« July 2004 | Main | September 2004 »
August 31, 2004
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 CDogg at 10:07 PM | Comments (0)
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 CDogg at 10:04 PM | Comments (0)
August 30, 2004
Kerry... is so very...
Posted by CDogg at 06:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)
August 28, 2004
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 CDogg at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 26, 2004
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 CDogg at 03:54 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2004
Cool Blue
Pennie and I went to see the Blue Man Group and it was AWESOME!! It was without a doubt the BEST concert I have ever attended. Yeah, it was THAT good! To try to describe them would be nearly impossible. Let me just say that if you get the opportunity - you should go see them perform.
Here it is!! Actual concert footage shot bootleg-style with my little camera!
Posted by CDogg at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)
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 CDogg at 04:00 PM | Comments (0)
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 CDogg at 03:58 PM | Comments (0)
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 CDogg at 03:56 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2004
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 CDogg at 06:16 PM | Comments (0)
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 CDogg at 06:14 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:42 AM | Comments (0)
August 12, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:44 AM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:48 AM | Comments (0)
August 06, 2004
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 CDogg at 08:14 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
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 CDogg at 12:51 AM | Comments (0)
August 04, 2004
QC is no more!
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 CDogg at 05:49 PM | Comments (0)
August 01, 2004
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 CDogg at 08:15 PM | Comments (0)