Cement Seagulls, etc.

2005-10-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

Where are the bears?

2005-10-30T17:12:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed a little camping trip this weekend. Nice to be out of town, if only for a day. Still, no one was out there and for good reason. It was the coldest night I've ever spent in the woods. Spent the whole night with my head under the sleeping bag.. which is usually way to hot. Worth it though.. beautiful here. There's actually there's a lot more forest land in New Mexico than you'd think.

Books:
Read a cool little book called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Its a humorous novel about an autustic math genus who tries to figure out who killed a neighbor's poodle and gets wrapped up in his parents dirty laundry. Well written with a very nice voice, I highly recommend it.

2005-10-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Here's a funny look at really bad halloween costumes for sale

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3294

Also.. today I was driving in Albuquerque and stuck in traffic when Rio Grande by Duran Duran came on. And I realized that at that moment I was crossing the actual Rio Grande which was kind of cool. Maybe this is a sign that the universe really has a whole synchronicity to it or maybe its just a coincidence.

2005-10-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Best Show on TV

Rapid Fire

2005-10-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Lotto Fever

I always think its funny when the nationwide lottery jackpots get really big and everyone rushes out to get a lottery ticket. We all know why it is.. its because the media coverage reminds most of us non-gamblers 'Hey, why don't you go buy a lottery ticket?' but it still strikes me as stupid. I mean, so when the pot is going past the $100, $150, $200 and $250 million mark are all these people saying 'No, its not really worth the effort.. after taxes and the lump sum.. its only worth about $38 million anyway.' There's not really any harm to it, unless you standing in a line for 15 minutes at some 7-11 and then you really need to evaluate your self. Besides, its always the crazy rednecks that win those things anyway.

Fighting For My Right to Post This

Heard something today I've heard a few times on talk radio lately and it gets me riled up. It was on Sean Hannity and this guy said something he didn't like in reference to the war and the host says basically: 'we'll your ignorant and those guys over there are fighting for your right to say ignorant things'.
Whoa there. We're we that close to being overrun by Iraq? Was Saddam really planning to invade New Hampshire at any minute? Look, if you want to say they were fighting to protect us from harm, I don't necessarly buy it, but I can see how you could make that argument. But the idea that the War in Iraq is what's keeping the 10 Commandments from being burned to tiny little ashes is a gigantic leap.
If you want to say that someone signs up for the military to protect the Constitution I'll agree any day, but people aren't dying in Iraq so that I can watch South Park.. that's just ignorant.

Arrested Development

God this is a good show. Just bought the DVD of Season 2 and laughed my ass off. Its no wonder the show doesn't do well in the ratings, its way to complex to catch up with while you're flipping through the channels. That doesn't mean that you have to be some comedy genius to get the jokes, but like those british miniseries about the 18 hundreds on PBS.. if you haven't been watching for a while, you're way to far out of the plot to get anything. Highly reccomend Seasons one and two.. Ask for them for Christmas.

Go Beavers

Beavers will beat the highly over-rated UCLA Bruins this weekend. Check the Bruins' schedule, they haven't beaten anybody good. No way UCLA is No. 8 in the country.

2005-10-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

I guess Gargamel finally won. (Courtesy: AP)

Smurf-ageddon

2005-10-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/africa/10/11/unicef.smurfs.ap/index.html?section=cnn_latest

If you haven't heard about this, its kind of funny, kind of morbid.

Incidentally, while trying to look up how to spell Gargamel, I ran across this paragraph in a synopsis of the Smurf series.

"Despite its incredible popularity, The Smurfs did encounter some controversy. Some adults considered the show discriminatory in its portrayal of Smurfette, the female Smurf. In addition, there were some serious (and not so serious) comparisons made between socialism (feared at the time) and the Smurf lifestyle."

Never thought of the Smurfs as a covert tool of communists, but okay. They did the same thing to Sponge-Bob and Tinky-Winky.. but did we say anything about GI Joe? No way. They're just cartoons.

2005-10-12T18:09:00.000-07:00

Here's my new house. Yep, Its tan.

New Digs

2005-10-12T17:58:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half in a very nice high rise (by albuquerque standards) apartment, I'm finally moving out.
Renting a room in a house with a 29 year old wildland firefighter. Found it on Craig's List and the guy was nice and the house was nice so I decided to go through with it.
While I loved the layout and comforts of my apartment, it was just too darn expensive, and since I want to get out of here in 16 months with some freedom to wait for the job I want, it just seemed like the right thing to do.. since I'll be saving about 400 bucks a month.
The funny thing is.. while I loved living alone, I think just being in the same house as someone else will motivate me to be cleaner, eat healthier, and get out more. Since I haven't been seeing anyone lately, there hasn't been much reason for me to clean up the place.. and its getting out of hand.

But in case my new roommate turns out to be psycho and chops me up into little bits with his firefighting ax, I will miss you all.

2005-10-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

That's a big can of dog food.

