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November 30, 2004
Midnight Oil - a dog diatribe
Here I am - once again burning the proverbial midnight oil. I am doing some editing on a project we shot a few weeks back. It is due tomorrow, but looks like it will be done by the weekend.
I just watched the NOVA episode Dogs and More Dogs. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that I would like this episode, but it was more than just another look at man's relationship to dogs... it brought up a good point that I hadn't really thought about. It warrants comment.
It brought up the point that the largest percentage of dog euthanasia instances are performed because of behavioral problems. There are over 5 million dogs euthanized each year - are there that many 'bad' dogs? Nope. Actually, there are that many dog owners who got a dog that did not fit their lifestyle. Then, when the dog attempts to behave in a manner in which it was bred, and is unable to because of the owner's lifestyle, it acts out by chewing, barking, digging etc. The solution? Kill the dog.
Example: If someone rushes out and buys an Alaskan sled dog because he thinks it fits his personal self-image of a rough, rugged, he-man and then pens him up in a tiny apartment with little or no exercise... of course the dog is going to go a little nutty. While Bozo the owner sits in his recliner and watches TV, the dog is chewing shoes, ripping up carpet, howling at sounds outside and generally doing anything it can to get some sort of activity.
Education could go a long way toward fixing this problem, but it is unlikely to get very far. Who is going to take responsibility for educating a new dog owner? Is the breeder of the sled dog going to tell Bozo, "No, you should get a dog better suited for you." Not likely. Most of the breeder I have met are just below lawyers and auto mechanics on the trustworthiness scale. Is the goverment going to put forth a "get the right dog" education program? Again, not likely.
The program also pointed out that there are no breeders out there breeding for qualities that make a good pet. They breed for standards set by the kennel clubs (don't get me started on these Nazi organizations... talk about your eugenics wars.) These 'registered' breeds are fraught with diseases, skin conditions, and a host of hereditary problems brought on by decades of inbreeding. Statistics have proven that health-wise, the neighbor's Heinz 57 is much more likely to be trouble-free than any of the official breeds.
How can you do the right thing when it comes to getting a dog?
1. DO NOT buy a dog or puppy from a pet store. Dog or puppies sold at pet stores could have bad diseases (both infectious and hereditary) and the majority could come from puppy mills. Dogs from puppy mills are usually raised in extremely poor and inhumane conditions that you would NEVER want to see a dog in. Reputable breeders typically do NOT supply pet stores with animals. Reputable breeders usually only breed their dogs a couple of times a year and can usually sell their healthy dogs by themselves, through word of mouth, etc. For more about puppy mills, click here.
2. Try to adopt a dog from your local SPCA, Humane Society, or Rescue Organization. You will find both mixed breeds and purebred dogs and puppies. All of these organizations are typically very helpful and will help make sure you choose the right dog for your lifestyle. For a list of rescue groups, look here. For a list of SPCAs, look here.
3. If you insist on a purebred dog, buy only from a reputable breeder. And please DO NOT take the breeders word that they are a reputable breeder. Do some investigation and research.
Time to go... the render is done.
Posted by CDogg at 10:51 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2004
Gayus Alexanderus - the gayest Alexander ever.
Want to know how to make three hours seem like five? Watch Oliver Stone's Alexander. Do not watch it if you are looking for a gladiator type epic. Do not watch it if you are looking for a swashbuckling testosterone film. Do not watch it if you are looking for a documentary style retelling of the life of Alexander the Great. Do not watch it if you are offended by homosexual content. Watch it if you want a love story with some swordplay thrown in.
Sure, we are all aware of the historical Alexander and his reported lifelong 'love' of Hephaiston. We are aware of the Greek tradition of pederasty. We are aware that it was considered normal to explore all areas of sexuality... but come on. There is historical reference (writings) to both refute and confirm this claim of pansexuality.
This is typical Oliver Stone stirring the pot. In fact, it is the gay community that should be most offended by the movie - not because he chose to show a reported homosexual relationship as deep and meaningful, but instead because he chose to use it as yet another way to cause controversy. All the homoerotic elements of the film involved beautifully handsome people only and did nothing to show the reality of homosexuality. And talk about makeup... these men had more eyeliner than Tammy Faye Baker.
Colin Farrell did a fine job in the lead role... and geez, just look at Jared Leto (right) as Hephaiston... its enough to make you consider leaving Johnny Depp for... haha.
The film's only purpose is to stir controversy and put more attention on Stone. There is nothing at all specatular about the film other than the spectacular remake of Alexander into a 350 B.C . metrosexual. It should have been the story of an epic king that happened to be bisexual, instead it was the Queer Eye for the Macedonian Guy.
RATING 5 out of 10
Posted by CDogg at 01:20 PM | Comments (0)
San Antonio Day Two
The second day of our mini-getaway was pretty cool. It started off with a bang.... sort of. During the night I heard sirens and thought little of it. When we woke, we were watching CNN Headline News and they busted in with a story of a bank that was robbed in San Antonio. A few minutes later while looking out the window at our brilliant view of downtown, Pennie looked down and said, "That's the bank that was robbed!" It was right outside our window. Sure enough, closer inspection revealed police crime tape still on the building and parking garage.
We then set out to do a little geocaching. Our first stop was a virtual geocache (i.e. there is not a cache to find, but a point of interest to discover.) We discovered the Arneson Theatre on the Riverwalk and took a break there. The seating of the ampitheatre is stone with grass for the seating area... very cool. I wish there had been a show.
