3.31.2007

Reign Over Me


A dinner at Charcoal Grill last night and Kates and I were off for a night at the movies. Both of us really wanted to see "Reign Over Me" ...

The trailer has been all over the place the last few weeks, so you likely know the story: Adam Sandler plays Charlie Fineman a man who lost his wife and three girls when their plane crashed into the Twin Towers on 9/11, and he's since blocked any memory of them from his mind, choosing to live every day in a barren apartment playing video games, listening to records and remodeling his bathroom over and over again. A pair of earphones is almost always on his head, and when anyone he encounters even tries to approach the subject of his lost family, he turns the volume louder ... So when Alan Johnson, his college roommate in dental college, played by Don Cheadle, bumps into Fineman after years apart, they rekindle their relationship. Both are at pivotal points in their lives and in need of someone they can trust ...

Let's be honest. Not the greatest film I've ever seen. The first half of it spends a little too much time trying to set up the story, bouncing the audience between different characters and subplots like a game of Pong -- there's Alan and Fineman, Alan and his wife (who Alan has started to close off), Alan and his psychologist, Alan and his dental partners and then a crazy woman who threatens to sue Alan for a bogus sexual harassment allegation ... At times the action was so uninteresting I caught myself swapping story ideas in my mind and making mental notes of things I needed to get done around the house ...

Then again, it's hard to dislike "Reign Over Me" in its entirety, given my fascination with stories surrounding 9/11, and the fact that music, particularly Fineman's appreciation for classic vinyl records, plays a major role in the film. My favorite films are the ones that tell heartfelt people stories -- like this one.

The story finally picks up when Fineman gives into Alan's subtle suggestions that he needs help. Fineman begins to take some baby steps and eventually lets us in on his memories of the awful day that changed his life, and the pain he's felt since. He begins to make amends with his in-laws and, well, in the end you're left thinking that Fineman is going to be just fine ...

Some of the real charm in the film, for me, came from some small but notable performances. Adam Sandler's performance as Charlie is Oscar-worthy and Don Cheadle is doing some of the best stuff in Hollywood these days. Plus Melinda Dillon (the Christmas Story mom!) leaves a mark as Fineman's grieving mother-in-law. Liv Tyler blends in well as a compassionate psychologist, Angela, trying to help Johnson and then Fineman. And Saffron Burrows was both creepy and hilarious as Donna Remar, a recently-divorced woman whose life becomes intertwined with Johnson, Angela and then Fineman. Jada Pinkett Smith is admirable too, as Alan's wife, but her part in the film wasn't big enough.

... The dark horse performance of the film, however, might have been Donald Sutherland, whose face time lasted all but five or 10 minutes, but he shines in a pivotal scene as the judge who must decide Fineman's fate -- Should he be committed to a mental institution? Or should he be allowed to figure things out on his own?

... Still, BJ Novak, who's face time was just as short playing a snarky state attorney, will always be Ryan The Temp from “The Office.”

And one more thing? Note to self: Find the Pretenders debut album and get a Jackson Browne record ...

Good reads ...

3.29.2007

Yankees Lose World Series

An oldie but a goodie I recently stumbled across from The Onion ...

Here's hoping they don't even make the playoffs this year ...

Yankees Lose World Series

The Onion

Yankees Lose World Series

NEW YORK (Oct. 27)-Many baseball fans were disappointed Wednesday when the New York Yankees, 26-time world champions and the highest-paid team in baseball, did not win the 2004 World Series.

Head Trip

... My buddy Chris sent me this story from the Times about Adam Greenberg, the Cubs rookie who was beaned in the head a couple years ago in his only Major League at bat ...

Chris was curious why he didn't find it posted on here, so I said I would post it in his honor.

He was right. It's a good read.

... And being the serious Cub fan I am, I too winced at the notion of the Cubs higher-ups not treating their players fairly ...

3.28.2007

Al Franken is a smart man

It's always fun and fascinating to watch Al Franken on late night TV. Man, he could do some serious good for Minnesota and the country in a Senate seat ...

Some of outtakes from his appearance on Letterman last night

... “Republicans run for office saying that the government doesn't work. Then they get elected and they prove it.”

... “One of the dumbest things that this President has said -- and that is a high bar -- is that if we abided by the Kyoto agreement, it would be ruinous to our economy. The opposite is true.”

... “Some people say that Minnesota is a windy state because the Dakotas blow and Wisconsin sucks.”

See ya Chris

Chris Sligh, we're gonna miss you.

... Tonight's Idol was a heartbreaker. The dude had arguably the steadiest, most polished voice of any of the male performers. He also had a lot of smarts when it came to choosing songs -- his takes on Mute Math's "Typical" and Ray Lamontagne's "Trouble" were two of my favorites of the season -- and when he was on, his voice soared ...

Then again, his Coldplay-like spin on "Endless Love" could've done him in. And like I said, his performance last night was a disaster.

