Time for a constitutional amendment?

ARNOLD FOR PRESIDENT!!

His speech at the Republican National Convention was GREAT! He didn't speak about politics, he didn't throw mud... he simply reminded us all of the wonder that is the United States of America. He reminded us that this is the ONLY country in the world where you can arrive as a poor immigrant and reach untold heights of fame, fortune and yes, even become the governor of California.

Arnold reminded those of us who have always lived in freedom what a precious priviledge it is to be born in this country. He reminded us that we should celebrate what is great about our country instead of constantly complaining and tearing it down. I have not heard such a positive and heartfelt speech about the United States since Ronald Reagan...


Here is an exerpt..



- posted by Chris @ 9:54 PM 0 comments

 
Backyard habitat - your own nature retreat.
You have read many a post about Turtle World and my various backyard guests. Well, you too can have a little piece of nature in your own backyard. You can do it by creating a backyard wildlife habitat.



The folks at the National Wildlife Federation have a program to certify your property as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat. My backyard is in the process of being certified. What does that get me? Nothing really - other than warm fuzzies for knowing that I am providing a place for nature to flourish amidst all the concrete, steel and rushing traffic. Well, that and a very relaxing place to kick back on a cool evening without having to pack the tent and head to the country.

Here is how my back yard looked when I bought the place...




Pretty plain-jane-normal-back-lawn. With duties like mowing, edging, weeding and planting flowers every season...

Here it is now...



At first glance, it is certainly more full of vegatation. It also appears to look more like just overgrown weeds... but there is a method to the madness. The yard is made up mostly of meadow grasses. There are trails cut throughout the entire backyard so that I can get to any area I wish without any troubles and can view a cornucopia of wildlife from any corner of my yard.

The trails take about 15 minutes with a weedeater every couple weeks... and really that is it for maintenance. Easy to keep up - relaxing to hang out - what more could you ask?



It is simple to do if you take your time. My backyard has developed from the standard concrete back patio and lawn to a lush area full of birds, fish, snails, lizards, frogs, butterflies, bees, ladybugs, dragonflies, moths, squirrels and much much more... Pennie and I sit for hours out there enjoying the free show Mother Nature provides.

If you are interested in creating your own little Shangri-la and need some advice... do not hestitate to call me - I love doing this stuff. While I may not rush right out and dig a pond for you... I will help you choose what is appropriate, plan the layout, and sure, I'll get my hands dirty too.

- posted by Chris @ 4:36 PM 0 comments

 
Those who knew him under fire, do not support him...
John Kerry made a big deal of his years of service during his early campaign...





To read their actual words on Senator Kerry... click here

Don't get me wrong... this is not a blanket endorsement of George W. Bush - he is a huge 'big-business' lapdog, but at least he doesn't flip-flop like Kerry (and his hero Clinton.) I can abide a candidate that stubbornly sticks to his ideals even if I do not agree with them, much more than I can stand someone who has no ideals and votes in favor of whoever he is talking to at the moment.

The Bush government has done nothing for the little man and tons for big business, but a Kerry government would do nothing for national security and tons for big business. In my way of thinking - ridding the world of this scourge of fundamentalist terrorism is the NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. Bush not only can do it better than Kerry, but more importantly, WILL do it.

- posted by Chris @ 8:24 AM 0 comments

 
Annoying peccadillo...
It annoys me to no end when someone used the word 'orientated' when they should use 'oriented.' To be fair, they mean the same thing, but the correct usage in American English is the latter. Orientated is the British form of the word and therefor is incorrect usage in America.

While we are on the subject of language... do you know what the word in the title (peccadillo) means?

PECCADILLO: \Pec`ca*dil"lo\, n.; pl. {Peccadillos}. [Sp.pecadillo, dim. of pecado a sin, fr. L. peccatum. See{Peccant}.]A slight trespass or offense; a petty crime or fault.

It has long been a favorite word of mine - since my first-year college professor, Mr. Greenhill used it and challenged the class for a definition.

- posted by Chris @ 7:37 AM 0 comments

 
Kerry... is so very...


