Absent-Minded Jay

Joan Severance

2012-01-29T23:39:00.000-06:00

I remember when Joan Severance was one of the 'new' B-movie girls during the 1990s. It was almost like she was in competition with Shannon Tweed but I think Tweed made double or even triple that of Severance.

I was browsing Netflix this evening and came across a movie that had Joan Severance in it. I had to reminisce. I think I've seen all her movies that mattered...which are those that had her nude in them. You know, the important ones. :-)

Apparently I either missed this one or don't remember it at all. This movie was named Lake Consequence. IMDB says it's a TV movie but I'm think it means straight to cable. Interestingly, this movie had a young Billy Zane...which he apparently hasn't had a lot of hair on his head for sometime.

Anyway, I think you can pass on watching Lake Consequence. If you have the undying desire to watch this, at least you'll get a few chances to see Severance in the buff as well as one other pretty attractive woman.

Oh well...end random reminiscing.

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That's all I got to say about that!

The Taco Joint, Dallas, Texas

2012-01-27T14:01:00.006-06:00

I look forward to Fridays for multiple reasons other than the obvious—the weekend. It's the one day a week during the school semester that I do not have to work through my lunch to make up for the time I miss work while in class. It gives me a chance to leave the office and enjoy the lunch hour (or more) no matter where I am because it's not in the office!

Today, a coworker and I headed out to lunch. She wanted to hit our regular location of Sonic but I didn't really feel like a burger. In fact, I just had a double-double with bacon from Sonic this past Sunday. Don't get me wrong. I would have gone and eaten a Sonic burger but I really wanted something different today.

We were across town from our Sonic but near this place I read about called The Taco Joint. I read it's only open until end of lunch...about 2pm...Mondays through Saturdays. That sucks since I work through lunch Mon-Fri and usually am not on the side of town of The Taco Joint on Saturday. Anyway, she was game and so that's where we ate.

We got there around 12:15-ish. The parking lot was already full and many had already taken to parking along the one-way street of Peak St. We had to follow suit and luckily it wasn't much of a walk at all to the "Joint."

The line wasn't too long about 3/4 of the size of the restaurant lined up almost from end to end. They take cash and credit which was nice since I only had plastic. I ordered the Friday special called the "Chuck Norris." It's two pulled pork tacos with BBQ sauce and some basic toppings. I don't remember what they were. It's a combo which comes with a side of beans and rice in one container and a drink. Total cost was $8.50. The price made me realize that this place wasn't like the cheaply priced Rusty Taco or Fuzzy's Taco. I think it is more priced like Digg's Taco Shop. The price kind of surprised me a bit but I got over it and chalked it up to trying a new place. My friend/coworker ordered two crispy beef tacos but they were something like $2.00 a piece and they came with quite a bit of cheese, lettuce and tomatoes which is unlike the other places. They were closer to what you'd expect from a fast food place like Taco Bell, Taco Bueno or Taco Cabana but way better. The size and quality was probably double of those places.

About a 10-minute wait after ordering, they called our names to pick up our food. I already described the crispy beef tacos and my friend liked them a lot! I tried my "Norris" tacos and they were pretty flavorful. They did drip a lot of sauce when trying to eat but not too bad and comparable to the pulled pork tacos I've had at the previously mentioned restaurants. The refried beans were creamy with hardly any bean chunks. It was different than I'm used to but it didn't change the taste, just the texture. I mixed the rice and beans together because the rice didn't seem to be too flavorful. Also, the rice didn't seem to be equal in quantity to the beans. Not a big deal but I think if they were in separate containers the customer would feel like they are getting more and who really knows if they'd like the rice more versus the beans or vice versa?

I wasn't awed by the flavor of any of my dish but I wasn't disappointed either. I don't know if it's because I ate something small an hour or so before we went to lunch (I don't remember what I just remember I snacked on something...probably a six-pack of Oreos) but I did get into the car feeling somewhat full. Now that could have been the five refills of Diet Coke that I got but who really knows.

I will go back to try a few other tacos especially the fish tacos for/with the wife.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Turtle Wax T-240KT Headlight Lens Restorer Kit

2012-01-17T16:50:00.000-06:00

This weekend I had the chance to purchase and test out a headlight restoration kit. I've looked into doing this before but I'm cheap and don't want to pay too much for a kit as well as I don't have a lot of time to spare these days in my daily routine. I saw somewhere on the Internet that said to try toothpaste. About a month after reading that, I finally got to try it. I didn't know if it was a specific kind but I just grabbed what I had. At first, it looked like it did an okay job. The headlight was more clear than it had been but not like I was expecting or wanting. After 24 hours, it the headlight returned to its original hazy state. I don't know why. I just know my toothpaste didn't work.

So, a few weeks later, I get the bug to checkout kits online again. I also saw the commercial for Fast Brite Lens Restorer and it peaked my interest. I doubted the Fast Brite claim of not having to use any sandpaper or such but what did I know. Hence, my research for more information and reviews. After seeing the commercial, I was talking to a friend of mine that mentioned looking into getting his headlights cleaned. I told him about he commercial and some other research I found online but didn't know if it was really worth it. He said if you could get something under $50 and it worked that it was worth it. He said the dealership quoted him $175 and he just laughed. My thought is you are paying for the labor more than the product they use.

My friend and I also recalled that we NEVER got oxidization on headlights when they were made of GLASS! I had a 1974 Chevy Luv pickup and in 1989 the headlights were just as clear as they were brand new. Why? Because the entire piece was replaced and the lights were made of glass. Granted these plastic headlights cut down on costs but to the manufacturer. To the owner, it will cost them more if they get the dealer and any auto repair place to do it.

Anyway, I've been looking into restoring my headlights on my 1999 Grand Caravan. They were pretty foggy and occasionally I felt like the high beams were the low beams and the low beams were just..scary.

I Googled up some research and found this website (here) that compared many products and ranked them by their (the website's) tests as well as reviews across the web from sites like Amazon and other online retailers...I think. I looked at their top four to compare price and ranking. For my 1999 vehicle, I could give up a half or even full star for a better cost benefit. I then weighed in the time it would take to get something (all their product links go to the product listing on Amazon) and the cost of shipping for a "grand total cost" of the product. Looking at the 3 of the top four (#1, #2 and #4 because I thought #3 was the same product as #2) I found that I could get #2-3M 39008 and #4-Turtle Wax T-240KT at Walmart. There are a few Walmarts withing a 5-10 mile radius of my house so that helped decide against purchasing through Amazon. The 3M product was showing at my local Walmart as 'limited supply' which means it could or could not be in stock. The Turtle Wax was the same. I had to make a Walmart run for other things so it wasn't really out of my way to check on the store stock.

On Friday, January 13, 2012, I ended up getting the Turtle Wax T-240KT Headlight Lens Restorer Kit (online at Amazon or at Walmart w/no price) because the 3M 39008 was not in stock. In fact, they had at least six boxes of the T-240KT. That in itself made me a little leery about getting it but with the 4 1/2 stars and costing like $8.97, I thought 10 bucks was worth a test.

I made a point to try this out on Monday the 16th before the weather changed for the worst. The picture below is of my right headlight (left side in the photo) after I did the restoration and the left headlight before restoration. Both headlights were about the same in level of haze. I didn't realize the picture was little dark upon taking it but it was like 11am with overcast skies. I think it still captures the difference.
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In my opinion, it was well worth the $8.97+tax! Many of the reviews said it took them about 45 minutes per light. I don't know if it would have made much of a difference but I did mine in about 30 minutes. The second one always goes faster because you're reading the directions while doing the first one. I don't know if 15 minutes of hand sanding would have made a difference but maybe with drill torque it could. I just don't know. I think it turned out well.

So, a few things I noticed from my project.

There is a plastic glove in the box for the T-240KT. Not a big deal, it's not shown in any of the pictures on the Internet but it's there. It's recommended or instructed to use only for the last step when applying the lens protectorant.
It's slightly messy. The spray lubricant will run no matter what you do. You can see that I taped off the area around the headlight. They probably say to tape the surrounding area for protection from an errant stroke of the sandpaper pads. I never had that issue. The liquids just liked to run a bit and got past the taped area. The spray lubricant doesn't have much of a 'lube' feel as it does just plain old water. Luckily, all areas were able to be cleaned without issue after the process was completed.
After all the work on the right headlight and before applying the lens protectorant/sealant, I was disappointed. Initially, the headlight didn't look much different than when I started. I could definitely feel grime on the headlight while sanding but it just wasn't that initial shine and luster when I applied and wiped off the final application of the lens clarifying compound. Not until I applied the handy dandy secret lens protectorant/sealant did the headlight look like I expected. Which is what you see as the final product in the photo.

I guess that's about it. My thoughts are if you could find out what grade of sandpaper each is, then you could get an 8x11 sheet at Home Depot of each. Then get some cheap plastic polisher and some kind of sealant, both similar to the products listed, a person could have a longer supply of the headlight restoring kit for close to the same cost.

You can see a decent How-To video of the Turtle Wax T-240KT product here.

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That's all I got to say about that!

6 Days!

2012-01-11T16:41:00.000-06:00

That's how long I have until I start my final semester of college. In one long-feeling semester, I will be a college graduate with a BBA in Management with a minor in Photography!

That's right bitches! Read it and weep! I know I am. I started, reluctantly mind you, this journey in August 1989. Twenty-two years later, this journey will come to an end. **fingers crossed**

Now, it hasn't been 22 consecutive years. Occasionally, I only took one class but mostly I tried to take at least two since starting working full time. Before full-time employment, I would register for 12 hours and drop at least half. Then there was the five-year break I took while the wife completed a Master's and then Ph.D. So, a maximum of 17 years of school but 22 years for completion.

So, briefly, what have I learned from this journey (even though it's not completely over yet)?

Just a few things for now...in no particular order:

If you are going to college, I recommend doing it right after high school graduation. I couldn't wait to be done with "required" school and just be "free." I knew I wasn't college bound because we were poor but my mom made me take classes because she wanted better for me and they wanted me as a tax break. LOL! Anyway, the longer you wait to return the harder it will be to do so. If there is even an inkling that you want a college degree, take classes as soon as possible after high school because life will take the control and never let go!
If you have to attend a community college because of finances, make sure you research them well see what kind classes will transfer to whatever four-year college you anticipate attending. Tarrant County College has a very good relationship with Texas public colleges like UT Ausin, UT Arlington and UT Dallas. Maybe not all but more will transfer than going to the likes of a private school. I used the exact same government book at TCJC, now TCC, years ago that a coworker was using for a government class at UT Arlington. I paid significantly less for it and it would have transferred with no problem. I transferred to a private school with 57 hours and they took only like half. A few of the courses they didn't take, I retook and they were almost exactly the same...I never bought the book and passed the course and tests with an 'A.' The private school just thought their classes were better for some reason.
Tuition is expensive for four-year colleges no matter if it's public or private. If you are not rich or the family isn't rich, you might look into working at a university full time. Many universities provide a free tuition benefit to make up for the lower university salary compared to what you could possible make in the 'real world.' Take advantage of it. I have. I'm going to get a $100K degree for free...the exception is for class fees and books but when tuition is like $5,000 and books are like $300, I'll take books.
College really doesn't prepare an individual for the world. Maybe degrees in Painting, Art History, Dance, English and such but not degrees like Accounting, Marketing, or Information Technology Operations Management. Now, the latter probably does give you knowledge about those fields and some working skills to enter but the individual will learn on-the-job. Many of my young classmates who I have seen since they've graduated said such things. They actually learn their jobs when they get the job. Now, I'm sure a college degree makes the individual a well-rounded, educated person but actual job preparation...maybe not so much. Also, I work in the graduate admissions office and I see the salaries of the applicants who went straight to college and graduated in four years. These people busted their asses in school and now work and they make the same money as I do without a college degree. I'm not saying there aren't those that make a whole hell of a lot more but when 75% of the applicants are college graduates in Accounting, ITOM, Marketing and even Finance are only making $40yr-$60k/yr and are the same age as I, I don't know if that is a good return on their initial investment of college. And of course, that's excluding any outside reasons why these people are making so little like their own laziness or whatever.
Long story short, I guess being in class with wet-behind-the-ears kids while I've been in the world gives me a perspective that they and others their age in class don't see. They haven't been jaded by management in the corporate world. They haven't really experienced ANYTHING that is discussed as examples in class. It's all theory to them and theory is almost never reality.

I'm sure there are other things I've learned but since I've been typing this while at work, I'd better get back to work.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Elizabeth Loaiza Topless Food Photoshoot

2012-01-06T15:08:00.001-06:00

I don't know the point of this photoshoot but I am not complaining. I just needed a reason to post the picture(s) without coming across as a complete perv. Click on picture for the gallery as long as it lasts. Enjoy!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Teresa Palmer in Take Me Home Tonight (2011)

2011-12-22T15:36:00.001-06:00

Take Me Home Tonight (2011). This movie was actually pretty funny. Just like any comedy these days, it had its moments of boredom but overall I think it was worth the watch. I don't know how much of my enjoyment came from the actual movie or the decade it represents. The 80s were an interesting time for weird people, weird games, weird parties, and weird but memorable movies. This movie has Topher Grace (you know Foreman from That 70s Show) as the main character. Michael Biehn (from The Terminator) was his father and Dan Fogler (from ???...Mars Needs Moms...oh yeah, and Fanboys).

Teresa Palmer (most recently from I Am Number Four) is the hot, eye candy that Topher's character is obsessed with. Teresa's pretty hot. She looks a lot different from her roles in a couple of other movies but I would think that had a lot to do with the good costume and make-up design crews. The poofy-banged, heavily-hairsprayed hair has spot on. What's funny to me is that there is a scene where Topher and Teresa end up doing it on a trampoline (Go Topher!). She takes her top off but there is no showing of her hot topless body! Why!? Why, I say!? Especially since #1: there was previously shots of a very still-hot looking Angie Everhart boobs and #2: Teresa showed her boobs...a lot...in the movie Restraint. For one, there was really no need to show Angie's boobs (although I am grateful) but since you started it why not continue with it for Teresa? Tease me much!? For two, Teresa can show her boobies (a lot) in Restraint but now that she's become a little more mainstream with Number Four and Take Me Home she'll no longer show her breasts!? Tease me much more much!?

Anyway, the movie was worth watching on Netflix and I would even recommend renting it at Blockbuster for $1.99. I feel that my time was not wasted and found it fairly amusing.

Oh yeah, Anna Faris was in it too but she didn't have a huge, important part. She was kind of hot looking too even in a homely 80s brunette kind of way.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Graphical Neoprene Full Face Mask at Tanga.com

2011-12-09T20:21:00.001-06:00

I started typing this post back on November 19, 2011. I've been busy!

I guess you could say this is my fanboy tribute to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Actually, I just happened to see a sale on this thing at Tanga.com. The website is showing them for $6.99 instead of the regular price of $24.99...a 72% savings. And as usual, it was one of those products that I figured this price point is a good one to see if these masks were worth it.

These neoprene masks are pretty cool. I say 'masks' because I actually bought two of them. First the one in the included image and another one referred to as 'yellow skull.' I hope they are durable but also I don't see that I will be overusing them.

This one is a glow-in-the-dark skull (slightly hard to tell but you can see it once you're told what it is) and the other one I have is a ghoul—it's more of a pale goldish, yellow-greenish color.

I've actually worn them a couple of times since I purchased and also since I started this post and they are pretty warm. I think that the breathing, whether from my mouth or nose, helps warm it even more because it circulates between the back of the mask and my face. I've even turned it inside out to make the mask just all black. The graphic on the front didn't bother my face so it's nice to know this could be reversible if need be--you know, around the kiddies or skittish white folk in the neighborhood. LOL!

Overall, I think it's been a pretty decent purchase. Now I just need the really "cold" weather to give it a real test!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Dallas White Rock Marathon 2011

2011-12-04T10:54:00.001-06:00

I was flicking channels and saw that they were televising the White Rock Marathon. I didn't know it was that big of a deal but I guess the local networks can air whatever they want when it's local. I'm not a runner and I'm not into watching marathons. I just started watching and got interested because there was only a couple of miles left. I figured I could watch the last few minutes—I guess it's like watching the highlights real of baseball or Nascar on ESPN. Anyway, this is what I've taken away from my first and probably last viewing of the White Rock Marathon or any marathon for that matter.

Maybe I don't understand marathons. I was watching the last part of the White Rock Marathon and I had to turn it off when they started interviewing the "winner" but I actually was getting angry during the last mile. The Kenyan ran the full 26 miles. The highschooler ran ONLY the last 2 miles of a relay. The commentators were bragging about how the highschooler was catching up to the Kenyan, passed him, and "won" the marathon. They were amazed the Kenyan faltered at the last few miles. Are you kidding me? 26 miles vs. 2 miles. I don't see the correlation and for the interviewer after the race to say something so stupid to the Kenyan as "When did you feel that the [highschooler] was going to beat you?" Again, WTF? They did say the Kenyan was the full marathon male winner but didn't acknowledge that the Kenyan ran 26 miles on tiring legs whereas the highschooler was fresh for the last 2. They just kept praising him for "winning." Sportsmanship should have come to the highschooler and he should have crossed the finish line with the Kenyan. Again, maybe I don't understand the race but for them to consistently praise this highschooler for "beating" the Kenyan was disgusting. The wife and I both could not watch it anymore.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Freaky hallway in an old folks home

2011-12-02T23:56:00.000-06:00

For Thanksgiving, I went to the wife's grandfather's old folks home for lunch. This man is like 92 years old. He is definitely an old codger. He's almost deaf, or is deaf if it wasn't for the hearing aids, but he still has most of his mental abilities. So, in truth, I guess this old folks home is really called an assisted living center. Above a convalescent home and below your own personal home. He has to sign out if he goes anywhere just so they know where he is/was if they do a bed check or whatever and he's not there. The staff were friendly and the food was good. The place seemed well kept and well run.

