New Additions

You can check out the latest in my quest for 100 movies and 50 books in one year.  I am still on pace for both.  So woo-hoo!

Also, a blanket offer for Netflix friendship.  Ahh, what passes for friendship in this modern disconnected age.

2008 in a Nutshell

So, kind of quit after last year’s Oscars…and I swear it is complete coincidence that I come back the day after this year’s Oscars.  No, really.

Fine, don’t belive me.  I didn’t start up again to argue with you.  But I thought maybe I should recap the last 12 months or so. 

• March – Fired from Baker Hughes – dirty pricks
• April – Go to insurance school – self-employment…woo-hoo!
• June – Join the Army Reserve.  $10,00 bonus to be paid soon.
• July – Give up on insurance (nobody wants any), try to become a teacher.  Seriously, where’s the Army bonus?
• August – Teacher is out.  the wheels move too slow and  I miss my shot.  Get a command from the Army reserve…but no bonus.
• September – Try to be a cop.  Dallas doesn’t want me. – dirty pricks.
• October – Go to war.  Almost.  Days before heading off to deploy I get yanked back by the people who gave me a command.  Say if I stay they’ll help me get my bonus.  Good news, though!  I get hired by a company – apparently not dirty pricks
• November – Start with new company…move to Houston (where they are).  Bad news, family has to sell the house – separation anxiety!
• December – Christmas in Dallas, turns out the buyout program won’t cover enough of what I owe.  Sell the house!
• January – Move out of corporate housing in with my wife’s friend.  Start senatorial investigation into not getting my bonus.
• February – Move out of my wife’s friend’s house into 4th home in three months.  not moving again until I sell my house or the National Guard is called in to force me out with tanks.

And here I am.  new job, 4-1/2 hours from my wife and kids, in the Army Reserve despite them STILL owing me $10,000, and life zooming around me much faster than I can catch up.  It’s like juggling while balancing on a see-saw…one wrong move and you’re singing soprano.  So sit back and enjoy the show.  This could get hectic.

I’m Back…I think

I’m going to give this another shot.  Been gone a year, but I think I can maintain some accountability this time.  We’ll see.  I’m not broadcasting my restarts until I’ve shown some consistency and maybe not then.  but if you’ve wandered by – welcome.  This post may not be substantive but if you check my 100 movies and 50 Books pages, they are all new – started over since 2008 kind of snuck up on me.

List Update

OK folks, added in a few weeks of watching and reading.  Also updated the book page on what I mean by my categories.  I have two books on the bookshelf that aren’t listed. (actually on the bookshelf, one on the nightstand, because I accidentally left them at home and don’t know the titles off hand).  Sofor those who are following along…

Resolution Update

OK Gang, I promised regular updates on my resolutions.  Well, that’s the first resolution I’ve dropped.  But I’m back on that wagon.  So here’s how I’m doing.

1. Quit Smoking – Yeah, not even close yet.  But I will get there.

2. Weigh 250 pounds (304 now) – Not too bad.  I’m down to 297, which still isn’t enough (puts me at around 260), but it is progress.

3. Teach Trip to tie his shoes – Worked on it once or twice, but he’s still not there.  I need to work with him more.

4. Get job that lets me come home at night – Had a few interviews, but haven’t found anything that pays enough.

5. Get Trip involved in sports – He should be getting signed up for flag football here soon.

6. Coach Lauren in at least one sport – This will require me achieving #4, but I still hold out hope.

7. Go to gym every day while home from rigs – Had some back problems, which have mostly cleared up, but still haven’t done well enough.

8. Exercise every day in some form while on rig – Not even close.  I’m a lazy bastard.  Must get back on this wagon.

9. Finish Rian’s Song – Another scene or two written, but tsill going too slowreally (and lately I’ve been worse about it than Jen)

10. Do at least one “special” thing each month for my wife – Threw her a birthday party and took her to a birthday dinner this month.  Recorded her a surprise romantic ring tone last month.

11. Read to Trip at least every other night while I’m home – I usually read to him the first night then get bad about it again.  Another one to get back on.

12. Do one thing to bond with Lauren during every trip home longer than 24 hours – So far I think I’ve really been trying.  Basketball made it easier, being able to share that.  Now that that’s ending I’ll have to find more to do with her.