- posted by Chris @ 10:53 PM 0 comments

 
Republican National Convention and media bias


We have all heard about the liberal media bias... want to see it in action? Watch the Republican National Convention this week and you will see. First off, NBC is not showing it... oh yeah, CBS is not showing, it and uh, ABC is not showing it. They devoted hours and hours and hours to showing the Democratic National Convention. Oh, they are showing snippets, but for every pulled soundbite, they have twice as much time devoted to 'analysts' who rip it to shreds. Oh yeah, that great bastion of conservatism PBS (that's sarcasm) is showing it - but they are doing the old standby of showing part of a speech and then an hour of analysts and pundits pointing out the supposed fallacies in the speech. There is nowhere on network TV that you can just watch the damn thing.

So what do you do? Turn to CSPAN. Not only are they not biased, they are not giving 'any' opinions. They simply cover it! How novel is that? Just cover the damn thing and keep your opinion out of the mix. It is as if the folks at CSPAN are giving the American public credit for being able to make up their own minds about things. I highly recommend the CSPAN coverage - I just watched a concert between speakers. The networks would never show something as entertaining as a musician and everyone having a good time... you might decide that these Republicans aren't as evil as they say. (Remember the last Clinton Democratic convention and the whole Fleetwood Mac "Don't Stop" thing? Dancing, having a good time etc.) That happens at the Republican conventions too, you just never see it.

Sure, the Republicans have their problems too, but the dishonesty of network media just makes me want to vote Republican. This kind of slight-of-hand trickery is dishonest and speaks very poorly of the whole liberal movement.

- posted by Chris @ 8:54 PM 0 comments

 
Close call for Cali
The Rockenroller's dog "Cali" got out on Friday morning and took off in her usual mad sprint to see the world. Before she could be corralled, she was gone. Pretty standard dog escape, right? Well it was until a neighbor said they saw Cali get struck by a car and then run off.

The good news was that she run off under her own power. The bad news was that she was nowhere to be found. We scoured the neighborhood talking to everyone we met, we checked in backyards, garages, the bayous that snake through the neighborhood, but nothing. Mindy put up signs and alerted the vets, but felt pretty helpless.

It was Saturday when the call came in that a neighbor had found Cali in his garage. She had a gash on her leg, but seemed to be okay. I went to visit the injured traveller Sunday morning and snapped these pictures.

Her leg was pretty swollen and the wound looked painful..


... but she seemed in great spirits, albeit much more calm than usual.


All's well that ends well - or so the saying goes. Hopefully, she learned a little something about making a mad dash into busy streets. Welcome back Cali!

- posted by Chris @ 12:14 PM 0 comments

 
Heroes are Zeroes and vice-versa

The film Hero just doesn't live up to the hype or the hope. Yimou Zhang created a visually beautiful world but the story is basic at best. While it is told in the great tradition of chinese cinema (complete with the now all-too-common wire work) there is nothing poetic or moving about this attempt at poetic filmmaking. The story is transparent as it attempts to constantly reconstruct the story from different angles. Also, the great plot twist is neither great nor that much of a twist. A fun movie to watch visually...

RATING 6 out of 10


Suspect Zero was the real 'hero' of the weekend. The film starring Aaron Eckhart and Ben Kingsley touches on a little-known, but real aspect of a former US Intelligence "remote viewing" program. I was a little shocked by the storyline as it is very close to one that I had written. (As the story started to developed, I was sure someone had stolen the draft of my script, but as it went on, SZ went in another direction.) Overall, this is the type of movie that will be hated by some and loved by others...

RATING 8 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 3:14 PM 0 comments

 
eminem misses the mark

Now I am a huge Eminem fan, but the film Eminem: Hitz & Disses is lame. It states right up front that there is no Eminem music in the film and you know what? That makes it suck even worse. It is a poorly constructed documentary. It just never gets you interested although the filmmakers seem to have access to a lot of his early friends and influences.

RATING 6 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 6:02 PM 0 comments

 
Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance
Okay, so I stole the title of this blog from "Zen and the Art of Motorcyle Maintenance," but hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want.



There is something therapeutic about turning a wrench on a bicycle. Sure, sure, this probably applies to anything a person likes to do, but like I said... it's my blog. :)

Bicycle maintenance is much more akin to joy than work. It is as creative as painting a landscape. It is as rewarding as hitting on a $5 scratch-off ticket. It is a task that must be done if you are to take care of your machine.

Sure, it is nicks and scrapes on knuckles hitting metal. Sure, it is grease under fingernails that stubbornly survives soap and water. But, it is much more... It is sweat applied in pursuit of a goal. It is a sense of accomplishment at a job well done. It is personal pride at the results of your handiwork.