He gave us a tour of the place and the hallway right outside the door of his room kind of gave me that creepy feeling when I looked down it from his doorway. The photo below is what it looks like.
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All that's missing is "The Grady Twins" and a little boy going, "Redrum, redrum, redrum."

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That's all I got to say about that!

3" LCD In-Dash DVD Player at Fry's Electronics

2011-12-02T23:04:00.001-06:00

I ask, "What is the point of this?" It's bad enough to watch a movie or video on an iPod Touch, iPhone or Android phone but watching a movie on a 3" screen in your car? Really? While driving or sitting still, this is a ridiculous idea...to me only obviously because I've had close friends by such things for their kids or their kids bought it for their boy/girlfriend.

I don't really mind too much watching a movie on my iPod Touch if I have too. It's easy, convenient and portable. I don't always want to have my laptop on my lap to watch Netflix. The iPod Touch has worked nicely, surprisingly. This in-dash player is just stupid. Can I say it enough? I guess not so much that it's in-dash in your car when you are watching it but when you decide to quit driving and watching a movie or car time is over, you can't take the device with you. See the problem, now? Do I want to stay in the car watching my movie on a 3" screen just to finish it? I sure as hell don't.

As previously mentioned, I guess there's a market for it because I've seen all makes and models as well as same or slightly larger sizes. I just don't see how a family road trip can be broken up with a movie when the kids can't see this little ass 3" screen from the back seat whether in a car, van or SUV.

Oh well.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Canon T2i, T3i, and Snapchick

2011-12-02T12:50:00.001-06:00

I was Googling the other day looking for reviews of the Canon T3i compared to the Canon T2i because I'm looking to upgrade my Canon XT. Yes, I still have the old, original digital Rebel! It's done great for me and I guess I really have no reason to upgrade other than I want a new, more recent version DSLR and I'd like it to have decent HD video capabilities. I'm not looking for complete video awesomeness. I just think it would be nice to be able to take video and DSLR photos through one device versus carrying DSLR or point-and-shoot and a video camera. The convenience of having the video option versus not at a time I'm out and about and wanting it is what I really am looking for as the reason of a DSLR/HD Video combination.

So, after visiting many links Google regurgitated upon my search, I'm thinking the Canon T3i in the long run is a slightly better camera for my purposes and preferences. Whether or not I push the virtual "add to cart" and "check out" buttons, is left to be seen. When the new camera can cost around $800 depending on the package or whatnot, it makes holding on to my XT much more appealing. I wouldn't get rid of the XT anyway. I'd give it to my oldest to use and abuse. Good hand-me-downs are always welcome in the Absent-Minded Jay family!

One website that did catch my eye was actually found from browsing YouTube. A video review of the cameras was done by someone and you know how YouTube always posts little video screens of other videos that have some relation to the video you are watching no matter how minute that connection is.

This girl in the video still was in a kind of workout tank top holding a camera. From the small image, she looked fairly attractive with a nice rack. So, it piqued my interest...and only my interest! LOL! Turns out she's pretty informed and somewhat educated about the world of photography and she has a nice range of tank tops and bikinis that she frequently wears/shares through her videos. A bonus in my book no matter what the haters comment on her videos. I mean not everything on a website can be just about photography. Changing it up once every 10-20 videos is not an issue for me especially when it's of this girl in a bikini or half of one in her pool. Who would freaking complain about that, male or female!?

Anyway, from her youtube site I went to her actual website. It is snapchick.com. I didn't join or anything because I'm not like the rest of the really perverted dudes and I don't need to pay for Internet nudity when I can get it at home or for free on the WWW.

One thing that did catch my eye was the part of her site that said, "Take Me Home." I was like, "SCHWING!" I clicked on the link and this screen capture below is what it took me to. Again, don't get me wrong. Snapchick is a very attractive girl in a weird kind of way for me...kind of like the girl that plays Brittany (I think) on Glee. She's not drop dead gorgeous or stunningly pretty but she's got a look to her that I just can't explain with words. No matter how hot or very attractive someone is to me, there is NO WAY IN HELL that I would pay $39.99 for an autographed 8x10 of Snapchick even though the way she looks in the photo is absolutely eye-catching and almost makes the weasel go "pop." I congratulate her on the ones she has sold to the poor, blind, hairy-palmed guys she has suckered into her web of lustful delusions. But this is one hairy-palmed guy that will not fall prey to such wickedness! However, I do have this image somewhat etched into my memory as one of my favorite no-nude images I've seen across the Internet. So you go Snapchick and continue what you're doing because in my opinion, you are informing us with actual, useful knowledge as well as entertaining us with your "natural talents and gifts."

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That's all I got to say about that!

Foil flail made at Freebirds

2011-11-26T17:38:00.001-06:00

A few coworkers and I had a day-before-Thanksgiving lunch together at Freebirds. I haven't been back to this restaurant in quite a long time. I'd say at least a couple of years. I decided to go for the Carnitas Monster Bird on a spinach tortilla. This was a big bastard but I think I can eventually finish the Super Monster Bird the next time I go back...maybe in another couple of years!

This time around the Monster Bird took like four sheets of aluminum to wrap. It's somewhat customary to make shit out of the foil. I was short on time and short on imagination. I quickly decided to create this...thing. I think it's called a mace but it could also be referred to as a flail.

Anyway, random I know but I obviously put out time and effort to make the damn thing I should be able to share it. Mainly because when I tried to put it on the wall in the restaurant, it fell to the ground and separated into many pieces. End of awesomeness!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Boxbe verification is funny

2011-11-21T08:25:00.001-06:00

At work, we sent an email out to a list we purchased. Some people are using Boxbe to combat spam. Normally for me, if I have to do an extra step for an email to get to you, I'm not going to do it. BUT...we did purchase these names so I figured I'd better try all I could to get the message through.

After verifying for a few different email addresses, I clicked on the last one and this is the word verification it gave me: "farters." Now that's funny how the Boxbe system comes up with random letters and random words.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Grabbers hand warmers from Dick's Sporting Goods

2011-11-19T22:03:00.001-06:00

Got these a couple of weeks ago. My oldest is in the high school band and the football team is now in the playoffs. We bought these for our little band member because the weather is changing, getting colder, and will continue to get colder the further the football team progresses.

Anyway, turns out these little fuckers don't work worth a damn! I'm not sure if it's the brand or its the product in general. I've included the photos to show the brand as well as the simple instructions. In fact the instructions start with "Simply open the outer package and expose the packet to air." There are then some warnings about continuous contact with skin and the dangers of burning. BULLSHIT!

I "simply" exposed this product to the air and it NEVER got any hotter than body temperature. And the only reason it probably got that warm was because I held it between my palms, rubbed it, and even kept it in my pocket after the first hour of initial exposure. Never did I feel I was going to get burned by continuous exposure to my skin.

Again, I don't know if it's this particular brand or what because I play tennis with a guy that swears by them. Now, I've never touched his hand warmers or asked what brand they are so I'm not even sure if his worked like I just assumed they did.

Any thoughts because we bought ten pairs of hand warmers for the 'low' price of $.99 per pair.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Wrong Side of Town (2010)

2011-11-17T13:46:00.000-06:00

Wrong Side of Town. Watched this movie this morning on my sick day off. I have seen it pop up on my Netflix account a few times as a "new arrival," an "action thriller," or whatever. It sort of captured my interest each time I would read the brief synopsis but I would keep on browsing. I eventually put it in my queue and then I decided to watch it today.

I thought I would at least get to see a decent action movie but I was sorely disappointed. This movie was overall pretty lame. It did have action but it was very piss pour, predictable and horribly filmed. It "starred" Rob Van Dam...he was the main character anyway. What's funny is that the movie cover shows Dave Bautista in the center and larger than anyone else. Which would make one think he is the main character. Funny thing is Bautista's cameo isn't until at least 3/4 of the way into the movie and then he is shown briefly for a few other scenes.

For this movie, it's like the writers/directors/producers tried to take the good action flicks as well as the okay action flicks of previous wrestlers/athletes hoping they could produce an okay flick themselves. It really didn't work because even though the wrestlers act for the WWE they aren't really good actors if they're taken out of their comfort environment. Make sense?

With that in mind, Rob Van Dam sucks as an actor. I don't recall ever seeing him in my random viewings of the WWE program on television but he truly was unable to crossover to the big screen. Unlike the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson..okay maybe even John Cena or Steve Austin..Rob Van Dam's movie just wasn't even worth the time and effort it took to make it.

Not even the gratuitous boob shots of Stormy Daniels and a few other girls could move this movie from a 1/2 star to 1 star. And I give the 1/2 star just because of the boob shots and being able to recognize Stormy Daniels!

You can definitely pass on this movie. You'd probably get more entertainment and value from watching an episode of Teletubbies!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Paranormal Entity (2009), Paranormal Activity 2 (2010), Red State (2011)

2011-11-10T21:35:00.001-06:00

Red State

Paranormal Activity 2

Paranormal Entity

What do all these movies have in common?

They sucked! Not just sucked but royally sucked! Out of all three, I'd have to say that Red State was the "best" of them then Paranormal Entity then Paranormal Activity 2.

Red State was directed by Kevin "Silent Bob" Smith, right? So, I expected a little more...I mean not that he's a great director or story writer but I just expected with "experience" comes some sense of quality. It was an interesting concept and it had a few known actors but it was somewhat boring.

The only thing that gave Paranormal Entity any interest was that the movie showed some boobs of the "sister" character in the movie. Other than that, the movie was a complete and utter ripoff of Paranormal Activity. The movie did have a better overall storyline even though it generally sucked. Again the only good thing and only difference is that this movie showed boobies. I don't recall boobies in the first Paranormal Activity.

Paranormal Activity 2 was a complete waste of time. For one, I don't even remember how the first one went because it obviously didn't make much of an impression. This one, however, made an impression...one of a total waste of my time, the studio's money and the crews' work. If the running time was like 80 minutes, I'd say that there was 65 mins of very boring shit and 15 mins of boring shit.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Rangers LOSE the World Series

2011-10-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

I'm not a baseball fan. I don't understand how people consider this sport exciting. Granted, the World Series was pretty good...the parts I've watched anyway...but the game itself and in its entirety blows!

So, this image from ESPN.com will be the lasting memory in DFW-Arlington metropolitan area. Unfortunately, the "Breaking News" part of the image is incorrectly typed. It should say,

Rangers LOSE the World Series!

If I'm not mistaken, the Rangers were up 3-1 in the series and choked it hard. Another failed professional sports team from Dallas. Maybe it'll be like the rest though and after 2-5 runs to playoffs, they'll actually win the damn championship.

NO, I'm not bitter. I don't watch baseball, remember.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Limitless (2011)

2011-10-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

Limitless. This wasn't too bad of a movie. It sort of reminded me of the movie "Strange Days" with Ralph Fiennes and Angela Bassett albeit not exactly the same concept and all. For me, it just hinted to this movie.

The end was surprising. I didn't expect it to end the way it did but at the same time I didn't pay too much attention to what the movie was about initially. I did watch the movie but I didn't give it my full attention.

It had it's comedic moments as well as excitement and 'danger.' Some parts could have been written differently or edited out completely. Robert De Niro had a fairly minor part but I don't recall any of the advertisements using him as a part of the promotion. I think it was all on Bradley Cooper's shoulders.

Anyway, the movie wasn't too bad. If you have a cheaply priced Blockbuster or Netflix plan and can get it for about a buck or two, you won't be too disappointed.

Something I did find funny from my visit to get this movie at the brick-and-mortar Blockbuster store is the receipt. I can see one of the many reasons why BB is on harsh times. Look at the size of the printout of my receipt and I didn't even actually 'pay' for the rental at the store. I exchanged my mailer for an in-store rental. I just thought it was fairly ridiculous to get a receipt this long when maybe about 3-4 inches of it contained the pertinent information of the transaction like store address, date, and listing of movie rented. The rest is just useless and wasteful filler.

Oh well...

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That's all I got to say about that!

Hourglass (1996)

2011-09-25T22:55:00.002-05:00

Hourglass. This is another one of the many "worst movies I've seen."

One reason the movie sucked: it was edited for content. That's right. I'm watching a movie on Netflix that is dubbed...all the bad words are silenced and all the nudity scenes removed. WTF?

This movie had one of the hottest actresses I've seen (rated by looks not acting skills) in Sofia Shinas. And yet I didn't see a gosh darn shot of her naked body. WTF?

I have know idea how I found this movie or decided to watch it through Netflix but I've become a "random movie watcher" because I want to get all that I can out of my Netflix membership and especially before they raise the prices again. It turns out this movie was directed by C. Thomas Howell as well as "starred" him. I don't know who thought he was a good director or continued to let him direct anything after the few movies I've seen from him but I'm glad it stopped at some point in time. I think this movie went straight to DVD or was made for DVD. Either way, I think they got the USA Network or whatever cable television network version on Netflix instead of the actual unedited movie.

I would love to see the edited sex scenes but I don't think I could sit through the entire movie again! It was very difficult to watch it the first time but I persevered.

In case you didn't get the hint, DO NOT RENT THIS MOVIE. Again, allow me to waste my 120 minutes so you don't have to!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 09/25/2011

2011-09-25T22:39:00.002-05:00

Do you remember seeing these letters in grade school?
.

Shuttle Cock
.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Country Strong (2010)

2011-09-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

Country Strong. I saw this a few days or so ago. Yes, I'm a little late watching this since it came out in 2010. Anyway, I intended to write some interesting things about it but I have since forgotten. There were a couple of lines from the first of the movie that I wanted to post about but I have forgotten what they were and I have already returned the movie.

I would say that I found this movie more entertaining and interesting than Crazy Heart. The ending was kind of predictable because these types of movies go one of two ways: (1) the singer rebounds then lives out their life or (2) they end up dead after that one last fantastic show. So, I will ruin the finale for you and say that the main character in this one was the latter.

It's worth the $2 rental or even better on Netflix since you pay a flat monthly fee.

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That's all I got to say about that!

The Day the Earth Stopped (2008)

2011-09-13T17:42:00.000-05:00

The Day the Earth Stopped. This is a total rip off of all the other "The Day the Earth..." died, stood still and any others like that.

What sucks is this movie sort of started out with so much potential. The "destroyer of earth" in the movie who just happens to be a very hot chick lands on earth and is totally and completely naked walking around the forest for about the first three minutes of the movie. I was thinking, "Damn, this may not suck after all!" Too bad that was the best part of the movie.

The sad thing about this movie is that C. Thomas Howell directed and "starred" in this craptastic version. There was also a brief appearance by Judd Nelson. Judd was billed as "starring" but he has like 5-10 minutes in the very last part of the movie. Poor Pony Boy and John Bender...are they this hard up for cash or to maintain work...because this isn't what I would want to be remembered for.

This movie was worse for C. Thomas Howell because if he wanted to be taken somewhat serious as a director, I'd have to say he failed. Don't get me wrong. I've always like the guy but his attention to detail is way off. Granted there are budgets and shit but this was made in 2008 and I think even something like iMovie could have edited out some of the flawed scenes. I'll just poke fun of a few.

First, this female destroyer lands on Earth naked. She's "saved" by Howell's character because he thinks she's been hurt or something because she's on a highway in the forest naked. He later finds out she's the other alien they've been looking for because they already caught one. Anyway, she's taken back to this makeshift base and clothed. She's wearing white sweatpants, a white wifebeater and a bra. She's a freaking alien for George Lucas's sake. She doesn't need or even care for using a bra! Hell, she's already flashed her boobies so what difference would a bra make anyway!?

Second, there is a part where Howell is relieved of duty because of his insubordination in not wanting to harm the femalien. He leaves the base but comes back because saving her is the right thing to do. He gets back inside the base just as the alien robots send out an EMP, essentially killing anything (which is everything in the world!) that runs on electricity for an uncertain amount of time. He gets the femalien to one of the governmental SUVs and it won't start. DUH! The femalien uses her powers to start the car and they escape. They are driving within the city when Howell decides to stop for some stupid reason in the middle of the street. He is dumbfounded and asks to the femalien, "How did you do that?" I mean really! Who the hell cares!? You escaped be happy and don't ask 'why' or 'how.' Idiot! So before he can get an answer this gun-wielding guy jumps on the hood and tells them to get the hell out of the car because he's carjacking them as they have the only running vehicle in town! The camera angle is behind the carjacker looking through the windshield and somewhat over the vehicle just in time to see a "boys in blue" vehicle pass by in the distance. "Only working vehicle" huh? That's what we call bad editing and as the director, Howell should have seen that.

Third, there is a 'chase' scene within the city near the end of the movie. Yes, after all the electronics have recovered from the EMP. Howell is once again in a hijacked governmental SUV and is being followed by other governmental SUVs. They make the same right turn over about 5-7 mins of run time. You can see the same building, the same fencing, the same road and the same random objects caught in the frame. Yes, it's the reuse of the same clip. The least they could have done was filmed it on a street without distinguishable scenery or props.

Oh well. I didn't go into this with high expectations to begin with. I felt like it was going to be a made-for-TV movie on the Sci-Fi channel but those movies are actually better! I mean this was made in 2008 and the technology was still very good with CGI and such that they could have created better footage in some teenage kids garage! If you have Netflix, the best footage of this movie happens in the very beginning with the femalien walking nude in the forest. After that, you can watch if you want as long as your expectations are low...very low.