And one more thing -- how, how, how! was Phil Stacey in the bottom three!?

3.27.2007

Idol chatter

I have yet to actually call in a vote for American Idol

But if I did vote for tonight’s show, sad to say, I’d have to vote against my boy Chris Sligh. A week ago, I never thought I’d be saying that, but his version of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” -- one of my all-time favorites -- was treacherous from top to bottom. Dude, you gotta stay with the beat … If Chris gets voted off tomorrow night, I’d be OK with it.

And Sanjaya. Oh, Sanjaya. Singing Gwen Stefani’s “Bathwater” tonight, he did all right -- but I liked his Kinks song last week more. He’s still too timid … Still, no matter how bad that kid sings, he’s gonna get the votes for his hair -- especially after tonight … Holy mohawk, man.

Lakisha and Melinda -- with their disco songs -- remain steady on top, but their performances were hardly memorable …

Gina, however, was memorable. Her version of “I’ll Stand By You” was near perfect, I thought. And I was glad to see her finally get the kudos from the judges she deserves. She brought it tonight. I’m telling you, she’s a contender …

Haley messed with “True Colors” and it didn’t work. Jordin put some fresh life into “Hey Baby,” but it wasn’t enough (I hate that song). And Blake was all right on The Cure's “Love Song,” but the “best male performer” title bestowed on him tonight by the judges was more suitable for some of his previous performances -- not last night’s …

And here’s another statement I never thought I’d be making a week ago: Phil Stacey was the top performer of the night. His take on Sting’s “Every Breath You Take” was dead on, and I loved it. Take a cue people, don’t mess with the classics, just sing ‘em and you’ll be fine ...

3.26.2007

Cleaning up

80 degrees today.

(happy sigh.)

I beat it out of work as soon as I could and came home for some time in the great outdoors (I ended up cleaning my car and the garage …), while Kates sat on the porch to do some reading.

… Later, I plugged in our vacuum to clean all the dirt and mud I’d tracked inside. I got a few swipes of the floor and then -- the vacuum died.

It was about time, I thought. I’d gotten the thing in college, and my roommate and I used and abused the thing in our slummy apartment. It had survived four more moves since then, sucking up the dirt and grime in several more apartments and just as much crud from all the restoration projects in our home …

The final blow was a couple months ago when I fell down a flight of stairs with it. I’m probably lucky to be standing, but the vacuum wasn’t so lucky -- I broke off part of the base and the thing no longer stands on its own.

… So when I lost power with the old vacuum tonight, I told Kates it was time.

Off we went on a search for a new vacuum, and we came home with a Hoover Empower. Sleek design. It weighs just 15.5 lbs. It has a multitude of attachments. It’s oh so easy to handle. And it’s grey and green.

… To celebrate the new vacuum (and the weather), we stopped at DQ on the way home for our first Moo-Lates of the year. Moments later we were at home, opening the box and pulling out the vacuum.

Bliss. Vacuuming never felt so fun. Man, the thing has some pull on it too! It’s like walking a zealous dog -- if you don’t hold on, you’ll lose it.

So I went downstairs to finish cleaning the mess I was working on when our old vacuum died. I plugged in the new vacuum.

No power.

Hmm. Interesting. I knew exactly what the problem was.

I went to the circuit breaker box, spotted the tripped switch and flipped it back. Then I went back to the vacuum, tried it again -- it worked. Back up the stairs to where Kates was reading.

“Hey, funny story. You’re going to love this one …”

It’s OK. We needed the new vacuum.

TV check

When it comes to American Idol, I’ve been telling people this for weeks, and I’ll say it once more -- For the girls, I’ll take Lakisha, Melinda and Gina all the way to the end, and I’ll take Blake Lewis and Chris Sligh for the boys. And even if they aren’t finalists, all three of those girls should have recording contracts wrapped up …

And before this week, I would have been begging voters to get Sanjaya off the stage (How he’s still in it, I’ll never understand), but his Kinks performance wasn’t have bad …(Seriously. Who the heck was that crying girl!?!?) … Sanjaya finally brought the umph that made him seem like a true contender during his original audition …

As for the rest of the contenders, Haley’s “Tell Him” was good, but she didn’t sell it … Chris Richardson singing “Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying” was smooth, but the fact he doesn’t enunciate his words drives Kates and I crazy … Phil’s “Tobacco Road” rocked, but I seriously doubt he’s the next American Idol …

The dark horse of the night was Jordin Sparks singing “I (Who Have Nothing).” She just sang, which is all you need to do in this competition. She played herself. She didn’t overdo it. Her pacing was perfect. She hit the notes. She performed beautifully.

And that leaves Stephanie Edwards who was voted off and deservedly so. She sang “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me,” a beautiful song … and then she had to go and Beyonce-fy it. Yuck. She ruined the song’s perfect melodies with all her runs.

