This is a topic that hits close to home for me. For the past 14 years I have worked building computer system that run and automate radio stations. During that time I have enjoyed the fact that a majority of the radio stations across the United States I have had a direct hand in building the system that puts their audio on the air and that their talent uses to create what everyone hears. In that time I have also seen a lot of developments and challenges that have come up for radio and I have heard it asked, and for very good reasons, "is Radio a thing of the past?"
I wouldn't say that it is dead, but I would say that there are plenty of new challenges that radio is facing that weren't there in the past. These challenges can threaten the future of radio, though local stations are always likely to be in some demand for local programming, news, and information needs. However with new options available to everyday people radio might have to adapt to remain strong.
Today portable music players dominate the landscape. People don't have to tune in anymore to get their listening needs met but instead can put whatever they want onto MP3 players, their phone, or a number of other items. For those listening in the car or home there are options other than radio now as well. Beyond CD players which were available in the form of tape players in 8-tracks, now there are satellite radios for your home or car which allow you to not be limited to just a couple of local choices but have hundreds of options from several genres. Then add in Internet radio and streams such as Pandora and the need for radio lessens even more still.
HD radio can help in the fight against these new technologies by offering new options radio listeners but it isn't the final answer either. The listener is still limited by geographic to what they can listen to and are limited by the same geographical limits to where they can listen to those stations, something not true with satellite or MP3 players.
Radio still has its place for "local" needs, but the niche that radio had carved out is now being filled with other things today and radio may need to re-invent itself to remain truly competitive and viable.
The Random thoughts of an Avalanche fan in Nebraska...
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
On the Ice - Wanting to Return
It has been a couple of years now since I have last played hockey and man do I miss it. I first got started playing when a co-worker and friend moved from my hometown to a city a couple hours away and began playing. It wasn't hard for him to convince me to start as well. That for me however meant a two hour drive each direction and often on days where I worked that day and would have to again the next morning. It was also through the winter that I would have to drive and often that meant on snowy or even icy interstates and I did have one accident in all that driving that totalled my car and luckily nothing else. Needless to say those things eventually led to me not being able to continue playing. I have always wanted to return to the ice though, either moving closer to a rink or beginning that legthy and sometimes dangerous drive again.
Why would I want to start driving 4 hours a night on game nights again though, or why would I be willing to move closer to a city with a rink just to play one might ask. Well, here are some of my reasons...
Why would I want to start driving 4 hours a night on game nights again though, or why would I be willing to move closer to a city with a rink just to play one might ask. Well, here are some of my reasons...
- Stepping onto the ice: From the instant I step onto the ice it is like there is nothing else going on. Any stresses from work or life, any worries or problems ... they don't pass the boards. On the ice it is just me, the other players, and the game. Life is simple and fun.
- Stepping onto the ice part 2: There is something about stepping onto a clean sheet of ice, making the first cuts ... the sound, the feel ... and the air when you first get out there is cool and refreshing.
- The Sounds of the Game: There are a number of sounds during a game which I enjoy. From the sound of a puck hitting a stick to the on-ice communication between teammates to the ping of a puck fired off of a post ... the sounds that actually are occuring during play are lost on those that have never seen a game live or played...
- The physical play: Even though our league was a "non-contact" league (and probably a good thing for someone who was new to it like I was), there was still a good amount of contact in little battles for the puck or when fighting for position in front of the net. Being in these physical battles is very fun.
- Being part of the team: There is no question that there are people who take it too seriously, and there are ice-hogs that always want to be on the ice and don't rotate off as much as they should ... but there are also those "veteran" guys that are there offerring encouragement and advice and are true team players. I know I've been fortunate with getting some great teammates and some really good "veteran" types on my teams before. No matter how the team is made up though you are a team. There is no doubting the comradary that forms as you battle it out against your opponents week after week and the wins and losses come as a team, not as individuals.
- The bench: This probably sounds like an odd one ... and in a way it might be until you combine it with being part of a team. A lot happens on and from the bench, mostly rest between shifts and talk. When on the bench there is almost always talk going on ... whose up next, what someone saw from a previous shift, something to try, encouragement for your next shift and of course shouted encouragement to those on the ice. Even when on the bench the game is still very much going on for you.
- The lockerroom: Wether one team or both teams are in the locker room it is a place where everyone is relaxed and gathered preparing to play something that everyone is passionate about, or after the game a place where everyone is talking about the game that just happened, good and bad. It is a place where the outside world only exists in good ways and the game is just moments away or moments passed.
- The emotions of the game: There are so many emotions that go on during a game. Anticipation when you are getting ready to go. Excitement and joy as you're skating up the ice. Frustration when something goes wrong. Anger when a bad call is made. Disappointment when you fall behind. Joy when your team scores ... and an even greater joy when you are involved in that score. There are so many emotions that go on during a game that it is a bit like a roller coaster but in the end it is one that you are extremely glad you got on no matter how it turns out.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
NHL All-Star Game
I couldn't really think of a good title for this story and I think that is because I had a few different thoughts on what to write about ... the snubbed and the undeserving, those from the Avalanche that are having All-Star type seasons, and the problems with the game in general to name a few ... but in the end I'm just going to have one writing with elements of all of them combined.
*******
The NHL All-Star game and all the festivities included in that weekend is coming up this weekend, however I along with most hockey fans can't get too excited about this fact. Yes, many of us will probably still watch it but there are so many reasons why true hockey fans just aren't pleased with it that getting excited about it is nearly impossible.
Why have it in the middle of the season? That seems inherently wrong ... guys with fast starts become all-stars giving no weight to what they do the other half of the season. Sometimes those players continue to play at that level and sometimes it is just that, a hot start. But when would you play it? The season is already 82 games long before the playoffs and there are only a couple of months before the next grueling season starts. If you have it at the end of the season you'll have players that have just finished and players that haven't played in a couple months since the playoffs began ... but either way you're not far from the next season starting and that little rest they can get is important.
Another problem with having it in the middle of the season is that you're going to have guys not playing to nurse minor injuries, something that could happen at the end of the season as well but certainly happens in the regular season. A tweaked knee, sprained wrist ... whatever it is what better time to take a week off to rest it than the All-Star break. You see it every year where not only serious injuries but not so serious injuries are reasons to skip the game. Heck, you even saw a couple of Red Wings do it just for rest a couple years ago and yes they got fined but they still chose not to go. This year there are six players chosen to participate that won't be there and have had replacements named thus far.
Who goes is another problem. First the fan voting is a joke. Every fan can vote as much as they want basically and while a number of stars do get the votes you'll also see some of the best in the game below "fan favorites" from the bigger markets because of the voting. When a fourth line agitator from New York can get more votes than a point per game player just because of location and market, is it really the "all-stars" getting the votes??? Then there is the whole problem of "each team" having representatives. Each year players get left off that make no sense at all and there are others that make it that shouldn't. Take Zetterberg not being on the list and Elias being there as examples of this from this year's game. It also seems to be a bit of an "old boys club" at times with a tendency that if you have made it in years past your odds of making it again increase even if your performance isn't as good as someone that hasn't made it. Too many problems with how the players are selected ... and while I commend the league for trying to shake it up by naming captains and letting them pick their teams (an idea I like), they still need to improve the selection process as part of fixing the wrongs of the all-star game.
Another problem with the game itself is that it isn't as exciting as "real" hockey. There isn't hitting, there isn't defense really with teams just up and down the ice ... the intensity isn't there. Basically it's like they get on the ice and play a game of non-contact beer league hockey. It's like getting tacos but not getting the meat. You get the toppings but not what makes it what it is. The skills competition while interesting from the point that you get to find out who is the fastest or has the hardest shot is hardly exciting either.
All in all I'll still be watching as I am a hockey fan, but the game and the weekend as a whole need to be re-invented. I don't have the answers for what needs done to fix it, and if I did I would mention them here of course, but someone needs to fix it. For now though good luck to all participating. I'll be rooting for the "home team" boys Stastny, Duchene, and Shattenkirk and hope to see one of them take home team MVP honors...
*******
The NHL All-Star game and all the festivities included in that weekend is coming up this weekend, however I along with most hockey fans can't get too excited about this fact. Yes, many of us will probably still watch it but there are so many reasons why true hockey fans just aren't pleased with it that getting excited about it is nearly impossible.
Why have it in the middle of the season? That seems inherently wrong ... guys with fast starts become all-stars giving no weight to what they do the other half of the season. Sometimes those players continue to play at that level and sometimes it is just that, a hot start. But when would you play it? The season is already 82 games long before the playoffs and there are only a couple of months before the next grueling season starts. If you have it at the end of the season you'll have players that have just finished and players that haven't played in a couple months since the playoffs began ... but either way you're not far from the next season starting and that little rest they can get is important.
Another problem with having it in the middle of the season is that you're going to have guys not playing to nurse minor injuries, something that could happen at the end of the season as well but certainly happens in the regular season. A tweaked knee, sprained wrist ... whatever it is what better time to take a week off to rest it than the All-Star break. You see it every year where not only serious injuries but not so serious injuries are reasons to skip the game. Heck, you even saw a couple of Red Wings do it just for rest a couple years ago and yes they got fined but they still chose not to go. This year there are six players chosen to participate that won't be there and have had replacements named thus far.
Who goes is another problem. First the fan voting is a joke. Every fan can vote as much as they want basically and while a number of stars do get the votes you'll also see some of the best in the game below "fan favorites" from the bigger markets because of the voting. When a fourth line agitator from New York can get more votes than a point per game player just because of location and market, is it really the "all-stars" getting the votes??? Then there is the whole problem of "each team" having representatives. Each year players get left off that make no sense at all and there are others that make it that shouldn't. Take Zetterberg not being on the list and Elias being there as examples of this from this year's game. It also seems to be a bit of an "old boys club" at times with a tendency that if you have made it in years past your odds of making it again increase even if your performance isn't as good as someone that hasn't made it. Too many problems with how the players are selected ... and while I commend the league for trying to shake it up by naming captains and letting them pick their teams (an idea I like), they still need to improve the selection process as part of fixing the wrongs of the all-star game.
Another problem with the game itself is that it isn't as exciting as "real" hockey. There isn't hitting, there isn't defense really with teams just up and down the ice ... the intensity isn't there. Basically it's like they get on the ice and play a game of non-contact beer league hockey. It's like getting tacos but not getting the meat. You get the toppings but not what makes it what it is. The skills competition while interesting from the point that you get to find out who is the fastest or has the hardest shot is hardly exciting either.