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That's all I got to say about that!

People are so stupid and clueless sometimes

2011-09-13T16:16:00.000-05:00

I got an email from the CompUSA listserv mentioning a "deal" on the Alienware M14X AM14X-5283SBK today. I have previously typed about owning the M11X but I'm really interested in upgrading to the M14X for more screen real estate. I'm going to find a REALLY good deal on it sometime in the near future. I just know it.

Curious as I am, I clicked the link in the email to see what kind of deal they were offering. It wasn't that great but I didn't see something that made me realize even more the ignorance of people.

I screen captured two comments (see below) about the M14X which are supposed to be reviews. What's stupid about these particular "reviews, ratings, comments" is that the people typing them do not even OWN the product they are "reviewing!" They are generalizing what they want in the item or what they feel is wrong about the item without even buying it and physically using and testing it. They make blind, ignorant judgments (where has thinking like this gotten the world in the past...very bad places and happenings).

Anyway, if you're not going to contribute in a meaningful manner to the world of electronic purchases, keep your stupid mouth shut! What's even funnier is that these stupid blokes hide behind cryptic usernames because they don't want their friends and family to point out the stupidity!

So, if you want to comment on something whether it be a product, an article, a blog entry, or whatever, at least have some experience with what you are speaking about.

=== end transmission of frustration ===

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That's all I got to say about that!

King of the Ants (2003)

2011-09-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

King of the Ants. I actually saw this movie few months or so ago through my Blockbuster Total Access Plan but I ended up watching a little bit of it on Netflix this past Saturday. It sounded and looked familiar but I had to log onto my computer to verify. Yes, I keep list of all the movies I've seen and approximately when except for the older ones because I didn't start the list until a couple of years ago. I do put in older movies but I just mark them as 'seen' without the 'seen on date.' Yes, I'm nerdy like that.

Anyway, I didn't realize that Kari Wuhrer was in this movie from the first viewing and thought I'd comment. I remember seeing Kari in a few 'B' movies in early the 90s. She was hot in a weird kind of way. She wasn't strikingly beautiful but she was attractive. She was becoming "famous" as like the Shannon Tweed of the 90s (Shannon was the straight-to-video B-movie queen of the late 80s and had some wonderfully beautiful, fairly large, natural breasts). Kari on the other hand didn't have these natural breasts. All the movies I remember seeing her in where she got topless, she had some overly stuffed B-cups. It's almost like she already had the size but they maybe drooped or something because the surgery made them look like perfectly shaped small grapefruits that didn't touch each other. There was a valley that a freight train could drive through.

Without getting further off topic, after seeing parts of this movie again, I was wondering why she got implants to begin with because her boobs in this movie were fairly nice. They weren't overly perky as with the implants but they were still attractive. I screen capped a NSFW pic here from the movie for reference.

After recent backgrounding on her (hehe, sounds dirty) at IMDB, it turns out she had her implants removed in in 2002 and 'Ants' was made in 2003. Good for her. She looks way better and sexy as a naturally boobied woman.

So, the point of the post was to criticize her implants but since she's had them removed what is there to criticize?

As far as the movie, you can pass on it. It wasn't that good even with the very minimal part of Kari showing off her sexy body. The acting sucked! The storyline was subpar as well as the videography. George Wendt was probably the biggest name in the movie and it's sad to see that 'Norm' has lowered his standards unless he's made his gazillions and can make whatever the fuck her wants these days. There was a Baldwin boy cast (Daniel) but he's like the one nobody knows other than that he looks like a Baldwin and probably takes the roles his more famous brothers wouldn't take like Don Swayze.

Anyway, don't waste 102 minutes of your life because I have already wasted 204 minutes for you!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Let the Dallas Mavericks' new season begin!

2011-09-08T14:48:00.001-05:00

Or at least just let the Mavs' Dancers come out on the court!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Land's End Men's Oxford Water Shoes

2011-09-06T23:14:00.001-05:00

Lands' End was having a sale online about a week and a half ago. I purchased a couple pairs of Chino pants. I didn't know what Chino pants was at the time of thinking about ordering so I had to Google it. After educating myself that they were basically khaki pants, I decided to purchase two pairs. I got the Desert Khaki (on sale for $13.98 regularly $44.50) and Vintage Brick (on sale for $10.48 regular $34.50) colors. I haven't ordered pants from Lands' End before so I wasn't sure how they'd fit as far as the waist size compared to other stores. I figured $10 was decend gamble to find out especially since I can return them for free at the Sears down the street or any other store that accepts Lands' End returns. I can also return via mail/UPS but it's like $7. I'm a fan of the FREE!

I did purchase a couple of outdoorsy shoes. I have previously purchased a pair of slippers, my current pair, from Lands' End about 4-5 years ago. I saw a really good deal on them. I think back then they were something like $40 and I got them for less than $10 including tax and shipping. Very good deal! So, I saw these Men's Oxford Water Shoes (pic to left). Regularly $39.50. I got them for $10.49. Again, I went with the knowledge of free returns at Sears and $10 was a good investment if they fit. So, I invested in two pairs. I liked the more sporty look of the Majestic Navy color scheme but also thought the Light Stone could double as somewhat of a casual dress (really just not so sporty on those days I want to differentiate). I really wanted the Rich Red color but they didn't have it in my size at the time of ordering. I like the boldness of the Rich Red but it also made me think of Tom Hanks in the movie, "The Man with One Red Shoe."

I ordered these items on August 17^th. I got them yesterday, August 29^th. I wasn't impressed with the shipping time but I guess I did have four items. I tracked the package and it seems that part of the problem was it was picked up by UPS in Illinois on 8/23 and then delivered to a local post office in Dallas, Texas on 8/26. Apparently, the local post office tried to deliver it to the wrong place on 8/27 and it was taken back to the post office. It seems it was sent to the wrong "local" post office and was transferred to another local post office on 8/29 and it was delivered the same day around 5:30pm. Not very good transit if you ask me but I guess I wasn't in a hurry for the items.

I opened the box and took out my shoes first. They were the most important part of the package I was looking forward to. The pants were ordered mainly for work so they were less exciting, although I may occasionally wear them outside of work. I first pulled the right foot of the Majestic Navy pair and tried it on. Perfect fit! Sweet! I next pulled the left foot of the Light Stone pair and tried it on. Another perfect fit although it was to be expected since the different pairs were the same size.

I walked around the house and even visited a few of the neighbors with the different shoes on. I got a compliment on both.

I do like them both but there is just something to me about wearing shoes without socks. I know these are "water" shoes and shoes in water feel much different than out of water but I didn't intend to wear them just in water. They don't have a lot of padding in the soles but they are comfortable albeit not for an extended amount of time...like the 4+ hours that I wore them one Friday evening.

Anyway, if you need a decent shoe for those hiking, camping and wading moments then this might be the shoe for you even if you have to pay full price.

Oh yeah, I haven't worn the Chico pants other than to try them on because the leg length is too long but I did like them as well.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Beastly (2011, Unknown (2011), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)

2011-08-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

.
I saw these some time ago...maybe at least a month ago. I've been busy.

Gnomeo & Juliet (2011). This wasn't too bad of a movie. The basis of the storyline is pretty obvious but they did it in a "cute" way. It wasn't written, filmed so childlike that adults won't enjoy it as well. A lot of the voice overs are easily recognizable but then others are like "who the hell are they?"

I wouldn't run out and rent this unless (1) you have kids or (2) you have kids and there isn't anything else to watch that's say at a leve 6 or greater in excitement level to watch or do. It's not a bad movie. It's just not an "Oh my gosh, I am so glad I saw this movie" movie.

Unknown (2011). Without fully knowing what this movie was about, it had a surprising twist. I didn't expect this twist but I also don't fully pay attention to all the movies I watch at all times during the movie. The twist caught me a little by surprise. Overall this movie was pretty good. It's weird to realize how many movies Liam Neeson has been in over the past two years or so.

The different plot lines like Liam's character's memory loss, the assassination plot, the trying to kill Liam's character even though he's the best...it's just all over the place but at the same time nicely pulled together in the end. It is a little predictable in the sense that you know the hero of the movie is going to turn out all right and this movie didn't disappoint in following along with this tradition.

I'd say this is worth a rental. Maybe even a full-priced one...but on someone else's dime would make it even better.

Beastly (2011). I didn't know the concept of this movie when I first rented it. A few minutes in, I realized this was the retold concept of Beauty and the Beast. Someone at Disney or wherever must have decided it was time to bring this story to the teens that watch The Disney Channel. Smart idea but teenage angst and love stories is so overdone these days.

Nowadays, I wouldn't have expected the "beast" in this movie to have any ill affects upon other people. He really just looked like any other tattooed freak. I mean in Beauty and the Beast the prince was a fully transformed "beast" so it would be freaky to see him for sure!

If you have teenage daughters, this might be a good movie to pickup for slumber party or birthday party time. Other than that, it's passable. Been there. Done that. And the other ways were better.

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That's all I got to say about that!

In the news 08/18/2011

2011-08-22T11:54:00.000-05:00

All I have to say is, "The bastard got what he deserved!"

Click here for story while it lasts.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Two brushes with stupidity in one day

2011-08-14T18:52:00.000-05:00

My Saturday experiences with stupid cyclists in Dallas within an hour of each other:

First on Harvard Avenue at the Katy Trail: Two cyclists traveling at least 25 mph are about 75 ft from the crosswalk. I'm about 20 ft going about 15 mph. I am halfway across the crosswalk as they have to slow down and wait for me to cross. One cyclist puts his hands in the air like "WTF?" Apparently the cyclist doesn't know the law of the crosswalk which reads, "Yield to those WITHIN the crosswalk." It doesn't say, "Yield to those approaching the crosswalk." These cyclist didn't want to slow their roll and so I must be the dick and not them. Idiots!

Second, Southwestern Blvd at Airline Rd: Two cyclists traveling north on Airline Rd. I'm traveling east on Southwestern Blvd. I get to the stop light/sign before them. As I start to go, they acted like they were going to ride through the stop light/sign. They slammed on their brakes and wobbled a bit and were like dumbfounded that I didn't yield to them. So, cyclists want to have the same rights as vehicles but they don't want to obey the vehicle laws. Idiots!

I know this isn't ALL cyclists behaviors and attitudes but it seems to be the majority of the ones I have come across. They are an arrogant pack of dip shits that would much rather be arrogant than safe. Right or wrong is not the point when they are willing to risk their life because who is going to win the collision? I don't think the vehicle will be the worst off.

Idiots!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Milla Jovovich has some freakishly long nipples

2011-08-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

Stone. This movie is one of the slowest, most boring movies I've seen in a long time. I expected much more with well-known actors such as Robert De Niro, Edward Norton, and Milla Jovovich.

The storyline was so sporadic that I didn't know this from that, what really mattered or what the hell the movie was actually about. It was just a miss mash of shit that wasn't even brought together very well. And the ending, what the hell was the significance of the bee noise? I don't know. I actually paid a pretty fair amount of attention to the movie and I guess I missed something somewhere.

On a perverted side note, Milla flashes her boobs a few times on camera. Gotta love her for it but it didn't make the movie any more likable. The wife and I were initially watching this movie together and the first time Milla shows her boobs the wife and I both were like, "What the fuck is wrong with her nipples?" They were enormously long and I actually like Milla's nude body in previous shots but this was just weird. The wife was sickened by the length (LOL). It's kind of like her boobs are like three inches thick (from chest to nipple) and then the nipple is like an inch and a half long. I've uploaded a screen capture of the offending (to some) image. NSFW pic here. Don't get me wrong. I'd still tag Milla with enthusiasm and glee but I'd have to wear protective goggles.

Overall movie verdict: pass it and warn others to do so as well.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Taste of Dallas 2011

2011-07-14T14:15:00.003-05:00

The family got an invitation to attend Taste of Dallas this weekend. We were given free tickets so it was worth trying something we may not otherwise have done. The price on the ticket was $8.00 but I read a few minutes ago that you could get them at Albertsons (which when there I surmised was a major sponsor because of the all their banners) for $5.00.

We decided to go at open (11:00 a.m.) because it wouldn't be so hot. Luckily, Saturday morning started out breezy and slightly overcast. Once we got to Fair Park, we quickly found out that parking was not included. Friday night when thinking about going to Taste of Dallas I thought about taking the DART rail because it's convenient and cheap. But when we left Saturday morning, I had forgotten. So did the wife. Because of this, we ended up paying $12.00 for parking. Fucking $12.00! We figured it was better than paying $12 on top of $32 but that would have never happened anyway because I'm a cheap ass! So, we parked and walked in to the fair grounds.

Initially, we just walked around to see what all was offered and to get a gauge on the price for "tastes." We also were heading for a specific booth because my oldest was helping a friend and her mother for the restaurant the mother works for. While walking around, we found that there were a lot of restaurants we've never even heard of. We aren't dining out that often but when we do, we typically stick to a few places we know and like with once in a blue moon trying some place new. With two kids, it's tough to go "new" because if they don't like it then we waste some money.

Everything was priced from $1 to $5. I don't think I saw any of the food items at each booth higher than $5. They did sell beer, soda and water but I don't recall seeing the price of beer. Soda and water were like $5.

So, let me see if I can remember the break down of the booths/foods I tried.

Celebration Restaurant was the booth of that my oldest's friend's mother worked for. They had a chicken kabob for $3, a tomato and basil salad for $4 and fresh cantaloupe or watermelon slices for $1. The friend's mother gave us samples for free. We tried to pay but she refused. We weren't there to mooch but she said that she doesn't mind because they bargain with all the other vendors all the time so it's no big deal. We thanked her and enjoyed the kabob and a few slices each of cantaloupe and watermelon. The fruit was refreshing on a warm, overcast day.

Asador was selling $3 brisket sliders. They were pretty good. There wasn't a lot of brisket in them and I don't know how much they cost or if the meat is more at the restaurant. The brisket was flavorful and served on ciabatta bread. I've never heard of this restaurant so I asked where they were located. The girl in the booth said it was located inside the Dallas Renaissance Hotel which I don't think I've ever been in or will ever find the need to be in.

Afghan Grill had a variety of dishes to taste. We went with the Kofta Chalao which is sauteed meatballs in some kind of sauce and they served it over rice. It too was $3. The wife and I shared it and we both thought it was fairly tasty.

I didn't have any but we bought one each for my kids and the friend of cake balls from The Cake Ball Company. I've had cake balls before but I was not looking for dessert on a day like this or with the food vendors available to taste. I didn't want to fill up too soon. The kids said they loved the cake balls though.

Hedary's was next to the Celebration booth. I tried their sirloin on a stick for $3. It wasn't too bad though it wasn't memorable either. It tasted just like any ordinary steak you might cook on a grill or skillet without using spices or flavoring. They were bragging that it was "top sirloin" and they may have been but it wasn't anything special. Again, it tasted fine but it wasn't something I have to say you need to experience.

Longhorn BBQ was offering pulled pork sliders for $3. I ordered one and added the nondescript barbecue sauce they provided. The sauce was tasty and added to the flavor of the pulled pork which taste very heavily of the wood they used to smoke it, I guess. It wasn't bad it just wasn't spiced or flavored. Overall the pulled pork slider was good but I'm not sure if I'd make a drive from North Dallas to Cedar Hill for their barbecue. I'll stick with the all-you-can-eat at North Main BBQ

Texas de Brazil is a restaurant I've seen/heard of before but never had the desire to try. I still don't have that desire. They were offering bacon-wrapped chicken with a roll for $3. They offered other things like steak but I went for the chicken since I had already had quite a bit of steak from other booths. The bacon-wrapped chicken was pretty good. I'm a big bacon fan and so is my youngest. The chicken was pretty good too but I think they could have wrapped a slightly thinner piece of chicken. Once you got past the bacon and initial layer of chicken, the rest of it just tasted like grilled chicken. The roll was very, very disappointing and someone should lose their job in the "promotional" department because of it. The roll seemed like it was bought from the grocery store and heated in the oven...and whoever did it didn't do a good job AT ALL. The roll was dry and seemed like it was sitting in the open for some time before it was placed on my plate. I mean there was no butter, not flavoring, no nothing on the roll. Hell, I've made better rolls that were bought from the grocery store.

McDonald's had a booth and I think they did it right out of all the booths. They weren't selling samples of their food items but they were giving away samples of their new fruit smoothie, mango pineapple, and then a strawberry smoothie (which I don't know if it was new or not). They were giving freebies out left and right for the 3 hours we were there. They had lines of people waiting for the samples. All for FREE mind you.

I think the other vendors may have to rethink their approach to the way they want people to sample their food. I think they should give it away free or mostly free. I think they should build in an expected loss and let people flavor their foods because if the people like it, they will visit the restaurant and pay full price for it. I saw so many people pass on the foods at Celebration Restaurant, Asador, Lockhart Barbecue, and other vendors because of the price comparison they would do in their minds like "how much will I get for my $3 and is it worth it?" I can tell you that I would have preferred free or half-price for many of the foods I tasted. They were all fairly good but they weren't wowing me or many others. The vendors were too worried about giving to much filling in each slider, or sandwich or whatever. That in turn made the product smaller, lamer and much less inticing to the customer. It's just poor marketing on weekend that should have been all about the marketing. I know they have a budget but if they are really business people running these businesses, they would have been able to create a projected profit/loss forecast and decided what was feasible or not. Personally, for my first time, I really didn't see many people carrying around or purchasing a lot of the samples from any of the booths. I saw a lot of people carrying McDonald's smoothies, Scope and even that nasty Yakult drink becaue they were FREE.

