Aluminum Hearts

she took me as i was
a precocious, arrogant kid
found me ever so charming
even the parts i hid
she taught me how to love
and it did make me grow
but not fully enough
to honestly let her know

her heart was an organ of fire

i was just a terrible liar

making such a beautiful thing break
will always be my biggest mistake

ten years since that night
she was the brightest light
and now i have only myself to blame
for the pain of having to carry this flame

It's been a while since I've written poetry, but this was an occasion above all others that warranted a return to the form. I love and miss you Melissa and I'm still so very sorry.

Merry Christmas

I want to wish everyone a happy and healthy Christmas. I also wanted to get this survey posted, since I had time to take it during a slow work day today. I've taken it every year the last several years and it's always interesting to look back and see what changes from year to year.


1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before? I remained completely, although not entirely by choice, celibate.
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? No, I still need to get back into shape.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My family welcomed twin boys, Bryce and Bryant to my cousin Jennifer and her husband Dewey and they were followed in June by birth of my cousin Stephanie's little girl Ava.
4. Did anyone close to you die? Nobody that I had a personal(as in met them in person) relationship with, but there were a lot of untimely and tragic deaths this year from stars like Paul Newman, Heath Ledger, Sydney Pollack and Mitch Mitchell to a local restrauntuer Denny Young, who I didn't know well but have friends and family who close to him and know what a great and unique guy he was.
5. What countries did you visit? I did not leave the good ole US of A this year.
6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? I would like to have my living arrangement change again soon and hopefully be able to afford a new car early in the year as well.
7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Easy, November 4th 2008. Yes We Did!
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Surviving.
9. What was your biggest failure? I spent a lot of the year writing to not have finished anything worthwhile.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Oh yeah, two kidney stone attacks this year along with that pesky neuromuscular disorder that comes out of nowhere ever so often.
11. What was the best thing you bought? A new leather jacket, which I got for an absolute steal. And I don't feel bad for buying a nice new leather jacket, even if it cost next to nothing, because I donated 6 coats/jackets of mine to a charity clothing drive. It's a fair trade-off, everything I donated was in great condition. I even convinced my mom to finally donate some of my brother's coats this year. No use in them collecting dust when they could be helping keep someone warm this winter.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? President Elect Barack Obama. Class act all the way.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Mostly my own.
14. Where did most of your money go? Gas and other ancillary things involving my vehicle maintenance and itunes of course (I might need rehab to get off it)
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Texas Longhorns Football season
16. What song will always remind you of 2008? "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:i. happier or sadder? sadderii. thinner or fatter? Fatter but I'm working on itiii. richer or poorer? Poorer, like most everyone else
18. What do you wish you'd done more of? work-out, get out, travel, sleep, dance
19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Self-loath, worry about work20. How will you be spending Christmas? Home with my parents and some family friends.
22. Did you fall in love in 2008? Not even close.
23. How many one-night stands? Zero24. What was your favorite TV program? Lost, Mad Men, House, The Daily Show
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No26. What was the best book you read? 2666 by Roberto Bolano (an epic and disturbing but fascinating read)
27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Vampire Weekend, MGMT and Bon Iver
28. What did you want and get?
30. What was your favorite film of this year? The Dark Knight, but there's a lot I haven't seen that looks really great. Rachel Getting Married, Man on Wire, In Bruges and Slumdog Millionaire are also really great.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 26 and I had play rehearsal which I had the embarrassment of having to try on a pair of 36 waist costume pants that were too small! Now I'm not really a 36 waist, it must have just been the design of these very old pair of pants but still that was pretty depressing.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being onstage performing more or finishing one of my writing projects and not have it come out as crap.
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008? Probably looking ridiculous by wearing shirts that were tight for me, due to the ever expanding belly region.
34. What kept you sane? medication
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Anne Hathaway is de lovely.
36. What political issue stirred you the most? The Wars in Iraq and Afghanastan
37. Who did you miss? My little brother Travis, go ahead and etch this answer down for this question from now until the end of time
38. Who was the best new person you met? Even though I met him last year, I got to know my friend Melissa's soon to be husband Blake better this year.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: Hard work and persistence are not always rewards in themselves, sometimes you want and deserve more, and that usually only occurs when you don't get it.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"Just us kids in the parking lot/Out here givin' it all we got/We don't want to get old and die/There ain't anything we won't try" - from "Just Us Kids" by James McMurtry

Dumb & Dumber (And other comments)

+ So we've got two men making a late push for "Douche bag of the Year" award : Democratic Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who has been arrested for allegedly scheming to profit from naming President-Elect Barack Obama's now vacant Illinois Senate seat by asking for gifts, favors and cash from potential candidates. Obama has of coursed called for the Governor to step down. Which he absolutely should and then he should be prosecuted and if found guilty go to jail.

+ Next I come back to my home state of Texas where Republican Congressman Joe Barton, a ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has introduced legislation to...wait for it...wait for it...end the BCS system. Huh!? Now I am of course by no means at all a BCS apologizer or fan and I like it when I hear our newly elected President say he's in favor at making a change to a college football playoff system, but to waste time and taxpayer money on such a ludicrous piece of non-legislation is just dumbfounding. Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb. Found everywhere.

+ Trying to Christmas shop without a list in your hands, going on nothing but the stubbornness of believing you have it all in your head, is not a good idea and will cause a lot of unnecessary anxiety and frustration.


+ Laughter really is the best medicine. I can not begin to explain the joy of exposing...er, maybe that's the wrong word to use, the joy of introducing a young person to a comedy milestone known as "Animal House". As you watch and laugh as you have hundreds of times before and as you watch them laugh and see the look in their eyes as they realize that their entire world has just been blown away by and they will keep their promise of deleting Dane Cook as a Myspace friend and adding "Duck Soup" along with anything made by Peter Sellers or Woody Allen in the 1960s or 70s to their Netflix que.

+ I really do feel confident that Colt McCoy will be awarded the Heisman Trophy this Saturday evening at the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan. Sure it's going to be the closest race in the treasured history of the award, but I don't think Tim Tebow or Sam Bradford have had the X-factor that McCoy has had this year for Texas. Going into this season, there was nothing but question marks around how good this Longhorn team could possibly be. Tebow and his Gators and Bradford's Sooners are playing for the National Championship and that's pretty much where most college football pundits believed they could or should be going into this season. Of course, I'm biased in that I want Colt to win the Heisman, but that doesn't change the fact that he should and probably will win. And it's not by any means a consolation prize for not being able to play for the Big 12 or National Championship. He's coming back next year and this time around there won't be anymore question marks surround Colt or the Longhorns.


+ Welcome to the dark side CC Sabathia.

+ So there's this new game for Playstation 3, Mortal Kombat versus DC Comics Universe, and it's really quite awesome. Great characters, visuals, effects and lots of mindless violence. Here's to hoping we get ourselves a really cool Street Fighter versus Marvel Comics next year.

+ Speaking of cool shit I've been checking out with my new PS3, the special features on the gorgeous Iron Man BluRay disc are fantastic. Really love getting to see the rehearsal footage of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jeff Bridges. No FX, no costumes. Just two guys working it out. Of course The Dark Knight disc has now arrived and I'm going to need to take a few days to digest all the great stuff that has to offer other than the fact that I get to watch the best film of the year I've seen so far and further my obsession over Heath Ledger's Joker.

Week in Review

Trust me, it's not all angels in bikinis.

Monday : It's a Monday. A Monday after a Holiday weekend. It sucked as much as you would expect it to.

Tuesday : Would have been my late brother's 25th birthday. Sucked as much as you would expect it to.

Wednesday : Rented my tuxedo for a friend's upcoming wedding, in which I am an usher. It's a nice enough Tuxedo but I really need lose weight. I feel like a sea lion, especially after watching Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace just the week before.

Thursday : Wake-up at 3am with excruciating pain, nausea and gas. It continues throughout the day and the symptoms are familiar to me. Another kidney stone attack. See the doctor and get the confirmation. Now it's time to load up on medication that makes me feel loopy and not in the good way and then just wait and see whether or I'll pass the stone or if it'll just go away.

Friday : Wake-up at 3:30am with even more excruciating pain and nausea. Still waiting and seeing. On the way to work the illness and loopiness aide in me getting into a fender bender that luckily does not cause any bodily harm to the person I rear-ended nor even any damage to their car. Me on the other hand, not so lucky. Upon impact I bumped my head on the steering wheel and got a little bit of whiplash, then I get out of the car to find my bumper and hood all twisted up. Just cosmetic damage, but something I don't need right now nonetheless.

Finally arrive at work and it's a usual busy and frantic morning, followed by a not so usual busy afternoon as I had to cover for two other co-workers who were out of the office and all of the stress, illness and other shit going on I end up snapping at a patient, who even now as I look back with hindsight had it coming because he's always been a prick and deserves to be put in his place even if it causes me to get into a lot of trouble at work.

I'm out of the door at 5pm sharp and head to dress/tech rehearsal and it goes not so well. It's a popular belief that bad dress rehearsals mean a good opening night. I've never believed that. But I'm going to have faith anyway that the show will go on and will go well.

All this and I didn't even get to watch the Victoria's Secret Lingerie Fashion Show. Not that television would do it any justice anyway, but it would be a nice distraction with the daily Murphy's Law my life seems to be right now.

What's so funny about...?