A good read: ‘American Idol’ has begun its decline

* * *

Tell you what -- You promise to start watching The Class, and I'll try watching that other so-called endangered show titled Friday Night Lights. Deal?

Seriously people. It's the most underrated, under-appreciated sitcom on TV right now. Which is too bad because it has all the makings of a Friends-esque blockbuster. After all, James Burrows (Hello! -- Cheers, Friends, Will & Grace, Frasier) and David Crane (Hello! -- Friends) are behind it. What more cred do you need!?

The lowdown? The Class is a cast of characters who went through the second grade together, lost touch and were reunited as a bunch of twenty-somethings when Ethan Haas, played by Jason Ritter, invited all of them to a surprise birthday party for his longtime girlfriend, who actually dumped him at the party. Now Ethan is left scratching his way back into dating along with newfound pals like twin sisters Kat and Lina Warbler, Richie, Duncan and Nicole ...

Ritter, whose comedic abilities so closely resemble his father's chops, and Lizzy Caplan, who plays the sassy and sarcastic Kat, are a match made in sitcom heaven, and they're both on their way to becoming breakout stars. And Jesse Tyler Ferguson, as the clutzy, dopey, puppy-like Richie, isn't far behind. Often, his hard luck and deadpanned punchlines are the icing on the show ...

The sweet dynamic is rounded out by the storylines of gay school teacher Kyle (Sean Maguire), the budding romance between Duncan (Jon Bernthal) and Nicole (Andrea Anders, who deserves to work on a good show after the train wreck that was Joey), Nicole's hollow-headed husband and football legend Yonk Allen (David Keith), and Lina (Heather Goldenhersh) who is relentlessly optimistic while falling for Richie ...

It's a darn good show full of smart comedy, lovable and relatable characters, and some sweet, sweet moments. The big wigs at CBS would be fools to expel The Class ...

* * *

I think my fascination and lust for Amazing Race has come to an end. I couldn't care less about any of these so-called All-Stars traveling the globe right now and I've been beyond bored ...

And this season's Survivor cast is nowhere near as cool as the last season's. Then again, I'm doubting any future Survivor cast will top last year's group...

I'll stick with Survivor, but I'm officially done watching Amazing Race ...

* * *

So NBC's little stunt allowing America to pick the leads of a Broadway musical ended last night ...

Somehow, I stuck with it for every episode. I think I was the last one watching tonight ...

I couldn't have been happier seeing Laura win the part of Sandy. Yeah, yeah, so I said at the beginning that Ashley Spencer was my girl. But when it came down to it, Ashley had the look but she couldn't equal the talent Laura brought. As the weeks went by Ashley seemed to be only going through the motions; the last couple weeks she seemed robotic. Laura took her place the night she belted out "Jesus Christ Superstar" and never looked back ...

As for the Dannys, I was never very high on any of them. In fact, pretty boy Austin was in the basement of my list. For me, he was the Sanjaya of the Grease try-outs -- week after week, I didn't understand how he was surviving. Thank goodness, scrawny Max grew as a performer and came on strong to win the thing ... Sure, he doesn't have the Danny physique, but I'm pretty sure Kathleen Marshall can get him in on a weight training program to help him bulk up ...

* * *

I think I'm with a good majority of Lost and Grey's Anatomy fans when I say: Thank god they've got their mojo back ...

Finally, Lost has been consistently good -- the way it was during its first season -- since it got off its whole let's-treat-Kate-Sawyer-and-Jack-like-zoo-animals storyline and the show returned from its mid-season hiatus a couple weeks ago ...

And Grey's is moving on from its latest cheese-fest that was Meredith's drowning ...

Just keep it real people.

3.25.2007

Count me out

Another great day …

Another bad night of basketball …

… Kates and I arrived home from church this morning, had omelets for lunch and then I looked at the temperature gauge -- 80 degrees.

Are you kidding me!?

I was outside faster then … well … whatever you’d say when it’s 80 degrees and sunny outside and you’ve spent the last three months holed up in your house, enduring mounds of dirty snow and arctic-like temperatures.

I cleaned our gutters. I trimmed bushes. And I took out a stump leftover from a tree we cut down last fall. I was in holy jeans and a T-shirt. I was getting grubby and loving it.

Then I came in and caught the Carolina-Georgetown game. Woeful.

… Not only did I have Carolina going to the championship game in my bracket, but I’m loyal to Roy Williams and I’ve become a big Tyler Hansbrough fan this season …

But the Tar Heels healthy second half lead evaporated in what seemed like the blink of en eye. They had a chance to win it as regulation ended. Oh, they’ll get ‘em in overtime, I figured. Then they didn’t make a basket in the OT until there were seven seconds left and Georgetown was on the verge of winning a surprising blowout.

Ugh.