13. 100 movies – Has its own page, so you can see the progress.

14. 50 books – Has its own page, so you can see the progress there.

Oscar Play-by-Play

To steal an idea from Jen, I will be doing a minute-by-minute constant update of tonight’s Oscars.  Hope you enjoy.  All times are CST.

19:25 – Just got off the phone wit Ft. Worth PD reporting my wallet disappearance from the Wal-Mart on Oakmont.  Now I can get down to Oscar business.

19:26 – My TV is fuzzy (God bless over air broadcasts and my broken antenna),so the golden Oscar statuette in th ebottom left corner of the screen looks like King Midas flipping me the bird.

19:27 – Regis Philbin is a goob.  How has he been on TV for so long and so successful at it?

19:28 – Regis, I don’t care where people are sitting, even less than I care who they’re wearing – which is saying something.

19:31 – Cute opening, but I expected something better.  My favorite part had to be Spartacus sword-fighting against Darth Vader. Everything else was kind of pedestrian for the budget they have.

19:34 – I hope we don’t spend all night talking about the writers’ strike.  I support them, but it’s over, let’s move on.

19:39 – The writers are back and this is the opening monologue we get?  Where is Letterman and his Oprah/Uma bit?  (yes, I realize the irony in me mentioning the writers again before Jon Stewart.

 Okay – technical difficulties.  now you’ll always wonder what I thought of the costume design Oscar.

19:54 – Animated feature – My daughter will be happy.  She loved that rat movie. I hadn’t seen any of them, but I was cheering for Persepolis.  Just liked the concept.

19:55 – Second award, and already our first person run off by the music!  Go Oscar!

19:56-Katherine Heigl doing a latter-day Marilyn Monroe look.  Love everything but the hair.

19:57 – Norbit nominated for make-up.  Wonder if a movie has ever been nominated (or dare I hope won) an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year.  Well, no win – but my original question still holds.

19:58 – Two in a row run off by the music!  We’re batting .667 overall.  This is awesome.

20:01- Dig the Enchanted song.  I guess maybe I do want to see this movie after all.  Shows me for being stubborn.  how could a song change my mind?  Hey, I love a musical!  And yes, I’m straight.

20:02 – I really like the “Oscar Memories” bits.  Fun trips down memory lane.   Really humanize the people featured too.  Here’s hoping to see Sally Field later.  “You like me.  You really like me!”

20:06 – The Diet Coke ad set the bar Super Bowl high for ads.  So far, noone’s even trying.  And with so many watching?

20:07 – I love The Rock!

20:08 – Is it just me or has the visual effects category become “Who can draw the coolest picture on their Mac?”

20:09 – Transformers was robbed.  Here’s holding out for sound mixing.

20:10 – How do eight people make it out quicker than one?  I was really pulling for my music again.  Oh well, 2/4.

20:11 – Sweeney Todd wins Art Direction.  I don’t think I’ve guessed one yet.

20:12 – The music strikes again!  3/5 run off!

20:16 – Oh Jennifer Hudson, what’s with the dress?  It doesn’t fit.  Makes you look lumpy.  And I’ll get this one.  Javier Bardem is a shoe in.

20:18-Finally, I got one right!  Wonder how many voters decided by coin flip?

20:19 – Awwww.  He made his momma cry.  And surprisingly enough, I understood most of that Spanish.

20:23 – Another writer joke.  This one pretty involved.

20:27 – Another song.  My vote remains with Enchanted.  I like show tunes dammit!

20:29 – I’m not hazarding a guess in a category where they have to translate the titles.

20:32 – I look forward to not having to hear from Seinfeld’s bee anymore.

20:35 – My Supporting Actress guess:  Ruby Dee.  Sentimental pick (not that she didn’t deserve it).

20:38 – NO!  Tilda Swinton!  I was way off.  I figured Kate Blanchett would be in second for playing a man (Bob Dylan).

20:40 – Sindey Poitier memory.  Yay Sidney!  Now bring on Gidget!

20:45 – And now the awards that were not important enough to have at the real Oscars.  No wonder they chose Jessica Alba to present.  Eye candy to keep you from changing the channel.

20:47 – Josh Brolin rocks!  He was in Goonies!  And my guess for Adapted Screenplay – Atonement.

20:48 – Nope, the Coen Brothers.  Who better win for director too by the way!