All in all I'll still be watching as I am a hockey fan, but the game and the weekend as a whole need to be re-invented. I don't have the answers for what needs done to fix it, and if I did I would mention them here of course, but someone needs to fix it. For now though good luck to all participating. I'll be rooting for the "home team" boys Stastny, Duchene, and Shattenkirk and hope to see one of them take home team MVP honors...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Unemployment ... Much Ado About Little?
Ok, I don't want to say that it isn't an issue because any amount of unemployment is an issue to someone, somewhere ... but do we really have a grasp on the reality of unemployment? I hear plenty about how it is this huge issue, bigger than ever, and how the numbers are so high right now, and yes, they are high these past couple of years up to near 10% where it had been below 5% on average the previous 12 years. However this isn't the first time that it has jumped and in fact was at nearly 8% on average for a dozen years around a 12 year time frame in the early 80s with a couple of years in there near 10% as well.
The economy isn't as good as it was leading to some job loss. Everyone knows that. Over all though given the rate of population increase along with the improvements in technology being able to do certain jobs one could argue that it is a wonder that the jobless rate isn't higher.
Look at it this way, this past year the US population is said to be around 308,400,408 people. 30 years prior it was only 227,224,681 ... 80 MILLION people less. Now consider that the average jobless rate close to the same as it was back then so yes, there are another 4 million or so jobless (ok, that number isn't completely accurate as it doesn't figure in children ... but for now lets ignore that) but there are also another 76 million jobs.
If at this point you're wondering what the child factor might be and wanting to discredit what I just said, I'll admit I can't tell you the part of that population that is children or retired people as I don't know what portion of that 80 million is just that, but lets assume 1/4 of that number is children or retirees. That still makes 3 million more jobless compared to 57 million new jobs. The unemployment rate is a percentage and not a flat number and thus will still come out with the same ratio of jobless to new jobs. And yes, my figures are on a 5% rate but even at a 10% rate 9 new jobs for every one person that can't find a job is still a lot of new jobs.
That is a ton of jobs in that time, and yes a lot of more jobless, but a lot, lot more new jobs. Now consider the advances in technology. Factory workers can be seen replaced in a number of places where robots or computers can do their job. The same can be said in a number of areas where one person with the aid of a computer can take the place of several people that used to do that very job. When you figure that into the equation it can be said that it is incredible that we continue to have so many employed when computers and robots can take the jobs of so many.
Yes, unemployment is an issue and always will be because a family unable to provide for their everyday needs because they can't get a job is a major issue. However given where we are now compared to decades ago is it any larger a problem now than it has been in the past? I don't think so myself. In fact, I would say that sending jobs overseas to factories in other countries is a bigger problem and factor in unemployment than job loss. Keep the jobs in the US and I think you attack a few birds with one stone ... unemployment, national debt, and economic problems stemming from lack of US products being made and sold.
The economy isn't as good as it was leading to some job loss. Everyone knows that. Over all though given the rate of population increase along with the improvements in technology being able to do certain jobs one could argue that it is a wonder that the jobless rate isn't higher.
Look at it this way, this past year the US population is said to be around 308,400,408 people. 30 years prior it was only 227,224,681 ... 80 MILLION people less. Now consider that the average jobless rate close to the same as it was back then so yes, there are another 4 million or so jobless (ok, that number isn't completely accurate as it doesn't figure in children ... but for now lets ignore that) but there are also another 76 million jobs.
If at this point you're wondering what the child factor might be and wanting to discredit what I just said, I'll admit I can't tell you the part of that population that is children or retired people as I don't know what portion of that 80 million is just that, but lets assume 1/4 of that number is children or retirees. That still makes 3 million more jobless compared to 57 million new jobs. The unemployment rate is a percentage and not a flat number and thus will still come out with the same ratio of jobless to new jobs. And yes, my figures are on a 5% rate but even at a 10% rate 9 new jobs for every one person that can't find a job is still a lot of new jobs.
That is a ton of jobs in that time, and yes a lot of more jobless, but a lot, lot more new jobs. Now consider the advances in technology. Factory workers can be seen replaced in a number of places where robots or computers can do their job. The same can be said in a number of areas where one person with the aid of a computer can take the place of several people that used to do that very job. When you figure that into the equation it can be said that it is incredible that we continue to have so many employed when computers and robots can take the jobs of so many.
Yes, unemployment is an issue and always will be because a family unable to provide for their everyday needs because they can't get a job is a major issue. However given where we are now compared to decades ago is it any larger a problem now than it has been in the past? I don't think so myself. In fact, I would say that sending jobs overseas to factories in other countries is a bigger problem and factor in unemployment than job loss. Keep the jobs in the US and I think you attack a few birds with one stone ... unemployment, national debt, and economic problems stemming from lack of US products being made and sold.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Forsberg One More Time?
News out of Denver is that Peter Forsberg is back and skating with the Avalanche. This of course it going to bring a lot of mixed feelings about given that he has attempted comebacks before only to have injury claim him again ... and of course he is only skating with the team to see where he stands in terms of health and he has no actual contract. However despite those two minor things this is BIG news.
Love him or hate him Foppa was a hell of a hockey player, one of the most dominant in the game during his prime. Only injuries could stop him. He was a gifted player with incredible hands that could see the ice like few others ... but that wasn't it. He was also a physical force who not only didn't shy away from contact but sought it out. Few players have ever had as much heart and love for the game that Peter Forsberg did either.
He did attempt a comeback a few years back, and during that comeback was better than a point per game player but his foot would not cooperate and he was out as much as in. He has also played for MODO in Sweden for the past couple of years while trying surgery after surgery to repair his foot. He says his foot is feeling good right now though and it could be a great sign that he stepped up from training in Sweden to come to Denver and train with the Avalanche against NHL talent. Why come all this way if things aren't looking up?
Now if he can make a comeback there are going to be people who are happy and people who aren't. Beyond the injury he is now also getting up in age for a hockey player at 36. He would become one of the oldest players on the young Avalanche roster and many would wonder if he still has it or if he does, if he can stay healthy.
Me personally, I would love to see him come back especially after the way the team has looked these past couple of games. The roster is littered with injuries to the top 6 forwards already and if he can go he would step right in there. His heart would also jump start this team out of their funk I would hope and his physical play would be a huge asset to a team needing a bit more grit. His experience and leadership would be great as well for such a young group of forwards with very little playoff experience beyond Hejduk.
Yes, it is still a long shot that he comes back to the NHL ... and yes, his health will be a question mark until proven otherwise ... but for this Avalanche fan (and perhaps a large part of this is remembering who he was for this team and how he was) the prospect of adding Forsberg to the lineup for the rest of the year is exciting.
For now enjoy a showing of what he brought to the ice...
Love him or hate him Foppa was a hell of a hockey player, one of the most dominant in the game during his prime. Only injuries could stop him. He was a gifted player with incredible hands that could see the ice like few others ... but that wasn't it. He was also a physical force who not only didn't shy away from contact but sought it out. Few players have ever had as much heart and love for the game that Peter Forsberg did either.
He did attempt a comeback a few years back, and during that comeback was better than a point per game player but his foot would not cooperate and he was out as much as in. He has also played for MODO in Sweden for the past couple of years while trying surgery after surgery to repair his foot. He says his foot is feeling good right now though and it could be a great sign that he stepped up from training in Sweden to come to Denver and train with the Avalanche against NHL talent. Why come all this way if things aren't looking up?
Now if he can make a comeback there are going to be people who are happy and people who aren't. Beyond the injury he is now also getting up in age for a hockey player at 36. He would become one of the oldest players on the young Avalanche roster and many would wonder if he still has it or if he does, if he can stay healthy.
Me personally, I would love to see him come back especially after the way the team has looked these past couple of games. The roster is littered with injuries to the top 6 forwards already and if he can go he would step right in there. His heart would also jump start this team out of their funk I would hope and his physical play would be a huge asset to a team needing a bit more grit. His experience and leadership would be great as well for such a young group of forwards with very little playoff experience beyond Hejduk.
Yes, it is still a long shot that he comes back to the NHL ... and yes, his health will be a question mark until proven otherwise ... but for this Avalanche fan (and perhaps a large part of this is remembering who he was for this team and how he was) the prospect of adding Forsberg to the lineup for the rest of the year is exciting.
For now enjoy a showing of what he brought to the ice...
"Social Network"
"The Social Network" ... and nope, I'm not talking about blogs or Facebook or any of that. I'm talking about the movie. I didn't expect much from this movie but was surprisingly pleased with it. It basically tells the story of the founding of Facebook from the early days.
The movie used a current day/flashback style of storytelling in which two lawsuits were going on current day and the story was told through flashbacks. The story was well told and enjoyable and while I don't know how closely or loosely it stuck to real life it was a good watch. The end just kind of happened which was a bit disappointing but overall a good movie worth watching.
I also watched "Marmaduke" this weekend which while decent was kinda dull for the most part. Not a bad movie, but nothing special either. Had some humorous moments and good for kids but as an adult don't expect too much out of it.
"The Great Mouse Detective", one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, was watched also. Enjoyable and fun and while not as great as it was when I was younger still good...
The movie used a current day/flashback style of storytelling in which two lawsuits were going on current day and the story was told through flashbacks. The story was well told and enjoyable and while I don't know how closely or loosely it stuck to real life it was a good watch. The end just kind of happened which was a bit disappointing but overall a good movie worth watching.
I also watched "Marmaduke" this weekend which while decent was kinda dull for the most part. Not a bad movie, but nothing special either. Had some humorous moments and good for kids but as an adult don't expect too much out of it.
"The Great Mouse Detective", one of my favorite Disney movies growing up, was watched also. Enjoyable and fun and while not as great as it was when I was younger still good...
"Lost" at an End
Ok, I'm a little late to the party on this one but we just finished watching "Lost" this past week. I actually never saw a single episode while it aired on TV but when we got Netflix instant play on the PS3 not too long ago we found it there and began watching it. Let me tell you all that this is the way to watch a television series. You don't have to wait til the next week to find out what happened and you don't have to wait months between seasons. You can watch at your own pace ... which we did seeing the first season in about a week.
Before I get into the actual series I might as well mention a couple of things. We will probably be watching a bunch of shows on Netflix on demand and going forward I'll probably recap at the end of seasons. This one I will recap as a whole since I wasn't blogging until into the 6th and final season. I won't blog after individual shows as that is a bit much, but if something prompts me to make an exception I certainly will. Now on to "Lost"...