Over my shoulder to the right you will see a sign "La Villita." It was another great accidental discovery. La Villita is a sort of artist community type area with a great many shops and music on seemingly every corner.
Here is the Regency Jazz Band (playing as a trio today.) They were exceptional. I could have sat their all day and listened to the music. George Prado is on bass and Aaron Prado is on keyboard... I did not get the other gentleman's name. Aaron is the Music Director and Producer at KRTU FM 91.7. If the station is half as good as their playing... this is a MUST-LISTEN station when in the San Antonio area.
A little while into the jazz set, they call over Alice Knight to "croon" a bit. She jumped right in and started belting out the tunes...
She seemed to enjoy her music so much, I just had to meet her. Pennie took a shot of the two of us and Alice led us to her arts & crafts shop just across the square. There she gave me the wonderful gift of her latest CD. It is a VERY fun CD.
If you get by San Antonio... be sure to check out La Villita and see Alice at her shop:
Alice Knight
La Villita #17
305 1/2 S. Alamo
San Antonio, TX 78205
Tell her that Chris (the blog guy) and Pennie said hello!
A little further along in the center, we got our first doggie fix of the day, when we met Dusty and his mom from Portland. (I think I remember that right...) They were very gracious in allowing Pennie and I to say hello and spend some quality time with Dusty.
A little later, we came upon Smokey and his mom. (I didn't get her name either... I am not too good with human names - haha) Smokey was a very friendly and we enjoyed our visit with him too.
We did a few more geocaches before heading back to the riverwalk. There we sat down for a good dinner (we worked up quite an appetite with all the miles of walking) at our standby spot overlooking the water. Our waitress, Cynthia snapped this pic for us.
Wow, what a weekend... heck, it wasn't even a full weekend - but we did more than some folks do in a month of Sundays. (yeah, I said it... does that mean I am old because I used that saying?) haha.
Posted by CDogg at 10:17 AM | Comments (0)
November 26, 2004
Hola from San Antonio!
Pennie and I are maxin' and relaxin' in San Antonio. We went by the Alamo to complete a virtual geocache. It is the shizzle...
Here we are in front of the Alamo. I called Dave and he did a capture off the web as we looked toward a webcam that always faces the site.
Then we headed over to Pat O'Briens to use up a coupon for a couple free meal that we got last time we were in town. To make a long story short, we got the coupon because the meal and the service was so bad last time - this time, even though it was free... it didn't feel worth the money. haha
After that we were surprised to discover that tonight was a night of ceremony for the city. First the lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the Alamo - the pic of the tree didn't look too good, but this one is pretty cool...
...and then the River Walk lighting and parade. It featured a bunch of floats (literally) all jamming various holiday music and sporting smiles and waving people. It was pretty cool. The pics didn't turn out that great because it was so dark... oh well.
Posted by CDogg at 02:30 PM | Comments (0)
November 23, 2004
Wayback - September 30, 1987
Today we went to practice (football.) Only about 6 people showed up. I think our offense will have more punch Thursday. I went to Physics and Art Appreciation. I fell asleep in the latter.
Wow, how is that for a short entry? I guess I was busy.
Posted by CDogg at 09:34 PM | Comments (0)
November 22, 2004
Violence in sports
This has been a very violent weekend for sports. Just after blogging about the terrible sportsmanship by the Willowridge High School students, I get home and see the Pacers/Pistons brawl. Then Saturday the football players for Clemson and South Carolina burst into a knockdown dragout.
People who say the fans are the cause of things like the Pacers/Pistons game are ridiculous. Sure, there was a drunken idiot who threw a beer and then several other adult beverages were slung at the brawl, but you let the stadium officials deal with the idiot and NEVER, NEVER, NEVER leave the field of play and enter the stands.
This is the direct result of the lowering of standards for players by the teams and league. In the old days, you would have been kicked out for the season for fighting with another player - an offense like these would have resulted in a lifetime ban.
The sad thing is that Ron Artest will sell a hell of a lot more of his rap album because of the incident.
Posted by CDogg at 10:49 PM | Comments (0)
From the library...
I just finished the book The Iraq War by John Keegan. If you are interested in learning some of the history of Iraq and the political intrigue that culminates in a war such as this, it is an excellent read. Keegan begins with a political history of Iraq from its days as a created-state by the British up through Hussein's rise to power. He then covers the events of the first Gulf War up to the current lightning war in Iraq. It is a really good source and a very interesting read.
I also recently completed the audio book, Public Enemies by Bryan Burrough. It is the true story of America's greatest crime wave and the birth of the FBI in the early 1930's. It was a time when jurisdictions ended at county and state lines and their was no governmental law enforcement. This left a huge opportunity for clever criminals and gave rise to organized crime. It was an amazingly interesting time and a definitely entertaining read.
Posted by CDogg at 02:34 PM | Comments (0)
These weekends are killing me...
I just want to do nothing one weekend. It would be so nice to sit at home and chill. This weekend was a lot of fun, a lot of work and despite my lament to the contrary, I would do it again.
Friday Mike and I attended the high school football playoffs mentioned earlier.
Saturday was all about working. Well, it was officially work and it was a pain in the 'back' but it was pretty cool. Some of you may have read the Houston Chronicle article about Doug Erwin's Ice Bowl Party. I was working as a videographer/candid photographer as they recreated the famous matchup in a neighboring yard, videoed it, and partied all night. We took the recording, pulled out the time segments needed and played them along as the narrator explained the game.