So the rest of my bracket goes like this: With Texas A& M being wiped out the other night and now UNC done today, I’m out in the East and South regions. I did pick UCLA to beat Kansas in the West Regional finale, and I had Florida beating Wisconsin in the Midwest Regional final, but Florida beating Oregon worked just as well. Then all I have to do is hope Florida goes the rest of the way (although I think I’ll be rooting for UCLA in my heart …).

Here's to next year for the Tar Heels ...

Sunday reading

Good reads ...

a The Illinois senator lends himself to white America's idealized, less-than-realblack man

a Obama leads the YouTube vote

a Baseball not just about haves and have-nots

a Elite Corps Renders Opinions On Thousands Of Items For Mega Website

a For Toe Reader, Our Feet Are Windows To Our Emotional Well-Being

a Cut-and-Paste Is a Skill, Too

a Sure, she's famous, but do we really need Paris Hilton news?

a No mystery why he's at the heart of 'Lost'

a Smile! You're on YouTubeEdwards may lose race by a hair

Rock chalk blah, blah, blah

It had all the makings of a great Saturday night. I had a great day. Bought Ben Folds tickets. Had a good eye appointment. Watched this afternoon’s basketball game. Talked to my buddy T-Money. Took some batting practice …

And last night Kates and I joined some of my cohorts for a community trivia night. With all of our collective knowledge about pop culture, music, entertainment, current events and all things trivia, we’d been pumped to win it all week long … and we did, beating the other 10 teams, albeit by one point. We got 67 of a possible 75 points. Our prize was a gift certificate to Famous Dave’s -- hey, free meal!

Then, Kates and I headed home, me being hopeful for a Jayhawk birth in the Final Four. After all, they’d played so well throughout the tournament …

By the time we got home at almost 9, the game had ended, but thank goodness for DVR, I say …

Or not.

The Hawks didn’t look great in the first half, but I was having a good feeling that they’d put it together …

Then the second half …

Ugh…

It was a disaster that literally was painful to watch. No one in a Kansas jersey could hold onto the ball. They repeatedly dribbled into traffic like the UCLA players were wearing magnets. And when they did control the ball into the lane, they couldn’t hit from a foot away … Meanwhile, the Bruins were throwing up junk, and making their shots …

Let’s just say the couch cushion beside me took quite a beating. At times I was curled up in the fetal position. And when the game ended I was practically laid across our coffee table and covering my eyes … (I live and die watching the Jayhawks. A few years ago, when one of my favorite Kansas teams of all-time -- ah, the good ol’ Roy years -- couldn’t get past Syracuse for the championship, I ended up wrapped in a blanket from head to toe so that only my eyes were visible and part of the blanket was stuck in my mouth for chewing …)

I was telling people today that I was in mourning over the loss …

Thanks to Peyton Manning and the cast of SNL for easing my pain a little bit though … Last night’s SNL was one of the best of the season …

I give you two of the best, most HA-larious skits of the night ...



And this one -- I'm not sure what's funnier, Peyton's dancing or Bill Hader and the crew hiding their laughter in the background ...

3.24.2007

Bookin' for summer

Kates and I booked our first date for Summerfest date this morning ...

It was a no-brainer, really. July 3. Marcus Amphitheater. Ben Folds. John Mayer. And some guy named Brett Dennen.

Through my teens and before growing into such a connoisseur of concerts, I used to have a rule about paying no more than like $30 for a concert. Then that figure was pushed to $40 ... Yeah, that rule has gone waaaaaay by the wayside in the last year or two ...

Tickets for this show were $65.50 or $55.50 under the overhang, $43 for bleachers or $30.50 for lawn seating ... As content as I would have been with a lawn seat, I had to think about how important it was to have an enjoyable time at this show. Bleacher seats would be uncomfortable and there's always a chance of rain on at least a couple days of Summerfest. We've been caught in that situation a couple times and I would hate to be caught with a lawn seat at the Marcus on a stormy night ...

And I had to consider all of this in the three or so minutes Ticketmaster gives you to decipher those obscure security codes, punch in your mailing information and complete your purchase...

Oh, and don't even get me started on those stuuuuuupid, exorbitant, inconvenient convenience fees ... This time I even got charged for a building fee. A building fee?! I'm not building anything! The building is built!

The final total for two tickets? $132.30.

Ugh.

But when you adore Ben's music as much as I do, you just do it ...

When I broke the news to Kates about the final total this morning, she smiled and said simply, "Good thing I love you ... "

Candyman!

... Also going through my regular Saturday morning routine of catching the VH1 countdown. I've missed the last couple weeks, so excuse me if I'm a little behind, but I just saw Christina Aguilera's new Candyman video for the first time ...

Holy cow, it's amazing!! Great song!! Colorfully shot! ... and it's so fun to watch the multiple personalities of Christina ...

Rock chalk Jayhawk!!

Reading the Saturday morning paper and just caught this good read ...

Go KU.

... UCLA’s meeting with Kansas is years in the making

3.22.2007

Bracket bursting

Double dang.

Now I've lost Tennessee too.