From the first episode we were hooked. There were a number of reasons for this. The situation itself was intriguing ... a plane crashes on a remote island and the survivors have to find a way to live. Also the characters were interesting and enjoyable and seeing their interactions was fun.
I loved the way characters were developed and told about throughout the series, with each character getting their history focused on with flashbacks while the rest of the story went on also focusing much on that character. The show also did a good job with bringing in more characters throughout the entire series.
As the years went on the show introduced the "others" as well as other factions, and later on went into a "time jumping" plot line which while not bad wasn't great either. Playing with time is something that is touchy and the show did a pretty decent job of it but didn't always feel right. The show was at its best before that, but it certainly was great throughout. In the end there was a split between the people being on the island still and what would have happened if they hadn't crashed (actually if the island would have blown up 30 years prior). It was interesting to see how their lives would have played out in that case and how they were all weaved together even then.
The final episode eventually revealed that the characters had never survived the crash to begin with and that all of those people were dead from the start. Everything that happened through the 6 seasons were those characters helping each other come to terms and prepare for moving on. Kind of an odd ending but in a way it worked. Overall an excellent, excellent show that I'm glad I watched and recommend to others especially now that you can watch the entire thing without the month long cliff hangers between seasons.
A recap of some of the things that I loved about this show...
Before I get into the actual series I might as well mention a couple of things. We will probably be watching a bunch of shows on Netflix on demand and going forward I'll probably recap at the end of seasons. This one I will recap as a whole since I wasn't blogging until into the 6th and final season. I won't blog after individual shows as that is a bit much, but if something prompts me to make an exception I certainly will. Now on to "Lost"...
From the first episode we were hooked. There were a number of reasons for this. The situation itself was intriguing ... a plane crashes on a remote island and the survivors have to find a way to live. Also the characters were interesting and enjoyable and seeing their interactions was fun.
I loved the way characters were developed and told about throughout the series, with each character getting their history focused on with flashbacks while the rest of the story went on also focusing much on that character. The show also did a good job with bringing in more characters throughout the entire series.
As the years went on the show introduced the "others" as well as other factions, and later on went into a "time jumping" plot line which while not bad wasn't great either. Playing with time is something that is touchy and the show did a pretty decent job of it but didn't always feel right. The show was at its best before that, but it certainly was great throughout. In the end there was a split between the people being on the island still and what would have happened if they hadn't crashed (actually if the island would have blown up 30 years prior). It was interesting to see how their lives would have played out in that case and how they were all weaved together even then.
The final episode eventually revealed that the characters had never survived the crash to begin with and that all of those people were dead from the start. Everything that happened through the 6 seasons were those characters helping each other come to terms and prepare for moving on. Kind of an odd ending but in a way it worked. Overall an excellent, excellent show that I'm glad I watched and recommend to others especially now that you can watch the entire thing without the month long cliff hangers between seasons.
A recap of some of the things that I loved about this show...
- The characters (nearly all of the main characters outside of a few) were great. They were developed well and you began to know them and know if you liked or hated them. I loved most of the main characters so I can't really name my top few, but needless to say strong characters were one of the top reasons for watching.
- The mystery built in with some of the plots was great. What was in the jungle in the beginning? Who were the others and what were they doing? Etc, etc, etc...
- The show flowed well and had plenty of exciting moments and plot lines. Very rarely was there an instance where it felted bogged down or forced, even during some of the "time travel" type moments.
- The characters ... and I know I've said it once already but for me strong well developed characters is important in stories and this one had it...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
The Calm Before the Storm
So it has been a while since I last wrote but I want to ensure the few people that might actually be reading this blog that it is not dead and instead I have just been busy of late. However I should make up for the recent lull in the next few days as I have plenty of blog posts to make already in mind just needing to be written. Some of what you can look forward to...
-Lost : Just finished watching the 6th and final season. Time to tell what I think of it...
-The Social Network : Watched it last night so review is coming...
-Forsberg Comeback? : Peter Forsberg is back with the Avalanche skating and while he doesn't have a contract I'll talk about this anyway...
-NHL All-Star : I have about 5 possible different posts on this subject, and which one(s) I choose to write about I'm not sure yet...
These are just a small sample of the ideas that have run through my head in the past few days when I have been unable to post. I should start rolling out some new posts starting a bit later today so keep your eyes open...
-Lost : Just finished watching the 6th and final season. Time to tell what I think of it...
-The Social Network : Watched it last night so review is coming...
-Forsberg Comeback? : Peter Forsberg is back with the Avalanche skating and while he doesn't have a contract I'll talk about this anyway...
-NHL All-Star : I have about 5 possible different posts on this subject, and which one(s) I choose to write about I'm not sure yet...
These are just a small sample of the ideas that have run through my head in the past few days when I have been unable to post. I should start rolling out some new posts starting a bit later today so keep your eyes open...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
I Give So They May Live
Today the local American Red Cross was again in town taking their donations and of course I was there. I'm now up to about 3 1/2 gallons given. It's a great feeling knowing that you are doing something to help others ... and honestly I don't know why more people don't give.
Some quick facts you may or may not have known...
There will always be a need for blood, and it doesn't last forever so continuing donations is a must. Everyone who can give should, but instead it isn't uncommon to hear of blood shortages because so few people give and so many need it. I encourage everyone who can to seek out their local Red Cross and donate. You never know who you'll save, and someday there is a good chance you or someone you know will need blood given freely as I have done and as I encourage everyone else to do.
Some quick facts you may or may not have known...
- Every 2 seconds someone in the US needs blood, and more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day.
- A single accident victim can use upwards of 100 units of blood alone.
- 1 out of 10 people admitted to the hospital need blood.
- Only 38 percent of the population is eligible to donate and only about 8% of those actually donate, or about 3% of the total population.
There will always be a need for blood, and it doesn't last forever so continuing donations is a must. Everyone who can give should, but instead it isn't uncommon to hear of blood shortages because so few people give and so many need it. I encourage everyone who can to seek out their local Red Cross and donate. You never know who you'll save, and someday there is a good chance you or someone you know will need blood given freely as I have done and as I encourage everyone else to do.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Last Exorcism
Had the day off work so watched another movie in between everything else that we did. That movie happened to be "The Last Exorcism" ... and that will end up being not only the first time but the last time I ever watch it. The movie wasn't the worst I've seen but it certainly wasn't good either.
First off, the movie is told in the "documentary" style where they are following the main character chronicling his life. I really don't like that style of movie 99 times out of 100 and this wasn't that 1%. It is just hard to give the movie good flow or feel in that style of filming.
Next, the plot wasn't all that great. While the idea of having the priest not actually believe in demons and possessions and instead believing that he is just helping people overcome a mental problem was somewhat new, it was still a possession movie. Priest goes to farm, sees girl, fakes an exorcism, turns out she is possessed so he then tries to help, yadda yadda yadda...
The end was nothing special either. Turns out the girl is pregnant with a demon baby and the town priest led the satanic cult. Good priest attempts to "fight back the demon baby" while his crew runs off only to be killed. Of course by having the camera crew run off you have no idea what happened with the priest/demon/remainder of the cultists but it can be guessed the priest got killed somehow.
The movie didn't really flow well, didn't really develop characters well ... and in general just didn't entertain me. I don't recommend this movie and is the worst of those I've reviewed thus far ... easily...
First off, the movie is told in the "documentary" style where they are following the main character chronicling his life. I really don't like that style of movie 99 times out of 100 and this wasn't that 1%. It is just hard to give the movie good flow or feel in that style of filming.
Next, the plot wasn't all that great. While the idea of having the priest not actually believe in demons and possessions and instead believing that he is just helping people overcome a mental problem was somewhat new, it was still a possession movie. Priest goes to farm, sees girl, fakes an exorcism, turns out she is possessed so he then tries to help, yadda yadda yadda...
The end was nothing special either. Turns out the girl is pregnant with a demon baby and the town priest led the satanic cult. Good priest attempts to "fight back the demon baby" while his crew runs off only to be killed. Of course by having the camera crew run off you have no idea what happened with the priest/demon/remainder of the cultists but it can be guessed the priest got killed somehow.
The movie didn't really flow well, didn't really develop characters well ... and in general just didn't entertain me. I don't recommend this movie and is the worst of those I've reviewed thus far ... easily...
Guardians and Easy A
Watching movies on the weekend seems to be a pretty regular thing in my household. This weekend wasn't any different and now I will review two of the movies that we watched this weekend, Legend of the Guardians and Easy A. Again spoilers will be spread about here...
The first, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole", is a movie geared more towards kids, and in fact we got it mostly for the kids, but I will admit that I can certainly enjoy and appreciated "kid movies" as much as "adult movies" if they are deserving of such. This was one such movie. The movie did a good job of making characters unique and enjoyable right from the beginning. It was well done visually and the story was a good one and well told. The pacing throughout the movie was very good as well.
The Owls are basically made up of three different sets of owls, the guardians which are a nearly mythical group even to the owls, the "evil" owls, and the regular owls. The story begins by focusing on a pair of brothers, one who believed in the Guardians and the stories, the other which didn't and felt under appreciated. One night they fell from their tree and were then taken by the evil owls. There the "good brother" sided with another owl and sought to escape where the "evil brother" accepted training from the evil owls to become one of them.
Eventually the good owls escaped and flew off to find the Guardians meeting a couple of others along the way. Finally they reach the tree of the Guardians and tell their story. They begin training while their story is checked out, however it is looked into by one who had betrayed them and when he returned he led them all into a trap. The Guardians became trapped and it was up to the new heroes to save them.
The movie was very well done, told a good story, had good characters, and overall I recommend this movie to anyone who is a kid or can appreciate well done movies targeted at a younger audience.
The second movie we watched was "Easy A". I really enjoyed this movie as well. It flowed well and had some humorous moments and while the story wasn't entirely unique it did have its own feel and flavor.
The basics of the movie were that the main character who was a bit of an outsider in her school told her friend that she had lost her virginity and another girl overheard it and spread it about school. She noticed that she had gained notice of the others from it and eventually one of her gay friends convinced her to fake having sex with him so that he would be accepted as well. It worked and after that she basically started selling "fake encounters" to kids seeking approval until the point that she became someone many wanted to see gone and felt that she was seen for all the wrong reasons now. I won't really say too much more about what happens in the movie but it is certainly worth seeing.