Whether it is changing a flat or repacking headset bearings... there is no sweeter bike ride than one on a bike you maintain yourself.

- posted by Chris @ 11:18 PM 0 comments

 
More Olympic Screwups
Now, I'm no expert on gymnastics, but I do know drama and the men's high bar was some great drama.

I have never seen such crazy scoring in gymnastics. It's like they took winos off the street and told them "if they stick the landing, it is a great routine." There was no accounting for the difficulty of the routines. We are talking about routines that are pushing the envelope in terms of things you would think humanly possible.

Aleksei Nemov proceeded to do unheard of moves with robot-like precision and then take a small step on the landing. His score of 9.725 was met with immense displeasure from the fans. Paul Hamm was forced to delay his start while waiting for the crowd to quiet down. After it became apparent that the fans would not be silent due to the outrage... the head dude came over the the judges and made them change the score. I don't know what was more outrageous - that the judges could score so badly or that they would allow the fans to change the freaking scores. It was bizarre.

Paul Hamm then proceeded to score a 9.812 and further outrage the crowd as he moved into the gold medal position. Igor Cassina then came up doing what was clearly the best routine of the night, but because of a small step on the landing, he was given the identical score to Hamm. With the tie-breaker rules, Cassina won the gold, Hamm the silver and Japan's Isao Yoneda took the bronze (he won a tie breaker with Hamm's twin brother Morgan.)

Strange night - both of the Hamms lose a tie-breaker, the crowd changes a score and the judges further prove they are inept.

For the record, here is how I would have scored the event.

Igor Cassina - 9.9
Paul Hamm - 9.8
Aleksei Nemov - 9.8

- posted by Chris @ 10:32 PM 0 comments

 
They Cowboyed-up Against the Raiders


The Dallas Cowboys looked much better in their second preseason game against the Oakland Raiders. All three quarterbacks led the Cowboys to long scoring drives, including third quarterback Tony Romo, who wasn't even expected to play against the Raiders. But Romo engineered a 17-play, 59-yard drive which included two fourth-down conversions. Romo also scored the winning touchdown, sneaking in from one yard out with just six seconds to play . . . Vinny Testaverde played the first half and completed 13-of-17 passes for 124 yards, while Drew Henson was 7-of-9 for 53 yards. Henson actually checked off receivers this time and looked much more at-ease in the pocket. Dallas won the contest 21-20 (Click to read Sundays newspaper writeups of the game)

I was upset to see coach Joe Avezzano on the sidelines in Raiders silver and black. Apparently, former Cowboys' offensive coordinator-turned Raiders head coach, Norv Turner has hired the leagues only three time Special Teams Coach of the Year winner to handle those same duties for Oakland.

- posted by Chris @ 6:01 PM 0 comments

 
Rain - Shmain...
After a Saturday that saw both Pennie and I working most of the day, I got up Sunday and really wanted to get out on my bike. It was raining and the forecast showed that it was going to do so on and off all day, but that was of no concern to me.

I called Pennie and she said she was housecleaning and planned on doing a thorough all-day job on it. About 45 minutes later, I was on my way up to the Woodlands with the bikes in the back and she changed her plans to a quick clean up instead.

I had no plan, just a general idea... but because she is the coolest girlfriend on the planet, she was willing to take her chances that whatever we came up with would be fun.

We headed up to Sam Houston State Park to check out their mountain biking trails. A short drive north from her house and in no time we were deep in old growth forests.


Pennie brushed aside the rain and mud, determined to have a good time.



The trails are very easy in terms of difficulty, but because of the 8 miles of beautiful scenery, it is a mountain biking "must-do" destination.


The real coolness is found in the hidden treasures deep within the forest, like this wooden bridge...


... or this cool boardwalk across the marsh area. (The deep bassoon-croak of the bullfrogs here was awesome.)


Later, we even stood on a pier and watched an alligator stalk a crane.. (he didn't get him.) The gator was too far away to get a clear picture, but it was very cool to watch a real live Discovery Channel segment as the 12-foot monster slid up to where the crane was standing in the reeds. A short flight took Crane K-Bob off the menu and the gator slid silently back out to choose another target.

Sure, we got soaked... Sure, we got muddy... but we end the day with a boatload of new memories and unforgettable experiences. It sure beats another mindless day in front of the TV.