My South Region was perfect until tonight.

Good Lord, Tennessee was up by 20 in the first half. Oden was racking up fouls. And I thought I was golden.

Now here I am ready to cry. I wanted that Tennessee win even more than the earlier Texas A&M game ... I've been pacing in front of the TV for the last half hour, first watching Ohio State completely erase the deficit and then swapping leads with the Vols as the minutes ran down ... Oden wasn't worth a dime all night and then he waves his gigantor arm and blocks what should have been Tennessee's winning basket.

Ugh.

I'm going to bed.

Bracket busting

Dang.

I just lost the first Final Four team from my bracket.

Dang.

I needed that one.

... Memphis just beat Texas A&M in a game that the Aggies should've had. They had the chances down the stretch, but they couldn't make the free throws when they needed, they couldn't convert the easy shots when they needed, they definitely couldn't pull down the rebounds when they needed ... and, yeah, well, they got screwed on the final two seconds when the referees took waaaaaaaay too long to review that botched inbound pass and then knocked nearly a whole second off the clock ...

But hey! The Jayhawks won!

... barely.

Again.

I told Kates tonight that if they won this one, I might start believing in them.

Cautiously.

... So is this my Thursday night. Kates is upstairs watching Grey's Anatomy, while I'm here in my cavernous basement den, just finished chomping a salad for supper and I'm screaming at the basketball games on my TV until my voice cracks ...

Now I have Tennessee and UCLA to root for.

3.21.2007

Grinning in the rain

As I drove home from work tonight, I grinned all the way ...

We got our first big thunderstorm. Crash. Boom. Bang.

The rain was coming down like rocks. Drops the size of marbles pelting my little green machine.

And there I was gliding down the road like I was the only person on it. Smiling, listening to my radio and having a good time.

(Well, ok, I wasn't driving like I was the only person on the road. There is a certain amount of trepidation driving in a hard rain. To be sure, I did have both hands on the wheel as I fought to keep control of my car on the flooded street.)

But as I began the turn into our driveway and saw my life flash in front of me. A blinding flash of lightning struck in front of me and then an ear-numbing burst of thunder. I thought for sure the strike had hit the giant pine tree in our front yard, but saw no damage. Whoah.

And no sooner had I parked in the garage, another one. Now, I could see our neighbors looking out their doors and windows for damage. It was crazy ...

Not such a fun storm anymore, perhaps. But at least its another sign of spring ...

3.20.2007

The list

Kates and I were joking this past weekend with Orrin and Kelly about "our lists" -- the stuff we say we're going to do this summer or next year, even though there's not nearly enough money in our bank accounts or vacation days from our jobs to actually do any of it ...

... We really want to go to Europe.
... and San Francisco.
... and we want to go on a cruise.
... and I want to take Kates to Washington, D.C.
... and we want to go to Boston; I want to go to Fenway.
... and we want to ride a train across the country.
... and we both want to go back to New York.

And all of that is in addition to wanting new carpet in our basement.
... and new windows.
... and landscaping.
... and new siding.
... and maybe adding a second level.

Now we can add this one to the list too.

Seen and heard

As I write this I’m drinking my first-ever Red Bull, part of a promotional package we received today for a new movie …

I’m not liking it much.

I feel like I’m licking from a giant pile of raspberry-flavored sugar.

* * *

There’s been a lot of talk around our office the last few days about “first albums.”

I love nostalgia.

It started with a conversation last week on the subject -- I think when Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy” came on a music player I was playing.

My friend Liz mentioned that she liked the song, and I said Gin Blossoms’ New Miserable Experience was the first CD I ever bought. It was after a summer of watching a lot of VH1 and MTV (back when they actually aired music videos) and learning to love one of the songs on that album, “Until I Fall Away.” That fall, I began a job sacking groceries at one of the local stores, and my savings plan to buy my first CD player was in full swing. But in fact, I started buying CDs even before I had the CD player. New Miserable Experience was the first, and I had to borrow my little brother’s CD player to listen to it. (He got his a few months earlier, and I believe his first CD was the Spin Doctors: Pocket Full of Kryptonite…) … By February, however, I finally had saved enough money to buy a CD player. I remember vividly the night Dad and I went to a Best Buy to pick it out. A Sony six disc-changer, with detachable speakers, AM/FM stereo and a cassette deck. I paid a whopping $240 for it, and would probably pay barely $100 for it today … Nevertheless, that CD stereo, now 13 years old, is still going strong, although the cassette deck squeaks like crazy …

That Gin Blossoms album sounds even better to me know than it did 10 years ago, with thanks to my Summerfest experience ...