2005-10-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

Week Update:

Went to Balloon Fiesta Thursday, loved it. Still encourage everyone to go.

Trying hard to find a place to live, think I have a good house to rent a room in.

Semi-Famous people I know sightings: Turns out this girl who lived in my dormroom at Oregon State is on survivor now. Her name is Brooke. Also a girl I went to high school with is in another commerical; this one for taco bell. Her line is "hey there grill man" Not sure that's really the sign a great career but it probaby pays okay.

Post-Season Baseball is way more exciting than regular baseball. Why do they have to play 160 games during the year? The NBA, NHL and MLB should all have much shorter seasons. Take a cue from the NFL.

I'm 4 years late but I love the show 24.

No way is Jessica Beal the sexiest woman alive (per Esquire Magazine). Kirstin Davis, Julie Bowen, Sienna Miller, several news anchors, Gwyneth Paltrow and even crazy Katie Holms are much better looking.

I like spice cake.

Balloon Fiesta 2005

2005-10-02T21:11:00.000-07:00

Albuquerque, New Mexico

2005-10-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

Its Balloon Fiesta Week, and we just finished the first weekend. If you're not familiar with the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, its the largest Ballooning event in the nation. Hundreds of balloons participate in competitions, rallys, balloon glows and other fun things.

Weekends are the best, because there's the Mass Ascensions, when 700 Balloons take off over 2 hours. They stage on an area the size of 3 to 4 football fields and the balloons line up and take off, while spectators get to mix in around all the balloons as the take off. Some of the balloons are just regular Balloon shaped, others look like anything from Aliens to animals, to devils and angels to cans of Dog food.

Its really the most amazing man-made event I've ever seen; Way better that any parade floats. And I can't strees enough that TV images and pictures do not do it justice. If you ever get a chance in your life to see this event check it out.

You can see more about Balloon Fiesta on our TV station's web site, and even watch a live Broadcast this weekend from 7-9 Mountain Time.

http://www.thenewmexicochannel.com/balloonfiesta/index.html

2005-10-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

Scene from documentary Grizzly Man. (Courtesy: Lions Gate)

Review: Grizzly Man

2005-09-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's a funny thing about trying to live a nobel life; you walk a fine line between seen as a champion for a cause or being seen as a crackpot. To truely make a difference you probably have to walk that line between activist and fanatic. One step to the right and you're seen as just another person who can't commit to change, and one step to the left.. and you step outside the relm of normal society, with people who can have a conversation about the weather, shop at a mall, or allow yourself luxuries like new cars and new underwear.

Grizzly Man is a lot about a guy who tries to walk that line.. and completely falls over to the left hand side. Basically this crazy, wannbe actor, goes and lives with bears for 13 summers, gives them cute names and thinks he's one of them. In the end, a bear he's unfamiliar with mauls him to death. The movie lets you make up your own mind about whether or not you think he's crazy or really has a purpose. I think he's crazy. An alcoholic who turned in his booze to get drunk on his sense of self-rightousness, but then a friend asked me 'if he was happy, and didn't hurt anybody maybe that was a good life for him?' Very true.

Anyways, to those of you reading, decide for your self if its noble to give up a normal existance to be a fanatic about some cause. Me, I think a Superman complex is more likely to alienate a person from their family and friends, and turn to some kind of personal crucade that really has no real-life goal. If we all just do a little bit, it works a lot better than one person trying to do everything.

Good movie though, check it out.

2005-09-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

Conserve gas.. if you feel like it.

Our Prez

2005-09-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Its pretty easy to criticize the president these days. After all he's just so stubborn, can't admit a mistake, and won't seem to do what he needs to do to make amends for them.
Take today's speech at the energy department: Here's this speech where he's telling the American people a pretty important thing. He says that he will tap into the Nation's strategic petroleum reserves to help with the gas problem (not really a shortage in most of the country) and then he tells people that we need to car pool, take mass transit and consider putting off any unnecessary car trips.
Watch it here: (fast forward to about 1:20 into it)
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/26/bush.ap/index.html

That's a pretty important speech. But when he gets to the part about asking people to conserve, notice he doesn't do the presidential thing. He doesn't look into the cameras, and say what he wants to say clearly. If I'm he speech writer I have him look dead into the camera and say: Today, I have a message to the American people. We need your help. You can help make up for the gas shortage. Take public transportation. Have your husband or wife drive you to work, or take a car pool. Put of any driving you don't have to do. Give us a month to get this situation back to normal, and then we can all go back to doing things the way we used to."

Instead he 'hums' and 'haws' he looks down and off camera.. exactly how you'd look if you were telling a girl you were breaking up with her, or tell your boss you want to take a new job. Why can't he just stand up and say one complete sentence about what he wants to happen. It must be that it pains him so much to actually ask people to sacrifice. Its no wonder he partied so much in college, he's the good times president. We're spending too much money in Iraq? Tax Cuts! Huge profits for oil companies.. while gas is $3 a gallon? "Uh.. drive a bit less" The worst natural disaster in recent memory? "I'm looking to go back to Senator Lott's beach house when its re-built."