(Houston Chronicle photos)
After that, the party really got going and I wandered throughout taking candid photos. (I have none of the good pictures available because they are online for purchase by the guests and unavailable - I did however, have Manny take a few with my little camera - he volunteered to come along and help out)
This is a shot from inside the tent... they set up industrial coolers and fans blowing in the tent to simulate the Ice Bowl setting and it was close to freezing in there... very sweet.
Mr. Erwin, dressed as Vince Lombardi (complete with fake tooth gap) addresses the crowd.
Manny and I each took a pic under the Ice Bowl banner to commemorate the event.
Despite being very hard on my back due to all the standing, the party was fun. Everyone was dressed in outfits from the era... there were a couple Lombardi's, a Vietnam Swift Boat veteran, an Elvis, two Joe Namath's, several various Packer and Cowboy football players, lots of big sideburns and even a half dozen elderly women dressed as Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.
There was great music all night as the dj spun tunes from the late 60's and early 70's. There was a german oompa band during the middle of the night and the evening culminated with a great set by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy... we are talking some serious swing/ska... the place was rocking.
Lots and lots of fun and GREAT food... oh yeah, and I was billing... even cooler!
(I didn't see much of Manny once I started working so hopefully, he didn't get into too much trouble.)
Then on Sunday, it was back to editing. I worked on the real estate project for quite a bit and figured I would just relax as the day turned into afternoon. Well, as luck would have it - Mike got tickets to the Packers/Texans game that evening so we figured we would cap off a football weekend with a pro game.
It was a really good game - especially since I don't really care about either team. I was kinda pulling for the Texans once they got the lead because it was a big deal for them... but as you probably know, they choked in the end.
Here I am with two of his coworkers, Margie (left) and Tiffany (right.)
Now... must rest... oh wait, its Monday... time to go to work... haha
Posted by CDogg at 01:39 PM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2004
Willowridge turns ugly
Mike and I continued our quest to see some of the best football in Texas... well, we saw some of it last night, but we also saw some of the worst. Here is the letter I just sent off to the administration at Fort Bend Willowridge High School in reference to the game.
I sent the letter to:
School District
Dr. Betty Baitland, Superintendent FBISD
Dr. Susan Wey, Area Superintendent FBISD
Ft. Bend Willowridge High School
Billy Polk, Principal
Ronnie Adams, Associate Principal
-----------------------
I attended the playoff game between Willowridge and Memorial last night and I have to say that I was disgusted by the performance of the Willowridge players and their coaches.
Two teams that have worked hard all season, including a win in the first round of the playoffs squared off to see whose state championship dreams stay alive. The game featured some great plays - excellent effort by the players - and tons of excitement for the fans.
The game started to get out of hand early in the fourth quarter and a couple of bad apples on the Willowridge squad started talking trash to the fans, the officials and the other team. The officials did nothing! It was their responsibility to keep the game in control and once they started letting these offenses go unflagged, thing escalated. It was then that I was telling my friend, "If these officials don't start throwing flags for this nonsense right now, someone is going to get hurt."
As the game wound down and it was obvious that Willowridge was not going to win, the trash talking turned into late hits and outright thuggery. On four different occasions, the play had been blown dead when a Willowridge player would haul off and flatten a Memorial kid who was walking back to the huddle or similarly not involved in the play at all. It finally culminated in a cheap shot in the back of the leg which resulted in a long medical timeout while they helped the poor kid off the field. THEN, the officials called a penalty.
What was supposed to be a memory of a lifetime for these student athletes turned into a bad dream for at least one kid and left a sour taste for the thousands involved.
My friend and I have picked a different game each week from the top teams in the state and seen a ton of great teams. We have seen courageous play, valiant efforts and the pure excitement of Texas high school football. We have seen a lot of good during this and previous seasons. This is NOT the norm.
The official should certainly shoulder some of the responsibility, but the Willowridge coaches did nothing to reign in their team. Shame on them for not putting an end to the poor sportsmanship and outright meanness. Those players involved (and I am sure you have access to game video) can be easily identified and should be facing consequences for their actions. Failure to reprimand the officiating crew, the coaches and the players involved is the same as condoning their actions.
Chris Doelle
Football fan and thug hater.
PS. I have no affiliation with either team and had previously never seen either play. I am just a fan that enjoys good, clean football. #92 was the chief instigator and incited the others. Also, it should be noted that #11 was a class act and walked over, shook the hand of a Memorial player and then motioned to the Mustangs congratulating them for their win.
Posted by CDogg at 02:24 PM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2004
WANTED for stealing advertising control...
You know this little guy?
He is the logo for TiVo... the first in a line of systems designed to record television digitally. They promote your ability to pause, rewind,fast-forward etc. live TV... what they really do more than anything is allow you to skip commercials.
Great huh? Yeah, if that was their only intent... if you haven't made the logical leap yet - fear not, they have.
TiVo and the other DVR services will soon be inserting their own commercials into your feed thus bypassing billions in advertising revenue generated at the network level and replacing it with their own. They have effectively just stolen control of the most powerful advertising medium on the planet!
THIS IS HUGE!! Expect to see some fights over this one. Expect some controls to be put in place on these systems - or at least some major deals to be cut. Expect to have ads that you cannot skip. This advertising real estate is way too valuable to let disappear.
Posted by CDogg at 12:46 AM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2004
Are you ready for some porno?
Is it just me or was the intro segment to Monday Night Football this week just wrong? For those of you that missed it, Nicollette Sheridan of Desperate Housewives encountered Terrell Owens in the lockerroom just before the game. Dressed only in a towel, she enticed Owens into a sexual encounter ala her character on the sleazy TV show.