The first, "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole", is a movie geared more towards kids, and in fact we got it mostly for the kids, but I will admit that I can certainly enjoy and appreciated "kid movies" as much as "adult movies" if they are deserving of such. This was one such movie. The movie did a good job of making characters unique and enjoyable right from the beginning. It was well done visually and the story was a good one and well told. The pacing throughout the movie was very good as well.
The Owls are basically made up of three different sets of owls, the guardians which are a nearly mythical group even to the owls, the "evil" owls, and the regular owls. The story begins by focusing on a pair of brothers, one who believed in the Guardians and the stories, the other which didn't and felt under appreciated. One night they fell from their tree and were then taken by the evil owls. There the "good brother" sided with another owl and sought to escape where the "evil brother" accepted training from the evil owls to become one of them.
Eventually the good owls escaped and flew off to find the Guardians meeting a couple of others along the way. Finally they reach the tree of the Guardians and tell their story. They begin training while their story is checked out, however it is looked into by one who had betrayed them and when he returned he led them all into a trap. The Guardians became trapped and it was up to the new heroes to save them.
The movie was very well done, told a good story, had good characters, and overall I recommend this movie to anyone who is a kid or can appreciate well done movies targeted at a younger audience.
The second movie we watched was "Easy A". I really enjoyed this movie as well. It flowed well and had some humorous moments and while the story wasn't entirely unique it did have its own feel and flavor.
The basics of the movie were that the main character who was a bit of an outsider in her school told her friend that she had lost her virginity and another girl overheard it and spread it about school. She noticed that she had gained notice of the others from it and eventually one of her gay friends convinced her to fake having sex with him so that he would be accepted as well. It worked and after that she basically started selling "fake encounters" to kids seeking approval until the point that she became someone many wanted to see gone and felt that she was seen for all the wrong reasons now. I won't really say too much more about what happens in the movie but it is certainly worth seeing.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Memories of Warcraft
Yesterday I was looking at used games for the PS3 and Wii and saw the new expansion for World of Warcraft sitting on the shelves. I haven't played for quite some time now, but I did play for a long time prior to that. I'll admit that even now I miss playing at times. I really enjoyed the game and playing with the people I met and it is one of the few games that has truly held my attention for a very long period of time and one of the best games I've ever played.
While I looked at the box, knowing that I wouldn't buy it and start playing again, I had some memories from the game pop up and I thought "hey, I think that's what my next blog will be" ... so here it is. Some of my most memorable moments from WoW in no specific order...
For any that also played, with me or not, I would love to hear some of your stories as well...
While I looked at the box, knowing that I wouldn't buy it and start playing again, I had some memories from the game pop up and I thought "hey, I think that's what my next blog will be" ... so here it is. Some of my most memorable moments from WoW in no specific order...
- During Beta a couple friends and I made a run at low levels across much of the world. I remember at that time the feeling of just how huge this new world was and how much there was to see. I remember the danger that run held for those low level characters. It was truly my first feeling of "wow" in the game knowing just how much there was to it yet to be discovered.
- At the end of Beta those same friends and I went to the Crossroads, an area in enemy territory, where both sides were gathering in a massive battle prior to Beta ending and the real game beginning. (I also remember the extremely long queues as so, so many people sat trying to get into the game ... but I'm focusing on the positives which far outweigh the negatives...)
- I remember Baron runs. My favorite small instance of all time, perhaps because it was one of the earlier ones that I really got into and it was visually one of the best for me.
- I remember joining Serenity Now, becoming the "Healing Chart Champ" (a title in the guild list of players given to me by the raid leader who was a great player and knew his stuff), and becoming a key part of the 40 man raids that we ran. While the fight with Onyxia was fun, my fondest memory of those raids were the first time the guild ever downed Ragnoros (it was a nearly perfect attempt) and the Blackwing Lair (favorite 40 man) learning process and being there from start to end and being a key part of the first kill on Nefarion. Being a part of the hard work and seeing the struggles, then the learning and improvement, and then the joy of finally winning the battle ... very fun.
- I enjoyed my first experience as a raid leader. I was a bit of a hard-ass and didn't make myself anyone's favorite but I was able to help a bunch of people who had never been in end game raids go from no experience to Ragnoros in Molten Core pretty quickly. I had the help of some good people to and I'm thankful for that help. I earned the name of "Pull Monkey" during those times because I pushed the pace so much. I would do pull after pull with very few rests and pushed those behind me to find ways to get their rest and to keep up in a precarious balance. I think that pushed everyone to become better through time though.
- I remember being part of the Knights with some real life friends and some people that I became good friends with. We had a heck of a group that could do anything and I loved tanking for them. (Tanking is basically standing up front getting punched in the mouth and keeping the hate of the bad guys while everyone else either kept you alive or killed the bad guys.) We could and did conquer any instance. Kara was probably my favorite and our group had great success early on right up until the Curator. That fight was a roadblock that drove us nuts for weeks before finally one day we beat it and it was a great time of joy. We then went on to pulverize the rest of the instance but finally beating the Curator was the crest of that challenge.
- I remember Hillsbrad being a place of mass world PvP prior to instances for PvP being created. You could easily have 40 or 50 people per side (and often more) at any given time in a back and forth fight there. Stranglethorn is another area of great world PvP in a lower level where you always had to be on your toes and watching. PvP isn't for all but I loved what it brought to the game.
For any that also played, with me or not, I would love to hear some of your stories as well...
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Get Well O'Reilly
Last night during the Avalanche game against Minnesota there was a scene that no sports fan ever wants to see. While killing a penalty in the second period Ryan O"Reilly a kid playing his second year for the Avs and just getting ready to turn 20 had his skate catch a rut in the ice and he ended up going into the boards head first. It was a pretty scary scene and after the medics had come out and looked at him they took him off on a stretcher and took him to the hospital.
Video of the incident... http://video.thescore.com/watch/oreilly-crashes-headfirst-into-boards
Later in the game they reported that he was moving his extremities and today it was reported that he has no head or neck injuries but has a shoulder injury that might be pretty bad. Quincey, one of his teammates, had a shoulder injury earlier in the season that ended the season for him. Hopefully after further evaluation it isn't that bad, but it certainly could be.
These kinds of things while certainly ugly and not something I want to see anyone have happen to them but are part of sports (I will never understand NFL players lowering their heads to create head to head hits ... lower your shoulder, not your head idiots). They also server as a reminder to the fans of sports that these are just games and often kids playing them and there is a real danger there.
I admit that I take my hockey (among other sports) fairly seriously. I get excited by a big play or big hit and I get upset at bad plays or dumb stuff. I can really get behind my team, and I can really be disappointed when a player isn't playing well especially for stretches of time, and especially when a mistake leads to a loss.
However these players are people. No matter how badly someone plays and I get peeved with them, I never want to see these injuries happen. It's important to remember the fact that these players are people as well, even if you don't like how they have performed or they play for a team you don't like. They have their lives, they have their friends and families, and they are doing their jobs as well ... they just happen to get paid a lot of money to play a game that most of us play for free.
Get well O'Reilly and all those others that have been injured "on the job" ... and get well soon not only so that you can return to the team and contribute but because I truly want your health to be good on or off the team.
Video of the incident... http://video.thescore.com/watch/oreilly-crashes-headfirst-into-boards
Later in the game they reported that he was moving his extremities and today it was reported that he has no head or neck injuries but has a shoulder injury that might be pretty bad. Quincey, one of his teammates, had a shoulder injury earlier in the season that ended the season for him. Hopefully after further evaluation it isn't that bad, but it certainly could be.
These kinds of things while certainly ugly and not something I want to see anyone have happen to them but are part of sports (I will never understand NFL players lowering their heads to create head to head hits ... lower your shoulder, not your head idiots). They also server as a reminder to the fans of sports that these are just games and often kids playing them and there is a real danger there.
I admit that I take my hockey (among other sports) fairly seriously. I get excited by a big play or big hit and I get upset at bad plays or dumb stuff. I can really get behind my team, and I can really be disappointed when a player isn't playing well especially for stretches of time, and especially when a mistake leads to a loss.
However these players are people. No matter how badly someone plays and I get peeved with them, I never want to see these injuries happen. It's important to remember the fact that these players are people as well, even if you don't like how they have performed or they play for a team you don't like. They have their lives, they have their friends and families, and they are doing their jobs as well ... they just happen to get paid a lot of money to play a game that most of us play for free.
Get well O'Reilly and all those others that have been injured "on the job" ... and get well soon not only so that you can return to the team and contribute but because I truly want your health to be good on or off the team.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Good Pain
"Good Pain? What the hell is good pain?"
I'm sure that was the first thought of most people. Yeah, pain is generally bad, nearly always in fact. However there is a pain that accompanies working out that I actually don't mind at all. That dull ache in the muscles that tells you that what you did worked something and gives you reason to believe that what you're doing is worth it ... that pain I can handle.
So what is it I'm doing? P90X. This is our first full week (or first 5 days anyway) of doing this workout program in our household and thus far it has proven just how out of shape I am but also given me great hope that will change over the next few months.
The program is a set of rotating workouts that gets shuffled every few weeks. One night will be a arms and back workout, next night might be Yoga or Kenpo. The workouts thus far and my initial impressions on them...
The program does come with a meal plan that is to help ensure that you eat right, getting the proper calories, not getting lots of fat, and so on. We tried it for a bit but it wasn't to our liking. Instead we're going to be continuing to create our own meal plans. While we don't always choose the healthiest options we are going to try to snack right, eat better, and generally improve our eating habits.
Thus far I've really enjoyed the program and have very high hopes for it. There are even a handful of programs that get introduced after the first few weeks to change things up which should keep some of the repetition from creating boredom. For anyone looking to get into shape this is a good option, though if you have "a long ways to go" you might want to start with a less demanding program and work your way to this one. Hopefully after the 90 day transformation they advertise I'll see great results.
I'm sure that was the first thought of most people. Yeah, pain is generally bad, nearly always in fact. However there is a pain that accompanies working out that I actually don't mind at all. That dull ache in the muscles that tells you that what you did worked something and gives you reason to believe that what you're doing is worth it ... that pain I can handle.
So what is it I'm doing? P90X. This is our first full week (or first 5 days anyway) of doing this workout program in our household and thus far it has proven just how out of shape I am but also given me great hope that will change over the next few months.
The program is a set of rotating workouts that gets shuffled every few weeks. One night will be a arms and back workout, next night might be Yoga or Kenpo. The workouts thus far and my initial impressions on them...