This guy doesn't have a clue how to lead.

Movie Review: Kung Fu Hustle

2005-09-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

If you've seen Crouching Tiger.. Hero.. or any similar films you know how beautiful and creative Chineese cinema can be. After watching Kung Fu Hustle, add funny to that. Its a totally different twist on the spiritual martial arts film, about a Hong Kong slum, seemingly pulled from a musical, and a gang of killers that tries to take it over. I'll spare you the plot details, but it invloves four kung fu masters who just want to be regluar people, and a wannabe gang member who realizes what side he belongs on.. but the real neat thing about the movie is how funny it is, and the mix of traditional martial arts action mixed with Looney Toons-like cartoon scenes. Very cool, check it out.

Don't Judge Me

2005-09-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

2005-09-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Food Choices:

One of the first things anyone works in a office realizes is that its hard not to talk about food. Everyone can relate to it.. because we all eat it, and most of the time.. people at work are hungry. In Yakima, we used to have huge conversations about food during our morning meetings, that would really go on longer than necessary.
The other thing about food and work is that, where I work, since most of us take working lunches (or breakfasts, in my case), you always get to smell and see what other people are eating. This leads to a lot of envy.. and in many cases judgement. Is not nice but, sometimes i ask my self.. why my boss drinks a frappachino, and has 10 cigarettes in a morning, or why the woman who's 150 lbs overweight goes on a burger run. The truth is.. we all have our vices.. and its not for meet to judge.. or at least.. its not for me to say anything.
However.. my co-worker is not of the same opinion. One day this week.. i was terminally exhausted.. and had to make a coffee shop run.. returning with a hot chocolate (hate coffee).. and a cherry turnover. Yes.. not a calorie light breakfast to be sure.. but I needed something.. and wheat grass juice was not going to get it done. But upon returning to my desk.. and proceding to work.. unlike my co-worker.. he says to me "my god.. how many calories are in that?.. you'll have to run for like 4 hours." WHO does that? Come on.. obvliously.. its not the smartest choice.. but most days I bring yogert w/ granola and fruit.. so what if I want to pig out for once? I guess I could just take it as a sign that he likes me and wants me to be healthy.. but I think maybe its his way to feel superior.. by knocking my choice.. just like I feel superior than the coffee drinkers.. who I know are getting addicted to their daily caffeene fix.. with sugar and cream.. or the smokers with their daily nicotine sticks. But at least I keep it to myself.

Unless they're reading this.

What lurks(or leaks) just below the surface.

2005-09-21T15:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.biorelief.com/store/stadiumpal.html#

I have no idea what I'm doing.

2005-09-19T18:03:00.000-07:00

.. nice helicopter though.

What you don't see behind the scenes

2005-09-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

I had one of my biggest F-ups this weekend ever. I had an interview set up for the sunday morning show.. and left in the break before we came out to it (I was dealing with a few other issues) So for this 2 hour show.. we use one rundown.. copy it and float things that die from one hour to the next. So the interview was supposed to be off the top.. but the rundown didn't say that.. and I didn't tell the director. The anchor thought the interview was next.. and thought the weather guy was doing it.. so he left to go to a far bathroom.. because the near bathroom was out of order. Meanwhile.. the 1 studio guy we have on sunday's puts the cameras at the desk.. the director doesn't know that the anchor is gone.. and time is really ticking. the weather guys hates his IFB and wont wear it on the weekends.. and he knows things could get really ugly because the anchor's not there.. so he jumps behind the desk.. but by that time I'm back.. killing the stories at the desk and screaming for matt (the anchor in the far bathroom) so in the end we come out to byron (weather guy) and he has nothing to read.. save the intro to the interview.. which he reads.. while I'm pleading.. to no one in particular since he doesn't have an IFB.. to go to break. eventually he gets that the camera guy waving his arms means go to break.. and we go to commerical after saying " you know.. one of the best parts about the state fair is the food.. (pause to let it sink in)we'll be right back."

2005-06-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

Worst Album Covers of all Time. - Cover pictured is actually the best of the worst. See Link

2005-06-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

http://porktornado.diaryland.com/albumcover.html

Beating People Up

2005-05-28T03:14:00.000-07:00

Great On-line Game

http://addictinggames.com/blackknight.html

One more
http://addictinggames.com/pingpong3d.html

New! Check this out

http://n.ethz.ch/student/mkos/pinguin.swf

Force Fed

2005-05-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

The final Star Wars Movie has its bright spots, but feels rushed and unemotional. (Picture Courtesy: Lucasfilm)

Movie Review: Episode III **1/2

2005-05-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Fans should have had an idea what we were getting ourselves into years ago. Back in 1996 when George Lucas released the Special Edition Versions of Episodes 4-6. While many of the visual elements were improved.. some of the story additions were terrible, out of place, and just bad. (ie. Greedo shoots first, jaba meets han)

Now that the Prequels are complete you can see how it all comes together.. or in most cases.. doesn't. I've read a lot of on-line reviews from your average joe.. and there are a lot of opinions about where the movies go wrong, and some I'd like to add.