I guess that's about it for the food and beverage vendors.

There was this guy doing on-the-spot Krylon spray paint "paintings." (inset)

He was quick, good and very creative for a cosmic artist. That's what he was called, "The Cosmic Artist." He mainly, or only, did space or cosmic paintings. They were pretty darn cool and the high you can get from the spray paint was awesome. LOL!

He even had his little black car (like a Miata I think) with his personalized designs on the hood, trunk...hell, almost all over it but in a tactful way. I don't how lasting they would be on a vehicle's paint job but a framed picture would be cool. I'm just too much of a cheap ass. :-)

Anyway, Taste of Dallas was an interesting experience for us. I don't think I'll ever feel the need to attend it again although if someone gave me free tickets again and I remember to take the DART (for free because of my job) then I might consider it. It wasn't a bad experience. It just wasn't one of those "Damn, I've been missing out" moments.

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That's all I got to say about that!

In the news 07/13/2011

2011-07-13T11:14:00.001-05:00

From the Star-Telegram:

Widow of pizza deliveryman who was fatally beaten sues Domino's

Borchardt [widow's attorney] said the teens' phony pizza order was made on a prepaid cellphone and involved an uninhabited address to which Domino's had never delivered a pizza. "They should have known this was going to be an unsafe delivery at that point," he said.

Click here for the article while it lasts.

Domino's should have known this was coming. This freaking attorney is an ambulance chaser-type. This is going to be a waste of tax payer money. It should be shot down before it even goes to jury selection or whatever.

Number 1: How is someone calling in on a prepaid cellphone a flag for "unsafe delivery?" I know tons of people that have prepaid cellphones. Hell, my father-in-law is on a prepaid cellphone. WTF, idiot attorney!?

Number 2: Is money really going to help this widow with her grieving? Well, hell yes...especially if it's a lot! But seriously, it wasn't Domino's that beat the crap out of this guy. Granted they may have unsafe areas but what areas these days aren't unsafe in some form or fashion?

I think Domino's should have stepped up and given a lump sum of money to the widow. It should be a policy. He got injured, killed, on the job out of no fault of his own and they should have "donated" something to the widow. I think $10,000 is what the government deems as the worth of a human. Domino's could have doubled that and been done with it. Every business should have an "in case of death on the job" fund.

Unfortunately, businesses typically don't give a rat's ass about their employees until they are no longer producing revenue for said business.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Red Dawn...remake?

2011-07-09T23:44:00.000-05:00

Can they really be making a remake of Red Dawn?

Apparently so.

There's just no replacement for Patrick Swayze for Jed, Charlie Sheen for Matt, Lea Thompson for Erica, C. Thomas Howell for Robert and Powers Boothe for Lt. Col. Tanner.

Some movies just shouldn't be remade. Footloose. Bad News Bears. Clash of the Titans. The Hitcher. Anyway...

WOLVERINES!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Drive Angry (2011)

2011-07-09T00:21:00.001-05:00

Drive Angry. I read some reviews before watching this movie on Blockbuster.com and a lot of them didn't like this movie. They compared it a lot to campy movies from the likes of the Grindhouse series. I thought it was a better movie than that when seeing the promos but I really didn't know the premise behind this movie. I tried to keep an open mind when starting it.

After watching it, I must say that it wasn't as bad as the comments/reviews on Blockbuster.com. I usually have low expectation of any of the movies I watch that way I can only go up...a lot or slightly...as the movie progresses.

Yes, some of the graphics, dialogue and action is like the Grindhouse movies or even Machete. I don't think it took away from the movie. There wasn't a whole lot of gross gore but there were moments of blood splatter from heads being shot and hands and/or legs being blown off. Nothing over the top like some of the movies I've seen. Some comments mentioned gratuitous boobs but I have to disagree. There were maybe 2-3 times I saw boobs for a max of 3-5 minutes and they totally went along with the scene...except maybe the last one where this skinny, naked girl gets tagged by Cage's character's shotgun near the end of the movie. That nakedness probably didn't need to be shown at the time.

It's a pity that Amber Heard didn't have a reason to disrobe. She's one fine woman and it would have made my rating of this movie much higher.

If you like quite a bit of action with a few shots of T&A thrown in, then you'll probably enjoy this movie. I won't be recommending it to anyone but if you happen to have the opportunity to watch it (for free-ish) then it's not a total waste of a couple of hours.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Season of the Witch (2011)

2011-07-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

Season of the Witch. Yesterday I picked up this movie. There wasn't a lot to choose from since it was Thursday and it's summertime. I should go earlier in the week.

Spoiler Alert!

Anyway, this movie turned out to be not what I expected. I mean the title has "witch" in it but it turns out there really is no witch. Instead there is a demon that has possessed a female and they think she's a witch...back in those witch-killing days of like 1300 AD.

Overall the movie wasn't too bad. The action was alright. The story was alright. So, I guess the movie was overall alright.

Funny thing is I got two movies at the same time. This one and Drive Angry which both just happened to have Nicolas Cage in them.

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That's all I got to say about that!

No Strings Attached (2011), Battle Los Angeles (2011), Sucker Punch (2011), Cats & Dogs The Revenge of Kitty Galore (2010)

2011-07-07T23:08:00.001-05:00

Now that class is over, I have had a little bit of time to catch up on my movie watching. I've watched some movies that are recent and not so recent as well as adult-themed and kid-themed. I make a list of movies and I try to watch them as I get them or when I can. So, here are my thoughts on the ones I've watched:

No Strings Attached. What can I say positive about this movie? It's very, very hard. It has Natalie Portman. She looks good in it and we get to see a little bit of her in just a bra and panty. Sort of worth it. Other than that, I don't think there is any else.

I think the problem with this movie is it's WAY too predictable and it has already been done before as well as been done again (I've read there is almost an exact story in Friends With Benefits).

I mean how many times can we see a movie about a slacker-type male that pursues or one-night-stands with a Type A personality, very smart, overly educated, somewhat successful female who doesn't want a relationship with him but he tries to be cute, romantic or whatever and eventually wins her affection!?

Been there, done that...a gazillion times! Even though this movie has my woman, Natalie, in it I would have to say it's a pass. Ashton Kutcher cannot pull off the lovestruck slacker-type male. He can pull off slacker-type but that's it! I think the relationship that was between the two best friends of Portman and Kutcher was more interesting and more fun to see and they had minimal screen time.

Anyway, watch this movie at a friends, or view it for cheap like if you already have Netflix of Blockbuster Total Access Plan. I really don't think this is worth a regularly priced rental.

Battle Los Angeles. This movie reminded me a lot, a whole lot, of Independence Day but without garnering as much interest during the "slow" times and then slow to start action thereafter. It also had a hint of Transformers and even District 9.

I don't know if it's because I have seen the previews or knew what to expect but the movie seemed too familiar and known to me. It felt like I was watching something I had literally already seen. The humans fighting back was predictable and expected. Finding out that the flying alien ships were drones, that there was a "control center" for these drones and knocking it out should/would give humans the advantage they were looking for was so Independence Day not to mention a few of the aliens had tentacles just like those in Independence Day. So this movie could have been called "A-Different-But-Still-Very-Similar Independence Day remake."

I can't really say it was a horrible movie but I can't say it was that good either because of the too-close comparisons. If you go in knowing this movie is very similar, it probably is a good movie. If you start to compare it to others, you may start to think why you rented it.

Sucker Punch. I blindly "rented" this movie based on the fact that it looked like it had interesting cinematography and the comments I've read from a techie blog that was tracking this movie before and after its release. After seeing the movie, I Googled it and found that it is another interpretation of Alice in Wonderland. I can sort of see this correlation but I can also say, "WTF ever!"

Being that I didn't go into this movie knowing the background or anything, I would have to say it wasn't too bad. The cinematography was very interesting. The characters were interestingly matched from the "real world" to the "fantasy world" Babydoll creates. The action was fairly non-stop when those scenes were going on. The female characters were smoking hot and kicked ass.

If I thought of this movie as anything more than an action flick with hot chicks, I would probably have been disappointed. As it is, I am disappointed that the female characters did not show a little bare T & A here or there because it kind of went with the plot line of the "job" they did in the fantasy prison.

In the end, I was a bit confused on Babydoll's status: is she a vegetable or is she still aware even though she had a sort of lobotomy? It wasn't totally conclusive in my opinion which makes me think they could make a sequel of sorts.

Anyway, I would rent it for cheap or borrow it from a buddy. I'm a tight wad and not many movies are worth the $1.99-$3.99 rental fee at Blockbuster. Maybe rent it at the Red or Blue Box for a $1, right?

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. I put this on my queue a long time ago when I thought my kids or the neighborhood kids would all want to watch it. I saw part of it on TV a few weeks ago and thought it looked cheesy. I was going to say that I saw it (even though not all of it) and remove it from my queue but I forgot. Once it came in the mail, I had to watch it because that's what I do.

This is another one of those "don't take it too seriously" movies. For what it is...a kid's movie...it wasn't too bad. The bald cat, aka Kitty Galore, is just hilarious and gross looking at the same time. The acting by the human cast wasn't the greatest but the voice-over wasn't too bad. Again, it's a kid movie and that's the way I had to watch it.

Kids around the ages of 4-7 might like the movie a lot. Anyone older may be wasting time and money renting it.

I guess that's all I got for now. On to the next round of movies until my vacation and then the start of the fall semester a few weeks later. Man summer has flown by!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Crazy Heart (2009)

2011-07-06T17:10:00.007-05:00

Crazy Heart. Finally got around to watching this movie. I had it at my home for almost two weeks but I had been busy with summer school, kids, family, and work. All good times but at least now I have been able to catch up on my movie watching.

I don't know what the big deal is about this movie. I think I remember Jeff Bridges being nominated for an Oscar or some movie award. Don't get me wrong. I think Jeff Bridges is a very good actor and he's played some great roles in some good movies. He's played some shit too but what thespian hasn't?

This movie was pretty slow to start and didn't pick up much pace to the end. It's a been-there-done-that-seen-it storyline and the performances of Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal didn't add any excitement to a tired, over-used plot. I don't think Bridges' acting was Oscar-worthy but what do I know. It's not like he lost weight, gained weight, or did any drastic physical changes for the role. He played a has-been, drunk country singer/songwriter.

It was neat to see/hear the singing "talent" of Bridges, Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell. I wouldn't have believed Farrell sang anything if I didn't see the song credits run with him listed as "performed by." It's not far-fetched to think he could pull off "country singing" since he's had to change his natural dialect (Irish, I think) for his various movie roles. But it was still weird to see him with a pony tail singing country music.

I personally think this movie is passable and forgettable. I'm not saying it was horrible but I am saying that given a choice, I'd much rather watch reruns of The Brady Bunch and I was never a fan of 'the Bunch.'

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That's all I got to say about that!

In-N-Out Burger in Dallas

2011-07-04T23:28:00.004-05:00

Went for a drive today looking for an idea on dinner. Chipotle was closed for the 4^th...I'm not sure if they closed early but they were closed when I swung by around 5pm. I pulled out of the Chipotle parking lot onto the US75 service road and saw the cones for the new In-N-Out Burger.

The youngest and I decided to take a chance and see what the traffic there was like. It didn't look too busy but that was before I entered the drive-thru/parking lot area. Turns out they had four lanes of cars where they were taking orders before you get to enter the actual drive-thru (pic 1).

I ordered two Double-Double Meals for me and the child and a Cheeseburger Meal for the wife. They quoted a tab to me of $18.89.

About 30 minutes later, I got my order. I could wait 30 minutes for food. I've done it in sit-down restaurants before and we weren't in any hurry today. More than 30 minutes for fast food, and I would have driven away.

So, I paid and then got my food. This is what the burgers looked like (pic 2). It was interesting to see how I got my order to-go and yet the burgers aren't entirely wrapped. Know what I mean? I guess they don't expect the burgers to set too long. This time, they were right. I got home in about 5-10 minutes and they were quickly removed from the bag.

My youngest tasted the fries on the way home and said they weren't bad. I think "I like them" was the actual words used. The wife had the same initial response to the fries but later used "eh, they were alright." My initial reaction was "What's the big deal? I think Burger House fries are better and McDonald's has always been a favorite of mine." I felt the fries seemed a bit limp and flavorless other than quite a bit of salt on top. The youngest was digging the salt which is what was liked more than the fries themselves, I thinks.

Anyway, the wife and I stood around the kitchen counter so we could take a bite of our individual burgers and give an assessment. She bit first into her cheeseburger and her initial reaction was, "That's pretty good." I took a bite of my double-double and thought, "Not bad but what does the taste remind me of? Burger House. Sort of."

Without knowing how they actually cook the patties, I would say they have the taste and texture of hamburger meat that has been cooked on a flat grill (like the one you see in just about all restaurants: fast food and sit-down)...not like flame broiled. Know what I mean? Anyway, my burger came plenty loaded with Iceberg lettuce, two big slices of tomato and plenty cheesy.

I would have to say the burger was good but I wouldn't say it was anything exciting or something to yearn for. I wouldn't wait more than the 30 minutes it took to line up, order, enter the drive-thru, pay, and then pick up my order. I even think that 30 minutes is way too long especially when I can get a comparable, if not better burger, in half the time from places like Sonic, Burger House, Wendys, Keller's Hamburgers and yes, even McDonald's. I waited the 30 minutes this time and only this time because this place was new and I wanted to see what all the hooplah was about.

After having it, I'm still wondering what the hell all the hooplah is about!

UPDATE: Went to Keller's today for lunch. I got the #5 Double-Meat "Special" for $2.49, tator tots for $1.25, and a medium drink for $1.19. That's about $4.93 plus tax. The order was taken and delivered within 10-12 minutes. I would have to say that after having In-N-Out yesterday and Keller's today that I can make a better assessment in a taste test with the conclusion being Keller's burger was much better and is overall a better bang for your buck.

The Double-Double meal at In-N-Out is $4.99 plus tax which is also the same price if you buy the items in the meal separately ($2.75 for the double-double, $1.09 for fries, and $1.15 for a medium drink) according to the guy that took my order. My thought was that the meal was supposed to be more of a value (even though it's not advertised as a 'value meal') because you are ordering more than just a single item. But, I guess that's why the state of California is bankrupt because they aren't very smart with finances. Or maybe they are since they get people to pay the same price for a la carte items as they would if it's sold as a meal.

In conclusion, I'll stick with my local choices here versus returning to In-N-Out for my burgers and fries. I will return to see how their shakes match up to other local shake/malt providers but I just don't have that desire for their burgers and fries.

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That's all I got to say about that!

2011 Wimbledon Championship

2011-07-03T19:01:00.001-05:00

Congratulations to Novak Djokovic for beating Rafael Nadal for the 2011 Wimbledon Men's Championship. He is well-deserving but for some reason I still dislike him somewhat. I can't pinpoint why but he just isn't someone I want to win. Maybe that will change in the future.

Also, congratulations to Petra Kvitova for beating (and shutting up) Maria Sharapova for the 2011 Wimbledon Women's Championship. She is well-deserving too. I don't know if I could handle "the screamer" winning another tournament. Sharapova is a very good player but he screeching takes away from enjoying her skills and the match in general. Please! Please! Someone do something about the screaming/yelling from the women players of the WTA!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Wimbledon 2011: Roger Federer vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

2011-06-29T10:56:00.001-05:00

I don't have much to say about this other than I'm shocked.

I don't think Federer played a bad match (although I only got to watch the first two sets before heading to work). I also didn't think Tsonga played a bad first two sets. It's just that usually when Federer is up two sets to love, he wins the match. I'd like to watch the last three sets...maybe on Wimbledon Primetime on The Tennis Channel tonight.

Anyway, good job Tsonga. I like the way he plays when he's playing well and up to his potential. Sorry for Federer. Sometimes you think that "old" champions should go out on a winning high but they feel like they can do anything (who doesn't) after they win. Was the last major Federer won was the 2010 French Open? Maybe he should have just walked away then. I'm not saying he still isn't a phenomenal play. I just don't like see those sports figures that were on top for so long sort of flailing here and there before they FINALLY decide to walk away and by then people are feeling sad for them more than excited that they are still playing the game.

So, ramble, ramble, ramble...on to the Rafael Nadal vs. Mardy Fish match. I wish Fish the best and hope he can win the tournament but I'm not super confident in his ability to take the trophy. I like his game though...still serving and volleying in this day and age is such a blessing to watch versus the boring baseline to baseline exchanges.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Goff's Hamburgers

2011-06-28T17:05:00.000-05:00

It has been a long while since my first visit to Goff's Hamburgers. This is for a couple reasons. First, I think it is overpriced for what you get and I their food just doesn't have that "wow" factor, or even a "that sounds good" thinking, for me. Now some may say that the portion size is exact for what people should eat to keep from gaining weight. I don't disagree with this. What I do disagree with is the steep price they charge for what is essentially the size of a hockey puck (or two double-stacked).

It seems that Tuesdays after 5pm are half-price burgers, at the University Park location anyway. So last Tuesday, I figured it was a good time to take them for another test drive.

I don't recall the menu from my 1^st and only visit but I didn't want to seem like an "ignorant customer" so I was trying to read the menu from the back of the line. It was about seven people deep so I had time to eyeball the chalkboard menu on the wall by the register.

The menu items are listed by numbers, mostly, as far as I could tell.

The line seemed to be moving smoothly so I started feeling pressured to know what I wanted to order.

