Spring is Here Again

I love this weather! Give me 75-80 with blue skies and I'll be a happy fella. Just a couple of random thoughts for the night.

My neighbors behind me have an inflatable above-ground pool. As the weather has gotten nicer, the thing has become inflated and filled with water. Everytime I go into my kitchen and look out the window I see the pool. And every time I look at it I just think about how much it is a cesspool of germs, bacteria, and what have you. And every time I look at it, the grossness factor increases. I feel like buying a Ibucket of chlorine and putting it in there for them.

I'm going to a wedding this weekend. My sister and I decided to share a hotel room (beats rooming with the rents). So I call her up yesterday to talk about how we want to pay for it -- I put it on my card and she pays me her half or vice versa. Well she says "can we go 60/40?" Now I've got a full-time salaried job that doesn't pay much and she's got a full-time (40 hrs/week) hourly job. I understand that she is figuring that since I have the "real" job I can pay a bit more. She lives with mom and dad so I ask the following questions: Do you pay rent? water? electrical? cable? internet? groceries? All which are answered with a resounding "No." Game/Set/Match to the older brother.

On a more serious note, I usually don't discuss personal things on here, but my grandmother recently had a stroke. She's doing alright but it has impaired her a good amount. For those church-going readers (or anyone for that matter), if you could say a nice prayer to St. Andrew Avellino or St. Wolgang, the family will appreciate it.

The Mighty Quinn

Sitting here religiously watching the NFL Draft. With the 3rd pick I really thought we'd be getting Brady Quinn. The Browns surprised me and got Joe Thomas, the stud left tackle who would rather go fishing then be at the draft. Good for him. Then the cards fell (Ginn to Miami at 9??) and Savage pulled the strings to get Quinn at 22. At the start of the day any Browns fan would be happy to have one of these guys...to have both, I'm more then pleased.

Just a couple of side-thoughts. I love how the analysts keep talking about Quinn playing for his hometown team. Maybe they should check their map (Google Maps is the best/True that/DOUBLE TRUE) because Dublin is actually closer to Cincinnati then it is to Cleveland. I know it is a matter of perspective but 141 miles away is a pretty big hometown if you ask me. This also means were stuck with Chris Berman doing the highlights of Brady "The Mighty" Quinn and then while playing in December Brady Quinn "The Eskimo." *sigh* Well this is a good draft. Now, let's see these guys produce.

Advertising Looks and Chops a Must

Great song from a great band that I, unfortunately, got into after they broke up. I did get to see Malkmus a few years ago on a solo jaunt. I can say that they put on a great show and wish I had a time machine to go back and see Pavement back in their hey-day.

So yeah, I got my haircut yesterday. Nothing special, but I'm not completely happy with it. She could have cut it shorter in the back. A haircut is one of those services where you cannot return what you bought and it is hard to get a refund. It did occur to me that I could try and go back and say something like "Could you take a little bit more off the back?" Do you think that would work? The good thing with hair is that (for most of us) it always grows back. This is my 3rd or 4th haircut since I moved her in august. Save from the one time when the OFOMOL was with me to tell her how to cut it, I've been less then happy with what I've received.

During the said cut, the woman cutting my hair asked me where I'm from and I tell her. This elicits the response of "ohhh, do you know Drew?" as in Drew Carey. Drew Carey is a funny guy and put Cleveland on the sitcom map...but most people I know (including myself) agree that the show is not that great. Yes it was nice to see all the C-town centric themes on the show, but other then that it did nothing for me.

More on my Cleveland kick. My buddy DRH commented on a new Cleveland blog, Hardaway Hates Pittsburgh. He's got a list of his Top 5 places to eat in C-Town. Not a bad list, but not the five I would choose. I still have to think about mine, but I'll be posting it soon. Keep your eyes open!

Cleveland Rocks!

What a great episode of 30 Rock tonight! Yes I am biased due to the fact that Cleveland is my hometown. But this also confirms that this is one of the best comedies on TV right now. Of course there is not much competition these days, but still the show rocks. I feel it is a lot like Arrested Development. I would group The Office in there too in the fact that these are unconventional sitcoms. It takes a little more thinking to understand and appreciate the jokes. They also all have a devoted corps of fans. I also love the Tracy Jordan character. He is just so outrageous and over the top. I would compare him to G.O.B. from AD.

Then there is the Cleveland-centric theme to this episode. It was great! They mentioned my hometowm (the 'Wood) and had a little musical montage to the city. There were some errors that were either 1) done intentionally so us natives would only catch them and add to the genius of the show or 2) not researched to show the ignorance of the writers. I'll go with option #1. Higbee's hasn't been around in 15 years , no one shops on Euclid Ave, and the Flats are dead. There was also the obvious fact that the shots of C-Town (quoted by Tina Fey in the episode) all came from stock footage. I'm not complaining however. Any show that doesn't rip Cleveland a new one is fine by me.

Yeah most of the time the city gets pissed on. Its fair. I mean, we have our share of problems (river on fire? check! city in default? check! a history of losing teams? check! Kuchinich as our Rep? check!) but it makes us have thick skin. Being part of something that is so "bad" (really it's not) makes you proud to be part of it. I've been away for a couple years now. I do find I appreciate and enjoy it more when I go back to visit. It has its charm and there are plenty of things to do there. If you haven't been there, give Cleveland a chance, it's not as bad as you think, and you just may like it!