Breaking the mold: Probably the biggest probelm right off the bat is that you're going up against a set of movies that fans have watched literally dozens of times. We grew up with these movies.. and had many preconceived notions about story, characters, how the film should look, and, since we know the back story, how the prequels should develop.

Back in time: Personally, its hard to accept the look of movies that are suppoed to preceede the first three movies.. but look vastly superior with much better technology. I guess you could chalk it up to a line in Star Wars about "A more civilized age" but it all feels very wierd.

Damn Digital: With so much of the movie being digital, it feels totally removed from the sets of the first star wars movies. While some of the scenes are amazing, none of it feels real.. most sets look too perfect.

Digiatal Charactesrs: Same as above. We know digital characters can add to a film, but there are so many in the prequels. From jar jar to the new R2 and the robot droids it all feels very fake. How can you have a movie with characters you don't feel real.

Story and Character development: This is one of the biggest complaints in on-line reviews. All of the movies seem so hell bent on pacing that there is no meaningful character development. Lucas throws all these locations and characters at you almost as if to say.. "look what I can do". We're on planets we know nothing about.. seeing battle scenes we're not even sure why we care about them (see wookie battle, E3). Such a mess.

Acting: Looking back at the first Star Wars.. yes.. most of the acting is bad.. but the green screen makes it all that much worse because there's nothing to interact with.. its all forced.. the dialouge is hidious. I don't think 90 % of star wars fans would argue with me on this one.

Stars: Star Wars.. oddly enough.. doesn't need star power. In an age where we're so familiar with people's faces.. seeing Sam jackson, liam neeson, Jimmy Smits.. etc.. all I think is .. hey that's Jimmy smits.. or hey that's natalie Portman.. detracts a lot.

Nothing Makes Sense: There are so many plot loop holes in the movies that I could go on for ever. Why can R2-d2 fly in these movies.. but not in the other ones? Jedis: why can they open some doors mentally.. others they have to cut open? Why do they move things with thier minds when they are fighting sometimes.. and not others? How is it Anikan can feel people.. but not that his wife is alive or has twins? Why do the jedi's not sense they're in danger when the massacre starts. Why would Obi-Wan "hide" luke by bringing him back to his family? How can they not tell the senator is a sith? Why does the death star take seemingly 18 years to build the first time.. then 2 or three years the second time? And on and on..

Deaths: people get killed off so fast.. and unceremoniously.. and no one ever seems bothered by it for more than 5 seconds. " oh the little kids died" big deal.

Humor: way to much slapstick.. repeated gags and lines from other movies. Too kiddie.

Lightsabers: another popular complaint. Way to much lightsaber action. Yes its the best part of the first three movies.. and yes we expect more.. but its like every minute a jedi whips out is saber and we get desensitized to it. Think about it.. there is only one real lightsaber battle in each of the first three movies.. and they're all pretty much the best scenes in the movie. (although I will say that the battle in episode 1 is probably the best battle in the series.)

Competition: Honestly, there's been to many other movies since star wars that have great effects and great stories that the series really feels unspecial. Namely Lord of the Rings, but even the rise of CG animated movies(nemo, increadibles) has raied the bar so much that just becuase it had more effects in it than your average film doesn't make it a masterpeice.

In the end, the lack of a turely warm reception in mainstream america for these movies will put them back where they probably belong.. in the possession of Sci-Fi fans. Since you will probably never be able to buy the original, unedited Star Wars movies on DVD.. at least until Lucas dies.. sci-fi lovers can enjoy the star wars universe.. and the ever increasing books.. and likely TV series that will come from it. Enjoy it fellas. And when I want to.. i'll pull out my old VHS copies for ***'s and giggles.

Movie Review: In Good Company ***

2005-05-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

In Good Company is a nice, if-uncomplicated, look at the changing face of the American workforce. If you don't know the premise, Dennis Quaid plays an aging advertising executive for a Sports Illustraited type magazine. His company is bought out by a huge conglomerate, and he is soon being led by a 26 year old up and commer (Topher Grace) . There's a love story between Grace and Quaid's daughter in the movie (Scarlet Johannsen), and a sub-plot about Quaid being a new daddy at age 51. While the film doesn't wow, it is an almost too real portrayal of business today. One by one long time employees are let go to save money on their inflated salaries.. as the young gun tries deaprately to keep it together.

It feels right as this youth movement seemingly sweeps across the country. Whether its senior workers jobs being outsourced, 50 something women coloring their hair with highlights and wearing old navy, or more T-V shows breaking away to show single young people.. we don't seem to be a culture celebrating age and experiance. (Course maybe it was always that way, i'm pretty young.)

