five other Klan chapters are known to exist in Louisiana in addition to the Dixie Rangers chapters. The Bayou Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has chapters in Homer, Shreveport, St. Amant and Walker. The National Aryan Knights of the Ku Klux Klan has a chapter in Winnsboro, he said.

Nationally, there are 34 Klan organizations divided into 155 chapters, Potok said.

Many of my colleagues raised the question if this sudden resurgence in the Klan is due to them not being happy about a black president. I'm sure that has something to do with it. It's kind of like they were just waiting for the right time, and with all the negativity people still have for the election coupled, they may be capitalizing on the hate. I hope that I'm wrong, but I fear that I'm not.

What is it about a person's skin color that makes people hate them so? If you want to hate a person, then that's your God-given right, but there is no reason to start or join a group whose main purpose is to eradicate an entire race of people just because they are different.

Sometimes one mus wonder what kind of world we are living in when these kind of things can happen. Even more so, the fact that they kill their own! No one is safe when it comes to hate groups. If there is anyone that needs to be eradicated it is them...not by murder, but by some other more peaceful means. Although personally, I wouldn't mind going medieval on each and every one of them for the pain they have caused their victims and their families over the years.

Rushing the holidays

I love Xmas, but I despise and detest most Xmas music. There are two reasons for that. First, they play the same 4 or 5 songs over and over again and more often as th holiday drawn nearer. Secondly, being in a school band, I've had to play the same crap over and over again, especially in parades. This has led tomy hatred for the music. I still love the holiday, though.

So, after Halloween, I went to Wal-Mart and the little woman pointed out that they were playing Xmas music. she knows how much I detest that. Apparently, she wasn't the on;y one to notice (and try to rub it in). More and more of my friends have been bringing it to my attention that stores have been playing this stuff. One even said they started playing it as early as Labor Day! WTF?!?

I know that Halloween and Thanksgiving don't have any offical holiday songs...come to think of it, Thanksgiving doesn't have any, but let the holidays have their time before you start whipping out the Xmas stuff. These holidays have to feel like the forgotten kid in the corner to Xmas beauty pagent straight A student....lol

Maybe if they rush Xmas, they can rush the summer. I'm ready for vacation! lol

Speaking of Xmas, does anyone remember those ornaments McDonald's use to sell back in the day? They should bring those back. Think my parents still have them up in the attic somewhere.

Keith Olberman is a wise man

For those of us against Prop 8, he basically says what we're all thinking. Give a listen/look-see

Take a moment...

Those of us out here in the blogosphere have different views on everything from politics, to sports teams, to the way people should dress, but one thing that those of us (especially in the US) should do is remember those that have fought for these rights, as well as the rights we enjoy in our everyday lives.

Today is Veteran's Day. While no one in my family is a Veteran of a war (that I'm aware of, anyway), my dad served this country proudly as a member of the U.S. Air Force for 25 yrs. I never served outside of ROTC in high school (which was supposed to get me out of P.E., but when we moved I still had to take it...ugh!). I was heavily recruited by the military, though, just chose to go straight to college. They wanted because I had like some exceptionally high score on the ASVAB test. Don't ask me what that stands for, I don't know.

AS I was saying, let's all take a moment and remember our veterans today, because without them, chances are many of us wouldn't be here.

My Prop 8 (and other things related) thoughts

I try to keep from blogging about political stuff. There are plenty of political blogs out there for that reason, but this prop 8 thing just won't let me be silent. I'm not gay, but I do believe that one should not be denied the right to marry who they love because of their sexual orientation.

What's next? Are they going to ban interracial marriage? How about taking anyone who isn't Christian and hang them? Oh, I know, we can take those that are gay and put them in prison for the crime of being gay!

Do any of those make sense? The answer is they make about as much sense as this ruling!

The people that are for this keep making the case that it's immoral and against the bible. Well, so is having sex before marriage, cursing, blasphemy, etc. Many things that I would wager almost every person that placed their vote in support of prop 8 have done. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.

I'm not sure all the details about prop 8, since I don't live in California, but to me it just seems wrong to take away a group of people's right to wed. Arkansas isn't much better. Not sure the exact ruling, but its something like a same sex couple can't adopt a baby.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this also goes for a couple of straight guys living together, too, right? Does anyone remember My Two Dads? There is nothing wring with 2 people of the same sex raising a child. If someone does, please tell me why you feel this way.