It wasn't the role reversal of a white woman forcing herself on a black man that upset me. It wasn't the R-rated theme on what is supposed to be a G-rated sporting event. It wasn't even the shameless plug for a shameless TV show... it was the fact that they thought us football fans wanted to see this or gave a shit about Desperate Housewives.
It is just further evidence of the decline of professional sports. In a discussion with Mike Wright the other day, we both agreed that high school and college sports are FAR superior to every professional sport and crap like this just continues to prove it.
Posted by CDogg at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
My blog can be part of Your Yahoo!
That's right... you can now get a direct feed of my blog directed to your My Yahoo! page.
Just click the link to add it to your My Yahoo!
or you can syndicate the feed to any page of your choice through this link...
and you can add it to any webpage... by putting the following image... (email me for the actual html)
Posted by CDogg at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
Wayback - September, 29 1987
Forgot to write Monday. I went riding my bicycle around Nacogdoches for two hours. It was okay. I took a test in Measurement & Evaluation today, I should make an A on it. Oh, I made a 78 on my Physics test.
On Monday, I went to Sam Rayburn Lake with Rog to fish. We don't have any hooks or live bait so we were stuck fishing with worms (plastic.) We didn't catch a thing. The way I see it, you have to offer the fish something real or its kinda cheating.
I just got back from our third football game. I've never seen such a total screwed up display of football. Tommy tried to QB, but he lacks the field sense of a QB. Our regular QB, Lee Yeager came late and started off bad. We scored on a play that Rog & I made up. We gave up 7 points again. We won 14-7, but our people really sucked.
What pissed me off the most was that I didn't get used. I caught one pass and got about 20 yards on it, 10 of it came on the run after I caught it. I'm not a ball hog and I'm perfectly happy to see other people do good. All I know is that in three games I've had about 10 passes thrown to me and I haven't dropped a one. I've been wide open every down of every game. Our QBs just get a play stuck in their head and won't take what the defense is giving us. Sure, I only go out about 10 yards, but games are won by ball control and that means taking the short gains that add up to a drive.
I thought this team was going to be awesome because almost every player is studying to be a coach. What I've realized is that I'm gonna have a cakewalk as a coach if they're typical of the minds I'll be facing. Roger knows his stuff but the only thing I see him doing wrong is not getting mad enough to speak up when he knows that people are screwing up. Well, that's it for now. The Chickens are a lucky 3-0.
As you probably gathered, at the time of that entry, I was planning on being a football coach. The team's official name was GDI Chickens. For those of you out of the loop, GDI is an acronym created in answer to the alphabet soup of fraternity teams - it translates to "God Damn Independents." Not sure who came up with chickens, but we were the goats later in the basketball season.
Posted by CDogg at 02:52 PM | Comments (0)
I got my yellow ribbon sticker, I did my part.
You see them everywhere - first there were the yellow ribbon stickers saying "Support Our Troops," then they showed up in red, white and blue colors. Now, they are out for everything imaginable - P.O.W.s, breast cancer, etc. etc.
I think the whole idea is ridiculous. It is soccer-mom mentality gone mad. People buy these things not to support troops, but to let other people know that they support the troops - how vain and how stupid. You are not supporting or assisting those brave men and women fighting and dieing in Iraq and Afghanistan... you are supporting some quick-thinking entrepreneurs and your own egos.
You want to really support the troops...
The Defense Department is not accepting anonymous packages for the troops overseas, but has offered suggestions on how to help or show support:
Operation USO Care Package accepts individual donations of $25 that go toward a package of personal items and snacks for a soldier. Those wishing to participate can go to the Web site or call 1-866-USO-GIVE.
Operation Uplink allows people to donate calling cards so servicemembers can stay in touch with family and friends.
Operation Dear Abby offers the option of e-mailing greetings to troops.
Defend America allows people to sign a virtual thank-you card to soldiers.
The Army and Air Force Exchange allows people to give money for gift certificates which troops can redeem for merchandise. Visit the Web site or call 1-877-770-GIFT (4438).
The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation provides higher education financial assistance to the sons and daughters of Marines and former Marines.
Operation Independence organizes and sends care packages to deployed troops.
I want to again take a second to thank the men and women serving in our military. I won't get all right-wing bandwagony and start going on about the price of freedom and I will continue to question the leadership of our country. (People seem to think that if you support the troops, you are a blind follower of the Republican party) I will not allow the effort of our "citizen soldiers" to be cheapened like that.
Thank you to everyone serving in our country's military at home and abroad. Keep your head down and stay safe - a grateful nation wishes you a speedy return.
Posted by CDogg at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
Movie catch-up time
The House of Sand and Fog looked promising from the promos, but disappeared quickly amid a torrent of other films once released. As is often not the case, the public was right on this one. Ben Kingsley, one of my all-time favorite actors did a decent job in this role, but his performance seemed waaaay over the top for such a pedestrian character and downright retarded story. I mean talk about "what if they made a movie and nobody cared." This drivel is about a man that scrimps and saves to buy his dreamhouse - an auctioned foreclosure. Jennifer Connelly's was the only character that seemed to fit as the unfortunate victim of the county whose house was auctioned off to Kingsley. What remains of the story is a series of "lets see how stupid I can make this character" unbelievable actions and retarded justifications. Don't even bother to rent this one if your cable goes out... white noise is much more intelligent.