- Chest & Back, Ab Ripper X : Push up, pull up ... repeat. Lots of push ups and pull ups throughout. Certainly had some aches after this one, even using the bands to get more reps in given that I'm not quite to the point of doing that many pull ups on a bar. Ab Ripper which is a every other night thing basically kicks your but if your abs aren't in good shape...
- Plyometrics : Jump training. Lots of jumping around, lots of energy required. Some high impact stuff that can stress knees, bad ones like mine especially, but one can "do their best and forget the rest" which allows me to get a great workout in and still not stress my knees.
- Shoulders & Arms, Ab Ripper X : Some weight lifting among other things that I didn't push myself enough on so I didn't feel as if I got the best workout I could have. Have to fix that next time around. Ab ripper still tore me up...
- Yoga : Ok, I thought Yoga would help with my flexibility and balance and perhaps my strength a bit. Boy did I underestimate it. I think I sweated as much during Yoga as any other exercise, maybe more. A lot of the techniques were hard and my flexibility and balance both definitely have a long way to go but they will get there. It also challenged my strength, especially in the arms with all the downward dogs and all that ... and the ache is definitely there where it wasn't after the arms workout (though that could have added to it and I've already admitted that I could have pushed myself more that night).
- Legs & Back, Ab Ripper : When I previewed this one they rarely used any weights. I always thought my legs were pretty strong so worried that this wouldn't challenge enough. Wrong again. The movements worked the legs well and while my knees at times didn't want to cooperate it definitely will do the job without a bunch of heavy lifting.
The program does come with a meal plan that is to help ensure that you eat right, getting the proper calories, not getting lots of fat, and so on. We tried it for a bit but it wasn't to our liking. Instead we're going to be continuing to create our own meal plans. While we don't always choose the healthiest options we are going to try to snack right, eat better, and generally improve our eating habits.
Thus far I've really enjoyed the program and have very high hopes for it. There are even a handful of programs that get introduced after the first few weeks to change things up which should keep some of the repetition from creating boredom. For anyone looking to get into shape this is a good option, though if you have "a long ways to go" you might want to start with a less demanding program and work your way to this one. Hopefully after the 90 day transformation they advertise I'll see great results.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Remakes, Remakes, and more Remakes
What is up with Hollywood today? Are new fresh ideas really hard to come by? What's with all the 80s remakes of late ... and those being planned?
This all stems from the kids having watched the new Karate Kid at their dad's house (I believe) and wanting to watch the original on Netflix last night. I loved the Karate Kid movie, and even enjoyed the sequels. However I hated the fact that they were remaking it. I have no desire to see the new one ever. I might see it eventually but I'm not going to go out of my way to do it and will choose it behind whatever else might be my options at the time.
It seems that Hollywood is in full gear with remaking the 80s right now. "Karate Kid" was just done, "Clash of the Titans" as well as "Wall Street" ... and there are plans to remake "Footloose", "Commando", "The Crow", "Porky's", "Short Circuit", "Top Gun", and others as well.
WHY?
Why is it that so many of the Hollywood classics are being re-made? Are they running out of new ideas? Honestly it just seems that instead of having an original thought they want to make money on movies that succeeded before. Most of those movies don't have special effects which would make the movies better if redone today, and they were classics of their times. Do they really think remaking them is going to make them better? What are they going to do to improve on them? Even if they are just going to remake them as "sequels" are they really even going to come close to the originals? No 'Crow' has ever come close to the first, what are you really going to do with "Top Gun" to make it worthy of that name and make it interesting, and what about the others?
Ok, so maybe that's not entirely fair. Most ideas play off ideas that someone else has had previously and there are just new twists and new ways to tell stories that have been told for ages. The remake though isn't trying to put a new twist on an old story though, it's just retelling the same story.
There are also some fairly unique and new ideas put into the movies each year too I suppose. Take Avatar for example. I loved it and found it pretty original and it was awesome to look at ... but even that I suppose could be said to follow an oft used theme where group 'A' wants something group 'B' has and thinks they are below them, then someone in group 'A' gets to know them and realizes that group 'A' is in the wrong and there is much more to group 'B' than thought and sides with them to eventually turn the battle.
Heck, I'm even guilty of watching a number of remakes and really enjoying them, often times not even having seen the original. Most of these movies I've noticed come originally from the 70s or earlier. Movies such as "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Get Carter", etc... are all remakes that I haven't seen the original of and honestly don't have a desire to but like the remakes. Perhaps it has something to do with growing up with those movies (for me the 80s) and remembering them for what they are and not wanting to see them ripped off because they are classics of your time.
I suppose one reason to remake movies besides refreshing the franchise that makes some sense is today's movie producers are capable of much, much better visual effects. It makes some sense to remake effects heavy movies from ages past giving them a new look and feel with visuals well beyond what was available when the movies were originally made. In fact I don't mind a movie remake as much in a visually heavy movie but one that doesn't have a lot of effects and just tells a story (and did it well the first time) ... why remake it? It doesn't really make the movie new though, and perhaps those who watched them originally feel the same as I do about the remakes currently being done.
I suppose just like anything else Hollywood is just a business looking to make money. If something succeeded in the past such as these movies why not try to capitalize on that and make your money. Other businesses do. However it still irks me a bit that they're messing with my classics and I'd prefer to see more new ideas or at least new ways to tell old ideas instead of seeing something I watched 20 years ago just get re-done and put back on the big screen...
This all stems from the kids having watched the new Karate Kid at their dad's house (I believe) and wanting to watch the original on Netflix last night. I loved the Karate Kid movie, and even enjoyed the sequels. However I hated the fact that they were remaking it. I have no desire to see the new one ever. I might see it eventually but I'm not going to go out of my way to do it and will choose it behind whatever else might be my options at the time.
It seems that Hollywood is in full gear with remaking the 80s right now. "Karate Kid" was just done, "Clash of the Titans" as well as "Wall Street" ... and there are plans to remake "Footloose", "Commando", "The Crow", "Porky's", "Short Circuit", "Top Gun", and others as well.
WHY?
Why is it that so many of the Hollywood classics are being re-made? Are they running out of new ideas? Honestly it just seems that instead of having an original thought they want to make money on movies that succeeded before. Most of those movies don't have special effects which would make the movies better if redone today, and they were classics of their times. Do they really think remaking them is going to make them better? What are they going to do to improve on them? Even if they are just going to remake them as "sequels" are they really even going to come close to the originals? No 'Crow' has ever come close to the first, what are you really going to do with "Top Gun" to make it worthy of that name and make it interesting, and what about the others?
Ok, so maybe that's not entirely fair. Most ideas play off ideas that someone else has had previously and there are just new twists and new ways to tell stories that have been told for ages. The remake though isn't trying to put a new twist on an old story though, it's just retelling the same story.
There are also some fairly unique and new ideas put into the movies each year too I suppose. Take Avatar for example. I loved it and found it pretty original and it was awesome to look at ... but even that I suppose could be said to follow an oft used theme where group 'A' wants something group 'B' has and thinks they are below them, then someone in group 'A' gets to know them and realizes that group 'A' is in the wrong and there is much more to group 'B' than thought and sides with them to eventually turn the battle.
Heck, I'm even guilty of watching a number of remakes and really enjoying them, often times not even having seen the original. Most of these movies I've noticed come originally from the 70s or earlier. Movies such as "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Get Carter", etc... are all remakes that I haven't seen the original of and honestly don't have a desire to but like the remakes. Perhaps it has something to do with growing up with those movies (for me the 80s) and remembering them for what they are and not wanting to see them ripped off because they are classics of your time.
I suppose one reason to remake movies besides refreshing the franchise that makes some sense is today's movie producers are capable of much, much better visual effects. It makes some sense to remake effects heavy movies from ages past giving them a new look and feel with visuals well beyond what was available when the movies were originally made. In fact I don't mind a movie remake as much in a visually heavy movie but one that doesn't have a lot of effects and just tells a story (and did it well the first time) ... why remake it? It doesn't really make the movie new though, and perhaps those who watched them originally feel the same as I do about the remakes currently being done.
I suppose just like anything else Hollywood is just a business looking to make money. If something succeeded in the past such as these movies why not try to capitalize on that and make your money. Other businesses do. However it still irks me a bit that they're messing with my classics and I'd prefer to see more new ideas or at least new ways to tell old ideas instead of seeing something I watched 20 years ago just get re-done and put back on the big screen...
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Red Ferns on the Mountain
A while back I posted the below as a note on Facebook. Those served as blogs for me a the time until I decided to create my own blog. Now since I have this here I will occasionally regurgitate the "notes" that I have over there here for the enjoyment of those not on Facebook. Here is the first one. It is about a couple of books I read while waiting for "Towers of Midnight" to be delivered to me...
**********
Well “Towers of Midnight” is out and I’m still awaiting Amazon to deliver my copy. It is frustrating seeing that they sent out some peoples to arrive a couple days before the release while others such as me are still waiting on the dang book and will not have it until a week after release. Oh well…
During the wait between book 12 and book 13 I didn’t read too much – I didn’t have as long a wait as many as I just started the series from book 1 not that long ago and was able to read the first 12 straight through – but I did read a couple books. I wanted something that wasn’t going to take a lot of time such as starting another series so I chose to read a couple of books from my childhood.
The first book I grabbed was “My Side of the Mountain”. I remember this book from when I was a kid (though at first I had it mistaken for another which I can’t remember the name of yet) as a great story about this kid who runs away from home to live in the woods.
Reading it now I can still see where it was a fun read as a kid and think it would be for many kids with any interest in the outdoors. However as a story there isn’t a great deal to it (as would probably be expected for many books of that level).
The story is well done in a diary style of writing that sees the main character leaving home and then learning to live in the woods before finally returning home. During his time he encounters a few people and learns to live off the land using the resources at hand.
Reading it now, it makes everything seem overly simplistic however. There really isn’t any great hardship that he faces. He can’t make fire the first night and finds someone who teaches him, and beyond that he seems to figure everything out easily and plans ahead for everything. From building his home in a tree to the foods he makes to getting and training his pet falcon everything comes pretty easily when considering this isn’t someone trained to live out there in the wild but rather a kid.
Still the book for a younger reader would ignite the imagination of what’s possible and the joys of living in the wild and being a part of nature. For older readers it’s not a bad way to escape back to when you were a kid and anything was possible when there is an afternoon where you don’t have anything else to do, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone over the age of 12 or 14 likely.
The second book that I read in my Wheel of Time wait was “Where the Red Fern Grows”. This was mandatory reading back in grade school and from what I hear still is today. I remember reading it back then but don’t remember a great deal about that nor have I read it since then until now.