The one note it may not hit right is this point of so-called "synnergy". A running joke in the film is about how the company wants all these rediculious tie-ins between different divisions in the company. The old exec argues that there's no reason for the magazine to change.. its fine the way it was.. but things can only survive when they evolve. The real sports illistraited probably gets 5 times as many readers on the web.. than it does in the actual magazine. The real synnergy is putting time tested ideas to work in a way that new audiences can realate to.

Interesting Film worth seeing.

2005-05-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

KOAT Sky 7 (Photo Courtesy koat.com)

Gone Flyin'

2005-05-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

So I got my first Helicopter ride today. It was fantastic, a beautiful day. Mostly its like going on a slow plane ride. You have a great view of what's going on in front of you and to the side. We were out on an turned-over Airstream trailer.. blocking all two lanes of the interstate.
They aren't really as fast as you think though.. only going about 100-115 miles an hour. Also interesting, they can land without engine power; it all has to do with tilting right.. and pushing air through the blades as you go down.

Very Cool.

More Finger Food

2005-05-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

'I'll just put it in my mouth and ... see what it is,' man said

Words to live by

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/02/custard.finger.ap/index.html

2005-05-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

How an average night for Eric ends in Albuquerque. (Courtesy: AP)

Insert Travel Slogan Here

2005-05-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, this weekend's big news story was about a Georgia woman who decided to take off days before her wedding, scheduled to be before 600 people, with 14 bridesmaids and 14 groomsmen.(can't imagine why she felt pressure) Jennifer Wilbanks instead spent the morning of her wedding day with the fine men and women of the Albuquerque police department, after calling her family from a pay phone near a 7-11 and the lovely University inn on Central.

The story led the national news, and dispite any actual revelance to anyone's lives except her family and the people searching for her, did lead to heated conversations about whether her fiance will go through with the wedding to the woman that was so horrified at the thought of marrying this guy she up and went to vegas and followed some quote "hispanic guy" to new mexico. As some have suggested, perhaps she made the all-to-common mistake of thinking she was leaving the country, surprised that there's no border control in arizona.

Having the spotlight on our little corner of the country is a good chance for our state tourism department to get on it.. with a national advertising campain.. to the effect of: New Mexico, when you really need to get away.

Please feel free to make your own suggestions.

TV: and since I haven't commented in a while, I will tell you all that this season of American Idol is getting out of hand, bad. Carrie and vonzell are the only one's with any talent and they're marginal at best. Carrie will probably win. The more interesting point is why the no talent, nasty personality, big-boy Scott is still around? Is there a secret underground movement to vote for the worst person on the show? Or is America's taste that bad? Time will tell, but it would be funny to see the network spin it if Scott wins.

(Blank)... in bed.

2005-04-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

So after eating chineese food last night I opened up maybe the best part.. the fortune cookie. But there wasn't a forture inside. Is this a bad sign? Do I have no future..? Damn.

Where are they now

2005-04-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

Random call of the week: I'm on the overnight morning shift this week, and at 12:30 am the phone rings. Ring.. Ring.. Action 7 news.. "Hi I was wondering if you knew what ever happened to that Dr. Kevorikian? What about Manuel Noriega?" "Uh.. they're in jail."

2005-04-26T17:39:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to...

Movie Review: House of Flying Daggers **(Two Stars)

2005-04-24T22:37:00.000-07:00

Was really excited to see House of Flying Daggers after Crouching Tiger and Hero made such an impression on me, with its throwback storylines and amazing visuals. But where Tiger and Hero combine these epic storys with beautiful martial arts coreography and breathtaking cinematograophy, Daggers underwhelms in all departments. The fights are less complex and to often done in slow-motion and the picture is broken up with these tracking shots of digital daggers and arrows flying through the air. Would highly recommend Tiger or Hero before this one.

Strange Clock, IQ Test

2005-04-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Check out this link.
http://www.yugop.com/ver3/stuff/03/fla.html

Take the Wonderlic Test they give to NFL Draft Prospects: The test is easy, but can you do it all in 5 minutes? Being smart isn't the same thing as being smart under fire.
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/closer/020228test.html

Working in Mysterious Ways

2005-04-18T20:45:00.000-07:00

So a woman calls up the station wanting to know where the cheapest gas is in town. Not surprising considering that we have a daily feathre called "Pump Patrol" that features the best deals we hear about on gas.
This woman is clearly a little nuts but I take the time to look it up and tell her how to get to the stations. She gets so excited.. and shifts into crazy-lady mode and says.. " You know what.. God is watching over me. You're an angel! I needed to know where to buy gas, and here you are taking the time to help me. God sento you to help me. You're an angel!" This goes on for a while. Really, its very nice that I could help her, but you decide how high cheap gas prices are on God's agenda. I guess that's what they mean by working in mysterious ways.

Movie Review: Ocean's 12. *** (Three Stars) Actually a lot of fun, and better than the first. Confusing as all-get-out but slick and interesting and pretty funny and stylish.