"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us...achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations."
- Abraham Lincoln

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people of Mumbai, India. A terrible tragedy they have been through but I believe, with the aide of faith, kindness and strength within themselves and from around the world they will prevail.

A few quick thoughts on Post-Turkey Day

Three things I think about the Cowboys resounding defeat of the Seahawks:

1) Romo's pinky is a non-factor. The recieving core is active and confident in the throws that thier QB is making.

2) Our red-zone defense is superb. Jay Ratliff, Demarcus Ware and Bradie James are all having Pro-Bowl and All-Pro seasons. I don't care if that was the Seahawks we were facing. The Cowboys might have a difficult final four games ahead of them but I'm not worried about the O-Lines of any of those teams being able to stop our aggressive guys up-front.

3) The lack of depth at running back is a concern, probably the biggest coming down the stretch. We need a healthy and effective Marion Barber to be a Super Bowl contender.

Five things I think about the Texas Longhorns resounding defeat of the Texas A&M Aggies:

1) Congratulations Colt McCoy! Another fantastic performance in getting your first win over the Aggies. The Heisman should be yours buddy, there's simply no contest. Bradford, Harrell, Tebow, Crabtree are all great athletes, but they can not come close to you in heart and leadership. I proudly say that you are the Tim Duncan of College Football players.

2) Mack Brown is also a class act when compared to the smug, arrogant colleauges of his that are so pre-occupied with "style" points and politiking for BCS points. Up 42-9 with 11 minutes to go in the 4th Quarter he did not hesitate to let most of his second team offense get in the game and they proved to be as formidable as any other program's starters.

3) Bravo to Brandon Collins for stepping up and having a break-out game as the Aggie Defense keyed in on covering Shipley and Cosby. He's just one of many offensive skill players to show real promise this year after all the off-season talk how unsure everyone was of how good this Texas team could be. 11-1 with a shot a both a Big-12 and National Championship. Defeated the #1 team in the country on a neutral field and have played one of the toughest schedules in the country. That's how good this Texas team is.

4) I'm not going to be routing for or against Texas Tech or Oklahoma in thier games this weekend. Texas has taken care of it's business on the field and whatever happens, happens. The many scenarios and tie-breakers are just mind-boggling. Champions are decided by winning and losing football games on the field. Head to head. We don't have a system that seems to be that interested in such practical conventions like that but until we do there's nothing we can do about it but just keep on playing the best football we can.

5) Erin Andrews looked good last night, as always. And she had a good game on the sidelines as well for all those "she's beauty, no brains" haters out there. We can forgive the fact that she's a Gator girl. I think she would do just fine here in Austin, dressed up in some burnt orange with that radiant, life-affirming smile of hers and overly-descriptive hand gestures. OK, I'll stop perving out now. Sorry about that.

Give thanks

I am thankful for President-elect Barack Obama.

I am thankful for the time I got to spend this past year with friends serving our country in the military all over the world. They don't get to come home often enough but when they do we make the most of it.

I am thankful for being in good health, including over a year and half without an episode of paralysis caused by a neuromuscular disorder that a few years ago I feared would have a far worse impact on my life.

I am thankful for hope. Because in a year that has been filled with so much anger, frustration, confusion and desperation it is hope that remains my guiding force to not give up.

I am thankful for the new life that entered my family this year. Beautiful twin boys, Bryce and Bryant, were born in March to my cousin Jennifer and then gorgeous baby girl Ava Nikol this past June to my cousin Stephanie.

I am thankful for the good fortune I've seen come to several of my good friends this past year including an impending marriage as well as academic and career successes.

Let's Pick 'Em - College Football Edition

*note all rankings reflect current BCS standings

(4) Florida at (20)Florida State
If the Gators are looking ahead to Alabama then they are going to be in some trouble, no matter how good they have been playing against some weak SEC teams all year and that powerhouse The Citadel last week. The Noles defense is going to go after Florida’s offensive playmakers, but in the end they won’t have to make much plays as the Gator’s D is pretty formidable itself.

Florida 17, FSU – 13

(1) Alabama vs. Auburn
Alabama is certainly not looking ahead to Florida as they are frothing at the mouth to end a 6-year losing streak in the Iron Bowl and the timing couldn’t be better as the Crimson Tide will roll over the Tigers behind one of the best O-lines in the country helping QB John Parker Wilson make the big plays downfield.

Alabama 31, Auburn 10

(2) Oklahoma at (12)Oklahoma State
The Cowboys will give the Sooners a much better game than the Red Raiders did last week in Norman. And with the home field advantage on their side I expect a very close game although in the end I don’t have enough faith in Oklahoma State’s defense to slow down a steamrolling Sooner offensive attack.

Oklahoma 45, Oklahoma State 28

(5) University of Southern California vs. Notre Dame
Memories of last year’s 38-0 shutout as well as last week’s last second home loss to Syracuse means Charlie Weiss is going to have demand a serious gut-check from his Fighting Irish. The Trojans have spent most of the year playing the JV Squads of the Pac-10 but Notre Dame will still have to play the games of their lives to even keep it close. Jimmy Clausen if there was ever a time to have your first real breakout game of your much-hyped college career this is it.

USC 49, Notre Dame 21

(2) Texas vs. Texas A&M
Colt McCoy finally gets the monkey off his back and wins big over Mike Sherman’s first year Aggie Squad that is hovering at the bottom of the Big-12. This could also be a Heisman clincher for McCoy, but I’m not expecting that he’ll put up massive numbers per se, as the game will probably be well in hand by halftime and I don’t see Mack Brown trying to put up “style” points like so many of his contemporaries do. He’s too classy of a coach to do that. Even so, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Longhorn second team look list starters against this Aggie team.

Texas 52, Texas A&M 17

Bonus NFL Pick :

Dallas Cowboys vs. Seattle Seahawks
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the Cowboys, although it’s nice to have the Texas Longhorns on the same day as well. The Cowboys much like the Longhorns are facing an opponent they should have no problems with. Last week against the 49ers Terrell Owens exploded to over 200 yards receiving despite Tony Romo still having some gimpy throws affected by his injured pinky. The Seahawks have an even less formidable secondary so I’m confident the good times will continue to roll. Look for Rookie TE Martellus Bennet to continue to make an impact when the defense goes after a banged-up Jason Witten.

Cowboys 35, Seahawks 17

Tomorrow will come a more appropriate Thanksgiving related post, until then Peace, Love & Prosperity to all.

extremis malis extrema remedia

My stomach is twisting in knots right now. I had actually been preparing myself for the notion that this could be a really great Thanksgiving considering I will be able to watch both a Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns football game on the same day for the first time ever. But now I find myself popping an extra Xanax to help calm my nervous stomach after getting the tragic news that a friend lost his parents last week in an apparent murder/suicide. This compounded with this past weekend’s news of a Florida teen who took his own life live on the internet with viewers watching, even taunting and egging him to do it, that just disgusted and disturbed to me no end. I know a lot of things are really hard right now but I would like to think there is more hope than is currently being reflected by such terrible events.

I applaud President-Elect Obama’s concern about the auto industry’s ill-prepared financial bailout package, but then yet another banking giant, Citigroup, gets handed $20 Billion dollars in relief over the weekend without even a blink of an eye. And I can’t but help to go back to well each time I think about our struggling economy and say that it’s an absolute travesty that we are still spending millions upon billions of dollars on failing foreign policy initiatives, including fighting a war in a country that currently has an economic surplus of over a trillion dollars. That’s not just money going down the drain, that’s lives being lost. Lives of American citizens who have volunteered to put themselves in harm’s way to protect their country, but who’s protecting them when they need it?

I overheard a co-worker recently talking about how she didn’t understand why there are so many commercials promoting foster care on television right now. She went to make some sort of blanket statement about how our country’s foster system was a joke full of abusive and greedy people. I wanted to ask whether she actually had any real experience or insight to as why that might be true or if she was just speaking from total ignorance. I also wanted to tell her that while there may be those who have taken advantage of the foster care system the current highest growing population of homeless in this country are children. So children are now both #1 in the categories of poverty and homelessness in the greatest country in the world. Ain’t that something to hang our hats on?

OK. Three paragraphs of venting are enough. I am still very happy to report that my good friend Jenny and her boyfriend Faust are going to be welcoming their first child together this spring. Jenny is going to make a wonderful mother. And to make a completely inappropriate comment, I have to say that it’s going to be some serious Salma Hayek effect going on. Come on, I had to end on a joke, even one in bad taste.

4 Quarters

Let's talk about football...

1) Tony Romo is going to be fine. He had a nice solid game leading the Cowboys to victory over the Redskins. Two interceptions, one that was bad throw and the other just bad luck as it popped out of Terrell Owens' grip and fell into the hands of a Redskin defender. Otherwise he did complete 19 of 27 passes, a sturdy number even when you don't have a bum pinky finger. Only a few passes seemed to be affected by said finger which should continue to heal and stay out risk of re-injury when Romo gets the protection he was getting last night from the offensive line. Even when the Redskins did get some pressure on him he was getting rid of the ball quickly and smoothly.

2) Jay Ratliff should be in Hawaii this February celebrating his first trip to the Pro Bowl. I even think All-Pro honors are in order if he stays as strong down the stretch as he has been the first part of the season. His two sacks of Redskin QB Jason Campbell were huge momentum shifters and his constant hustle all season long as has been a driving force of the Cowboys D-Line.