All this, and Liz, who’s a master of writing witty, quirky columns, is now working on a column about our staff’s first albums …

Others to come up in the now week-long conversation …

Those of us who grew up in the cassette/CD era recalled buying stuff like Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits, the Cocktail Soundtrack, Paula Abdul and Hole's Live Through This

The stories from my more experienced cohorts -- the ones who are old enough to have bought their first albums on vinyl -- were more exciting, of course. They relayed memories of rushing to the grand openings of retail stores that don’t even exist in this town anymore to buy stuff like John Denver’s Greatest Hits, The Beach Boys: Endless Summer, Boston, the Rolling Stones, Dave Clark Five and The Beatles. Liz said she remembered saving enough money and going to a Topps store to buy the Partridge Family as her first …

Fun stuff.

* * *

I’ve now finished my first can of Red Bull. And probably my last. It’s not worth buying …

* * *

My industrious cousin made the newspaper ...

Any kid would be lucky to have him as an art teacher.

* * *

With the Olympic committee in town a couple weeks ago, the excitement and anticipation is building around here for Chicago’s 2016 Olympic bid

Man, it would be sweet if Chicago swung it … You'd better believe they deserve it -- and they could pull it off. But I’m bias.

So when the notion of Chicago hosting the Olympics came up the other day in our office, one of our guys quipped, “2016 -- that’s right about the time Barack Obama will be finishing his presidency.”

Yep. The excitement and anticipation is building.

* * *

How would you like to be this guy: Man flies first class seated near corpse

* * *

… Yesterday I came back to the office with a police report about a man who came home to find another man passed out on a mattress in his basement. Police eventually came to wake the guy, who was drunk, and he was arrested for trespassing …

When I returned to our office and told my cohorts, out came the stories of some of our drunk encounters …

One of the stories: A man decided he’d had enough to drink and announced to the room of party-goers that he was going home. But instead of grabbing his coat and leaving through the front door, he walks up the stairs and crashes in the host’s daughter’s bedroom … the next morning the guy woke up, went to the kitchen to make his breakfast and realized he wasn’t in his own home.

The image of this guy in my mind was so vivid and hilarious, I couldn’t stop laughing.

3.19.2007

The good life


Temperatures hit the 70s today. The sun was shining. I raced out of the office as soon as I could to come home and work in the yard. And for supper, Kates and I threw a few hamburgers on the grill.

It’s a new week. Spring officially arrives on Wednesday, and we’re fresh off a weekend that saw us having some fun on the road and spending more quality time …

We spent Saturday in Point with Orrin and Kelly, checking out Orrin’s sweet new apartment, eating lunch at a cozy sandwich place and taking advantage of the brisk weather with a stroll on the river walk. Then on Saturday night, I got to have some playtime with my favorite dog, Chloe, in between catching another good dose of March Madness. And on Sunday, it was all about Parker, as the family gathered to watch him star in the church musical and have a lasagna lunch in his honor …

… The only blemish on the weekend was listening to Wisconsin lose to UNLV-- a game they had in their grips -- on the radio during the ride home …

For the sake of my bracket, I also was sad to see Texas, Washington State and Maryland get booted this weekend. Then again, none of that matter, after riding the highs and lows of so many close, close games …

And if Kansas continues to run as well as they did against Niagara on Friday night and then Kentucky last night, I’ll be one happy man.

And I’m already a happy man.

NCAA reads ...
a NCAA Tournament From A to Z
a Maybe this time around KU's Self won't be denied

3.18.2007

Sunday reading

Some good reads from the last few weeks ...

Entertainment ...
a It’s hard work to become a Blue Man
a Mr. Television: Familysomething ... I stumbled across this one while searching for this story about Calista Flockhart.
a Heather Graham: Fun Is Her Middle Name
a 'Grease' is the word
a A bigger share of the couch: The late shift is starting to pay off for talk-show host Jimmy Kimmel. If not, Costco is calling
a With New Quiz Shows, 'Boob Tube' Earns Its Name

Media ...
a ABC News nipping at NBC's heels
a Big Profits in Small Packages: Little Newspapers Prosper With Narrow Focus on Very Local News
a Jailed Man Is A Videographer And a Blogger but Is He a Journalist?
a It's a new platform for comedy: For aspiring performers, Internet video sites are the new club circuit.

Sports ...
a Bush, Mantle Show Up on Derek Jeter Baseball Card
a Struggling Blackhawks losing games, fans

Music ...
a Piracy isn’t the only enemy
a Radio Stations and the Promotional Game: A Fatal Attraction
a Rougher around the edges: Jones sought a less refined feel for her latest album, "Not Too Late."
a Anniversary revives dark memories on Penny Lane

Everything else ...
a A Chip Off the Old Pringle? Not Exactly.
a Diaper Demographic: TV, Video Programming for the Under-2 Market Grows Despite Lack of Clear Educational Benefit
a Students Say Locker Size Is Cramping Their Style

3.15.2007

March Madness ... ouch!

... I think I nearly broke my hand slamming it repeatedly on the floor as Xavier fought off BYU in the final seconds of their game.

I was cheering for Xavier.

March Madness

Ah, March.