RATING 3 out of 10
Posted by CDogg at 12:37 AM | Comments (0)
November 14, 2004
BestFest
This, the final day of RenFest for the year was the best RenFest ever. It was the best temperature ever as it was cool all day without raining! Pennie and I went by ourselves and moved around at our own pace - no agenda, no deadlines - just hanging out... that is definitely the way to do it.
The big news is that I finally made it to the fireworks... and BOY were there fireworks! Pennie, who had seen them before stated that there were a heck of a lot more than the time she saw them. It could be that as it was the final show, they always do a bigger finale - or as Pennie surmised, maybe they had a bunch left over from the various rainouts and figured it was now or never. In any event, it was pretty cool.
The day featured all the usual characters... I'll save all the trouble of uploading picture after picture of the same old stuff.. but I will put up a couple of unique ones...
Of course there were knights, princesses, wizards and wenches... but did you know there were fairy hookers?
...even crossgendered ones for the discriminating customer. Check out the guy in the white... haha.
And the ultimate... here are the Dorks of the Rings... (I think they were late for a game of D&D)
Posted by CDogg at 10:13 AM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2004
Backyard getting some updates
First off, big ups to my man Dave for the donation of his old BBQ grill. As you can see in the picture, we cut the legs down and mounted it in the front portion of Turtle World. The idea for an 'outdoor fire' was from Pennie. She suggested that as it turns cooler, it would be nice if we could sit near a fire when kicking back outside.
The layout works great as Pennie sits on the right and would be more comfortable nearer the burning wood.
The wood in the picture is from my peach tree. I cut it down because it was looking pretty sickly as each winter at least one major branch has broken off when it gets icey and windy. The only problem with cutting down the tree was that it was center for a couple of bird feeders. To remedy the lack of feeding area for the birds, I sunk a cedar post in the ground and mounted two feeders on it.
Posted by CDogg at 10:43 PM | Comments (0)
People are slime...
Don't believe me? Watch a few episodes of Animal Cops or Animal Precinct on Animal Planet. It still amazes me each time I see the cruelty and disregard for life that these pet owners display. I know it is a small portion of the population, but it turns my stomach.
People are great too..
The two shows are basically the same. Animal Precinct was the first one and features animal cruelty officers in New York city, where they have the same powers as regular police officers. My favorite from the show is Officer Annemarie Lucas...
... she seemed to really let the cases get to her early on in the show, but has since turned that frustration into putting together airtight cases and delights in both locking up the bad guys and saving animals.
Animal Cops has a slightly different take in that the show is split into Detroit and Houston... It is cool watching the Animal Cops: Houston and seeing our local heroes (employees of the Houston SPCA - where I got my new buddy Lou!) fighting that same good fight. My favorite of the Houstonians is Agent Jim Boller...
... he is a typical good o' boy with a heart. He is called most of the time for farm animals (horses, cattle, goats etc.) and you can see why he does his job in the way he carries himself.
and from the Detroit office is Investigator Debby MacDonald...
... she seems to really care and lets crappy pet owners know when they are being crappy.
What a reward job - I mean, sure you see a lot of pain and suffering, but talk about your warm fuzzies from doing good. If you want a hero - here you go... these guys and gals are real heroes.
Posted by CDogg at 05:55 PM | Comments (0)
November 11, 2004
Jimmy Kimmel on Life Support
Is it just me or has Jimmy Kimmel Live lost some of its edginess? Remember when it started and he had a guest host each week? Remember a week of Snoop Dog on the couch? Remember Mike Tyson? Remember the constantly bleeped out comments and their early attempts to see what they could get away with?
Sure, he is funnier than the mutant-chinned Jay Leno and Letterman's shtick has gotten tired, but JKL is turning into just another run-of-the-mill late night show.
Uncle Frank is fun and Cousin Sal should get his own show... right now, I watch to see if Sal is going to get beat up by someone and hope that Jimmy will find a way to sign a decent guest every now and then.
Posted by CDogg at 06:46 PM | Comments (0)
November 09, 2004
WE'RE the reason there is nothing good on network TV.
I got the first season of the short-lived ABC series, Sports Night via NetFlix and have added it to my list of great shows that didn't make it. It is further proof that if a show involves your brain and a good story it is doomed on our airwaves. Shows like Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Marshall spring to mind. I heard that Sports Night was cancelled because the writers were hired away to do The West Wing... I could see that because it has the same frenetic pacing and witty repertoire.
I was blown away this weekend when I watched Hairspray for the first time and saw a very young Josh Charles (Dan Rydell on SN) in his first role. Peter Krause's (Six Feet Under) portrayal of co-anchor Casey McCall is also good.
And you know what the bad thing is about the cancellation of good shows like this one? It is because WE are not watching them. We are watching The Swan, Wife-Swap, Elimidate, and a thousand other piles of mindless crap. I lump myself in here - I never watched Sports Night when it was on the air... I assumed it was going to be more crap. (This is usually a very safe assumption.) Just like everyone assumes that a Japanese car is better than an American, we assume that in order to get quality television, we have to turn to cable or satellite. So what happens? A decent show finally makes it past the network execs and nobody watches.
What's the solution? Heck if I know... I am not going to martyr myself on the television cross and screen every new show just so I can help the good ones succeed. Maybe though - just maybe - when we find a quality show, we can do our part by telling that story at the water cooler instead of the story of the redneck woman who swapped families with the uptown model. If not - then enjoy the next heaping helping of crap piled on in the new season.