Back to the prop 8 thing. I'm disappointed in CA. They overwhelmingly voted Obama and then went all conservative on this issue. I've heard many were scared that the schools would teach their child en to marry gay, and that if their preachers/ministers/pastors said anything pro-gay marriage they would get arrested and they didn't want that. I understand the fear, but seriously people, I'm sure that just as with sex ed, you can control what your child learns in school. If not, I'm you can bitch and moan, like all parents do whenever the slightest thing goes the way they don't want it to go.

I have many gay friends, so these are issues that are near and dear to my heart. Especially since my best friend has been in tears the past few days. She was planning on making a trek to California after the New Year to get married. I'm sure there are others that had similar plans, but those that felt they needed to take away the rights of gay people have taken that away.

That's right, I said take away the rights of gay people. It seems these days, they're the ones fighting for equal rights. In American history, women and minorities have had to fight for equal rights. This year has proven they did not do their work in vain. We just elected a black president, and a woman was a serious contender for that same job up until the summer, she even came extremely close to winning the nomination. It won't be long before the day comes when a woman is president, but will we ever stop being so homophobic in this country and give gays the rights they deserve?

We can start by letting them get married just like anyone else!

If there any wrong facts in this post, please don't hesitate to let me know.

Inspiration

I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that have said you want to lose weight and that you'll start tomorrow. Then tomorrow gets here and you say you'll start the next day...then the next day...then the next day...etc. Do we see a patter here?

Don't be shy, I'll admit that I'm guilty of doing that too. Well, last week in doing my dropping and blog surfing, I came across these pics of Kate Winslet in Vanity Fair.

Kate has always been a champion for body image, so to see these pics (there is some debate over whether they've been airbrushed or not) is a bit bittersweet. She's not anorexic or anything, but she's noticeably thinner than she normally is. If these aren't airbrushed, then you have to commend her for the job she has done sculpting her body.

I love Kate Winslet, and as a guy with a little more meat on his bones that he cares to have, these pics have given me the inspiration to go on a diet and get back in shape. Wonder if I can get the little woman to join me.

Wish me luck!

Musical Monday 11

Another 2fer for this week's Musical Monday. First we have Cupid's "Cupid Shuffle". You know you wanna get up and dance!



Remember SWV? Well, I had almost totally forgot about them until this came on the radio Friday night, so enjoy "Weak".

Eye Candy vol 12

Female Hottie: Toni Braxton


Toni Braxton is a Grammy award winning singer, with a body as hot as her talent. Such a shame she was voted off Dancing With the Stars so earl in favor of Cloris Leachman. Did I mention she has 2 kids and still looks this hot?

Male Hottie: Simon Cowell


American Idol's Simon Cowell is the judge responsible for all the cranky, British judges on these reality competition shows. That's right, if not for him, there wouldn't be any of them. Still, ladies seem to have some kind of crush on him, especially now that he's newly single.

Random Hottie from a movie or TV show seen this week: Amanda Bynes


Amanda is a breath of fresh air in young Hollywood. You never hear about her out at some club late at night drinking. She's not flashing for the paparazzi or entering rehab everyday. She's a highly talented actress best known for her roles on The Amanda Show, What I Like About You, and last summer's hit movie Hairspray (where she earned this spot). Hopefully she gets bigger and better things coming her way. She's definately worthy of a spot in the eye candy
series.

MILF: Kate Winslet


Perhaps best known for her role as Rose in Titanic, Kate is an extemely talented actress who has gone out of her way to say she's proud of her curves. The pereniial award nominess (hopefully one of these days she'll actually win) is a mother of 2.

Classic/retro Hottie: Judy Garland


Many people seem to forget that Judy Garland had a career beyond The Wizard of Oz, where she had her memorable role as Dorothy. Granted, none of her later films have been nearly as successful as Wizard, but she did make them. One of her duaghters, Liza Minneli, has had a successful career as well. Such a shame she died of an accidental drug overdose.

Shameless plug

In my trips through the blogoshpere, I've noticed that people that have multiple blogs often give a shameless plug to their other blogs. Well, I'm going to cave into peer pressure.