I can understand why this is required reading even yet today. It’s a good story with a good plot and a lot of little lessons in it to teach kids while they improve their reading. Even as an adult reading it to pass a little time it was an enjoyable, simple story.
The story has a good story that shows the power and meaning of love, of hard work, and of determination. From the time he decides he wants his dogs he works hard for what he wants, a lesson that so many could learn from. Once he has his dogs the love he shows them shows itself throughout the book in how the dogs act and react in numerous situations. There is a lot about this story to like, beginning to end, and it is an enjoyable read.
This certainly needs to continue to be required reading in grade schools in my opinion though I can certainly see a number of places not allowing that with the numerous references to God and the over the top need to completely remove that from almost every aspect of life to cater to those few that it “insults” somehow, but it should be. I would also recommend it to adults that had a few hours to waste while waiting on something else, such as the next book in a series which hasn’t arrived yet…
**********
Well “Towers of Midnight” is out and I’m still awaiting Amazon to deliver my copy. It is frustrating seeing that they sent out some peoples to arrive a couple days before the release while others such as me are still waiting on the dang book and will not have it until a week after release. Oh well…
During the wait between book 12 and book 13 I didn’t read too much – I didn’t have as long a wait as many as I just started the series from book 1 not that long ago and was able to read the first 12 straight through – but I did read a couple books. I wanted something that wasn’t going to take a lot of time such as starting another series so I chose to read a couple of books from my childhood.
The first book I grabbed was “My Side of the Mountain”. I remember this book from when I was a kid (though at first I had it mistaken for another which I can’t remember the name of yet) as a great story about this kid who runs away from home to live in the woods.
Reading it now I can still see where it was a fun read as a kid and think it would be for many kids with any interest in the outdoors. However as a story there isn’t a great deal to it (as would probably be expected for many books of that level).
The story is well done in a diary style of writing that sees the main character leaving home and then learning to live in the woods before finally returning home. During his time he encounters a few people and learns to live off the land using the resources at hand.
Reading it now, it makes everything seem overly simplistic however. There really isn’t any great hardship that he faces. He can’t make fire the first night and finds someone who teaches him, and beyond that he seems to figure everything out easily and plans ahead for everything. From building his home in a tree to the foods he makes to getting and training his pet falcon everything comes pretty easily when considering this isn’t someone trained to live out there in the wild but rather a kid.
Still the book for a younger reader would ignite the imagination of what’s possible and the joys of living in the wild and being a part of nature. For older readers it’s not a bad way to escape back to when you were a kid and anything was possible when there is an afternoon where you don’t have anything else to do, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone over the age of 12 or 14 likely.
The second book that I read in my Wheel of Time wait was “Where the Red Fern Grows”. This was mandatory reading back in grade school and from what I hear still is today. I remember reading it back then but don’t remember a great deal about that nor have I read it since then until now.
I can understand why this is required reading even yet today. It’s a good story with a good plot and a lot of little lessons in it to teach kids while they improve their reading. Even as an adult reading it to pass a little time it was an enjoyable, simple story.
The story has a good story that shows the power and meaning of love, of hard work, and of determination. From the time he decides he wants his dogs he works hard for what he wants, a lesson that so many could learn from. Once he has his dogs the love he shows them shows itself throughout the book in how the dogs act and react in numerous situations. There is a lot about this story to like, beginning to end, and it is an enjoyable read.
This certainly needs to continue to be required reading in grade schools in my opinion though I can certainly see a number of places not allowing that with the numerous references to God and the over the top need to completely remove that from almost every aspect of life to cater to those few that it “insults” somehow, but it should be. I would also recommend it to adults that had a few hours to waste while waiting on something else, such as the next book in a series which hasn’t arrived yet…
Monday, January 10, 2011
Fantasy Football ... My First Year
Having declined the invite to a co-worker's annual fantasy football league for the past several years I finally caved-in this season. I didn't do much prep work or anything and for the most part (other than moving a couple players around and removing a few from my draft list) I didn't do much before the automatic draft. I ended up with a pretty decent team, getting Drew Brees, Reggie Wayne, and a number of others that I thought would do me well. For the most part they did really well though my Wide Receivers who I thought would do great for me were just average for the most part and my running backs (Charles, Bradshaw, McFadden) which I thought would be average were great most weeks.
Overall I have to be very happy with my first ever fantasy football league. I scored the most points in the entire league during the regular season ... but unfortunately I also had the most points scored against me by nearly 100 points. Despite having so many points scored against me I finished 2nd in the regular season with a 10-4 record just a game back on the league leader.
I ended the season in 6th place after a first round loss in the playoffs to the second highest scoring team that week (and only second because of a nearly 150 point performance from the highest scoring team). That's certainly not how I hoped to finish given the strong regular season but should have been what to expect given that everyone seemed to have some of their best weeks against me.
I did enjoy it quite a bit and learned some things along the way. It also increased my interest in the league as I became more interested in how teams and players were doing because they had a direct effect on my match ups. I watched more football this year than in past years though I don't know that I enjoyed it any more than usual, it was just that I had a bigger interest in what was going on. I think next year I'll definitely join again and may even get into a second league for fun.
Some things that I learned or discovered this season...
Overall I have to be very happy with my first ever fantasy football league. I scored the most points in the entire league during the regular season ... but unfortunately I also had the most points scored against me by nearly 100 points. Despite having so many points scored against me I finished 2nd in the regular season with a 10-4 record just a game back on the league leader.
I ended the season in 6th place after a first round loss in the playoffs to the second highest scoring team that week (and only second because of a nearly 150 point performance from the highest scoring team). That's certainly not how I hoped to finish given the strong regular season but should have been what to expect given that everyone seemed to have some of their best weeks against me.
I did enjoy it quite a bit and learned some things along the way. It also increased my interest in the league as I became more interested in how teams and players were doing because they had a direct effect on my match ups. I watched more football this year than in past years though I don't know that I enjoyed it any more than usual, it was just that I had a bigger interest in what was going on. I think next year I'll definitely join again and may even get into a second league for fun.
Some things that I learned or discovered this season...
- First off you can only control your own team. You can't stop your opponents from scoring however much they will so you just have to focus on having your team score as much as you can.
- Running backs are key and much more important than receivers. They will see regular action and get a bulk of activity in games. Receivers will be much more hit and miss depending on how much they are thrown to and can more easily let you down. Having solid reliable backs to start, then getting good receivers is a good plan but the more surefire receivers are still worth a look.
- A good quarterback can get you a lot of points, but if you draft late focus on your backs because outside a few that will get big points regularly there are plenty of QBs generally that you can get a good option after a good back or two.
- Don't draft defense until late unless you're getting one of the best in the league, and even then it can wait until later on. Kickers don't draft until the last round as they don't get a great deal of points generally anyway and can always be picked up later. It's not a bad idea to keep backups in the QB, RB, and WR position over having a second kicker or defense. Even if they don't play it keeps them out of the hands of your opponents.
- Watch trends. If someone becomes a starter that wasn't expected to be a starter they could end up getting big points later on and be available after the draft. Don't wait too long or someone else could snatch them up. Example this year, Vick ... who just happened to get 50 points against me the first week of the playoffs for the team that didn't hesitate and picked him up early on when he became starter.
- Players are streaky. They can get you 25 points one week and then get you 5 the next, especially receivers. Try to judge best who will perform and who won't but don't be surprised when those flip-flop and don't get down because you choose wrong one week because this will happen.
- Having too many playoff teams while extending the fun for more isn't a good way to go. Our 10 team league had 8 playoff teams allowing the 1st and 2nd place teams to finish 5th and 6th in the league. Six would have been a good number in a 10 team league and is probably the right number in a 12 team league as well. Allow the others to play in a consolation bracket to extend their season.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hot Tubs, Valentines, and Knight and Day
It has been snowing pretty much the entire weekend and with a little P90X in (and sore as hell shoulders now) and some housework done (no way that it was all getting done in one weekend), there aren't many ways to spend a weekend like this left. This weekend we chose to watch a few movies. I feel fine combining three reviews into one post as none of them will take long to review. However be warned that there may be some spoilers right from the get go because of it.
The first movie we watched was "Hot Tub Time Machine". It was ok, like many movies of late nothing spectacular but not horrible either. Basis of the movie is that a group of guys whose lives aren't so great go to one of their favorite spots as kids/young men and it is now run-down. A basis for a story used many times already. The twist in this one is that the guys then get in a hot tub that takes them back to the 80s. At first they try to keep "time right" by doing what they did back then but that quickly goes out the window. In the end everything is changed and one of the guys stays in the 80s to change everything entirely and their lives go significantly better they discover upon their return to the present. Overall the movie had some good laughs, some "ugh, why'd they put that in" moments, and was a decent use of two hours but not worth repeat viewing.
The second movie we watched was "Knight and Day" with Cruise and Diaz, neither of which I'm overly found of honestly. The movie itself was about a Federal agent being chased because he was wrongfully accused of going rogue. He meets Diaz on a plane and they form a "thing" almost immediately. He kills everyone on their plane and then after landing he returns her home. Next day the Feds question her, he rescues her ... and so on and so forth through most of the movie. The movie never really gave the viewer a chance to know the characters or care about them and at times the story just rushed from event to event. Other than those things though it wasn't a bad action film and had a decent story. I enjoyed it but didn't have high expectations so they were easier to meet.
Lastly we watched Valentines Day. This was a practical "who's who" of today's Hollywood with probably a dozen big name actors and actresses in it. However as with most stories that have so many characters there wasn't much of a story to tell because as you are trying to tell so much you lose any chance at having a big picture. The movie basically showed the lives of all these people on Valentines Day and while they each had their story and their part in the end it wasn't much more than just telling of those lives on that one day. Not much story, not much plot, pretty predictable, little character development. It was ok but don't go into it with high expectations if you're going to watch it. Even with moderate expectations you could be left disappointed...
The first movie we watched was "Hot Tub Time Machine". It was ok, like many movies of late nothing spectacular but not horrible either. Basis of the movie is that a group of guys whose lives aren't so great go to one of their favorite spots as kids/young men and it is now run-down. A basis for a story used many times already. The twist in this one is that the guys then get in a hot tub that takes them back to the 80s. At first they try to keep "time right" by doing what they did back then but that quickly goes out the window. In the end everything is changed and one of the guys stays in the 80s to change everything entirely and their lives go significantly better they discover upon their return to the present. Overall the movie had some good laughs, some "ugh, why'd they put that in" moments, and was a decent use of two hours but not worth repeat viewing.