Posted by CDogg at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)
November 08, 2004
Wayback - September, 27 1987
Well I forgot about writing the past two days. Not much has happened. I took my Physics test Friday. It was pretty easy. I didn't go to Art Appreciation. On Saturday I played football for a little while. I didn't do much else. Today, Rog and I met Tim, Dad and Tim's family at the hospital where Mom is. She's feeling fine. A little stiff. Anyway, we got our bicycles from them as well as our fishing poles. We decided to catch us some food from Sam Rayburn Lake. Well, I made french fries and the grease smoked so bad that it set off the smoke alarm. Oh well. I guess I'll go to sleep now.
Geez, talk about your interesting days (not). And get a load of those choppy little sentences - I think my writing style has improved over the years.
Posted by CDogg at 11:24 PM | Comments (0)
Weekend Update
I was reading through the latest Wayback Machine post and realized that back then I wrote a lot more about what was actually happening in my life and less about stuff like movie reviews and opinions. I thought it would be a good time to bring back the Weekend Update... one, to give some info about what actually happened this weekend and two, cause I want to use the goofy graphic again.
This weekend started off with heading up to The Woodlands to see Ray with Pennie (see earlier post for a review.) We were both kinda beat so the length of the movie made for a late, tired evening. Saturday was a working/film watching day. I have been editing on a real estate seminar and like all editing projects, there are large breaks when the computer is rendering or writing that I have nothing to do. It is then that I updated the blog with movie reviews, updated the sports pages, and took care of basic housework.
Sunday was more of the same with a break to play Magic with Martin, Brett, Zach and Jeff. Geez, maybe that's why I have been doing reviews - not a lot of big adventure this weekend. haha
Right now, I am still editing and watching The Far Country (1954) with James Stewart. it is the tale of a solitary cowboy staking his claim during the Yukon gold rush. The weather is great again and the back door is open. Lou is sitting in the sunlight just outside the back door and Littlefoot is under the desk at my feet. It's very cool to be able to take a quick doggie wrasslin' break between renders... did I mention, this is a pretty good gig?
Next up is another Jimmy Stewart movie, Destry Rides Again (1939), a comedy western costarring Marlene Dietrich that was his followup to his best movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939).
Tivo has allowed me to setup what they call a wishlist. I told it to record all the Jimmy Stewart movies it finds... I saw Flight of the Phoenix (1965) last week (they are doing a remake of it set to come out soon,) as well as Wife vs. Secretary (1936) but turned it off as his part was too small to be interesting.
Posted by CDogg at 10:10 AM | Comments (0)
Lou seems to be bonding
It appears that Lou has found his place in the pack... he has become protective of the rest of us. Dave walked in today and Lou started barking at him. Dave didn't pause in entering and in short order, Lou was begging to have Dave pet him, but he seemed pretty serious about it at the time.
I am going to have to try to parade as many people through here as possible in the next few weeks so that he gets used to people coming in. I really don't want him to develop into one of those yappy little watchdogs that won't let anyone near me without nipping at them. Littlefoot has taught him to bark at the neighbor dogs when they are in the backyard and he is probably just taking it to the next level... he'll figure it out soon enough. If they come through the front door, they're okay.
Posted by CDogg at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)
November 07, 2004
Wayback - September 24. 1987
Victory, Vic-tor-y! Just got back from our second football game. We won 21-7. I had a great game, I caught a pass for our first touchdown and a pass for our third touchdown. I caught about five passes total, two for touchdowns, not bad! It was a blast. On defense, I almost got an interception but you can't get them all. I went to lab and got out early because it was pretty easy. My friend, Gordie worked with me on it. I have to study for a Physics test tomorrow. Oh, I lost the nose piece to my glasses and the frame is broke but hey, that's football! I worked a couple of hours on my computer. I paid my housing bill. I guess I'll call home to see what's up with Mom. I never did get around ot working on my novels last night. Well I'm gonna make some supper and then hit the books.
Posted by CDogg at 10:11 AM | Comments (0)
November 06, 2004
What was I thinking 17 years ago?
This is the first installment of the Chris Doelle Wayback Machine.. I started keeping a journal in 1987 when I was at Stephen F. Austin University. Back then, the internet as we know it did not exist and I had to do it the old pen and paper way... but despite some large lapses in writing, I wrote quite a bit in those days. These excerpts will be a window into what was going on in my life back then as well as in my head. ( I will leave the poor grammer just as written.)
September 23, 1987
Yes, Sportsfans, this is it! The long awaited, much publicized, highly acclaimed Journal. This entry will be brief. I'm at Stephen F. Austin University studying to be a football coach and computer science teacher. Today I took a test in Art Appreciation which I should have studied more for. I probably made about an 80. We finished the last of the two physical fitness tests yesterday. I'm in pretty good shape. I'm still not in as good of shape as I have been and nowhere near where I want to be, but I'm much better that I have been before too. I ran two miles and lifted weights yesterday. None today. I worked on my computer for 2 hours. I called home and found out Mom is gonna be operated on tomorrow. I'll say a prayer for her tonight. I know she'll be fine. I got a call from housing syaing that I owe $50 deposit or I'm out. I'm fixing to start working on my second novel, the one about the college student. Oh, I didn't mean to imply that I've finished one, just not working on that one. I've got a Joe Jackson tape in and I'm about ready to start writing. I have a Physics test Friday. I have a football game tomorrow. We won our first game 21-0. Well that's it for now.
There you go... a rather disjointed, rambling entry, but it gives you a snapshot of what was going on. Look for more entries over the course of the next few weeks and months.
Posted by CDogg at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)
November 05, 2004
Say Ray, whaddya say...