3) Stud receiver Roy Williams, a mid-season acquisition from the hapless Lions, saw his first game action with Romo last night and while there wasn't much spectacular about it; there will be plenty of good to come from this combo in the future for the Cowboys which should make Jerry Jones realize there's only room for one Roy Williams on the team so it's time to part ways with the other Roy Williams, former Oklahoma safety, who's currently on the Injured Reserve list and out for the entire season. At this point in his career, Williams the Sooner, is injury prone and a liability on pass coverage.

4) The San Diego Chargers would have already won a Super Bowl if they had decided to re-sign Quarterback Drew Brees after the 2005 season instead of anointing their 2004 #1 Draft pick Phillip Rivers as the once and future starter.

Brees himself was the first overall pick of the second round of the 2001 Draft by the Chargers, the same year they selected their sure-fire Hall of Fame running back LaDanian Tomlinson in the first round. Brees did not get much time on the field his first few years with the Chargers and when he did the results were mixed. So the team all but gave-up on Brees and drafted Rivers; who then held-out during training camp and didn't sign his contract until shortly before the season began.

That gave Brees another chance to show what he had and he turned in a fantastic Pro Bowl 2004 season, even leading the Chargers to the playoffs. That was followed up by another strong season in 2005 even though the Chargers just missed the playoffs that year. After that season, San Diego decided they could do just fine with letting Brees go and put their quarterback eggs in Rivers basket. Brees signed with New Orleans Saints and led them all the way to the NFC Championship in first season in 2006.

Rivers has played well in San Diego but the Chargers have come up short in their playoff appearances. This season they are sitting at 4-6 and will most likely miss the playoffs entirely. The QB change can not be entirely put at fault for the Chargers woes, there have been numerous coaching changes and while LT was at his dominant best in a 2006 MVP season, his productivity has started to fall, as is the case with most running backs at this point in their careers.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees has over 3,200 yards passing through ten games this season for the 5-5 Saints, which has him on pace to break the single season passing yardage record. One can only imagine how things would have turned out for the Chargers had they retained Brees services after that 2005 season. I believe they would have more than just contenders, I think they would have won it all at least since 2005.

Vote or Die!

I can barely keep my eyes open right now. I woke-up at 4am this morning a nervous wreck and I guess this is the enevitable crash. So far there's not much news. Polls on the East coast start closing in the next 3 or 4 hours, so if you haven't voted yet then what are you waiting for?! Get out and do your duty. Seriously, I think I should get to vote twice for all of the lazy apathetic people I know that are not voting. At least turnout in general seems to be really high and voters are excited. I am going to be no good at rehearsal tonight, how can I concentrate with such an important and historical night unfolding. Of course my rooting interest lay with Senators Barack Obama and Joe Biden for the biggest ticket and my heart goes out to Senator Obama and his family after losing his grandmother this weekend.

As far as local races go, I'm pulling for Democrat Donnie Dippel in the race for the District 17 seat in the Texas House and Democrat Chris Duggan for the newly created 423rd District Court in Bastrop County, both of whom I voted for. Now of course being a Texan I could not vote for Democrat Andrew Rice who is running against incumbent Oklahoma U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe(one of the absolute worst excuses for a human being I can imagine) but I did contribute to Rice's campaign and hope that the people of Oklahoma realize they deserve better.

Spooked

Bad weekend. Bad day. Quick post. Pray for my dreams to come true tomorrow.

OK. So I really blew it on updating my Neewalloh Film Fest. I did watch a lot of horror movies, just didn't do a very good job of keeping track of what I was watching and when. Ultimately I watched a lot of crap and only a few decent flix I had never seen before, so I also had to throw in some classics to help wash the palate. Of course there was this major distraction of Texas Longhorn football and the gauntlet they went through in the month of October, which ended on a sad note this past Saturday night with a loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock. But anyway, here goes a quick recap of the film fest.

The Good: The Deaths of Ian Stone, Dog Soldiers; (re-watched all of the following) - Silver Bullet, Hello Marylou: Prom Night II, Dawn of the Dead (1978 & 2004), The Mist, Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1973), Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

The Bad: Quarantine, Crazy Eights, Dance of the Dead, Student Bodies, Shutter, The Strangers, Dead and Buried, The Hand, Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming, Saw IV & V, The Ring Two, The Eye

The Ugly: The Pit, Hellgate, Diary of the Dead, Darkness, Drive-Thru, Troll/Troll 2, Lifeforce, Cheerleader Camp, Prom Night (2008)

So next year, I know that I'm going to start programming far earlier and with far more discretion. But luckily we are in my favorite movie season, the fall and winter, where we get to catch-up on or re-watch the best from the past summer as they arrive on DVD; and we start getting a chance to check out all of the awards contenders as well as the holiday popcorn flix.

An Idiot Parade of Two in Minneapolis, Via Conservative Talk Radio Of Course

OK. So a few minutes ago I was trying to get through the Friday afternoon doldrums by posting this interesting story about virgin shark birth. Trying to make the day go by faster, because I can’t wait for tomorrow’s Red River Shootout which I am confident Texas is going to emerge victorious from, when I come across this:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/10/10/magic.radio.ap/index.html

I don’t know who these guys are, Chris Baker and Langdon Perry, but I’m guessing that they aren’t that interested in making a donation for a little event we’re having here in Austin on Sunday October 19th called AIDSWalkAustin08. Yeah, a bunch of us gullible morons that actually believe and care that thousands of our fellow citizens are living and dying from HIV and AIDS related illness and that’s not mentioning the millions more across the world. Bunch of fakers they are, just like Magic.

Ugh. I don’t listen to conservative radio show hosts or any other form of talk radio outside of the occasional sports show, but I’m sure this is probably not that far removed from their typical conversations in between calling Senator Obama a terrorist and having flashbacks to the 1990s trying to blame the current economic crisis all on President Clinton. This news is just breaking so I’m not sure how much of an impact it’s going to have, if at all. I came across it on SI.com and so maybe it’s only the sports and celebrity aspect that’s getting it any real publicity out of it, but if it comes to people protesting and pleading with the radio station to fire Perry & Langdon I say no way. Instead make these guys spend a week volunteering at a Hospice program. I’m sure Minneapolis has a fine one and they’ll find out what a faker really looks like.

I can still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I saw the news come in about Magic Johnson in 1991. I was at home working on a plaster of Paris model of The Alamo for my Texas History class. It was this gargantuan project that took up the entire kitchen table and as I watched Magic’s press conference I knew then and right there that I would never forget that day. I had already been familiar with the Ryan White story but like a lot of people in the country at the time it felt like this was the first person we actually knew who had this disease. It was something we could no longer just pretend like it was a fringe cause who only affected people we didn’t know or didn’t care about.

And while HIV may have cut Magic’s NBA career short he has managed in the 17 years since then to become an incredible role model for young people throughout the country based on what he has done off the court including numerous foundations and charities to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness and research. He also started Magic Johnson Theaters, a movie theater chain that has focused on bringing entertainment and jobs to inner-city areas that were lacking in both. On top of all of that Magic Johnson never took pity on himself or tried to blame anyone else but himself for the actions and mistakes he made that put him in the position of being at risk for this disease. Which brings me back to Chris Baker and Langdon Perry, Who the hell are you? Who the hell are you to accuse and defame someone like Magic Johnson while offending anyone with common decency? Fuck you assholes! Let’s go plug a good cause.

For more information on AIDSWalkAustin08, just head on over to the website:

http://www.asaustin.org/site/PageServer?pagename=AW08_findteamwalker

We’re trying to raise $175,000 for local HIV/AIDS welfare, treatment and prevention programs. Right now the tally sits at over $67,000 so we have some work to do. I hope that if you can give some, whatever little bit, that you can. And come out for the walk if you can as well. It is a good cause despite what knuckle-draggers on the radio say.

No Baby Daddy for this Shark

Take a gander at this story.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/10/10/shark.virgin.birth.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

I don’t know why but that story is freaking me out. As fascinating as it is there’s something scary about it too. Sharks are such complex and intriguing animals. They have been around since the pre-historic times and have not had to evolve much to survive. The constant “top of the food chain” in the ocean that scientists have studied whether or not things in their DNA would be helpful in curing disease and pro-longing life in humans.

It’s not just sharks though, what if other types of animals begins to adapt to asexual reproduction: Birds, rodents, reptiles, monkeys? Hell, if monkeys can do it then it’s only a short step away from humans being able to do it as well. That sure blows cloning out of the water. I guess it would be most likely in any of these scenarios that the females of the species would be the first to adapt to asexual reproduction, but eventually males would have to be able to adapt or perish. Maybe that’s what is freaking me out. Imagine that; Mother earth no longer needing anymore fathers. Mother and father become one. Does this mean the end of masculine traits in all species? Or does a hybrid of both feminine and masculine occur. It’s wild.

Of course this is all assuming we don’t just blow-up the entire world with nuclear weapons or destroy the planet with pollution and the man-made acceleration of global warming first. Just a thought.

Neewalloh Film Fest (Week One)

In keeping with my tradition of ripping-off other blogs or websites, I am going to celebrate the month of October and it's month ending holiday Halloween by trying to watch a horror movie every single day of the month. This is exactly what http://www.aintitcool.com contributor Qunit has been doing since June and he's changed his format for this month to watch Horror movies exclusively. And like Quint I am going to try and watch movies that haven't seen before or at least films that I haven't watched in a very long time. I'm already 7 days into the month so I'll try to update by the week or at least every few days.