In case you haven't noticed, in the sidebar, I have a link to my other blog, "Let's All Go To The Movies". Like this one, its nothing fancy, just reviews of movies that I watch (thank you Netflix) and other things movie related. You can read my latest entry over there (as of the time I'm posting this) here.

There was a time

It's no secret that I love the time period of the 30-early 50s, and if not for certain circumstances that go along with living during that period of time, I'd probably do everythung I can do go back and live in that time. That being said, I was just watching an episode of I Love Lucy.

On this episode, they were all in Italy and she had to make a call to NY so that she could wish her son happy birthday. What struck me as a little funny, was that the on;y phone in the hotel was at the front desk, and they were staying on an upper floor that required lots of stairs.

I think the lack of elevator was for comedic effect, as was there only being one phone, but think about it...these days with cell phones, iphones, blackberries, and such, when was the last time you didn't use it? I, for one, feel naked if I don't have mine with me. How sad is that? Especially when you conider that it wasn't that long ago, that we didn't have such luxuries.

What do you think?

Sore losers

The little woman came home yesterday and told me how people were reacting to the election results. Now, here at the school I work for, its no big deal, but she works in an office and they're not as civil.

Apparently, come Monday mornings after LSU games the talk is all about the game. Of course, this is Baton Rouge, and I would wager a good portion of them went to LSU. However, it turns out that after what is arguably the most historically significant event in our lives, you could hear a pin drop.

I don't need to tell you that most of her co-workers were supporters of McCain, but to make matters worse, they seemed be giving those that supported Obama the cold shoulder.

Now, I realize the disappointment, but seriously, there is no reason to take your frustrations out on someone just because they voted differently. McCain lost, that's all there is to it. Nothing can be done about it. Move on.

That's not the on;y bad situation, a fraternity brother of mine that lives in Florida said that his boss tried to keep those voting for Obama at work until the polls closed to keep them from going to the polls, and now he's threatening to fire them. I don't know for sure, but this doesn't sound legal. All I can say to this is, WTF?!?

Both of these situations are ridiculous. I know there are people that are sore that their candidate lost, but they need to get over it. We are the UNITED States of America, so how about we unite under our new president, rather than being all pissed off because your candidate lost. We need unity in order to get this country back on track, and if people are going to be all pissy, that's not going to happen, no matter who is president.

Pushing Daisies soon to be pushing UP daisies

The election is over, so let's get to more important things. The fate of one of the best shows on TV...Pushing Daisies.

It seems like everywhere I look, people have condemned this show to cancellation, just because the ratings are down. I admit the ratings are down, that happens, especially if a show isn't on for 10 months. The writer's strike took this show away right as it was hitting its stride, and the geniuses at ABC decided to not show reruns over the summer in favor of God knows what.

Pushing Daisies is something different on TV now. I had a bit of dialogue with my friend over at If You Write It about this exact same thing. It seems like everything that's on these days, has to be a dark, crime drama, and/or a spin off of CSI or Law & Order. While I respect those shows, and the longevity they have, they just don't stack up to this show.

This is the second season for Pushing Daisies, and the time off hasn't hurt the story lines. Unfortunately, people don't want to watch a light hearted show that won a few Emmys.

Then again, with all the crap that's on TV, now I can't say I'm surprised. I love this show, and ask that anyone who hasn't watched it, give it a shot, and tell a friend to do the same. It comes on Wednesdays at 8 pm (EST). Next week, though, it won't be seen because of those ungodly CMA's. (why those things can't stay on the country music stations is beyond me, but that's for a whole different blog).

For those who don't know what the show is about, here is the synopsis from wikipedia

Pushing Daisies centers on the life of Ned, a pie-maker gifted with the mysterious ability to bring dead things back to life by touching them. There are a couple of conditions to this somewhat unwanted talent, however. Ned quickly learns that if something is revived for more than exactly one minute, something of similar "life value" in the vicinity drops dead, as a form of balance. Additionally, if he touches the revived thing a second time, it falls dead again, this time permanently.

In the pilot episode, Ned discovers his gift as a child by resurrecting his Golden Retriever, Digby, after the dog is hit by a truck. He later brings back his mother when she dies of an aneurysm. However, he accidentally causes the death of the father of his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte "Chuck" Charles, as the "price" of keeping his mother alive. Even worse, Ned's mother then falls dead permanently when she gives him his good-night kiss (which is how he learns the effect of the second touch). Ned and Chuck are separated; her agoraphobic aunts Vivian and Lily move in to take the role of her parents, while he is shipped off to a lonely boarding school by his father.