Oh yeah... it cost us a grand total of $6.00 for the outing.

- posted by Chris @ 9:01 AM 0 comments

 
I'm Chris Doelle, and I Approve this Message!

Have you notice how political campaigns have changed this year? The first time I heard it, I thought it a bit odd. It was President Bush on the first one I heard... "I'm President George Bush, and I approve this message." I stopped to ponder it for a second and ask myself... "That's weird, why would he put that on the end of his message? Are there ones out there he doesn't approve?"

I wrote it off to a new gimmick of the GOP and thought nothing of it. Then I heard a John Kerry ad ending with, "I'm John Kerry and I approve this message." Surely, he is just jumping on the bandwagon and wanting to sound official as well... right? Don't believe it.

These messages are the fine-print in a new way to say whatever you want in a campaign without having to answer for it. While the law was put into place originally (or at least it was sold to us this way) as a way to make sure to link the candidates to claims (true or false.) It has been used as a green light to third-party ads - ads that appear to be from the candidates, but instead allow them to hide behind statements such as "that was not an approved message - it was put out by so-and-so."

Both parties can post messages of uplifting hope, while at the same time, allowing the real dirty work to be done by these third parties. Through the internet and television, they can sling all the mud they want and leave the candidates with plausible deniability. Nice guys... real nice... (that's sarcasm)

I'm Chris Doelle, and I approve this blog...


- posted by Chris @ 10:05 AM 0 comments

 
Texans Training Camp...
Dave and I attended a "public practice" for the Houston Texans last night. What a bust. It reminded me of two-a-days back in high school... only they didn't appear to be working nearly as hard as we did back then. The big thing though is that it was hella-boring when you had to be part of it and even more of a yawner when you are watching it.

They had a pretty good turnout as the Texans were signing autographs after practice. What really stuck in my craw was the fact that there were regular concessions set up behind the bleachers. $3.75 for a Coke, $6.50 for a beer... come on - it is a freakin' practice... and not even an entertaining one. They walked around like a bunch of overpaid prima-donnas... (oh wait, that's what they are.) It is outrageous for them to charge full concession prices for such a non-event. Sure, concession prices are terrible at the real deal, but at least they can sorta justify it part of the cost of the event... we are talking a half-pad, 3/4 speed walkthrough practice.

Oh yeah, I was supposed to remember some of the witty things Dave said while we were there so I could quote him here... but I forgot... haha... I forgot my camera too, so no pictures...

... come to think of it, I think I'll forget the whole outing.

- posted by Chris @ 12:37 PM 0 comments

 
Stan Lee - Still One of the Coolest Guys on the Planet

Stan Lee's Mutants, Monsters, and Marvels features filmmaker/comic book author, Kevin Smith interviewing the "King of Comic Books" Stan Lee. The double-feature DVD covers Stan Lee's early history, from the creation of Marvel Comics and some of the most memorable superheroes of all time through to the big-budget blockbuster movies featuring those great characters. Lee talks about the creation of Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, The Fantastic Four, Thor and others. These characters, his babies, have become the mythos of the modern day and as Stan Lee himself points out... his readers (Baby Boomers) have come of age and once again these heroes and indeed Lee himself are in greater demand than ever.

Those of us who are diehard comic book fans, know most everything discussed in the film, but the setting makes it feel more like an intimate lunch conversation with a childhood hero than documentary. Great stuff.

And while getting the links for this blog, I discovered that my #2 favorite comic book hero of all-time is soon to be a movie too!! (The Hulk is #1) Iron Man, is in pre-production.

The rumour mill says that Tom Cruise will play billionaire, alcoholic Tony Stark. (I actually think that would be a great fit)

I will sign off with the immortal words of Stan Lee...

EXCELSIOR!!

RATING 8 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 10:28 PM 0 comments

 
Olympics - Good, Bad & Not Bad to Look At
Athens 2004, it was supposed to be the ultimate Olympics as the games returned to their home.
What have they become in this year of worldwide hatred for the United States and rampant commercialism in the games themselves? Well, as the title of this segment says, "Good, Bad & Not Bad to Look At."

What is the good? Well, there are some great stories. There is the story of the Iraqi soccer team - not allowed to compete in past years and punished severely when they performed poorly. They are 2-0 in these Olympics and they have inspired competitors the world over. There is the story of the first Nigerian to compete in a rowing event. His coach died in a car accident the day before he left for the games. There is the story of the Hamm twins pacing the US mens gymnastics team to a silver medal.