I live for this time of the year. Some the greatest sporting moments you’ll ever know are created, and I get to participate in one of coolest, quirkiest and most fun office pools in the land …

Each year, we can count on one of my editors, Dave, to organize the pool and have a bracket on each of our desks the morning after the selection show. The entry fee is always an economical $2, and almost anyone and anything is eligible to enter. We welcome everyone in our office, plus family, friends, even pets -- although, to date, no pet has won the pool. (In past years, I’ve entered our hermit crabs, but the last of them died off last year. This year I wanted to enter my brother’s dog, but he never replied to my email. I’ll have to get a pet by next year …) Some of my cohorts, with all their kids and pets, turn in six, seven, eight brackets.

After each round, Dave distributes newsletter-like updates that celebrate entrants who correctly picked the upsets and chastise those doing poorly, along with other interesting facts and figures. And the winner always receives the traveling Dick Vitale trophy -- an action figure with a cutout of Dick Vitale’s face attached …

So my mom, the basketball-watching queen she is, has entered the pool for the third year. In fact, we watched the selection show together on Sunday night, and she had her bracket filled out and turned over within 10 minutes …

I should’ve filled in my bracket on Sunday night, too. The analysis and my picks were fresh in my mind. But I put it off, got sidetracked by work and other things this week, and suddenly I was cramming to turn in a decent bracket by 11 a.m. this morning …

And somehow it was a lot tougher this year than I’d remembered of years past. The standouts are clear -- North Carolina, Georgetown, Texas, Ohio State, UCLA, Kansas, Wisconsin and Florida -- even though I think half of those teams are sorely overrated (They’re ranked as high as they are partly because the rest of the field isn’t as competitive as years past … hello, Duke? And the lack of a Connecticut or Syracuse?)

I needed some help to figure out some of the other matchups and try picking the upsets -- Old Dominion/Butler, Maryland/Davidson, Louisville/Stanford, Nevada/Creighton … So I turned to the experts on CBS Sportsline and ESPN for some comparison. I couldn’t believe so many of the so-called experts had picked Davidson over Maryland … and Stanford over Louisville!? Seriously!? I did lean with them, however, on Old Dominion beating Butler and Nevada beating Creighton …

And eventually I began penning in my Final Four: Florida, UCLA, North Carolina and Texas A&M. There you have it … Kansas, Ohio State and even Florida, are three of those teams I think are sorely overrated. Heck, I looooooooove my Jayhawks and I‘ll be one of the happiest guys in this world if they win it all, but they’ve written the book on choking in the tournament. See last year -- not to mention the countless big leads they’ve blown this season, and I rest my case. Ohio State: They’ve got One Man Oden and it’s only a matter of time before somebody finds a way to shut him down (I say it’s going to be Bruce Pearl and Tennessee). And Florida, well, it’s hard enough to repeat, but they’ll get into the Final Four thanks to playing in an easy region …

I did get my bracket in on time, and even made a quick call to Mom to get her pick for the tie-breaker (How many points will Alando Tucker score?)

… And at 11, the TVs were turned on. For lunch, a few of us hit Charcoal Grill and managed to catch the ends of the Maryland/Davidson game (Maryland won, proving a surprising number of experts -- not me -- who picked Davidson wrong) and Texas Tech’s heartbreaking (for my bracket at least) loss in the closing minutes …But as the afternoon went on, most of the higher seeds were winning handily. And when the games started again at 6, the Marquette/Michigan State game -- as I’d predicted -- got out of hand in a hurry with the Spartans taking it …

Ah, but here’s another reason to love living between two major media markets. While the Milwaukee affiliate was dead-set on showing its hometown team -- even while they were getting crushed -- the Chicago station was showing the type of game we’d been waiting to see all day …

The kind of game that was close all the way through. The kind of game that had you nearly breathless at the end. No. 6 Duke vs. No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth … Now, for me, this was one of the games in my bracket that was a no-brainer. Duke hasn’t completed the job all year long. They’re young, inexperienced. And at times I wondered if they deserved to be in the tournament. So without much thinking, I stuck Virginia in the next round …

And I was right. Never have I cheered so hard against Duke (that cocky point guard Greg Paulus and the couple times he tried to instigate a fight with Maynor only made it easier to root against the Blue Devils) ... Duke tied the game at 77 with an easy layup and 10 second left, but VCU’s Eric Maynor dribbled down the court, unfazed, pulled up and swished the winning bucket with barely a second on the clock. It was beautiful. And I let out one of my signature jump-so-high-you-hit-your-head-on-the-ceiling-and-shout-so-loud-you-nearly-blow-off-the-roof cheers.

Ah, March.

3.13.2007

SPRING had SPRUNG!

My apologies. There hasn’t been a lot of activity on this blog the last week or so. For good reason …

I had, oh, a not-so-great five days of work last week. And when I walked in the door at night, all my efforts were concentrated on our ongoing bathroom renovation and other chores around the house. And to incite me more, we were still getting snow on top of the piles of white stuff (or should I stay black, trash-filled stuff ) already covering our lawns and roads …

Ah, what a difference a weekend makes.