I wasn't extremely hungry and didn't wnat to ruin the "bargain" of 1/2-price burgers. I decided to go with the #11—2 patties, lettuce, tomato, and sauce—with a drink. The cashier asked if I wanted fries or onion rings. I was tempted but I held steadfast to my master plan of ordering cheap.

I was giving my cup and a ticket. I got my Diet Coke and took a seat near the front of the restaurant. About 7 minutes later, I assumed my number was called because the ticket I was given had a number on it but it wasn't stated to me by the cashier that it was my number. She could have assumed I was a regular and "in the know" but I would think telling the customer their ticket number should be standard practice.

I took my burger back to my seat and I must say that my expectation of a double-patty burger was NOT what I received. In comparison, a double-meat at Jakes Burgers is closer to what I, or anyone for that matter, would expect.

I proceded to take a few bites and it dawned on me that the #11 at Goff's is very similar to the BigMac at McDonald's. The main differences in my opinion are as follows: the patties are cooked differently, the #11 has one less bun, and the #11 has slightly thicker patties. The similarities are double-meat, cheese, lettuce, and special sauce. I think the regular price of the #11 is the same price as the BigMac value meal at McDonald's. Again, not something that I would have expected from a not-advertised-as-fast-food restaurant.

The burger was good...okay...average. It didn't make me think to myself how glad I was to have chosen this place for dinner nor did it make me want to hurry back. I can't say the #11 was bad so I'm just going with average.

I won't be heading back unless it is on a Tuesday. I do believe that the convenience of this location is favorable for me but the costs on other days is not conducive to my liking or my wallet. I may try it a third time and try a different burger but I'm not rushing out the door to do so.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Revisited: Is A College Degree Worth It?

2011-06-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

I have previously written about this topic here.

A few days later I ran across this story but just now had time to write about it. I think it's got some very valid points from the horses' mouth (the actual graduates)!

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That's all I got to say about that!

The Mechanic (2011) and Mini Anden is pretty!

2011-06-22T13:09:00.001-05:00

I started this about two weeks ago. I thought I'd at least finish it even if it doesn't reflect my original thoughts.

This is Mini Anden in a screen capture from the movie The Mechanic.

She's hot! And her scene with Statham in bed is short but pretty hot. That's the whole point of this post.

But to keep from coming across as a complete perv, I will comment a bit on the movie.

The movie was pretty good if you take for what it's worth: a high-action, fast-paced movie. What else would you expect from a movie with Jason Statham in it?

If you think too much about movies, like I sometimes do, you'd see that it's predictable. It's been done before in the same or close-to-it way.

But don't think about the movie too much, enjoy it for what it is and it will be worth watching.

One thing that always interests me is how contract killers, spies, etc. always have the best fucking Internet connections and speeds in the most remote of places! I guess when you make the kind of money that contract killing can get you, you can build and have the best shit at your house!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Dallas Mavericks are your 2011 NBA Champions

2011-06-21T23:30:00.001-05:00

In case you haven't heard or read about it before, the Dallas Mavericks are the 2011 NBA Champions.

Suck that Dwayne and Lebron.

Dirk Nowitzki is a class act unlike those two punk-ass bitches I mentioned in the previous sentence. The enclosed image from the cover of Sports Illustrated is priceless: showing Nowitzki "towering" over the two arrogant cry babies.

Go Dirk! Go Mavs! Job well done!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Farmers Branch Liberty Fest 2011

2011-06-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

This event is obviously past by a few weeks but I am a busy person and I post what I post when I can post it. Capisce?!

I kept telling my friends that it was Frisco not Farmers Branch but what did I know. I was invited by the mother of a friend of my oldest's. This mother is a big fan of Rick Springfield and a so-so fan of The Spin Doctors.

The mother invited us and paid for our tickets. They were $5 each so it wasn't a big purchase but it was a very nice gesture on her part. The regular cost if I went to the website is like $15. Anyway, again, we were grateful, cordial and we actually had a pretty decent time as a couple and as a family hanging with friends.

We got there about 4:30pm but the concert was scheduled to start until 7pm. We found a close seat on the grass fairly close to the stage. It was hot. It was really hot. The closer we got to the stage the more of a tree line which meant less of a breeze.

Okay, so too much time has passed since I attended this event and started typing this post. If you want more information, you can visit the home page and/or see Photos from PegasNews.

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That's all I got to say about that!

This is how Playstation says "Thank You"?

2011-06-11T01:19:00.001-05:00

Two free PS3 games that are older games and a couple not so grand and exciting. The best one in my opinion (I guess somewhat bias since it's the only one I've actually played) is InFamous. It's a pretty damn good game. I can't wait to play the second version. I've read about Little Big Planet and how great it is. The other two I had never played before. So, I downloaded Little Big Planet and WipeOut HD Bundle. I have only played WipeOut and I'd have to say it's a lame fucking game. I think most of the apps on the iPhone are better than this game. Graphically, they are probably equal but the play/replay value is nil. I have yet to install Little Big Planet.

As far as the free movies, again, are you fucking shitting me!? "GhostBusters," "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within," and "Bad Boys?" Ser...ious...ly!? How old long ago did GhostBusters come out?

Anyway, Sony has a funny and lame fucking way to say, "Thanks" and "Sorry." It reminds me when Sprint sent me a "Thanks for being a long-term, loyal customer with Premier status" and said they're offering me a free ring tone. The max charge/worth of a ring tone was $3.99 with the lowest being $.99.

Boo Sony! Boo Sprint! Boo!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Walgreen's email ads are sometimes weird

2011-06-09T13:58:00.000-05:00

I've written a few times or more about the power or powerlessness of advertising and product placement. I received this advertisement in an email because I'm on their email listserv as a willing participant from Walgreens. I just thought it was funny on the mix of the products they put in this ad.

I would like to think they had some kind of theme for the email blast but I'm not totally sure. I was thinking it was about summer, the beach and the like. I guess it follows that theme...sort of. You got your sun care products, your sunglasses, baby and children toys and then...what? Sexual wellness? I guess that could be a summer beachy thing.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Is an undergraduate college degree worth it?

2011-06-01T09:42:00.002-05:00

I haven't consistently written about my pain and suffering of obtaining my undergraduate degree while working full-time and being a wonderful husband and great parent of two. I have a short attention span most of the time and I get misdirected to other things in the middle of ongoing things and then it's just a cluster fuck of things. Before I know it, I've lost track of anything and everything I wanted to say, write, or do and I move on until I can remember them later on. If I could stay on track and compile my thoughts in one cohesive linear direction, this blog would be much longer and each day's postings would be enormously long or many or both.

With that being expressed, I have come to the conclusion that I should (will) complete my long, tenuous journey of obtaining my undegraduate degree from a well-known school. If all goes well, May 2012 will be my graduation month/year. {fingers crossed}

I'd like to start with a little pre-journey background. I didn't grow up with parents that made enough money for us to live comfortably. At times, my parents struggled to make ends meet. I shared a roughly 20' x 20' room with my brother up until I was in 10^th or 11^the grade which is when he moved out. There were three boys in my parents 3-bedroom house since I was in elementary school because my older four siblings were already on their own by the time I was in 3^rd.

Most of my clothes, excluding underwear, came from hand-me-downs or the second-hand store (if it's still there we visited the D.A.V.- Disabled American Veteran's store in Irving, TX). The bicycle I learned to ride a bike on was my oldest sister's—yes, a girl's bike—who is fifteen years older than me. I learned to ride it at the age of five but I was unable to sit on the seat. Therefore, I had to "stand" the entire time while pedaling and the handle bars were at a height above my head where I looked like I was stretching more than I was riding a bike. Damn good thing it WAS a girl's bike!

Anyway, point is that I didn't expect to go to college. Times were tough most of my childhood and money was tight. I was (am) a smart kid but I knew my parents couldn't afford it and so I didn't ever prepare to attend or think about college. I didn't ask for brochures or any information from colleges. I conceded/expected the fact that I would work after high school and see what the future brought. Neither of my parents went to college. One or two of my siblings took a class here and there from Tarrant County Junior College (now TCC). I was not groomed for continued education.

So anyhow, I started this journey in the fall of 1989 at the ripe old age of 18. I didn't start this journey willingly. My mom told me I had to enroll in college (TCJC) in the fall after my high school graduation because they needed to keep health insurance on me and to claim me on their taxes. I didn't really have a job lined up but was actively looking while also trying to enjoy my summer of fun and freedom from no longer having to returned to "required" schooling.

I enrolled in twelve hours at TCJC for full-time status for a few semesters/years and before or on the drop date, I'd drop at least half of the classes because I was skipping them. I look bad now and regret not being more respectful of my mom's hard-earned money to pay for my classes but I was younger and dumber at the time. I looked at it as I didn't like the damn classes anyway and my mom was forcing me to take them. I particularly disliked taking the GEC classes because if it wasn't specific to what I wanted to do, like technology or whatever, I felt that classes like Human Relations and Rhetoric were total bullshit and a waste of money. I look back now and I wasted the money by not just getting a passing grade in all the classes instead of dropping them. I spent a lot of time in the game room playing fuseball, ping pong and pool. I also slept a lot in the lounge area when I should have been in class. College was not a motivator for me. It never has been and still really isn't.

I got me a full-time job making decent money (at the time it was decent). I worked 7am to 4pm and had my afternoons and evenings to just hang out, relax, and have fun. A few years of full-time work, I started taking an evening class each fall and spring semester because my company would reimburse me if I passed with a C+. I took classes I wanted to take like Pascal and C programming as well as some other techie classes. It wasn't the funnest but my wife (girlfriend at the time) was very persistent in what she thought I should do with my life. It really came down to she was slightly embarrassed around her friends and family to be dating me because I had no real college aspirations and she was going to a very expensive private college and she had goals and plans.

Longer story short, I got a job at a college and they have tuition benefits. They pay up front though unlike my previous job but they don't cover books and fees. That's okay when the tuition is like $8k-$10k for two classes, I think I'm better off paying $300 for books and fees. It still sucks but it's better than the alternative. Between work and family time, I have taken six hours a semester (FL/SP/SU) for quite a while. My work covers 18 hours and I'm not paying for more nor am I taking more than two classes a term because it's a lot for me to take on with family, work, school and personal sanity time. Focus is still hard for me because when it comes to family, fun or a 5-page paper, family first then fun rules out and then I'm pulling an all-nighter to finish the paper or study for an exam. It's not fun.

So, I've got 13 hours left. I'm taken three for the first summer term and then six in Fall 2011 and six in Spring 2012. Then finally (hopefully) graduation in May 2012 with a BBA and a minor in photography. Look at me the previous underachiever achieving a major and a minor.

Now the point of my title. I work in an MBA office and I see and process applications for our program every day. These applicants fill out their current employer and salary. All these people have already received their undergraduate degree from some institution. Many are at least 28 years of age but can range from 26 to 36 years old. If we go with those that are 30-36 and U.S. citizens, many of them have salaries that are equal to mine give or take a couple of thousand dollars.

Granted, I didn't start at what I make now but they spent minimum four years in undergraduate college and something like $60k-$80k in tuition to work at a job making the same money as I am without a completed college education. Of course, they have the education and potential to make more...blah, blah, blah...but they don't right now. Not to mention that I work for a university and I knew going in that it wasn't about the money I could make. It was about the sanity and peace of mind of not working in the crazy-ass high-pressure corporate world anymore and to get my tuition benefits for me, my wife and my kids.

My point comes down to this. Is it worth wasting four years of life (excluding the frat parties, panty raids and other extracurricular activities) and being in debt for paying the college tuition (unless your parents are rich) to obtain a job that starts out at, say, $32,000/year? Years ago I started at $26,000/yr at a previous employer working in the mail room. I progressed to a promotion in a few years making $30,000/yr which was equal to those the company was hiring straight out of college at the time. The college graduate didn't do the job any better than I did and in fact many did worse. So, who was better or worse off?

Again, society says a college education is important and for some reason people still believe that a college grad will do a better job than a high school grad. To that I say, "Bullshit." It all comes down to the capabilities of the applicant/employee...but again, the decision makers say differently. I just see that an accounting major learns theory in college and learns real life on the job. A competent non-college worker learns on the job and didn't waste time in class theory. Is one the college grad better, worth more? I think not but the higher-ups think differently. Would you trust a non-college educated real estate agent that learned on the job from a mentor and works in the actual business or a college graduate that just graduated with a major in real estate?

I guess there's an argument for both sides. I tell my kids that I will support them in whatever they want. I don't think a college degree is necessary overall but I think it is necessary for them just because of the biases that people have against non-college grads versus college grads. It isn't the end all be all but it doesn't hurt either, I guess.

Anyway, that's my random opinion of the day. You can find different opinions on whether or not a degree is worth the time and money by a Google search, as I did. In fact, I will share a couple here and here.

Oh yeah, I saw an article somewhere that said the MBA is now considered more like an undergraduate degree because everyone's got one. I think that's a remark stating that the undergraduate degree has lost its clout and the MBA is following suit. What's next, everyone needs a Ph.D.?

UPDATE 6/2/11: It's funny sometimes how when you write or talk about something that there is someone somewhere that had a similar idea but on a bigger platform. I saw an article here that has a few theories on the worth of college. It was an interesting read although I think it misses some con-college points. Still worth a read though.

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That's all I got to say about that!

This is what "dumbass" looks like

2011-05-31T23:52:00.000-05:00

Below is a picture of a GMAT score. If you don't know what a GMAT is, you can Google it. Essentially though, it is a test to show what kind of graduate student you could/should be (typically for the MBA—Master's in Business Administration) like the SAT/ACT/GRE/LSAT/MCAT tests and etc. do for their particular field in which they apply.

The GMAT has a maximum score of 800. The GMAT score captured below is a 200. Now if you look at it in the most simplistic of terms...a 100% would be 800, 75% would be 600, 50% would be 400 and 25% would be 200. There are other scores besides these but remember this is for simplistic reasons. So, of all the percentages listed, which do you think is (obviously) passing? What's amazing is that people with ask why their 600 isn't competitive. What's doubly amazing is that people will ask why their 550, 500, 400, 300, and yes, even 200 isn't competitive. They also say that a 200 doesn't reflect the real person they are. That they don't test well. What a lame excuse!

Let me put it into perspective some more. You basically can get a 200 on the GMAT just for showing up and signing your name to the paper. I've never seen a published score below 200 and I've work with an MBA program for 10+ years. I am led to believe that's because 200 is the lowest as seen in the percentile given for the related 200, which is 0%. You know what that means? It means that you did better than 0% of other test takers. If a 200 is 0% then I'm on par with saying that a score below 200 is not given. Therefor, showing up and putting your name down gets you an automatic 200 points.

Next best question from a 200-point test taker is, can I get scholarship? Yeah buddy. We'll invest in you as a future business leader...NOT!

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That's all I got to say about that!

In the news 05/25/2011

2011-05-25T10:19:00.001-05:00

As I've said many, many times before, I am not politically motivated. I don't give a shit about politics because no matter what you may think of the politicians or the politicians think of themselves, 99% of them are corrupt in some form or fashion. It's the way of politics and nobody that has been involved in politics for a long period of time can deny it. Those that got out because of the corruption, here's a high-five. Those that are still in it are just good at hiding it...for now.

So, today there is an article in the Star Telegram about Gov. Perry signing the "sonogram bill" for the state of Texas.

Let me say that I am not pro-abortion or anti-abortion. I am pro-choice...a choice made by the individual and not by the government. So...

Here's a quote to show how stupid Perry and his followers/supporters are:

"Every life lost to abortion is a tragedy we all must work together to prevent," said Perry, who had designated the measure an "emergency" item this session. "This important bill will ensure that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying and understands the devastating impact of such a life-changing decision."

What this bill to me tries to do is push their agenda onto the patient and, down the road, to taxpayers. I feel like the pro-life people think that if the abortionee hears and sees the "baby" that they will miraculously change their minds. I don't know about you but anyone I've ever talked to that has had an abortion did not say, "If I had known all the facts beforehand, I never would have done it." They all knew the facts. They researched it because it's a medical procedure and they wanted to know every step of how it would occur, what would it do to the fetus, what would it do to them personally health and safety wise, etc. These stupid politicians think that every female getting an abortion is just some ignorant person not knowing the decision they are making. Now they are ignorant in that fact that they were not thinking of the consequences of having sex but it always seems people are more "informed" after the fact when it comes to dealing with those consequences.

This affects the taxpayer down the road because what if someone doesn't have insurance. Who pays for the sonogram? Not the pregnant one.

Also, how many behind-closed-garage-door abortions are going to occur now because people don't want to have the sonogram pushed on them? How many more stupid teens that got knocked up are not going to tell their parents because now the parents have to pay for one extra medical visit/service? Most stupid kids are willing to handle this problem on their own so their parents never know about it. That's smart to me although some people may feel differently. It's human nature...how many mistakes did you make that you tried to fix before having to tell your parents? Why is this any different?

Before I stay on my soap box, there is one more stupid point I'd like to mention from the article:

"The law, which takes effect Sept. 1, requires doctors to make the image of the fetus, and the fetal heartbeat, available to a woman, although she may decline to see or hear it."

To this I say, what is the reasoning behind this again? You can force the sonogram onto the person but you can't force them to see or hear it? Really? I would think you shouldn't be able to force either but that's just me.

Two interesting quotes in the article from opponents of the bill (and then I'll let you read the damn thing yourselves):

From Bebe Anderson, senior counsel for the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York: "One of the big problems is the way it forces women to hear or see information when they have chosen not to do that...It gets the government in between the doctor and the patient in a totally inappropriate way."