What is the bad? There is the constant problems with doping. The IOC is working hard to rid the games of drug users and abusers, but the problems remain. There is the US mens basketball team - a team comprised of rich, selfish, superstar NBA players too focused on personal glory to notice that they have already done what no team of NBA players has ever done in Olympic history - lose a game. They are in danger of not even getting a medal.

And what is so good to look at? Well, as Dave says, the women's beach volleyball competition is almost porn. Kerrie Walsh and Misty May continue their domination in the sport (check out Walsh's right wrist.)


and the hottest search on the internet right now is "Jennie Finch," star pitcher for the US women's softball team.


.. I guess I'll stay tuned in. :)

- posted by Chris @ 7:43 PM 0 comments

 
Added blog dated 08-14-04 Cowboys @ Texans preseason game

- posted by Chris @ 3:28 PM 0 comments

 
Team USA Humbled by Puerto Rico
I think it is great that our team of thugs got their @sses handed to them by Puerto Rico. It is a perfect example of what is wrong with American basketball. Ever since MJ hit the scene, nobody learns to shoot anymore. It is all And1 streetball thuggery.

Arroyo can shoot and he showed how you win games. You don't do it by putting a team of streetballers together. Richard Jefferson is a punk too - he was talking smack to anyone that would listen. Come on, be a man and congratulate them for handing you your @ss... don't follow them around the court talking noise... that's punk. Little Puerto Rico that is not even expected to be in contention for a medal showed that team ball beats streetball hands down. I loved it when Iverson talked smack to Arroyo and then Arroyo came back with a nails three-pointer. Him holding out his jersey to show "Puerto Rico" was great!

Don't get me wrong, I love my country, I just think that some of what we are showcasing to the world as American, is not representative of us at all. No wonder we are called "ugly Americans." The blantant foul by Thug-Iverson at the end of the game is fuel for that fire. We had already lost the game, there is no need to grab the guy on the inbounds and manhandle him like AI did - grow up and take your lumps.

- posted by Chris @ 2:18 PM 0 comments

 
Preseason - Cowboys @ Texans


Saturday, Pennie and I went to see the Cowboys take on the Texans in the first preseason game of the year. The Texans won the game and it was downright funny how many Texans fans were treating this like it was a SuperBowl win. I guess when you've never been to one (or even to the playoffs,) beating the Cowboys' backups can seem like a big deal. Parcells is much too smart to use the first preseason game for anything other than talent evaluation. As the Texans bandwagoners were shouting "Dallas Sucks" and coming up to me asking, "Hey, excuse me - can you tell me the score?" I would answer back "5 to nothing. Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you meant SuperBowls."

We met Ed and Margie for dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse before the game. It was great to sit and chat with them.

Here they are just before we got off the light-rail at the stadium.


They grabbed a shot of us... check out my baby in her Cowboys' gear...


And who do we meet at the game? None other than Manny "The Dark Diver" and Mighty Mike .


Here I am chewing out the Texans coach...


- posted by Chris @ 10:14 PM 0 comments

 
The Nick of Average

Nick of Time is one of the few Johnny Depp joints I hadn't seen. I should have trusted my judgment from 1995 when I decided it didn't look that good. Sure, it had Depp and Christopher Walken playing his quintessential bad guy... but boy was it shlocky. It was a decent premise, but the formula ride through the climax was a bit boring. Charles Dutton did a fine job. I think the film fell apart in the writing - although some of the sequences were awkward enough to blame John Badham for some poor directing. I do like some of his other work - American Flyers (a cycling classic featuring an extremely young Kevin Costner) and The Jack Bull (a great HBO western starring John Cusack.)

RATING 6 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 11:05 PM 0 comments

 
Oh, What a Night!
If you want to find out what's important in life... put a pond in your backyard. Yeah, that's right - I said, put a pond in your backyard. No, the pond is not what's important - it is what a pond forces you to do... slow down.

Pennie and I just spent a great evening in the backyard listening to music, the sound of the pond babbling and talking. I have no clue how long we were out there, but I do know that for however many hours it was, none of the day-to-day crap mattered.