Mom and Pops spent the weekend catching up with Kates and I and helping us around the house. Dad and I installed our new sink in the bathroom. Mom made a splendid chilli for supper. And we watched A LOT of basketball. March Madness is here baby.

The doldrums of winter have finally lifted, and by the time Sunday night arrived, clocks reset and all, I sighed to Kates at one point, “I finally feel like I’m in a good place …”

The last drop of snow melted from our yard yesterday and I drove to work this morning under a bright sunny sky. Windows were rolled down. My new Shins CD playing on the car stereo …

And I was soaking in the knowledge that I would be coming home tonight to work in my yard, the NCAA Tournament starts Thursday, Opening Day will be here in 19 days, and Summerfest -- the 40th Anniversary edition -- which is 107 days away, is bringing back Ben Folds for a July 3 performance with John Mayer. (Kates called me this morning after hearing the announcement on the radio during her drive to work; it was a great moment).

Yep, the weather report today was 73 degrees and sunny in Chicago. Very sunny.

(Don't tell me about the forecast for the rest of the week. I know, I know ... Just let me bask in today ...)

3.08.2007

Onion reads

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

The Onion

Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product

SAN FRANCISCO—Apple claims the iLaunch can garner the same amount of press attention as a major scientific discovery, high court ruling, celebrity meltdown, or natural disaster at 200 times the speed of a traditional media-fostered launch.



The Onion

'No Bunting' Rule Somehow Finds Way Into Updated MLB Rulebook

MILWAUKEE—The MLB Rules Committee announced the addition of a controversial new "no bunting" provision in the MLB rulebook Tuesday,...

3.04.2007

There goes the weekend

Remember the bathroom I was griping about redoing …

Yeah, I got a little sidetracked by battling near-death and, of course, vying for Cubs tickets and catching up on TV -- but the renovation is still on.

Kates and I finally picked a wall color today. Oh, the arguing … With the white trim and paneling settled long ago, I was pushing for a deep red or a chocolate brown on the walls. Kates wanted a lime green or a light blue. I thought my colors were warm and inviting; she claimed they were too dark. I thought her colors were cold and depressing; she disagreed. But I gave into a light blue. And today we went shopping -- with five different sample shades of blue -- for a shower curtain to pull it all together …

The first stop was Target. We found a quality curtain with vertical stripes in blues and greens and white. It went great with a couple of the blue samples we had … I wanted it, Kates wasn’t convinced.

So we went to Kohls. We spotted another quality curtain, very similar to the one we saw at Target, except the vertical stripes were thinner. And it was cheaper … I liked it, Kates still wasn’t convinced.

Pier I and Lowe’s didn't have it either. We’d been out for nearly two hours now, and I was fading fast.

But I aim to please. So I begrudgingly drove us to the shopping center in the next city 20 miles north. We stopped first at Bed, Bath & Beyond. And after passing by a few curtains, Kates suddenly pitched the idea of a chocolate brown curtain. “I could go for that,” I said.

A few more curtains and we found it. Thick brown stripes, contrasted with thinner blues and greens and white stripes. It was perfect. With that, we locked in our wall color: Blue Pearl. And we even got a piece of contemporary artwork to match it.

The paint goes on this week. I’ll let you know how it all works out …

* * *

Kates and I went to see a college production on Friday night of “Cabaret” …

Neither of us had seen it before, but it’s supposed to be a really lively, great show, right? Plus, we’ve always heard good things about the shows this college puts on …

The set was spectacular. As good as Broadway.

But the music and singing was oh so flat. The acting was so-so. Overall, it wasn’t much better than a high school performance…

Good thing the tickets were free. It wasn’t worth the $32 we would’ve paid otherwise …

And that’s all I have to say about that.

* * *

Watched the Wisconsin game yesterday

And I didn’t fall asleep! Woo hoo!

Kammron Taylor (our Chris Rock look-alike … what a shot! When he put it up, I was thinking “dude, what’re you thinking!?! All we need is an easy two!” And then he nails the three!!!) is the man …

And Kansas squeaked out their game against Texas

I’m feeling the madness, baby!

3.01.2007

What's goin' on!?

Dear Mother Nature,

The forecasters told us last night you were sending more snow, but instead this morning you woke me up with your crashing thunder and you nearly blinded me with your lightning. Actually, I was thrilled that you sent a thunderstorm our way; I thought perhaps you had finally settled on washing away the snow for spring.

But 45 minutes later, you changed your mind again and sent us more snow. And lots of cold winds. You made the roads a slush pie and turned one of our college campuses into a swamp.

I hope you bring spring soon. I'm not sure my back can take anymore shoveling.

Yours truly,
Horns

P.S. If you could drop a snowblower on our driveway with all that snow, that'd be great.