20:53 – Hannah Montana!

20:56 – Another song, from Enchanted again- but I’m holding firm to the first one.

21:01 – More pregnant jokes?  Can the writers go back on strike?

21:03 – Transformers robbed again!  Dammit!  I don’t know what this category was.  I was checking my email.

21:05 – Sound Mixing…big chance here. Dammit!  Bourne again!  Screw Jason Bourne! Maybe Transformers‘ll win next year…

21:10 – Best Actress time.  My guess is Cate Blanchett – maybe it’s hwy she didn’t win Supporting Actress.  saving her for this.

21:13 – The French Chick.  Way wrong again.  This time my #2 was Ellen Page.

21:18 – Liked the Wii joke.  Always wondered what they did during commercials…

21:22 – Another song.  I stay with my horse.

21:23 – Jack is still the coolest person on the planet.

21:24 – This Best Picture montage is too slow.  Shouldn’t we be in the Seventies by now?

21:28 – What has Renee Zelwegger been up to lately (other than marrying and divorcing various Country Music stars)

21:29 – Editing – Bourne

21:30- Hey!  I was right!  From now on, I vote for Jason Bourne in every category, whether it was nominated or not.

21:32 – Nicole, honey, get a tan,  spray it on if you must!

21:35 – I love honrary Oscars.  You didn’t do anythign during your career to win one of these, but we want to give you one anyway for being old.

21:42 – More Foreign Films.  My money’s on Bourne.

21:46 – Enchanted with its third song out of five.  I’m deifnitely saying one of them wins.  Law of Averages.

21:48 -I’m sticking with the first one, but only by a narrow margin over the last one.

21:50 – Dammit.  I couldn’t hear who won.

21:55-Okay, I lose.  I’m to bed.  I’m exhausted and have to get up at 5:30.  Thought I could make it through.  Sorry gang!

Prophetic?

In Dr. Martin Luther King’s last speech he began, “I’ve seen the Promised Land.  I may not get there with you…”  A short time later he was shot on his hotel balcony.  My comment is not to say this great man was a prophet, only to point out…

On this day, of all days, the question is raised, “Will we get to that Promised Land?”  I don’t think there’s any question that we are closer to it than the day Dr. King made this speech.  But can we ever reach it?  Will our need to be part of an “us” continue to have us mark others as a “them”?  What do we need to do to travel those final miles into Dr. King’s Promised Land of true racial harmony?  I don’t have answers, only more questions…

Bucket List

This is not a review of the movie.  I haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t review it.  What I can do is review the idea.  I like it.  I’m going to make one as page on here.  If for no other reason than I’m apparently all about making list pages these days.  Enjoy…

Don’t Fall Back in Love

I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s noticed this trend, but there have been a number of previously cancelled television series popping back up on the air in the last couple months.  October Road, Medium, The Power of 10, Law and Order: Criminal Intent is back on NBC…

I’m not writing to complain.  I like all three of these shows.  I’m writing to warn.  Don’t fall back in love with these shows.  They’re stop gaop methods.  The writer’s guild strike means that the networks are quickly running out of new episodes for their shows.  There have already been talks about ending the television season right now instead of in May.  These guys are over the barrell.  So, to save their own asses, the networks are bringing back old shows.

Why?  They’ve already been written and filmed.  These shows coming back were all cut off while they still had episodes in the tank.  So already written and filmed, you’re looking at a couple of months of “reborn” television.  Watch the trend.  The longer the strike goes on, the more shows will pop back up to fill air time.  Just don’t fall back in love with them.  Once the strike is over and they have new episodes of the new shows, your old favorites are going back into the limbos from whence they came.

In the meantime, enjoy.  Personally, I’m hoping the strike goes long enough to bring Tru Calling back.  I wanna’ know what the deal was with that Jason Priestly character.  And maybe Party of Five.  After all, Claudia got hot…

100 Movies, 50 Books

OK, so I was reading one of Jen’s blogs and saw these two goals (which quickly became my first additions to the Resolutions).  I must complete them.  It’s now an obsession Remember obsessions can die off, passions are long-term.  These are new, they begin as obsessions.  If I’m still trying in August, we’ll switch them over.

 These will each get their own pages, with occasional updates on the main page, especially with those who deserve big reviews.  Check back regularly.