Great Balls of Fire!

Well, Thursday night is one that I will never forget.  Subsequent to an afternoon of vomiting, fever (shakes), and the most severe pain I’ve ever had in my entire life (and I used to have an Air Supply album so I know pain), I spent all evening and a good chunk of the night at Springhill hospital…in the treatment of kidney stones.  I’ve heard the horror stories, and now having lived through it, I can tell you they are all true.  The pain is excruciating.  And I’m a (self admitting) wimp anyway.  I’ve heard people say that it is the man version of having a baby.  I’m not really sure about that one.  If having someone continuously kick you in the balls and abdomen with metal cleats for around four hours is the same as having a baby, then my heart pours out to women everywhere.  The only other thing I can say is Thank God for Morphine!  So I’m home for a couple of days (peeing in a strainer…trying to catch that sum’bitch) and laying low.  The doc seems to think I’ll be ready for work by my normal time on Sunday so that is good anyway.  I am having to miss a weekend with my daughter, so I’ll probably take next Sunday off to make up for it and spend a three day weekend with her.  Well, the oxycodine is kicking in, so I’m off to dreamland. 

Later

Re-Awakenings

My good buddy, Scotty Ice mentioned to me at work last week that I needed to get back to blogging.  “You have a lot of interesting stuff to talk about right now, ” he added with a wry grin.  I knew what he was implying and flattering as it was, I replied, “Nah, not really.”  Turns out that I was telling the truth too.  And with all due apologies for being so coy and not very forthcoming at all, I’ll just leave it at that. 

I do however, have other stuff to talk about.  And I want to get started with the movies.  What a great summer for movie fans.  Vacations were greatly curtailed this season due to the outrageous gas prices (which will now drop until the upcoming election…don’t get me started), so Americans, being the absolute greatest people on the planet when it comes to making the most of a very bad situation, said “Screw it….let’s go see a movie”.  And for the most part, Hollywood really delivered.  They might be the biggest winners of all in this gas crunch (other than oil companies).  There was “Iron Man” and “The Hulk”, “Sex and the City”, “Get Smart” (best comedy of the summer, by the way),  “Wall-E”and “Kung Fu Panda” (for the kids…big and small),  ”Journey to the Center of the Earth”, and on and on.  Johnny Depp was nowhere to be found!  And then came “The Dark Knight”.  On pace to become one of the biggest movies of all time, this movie has already captivated a generation.  Often dark and disturbing, it made a point of showing just how low mankind can sink.  But in the end, it also gave us hope for who we are and what we can become.  And “who wudda thunk it?” we actually cried for “The Joker”, and the brilliance and promise that was the late Heath Ledger.  If you haven’t seen “The Dark Knight”, it is definitely worth the price of a ticket and a bucket of popcorn.  And then some.  I’m sure it will also be out on DVD just in time for Christmas.  Funny how those things work. 

Speaking of just in time for Christmas, the new James Bond trailer has been released and it looks awesome!  Following on the footsteps of “Casino Royale”, this second Bond installment featuring Daniel Craig as 007, looks very promising indeed.  My one complaint is the movie title…Quantum of Solace.  I know they extracted this title from one of Ian Flemming’s short stories, but come on!  As one writer put it, Quantum means piece.  Solace mean peace.  So the title literally means “Piece of Peace”.  That’s kinda out there…even for a Bond flick.  Still can’t wait to see it. 

One other movie I’m looking forward to this holiday season is a DVD release.  I saw this movie at the theatre and only went to see it because all the other movies that were playing had already started.  You couldn’t have dragged me kicking and screaming to this movie had I known that is what we were going to see.  But as it turns out, like so many other things in life, you don’t know what you might like unless you try it.  So what movie am I talking about?  Fred Clause.            Trying to give you a minute or two to get the laughter under control.        Yes, I said it….Fred Clause.  I never would have dreamed it, but this movie was great.  I’m not a big fan of the holiday movie anyway, (hasn’t been a good one since “Scrooged” with Bill Murray…and that ain’t exactly a classic), but this movie definitely caught me off guard and grabbed me.  It was funny and well done.  Just fine for the entire family.  And if the ending doesn’t grab you, then you really are a Scrooge.  So later this fall, give “Fred Clause” a try.  You may be as happily surprised as I was. 

On to Sports…

Are you as sick of hearing about Brett Favre as I am?  Enough said.

Finally, being the huge Atlanta Braves fan that I am, this season has been an unmitigated disaster.  That’s what you get when you try to field a team of old timers.  I don’t care how great they were.  The Braves single handedly proved the over-the-hill theory, “the mind is willing, but the flesh is weak”.   And to top everything else off, we lost the great Skip Caray, the announcer for the Braves for 33 years.  I can’t tell you what that man has meant to me as we both cheered for our beloved Braves.  Often called a “homer”, he never ducked the label admitting that the Braves were “his” team.  And he was often just as critical of “his” team as he was a cheerleader.   But in those golden years of the 90’s, I’ll never forget his calls of “Braves WIN!  Braves WIN!” on many a sweltering summer night.  The master of dry humor and sarcastic wit, Skip Caray will be sorely missed. 