Once again, the 'good eye' award went to Pennie who spotted a small spider bridging the gap between one of the Zinnias and the Rosemary bush. He worked sporadically as he built the main cross beams and took large breaks between creating strands. Then, in a fit of activity, he proceeded to 'get jiggy with it' and create this perfect web, complete with tons of reenforcement. In no time at all, he had his first catch and dispatched him with ninja-like moves.

Okay, so you are wondering what the heck is so great about this live Discovery Channel rerun? It is the fact that we were not standing in line at a Wal-Mart, fighting our way through traffic, or watching the latest reality show. We were kicking back, enjoying the peace and quiet and marvelling at the cool things in life.

Did you know that garden orb spiders can number in the thousands per acre?
Wanna know how a spider spins a web? Check this out.
Or how about the different types of webs? Check this out.

How cool is that? I enjoyed a hell of a great evening, relaxed with my honey, and even learned something.

- posted by Chris @ 11:19 PM 0 comments

 
Taking the Good with the Bad

Let's start with the bad. National Security a film starring (and I use the term lightly) Martin Lawrence and Steve Zahn (a 'real' actor,) as security guards trying to bust a smuggling ring. How many movies in a row can Lawrence ruin before he realizes he is NOT A LEADING MAN!! He is a funny sidekick. Learn your freakin' role man! He gets more desperate with each film as he will stop at nothing to try for a laugh... including a constant barrage of anti-white-I'm-the-abused-black-man jokes. It is sad to watch.

Steve Zahn on the other hand should fire his agent for pairing him with Lawrence. Zahn is a great actor, both drama and comedic. He has accepted some pretty terrible movies and his career has undoubtedly suffered because of it.

This movie was directed by Dennis Dugan, an actor-turned-director that should have stayed an actor. He did Saving Silverman, which I liked, but the rest of his films are typical shlock.
RATING 4 out of 10


On to better things... An Evening With Kevin Smith is an interactive series of visits to college campuses by Kevin Smith. He tells some great stories of how his career and films progressed and takes questions from the audiences. It was filmed during a 2001/2002 speaking tour of Cornell University, Indiana University, Kent State University, University of Wyoming, and Clark University, and they cut back and forth between campuses for nearly every question. The film is very funny as Smith's comic sense comes through freely as he takes his one-man show around the country.

Whether you are a film buff or just a fan of funny stuff - you must check this out. The story about his attempt to create a Superman script with Jon Peters was great.
RATING 9 out of 10


The Endless Summer is one of those classic films - actually a documentary that everyone has either seen or plans to see. I was one of those who had heard about it for years, but never saw it. That has changed. 'This' is what a documentary should be. Bruce Brown's love of surfing is electric. Even for those of us on the third coast who are lucky to see one foot swells at Galveston cannot help but become fans of surfing. Add his strong affinity to the sport to his ability to weave and interesting story and you have a documentary that is as much travelogue as surfing legend folklore. I first started to admire him as a filmmaker way back in 1971 when my brother and I went to see On Any Sunday. This documentary about the world of motorcycle racing featured Steve McQueen and was amazing to us as avid motocross riders.

If you want a trip back to a more innocent time and a film about pure love of a sport... check out both of these films.
RATING 8 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 9:13 AM 0 comments

 
Review time again - Halle does horror.

Gothika was one of those strange films. Not as good as it looked in previews. Not as bad as it looked like it was going to end up. Halle Berry did a fine job once she got to the real acting scenes. The early stuff with her as a psychologist was a little hard to swallow as she was not very convincing. It was after the horror aspect of the film kicked in and she was allowed to pull from her amazing skills at emotion that she got good.

The story spoon-fed the audience a bit too much early on and then made some pretty fantastic leaps toward the end. Had they reworked the script, it could have been a pretty great film. It also had some pretty huge logic holes that are usually only forgivable in scifi. Because of the poor script and only half-hearted acting by most of the cast, it turned out to be a rather dull movie. The fault has to lie with the director, Mathieu Kassovitz. He couldn't seem to decide if he wanted to be edgy and out-there or just settle for typical hollywood, cat-jumping-on-the-sill type scares. He ended up doing much more of the latter.

RATING 5 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 10:03 AM 0 comments

 
Good Times, Good Friends, Great Idea
Pennie, Carlos, Tatiana and I went to the Astros game Friday night and saw them beat the Expos. Pennie got some club level tickets so we hung out in the air conditioning and still had an excellent view of the game.

While we were there, Junction Jack, the mascot stopped by...


more Jack...