2005-04-16T21:11:00.000-07:00

Darth Tater

Seriously.. What the hell? (Courtesy:Amazon)

Sad Story

2005-04-16T20:52:00.000-07:00

One of the saddest stories I've seen in a while. Nicely produced, the reporter lets the woman do all the talking.

http://katu.com/stories/76524.html

2005-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

Mystery Finger (Courtesy: AP)

Finger Food

2005-04-14T15:47:00.000-07:00

By now you may have seen this on going story about a woman who "found" the tip of a finger in her Wendy's chili. She went on national TV and threw a fit. She dropped her law suit when authorities started to suspect she may have put the chili in herself and when the media questioned her she threw a fit again. Turns out.. she's filed something like six lawsuits! I'm sorry, six lawsuits? What are the chances that a person who filed six lawsuits would be the one person in america to find a finger in her chili? Why do some people feel like the world took a big dump on them and they need to get revenge on everyone else? I hope wendy's finds out it was her.. and sues her for as much as they can.

But the funniest part of this is the nevada woman who had her finger bitten off by a lepord.. saw the dried up chili finger on TV and said.. "Wow, that looks like mine!"
W.T.F.! If your finger tip isn't attached.. and you see another fingertip its probably going to look a damn lot like your's. It doesn't automatically make it yours. How in the freak would it get there anyway?
Police have since determined that its unlikely a match.

Quick Comments

2005-04-12T20:35:00.000-07:00

Another nasty lady called today. We screwed up. A producer put the wrong date in one of our mini-news reports in the morning. Instead of the 12 it said the 13th. Not smart. So this woman calls up screaming.. "How can I trust you to gimme the news if you can't even get the dam date right!" Slamms down the phone. Think about it. She had to pick up a telephone book, find the number and call just to scream at me, and then hang up. I'm actually glad they hang up sometimes, because I'm afraid I might go off on some of these people.

American Idol: Everyone Sucks.. except Carrie. Don't understand how it could be this bad.

Beautiful weather in New Mexico this week!

2005-04-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Isn't this cool? (Courtesy: Google)

I Have a Problem

2005-04-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Yes.. I have a problem. I can't stop it. I can't stop looking at sattilite images of things. This Google mapping feature is unreal. If you haven't checked it out.. do so at http://maps.google.com/ I recommend looking for the Space Needle, Disneyland, the White House, the Saint Louis Arch, Lakeridge High School, any Air Craft Carriers you can find, and and Air Force Bases. Very Cool!

2005-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

New Google Satellite Maps Feature Rocks. (Picture Courtesy: Google)

The Doctor is in, 5 Cents

2005-04-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of people up watching the news at 5:30 in the Morning. I know this because they call me. All the time. For no reason.

For the record, TV Newsrooms are not radio call in shows, counseling services, encyclopedias, almanacs, tv guide, ABC Headquarters, the government, etc.

Today a woman called me on the desk early. The conversation started very nice. She wanted to comment on a story we did about an unlicensed dentist who got busted. She didn't have a comment on the story, she just wanted to tell me that there are a lot of people who can't afford dental services because they're not covered by medicare. Fine, point taken, I told her I'd pass her concern along. But it didn't stop. She starts talking about the problems she had with her dentist. Apparently he put in a bad crown or bridge or something and she was in immense pain, and when she went to the low cost dental clinic to get a new dentist to fix it they told her to basically deal with it. Terrible! "Is there something we can help you with?" i ask. She starts up again.. about how terrible it is that society doesn't provide dental coverage, and how badly they treated her and how she's educated but can't work because she has MS.. and this is a travesty....
"Mamm, is there somehow we can HELP you?" She continues.. this time about how corrupt this place where she had the work done.. and what's she supposed to do now.. and my god.. she's educated.. how is it possible that educated people can't get dental coverage. We're at like 10 minutes here. "Mamm, I'm sorry, I can't listen to your dental problems all morning.. how can we..." CLICK.
10 minutes of my life I will never get back.

To Waste 10 minutes of your life watch this link, totally hilarious.
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2667497 (warning strong language)

Crepés!

2005-04-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Okay food lovers, if you're looking for something different to make you've got to try Crepes. They're absolutely elegant and taste fantastic. I remembered how much I like them when I was in Santa Fe looking into a Crepe restaurant, my mouth watering. So when I went home, I had to make some. Here's how you do it, Combine four eggs, 4 tablespoons sifted flour (sifting is important!), 4 tablespoons sugar, and enough milk until it gets slightly runny. Pour the mixture over a hot buttered pan.. and cook until its totally firm then flip.. and cook for another minute or two.

They're not just good for dessert. I like stuffing them with sauteed Mushrooms, onions and a little spinach. But you can experiment. For desert, any good syrup and berries will do, but peanut butter, cinnamon, and honey is dynamite.

2005-04-04T13:15:00.000-07:00

Bon Appetit!