Are you ready for some football?  I know I am….

Later,

A Star Is Born (part 2)

My daughter and I were messing around with the video camera (I was trying to learn some cutting and editing, she is just my little ham) and we made our own little story.  There is definitely some acting potential for her, but Dad’s days in the editing room will be quickly numbered.  Try not to laugh too hard…

Hope Everyone has a safe and fun filled 4th of July.

 
glitter-graphics.com

A Star is Born

My Daughter had her dance recital this past Saturday night and they really put on a good show.  She really loves entertaining and is in no way shy or nervous about performing in front of the public (like her Dad).  Don’t know what the future holds for her, but I hope she doesn’t lose this artistic and creative side to her personality.  We all seem to grow out of things like that when we get jobs and deal with the real world.  I really hope this world stays real for her.  Here is an excerpt from her recital….

 

 

This and That…

There hasn’t been a lot to write about lately.  Work has been a bear as we begin our hurricane preparations.  I hate this time of year.  But anyone who has ever lived on the coast knows that it is a necessary evil.  So we do what we gotta do! 

I wanted to share some gems that I’ve found on the web lately.  You know…if you don’t have anything new to write about, steal from someone else.  So let me share a couple of my favorites…

If you want to know about the coast, comics, wrestling, traveling, american history, and no telling what I’ve forgotten, go see my buddy Scotty Ice at  http://earthsmightiestblog.typepad.com/  Always interesting, Scotty has a great writing style.  So much so that I recruited him for our newsletter at work where he does an equally exceptional job.  So check him out!

The next website is one of the most amazing things I’ve found on the web.  I literally stumbled upon it.  The name of it is, yes you guessed it, www.stumbleupon.com .  This website is basically a search engine, but it targets areas of interest that you choose.  In other words, you tell it you like history, music, and literature and it takes you to some of the coolest historical, musical, and literary websites that are out there.  As you go to new sites, you tell stumbleupon whether you like that particular site or not (thumbs up or down) and it learns, finding more websites that fit your criteria.  Really cool stuff.  If you haven’t tried it, you’ll love it.  My favorites grow every day as I find new and interesting sites. 

My daughter is having her summer dance recital Saturday night.  She is really excited about it and Dad is looking forward to seeing her dance.  Expect videos in the very near future. 

Thats it for now.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Peace.

Feeling Minnesota

I am back from a week in Minneapolis and what a week it was!  I was there to attend a training seminar for our Model Workplace program at work.  What it turned into was one day of Model Workplace, and four days of “How to Facilitate Workgroups”.  What I learned was that which I have always known…I have a phobia about speaking in front of groups.  Strangers anyway.  God bless ‘em, they tried to get me through it, and I didn’t faint or pee my pants or anything.  But I was definitely miles and miles from my comfort zone. 

That’s not to say that the trip was all bad.  Our hotel not only had an indoor water park, but we were only blocks away from the Mall of America.  If you’ve ever heard of the the Mall of America, you don’t even have to ask what is so great or unique about this mall.  It is the largest mall in the world.  Period.  Four stories high, 77 football fields big, and over 3 miles of walkways.  Not to mention the Nickelodeon theme park located indoors and in the center of it all.  It has 3 roller coasters (yes 3!), a ferris wheel, a log ride, and countless other rides for kids and adults alike.  I spent 3 afternoons there and I don’t even like malls.  I visited this one store I’d never heard of before called Nordstrom’s.  After viewing a selection of their very fine merchandise (they had some beautiful neckties), I soon realized that Nordstrom’s was Swedish, meaning ”Rich People”.  Didn’t get anything there.  Having walked and walked…my daughter was the big winner from this little adventure as Dad found lots of stuff to bring home to her.  She provided quite the wish list and I actually found most of the stuff on it.  Did I mention that I’m pretty much broke now?  Despite having 3 days to explore, I dare say I saw it all…not even close really. 

The one day that we didn’t go to the Mall of America, we hopped onto the mass transit system and headed to downtown Minneapolis featuring the historic warehouse district.  There we spent some time at the Hard Rock Cafe…and then more shopping.  I did get a cap from the Hard Rock and they had some pretty cool displays including memorabilia from Prince and Jimi Hendrix.  Such a tourist….I know.

All in all, I was pretty impressed with Minneapolis.  And this is pretty hard to say for a hard core southern boy!  I didn’t get to explore as much as I would have liked, but they tell me that the area lakes and parks are beautiful.  That so would have beat one of those mall days!  I was there during a great time of year also.  It was still cool (cold to me), but snow was nowhere to be found.  The locals invited us back to experience the winter months with them.  I asked if it was really as bad as I had heard?  They explained that the wind chill hit 70 below on many occasions this past winter.  Not to mention the snow.  I told them I would get back to them on that little invitation…

I’m Off To Minnesota!!