From Sara Cleveland, executive director of the NARAL Pro-Choice Texas group: "Once again, Rick Perry has chosen to put the health of his political career ahead of the health of Texas women...Our state is facing a record budget shortfall...yet interfering in women's health is what Perry has chosen to declare an 'emergency' and focus his time and resources on. He should be embarrassed and deeply ashamed of his actions."

[Absent-Minded Jay steps off soap box]

Click here for the article while it lasts.

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That's all I got to say about that!

House of 9 (2005)

2011-05-24T17:07:00.002-05:00

House of 9. This movie is a lot like the movie Exam (previously written about here). I think I read a description about how it was like Saw but it really isn't. There are no death traps that are accidentally triggered or have time limits. I'd say it is 95% more like Exam.

I don't recall how I came across this movie and put it on my Netflix watch instantly queue. I think it may have had something to do with Kelly Brook being in it. I'm sure I followed some filmography or suggested viewings from somewhere. Dennis Hopper was in it too but let's get back to Kelly Brook. She actually wasn't as annoying in this movie as she is in some others I've seen with her in them. She didn't have that consistent annoying, whining voice she normally has. I guess it's because she's usually playing a victimized woman or something, I don't know. I think she looked younger in this one too and not as heavy as in others. Don't get me wrong. She's by no means fat or heavy but she was much thinner in this one than I've seen in others...but still not fat. Know what I mean?

Anyway, the movie plays out like any other of the same genre before it. "There can be only one" (that's from The Highlander movies) survivor and in the end she just happens to be it based on pure luck and predictable scripting. Just about every stereotypical thing was written in this movie...

Cop is one of the captives and he assumes "leadership" without any actual voting/electing and everyone is okay with it (I wouldn't have been)
Black man is a rapper, gets blamed for everything (although he did accidentally kill someone), cop rules him a threat and locks him in a room without any discussion and no one disagrees with the "due process"
Priest (Dennis Hopper) is faced with protecting himself and others or taking a life. Chooses the latter. Has regrets but meets his maker later at the hands of another house mate
Hot, pretty girl (Brook) ends up winning
Winner is given the prize but instead of actual release looks to have been let out of one house into another house of previous winners. There is not continuation but one is led to believe that the "winners" can now become bigger winners by killing previous winners and taking their money

In the end, the movie was laughable, annoying, predictable and could have been much better with the addition of some boobies being shown. I mean come on, there were like 3-4 attractive females and not a one of them even so much had a nipple slip! FAIL!

This movie is passable. It's not even worth snagging from a friend. If you have Netflix already, then it might be one of those "just had to check it out" viewings but otherwise pass on it.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 at GameStop

2011-05-24T11:54:00.000-05:00

I get an email from GameStop since I'm a PowerUp Rewards member stating I am privy to a "deal" for COD:MW3. I click on the link and the screen capture below is the landing page I am directed to.

It's a rockin' poster but really? I don't know about you but this is not a "deal" to me. You get an exclusive poster? Really? That's their big selling point for pre-ordering through GameStop? Oh yeah, "and a chance for future MW3 exclusives." Oooooooooo.

Give me half off the price. Give me $20 off. Give me something respectable but don't insult me by saying I can get an exclusive poster.

I guess they may be mad at me since I haven't purchased anything from them in a while.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Skullcandy 2XL Shakedown Full Suspension Headband

2011-05-23T18:05:00.000-05:00

Skullcandy 2XL Shakedown Full Suspension Headband. I purchased these a few weeks or so ago. I saw a link from some "links to deals" web site like Slickdeals. In fact, it could have been Slickdeals. Anyway, there was a really good deal for these over-the-ear headphones that I figured they were worth a try. I think the price was like $5.99/ea + s/h and maybe tax which made the total cost very close to $10. Again, worth it in my eyes because I could always eBay them for the exact amount I paid and possibly break even. Not to mention that I wasn't expecting or looking for them to be this fantastically sounding headphones. I was looking for decent, good sound cheaply priced. They would be put through a lot by me and my kids (I actually got three sets) so they would need to be somewhat sturdy and again costs low. But without some sense of quality sound, what's the point. Yeah?

So, here are a few things I can share about these little babies:

They don't exactly feel like the sturdiest headphones but they seem to be durable enough so far. I didn't expect top-quality but the plastic feels frail like a plastic water gun but also durable like that of the smaller Nerf guns.
The cord is a little shorter than most headphones cords. I would guess it's like three feet versus the typical six feet. Do you really need that extra three feet? Sometimes. I mean if you are using the MP3 player pocket in your backpack while listening with these headphones, there may be an occasional pulling or tugging on the phones. I guess it entirely depends on how far down the MP3 player pocket is or how low you let your backpack hang down your ass. Either way, I wouldn't think three feet is very accommodating. At the same time, I had some earphones that had the six foot cord and at times I felt like it was too long.
These are definiley on-ear headphones. They may be over-the-ear for some people with smaller heads/ears, like my kids, but they are on-ear for me. No a big deal, but don't expect them to be long-term comfortable.
Speaking of comfortability. These are mildly comfortable after wearing for some time but sometimes get uncomfortable after much longer. The ear muffs are not the softest but I expected as much. I've worn them for an entire movie with mild irritation after 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Again, the muffs do not contain the most padding and the plastic/pleather covering tends to cause slight perspiration. I think I've experienced the perspiration with high-end headphones as well...it's just what happens when you cover your ear with no air circulation so I don't blame it on these. The headband securely holds the muffs on my ears but because of the lack of softness, my ears have gotten irritated a few times after extended use.
The sound seems to be pretty good. I'm no audio expert but for what I've used them for, they have performed well. Decent bass and treble with enough seal on the ears to block out background noises...to an extent. I haven't reached that extent but I'm sure there is an "extent."
These aren't ear buds. They are a little more cumbersome than ear buds...okay, a lot. These are not the type to fit snuggly and take up little space in a backpack or purse or whatever. Again, I didn't plan on walking around town with them...very often if at all...but I do like to be able to use headphones over ear buds on occasion.

I guess that's about all I can say about these so far. I use them on occasion like I said. The kids have started using them a little more than their ear buds but it turns out it's because they often misplace their buds and they have the headphones as back up. I think thye still sell these on their eBay listing for about the same price. It might be a decent gift for a teenager or a non-audiophile snob.

Just a shot of one of my headphones in the package before opening.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Products I've used by Altec Lansing

2011-05-23T15:20:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of the Octiv Duo M202 iPod Speakers by Altec Lansing. I purchased a couple of these for my kids because they had a great deal on them at my time of purchase. I think the regular price on these is $99 but I got each of them for $59 because I'm a member of the CNET community. Of course, I had to create an extra membership because I wanted two but I still purchased each for $59 plus s/h. Again, this was one of those "If it doesn't work out, I can eBay it purchases." So far though, all has worked well.

There are a few things that worth noting (good and bad) about this item:

Two apps are available for free. One is a Altec mix app that allows this speaker to play two separate iPods at the same time or mixing the tracks from two separate iPods. I haven't used this function yet but it looks interesting enough...although I have all my songs on one iPod Touch and my kids have a selected few from mine on their Touches so I'm not sure I have a need for this app. The second app is Altec's alarm app. You download this to use the speaker as an alarm clock. Two issues with this app is that you have to have the app active and the alarm ON for it to work and you also have to make sure you have the corect source activated for the iPod and speaker to work together as an alarm. It's taken a few times but my kids have occasionally forgotten to make sure the iPod is the selected source. So come morning, they wake up late and in a tizzy wondering why the alarm didn't go off. I think it teaches them a little bit more about responsibility but I can see where it is frustrating to them as well. Other than that, the alarm app works perfectly...allowing you to wake to whatever music/song you have selected.
The speaker system does not have a battery-powered only option. For an original price of $99, I would think this would be a no-brainer. This option missing isn't a total deal breaker but it does make it inconvenient for this to be portable since you'll need to have acess to a power outlet.
The sound produced from this speaker system seems pretty good for my non-audio expert ears. It produces sounds rich and loud enough to fill a 20' x 20' room without distortion. It does get loud enough to cause some distortion but it is not necessary to get that loud for my kids' use. If you need something that loud without distortion, this wouldn't be an option anyway. You might as well connect this to some kind of sound system or boom box that is made for "booming" sound.
This thing is basically an external or add-on speaker for your iPod. It has no functionality built within other than switching ON/OFF or sources. For this reason, I would not recommend purchasing this for $99 but I would say that I got a pretty good deal at $59. That would be what I'd look for is a good deal on this that makes it about half price of what it's going for right now.
The remote control is nice and very functional. It is a bit small, like the size of the silver dollars of old, so it could be easily misplaced. At the same time, the size is nice enough to put in your pocket without being bulky. It has a decent range on it but I haven't tested the quoted versus actual distance and probably never will until the moment when I get pissed because I'm too far for the signal to work. The remote has forward, reverse, pause, play, stop, volume up, volume down, mute, on, off and source select. I think it works nicely with the simple system.

I guess that's about all I have on the Altec Octiv Duo M202.

Muzx XX or XY Passive Noise-Cancelling Ear Buds by Altec Lansing.

These ear buds came as a "gift" with the M202. Actually, the M202 came with two sets of these buds. I haven't had the chance or a need, yet, to use them so I can't share my experience. I can say that they come in a variety of colors. I was able to select the colors I wanted during my M202 order. I think these run like $19.99 last I looked so to get two sets for free is a damn good deal in my eyes. Again, I can't testify to the sound quality but two save $40 (which I wouldn't spend in the first place) is well worth the chance to test these out...when I get a chance. I could open them and use them once but why because I already have fully functioning/working ear buds that I'm happy with. Until they break, I won't be opening these XX/XY buds.

So, in conclusion, the M202 is working fantastically so far since March 2011. My kids have had no complaints and they use the speakers for more than just the iPod. My oldest uses it to hook up to the laptop and watch Netflix or listen to YouTube videos. If you can get them for a good deal as I did, I don't think you'll be disappointed as long as you know what you want out of them and the limits to them.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Targus Sport II Laptop Backpack from Walmart

2011-05-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

Targus Sport II Laptop Backpack. I picked this up at Walmart.com a few weeks or so ago. It was another one of those deals from Slickdeals.net. This one was, in my opinion, too good to pass up for a test drive. It was $10 plus s/h ($.97) & tax which totaled out to $11.75 for me. I figured $12 was a much better investment than the regular price of $70+.

First, the shipping on this was fast! I selected the standard shipping which said something like 5-7 days. I could have saved on the shipping and did site-to-store but the estimated availability at the store was like two days after the anticipated standard shipping. Now, it could have gotten to the store in a matter of days but I wasn't in a hurry and I really didn't feel like driving to my local Walmart just to pick up this item. I'm lazy. I know it. I ordered two PS3 games a few months or so ago that I almost didn't get to pickup in time before they "returned" them because I was too lazy to make a special trip. Anyway, I ordered this on a Thursday afternoon around 2-3pm. It was dropped on my door step sometime between 11-1pm on the following Saturday. That's pretty damn good for $.97 standard shipping that says 5-7 days but did it in barely two days. I was shocked by the shipping time as well as the fact that this time Walmart did not ship my item in a "box of obviousness"...you know, those boxes that let anyone that happened upon my doorstep know exactly what it was. Anyway, kudos to Walmart on price, shipping and boxing.

After I took the box inside the house, I put it in a closet and forgot/ignored it for a few days. I needed a new backpack, a bigger backpack, than the one I had. That's why I purchased this one. I just started thinking about changing all the stuff from one bag to the other and it made me sad...sort of. I've had this other backpack (Jansport, I think) for a very long time and my wife had it before me. This bag is like 20 years old! I'm not saying that I have this huge emotional attachment to it (just a little one) but I think it was more of the fact that I'm used to the backpack I have. It's convenient. I know how it feels when I wear it. It's quirks like lose thread, frayed fabric, and zippers that aren't strong enough to stay closed that I am used to dealing with. These are also the reason why I looked forward to a new backpack.

So, a few more days (about a week total) after I received the Targus backpack, I made the official transition. I still have the Jansport because it's still fully functional for something but I knew the move had to be done.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Repo Games on Spike TV

2011-05-19T10:28:00.001-05:00

While channel surfing, I saw a show advertised the other day called Repo Games on Spike TV. You can read the wiki here.

Without going into too much detail because you can click on the above links, the show is about two real-life repo men (pictured below) that go to repo vehicles but give the vehicle "owners" a chance to win their car back scott free if they answer 3 out of 5 trivia questions. From the one episode I watched, the questions aren't the hardest but the answers also aren't easily known to the type of dipshits that are getting their vehicles repossessed.

I thought the show looked interesting from the previews but when I watched an actual episode I felt like it was staged...very staged. Maybe the "contestants" truly are surprised, perplexed or whatever but I just got the feeling like I was being duped on the "reality" of it all. It is an interesting idea but I don't think it's going to last very long.

Before typing this, I did a Google for the show and it seems that it's more realistic than I thought or what is portrayed in the episodes (the one I saw anyway). An article here mentions how the cast was shot at while filming but it wasn't from the person whose vehicle they were repossessing.

I doubt that I will watch another episode as my TV-watching is already pretty full these days but I did give it a chance. That's just the way I am.

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That's all I got to say about that!

The 50 Most Amazing College Campuses

2011-05-18T23:36:00.001-05:00

Saw this link to an article on a Facebook friend of mine's wall.

These schools truly do have a beautiful campus. It's interesting to see the variety of architecture from all old, all new, and a hybrid of old/new. For me, the old architecture inflicts a nostalgic feeling. Not that I'm "old," it's just that feeling the architecture and environment bring forth of a time gone by.

Anyway, the funny thing is that #17's main photo IS NOT for the University of Virginia. It is in fact the main/original building of a college in the heart of north Dallas. I'd have say that the copy editor or reporter or whoever is in charge of the final print needs to be put on probation.

So, that's all I got for randomness right now.

UPDATE: The main photo has since been changed from this afternoon to what I assume is the proper building for the University of Virginia.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Dallas Farmer's Market

2011-05-17T08:37:00.000-05:00

Monday or Tuesday of last week (I forget which), I went to the Farmer's Market in downtown Dallas for the first time...ever. Yes, I have lived in DFW, Texas 99% of my life and in North Dallas for the past 9-10 years. I've just never been interested in going to the Market, especially on a not-my-standard-of-a-comfortable day to walk around a bunch of fruit and vegetables...and BUGS! I'm not picky or caring about whether my fruits and veggies are organic, straight-off-the-garden, or super market "fresh." I don't buy enough of either to justify the slight cost difference of going to a farmer's market versus a grocery store. Besides, when Kroger and Tom Thumb are a two-minute drive why would I drive 10-15 and then have to find parking and walk to shop.

Anyway, it was my coworker and friend's idea. She wanted to go eat at the Market. I didn't know there were restaurants. I figured they were more like the roach coaches but I was game for something different. We first had to stop at some garden place that she was buying some pot/planter that she wanted when she previously visited this place. I forget the name of it and I don't remember the street it was on because I don't frequent the place and I'll probably not go back for some time.

I snapped this picture from my HTC Evo Shift (yep, got to put the product placement in, LOL!). I think I was facing south on whatever street this is. I recognized this building although I probably haven't been in it for about 15 or so years and that was also probably the last time I've driven in front of the building. I thought I'd snap a picture for memorabilia's sake. In case you didn't know, that's Dallas City Hall.

On the same street but to the left (east) and directly across from the gardening place, was this interesting business. It's like all things pottery and freaky. This place had a lot of product but not a lot of customers browsing the "aisles." It could have been because it was during lunch time at the first of the week but it didn't seem to me like it moved a lot of product. Still a cool looking place in a way.

We finally made it to a parking place "near" the Farmer's Market. We had to walk about a block to the actual Market but it was a pleasant day out and well worth taking walk to enjoy it. The Market reminds me a lot of Trader's Village or a similar type of flea market atmosphere. There are tents, buildings, spots or whatever they are called of similar products being sold by different people. I guess their deals are different and maybe regulars trust one "farmer" over another. It all looks shady and the "sales" people are annoying as shit. They gave me the used car salesman feeling. We would just walk by a booth and not even look at it or the person working it and they would ask, "Can I help you? Do you see something you like?" For fuck's sake, leave me alone and let ME as you about something when I'm damn good and ready! I was just browsing and soon I became annoyed. Why would anyone WANT to subject themselves to this?

We ate at some Mexican restaurant (go figure in this part of town) and I can't remember the name of it. It was a decent place and we sat on the patio to continue to enjoy the great weather. We chatted, chowed, observed and commented on the many types of people that we saw...there should be a "People of Dallas Farmer's Market." The food was good and the price was reasonable.

After lunch, we walked through a few more booths and then headed back to the car and finally to work. Needless to say, it was an experience that I can now say that I've done and I have no desire to do again. I'm not saying it was not worth doing and I won't join someone on a future visit if the mood strikes. I'm just saying, "Been There...Done That!"

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That's all I got to say about that!

Victoria's Secret, Shantel VanSanten, Laura Vandervoort

2011-05-08T19:17:00.001-05:00

Nothing really of substance to type. I was catching up on some email and TiVoed shows which made me think about writing about what I've read/seen. So...

The following is an ad that I got in my Yahoo email. I don't subscribe to Victoria's Secret. I have purchased a gift certificate in the local store in the past. Why I received it, I don't know but I wasn't and am not complaining. The advertising in this image is so fantastically appealing, and arousing, to me that I would love to purchase this lingerie for my wife.