Ray will earn Jamie Foxx an academy award. Don't misunderstand, there have been better performances this year - but there has never been a 'channelling' of a person like Jamie's Ray Charles. It is almost eerie how much Foxx looks and acts like Ray Charles. The movie was a really good film and the performances by his female costars, Regina King and Sharon Warren were excellent. It is certainly one of the finest biopics ever.
RATING 8 out of 10
The Virgin Suicides in one of those films that I missed when it first came out and planned on watching eventually... well, eventually happened. First let me state that the soundtrack is awesome. It has tons of great music from the 70's...
Okay, so that had nothing to do with the movie, but I just wanted to note that. The film itself is somewhat disturbing. Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this film prior to doing Lost in Translation. Like Translation, she delivers a vague story. Also, like Translation, the vagueness lends itself to deep introspection. It could be a story of religious represssion, a story of overly strict parenting, a story of deep family secrets, a story of the downturn of the auto industry, the American economy - you name it... the only thing I am sure of is that it is entirely watchable and entirely depressing.
RATING 6 out of 10
Posted by CDogg at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)
November 04, 2004
Lou joins the pack!
Well, its official - the pack has a new member. Lou comes to us by way of the Houston SPCA and is a 3 yr old terrier mix. He appears to have some Norfolk terrier in him ... although he is definitely a mix. He is very friendly, attentive and seems pretty darn smart so far. Hopefully, Littlefoot will get back to normal with someone else in the house when I am away.
They seem to be hitting it off okay...
...and of course he already has me where he wants me.
After all the sniffing and exploring, Lou settled right in...
Posted by CDogg at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)
November 03, 2004
Dog days - part III
So here are the top five... today, I will attempt to weed down to three.
Australian Cattle Dog
- Exercise 5 - Health 10 - Travel 4 - Temperment 9
Bassett Hound
- Exercise 10 - Health 7 - Travel 9 - Temperment 10
Beagle
- Exercise 8 - Health 9 - Travel 7 - Temperment 9
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Exercise 10 - Health 9 - Travel 10 - Temperment 7
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Exercise 10 - Health 10 - Travel 10 - Temperment 8
It looks like the Australian Cattle Dog loses out because of its size. They are the biggest of the lot. Next up will have to be the Bassett Hound. Although they have very short legs, they are in fact big dogs. They can reach in excess of 80lbs so that certainly makes them more than a handful.
That leaves Beagles and the two types of Corgi...
actually, what that does is narrow it down to small dogs... the best thing to do is probably to just start going to the shelters and rescue the one that feels right... even if he isn't exactly what I have chosen here.
Posted by CDogg at 06:33 PM | Comments (0)
Kasdan Kaper
Zero Effect was the first film directed by Jake Kasdan, yes... the name is familar - he is the son of Lawrence Kasdan, of Star Wars, Raiders, Big Chill, Wyatt Earp etc. etc. fame. Jake had more going for him that just a VERY well connected father... he also had the acting talents of Ben Stiller, Ryan O'Neal and Bill Pullman.
ZE is an ambitious film from the outset, the pacing is snappy, the dialogue is witty, and the outlook is grand. While Kasdan falls a little short in delivering his modernized retelling of Sherlock Holmes, he does provide an interesting film.
Watch it for the interesting setup. Watch it for what is nearly becomes. But most of all, watch it for the always brilliant acting of Bill Pullman
RATING 7 out of 10
Posted by CDogg at 08:06 AM | Comments (0)
November 02, 2004
It's Civic Duty Time!
Get out there! It is time to rock the vote!
I did my part early this morning as the crowds are much smaller than later in the day. Then the worker bees are going on lunch breaks, after work, or if they are lucky - convince their bosses to give them time off to vote.
Here I am heading off to participate in our representative republic...
Zip, Zap, Zow - in and out in no time at all!
Now get moving, and go cancel out my vote!!
Posted by CDogg at 10:48 PM | Comments (0)
Doelle calls it for Bush early.
The official CNN electoral vote tally right now is 197-188 with the two key swing states still undecided. Based on county-by-county information available at CNN.com, I am officially calling BOTH Florida and Ohio for Bush - and thus the presidency.
Posted by CDogg at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
Dog Days - part II
Well, between the added last-second rush video work and the election coverage, it doesn't look like I will be sleeping at all tonight. I figured since I am up and while things are rendering, I will move the potential dog decision forward.
The items I will look at when choosing among these dogs are:
Exercise needs (is my backyard enough, or are daily walks required)
Health issues (normal range or prone to certain disorders)
Travel issues (am I free to travel with it)
Temperment (will it accept the multitude of visitors without trouble)
Each of these will be rated on a scale of 1-10 (10 is best)
After that, I will weight the above issues and rank them according to their results.