Cool Links

2005-03-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

Okay all you broadband kids.. here another great link you gotta check out. Its not a joke.
http://www.comcast.net/providers/fan/popup.html?v=28600227&pl=28601911.xml&config=%2Fconfig%2Fcommon%2Ffan%2Fhome%2Exml

Have trouble getting a date.. try out these gals. They're job is to hook you up.
http://www.ladywingmen.com/faq.php

Like Star Wars? Like Rap? This is for you. (Language Warning!Explicit Material)
http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2471689?ns=1

2005-03-30T14:48:00.000-08:00

New Reser Stadium Expansion. (Courtesy: OSU)

Wednesday's Thoughts

2005-03-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

News: Its all about illness. The Pope, Terri and Jerry Fallwell. Normally I'm a very sympathetic person, I can feel for anyone. But I really don't feel bad for Jerry Fallwell, I think, maybe he's getting what he diserves. All the times I ever see him he's talking about all the people he hates: Muslims, Gays, anything not conservative and christian. Who knows what that guy has ahead of him.

TV: Watched the tape of American Idol. Its down to three people in my book. But every season I think there's about three people worthwhile.. and only two of the three make it. Carrie was phenomenal, Vonzell was great, Nikko was good.. everyone else.. CRAP!

Movies: Watched The Incredibles at the dollar theater. Acutally one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. Great visual style, great storyline, and surprisingly great action. Compare it to Spiderman 2, which some people thought was the best superhero movie ever. I thought the action sequences, the sound and the look of everything was twice as good. It was really a movie more for grown-ups, with a few great lines (Mr. Increadible goes off on his kid's 4th grade graduation and the bad guys joking about taking shots). But the best part was the pacing. The movie really takes time to get where it wants to go, instead of having this kind of ADD attitude that you have to have something wildly interesting at every moment. Highly recommend it.

Sports: Increadibly slow week in sports until this weekend. So for those of you monitoring the progress.. here's a picture of the progress at the new Reser Statium at Oregon State University.

Random Links

2005-03-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

http://popvssoda.com/countystats/total-county.html

What if you call it "Soda Pop"?

http://www.cs.hut.fi/~demi/cloth_folding.mpeg

This will mess you up trying to duplicate.

Food Note:

2005-03-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

This week's recipe attempt was Southwest Pinto Bean Burgers as seen in Cooking Light Magazine (sorry can't link- members only). Basically is an interesting take on a meatless burger using Pinto Beans, corn, onions, peppers, an egg, bread crums and spices. It also includes a Chipolte mayonnaise which is pretty spicy. I thought the result was pretty good (considering it has no meat) and is pretty good for you to. Also very filling, and a nice departure from the norm. Drop me a comment if you'd like the recipe.

2005-03-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

Bork.. Bork.. Bork. (Courtesy: The Muppets)

Get Your Bork On.

2005-03-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

http://www.slanty.net/dave/chef.mov
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/james.martin3/Muppets-Swedish%20Chef-Chocolat%20moose.mov
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~dwinterh/SwedChef.mov
http://www.karoshi.org/fun/clip1.mov
http://users.skynet.be/funny.1/muppet4.mov
http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~dwinterh/TurtleAndChef.mov

Thursday Thoughts

2005-03-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

News: Supreme Court Denied the Schindler family appeal in the Terri Schiavo case. Heard a soundbite from Family supporter that said basically "We are no longer a good, just nation because we are allowing this woman to starve to death." WHAT? How myopic are these people? There are hundreds of thousands of people in such amazing suffering every day. People with no healthcare or lousy healthcare dying in nursing homes all over this country. Families in iraq and the US wont have moms and dads coming back because of our actions there. Kids who are abused by their addict parents everyday. Millions of people dying of AIDS and hunger in the 3d world.
I think Terri supporters are so overwhelmed by the media coverage they think they are the center of the world right now. Get a grip.

Wednesday Thoughts

2005-03-23T22:05:00.000-08:00

TV News: Great piece on Charlie Rose with the head of CNN. Made a great observation that reporters are cookie cutters of each other because they're coming up from the local news affiliates and mirror themselves off the people that came before them, not necessairly creating new ways to tell a story. Basically he also said stand ups are wack. (For those of you not in th e biz.. stand ups are where a reporter talks on camera during a story)

Sports: Co-Worker made a great observation today. Nobody's talking about this but is Bonds quiting the season because he's coming down from steroids, and is afraid of getting caught with the stricter testing?

Also.. 18 people in abq got busted for having an NCAA college pool. Sucks to be the 18 people caught.. when you know 10's of 1000's of people in the city are taking part in a pool. Not sure what kind of punishment they face.

2005-03-22T19:24:00.000-08:00

Bush in Albuquerque. No talk about the 2 Trillion needed to start his plan, that's not acutally really a plan. (Courtesty: AP)

Tuesday Thoughts

2005-03-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

News: President Bush visits Albuquerque to talk social security. In his nearly hour long speech.. he really didn't say a word about how he wanted to pay for it. Then John McCain talked for about 10 minutes about how much he loves the President. This guy has done a total 180. Bush screwed McCain back in 2000.. and now McCain can't say enough good about him. Gotta believe John wants to run in '08 and wants to pick up some of Bush's conservative momentum.