Inheriting his mother's baking talents, Ned becomes a pie-maker who owns a restaurant called "The Pie Hole," which he runs with the help of waitress Olive Snook. The restaurant is failing financially when private investigator Emerson Cod accidentally discovers Ned's gift and offers him a proposal: Ned will bring murder victims back to life, inquire about the circumstances of their untimely death, then touch them once more, all before his set limit of sixty seconds is up. Emerson will then solve the case and they will split the reward money.

The scheme succeeds until they learn that Chuck, whom Ned hasn't seen since childhood, has been murdered on a cruise. When her body is shipped back home, Ned revives her, but can't bring himself to touch her a second time. Against his better judgment, Ned allows her to live and the larcenous funeral home director falls dead in her place. Ned and Chuck fall in love again and he brings her home to live with him under the unique circumstances of their never being able to touch each other. Chuck is extraordinarily grateful upon receiving a second chance at life, and as such she starts to appreciate life as a truly precious resource and Ned, witnessing his vivacious beauty's happiness, begins to break out of his lonely shell.

If that wasn't enough, this should catch you up:


Please help me save this show! It truly is one of the best on TV, shame it comes on at the same time as Bones, though. Thank goodness for Monday night reruns!

***Note: I didn't know that the Dancing With the Stars results were coming on tonight instead. So, for those that tuned in to watch, I apologize. Check it out on-line and/or wait 2 weeks and it'll be back.

Time to move forward

It is official, Barack Obama is now the 44th President of the United States of America. I just finished listening to his acceptance speech a couple of hours ago. I was deeply moved. I think we are in good hands.

Funny thing, friend of mine changed her status on Facebook to, "____ is glad to have a president that can speak English because the last 8 yrs we haven't had that." I found that bit amusing.

Foretelling the future?

I was watching Pardon the Interruption on ESPN yesterday afternoon, and as they were getting ready to go off the air, they made their pick for who would win between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins. Not really being a fan of either team I wasn't really paying attention. However, they mentioned that Obama and McCain would be interviewed at halftime.

I already knew that, but what caught my attention was that of the last 17 elections, 15 times the Redskins have won the night before, and the incumbent party ended up winning the election.

So, this means, a Redskin victory would be a good omen for McCain, and a Steeler victory would be a good omen for Obama. Not sure of the score, but the Steelers beat the snot out of the Redskins, but in the process, loss their starting quarterback to injury.

Now, Obama lost his grandmother yesterday.hmmm...loss of qb=loss of grandmother? beating the snot out of Redskins=beating the snot out of McCain? Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Just thought it was an intersting little tidbit.

Musical Monday 10

A couple of entries into this week's version of Musical Monday. First, a bit of classical music. Enjoy Debussy's "Clair de Lune" as performed by Leopold Stokowski and the Philadelphia Philharmonic. Truly one of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written.



If you want to hear the piano version click here

The second entry is a bit more modern, but has that 80s flair to it. I hope you like Chromeo's "Bonafide Lovin'".

Eye Candy vol 11

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Time change wonder

Sometime tonight, it will be time to set the clocks back an hour. An extra hour of sleep. No complaints from me. However, at one time I had a job where I was doing shift work. This leads me to wonder, if you're working overnight when the time changes, do you get that extra (or lose an hour when it's time to sprirng forward), or do you just go about normally. I wonder...

October's top droppers

Wow! This is my 150th post! Woo hoo!

So, it's now November. Where has the year gone? Seems like just yesterday summer was starting and now it's almost Thanksgiving!

I want to take this time to thank my top droppers (and all those that drop by, for that matter). You're very much appreciated! Keep coming back!

Weather for Headphones
Where the Long Tail Ends
Veramore
Beetle's Memories & Ramblings
14 year old Kid Tech Guru
The Way I See It
Marriage and Beyond
Blogging MoRe
PJ's Prose
The Ad Master

I also want to thank my top advertisers Regretful Morning and The Essence of Bobness.

Once again, thanks to all that drop by and read my ramblings and whatnot, and an even bigger thanks to those that comment.

Who will be my top droppers and advertisers for November? Hmmm...