The second movie we watched was "Knight and Day" with Cruise and Diaz, neither of which I'm overly found of honestly. The movie itself was about a Federal agent being chased because he was wrongfully accused of going rogue. He meets Diaz on a plane and they form a "thing" almost immediately. He kills everyone on their plane and then after landing he returns her home. Next day the Feds question her, he rescues her ... and so on and so forth through most of the movie. The movie never really gave the viewer a chance to know the characters or care about them and at times the story just rushed from event to event. Other than those things though it wasn't a bad action film and had a decent story. I enjoyed it but didn't have high expectations so they were easier to meet.
Lastly we watched Valentines Day. This was a practical "who's who" of today's Hollywood with probably a dozen big name actors and actresses in it. However as with most stories that have so many characters there wasn't much of a story to tell because as you are trying to tell so much you lose any chance at having a big picture. The movie basically showed the lives of all these people on Valentines Day and while they each had their story and their part in the end it wasn't much more than just telling of those lives on that one day. Not much story, not much plot, pretty predictable, little character development. It was ok but don't go into it with high expectations if you're going to watch it. Even with moderate expectations you could be left disappointed...
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Shutter Island
***SPOILERS START HERE***
The Story started of with Leo DiCaprio's character (never been a big fan of him as an actor) and his new partner coming to an island to look for an escaped prisoner. Upon arriving they met the warden, the psychologist, and a number of other characters that you see throughout the movie though none of them really end up all that memorable even in the end.
As the investigation gets going they begin to get some resistance from those that should be helping them and they begin to think that there is some sort of plot going on there that goes beyond a missing prisoner. As the investigation continues Leo begins to have hallucinations of his late wife and has headaches as well. At this point with his hallucinations and his paranoia that something bigger is happening things start getting stranger and stranger.
At about the halfway point of the movie I turned to Lisa and said "you know, I bet he's psycho himself" and at that point I just hoped that we weren't seeing his mad ravings but all the while he's been tied down to a bed and nothing has actually happened. Those kinds of movies annoy me because you can basically have anything happen and nothing matters because you've got the convenient escape of "but all the while he was actually detained and none of it was real".
Thankfully I was right but the things happening (other than the hallucinations) were actually happening. Turns out that he was actually an inmate who had killed his wife after discovering that she had killed his kids and went crazy because he couldn't handle it. The entirety of the events that took place turned out to be a huge "role-play" set up by the shrink there on the island to try to allow him to discover that his beliefs about the island were all false and that he was indeed a patient.
After a final confrontation with the docs it appeared as though it worked as he breaks through and admits to everything, thus avoiding a lobotomy, but the next morning his "partner" approaches him again and they see he has again regressed into his delusions.
Overall it wasn't a bad movie, had some good points and some bad, and it is worth watching if you are need of a movie one night and don't have a lot of options.
Friday, January 7, 2011
The Avs ... Halfway Through
With last night’s disappointing game against the Coyotes, the Avalanche have reached the mid-way point of their season. Through the first 41 games the Avs find themselves with a 21-15-5 record good for 47 points and 6th in the Western conference (subject to change of course as not all teams have played 41 games at this point). This half way point is a perfect chance for me to go back to my pre-season note in Facebook in which I predicted how this team would do so here it is … my good, bad, and meh from the first half of the season based on what I expected from this team.
THE GOOD:
- The Power play and offense as a whole: This team has scored the third most goals in the league this season and the power play is in the top ten percentage wise. Scoring has come from everywhere in the lineup and the team boasts a number of players with near a point per game. Despite early season woes with shorthanded goals against the PP has really come along especially since Shattenkirk joined Liles on the blueline.
- Paul Stastny: This guy is just good. He’s on a career pace for goals scored and is near a point per game pace. When Stewart returns it should help him get back up to that pace as he’ll get a true scorer back on his line. Defensively he is still as solid as ever.
- Chris Stewart: This guy is a beast. Does everything well and with intensity. Premiere power forward who flies on the ice, hits, is physical, and scores and assists. The team is much better with him than without and it is apparent the team misses him as he recovers from a broken hand obtained in a fight.
- Milan Hejduk/Matt Duchene/Tomas Fleischmann: Despite missing some time with injury, Hejduk is playing great this year. He also is at a point per game pace and looks like he has a few years left in him despite rumors he may be considering retirement. Duchene started a bit slow but has been picking up his play of late. He scores, makes plays, flies around the ice, and is improving defensively. He’s looking more and more like the Sakic of the Avalanche future. Flash, brought in with the trade of Hannan, has looked great on this line too. At times he can be invisible nearly pushing him to the ‘meh’ section but then he always has those two or three plays per game where you’re left impressed with his speed, his hands, his moves … and given that since coming to the Avalanche he has been at almost a point per game with most of those points coming at big moments of games he’ll prove to be a big pickup if he can continue his play.
- Winnik: I didn’t expect much more than another 4th liner from this guy … but boy was I underestimating him. He’s already scored as much as I expected him to through the year and plays a high energy game and is always pushing the play on both ends. He has been an incredible pickup for our third line at very little cost.
- Liles: Now this is the Liles that we all know he can be. Although his scoring has slowed of late he has 30 points already at the halfway point of the season. He is always skating and pushing the play up the ice, he’s creating in the offensive end, and he’s been pretty good in his own end. Best Avs defender this year by far.
- Sacco: Given the injuries he has done an incredible job with this team. He gets these guys going and playing nearly every night. He pushes the tempo and has been all you can ask of a coach though he needs to figure out the PK and soon. I also love the fact that when someone comes up he gives them a chance to play, not just pushing them to the cleanup minutes, and it has paid off with guys such as Shattenkirk and Mauldin this year.
- Call-ups: Speaking of the callus, overall they have been very good. There were some that didn’t bring much and were sent back down shortly after, but a great deal of good has come from most. Shattenkirk has come up and shown that he is the real deal and deserves to stay. Mauldin is a wrecking ball and is fast and is always all over the ice when his line is on.
MEH:
- David Jones: Good news for Jones is that he has been healthy this year. He’s also been scoring as one would expect having a pace to score more than 20 goals this season.
- O’Reilly/Galliardi: O’Reilly hasn’t been bad this year, but he hasn’t improved greatly either. Still he’s on a 30 point pace for a defensive 3rd line role. Much like Galliardi though I’d just like to see a bit more out of them offensively while continuing to pick up the play in their own end.
- Foote/O’Byrne/Wilson: Serviceable defensemen, nothing great, nothing horrible from any of them. They haven’t really stood out a great deal. Foote is still a mean SOB though, and O’Byrne as long as he’s paired with a guy who can move the puck like Liles is a good guy in his own end (but he isn’t great with the puck).
- Anderson/Budaj: Budaj has played well at times, not so great at times. He did well during Anderson’s injury but sits in the “meh” section because he hasn’t done it consistently in the backup role. Anderson has been average, and certainly not playing up to his capabilities. He needs to pick up his game and in a hurry. He’s much better than he has played. He sits in the “meh” instead of the bad because not all of this is the goalies’ faults as the defense in front of them hasn’t been great either. Turnovers and allowed odd-man rushes haven’t helped matters.
- The Front Office: While injuries piled up the guys up top decided to do what they could to help out. This is good that they didn’t sit back and tried to keep the team competitive. They made three moves. The first giving up Bournival for O’Bryne hasn’t been bad. Down the line it might not be great but giving up a prospect for a solid defenseman who has helped this team with good but not great play makes the team better this year. We’ll call that one a slight plus with potential for going downward in years ahead. The second moving prospect Cohen for Hunwick we’ll give negative marks for. Hunwick has speed but hasn’t been good with the puck control, not great in his own end, and not finishing. Cohen could have filled that spot now and down the road and perhaps been better. The last, Hannan for Flash, wasn’t popular at the time not because of the return but because it appeared to make our defense much weaker. While our defense hasn’t improved it hasn’t gotten considerably worse either and the return with what Flash has brought and his chemistry with Duchene makes this a big plus. Thus, one good, one bad, and one that is ok averages out the moves they have made.
THE BAD:
- Penalty Kill: The Avs have killed something like 9 of their last 10 penalties; however that doesn’t take away from just how bad they have been this year. Currently 26th in that category they give up a goal every four penalties and that has cost them games, most recently against Detroit where the Avalanche lost 4-3 in overtime and all four Detroit goals were scored on the powerplay (on six chances).
- Mueller and injuries: Once again the Avalanche are one of the most injured teams in the league and in key areas. Mueller has been out the entire season and may not play this year. The Avs have also lost much of their top 6 wingers, defensemen, their starting goalie … but yet have maintained the ability to score goals and win games to stay in the playoff race.
- McLeod/Yip: Really not noticeable most nights. Not bringing the energy and results that everyone would like to see. This goes even with McLeod despite his fights and penalty minutes.
- Hunwick: Not a good trade giving up a promising prospect in Cohen for this guy. He brings speed … but hasn’t been able to finish, is small and not physical at all, turns over the puck in bad places at bad times, and hasn’t been great defensively either. Good news is that there are a number of prospects in the system still that appear to have a bright future with the team.
- Quincey: Wow has this guy been bad since starting his downhill slide a few months into last season. At first he was making the fans forget losing Smyth to LA in the trade but since then he has been bad and his contract this last offseason is horrible with his play so far this year. One assist in over 20 games, turnovers too often, and now injured and unsure of when he is returning, he might not have a spot on this team anymore but they’re stuck with him unless they move him to the minors. No one is going to want him at that price playing that poorly.
Half way through the season and for the most part where I expected the team as a whole to be though there are a few individuals doing better or worse than I’d expect. Can’t wait for the second half to get going starting with a game tomorrow against the Islanders … then on to the playoffs!
Predicting the NFL Playoffs
Sometimes it is fun to try to predict things. I enjoy doing this with sports, where teams will finish, who will win what, etc..., and given that the NFL playoffs begin tomorrow I thought I'd take a moment to throw out some predictions for who would win it all this year. What are yours???
AFC wild-card round
No. 6 New York Jets (11-5) at No. 3 Indianapolis Colts (10-6)The Jets finished with more regular season wins but this is the playoffs. Colts win this one in decisive fashion at home.
No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
A low scoring, defensive game in bad weather is what I’m expecting from this matchup. It is close but the Ravens hold the Chiefs off.
A low scoring, defensive game in bad weather is what I’m expecting from this matchup. It is close but the Ravens hold the Chiefs off.