October 1st – One Missed Call (2008)
Another American remake of a techno-paranoia thriller from Japan this film stars Shannon Sossamon and Ed Burns trying to track down the cause of serial killings that have been afflicting their friends and family members. All of the killings have been foreshadowed by the victim receiving a phone call from themselves, all of which are from a future date and time and with a message leaving clues to the victims impending death. The premise is rather hokey, even by Japanese horror film remakes and this Americanized version plays very straight and dull. The death sequences are flat and they are not able to squeeze out even an ounce of suspense. I fell asleep during the climax of the film, only to awake and catch the ridiculous ending. I would "miss" this film as much as I would want to miss a phone call foretelling my own death.

October 2nd – The Invisible (2007)
A supernatural thriller from David Goyer who penned the Blade franchise as well as Batman Begins is also a remake of a Swedish film about a smart and successful young man, Nick Powell, who is about to graduate high school when gets attacked and beaten very badly by a female classmate of his and her juvenile delinquent friends. Nick awakens as an invisible being unable to speak or communicate with the world around him. Initially Nick believes he is a ghost and that he has died but later comes to realize that he is still alive and tries desperately to help the authorities find his body before it's too late. Unfortunately Nick doesn't come off as a very interesting character that you are rooting for him to survive. There is some good stuff with a subplot involving Annie, the classmate who initiated the attack on Nick, but it's not quite enough to elevate this from being a little too mopey and schmaltzy.

October 3rd – Fingerprints (2006)
Probably only notable for being the feature film debut of ex-Laguna Beach star Kristin Cavallari, which isn't saying much. The premise is about a family who has moved to a small Texas town after the patriarch has taken on a major construction job dealing with the town's railroad line. One of the family's daughters has just been released from rehab and as soon as she gets into the town learns of a horrible tragedy that occurred 50 years before when a school bus full of children were killed as their bus was hit by a train while crossing the railroad tracks. There is now an legend that has been created around the incident where the town's people believe that the ghost of the dead children still haunt the railroad tracks and will save any vehicle that is in danger. I didn't think I could muster even that much to describe this terrible film. Incredibly wooden acting? Check. Complete lack of suspense? Check.

October 4th – Voodoo Moon (2005)
Starring Eric Mabius, best known for his current gig on television's Ugly Betty but here playing a character not too far removed from his turn in The Crow: Salvation as he plays a man obsessed with destroying an evil spirit that unleashed a mass murder spree that wiped out his entire small hometown in Tennessee, including watching his own parents slaughtered. Only Mabius's Cole and his sister played by Charisma Carpenter survived and got out alive. Since then has dedicated his life to studying different ways to fight the evil spirit with everything from exorcism to voodoo. Eventually, Cole and his sister along with several people whom Cole has saved over the years get together back to face off with this evil spirit for a final showdown. John Amos and Jeffrey Combs are two of those people from Cole's past who provide some decent comedic relief moments. There are some good elements here in this made for Sci-Fi Channel film, but given the television limitations it doesn't get fleshed out as well as it could be.

October 5th – Clive Barker's Nightbreed (1990)
Having not seen this film in many, many years I was happy to rediscover this creepy and creative flick about a man who has been terrorized by nightmares his entire life about a world of monsters called Midian. Filmmaker David Cronenberg co-stars here as a manipulative psychotherapist who gives very good creepiness. The plot is ambitious but ultimately falls short of its intentions. Otherwise it's still very entertaining for the visual palate alone, with many fantastic creature designs. I'd love to see Clive Barker's extended director's cut which fleshes out the mythology even more, that is if he's ever able to get it released.

October 6th - The Monster Squad (1987)
Last year I immediately picked up this when it came out on DVD to celebrate it's twentieth anniversary but I had not gotten around to watching it again so I finally popped it in and was taken right back to what a nice, big sugary-sweet bowl of giddy childhood horror loving fun it is. It's funny to watch now and realize that overall it's a pretty tame film, horror-wise, but that the language alone would never make it into any of overly P.C. junk that kids are fed. Instead they get more violence, without any of the humor or an authenticity of innocence that this movie has to offer.

October 7th - The Ruins (2008)
When this film adaptation of the Scott Smith novel came out this past April I went opening weekend to catch it as it was my birthday and I was eagerly awaiting the film because I enjoyed the book quite a lot. It was a smart, scary and interesting read. Unfortunately the screening I attended that night did not go as planned. The film stock had some major damage, so after we attempted twice to get through the first ten minutes it was not working. We got rain checks from the theatre, but I never ended up seeing it on the big screen. Even more unfortunate was finally catching it on DVD where there far too many character/plot changes, all for the worse, from the novel. But even more so the tone and themes that made the book so rich and suspenseful were turned into a predictably schlocky and hokey slasher flick. The casting didn't help either, especially with Jonathan Tucker, who I particularly loathe in anything I see him in, ever since he was the weak link in Sofia Coppola's "The Virgin Suicides" back in 2000.

All movies of course are available on DVD. So head on over to Netflix if you want to start your very own Neewalloh Film Fest. This next week hopefully we'll get to some better product. Some of the titles I hope to catch include: The Tommyknockers, Drive Thru, Lifeforce, Troll/Troll 2, Hello Marylou: Prom Night II, Student Bodies, The Hand, Shadow Puppets, The Strangers, Dead and Buried, Night of the Demons, Five Across the Eyes, Something Wicked this Way Comes, Otis, The Host.

A plea to Lorne Michaels

I give Saturday Night Live a free pass more often than probably anything else. But I have to say I don't understand what Lorne Michaels is doing right now. Sure Tina Fey's two appearances as VP Nominee Sarah Palin have been great but otherwise the new season has started off rather weak and stale. And how often can Tina be trumped out to do Palin? Hopefully it will become a moot point come Nov. 4th and we can all just forget about the Dan Quayle of the new century.

After seven years, Amy Poehler is moving on, which it was definitely time for her to do and she'll be fine with a sitcom on NBC set for mid-season and more roles in features to come as well. That leaves Kristen Wiig as the senior female cast member and she's undoubtedly the star now, she easily outshines the male cast members, which there are too many of. I would whittle the cast down to Wiig, Jason Sudekis, Bill Hader, Andy Samberg, Fred Armisen and the newest female cast member Casey Wilson because we haven't seen enough of her yet to know whether she's in for the long haul. Even so I'd recommend looking for at least one more new female cast member and Fred Armisen only gets a reprieve due to the fact that he's playing Obama right now, but if they can find someone else who can do a better Obama then by all means bring them on and let Armisen go as well. One other recommendation I would make to Lorne Michaels would be for him to get Adam Sandler to host. Now I haven't been the biggest fan of his recent movies, but I love his earlier films and grew-up on his SNL days. I don't understand why the biggest star to ever come out of SNL has not returned to host the show. I'm not aware of there being any rift between Sandler and Michaels but whatever it is get through it because Sandler hosting SNL would be a huge event. Sandler has a big movie coming out this Christmas season, Bedtime Stories, that would be a perfect time.

These are just suggestions I make out of love. I'll be watching this Saturday, as I always do, when the lovely Anne Hathaway host with musical guests The Killers.

Post Script : Still reeling from the death of Paul Newman I just have to pass on this fantastic article from NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd about the legend.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/01/opinion/01dowd.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin

"Can't swim? Hell, the fall will kill ya!"

Paul Newman (January 26, 1925 - September 26th, 2008)

Hollywood, America and the World have lost of one it's most genuine icons. Paul Newman died late yesterday at his home in Westport, Conneticut where he was surrounded by family and friends. He leaves an incredible legacy of work that goes even further than just his brilliant acting and directing credits. In 1982 he co-founded the Newman's Own brand of food products the proceeds of which go to charity. Following in 1988 was the formation of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Conneticut, where children with serious illnesses are able to spend thier summers doing the normal chilhood things.

I grew up watching and studying his films closely. The Sting, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Long Hot Summer, Cool Hand Luke, Hud, The Hustler, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, Somebody Up There Likes Me, Harper, The Hudsucker Proxy, Nobody's Fool, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Exodus, Sweet Bird of Youth, Hombre, Absence of Malice, The Verdict, Torn Curtain, The Color of Money, Road to Perdition. Such a great body of work. I'm deeply saddeneded by his passing, but very grateful for having so many great memories of watching and enjoying these films. My prayers and thoughts go out to Paul's wife of 50 years Joanne Woodward and thier family.

Politics as usual

All of the hoopla over Senator John McCain “suspending” his campaign and threatening to not show up for tonight’s first Presidential Debate in Oxford, Mississippi because he wanted to concentrate on fixing American’s economic crisis by jetting back to Washington D.C. was a ridiculous political ploy that failed. Senator McCain will be present to give his ass handed to him by Senator Obama on the campus of Ole Miss University. I guess McCain’s old buddy ex-Senator Phil Gramm was off-target when he called America a nation of “whiners” in regards to the current economic struggles.

Yes, the debate tonight will go on as scheduled and I am looking forward to it. But there is far more disturbing news that has come to light recently in regards to McCain’s running mate Sarah Palin. Apparently while the mayor of the small Alaskan town of Wasilla; Palin began billing sexual-assault victims for the cost of rape kits and other forensic exams. WOW!