Schiavo case: Props to ABC news for running a soundbite from a Harvard law professor pointing out the hyprocracy in Congress. Basically he says.. they're always complaining that federal judges shouldn't be activists.. then a judge reviews the case.. finds there's no basis for the appeal.. and they're upset he not being active.
Interesting Read on this issue:http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050322/ap_on_go_pr_wh/schiavo_conservatives

Sports: Barry bonds says in a press conference that he's not sure if he's coming back to baseball, and tells the media they "broke" him. He is hurt.. and old to do what he does.. but something's up. He's almost the all-time home run king. My take: someone's getting really close to having hard evidence on the roids. Or he thinks the records won't matter.. because everyone thinks he juices anyway.

***Update*** American Idol will re-air tonight because of an error in the voting process. So you can catch all the performances again!
TV: American Idol was really good tonight. Carrie, Nikko and Vonzell amazing. Anwar.. just okay. Everyone else is just not very good.

Tech: Logitech makes nice computer speakers.. cheap too.

Words for men to live by from national sports radio host Colin Cowherd: "Don't get caught with a live boy or a dead woman"

Good link: Need a laugh? Great Daily Show Link http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/ds/special_black.jhtml

Monday Thoughts

2005-03-21T15:11:00.000-08:00

Work: Worked an overnight shift. Means going to bed at 2, getting up at eleven and working from Midnight to 8. If you've never worked an overnight, it's just not normal. I like the peace and quiet, but its just weird to start work at that hour.

News: The Schiavo case dominates the headlines, which means its a pretty slow newsweek. The case has some pretty riveting elements. Here's what I can't understand. Why are the Republicans so worried about making sure this one poor woman can't die in peace but when it comes to life and death issues they seem to always seem to be on the other side. On the Death penalty (even for kids and the mentally disabled)- bring it on. The war in iraq- send those soldiers and innocent iraqis to die. Affordable healthcare- nope, we need tax cuts. Why can't anyone see the big picture? (BTW: what happened to States Rights, i guess only when its convenient)
I think the real question is why can't we find a humane way for this woman to pass on, instead of pulling her feeding tube. Oregon's Death with Dignity act seems to make a lot of sense.
- Air America reports that Bush signed a bill as governor that allows hospitals to remove patients off life support.. if they don't have insurance. Nice.

2005-03-21T08:13:00.000-08:00

What would you call this Picture?

Thursday Thoughts

2005-03-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

Travel: Didn't make it home last night, becuase my Delta flight was delayed in portland. Mechanical problems. They had to bring in a new plane, and we left 2 and a half hours late. Then we waited more in salt lake for the hotel shuttle and rooms. Long evening, but I did get a pretty nice hotel suite alone out of the deal. Its the second time this has happened on delta for me. Not sure if its a trend, just throwing it out there.
Oregon was great.. perfect weather.. especially at the Beach.
Update: making good on my blog name.. I saw a cement seagull in wilsonville on tuesday. As most are.. it was a fake. They just used a duck outline.. and painted it grey.. and the wings dark gray.. losers.

Food: Salt Lake Comfort Inn at the airport has a great contenential breakfast. More hotels are getting that its good to feed your customers.

Sports: March Madness begins. The best three-four weeks in sports. Loads of last second finishes. Not sure who I like to win it all but Wake, Illinois and GTech all have a shot. If Washington gets hot.. who knows?

Beavers lose by two at home in the NIT. Great season. Too bad they couldn't keep it going.. but bright things are ahead, and Standford doesn't look like a conference power anymore, which is one less to worry about.
Update: Bad times for the Beaver Football team.. thought a few of these arrests were isolated incidents, but this is getting out of hand. See link: http://katu.com/sports/story.asp?ID=75777

American Idol: Lindsey got voted off. Good. She was probably the weakest of those left. Mikalah or Scott probably next.

Work: Field Produced all day today for the first time. Loved it. Got to write three packages. Its not easy.

Picture: Took this with my uncle's new camera.. let me know what you think it should be called.

Wednesday Thoughts

2005-03-16T12:28:00.000-08:00

-Food: Ate at Mother's Bar and Bistro in Portland. Artlicles near the door claim best restaurant in Portland, and I wouldn't disagree. Food was fantastic. Service, real nice. Had Blueberry pancakes. Wonderful. Highly recommend.
-TV: American Idol begins the top 12 with the addition of Nikko. So glad he's back; thought it was a crime that he was voted off. Voted for Vonzell, Nikko, and Anthony.
-Travel:Headed back to Albuquerque tonight, hope the snow's not too bad.

Opening Line

2005-03-16T12:20:00.000-08:00

Hey there. Welcome to my blog.. day 1. Why am I writing this blog? Well, I have a lot to say. Since I work in news all day, I have to report on a lot of things, but never get to add my opinion. So this is a chance to do this, and share all those other things I've got rattling around up there. Thougts on sports, food, the web, and American Idol among other things.
Hope you enjoy, and feel free to drop me a line anytime.