AFC divisional round
No. 3 Indianapolis Colts (10-6) at No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
A good matchup and at first I want to go with Indy. In the end though I admit this isn’t the same Indy as in years past and in Pittsburgh the Steelers win a close one.
A good matchup and at first I want to go with Indy. In the end though I admit this isn’t the same Indy as in years past and in Pittsburgh the Steelers win a close one.
No. 5 Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at No. 1 New England Patriots (14-2)
New England is again playing well and Baltimore isn’t going to stop them enough or score enough to win. Patriots win easily.
New England is again playing well and Baltimore isn’t going to stop them enough or score enough to win. Patriots win easily.
AFC Championship Game
No. 2 Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at No. 1 New England Patriots (14-2)A battle of two good teams. In a back and forth game it could come down to who has the ball last. In the end of the game New England comes up big and advance.
NFC wild-card round
No. 5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at No. 4 Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
The Saints have never won a road playoff game in their history … but the Seahawks have a losing record for a reason and that reason being they aren’t good. New Orleans wins but Seattle keeps it respectable.
No. 6 Green Bay Packers (10-6) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)The Saints have never won a road playoff game in their history … but the Seahawks have a losing record for a reason and that reason being they aren’t good. New Orleans wins but Seattle keeps it respectable.
Perhaps the best game of the first round, both teams are capable of putting up big numbers. In the end, in Philadelphia, the edge goes to the Eagles in a close one.
NFC divisional round
No. 5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at No. 1 Atlanta Falcons (13-3)Are the Falcons really as good as their record indicates? I hate to say it but I honestly don’t know. My gut tells me that the Saints win a close one though.
The Bears can’t get on track offensively and fall behind early never to catch up. Eagles win early then hold on.
NFC Championship Game
No. 5 New Orleans Saints (11-5) at No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
Game is back and forth but Saints have been off and on all season and they are a bit too off in this one. Eagles win a close one.
Game is back and forth but Saints have been off and on all season and they are a bit too off in this one. Eagles win a close one.
SUPERBOWL XLV
No. 1 New England Patriots (14-2) vs. No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)Offense galore in the Superbowl but the Patriots are a bit more consistant than the Eagles. Patriots again are crowned NFL Champions.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Things to Consider Before Dating a Single Parent
From time to time I will have something to write about that isn't just my opinion on topics that interest me but will also post things that may be of some help to some out there. This post I hope is one of those. For any single person out there looking to start dating a single parent this is not a decision that should be made lightly. Based on common sense and my experience, here are some things that the single person should think about before getting involved.
- You are not just dating the person, you are getting involved with that person's child(ren) as well. You may only be seeing that person as you begin dating but at some point as things progress you will become a part of the kid's life too. If you are not ready for kids do NOT get involved with someone with kids. It isn't fair to anyone involved. If you aren't looking for anything serious you shouldn't be getting involved either unless the other party isn't looking for anything serious ... but at no time should you lead the other party to believe otherwise.
- Realize that because there are children involved it isn't like dating someone who has no such responsibilities. Those children will be their priority and rightfully so. Given that, plan ahead when you want to do something (something that I need to work more on myself). You can't simply just decide last minute to go out or to head out of town to catch a concert or show or to do any of the other spur of the moment things you would do in a relationship without kids. These things have to be figured out ahead of time. Also be prepared for plans to be canceled last minute. At some point some emergency will come up, a child will get the flu, or a sitter will cancel and you won't be able to follow through with your plans. Also plan things that involve the kids. If you are committed to the relationship you have to be committed to those children as well. Staying at home and doing things be it a movie night or a game night is a good thing and often a better option than many evenings out. It is important to have those nights out with just the two of you though so don't forget that.
- Know what you want and also determine what the other person wants. If you want kids of your own and the other person wants no more kids finding that out a year into the relationship could be devastating to all involved, including the kids already a part of it. Don't bring it up first date but sometime in the early stages of the relationship it is a good thing to find out if your long term goals are the same.
- The kids are important, not just kids from a previous relationship, but young people that you will play a major role in their life should the two of you be together for a long time. Get to know them. You won't always get along but as the relationship progresses you will need to have a talk with their mother/father to discuss things such as acceptable and unacceptable behavior and how it is handled.
- The ex is likely always going to be around. This isn't always the case but normally they are the other parent and forever a part of the kid's life. If you can't handle the idea that their ex will forever be a presence then don't get into a relationship where there isn't an alternative to it. Sometimes the ex will be a good person and getting along won't be a problem, but often times the split happened for some reason and getting along may not be easy. Try to be accepting when you can no matter how difficult and support your new partner and children where you can. Creating more problems because of jealousy over what they had (or that they have kids), because you simply don't like them, or for whatever reason isn't going to improve anything. Just try to be understanding and supportive but do let your feelings known if it is appropriate and do so in a calm, respectful manner.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Under the Dome
Being my first review (and my first real blog post), I think it is best to lay out a few things before jumping in. First of all I am going to try to keep all my reviews based on current readings or viewings. You won’t see me reviewing a book I read or movie I watched a year or two ago here and I’m doing this to try to give the best review I can with accurate memory of the work. Second, there will be spoilers in the reviews though I will try to give an overall feeling for the book before getting into spoiler filled specifics … and I will try to state when the spoiler filled portion begins. Lastly, my tastes are not like everyone’s and these are just my thoughts and I’d love to hear other’s thoughts also.
Now on to the review…
“Under the Dome” by Stephen King is about a small town in Maine which one day awakens to find that they have been surrounded by an invisible barrier that stops anything from moving through it. I really enjoyed the way the book told the story of an otherwise normal town with normal people placed under just a single extraordinary circumstance which had a major impact on their lives. I also enjoyed the way the characters were developed and while a great deal of time wasn’t spent on any of their pasts, there was enough there to get a feel for who they were and develop a liking of or a hatred for certain characters.
The writing style was very much Stephen King’s, with plenty of profanity and sexual acts as well as gruesome description where it fit (and sometimes a bit much and/or repetitive perhaps), but King does a great job of telling a story and giving the reader enough to be able to picture it while keeping the plot and the reading interesting and moving along.
The ending was a bit of a letdown as the story finished rather abruptly and conveniently but overall I would recommend this book to even non-King fans despite the length (just over 1000 pages).
*SPOILERS START HERE*
Right from the beginning the effects of the dome are felt as a plane crashes into it, there are some deaths from cars crashing into it, and a man who ends up being one of the good guys is unable to leave the city as he had hoped. The town also loses the police chief as his pacemaker explodes when he approaches the dome.
From that point you begin to find out who the big players in the book are going to be. There’s the guy who was leaving, Barbie, who ends up being one of the good guys. He was ex-army and was a likeable guy. Then there was Jim Rennie who was a town official with more power than he should have had, who had a drug business on the side despite being very religious and who craved power. He was the biggest of the bad guys and a guy that you could really hate. There was also his son who was a bad guy himself, and then some of the other good guys such as the newspaper lady, the resident nurse and his wife, etc…
The whole story only lasted about a week but a lot of things happened very quickly in it. Right from the start Rennie saw an opportunity to be had to become a hero and to also grab power from the situation. Throughout the book things just seemed to go his way until the end, and every plan he hatched had the effect he had desired. From the riot at the food store to getting his nemesis locked up to growing the police force how he wanted, he planned well, and became the main power in the town. He was even getting away with murders to help cover his crimes as those who could point fingers at him came to him instead. While having everything go right for so much of the book was frustrating at times it was more because I wanted to see him fail than the things going on weren’t possible.
Meanwhile his son had killed one girl (only in part due to illness) while the dome fell and killed again later. This was a disturbing individual to say the least.
Chef was an interesting character on his own, neither good nor bad really. He cooked up the drugs and was so strung out that he believed he was an agent of god and really only wanted to protect what god had given them (the meth) but still had a human side seen when he buried his wife and helped Andy “see the way”. I personally think Meth is one of the worst things humans create but I still liked Chef’s character despite his flaws (and obvious insanity).
Throughout the book you could see the two sides forming, the good and the bad, with Barbie and friends looking to find solutions and keep the town intact up against Rennie, his son, and the police force which he built up using the situation to grab control of the town and not caring who got hurt, raped, maimed, or killed in the process. It was a chess match of sorts where Rennie was looking to get power while pinning things on Barbie and his friends and Barbie and friends were trying to figure things out while staying out of Rennie’s lockup. A third party, the outside world and more precisely the military played a small role in trying to get them out including firing missiles at the field but didn’t have any bigger role than failed attempts at removing the barrier.
Eventually in the beginning of the end Barbie had been locked up framed for crimes that the Rennie family had committed, then was broke out, and then the group had hidden where a bright kid working with “the good guys” named Joe had found the field generating device. While there they “saw” aliens when they approached the generator and thus they knew that it was alien kids that had placed it there like human kids would put ants under a magnifying glass.
Meanwhile there was a chaotic scene at a town meeting which saw an official gunned down while she tried to inform the town of Rennie’s evils. The next day found the city police force sent after Chef and Andy at the meth lab while the remainder of the town went to the barrier for a ‘event’ that would have their family on the other side as well as a scheduled press conference. However things at the meth lab went bad and a very large number of propane tanks and some C4 were detonated causing a huge (over the top) explosion that traveled through the dome towards the gathering killing pretty much everyone except Rennie who was in the city hall bunker and Barbie’s group.
The final end saw Rennie succumb to hallucinations where those he had killed (plus his son who had died during the breakout of Barbie from jail) drove him kind of batty to the point he ran out into the now poisoned air trying to escape. I was hoping for some hellishly deserved end for Rennie as I had grown to hate him but this will have to work.
As for the “survivors” and the field, as they were living on what little air could be forced through the dome but getting sicker they finally decided that they would make an attempt to beg the alien kids to let them go. In what was a bit of a letdown for an end to the field they communicated through the generator with one of the aliens (telepathically), convinced it that they were real and had lives and the alien lifted the field.
As I had said, overall I really liked this book. I thought the characters were well developed and the reader had a good sense of who they were and that made many of them likeable/hate-able. The situation of a “real town” with a single supernatural situation was great and I really enjoyed reading about such a case where everything is something you can relate to but for this one outlandish piece. Most of the stories of the individuals as well as those that were integral to the main plot were well written and enjoyable to read and kept the story going without there really being a time when things bogged down. The end of just having the field lifted after a bit of pleading was a bit weak compared to the rest of the book and left me feeling like something more could have been done but definitely not a killer for the rest of the book.
Next book for me … “Moby Dick”
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