The real fun of the evening came when I unveiled a brand new invention. Carlos later named it Phokus. It is essentially a wadded up ball of napkin. I found while holding it and turning it slightly, that everyone who walked by would do a double-take to see what it was. Well, one thing led to another - Carlos suggested adding a forward and back motion to the mix and it soon became a laugh riot. Okay, maybe not everyone thought it was funny, but the shit cracked me up.



We discussed marketing the idea and you know what? It could actually sell. I mean afterall - I am wearing a plastic yellow wristband that is the latest craze and stranger things have sold.

- posted by Chris @ 8:57 PM 0 comments

 
Britney - more trash for the masses
Wow, this is my second post about Britney Spears - the last one concerned a concert I saw and went into how trashy she was. This post is about her lip synching... I saw another concert (and yes, I watched for the visuals) and the fact that she lip synchs is so obvious. She is not even very good at it. (At least Milli Vanilli faked it well)

If you do not believe she fakes her songs, just watch closely the next time you see her sing. It is easy to see when she messes up. Also, run around, jump up and down, gyrate your hips, and then see how hard it is to belt out a tune. She would be so freakin out of breath that no singing would be possible.

She is just a package of trash sending the wrong message to the young girls of the world. Have you listened to the lyrics... every single song is about sex. It is no wonder that she has as many 40 year old male fans as 13 year old girls. The sad part is that those 13 year olds do not know how to seperate reality from her fake world.

On a lighter note, she shares initials with another bullshit artist - Barbara Streisand, and those initials say it all.. BS!

- posted by Chris @ 1:44 PM 0 comments

 
Scam Alert - Cortislim
No offense to casual dieters - if you only want to lose 10 or 20 vanity pounds Cortislim is too powerful for you. Have you actually listened to this ad? They claim that "Cortislim is an all natural dietary supplement that works with your body's metabolism to control corisol levels within a healthy range and help you lose weight." Their theory is that stress is what causes weight gain.

HELLO? Did you catch that listening to the ad? Stress causes weight gain! Are you kidding me? Eating too much and moving too little causes weight gain...

Further evidence that this is the newest SCAM on the market can be found (or actually not found) on their website. Search their site and you will see scientific (ha) studies detailing how all our fat gain is caused by stress and how this simple supplement can reduce stress and cause miraculous weight loss. There is NOTHING on the site suggesting that you should stop stuffing your face and get off your ass. This is the height of irresponsibility.

Oh yeah - and when you sign up to get your bottle(s) of Cortislim, they put you on an automatic monthly bank account debit and make you jump through hoops to cancel. There are already lawsuits against the company for unauthorized debits and failure to cancel shipments when requested. A sure sign that the product is crap and the peddlers are scum.

Have you bought any of this garbage? You can join the class action lawsuit here. (This lawsuit is based on the false and misleading claims)

- posted by Chris @ 9:24 PM 0 comments

 


Quincy Carter is GONE!!

There IS a God!!! The Dallas Cowboys have released Quincy Carter! That means Hambrick, Carter and Galloway have been replaced by Eddie George, Vinny Testaverde and Keyshawn Johnson.

- posted by Chris @ 11:55 AM 0 comments

 
Things that go DUD in the Night!

M. Night Shyamalan is known for his twisty endings and grand reveals. The Village was neither and frankly a waste of a great set and great acting skills. Where this one dies on the vine is writing. It was enough of a story for a 1/2 hour episode of The Twilight Zone, but falls woefully short as a major motion picture with a big-time cast. William Hurt and Adrien Brody were exceptional, Sigourney Weaver seemed a bit out of place (that may just be me though) and Joaquin Phoenix just tiptoed around the edges of overacting as usual.

The big surprise was no surprise at all as I had it figured out within minutes of it starting. I won't spoil (haha) it for you - as you should at least be in suspense until the opening credits finish. Overall though, some of M. Night's worst work.

RATING 5 out of 10



Big Fish was not your average Tim Burton movie, which is what I liked about it. I rarely like his sense of style - the whole creepiness thing doesn't work for me. This is an interesting movie in that throughout, I kept thinking, "So this is all there is, huh?" The payoff came at the end when it left you with a good feeling - and it was the ending that saved the film. Not a huge payoff, just a good "warm-fuzzy."

RATING 6 out of 10


- posted by Chris @ 10:35 AM 0 comments