Smallville is on its 10^th and final season. I'm a big fan of Superman and this series had a lot of potential. The writers, producers and whoever just wrote too many tangents and never got to Clark Kent's potential of Superman soon enough or at all. I mean I know they wanted to see his growth and shit but to not have Clark know how to fly for ten seasons is just pure stupidity! I kept thinking the friends and fellow super heroes that knew Clark's secret would start chanting, "Think happy tawts! Like budderflies and berfdays!" Anyway, they've had some really hot girls star/guest star on this show. One of them that perked my loins was Kara, Kal-el's cousin and fellow Krypton destruction survivor played by Laura Vandervoort. She's aged somewhat since her first showing (I think it may b she lost some weight and looks more sunken in the face) but she's still freaking hot.

I also watch One Tree Hill (it's the teenage girl in me secretly coming out in my male adulthood) but I am tiring of this series too. I find that it has become too much like the lame revamping of 90210. They added a character a couple of seasons ago by the name of Quinn, played by Shantel VanSanten, who is Haley's older sister. They've gone off on some wild stories and stretches of the imagination with the storyline but Quinn is pretty hot.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

2011-05-07T00:23:00.001-05:00

My youngest kid changed the password to the only login for their computer and forgot it. It's a Sony Vaio notebook with Windows 7. Funny thing is, my kid saved the password so it wouldn't be forgotten...in a Word document on the computer. The good intentions were there, just not the good smarts.

Luckily, I was able to Google "how to recover Windows 7 password" and a lot of different information was found. I tried a couple of different steps and software but then I found Offline NT Password & Registry Editor. If you Google it, you'll find it just like I did. You'll find a the software to download. You'll find the instructions on how to burn it to a CD. You'll find out how to use it. I'm not here to explain what is already explained.

What I will tell you is two things:

The software did not change the password for me like it said it would.
The software did clear the password like it said it would.

Since the password was cleared, I was able to log in to the computer and reset the password on the user account. All is well now.

So, if you forgot your Windows 7 password, you need to get Offline NT Password & Registry Editor. It says it works for XP and Vista but I have not used it for those operating systems. It did work on Windows 7.

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That's all I got to say about that!

The Trinity River is still toxic?

2011-05-06T16:50:00.002-05:00

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DUH!

It'll always be toxic. It's like the Mississippi River. No one willingly jumps into the Trinity unless they are evading the law or life.

Read an article the other day in the Dallas Observer about part of the "Trinity River Project" which is basically the stupid city officials of Dallas trying to make a sewage, dumping-ground river pretty.

Here is a portion of a quote from a Trinity River canoeing "specialist":

"...one of the most toxic rivers in the state."

Click here for the article while it lasts.

I've lived in the Dallas/Fort Worth for a very, very long time. I have ALWAYS known that the Trinity is never to be walked in, waded in, and especially not submerged in!

When I first read about the "rapids" project, I thought WTF!? Why? And if someone sold this to the city, I'd like them to sell my sand in my backyard to the Sahara Desert.

Anyway, that's all I've got as I've moved on now and lost my train of though.

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That's all I got to say about that!

There's Jessy from Kyle XY

2011-05-06T14:16:00.001-05:00

At least one of the main characters from the show has moved on to something...

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That's all I got to say about that!

Raise Your Hand Texas - Tommy Lee Jones PSA

2011-05-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

I'd follow Tommy Lee Jones more than I would Rick Perry!

44^th out of 50 states helps to prove the stereotype of Texas...a bunch of gun-toting, tobacco-chewing, cattle-raising, horse-riding, cowboy-hat-wearing bubbas!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 05/03/2011

2011-05-03T11:25:00.001-05:00

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That's all I got to say about that!

The world is full of perverts

2011-04-22T00:34:00.000-05:00

The following screen captures are statistics from my blog. Specifically, they are the search words, terms, phrases that people have used that directed them to my blog. It's amazing how many people have visited since I put a few words and pictures to some attractive actresses.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Sunflower Market in Dallas

2011-04-20T12:55:00.000-05:00

Last weekend the wife and I finally made it to the Sunflower Farmers Market. It's not a "farmer's market" like you (or I) would think. You know the one...every 'farmer' has a booth on an aisle on some outdoor parking lot or grassy knoll. It's essentially a grocery store, a small one, but one nonetheless.

A neighbor of ours was talking about it one day. We've seen the ads in the newspaper but have never been much less thought about going. I'm first a Kroger guy through and through. Kroger usually has the deals on the thinkgs I like and there is a store about two minutes across the highway. Most of the time I check all the ads from the three big grocers (Kroger, Tom Thumb, Albertson's) and compare their prices. If I can get milk and eggs cheaper at Kroger but bread and cereal cheaper at Tom Thumb, I make two different trips. If Albertson's has something to add to the mix, then I am making a third grocery trip. Luckily, Tom Thumb is about two to five minutes down the road and Albertson's is about five to ten minutes away. I love the convenience of where I live.

The neighbor likes to purchase what is considered "premium cuts" of steak like rib eye or prime rib. Most of the time for me, a steak is a steak as long as the taste and texture aren't like the sole of a shoe! A quarter inch thick is just as good as a half inch thick. Now don't get me wrong. I've had really, REALLY good steak that I can cut like butter from restaurants but that's once in a long while, a treat, for me and/or the wife. I'm talking outdoor grilling at home with the family and/or friends.

Anyway, this friend and neighber said he got rib eyes from Sunflower Market for 40% off. I don't know what that meant in the sense of actual price but 40% off anything is a damn good deal. We planned on getting some rib eye ourselves and checking on other deals but we never made it. We are busy people and Sunflower Market is not 2-5 minutes down the street. It's more like 10-15 minutes south down US 75 to Haskell and then east on Haskell until about a block from Ross.

A week passed and I saw the newspaper advertisement again. I saw that they had $4.99/lb for rib eyes. This sounded like a fairly decent price so I decided, "I'm checking this place out this week no matter what!" The wife and I decided to go during my lunch hour on Friday of that week (that was two Fridays ago).

This particular time they had a few good deals on things like steak, certain beers my wife and neighbors drink, Boar's Head roast beef and a few others. For comparison, the Boar's head deli roast beef was two dollars cheaper than at Kroger as was the beer. I already talked about the steak. At the same time, there were items that were more, sometimes much more, than at Kroger. A dozen eggs was about twenty cents more (organic vs. organic). The bread was about the same (Mrs. Baird's whole grain white). Clementines were about a dollar more per pound compared to Kroger. So, basically, it's just like how I compare the ads from Kroger, Tom Thumb, and Albertson's...you have to know the prices acros the stores and find which one is best for the products you are wanting to buy.

I decided to purchase the rib eyes. Not knowing totally for sure how much of a deal I was getting, I rationalized by thinking that the rib eye (I bought three for no more than $4.99 each because they were either a pound or slightly under) was just like buying a fast food 'value' meal. If I spend something like $5-$6 on a #1 at Taco Bell, Wendy's or McDonald's, then $4.99 was a bargain on a thick, juicy steak.

After seasoning and grilling the rib eyes like I do a 'cheaper' cut, we decided once again that steak was steak. The rib eyes were great but I've made great skirt steak, fajita steak, and whatever other 'cheap' steak they have at the major brand grocery stores. I will continue to test and investigate price as well as taste of steaks from the many different stores but I don't think a rib eye or prime rib is necessarily the CHOICE steak.

But at a good price, it's doesn't hurt to purchase one and enjoy it...especially if your friends are impressed with such meaningless things. LOL!

Oh yeah, the point of the picture. I got a little off topic with the rib eyes instead of talking about the turkey bacon. While we were at Sunflower, I saw this display for bacon. It looked pretty good in the picture even though it said 'turkey.' I thought, "how bad could they mess up bacon?"

I decided to wake up Sunday morning to make breakfast for the wife and kids. I'm that kind of guy. I opened the pack to find the bacon to be sliced in neat little precise pieces. I sliced the pack in half as not to waste the other half if I didn't like it. I figured we could at least use it for baking beans or something.

Longer story shorter: the kids and I agree said, "It tastes alright but we prefer the 'pig' bacon. It's just better because it's crispy and fatty not just crispy like this. The turkey bacon is more like frying Spam but if I wanted Spam, I'd just eat Spam!"

Well said kids. Well said.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 04/20/11

2011-04-20T08:12:00.001-05:00

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Jumping On the Bed

Gotta love women...

A fifty-ish woman was at home happily jumping on her bed and squealing with delight.

Her husband watches her for a while and asks, "Do you have any idea how ridiculous you look?, What's the matter with you?"

The woman continues to bounce on the bed and says, "I don't care, I just came from having a mammogram and the doctor says I have the breasts of an 18 year-old".

The husband said, "What did he say about your 60 year old ass?"

"Your name never came up," she replied.

(Men, they just never know when to shut up, do they?)

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That's all I got to say about that!

Did I not say that they are glorifying teen pregnancy!?

2011-04-18T12:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe not to the world, but I know I said it to the wife!

From a story here on The Superficial website.

That's all the time I've giving these stupid kids. Yes, they are stupid because they got knocked up in the first place. But...they must be smart because they turned that "mistake" into thousands of dollars in speaker fees or boob implants.

Guess, I should be encouraging people to farm out their teenage daughters for the 15-plus minutes of fame.

Stupid!

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That's all I got to say about that!

Why are America's families failing?

2011-04-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

There is an article in the Star-Telegram that talks about the city of Hurst. This city is part of the H-E-B (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) ISD that I grew up and went to school in.

Anyway, there is a part of this article that makes me wonder, WTF? I'm not an economist, accountant or whatever kind of person calculates what wages people should make. I'm just thinking that the national average should be more. From the article:

The city's per capita income, for instance, is $27,020 -- $21 off the national mark of $27,041.

Click here for article while it lasts.

I can understand the national average being $27K/yr if we mostly lived in rural areas or farmed or something. I guess it just goes to show you the huge separation in how much people are considered worth in various positions of corporate America.

The grunt like myself who does all the important work such as the shit that if I don't do it the people above me or beside me can't do their job doesn't get paid shit. But the person above me that does a few SIMPLE tasks triples my salary, gets all the accolades and is the last to be let go.

I'm not saying I'm worthless. I will be the last guy to be let go unless the company is shutting down because I can do 3+ people's jobs and probably the person's above me if they needed me to.

I'm just thinking about the work force in general. You know what and who I mean.

Anyway, to me $27K/yr is below the sustainable living line especially in cities such Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and even other cities within the nation (adjusting the average for the cost of living). This is why the housing bubble burst. No one making $27K/yer can pay for a $60K home no matter how the web is woven.

Oh well...

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That's all I got to say about that!

A case study for discussion in my Leadership & Culture class (Part One)

2011-04-15T14:54:00.000-05:00

I am taking a Leadership & Culture class this semester. It's a required core course for my management major. The professor is teaching this for the first time on our campus although he's taught it before. I was a little hesitant to take the class (although I have to eventually to graduate) because I did not know what to expect of the class and professor. Without going into further detail and losing the point of my post, I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this professor and the school would do the students a disservice by not keeping him around.

Now, he sent us a case from Darden as an introduction to our discussion of ethics. The case starts like this:

You are a senior executive in the sales department of a large manufacturing company. A competitor’s technological innovation has disrupted your company’s production and has plunged profits into the red for the last three quarters. Your boss has made it very clear that if you do not make your profit projections for this quarter, you will be out of a job. One of your staff members makes a suggestion to you about investing in new equipment to better monitor and service clients. After some research you realize that this investment, if enacted quickly, could increase sales and help the overall health of the company. Each quarter that you wait to implement this equipment will reduce its positive impact, but investing now will cause you to miss your profit projections and lose your job. What do you do?

It goes on to say

Most people have one of two reactions after reading a case like the one above. Either they have a strong moral intuition toward one of the options, or they experience conflicting moral intuitions and cannot decide between the two. Moral intuitions or sentiments (as Adam Smith called them) are our gut reactions to a situation as to what is right or wrong. They are developed over time from our past experiences and social interactions. We may regret decisions that are based just on moral intuition when we find they missed the mark. It is only when we do the hard work of analyzing a case and meshing intuition with reason that we can be confident that we are making better choices. This is because our intuitions are determined by past experiences, which may be of little help in new moral dilemmas. In addition, apart from following the stronger moral intuition, we cannot decide between two conflicting intuitions without a standard or some criteria for what is better or worse. In both of these cases, we need to turn to ethics.

So, what would you do?

A few of the kids said they would invest in the new equipment and "hope" that the boss would see that you have made a good decision and keep you around. Others said they would invest in the new equipment and plead their case with the boss to keep them around. These kids are so ignorant and lost to the realities of the real business world.

My response: I do not invest in the new equipment. My efforts are only recognized if I make my numbers not if I show improvement.

My reasoning based on the given/known facts of the case: It's me, the boss, the company and my impending doom or firing from the company:

Sometimes it's about self-preservation. I would use the last quarter I have with the company to find a job and make sure I have a plan/job to maintain my income after being let go by this company.
Why did it take three quarters for the boss to react to a competitor? Whose fault is it really, mine, my bosses or higher? Yet, I'm the one getting the shaft. Great company to work for!
I am getting fired no matter what if I don't hit my numbers. So, investing in the new equipment improves the numbers but does not make me reach my numbers. This benefits the company but it does nothing for extending my career with the company.
The company didn't take into consideration the importance of performance maintenance. I've missed my numbers for three quarters and just now at the start of the fourth does the boss give a crap about my work? I don't expect to be micromanaged but if I'm liable for missing my numbers so should my boss.
My boss not looking into performance numbers failures sooner makes me wonder what kind of boss/company I was working for to begin with. If the numbers were more important until someone complained to him, is this who I want to work under anyway?
If the company isn't going to invest in me to help me better the company as well as better myself, why would I invest in the equipment and better the company in the long run when I will no longer be with the company?

I guess that's a long enough list.

The professor says, "Really?"

I say, "Yes, based on the minimal information we are given in the case."

He says, "What about the group that works under you? Their kids? Others in the company and their kids?"

I say, "I would still NOT invest in the equipment. I'm bitter towards the boss and the company. I would not do it out of spite. As for 'the others,' unless I worked closely with them I have no real relationship with them and therefore less concern for them. It's my ass on the line and the company will probably continue after I'm gone! As far as anyone that worked under me, I would decide who would be the best fit to replace me and lead the group. I would tell him to bring the idea of investing in the equipment to the boss. That way he'd look like a savior with a fresh idea. He'll get promoted and the team will be okay. I would not invest my time and effort knowing that my situation would finalize in my dismissal."

He says, "Hm. Interesting? Anyone else?"

The young-uns in the class stuck with their "the boss will see I tried and reward me with retaining my employment." Or "there has to be a way to talk to the boss and keep my job."

Clouded their judgment is. In the ways of corporate America, untrained they are.

There's a bit more so I'll end for now since this post is lengthy.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Danny's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que

2011-04-12T22:50:00.000-05:00

If you ever find yourself heading east on Hwy 175 in Athens, Texas, you should stop by this little place called Danny's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que. It's like a little country bumpkin dining hole. The people are courteous and friendly. The food is pretty good too.

It's been a few weeks since I had eaten there but, if I recall correctly, I'd suggest the special. I think it was like a two-meat deal. I think it was like $6.99 or $8.99. The other good deal was a full slab of the ribs. It was a lot of ribs for a low price of like $9.99. All these prices are guestimates but I think I'm pretty close. The point is that it was very reasonable for a lot of barbecue which isn't usually the case.

In case the link doesn't work here is the information for the restaurant.

DANNY'S
Smokehouse Bar-B-Que
903-675-5238
850 E Corsicana
Athens, Texas
(3/4 mile east of square on Hwy. 175)

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That's all I got to say about that!

Tron: Legacy (2010)

2011-04-12T14:31:00.001-05:00

Tron: Legacy. Picked this up the same day I exchanged for Black Swan and just got around to finishing it last night. The wife and I started Sunday afternoon but I had to do something while she continued to watch.

Anyway, after all the promos, hype and waiting, I was looking forward to seeing this movie. I don't know if it was because I saw Tron back when as a kid or if it was all the fantastical lighting of the cars, the people, and the Grid.

I don't know if it's because I'm an adult now but this movie didn't do it for me like the original. Truthfully, I cannot recall being wowed by any part of the movie. I can't say that I didn't "like" the movie in its entirety. I just can't recall coming away after watching thinking, "Wow! That part where [insert part] was really cool!"

I actually can't fully or partly remember all of the original movie but I do remember that it made an impact on me. I remember parts of it like I saw it yesterday. I remember the graphics, probably considered horrible to today's, but it was actually very consistent with the way the video games looked at the time. I remember playing the video game at the local arcade.

Okay, back to the "Legacy." The wife hadn't seen the first movie so she sort of had some questions at the start. I feel like a person could watch this movie without actually having to see the first. They did a decent job of doing a sort of "previously on Tron" recap at the first of the movie. Then there were parts in the movie where more things are explained like the fight between Clu, Tron and Flynn that even weren't known to those who have seen the original.

Overall, I think they could have spruced it up a bit. I mean more cool lighting, graphics, races, flying, action, etc., etc. I just found the acting sort of lifeless, except for Zuse. He was memorable.

If you want to see pretty lights, then this movie is for you. If you want to see a fairly hot looking Olivia Wilde, then this movie is for you. If you want to see a pretty good sci-fi action movie, then The Fifth Element is a better option or even The Running Man or Cyborg.