Australian Cattle Dog
- Exercise 5 - Health 10 - Travel 4 - Temperment 9
Bassett Hound
- Exercise 10 - Health 7 - Travel 9 - Temperment 10
Beagle
- Exercise 8 - Health 9 - Travel 7 - Temperment 9
Bernese Mountain Dog
- Exercise 6 - Health 8 - Travel 2 - Temperment 10
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- Exercise 10 - Health 9 - Travel 10 - Temperment 7
Great Dane
- Exercise 6 - Health 7 - Travel 2 - Temperment 10
Great Pyrenees
- Exercise 7 - Health 6 - Travel 1 - Temperment 10
Newfoundland
- Exercise 5 - Health 6 - Travel 1 - Temperment 10
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- Exercise 10 - Health 10 - Travel 10 - Temperment 8
St. Bernard
- Exercise 6 - Health 6 - Travel 1 - Temperment 10
Okay, the prelimary unweighted results are:
Pembroke Welsh Corgi 38
Bassett Hound 36
Cardigan Welsh Corgi 36
Beagle 33
Australian Cattle Dog 28
Bernese Mountain Dog 26
Great Dane 25
Great Pyrenees 24
Saint Bernard 23
Newfoundland 22
Okay, so now we need to weigh the categories... travel is going to be very important to me so it will be quite high. Exercise is important too because I tend to not make a lot of time for walking the dog. Health is important as I am fresh off losing a friend waaay too early. Finally, temperment will probably have the lowest weight because none of the dogs in question have remotely bad temperment. Has this included dogs like pit bulls, it would be very important, but as I have chosen all good tempered dogs, it will not be as critical here.
Travel 45%
Exercise 25%
Health 25%
Temperment 5%
Okay, after applying the weights, nothing changed, they are still in the same order.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi 17.65
Bassett Hound 14.3
Cardigan Welsh Corgi 16.6
Beagle 14.85
Australian Cattle Dog 13.75
Bernese Mountain Dog 11.15
Great Dane 10.15
Great Pyrenees 8.95
Saint Bernard 8.7
Newfoundland 8.45
So what have I decided from all this? Well, that the big dogs are out. As much as I love big dogs, I cannot give them the environment that would be best for them and still do the things I intend to do. I will remove the bottom five from the list and continue later with the top five... four small dogs and one medium one.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Bassett Hound
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Beagle
Australian Cattle Dog
Posted by CDogg at 06:13 PM | Comments (0)
November 01, 2004
Dog days of winter?
Okay, that was a poor name for this blog, but it was all I could think of quickly.
Guess what? I am thinking about getting another dog. Yes... I know there are a ton of reasons why I shouldn't, but there are also plenty why I should. I am not 100% decided yet, but I thought I would start by narrowing the breed choices over the course of several blogs and then make the decision.
I guess the best place to start is with the breeds themselves... I will list the breeds I would consider (along with a mutt) and try to narrow the choices down while deciding if I am going to do it,
Let's start with the breeds beginning with A. Here are the ones I would consider...
A
Australian Cattle Dog
- great bread - made semi-famous in the first Mad Max movie. They are pretty active though so will probably not make the next round of cuts.
B
Bassett Hound
- one of the sweetest breeds ever. They are great companion dogs and wonderful around other pets and people.
Beagle
- sure, they are loud at times - but they are a great breed as well. They love to be in large packs, which is one of the motivating factors behind getting a second dog - Littlefoot has been pretty much sleeping all day since losing Sam.
Bernese Mountain Dog
- a wonderful 'big dog.' They love to work and enjoy pulling carts and gets along well with other animals. They enjoy people, but bond strongly to one person only.
C
Cardigan Welsh Corgi
- these little guys are even tempered and highly adaptable to different lifestyles. They are suspicious of people they do not know, but are avid mouse catchers.
D-F
none
G
Great Dane
- one of the regal big dogs. The Great Dane is a gentle giant that likes nothing better than lounging with his humans. He is calm and well behaved.
Great Pyrenees
- basically a snow-white St. Bernard. These are another fine breed that loves people and forms deep loving attractions.
H-M
none
N
Newfoundland
- another of the monster-trucks of the dog world. The Newfs loves human interaction and love to swim.
O
none
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
- the other style of Corgi. The Pembroke enjoys travelling, playing games and just about anything as long as his family is nearby.
Q-R
none
S
St. Bernard
- a great companion. Nothing I could write would explain the bond between a Saint and his human. Great dogs.
T-Z
none
There you have it. Ten breeds make the initial cut. From here I will look at things like activity requirements, training needs, health issues, and general compatibility with my lifestyle.
Posted by CDogg at 10:45 PM | Comments (0)
DaVinci, Mary Magdalene and the little guys...
Cracking the DaVinci Code is a film about the fact behind the fictional book by Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code. While the subject matter is enthralling as all get out, the production quality of the film kills is viewability. The film covers all the issues raised by the book, but points out the changes Brown made for the sake of the story and the real truth.
RATING 4 out of 10
Mary Magdalene - The Hidden Apostle was produced by the Biography Channel obviously in response to The DaVinci Code. The Biography Channel however, unlike the previous film, did their homework and produced a high-quality documentary. The film also looks at issues raised in the book, but focuses only on Mary Magdalene and her role in the development of the early church as well as the subsequent whitewashing of her importance by the Catholic Church. A very good film...
RATING 8 out of 10
From anti-religion, to counter-culture...
The Yes Men is a very fun film. The filmmakers take on big business in the form of the WTO (World Trade Organization.) After putting up a website to parody the WTO, they are mistakenly hired to speak to various organizations thinking they are the real deal. The group uses the opportunity to propose outlandish ideas as the WTO and the scary thing is how very little reaction they get to their ideas. You really have to see the film to get a feel for how disconnected big business is from the real world.
RATING 7 out of 10
Steal This Movie! chronicles the tale of counter-culture icon and FBI target, Abbie Hoffman. Vincent D'Onofrio does a passable job as Hoffman, but the film doesn't really add anything to your understanding of the man or the situation - it is a typical counter-culture movie given a subpar treatment. It is sad that such an important part of our history as the Chicago 7 and the anti-war movement is treated so poorly.
RATING 5 out of 10
Posted by CDogg at 09:14 PM | Comments (1)