Just think about that for a moment. Republicans decry the estate tax but charging victims of sexual based crimes for investigating said crimes is OK?! WOW! And what a better way to discourage women or men who have been victims of a sexual-assault to not report the incident if they know they are going to be taking a financial hit up front as well. I wonder if these victims were ever reimbursed when the forensic testing was conclusive and helped get a conviction. Or as former Alaskan Governor put it -- “We would never bill the victim of a burglary for fingerprinting and photographing the crime scene, or for the cost of gathering other evidence.”

In 2000, the Alaskan legislature approved a bill to stop this practice in Wasilla. There is no record of Palin speaking out about the issue then or now and of course the way the campaign is keeping her so safe guarded from the press we are not likely to get any info from her anytime soon, but I think it’s certainly worth some discussion.

Ugh! John McCain and Sarah Palin. You’d think Bush/Cheney would have desensitized me, but my stomach is knots thinking about the possibility of them actually winning. Gotta keep the hope alive. America is not this fucking stupid, we’re just not. We have our moments sure, but come on.

Rick, Rhymes with.....

“I absolutely understand they want to get back to their homes … I’d like to get back to the mansion.”

Those were the words of our venerable and compassionate Governor Rick Perry in response to the worries and frustration of Texans displaced or evacuated from thier homes due to Hurricane Ike. Perry was comparing himself to those unfornate people victimized by the hurricane because he and his family have not been living in the traditonal residence of his position due to remodeling and then a fire by vandalism at the Governor's Mansion. Instead Rick Perry and his family live in a 5,000 square foot home that is owned by a contributor to Perry's re-election fund and furthermore the state(i.e. us taxpayers) is footing the $10,000 a month rent for the set-up Perry and his family enjoy in one of Austin's nicest neighborhoods.

Meanwhile, it's nice to see the NFL, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair both kicking in $500,000 each to start a fund raising money to aid in the relief and recovery efforts being done in Texas post-Hurricane Ike. The Chevron Corporation added in $25,000 and McNair has stated they are encouraging other corprations and businesses to donate to the cause. Corporations don't have to be totally evil, do they? No, I didn't think so. Mostly evil, sure, but not totally.

I've spoken with several friends in the Houston and Galveston area and they are thankfully doing well, just having to deal with minor damages and lack of power and running water in all areas. It's ridiculous how quick Governor Perry and the rest of the government were so quick to pat themselves on the back for not letting Hurricane Ike turn into a Katrina-level disaster and granted emergency preperations and response have been handled very well, but then he goes and says something stupid like the mansion comment.

Not going to turn this into a rant on how Senator John McCain is similar in trumping the success of this past year's troop surge in Iraq at the expense of remembering or even acknowledging the repeated failures of the previous 5 years in this war, not to mention the lies leading us into the war in the first place. Oops, there I go.

In honor and at the suggestion of USA Today's pop-culture and entertainment blogging goddess, one Miss Whitney Matheson of the Pop Candy blog and podcast, I am going to come up with a series of lists recommending books, movies, music, etc… for all those kids out there just starting high school and who want a pop-culture survival guide.

Today we start with my picks for the essential films for viewing and appreciating during your high school years. These titles are in no particular order.

Pulp Fiction (1994) Quentin Tarrantino's indie masterpiece is a bizarre, hip, funny, quotable and violent slice of life that can't replicated, no matter how many times they try to do it. Considering that kids born the year this movie came out are now entering high school makes it a must-see before you hit college, even if it's the only movie on the list that doesn't directly relate to high school in subject matter.

The Breakfast Club (1985) This film is pretty much standard viewing for most American kids even before high school, but it never gets old. And it has a special resonance when you are actually at the same age and point in your life that the Jock, the Brain, the Princess, the Freak and the Criminal are.

Election (1999) Far more biting than the more "feel good" nature of a John Hughes flick, this is a funny and sometimes ferocious satire of teacher-student relations at typical Omaha, Nebraska high school. Reese Witherspoon shines as overachiever Tracy Flick running for Senior Class President and Matthew Broderick plays the affable History teacher to whom Tracy's overbearing nature brings out the worst in.

Dazed and Confused (1993) The classic last day of school film from Richard Linklater perfectly captures those endless nights of partying and bonding with your high school friends. Taking in all the good, bad, embarrassing and life-changing. Headed up by cast of unknowns at the time many of whom are very familar faces now.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Based on the Cameron Crowe novel, Amy Heckerling directs this chronicle of the ups and downs life during one school year for some early 80s adolescents. Sean Penn's legendary character Jeff Spicolli and Pheobe Cates' topless dream sequence are only a few of the highlights in this hilarious and thoughtful romp.

The Last American Virgin (1982) Long before American Pie or Superbad, there was this raunchy sex comedy about three high school buddies and their never ending pursuit of the fairer sex. Thankfully we are also treated to a sincere and honest story about the thin line between lust and love and friendship.

Clueless (1995) Another Heckerling feature, this modernization of the Jane Austen novel, Emma, sets the action in a Beverly Hills high school with Alicia Silverstone as Cher, a clever but still naive young girl who is quick to dispense advice to her friends and family, but takes a little longer in learning life's lessons herself.

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) One of the most endearing, honest and hilarious portraits of an outcast who makes good against the odds. Endlessly quotable and re-watchable, which are both important ingredients.

She's All That (1999) A guilty pleasure for sure. It's the classic ugly duckling story, only in Hollywood the ugly duckling is just some pretty girl with glasses and a fat friend. Regardless this is still a sweet and charming teenage romantic comedy that is a must-see.

Scream (1996) Slasher films are a rite of passage for teenagers and one of the most consistent genres to feature them as characters. Writer Kevin Williamson and director Wes Craven craft a clever and scary film that both plays up the genre's conventions and re-invents them at the same time.

The Last Picture Show (1971) Peter Bogdanovich's brilliant adaptation of the Larry McMurtry novel about a group of young friends in a dusty West Texas town struggling with growing up and growing apart, all while the older generations watch and crack wise about how important it all seems when you're that age.

Rebel Without A Cause (1955) The most iconic teen film of all-time that stars one of the most iconic young stars of all-time. James Dean creates the modern day teenage anti-hero, full of angst and frustration with his life at school and home. Natalie Woods as Dean's love interest and Sal Mineo as his pal Plato both also shine in this classic.

Heathers (1989) Here we have Christian Slater as a more self-aware James Dean type who woos Winona Ryder's character as she infiltrates and dismantles the titular popular girl clique. This a darker, dryer type of high school film, but no less honest or entertaining.

Boyz n the Hood (1991) John Singleton's debut is a powerful look at the struggle to live a normal teenage life when you are surrounded by elements that force you to grow-up faster than you'd like. The violence and poverty that permeates in so many inner-city neighborhoods is part of these characters' everyday life and often contributes to a feeling of helplessness that is inescapable when you're in high school.

Juno (2007) The most recent entry on the list is nonetheless worthy. Diablo Cody's Oscar winning script snaps, crackles and pops off the screen under the direction of Jason Reitman for an instant classic. Ellen Page truly shines along with a fantastic supporting cast in this tale of teen pregnancy, adoption, high school romance, friendship, family and faith.

Honorable Mention : Pump up the Volume, Mean Girls, Superbad, Sixteen Candles & Dancer,TX Pop.81

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

On this day in 1846 legendary poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning were secretly wed. Their love story is one that has remained in the hearts and imagination of so many romantics.

Already a published poet at age 13 thanks to some help from her father who organized the printing of her work Elizabeth then suffered a severe spine injury when she was 15 and retreated to her room living as an invalid into her early 30s. Writing poetry was her only release. In 1844, fellow English poet Robert Browning wrote to Elizabeth to tell her how much he admired her work. They continued to correspond through letters and the courtship began despite Elizabeth's father's disapproval. After their secret marriage in 1846, Elizabeth and Robert moved to Italy, where Elizabeth's health became far improved. In 1849 they welcomed their only child, a son named Pen. Elizabeth passed away in 1861 at which point Robert took his son back to England. Their poetry and love letters are classics to this day and give us some nice insight into a great story of passion and love.

Here are some samples:

Sonnet XLIII by Elizabeth Barrett Browning

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Life in Love by Robert Browning

Escape me?
Never---Beloved!
While I am I, and you are you,
So long as the world contains us both,
Me the loving and you the loth
While the one eludes, must the other pursue.
My life is a fault at last, I fear: It seems too much like a fate, indeed!
Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed.
But what if I fail of my purpose here?
It is but to keep the nerves at strain, To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,
And, baffled, get up and begin again,---

So the chace takes up one's life ' that's all.
While, look but once from your farthest bound
At me so deep in the dust and dark,
No sooner the old hope goes to ground
Than a new one, straight to the self-same mark,
I shape me---
Ever
Removed!

'Till things are brighter...

"I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime, But is there because he's a victim of the times."

Yesterday we bowed our heads in remembrance of those lost during the tragic events of 9/11 and today we pick ourselves back up and remember the Man in Black who died 5 years ago on this day. Johnny Cash is an icon, a legend and a hero. So pull out your old 45 of "I Walk the Line" if you're lucky enough to have one or buy the damn song from iTunes and pay the man some respect.

Hope & Change

I knew I should have posted something immediately after the Democratic National Convention. That way I’d have something nice to write about instead of post after post of bad news, but we’ll get to that later.