I Think I'll Go to Boston

Congratulations to everyone that ran in today's Boston Marathon. I woke up this morning, looked at the weather forecase and immediately thought to myself "glad I'm not running it this year." I guess it has been raining all weekend, it was pretty cold, and there was a nasty wind. Three factors that are not very condusive to fast running. The results showed this as both winning times were the slowest in 20 years. The weather did seem to cooperate in the sense that the temperature was not as cold (low 50s) as anticipated. There was the wind that plagued the runners all day. Personally I don't mind wet conditions. When I run I try to embrace the elements and use it to my advantage. That being said, I've never run a full marathon in the rain and don't know how I would really respond to it.

I had the opportunity to run it last year. I haven't really run since then as I've had a foot problem I'm trying to shake. It looks to be getting better and I hope to be back out running this summer. I do know that I want to go back and run it again at some point. It is a special place, the runner's Mecca. If anyone does get a chance to run it (for whatever reason), I encourage you to. It will be an experience you never forget.

In The Company of Strangers

I wish I had the 2001 SNL version of this song. NBC doesn't like SNL videos on YouTube for whatever reason. This version will do, however.

I just finished watching United 93 on HBO. I wasn't sure what to think going in, because of premise. I've always been skeptical of movies where you know what is going to happen (FYI, the Titanic sinks!) Since this movie was made only 5 years after 9/11 the event is still very real in our minds. I was also wary of the movie due to the fact that we don't know what really happened on the plane. We can agree that the passengers did do something, but to what degree, it is hard to say. I don't like when Hollywood embellishes these truths to increase the drama.

Well, this movie got to me. My heart was beating during most of the 2nd half of the movie. Even though the outcome was known, I was still pulling for the passengers to succeed. Whatever did happen up there, those passengers showed a tremendous amount of courage. I can't stop thinking about the fact that in a span of an hour, they went from being ordinary passengers, to passengers on a hijacked plane, to knowing they were going to die, and then doing something about it. It was all very...well...words can't do it justice.

If you have a chance to see this movie, I would reccommend it. It is a very intense and very moving film.

Cooking MCs Like a Pound of Bacon

Oh yes, nothing like a little Vanilla Ice for this friday evening. A couple of random thoughts for the evening.

Lost
I've all but given up on this show. I was hooked in season 1. Last year I began to get a little frustrated in that the show was not giving us any answers, just opening more doors. I would say the first half of the 3rd season was less then par. I've really only been watching becaue I feel like I've invested a lot in this show, I'm going to hang on until the end, no matter how bad it gets. But then they gave us this gem of an episode on Wednesday and renewed my faith in the show. I really like the characters of The Others, particularly Ben and Juliet. They're both psychological mysteries and know how to manipulate people to gain what they want. Secondly, as fans of the show, we've been very sympathetic to the Losties. The Others have their own agenda and claim to be the good guys themselves. I think both Elizabeth Mitchell and Michael Emerson deserve Emmys for their portrayals of these characters. Hopefully this episode keeps the momentum going through the last part of the season.

Mmmmm...Bacon Popcorn

I was at the store tonight and the guy in front of me had three items: Old Spice Deodorant, a Lint Roller, and *drumroll please* a box of Tampax. Oh yes, he took the one step men in committed relationships have the hardest time with. Once you are able to do this, you've reached a new phase in your relationship. For the record, I have yet to purchase said items on my own, but I would not have a problem buying them for the OFOMOL.

R.I.P Kurt Vonnegut
I read Slaughterhouse Five back at the end of high school. I should probably re-read it as 10-years later I probably understand it a little better. It did bring into my psyche the Bombing of Dresden. Little did I know at the time that Dresden would now be an important part of my life and I've had the opportunity to visit it twice in the past year. Aside from 9/11, which is still minor in comparison, us as American's have little perspective on the destructions of war. Being in a city that was destroyed is very humbling. Even 60 years later, there are buildings that are still damaged. It is, however, a very beautiful city and if you have a chance to visit, I encourage you to.

Last note: I am soliciting requests to do a guest post. If you are interested send me an email: metaoflife at gmail dot com

Crab If You Need It

OK, that is a bit of an obnoxious version of that song. Unfortunately it is the only version available (at this time) on YouTube. Anyway, one of my more favorite shows has it's premiere tonight. That's right! It's the drama and excitement of Alaskan crab fishermen on Deadliest Catch. The OFOMOL hates it and doesn't see the appeal, but I love it. I think it is due to the fact that I have a fascination with seeing how we can push our bodies physcially and mentally. The show also illustrates that in the 21st technology-driven era, there are still things that are done the way they have been for years.

A couple of new links I've added:
Pop Songs 07
This is a spin-off of Fluxblog. The curator of both, Matthew Perpetua is taking the time to analyze every song in the R.E.M. catalog. What a concept! It'll be interesting to get his take on some of the more obscure songs.

WaiterRant
This is an old one, but I just found it. As the title implies, it's a waiter ranting. But its not just him bitching all the time. He's got a nice writing style to his posts. He was in the priesthood at one point in his life which adds a touch of humanity and understanding to his posts. It serves as a guidebook for us, the consumers/customers, and how we should (or shouldn't) behave in a restaurant. Its one of those blogs that you can just waste a couple hours reading post after post. As we're approaching Good Friday, here is a nice post for all us guilt-ridden Catholics out there.