Beyond anything I could have ever imagined, this southern country boy is off to Minneapolis, Minnesota next week.  Headed up for some “learning to behave” training.  It is actually Model Workplace, but I like my title better.   I’ll be staying at the Raddison at the Mall of Americas, so I should have something to do in the afternoons anyway.  My daughter has put in her laundry list of souvenirs that she wants me to bring her.  Don’t have any idea how I’m supposed to buy make up.  Why couldn’t she just want a t-shirt? 

Hope everyone has a great week and we’ll talk on the backside of this little trip to yankee land.

I’m out.

Outwit, Outlast, and Outplay!

Survivor Micronesia ended last night and this was by far one of the best years of the show.  It was a Fans (of the show) versus the Favorites (from past seasons) format this time, and that made for a really interesting dynamic that had been missing on some past seasons.  Those people were beat down by constant thunderstorms, severe and dangerous challenges, and one twist after another.  I have never seen one where so many people got injured while playing.  The women were spectacular this season too.  Not only were they all pretty cute, but the guys on the show were so so so dumb, that the ladies easily walked over, around and through their dead carcasses.   The final four were all women.  All of the big tough guys had all been outwitted and were having a major pity party while sitting their dumb butts on the jury.  All in all…a pretty good watch when not much else has been on.  And although Parvati won the million bucks, I’ll be missing you Alexis…

And Ami…

and Amanda…

Reruns of “Law And Order”, here I come….

I Am Legend

Apologies for being away so long.  Been a strange week.  Just haven’t felt at ease with much of anything for the entire week.  And the weekend didn’t really help.  I’m still getting used to rising before the roosters and so I spent most of my first off day sleeping, and the second one catching up all the things I should have done on the first one.  Oddly enough, going back to work seems to help and it did today too. 

I spent the afternoon folding clothes (exciting I know), and watching my latest purchase from the Columbia House Movie Club.  I didn’t really buy this movie on purpose…I just keep forgetting to turn down the latest offer.  You don’t even have to mail in those stupid little cards anymore, you just go online and cancel the order.  Still forgot.  It worked out okay this time.  They sent me the Will Smith pic, “I Am Legend”.  I wasn’t really expecting a lot.  I had it set in my mind that this was another zombie movie.  And while it had some of those elements of horror and suspense, it was more of a study into the human psyche and the will to survive.  The special effects were awesome.  It was really cool seeing what New York might look like if it had been deserted for years.  I won’t give away too much of the plot here, but it is definitely worth the rental and you might even consider buying if you are a collector.  Or an accidental collector like me. 

Today is Mother’s Day and I hope it is a happy one for all the Moms out there.  Especially my own.  I couldn’t be with her today (she lives in North Alabama and me in Mobile), but my thoughts were there.  I am sure she was more than entertained as the rest of my family came to see her.  Wish I could have been there, Mom.  I love ya.  Happy Mother’s Day.

Slippery Slopes

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry about the recent Barack Obama mess with his pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright.  I am not for Obama or Clinton (or McCain for that matter), but I find it incredulous how the Democratic party took one of the most spirited political races in decades and once again divided their own party and started the mud slinging.  The first (legitimate) african american candidate for the presidency against the first (legitimate) female candidate.  I know about Rev. Jesse Jackson and I know about Geraldine Ferraro and neither were legitimate candidates.  But this could have been a commentary on how far we all have come as a people and as a nation.  Instead, the nomination will probably be decided by people who aren’t even running, and rhetoric that is more befitting the WWE than one of the great political parties of this country.   Maybe that’s the true commentary.

The saddest part of the whole Jeremiah Wright situation is that religion (namely Christianity) once again takes one on the chin.  By the way, when exactly did religion become politically incorrect?  I understand that there have been some improprieties, but that is not God’s fault.  I understand that there have been some nuts in the flock (Swaggart, the Bakers, and misguided Catholic Priests come to mind), but I blame the church leadership more than anyone.  In their eagerness to replenish the churches, they may have turned a blind eye to some telling signs.  I hope they believed that Christ would fill those less than moral and show them a better way.  What they got were a handful of unscrupulous people who would pass around the name of Christ and use that favor for evil purposes.  Now as a nation, it seems we are turning away from religion.  More and more hatemongers like Bill Maher (HBO) are gaining a voice and a following.  He PREACHES!!  He preaches about how bad religion is and how people who believe in God are stupid and pitiful.  And it scares me.  Not only for me, but for what it might hold for my daughter as she grows up.  Religion is dead in Europe, and we are quickly following suit.  Our forfathers came to this country to avoid religious persecution…now we persecute ourselves.  We all need something to believe in.  “Freedom of Religion…Not Freedom From It”.  Forgiveness.  I need to get back in church.