As the DNC converged in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado I was swelled up with patriotism and pride and I was actually moved to tears by several of the speakers, most notably Presidential nominee Barack Obama and his wife Michelle with their fantastic speeches. Vice Presidential nominee Joe Biden, Keynote speaker, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, now a senate candidate along with both former President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton also brought the goods to the stage.

By weeks end it was John McCain and the Republican’s turn. First there was McCain’s out of nowhere selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, to which I am not even going to get into right now. I honestly don’t know who she is and don’t imagine I will need to learn much about her and as far as the “tabloid” aspects to her family life, it really doesn’t matter.

Senator John McCain is a weak candidate and his selection of Gov. Palin does not in anyway immediately legitimize her as a player on the national scene of politics. I don’t care if it looks like a ploy to steal Hilary Clinton supporters or whatever else spinning is going on out there. Simply put, McCain is a shell of his former self and he is running a shallow and desperate campaign. It’s very sad to learn that someone I admired so much and believed was genuine has changed and adapted to the lowest common denominator like that of our current Presidential Administration.

Now there are plenty of people who like to throw that into my face saying Barack Obama will just do the same. Well that could very well happen, but I don’t think it will and until I am proved wrong I will stay optimistic and hopeful. I am only 26 years-old and this is only the third Presidential election that I have voted in; and although I am very well versed in American political history I do sincerely believe that Senator Obama is truly one of a kind. He is the first candidate that I have believed in because I believe in him and not because I don’t believe in the other guy.

I’m going to wrap this self-righteous rant up with some belated sad news. Danny Young, known to many as the “Mayor of South Austin” who owned and operated the Texicalli Grille, currently located on Oltorf just east of Congress, died at age 67 from a heart attack on August 27th. Famous for being a jubilant and friendly entrepreneur, Young was originally from Kingsville, Texas where he worked at his family’s root beer stand/pizza parlor after a stint in the Coast Guard.

He moved to Austin in the mid-70s and I was there when the original Texicalli Grille opened on South Lamar Blvd. during the summer of 1982, granted I was only a few months old, but my father’s band played the grand opening and there are plenty of pictures to prove I was there, including one that was still hanging on the walls of the restaurant when it closed down last year. I did not know Danny personally as well as I knew him by reputation and through the relationships he had with other people I am close to. You could very well play a Six Degrees of Separation game with him for Austinites, including a lot of former Kingsville residents. No more homemade root beer or Texas cheesesteaks from Danny or the Texicalli Grille.

That brings me to the mention that another Austin landmark is also closed as of August 31st. Las Manitas was owned and operated by sisters Cynthia and Lidia Perez for 27 years in downtown Austin and has now been closed down to make way for a Mariott Hotel project. It was another fantastic, beloved and intimate Mexican food restaurant that had lots of history and character. There may be a chance that the Perez sisters re-open in a nearby location, but as of late they have been understandably cynical about those prospects. Even joking they might end up just "selling tacos from underneath a tree" because relocation or not, it won't be the same. So much of the story on the closing of Las Manitas has been focused on the losing of Austin's soul or the dying out of what makes Austin Austin, but maybe that's not the best way to describe it. Austin isn't dying. There are towns and cities in America that are dying and it's looks a lot different than multi-million dollar condominum complexes and hotel chain projects. Austin is changing. And even though there a lot of people, including myself, who do not like how it's changing the truth remains that everything changes. I just don't know how long I can stay around to witness all the changing. I might be changing myself so much to the point where I really will have to move away for good, like I have been thinking about doing for so long now.

Dog Days of Summer

Russian Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn(One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich), Actor/Comedian Bernie Mac(The Kings of Comedy, The Bernie Mac Show), Dave Matthews Band Saxophonist LeRoi Moore, NFL Player's Union President Gene Upshaw, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) and legendary Soul Musician Isaac Hayes(Theme from "Shaft"). Not too mention the suicide bombings in Pakistan and Airline crash in Spain. I've been overwhelmed at the idea of posting something recently in light of all the tragic deaths the world has seen in recent weeks. I don't what else to say except that my prayers are will all of those affected by the loss of their loved ones and that I hope we are given a reprieve from so much sadness, at least for a little while, even though I know death is an unavoidable constant in this world.

Moving onto lighter fare. I might the one of the few people in the world who is kind of underwhelmed by the Michael Phelps mania. I have done my best to get interested in the Olympics. I found the U.S. women's gymnastics to be a compelling story both for the team competition where they faltered and then in the individual all-around rebounding to a triumphant one-two punch of winning gold and silver for Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson respectively. I've seen several great volleyball matches both indoor and beach and was not surprised to May-Treanor/Wash win gold yet again. My biggest gripe with NBC has been the odd scheduling of the basketball games. I've yet to catch even one of Team USA's games and they have been living up to LeBron's "Redeem Team" catchphrase by absolutely dominating their opponents. Hopefully I'll be able to catch the medal round and see them bring back the Gold to where B-Ball was invented.

Of course outside of the Olympics, it's still baseball season and we're getting down to crunch time. The Rangers recently had a disastrous road-trip where they were beat-up on by the likes of Boston and Tampa Bay. Now they are hovering at .500 with Ian Kinsler lost for the season to a hernia injury that needs surgery. It was a valiant effort and I feel good about next year, but 2008 is over.

This all just makes my mouth water for football to start. College games kick-off Labor-Day weekend! The Longhorns first opponent is Florida International or is it Florida Atlantic? Hell, who cares?! They're nobody, even if former Oklahoma and Miami Head Coach Howard Schellenberger is there. Anyway, apparently they are talking trash about UT. Really? I know Mack Brown has a bunch of new skill players to work into the offense in the backfield and at wide receiver but I'm sure Colt can run up the score enough to go along with new Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp's aggressive attack, not to mention the magic of having Vince Young on hand at the game as there will be a ceremony to retire his #10 jersey. Final score : Texas - 63, Florida Atlantic - 0. Hell yeah, shut-out, blow-out and gross out to start the year. It's going to be a tough year but these Sunshine state chumps got nothing on us for week one.

I have to also comment on filmmaker Michael Moore's open letter to Caroline Kennedy, who is heading up the search team for Barack Obama's VP candidate. In the letter, Moore states that he thinks Ms. Kennedy should follow the lead of our current Vice President Dick Cheney, who back in 2000 was on the team vetting VP choices for President Bush when he threw his own hat in the ring and eventually got the nod. Moore believes that Caroline, former first daughter(her father was President John F. Kennedy, in case you are from Mars) who has been a vocal supporter of Obama and has been involved in politics her entire life from grassroots level without ever becoming a career politician like so many others in her family would be an ideal choice for Obama's running mate. I think it's a bold and unlikely choice, but if it were to happen by some chance I'd be absolutely exhilarated and would probably leave my job to join their campaign full-time, doing whatever I could to help on the election trail and prevent a John McCain presidency.

Thursday Afternoon Quarterback

>> Spent the past two weekends partying with some of our country's finest servicemen. First with my very good friend Alex, who is in the Air Force and stationed in Virginia. He got to come home and visit his family since his younger sister, Elizabeth, recently had a kidney transplant. It was successful and she is doing so much better, which we're all very happy about. Then the next weekend my freind Chrissy's older brother, Josh, also an ex-Bastropian, came home for a mid-tour leave from Kuwait where he serves in the Army. Our military is populated with so many great young Americans, who have friends and families that love and miss them. It's a shameful how they exploitive this administration has been towards them and thier service.

I don't want to go off a political rant right now and I don't want to spills the beans on too much of what happened while partying with Alex and Josh respectively. I now know that too many people read this blog and what happens at the party or on 6th Street stays there. I'll simply say that many drinks and laughs were shared and I very much look forward to the next time each of them are home.

>> This week I've been working a lot on my play, The 9th Ghostly Figure, so that I can have some of it read on 16th of this month when my freind Englea, who is the Artistic Director of EASY Theatre, is hosting a reading for a new one-act play by a local actor and lawyer, Sam Damon. It's going to be nice to hear the words coming out someone else's voice other than my own. My dad has already the first quarter of the script and he liked it and he definitely got the tone that I am going for early on in the play, before the climax takes a decidedly darker and more intense turn. It'll be tricky to make it work, but I think I can do it.

>> So Brett Favre is New York Jet. Which means barring a catastrophic injury, he'll be a Jet in 2009 as well. Because even with Brett taking over the reigns for the Jets this season the best case scenario is just making the playoffs. They are still playing in the NFC East with the Patriots(who for the first time during this current dynasty will be playing with chip on thier shoulder, so watch out) although the hapless Dolphins won't be any trouble, the Bills are up and coming and the Wildcard race will be tight as usual with Tennessee and Cleveland both unlikely to win thier divisions. Still I think this is a better fit for Brett than having to play for an egomaniac like John Gruden who chews up and spits out Quarterbacks like a wood chipper. Sure Gruden won a Super Bowl, although that was with the team Tony Dungy built. And Gruden and the Bucs are so shady they won't even give Chris Simms a shot to play for them again nor will they release him so he can go try to find and compete for a job somewhere else, like Dallas, who is interested in having him as a back-up for Tony Romo.

>> The Summer Olympics start this weekend in China. I'm all for the US Athletes wearing masks, for both the political statement of it and the practical usage since the air quality is so bad. And pollution is not even close to being the biggest problem I and many other people have with China and the Olympics being held there. Team China, with Yao Ming, faces off against Team USA (the Redeem Team, as oppossed to the Dream Team of 1992) in the first round of the Basketball tournament. Hopefully it will be a blow-out, no offense to Yao, and then the Redeem Team can roll on it's way to a Gold Medal. My only other real interest in this year's games is the Women's Soccer team and it's feisty, sexy and kick-ass goalie Hope Solo. If you're reading this Hope, call me, text me, e-mail me, smoke signal, carrier pigeon. Whatever it takes baby. You and me, we could paint this planet red together.

>> So this has been the summer of the Superhero Action Blockbusters at the cinemas, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Indiana Jones 4(not technically a superhero), Will Smith's Hancock(still haven't seen yet) and of course THE DARK KNIGHT. But now it's late in the summer and we are finally getting treated to some good old raunchy comedy. Step Brothers, the latest collaboration between Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and director Adam McKay is just what you'd expect; a funny, silly, simple and instantly quotable film. The same can be said for Pineapple Express, which finds Seth Rogen and James Franco teaming up as potheads on the run from some crooked cops and drug dealers after witnessing a murder. Like Step Brothers the comedy is familiar but comforting and instead of the usual aimlessness of a stoner buddy film there's an attempt to tell a story and there's real relationships formed and evolved throughout. Next week, we get Ben Stiller's big budget War movie satire, Tropic Thunder, that costars Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black and Pineapple Express' scene stealing Danny McBride(also see The Heartbreak Kid, Drillbit Taylor, Foot Fist Way). Tropic Thunder also features British comedic actor Steve Coogan, who will also be seen in the upcoming Hamlet 2, which looks fantastic as well. So as we hit these dog days of summer I say hit the multiplex and laugh your arse off. I know I will.

This is not an obituary (Part One)

So were about 3 months into this new blog and I guess it's going well. It's not yet become a source for only dumping vile stream of consciousness onto the world. But today's post does bring a few notes of tradgedy and sadness.

My Great-Uncle Homer Williford died this past weekend due to complications from a major stroke he had over a year ago. Homer was one of my paternal grandfather's older brothers and although I had not seen him much over the last several years of his life I was lucky to have spent quite a bit of time with him when I was growing up as my father was closer to his Uncle than his own father.

Homer was a Naval minesweeper during WWII stationed in the South Pacic, mostly in Japan. Although he never spoke a great deal about the war itself, he did always have great things to say about the people and places he saw. I'll never forget the glorious black and white photograph he had taken of Mount Fuji. It seemed Homer reserved his wildest tales for those of a youth growing up in a rowdy and tough West Texas that most of only know from Larry McMurtry novels.

I remember when he taught me and my brother how to use a butterfly knife. This was after regailing us with a story about some younger guys trying to pick a fight with him in bar and pulling the knife on him. Needless to say it did them no good, even though they were younger, out-numbered him and had a weapon he still walked away unscathed and with a shiny souveneir to boot. The knife was then passed onto us, via our Dad, who of course held onto it until we were old enough to be responsible with such a thing.

Homer also had a vivacious and wonderful wife, Aunt Joyce. Originally from Northern California, she was a sweet and adventourous lady who liked to drive around town on an old dirtbike and grew peaches in the same backyard where she taught me to play croquet, a game at the time I had no idea was mostly foreign to this country outside of New England upper-crusters, but it all just seemed normal for her. She loved movie musicals and I remember watching so many for the first time with her when we'd visit. Camelot, Funny Girl, Seven Brothers for Seven Brides, Oklahoma!, Kismet. Joyce and Homer seperated several years ago and she returned to her hometown to be closer to her family there.

Homer and Joyce's son, Steven Williford, is a musician who I grew up watching play with my dad in several Blues bands. Steven now resides in Oregon with his wife Faith and thier teenage son Stevie. He also has an older son, Rusty from his first marriage. Rusty was sort of the cooler older brother I never had myself, he was a dirtbike racer, track and tennis star and eventually went into the Navy where he met his wife and has settled down in the Pacific Northwest as well.

Homer leaves behind a lot of love and a lot of loved ones. I haven't seen much of any of them in quite a long time and it's a shame I'm not going to be able to make it to Homer's services. They are out in Big Spring, Texas. Several hundred and several hours away. It used to be much easier for people, when they lost someone, to drop everything and be there for thier family. Not so much now. Life is too complicated in that way now. Maybe I'm blaming the world when it's really just my life that is too complicated because I let it be.

I don't know. I don't really like to go to funerals or weddings. But that's not the point. The last time I saw Homer was at my brother's funeral just over five years ago. I was barely able to even speak to him because it was his duty to chaperone my grandfather and make sure he was not making a fool of himself. He did as good a job as anyone could expect, I don't remember if they stayed around that long. Homer was in his mid-80s. I know he saw his share of tragedy over the years, including losing a sister-in-law and a teenage neice in a car wreck only 3 weeks after I was born as I was just reminded of when going through some family mementos with my father which included the newspaper clippings. I'm sure at that time of sadness it was nice to have new life in the family even if it was me.

Touchdowns and Teardrops.

Friday afternoon drags on. Part of me wants to write about a personal situation involving my cousin Stephanie, her son Brent Michael and her current boyfriend. I don't like the way he treats either of them, particularly Brent. I love this boy as if he were my own(he was named after me, partly) and considering how little involvement his real father has in his life I feel I have no choice but to interfere where I normally wouldn't. I can't even write anymore about it, still too angry and frustrated.

Time for distraction. Let's talk Football. College football to be more exact. Two-A-Days are just around the corner and preseason polls and predictions are flying around "like flys on a ...", well you can imagine the colloquialism. Here are my fearless predictions for the upcoming college football season.

Pre-Season Top Ten:
1) Georgia (sure they have a tough road ahead of them, but they are starting off with the most upside and consistency)
2) Ohio State (it seems like they can just sleepwalk into another BCS Championship Game appearance with a strong returning defense and weak conference)
3) Florida (Offense should be even more dynamic with Heisman-winner Tim Teabow being able to feed the ball to tailback Emmanuel Moody this year)
4) USC (an early season match-up with Ohio State is going to show if they can play up to title contention or if they are still reloading, new QB Mark Sanchez must show immediate strides)
5) Missouri (Quietly returning a strong defense to go with Heisman contender Chase Daniel on the other side of the ball, has an easy schedule in the Big 12, only needs to watch out for complacency)
6) Oklahoma (We continue with a run of Big 12 teams, they have a big strong O-Line to protect QB Sam Bradford but can they avoid the inevitable let-down game, especially if it's in January again)
7) Texas (Number One in my heart. New defensive coordinator Muschamp should shore things up on that side of the ball with more aggressive play-calling, but there are questions about whether Colt McCoy can bounce back from a so-so sophomore season and who will replace Jamaal Charles at tailback.)
8) South Florida (After breaking out last year, I think the Bulls are primed to pounce on West Virginia's loss of Rich Rodriguez and capture the mix bag that is the Big East)
9) Arizona State (Coach Erickson will prove last year was no fluke and has a very good chance to compete with USC for Pac-10 dominance)
10) Texas Tech (A sexy sleeper pick for so many this year because of the rumored gains on defense, only time will tell about that but it's certain the offense will be explosive as ever with returning QB Graham Harrell and WR Michael Crabtree)

OK That's how I see things starting off. Let's get onto some predictions for the season itself.

That early match-up between USC and Ohio State at the Coliseum will be a low scoring grind-it-out victory for Ohio State, which will give them a bump to #1 (if they're not already there) but that only lasts until they face-off against the upset minded Fighting Illini in Champlain. Ron Zook and Co. wont have a shot a winning the Big Ten outright but they can play spoiler here and I expect them to have an overall decent year. Losing this late pretty much knocks Ohio State out of that 3rd consecutive BCS Championship game appearance.

USC will bounce back at first blowing past the two Oregon teams before meeting Arizona State. I think USC, in a complete opposite of the Trojan's previous match with the Buckeyes, find themselves in a shoot-out with the Sun Devils and they also find themselves on the losing end again as Sam Bradford leads Arizona State to a big victory over USC, making up for their loss to the Georgia Bulldogs back on 9/29.

Speaking of the Bulldogs, in the SEC the whole shebang will be riding on what was formerly known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Georgia versus Florida, played on neutral Jacksonville turf. I think Georgia comes into the game undefeated and unanimous #1 in the country, which is not always the best thing to have on your side when you're playing college football these days. Florida will be a formidable opponent, possibly even undefeated themselves at this point, which would put the hype into the stratosphere. Although I think it's more likely Florida drops a game early to either Miami(Fla) or Tennessee. When it comes down to it, I think Florida is still another year away from being able to win it all again. Georgia wins and Gator fans pray Teabow stays for his senior year.

After Florida, the Bulldogs have a possible letdown game against Kentucky but that's just wishful thinking. It's the week after that where I see a letdown game. Georgia faces Auburn, who I think will snatch the SEC West crown from LSU and I think Auburn pulls off a big upset against the Bulldogs before the re-match in the SEC Championship game where Georgia will get it's revenge and be put back in BCS Title contention.

As far as the Big-12, it usually starts and ends with the Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas. I have to go with my heart and say Texas gets back on the winning track with a close victory over the Sooners, but I fear that a week later the Longhorns will not have enough in the tank to defend their home turf in Austin against the visiting Missouri Tigers. Those Tigers will cruise to another Big-12 North title and I'm guessing they will face off against Texas Tech in the Big-12 Championship game. I see Oklahoma avenging last year's lost to the Red Raiders, but then Tech will probably snap their 5 year losing streak to Texas and that will be enough for them to break a 3-way tie atop of the Big-12 South. I just can't see Missouri making it through the entire season unscathed so I say they fall to Texas Tech and Mike Leach captures his first Big-12 Title and improbably a BCS Championship game appearance.

Then I've got Clemson winning the ACC and USF the Big East. While in the end, I think a one-loss SEC Champion Georgia Bulldog team faces off against those Red Raiders and wins decisively. That would make 3-straight SEC teams winning the biggest prize in College football. Just wait until Texas gets our next golden-armed QB Garrett Gilbert in 2009. Then it's Big-12 Reign again!

"How about a magic trick?"

* Locally shot and beloved t.v. series Friday Night Lights was overlooked by the Emmys yet again, of course the first season was truly brilliant while the lesser but still great second season is better than most everything else on television. AMC's critically raved Mad Men racked up many deserving nominations and I'm predicting a sizable number of victories as well for the show set in an ad agency in 1960. Can't wait for it's second season to start this Sunday, some of the best writing and acting to come along on television in a long time. That looks weird. I just wrong "along" and then "a long" within a few words of each other in the same sentence. Oh well. Here comes yet another "A-Long".

* Speaking of good writing and acting, Joss Whedon's new online short series Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog has now been completely posted online(available for download at itunes or at the official website http://www.drhorrible.com/) and it's a blast. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, an aspiring supervillian who has a crush on a pretty girl(Felicia Day) at the laundromat that he is scared to talk to and he constantly has to deal with his evil plans being thwarted by Captain Hammer(Nathan Fillion). Like most all of Whedon's creations it's hilarious, smart and fun. I hope we get more of Dr. Horrible's adventures in the future.

* I am rarely awestruck or at a loss for words so I'm not going to say much about The Dark Knight except - WOW! OK a few more words. Bravo Christopher Nolan! An absolute masterstroke blend of hard-boiled crime films, superhero extravaganza with intensely dark, humorous and heartbreaking character studies. Heath Ledger is THE JOKER. Period. I was already planning my Halloween costume when I saw the first pictures of him in the make-up several months ago, shortly after his untimely and tragic death. Now it's locked in stone, I will be THE JOKER. Period. As far as the rest of the cast, I would be remiss without mentioning them as well. Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart(who deserves some Oscar buzz as well for his fantastic turn as Harvey "Two Face" Dent), Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, etc... The entire ensemble down to every last henchman is note perfect as guided by screenwriter/director Christopher Nolan, who is really in a league of his own at this point. I can't wait to see this movie again. Haven't seen it yet, call me up and we'll hit that shizz together.

Dear Travis

I can't explain it. I feel as strong and calm as I've ever felt in my entire life today. I don't know where it comes from. Yesterday was terrible. I was so near the edge only fingernail was holding on the proverbial ciff of sanity.

I wish I could transfer how I feel to mom and dad and to everyone else who loves and misses you and hurt so very deeply since you've been gone. Five years. Wow. Seems so long ago and yet still so sudden.

Of course I still get mad at you from time to time and then I'll feel guilt for it. Then I get mad at myself and feel guilty for that too. Or I'll get so down that I start to believe I completely understand the why - You know, THE WHY, that's all anyone can ever seem to think about. I mostly just nod along when someone starts talking about it. When I know the why and if everyone who wants to know why actually knew why they would certainly wish they had never found out once they did. I gotta little rhymage for you:

"You're in heaven/He's in Hell,
If there are really angels/Then please ring that bell"

Yeah, it needs work. Just a freestyle, you know. I've got something even better. Yesterday on my drive home from work I was listening to the ipod on shuffle and the perfect song came on at the perfect moment. It's a live recording of Pearl Jam covering the Dead Moon song "It's OK". I don't have the details of when or where it was recorded but Eddie turns it into a sing-along with the very lucky crowd. Here be the lyrics:

It's okay, we've all seen better days
It's okay, you don't have to run and hide away
It's okay, It's okay, yeah we love you anyway

For in those reckless moments
When doubt is creeping in your head
Feeling like you've lost your youth
And the dreams you had are cold and dead
I can't reach you anymore
That's gonna take a different man
I can't protect you like before
You've slipped beyond my hands
But it's okay.......

I wish that I could light the path
That leads to a life of no mistakes
Hold you from the damned be done
That living out of safety seems to take
I remember still the child in you
As if only yesterday
It was easy to break through
I only had to kiss the pain
But it's okay.......

This is my chance, this is my life
And my opening hour
This is my choice, this is my voice
There may be no tomorrow
This is my plea, this is my need
This is my time for standing free
This is my step, this is my depth
In a world demanding of me
But is's okay....

Well your old buddy Sam just came by so I better say goodbye, again.

Peace, Love & Proximity
Jon-Michael

Sex, Drugs & Kidney Stones

OK. So there wasn't any sex involved last weekend but I did partake in a stupid mix of alcohol and (legally prescribed) pills that had me puking my guts out by 11:30pm Friday night. Seemed kind of strange since I had not drank that much and I've rarely ever puked from drinking anyway. I got dropped back off at my buddy Chris' new place to crash out while they went back out to party some more. Still felt crappy the next morning, but I had to get up at a decent hour and go over to my cousin Stephanie's house in time to meet with grandmother who was visiting for the weekend. Spent all of Saturday just hanging-out with the family and playing with all my little nieces and nephews and boy can they wear me out. So then I wake up Sunday morning and it was like The Exorcist, fluids coming out of every pore possible and excruciating pain. Tea colored urine - Check, Feels like an anvil is on your bladder - Check. G-Damn kidney stones have returned. It had been a while since my last kidney stone attack and this was another whopper but I made it through the toughest parts without any pain meds and by late afternoon I could tell there were not anymore coming, so I was able to lie down and rest. I'm thinking that Friday night's episode of sickness was just a precursor to the stones and not fully a bi product of drinking, smoking and pill-popping, although I'm sure that didn't help. I'm going to take it easy this week and drink a lot of cranberry juice(no vodka).

Now how awesome was Josh Hamilton at the Home Run Derby last night? Totally friggin' super awesome if you ask me! Sure he didn't end up winning but he put on a show of shows with 28 first rounds homers that averaged 500 feet per. It's his performance last night and his play all season long so far to go along with his personal backstory (former heroin addict out of baseball for 3 years makes a triumphant comeback) that people are going to remember. The All-Star game is tonight. I think the AL has won something like 11 consecutive, not counting the "tie game" from a few years ago. I'm more excited about the second half of the season getting started as the Rangers might be able to make a run at a Division Title or even the Wild Card.

I should mention that I'm only able to post this right now because I am in the middle of a "moment of clarity" in a day that has seen me on the edge of a full-blown panic attack and I'm worried tomorrow will even be worse. I am so completely stupid for not taking the day off. I have no idea if my parents have plans to do anything in particular. I know I don't want to be alone after I get off of work tomorrow around lunch time so I have to find something to do. Visiting an Air Force recruiter is one possibility. I wish The Dark Knight was coming out tomorrow and not Friday.

"You take the good with the bad..."

Good News : I have a new iPod. It's a shiny black 80 gig magic machine that will bring me hours and hours of joy and happiness.

Bad News: We'll just see if spending that $250 after holding out for months since my first iPod died is going to be worth it in these difficult economic times. I paid $4.09 a gallon for gas this morning and I have over a 50 mile commute to work each day round trip.

Good News : I've got a quarter of my vampire-centric horror screenplay Life Blood finished, including 20+ pages in the last week alone.

Bad News : I've only been able to work on it during my downtime at work, which isn't often enough, due to an idiosyncratic writing method I am cursed with that restricts me from working on a particular writing project on more than source at a time. So I can only write while here at work. When I'm at home or elsewhere I have to work on other things that I have already previously started there. I know it sounds very ridiculous but I am only getting more and more ritualistic as I age. I should probably just start going to some OCD support group now.

Good News : I've been getting a lot of good sleep lately.

Bad News : I've been getting a lot of sleep lately due to a mixture of vicodin and rozerem that leaves me pretty groggy and drowsy the next morning and hasn't helped curve my afternoon napping on the weekends either. I think if I cut back on the meds by fifty-percent it will make a sizable difference.

Good News : Shudder To Think, a really cool indie band from the 90s are reuniting for a brief tour this fall. Far lesser known than other recent reunited bands from the same period such as The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., Stone Temple Pilots, etc. but very cool none the less. I highly recommend their album Funeral at the Movies and even their lone major label release, Pony Express Record, is really fantastic as well.

Bad News : The closest they are coming to Austin is the Voodoo Music Festival in New Orleans, which I probably won't be able to make.

Good News : I saw an old friend today that I haven't seen in nearly a year.

Bad News : That old "friend" is actually a former co-worker who I briefly dated and she had actually been back in town for a while but has been successfully avoiding me and the awkwardness surrounding our romantic dissolution slash transition back into friendship. I have to admit she looked good too. Damn. I'm still over it though.

Well that's the facts of life, folks.