A few other comments in no particular order of appearance:

I was sort of weirded out by the CGI of a young Jeff Bridges as Clu. He reminded me a lot of Prince Charming from Shrek 2...cool that they can do it but still creepy.
I can understand how it's possible that Kevin and Sam Flynn are humans digitized into the Grid but how on earth can a created program exit the Grid into the real world? I just wasn't following that logic. Great that Sam has some really hot chick to explore...everything...with but is it really fathomable? I mean excluding some of what is truth and reality.
And how did Sam get cut and bleed if he has been digitized into the Grid? It's not like "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids." Sam went from 'real world' to 'computer world.'
Tron was a "superhero" in the original movie. How the hell did he fall to Clu or get "temporarily converted" to the dark side?
Bruce Boxleitner looks pretty good for his age. I'm impressed.
Ten years or whatever it was after Kevin disappeared, Allan still has a pager? Really, with the advancements in technology...even something as simple as cell phones?
Why the hell would the security guard take the risk of tight-roping the metal crane thingy at the first of the movie to try and capture Sam after he broke into the Encom Tower? I don't think that was within his pay grade. Seriously!

I guess that's enough ranting/babbling for now.

Verdict: worth a viewing especially if someone else picks up the cost.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Black Swan (2010)

2011-04-11T16:16:00.001-05:00

Black Swan. I picked this movie up on Friday for the wife and I to watch sometime this weekend. We were able to watch it Saturday afternoon/evening. We both were excited to see this movie. We've heard it was "fantastic" and "so good" and blah, blah, blah. I usually take people's comments about a movie with a grain of salt. No one knows what I will like or how much I'll like it.

My reasons for wanting to watch it is Natalie Portman is in it and Natalie and Mila Kunis have a lesbian scene (my comment on this to come).

I was surprised to see the movie start off so quickly with the "craziness" of Nina. I mean within the first few minutes or so she started seeing/imagining things. I thought this was going to occur due to the fact that she was so goody goody and the pressure of having to perform a good and bad character caused her metamorphasis. Now, she could have imagined things and turn "bad" because of her purging but that wasn't clear in the story line.

A lot of people told me this was a total mind fuck but I came away with more of a mind massage which caused slight confusion. I guess I didn't pay enough attention because I still don't know for sure if Mila Kunis' character was real or something made up by Nina. I mean there were scenes where she was seemingly real like when the director tells her thanks for showing up when she arrived late and then the scene where she was dancing for Nina after their too-short-lived lesbian night.

Even though the movie started off quickly with Nina's craziness. The movie itself was pretty slow in the beginning...well, just about to half of the movie. It dragged way too slowly and I started thinking, "Who the hell thought this was fantastic!?" The movie overall was okay for me but I do think Natalie did a fantastic job. But I didn't expect anything else from her.

I do have a Natalie crush and Mila was pretty hot too. I didn't get too excited by them though because I felt they both were too damn skinny. Yes, it goes with the characters of the movie but I felt kind of grossed out at times. Anorexia is NOT attractive at all and neither is just being that skinny for any reason.

I think Barbara Hershey did a great job at being a weird, overprotective, controlling mother. It was indicative of the craziness to come when you see that Nina's room is decorated like a 12-yr-old's and she was like what, 25?

I was left further confused by how Nina was able to perform an entire dance scene after the (supposed) fight with Lily and the mirror shiv in her gut. The wife and I guess that Nina was going to die after the final act but we were thinking more of the mattress missing when she jumped off the top of the stairs and hitting the floor, breaking her neck.

Verdict: If it wasn't so damn slow and boring at the start, I'd watch it again. I think there were some very good performances. I think Natalie desereve whatever awards she received for her dedication to her craft similarly the way Matt Damon did for Courage Under Fire and Tom Hanks did for Philadelphia/Cast Away. I was creeped out by the skinniness of Natalie and Mila as well as the way Natalie's skin would occasionally look like a plucked chicken's body.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Netflix's availability

2011-04-06T09:07:00.001-05:00

I have admitted that I am a Netflix virgin. I've been a member for only two months and one month was the trial period. I've already mentioned my dislikes about the system as well as some of my likes. Now, I must share my lack of understanding some terms in the Netflix system.

For instance, this screen capture of my Instant Queue.

What does this "available until" mean? My assumption is that they can only have a movie available for Watch Instantly for so long but then I wonder what is the point? I guess limited time availability is better than no availability but some of us don't have the time to watch every movie we put in the queue in a short time. Sometimes it takes a few weeks, months, or even longer.

What's worse is the movie listed in the capture isn't a well-known, or even sort-of-known, movie. So, what gives?

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That's all I got to say about that!

It's un-American!

2011-04-04T14:16:00.000-05:00

I overheard a conversation at work that I thought was amusing between two men.

One guy...let's call him Troy...is from Abilene, TX and is pretty much redneck through and through (very nice guy though) with a BIG 18x22 sized (I guess) framed Texas flag.

One guy...let's call him Kevin...is from Georgia, Alabama or some parts like that. He's a great guy/people person and seems like he could be a huge tailgating-type person because he loves to have fun and drink beer.

So, Kevin walks down the hall to Troy's office and stops in the doorway...

Kevin: How's it going Troy? You been watchin' any basketball?

Troy: No, I don't watch basketball.

Kevin: Well, that just un-American!

End of conversation that I paid attention to.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Women’s Auxiliary Annual Family Night at Six Flags

2011-04-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

The parents of a friend of my oldest had free tickets to the Women's Auxiliary Family Night at Six Flags Over Texas on Friday, April 1^st, 2011. Well, they gave them to us for free but I'm not sure if they were free for the parents.

Anyway, this even is for a good cause and it was a fairly priced event. They discount the tickets to $25 if you purchase them in advance at a Tom Thumb. If you purchase them at the gate, they were $50.

Thursday morning, the mother sold this as "they are closing the park for a private event." She said she could get six tickets for her son and some of his friends. He's a pretty good kid and he even invited my younger child to go along as well as the same-aged sister of one of his guy friends. They are all friends more or less even though there is a two-year age difference. I tried to see if they could get me a ticket because I'd go for free and I know my kids aren't the biggest fans of riding the roller coasters...just about ANY of them. To me, that defeats the purpose of going to Six Flags but my kids said they'd enjoy just hanging out with their friends and seeing them have fun. Again, the friends try to pressure them to ride but my kids usually stick to their guns and hold firm.

Anyway, come Friday morning I see a story line in my Google Reader feed of the Dallas News or maybe the Park Cities People mentioning the Family Night. I click the link and it turns out the park will indeed close for a "private" event but when anyone can get the tickets, it's not really private in my eyes.

The bonus part about this is that I could buy myself a ticket for $25 and tag along with my kids which they were so adamantly against the night before. I consider myself a great, fun dad but my oldest kid didn't want me to cramp their "style." What effin' style is the question but I held off pushing the topic until I found out this private event wasn't so private.

Anyway, longer story short, the night was pretty fun. It was interesting to see the dynamic of my kids' friends and siblings hanging out together as well as the interesting people that attended the event. My kids were glad I came along because I am fun and I didn't get into their business. I only step in when I need to and a couple of times the friend that invited them all was a little hyperactive so I had to tell him to "sit" a few times.

I didn't ride every ride but I did ride The Batman, The Flashback, The Judge Roy Scream, The Texas Chute Out, The Roaring Rapids and The Texas Titan. We did a lot of walking and I was plum tuckered by the time I got home around 10 after midnight.

I think I can say that I've had my fill of Six Flags for the season. I don't see any reason to return as a full-paying guest if at all...maybe another freebie. It's not that I didn't enjoy my time. I think it's more that the rides are still the same and I've already ridden them a buzzillion times. I can find much better things to do than drive for 30-45 minutes to the park and then ride/walk all day long. I'm too old for that shit...did I just type that? LOL.

Anyway, it was good times and thanks for the event Children's Medical Center.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Why would I subscribe to my local paper...online or paper?

2011-04-03T21:23:00.001-05:00

I get the Dallas News through my Google Reader. I don't always click on the headlines to read them but occasionally a story does catch my interest.

I guess it's been a while since I have clicked on a story because today I saw this page after clicking on the "Read the rest of the story" link on the article page.

I'm already a registered member online from years ago but now they want to charge me for content. I didn't read everything but I figure they want me to subscribe to the physical paper and they'll include the online content. Again, I'm not sure but at just a glance that's what I prefer to assume.

I would not pay for information that I can get for free somewhere else.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 03/31/2011

2011-03-31T17:08:00.000-05:00

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That's all I got to say about that!

In the news 03/31/2011

2011-03-31T14:01:00.000-05:00

Just a few quick jots from some articles/stories I've read today:

1) This is a pretty damn cool picture (x-ray) of a stingray. Got this from a quick story at BoingBoing here.

2) Richard Blais apparently won Top Chef All-Stars. You can see an article here. If you look at him, does he not remind of Jim Breuer (otherwise known as Goat Boy from Saturday Night Live)? Well, he does look like him to me.

3) Katy Perry's got a new video out for the song "E.T." I don't know if the big promo for it is because it's new or if just the video is new. I feel like I've heard the song on the radio or something before. Katy does make a pretty hot alien but I think the aliens I've always see have more cleavage exposure. Anyway, you can check the video out here

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

More on product placement...subliminal advertising...good marketing?

2011-03-28T22:38:00.000-05:00

I got an advertisement in the mail today. It wasn't even addressed to me or my wife but after seeing it I had the urge to suddenly purchase a product from the company that sent it, Victoria's Secret. Sometimes I wonder how the hell ANYTHING got purchased with the marketing and advertising of the "olden" days.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

I Spit on Your Grave (2010)

2011-03-28T15:56:00.000-05:00

I Spit On Your Grave. I previously typed about this movie before (I think) it even came out because of the previews and trailers. I put it in my queue as soon as it came to Blockbuster and it's now been a few days or so since I watched it.

I don't recall exactly what I said although I could search and read the post. I just don't feel like it. I do think I remember I had some strong opinions about the stupidity of the woman telling complete strangers in the "redneck-ish" country area where she was staying and that she was alone. STUPID!

Anyway, this movie is worth a look. It is quite graphic, to an extent, with the attack, on the woman. I mean, I've seen similar scenes and such in other movies so it wasn't over the top in that sense. The steps she takes in her revenge isn't something new either. Having both of them in the same movie is fairly interesting.

I found myself going from pissed off at her ignorance and stupidity (which yes, she didn't ask for what she got but she could have taken all precautions possible to make sure she was "safe") to a "fuck yeah" attitude when she was able to exact her revenge. The shit she did to these guys was AWESOME! It's exactly what I would hope to do to anyone that did that to me or mine.

There were parts of the movie that were a little drawn out and predictable. Occasionally when they showed the victim, she reminded me of the character from The Ring that came out of the well. These shortcomings were definitely made up with the lead (only?) female character's hotness and acts of revenge.

On that note, Jennifer (Sarah Butler) has a gorgeous figure and fantastic ass. I found it interesting that the cover for the movie is an ass shot that I do not recall seeing in the movie at all. Usually cover art, reflects something from the movie in some form or fashion. I guess the current cover art is related it just doesn't seem too directly related to me. I know too much thinking on my part again.

Verdict: worth a RedBox or Blockbuster Express rental, borrowing from a friend, or a coupon from any rental place. It wasn't a bad movie. It just wasn't a movie that captured and maintained your attention. I think running time is like an hour and a half to two hours. It could have been cut to forty-five minutes to an hour.

8
That's all I got to say about that!

Interesting questions from a survey

2011-03-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

So, I think the point of this survey was to query the student population on if they volunteer for community services, what services they select, how they select and volunteer for their selected services, when and how often they volunteer and to see if any of them volunteer because of the college versus on their own. I think they want to know what kind of students they have and if the school is providing adequate (or braggable) access for these students to volunteer and support different services.

What's interesting is how they asked all these generic questions about the type of services and volunteering students have done but then these last few questions have to do with gender and sexual orientation.

Personally, I think these questions should not include the choice of "I prefer to not respond" because it should be a more definitive survey. The third option should be more like "Neither" or "I don't fucking know because I'm gender confused!" I think that gives a more accurate representation than "No response" which is basically what "I prefer to not respond" translates to. If they are trying to find out how many males versus females volunteer, then "No Response" doesn't help the survey.

Same with transgendered. A person either is or isn't. There is no maybe in transgendered.

And then finally, wouldn't you want to know how many Lesbians versus Bisexuals versus Homosexuals versus Heterosexuals versus "Try-anythings" volunteer that way you can point the finger and say, "Straights are less likely to volunteer for important causes whereas the Homosexuals volunteer the most?" I think an option of "I don't know what the fuck my orientation 'officially' is" is a more viable option because there are some people who are generally unsure.

So, basically in my opinion, if you are going to send a survey out to get information to compare, you shouldn't give the surveyees the choice to opt out of a question because that's the easiest answer. Your survey will not only be a waste of their time but your's as well.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 03/25/2011

2011-03-25T15:38:00.000-05:00

SMART ASS

Two businessmen in Florida were sitting down for a break in their soon-to-be new store. As yet, the store wasn't ready, with only a few shelves set up.

One said to the other, "I bet any minute now some senior is going to walk by, put his face to the window, and ask what we're selling."

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when, sure enough, a curious senior walked to the window, had a peek, and in a soft voice asked, "What are you sellin' here?"

One of the men replied sarcastically, "We're selling ass-holes."

Without skipping a beat, the old timer said, "Must be doing well...
only two left."

Seniors -- don't mess with them!

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Phone conversation of a wife and husband

2011-03-24T13:03:00.000-05:00

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Husband: [incredulously] Do you know what I have to do for Monday?

Wife: I don't care.

Husband: No really. Do you know what I have to do for Monday?

Wife: No really. I don't care.

Husband: Because you're a bitch!

Wife: Oh that's nice.

[a few minutes pass]

Wife: You should hear what I am writing to a couple of my students? It's pretty harsh.

Husband: I don't care.

Wife: Because you're a dick!

Husband: At least a dick has more usefulness than a bitch!

Wife: [sarcastically] Oh, that was funny.

Husband: Love ya!

Wife: Too!

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Imitation crab...it's the way sushi is done

2011-03-23T08:18:00.001-05:00

I forgot to bring my lunch to work yesterday and couldn't decide if I wanted Chikfila, Subway, Pizza Hut or sushi. I went with sushi. It was the easiest and quickest. These are the "new" offerings they had available. I've taste tested them before at the local Kroger but never actually bought them. I decided to purchase these for $8.49 each instead of the smaller California-type rolls because of the price. Yes, $8.49 is a lot but the California rolls have been slightly increased while they decreased the contents. The California rolls are now 9 in a container instead of 12 like before. So, in my eyes, this was actually a better deal overall. Now I have to see if they made the same change at Kroger. I'll be somewhat miffed but it's a good thing it's not a huge thing for me to let go.

Anyway, enjoyed these yesterday and I have a few left over to enjoy later today...maybe even for breakfast!

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 03/22/2011

2011-03-22T10:18:00.000-05:00

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For all you English majors out there.....

Lewinsky and Kaczynski

The Washington Post runs a weekly contest in its Style section called the 'Style Invitational.'

The requirements this week were to use the two words 'Lewinsky' (the Intern)and 'Kaczynski' (the Unabomber) in the same limerick.

Now, remember, the following winning entries were actually printed verbatim in the newspaper, no bleeps or xxxs:

Third place:

There once was a girl named Lewinsky
Who played on a flute like Stravinsky
'Twas 'Hail to the Chief'
On this flute made of beef
That stole the front page from Kaczynski.

Second place:

Said Clinton to young Ms. Lewinsky,
We don't want to leave clues like Kaczynski,
Since you made such a mess,
Use the hem of your dress
And please wipe that stuff off your chinsky.

And the winning entry:

Lewinsky and Clinton have shown
What Kaczynski must surely have known,
That an intern is better
Than a bomb in a letter,
When deciding how best to be blown.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Subliminal advertising

2011-03-15T15:01:00.000-05:00

I previously blogged about product placement here.

Today, I received an email from CompUSA regarding some advertised deals. I captured just the top portion of the email. Before I present the capture, I ask you to think about a question or two before viewing:

What is the type of customer/person that pops into mind when you think of CompUSA?
If there is something that would influence your decision to purchase a product, what would it be?

Okay, so view the capture. Does anything about the ad/graphic/image entice you, influence you, make you think of something other than the product(s)? Is there no effect on you? Are they advertising to your expected customer type?

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Takers (2010)

2011-03-14T17:04:00.002-05:00

Takers. I've had this movie too long to justify the cost of my BB Total Access Plan. I blame school. I've had a lot of reading, studying and homework to do and it's cutting into MY play time.

Anyway, just like any movie about heists and criminal schemes, this movie was pretty predictable. It was pretty good action, acting and all but it's just been done many times before. See movies like The Italian Job, The Score, and just about any Steven Seagal movie. The plot is simple: a group plans a heist, someone in the group is disgruntled and plans to screw over the others in the group, some people get hurt and/or die, the remaining group members get their revenge and live "happily ever after." Or as happy as you can be with a million or more bucks.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of scenes in this movie where I found myself saying out loud, "Bullshit!" Yes, yes, I know it's a movie but I do believe that you must maintain some semblance and "reality" to keep people's attentions if it's a reality-type movie and not some CGI or fantasy movie.

There are probably spoilers ahead in no particular order:

Jesse (Chris Brown) is running from Jack and Eddie (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez) through the subway, buildings, streets and parks. He's flying like one of those free runner guys...leaping over walls, fences, and vehicles. There is absolulely NO POSSIBLE WAY that Jack and Eddie would be able to keep up with him. Just not having it!
The entire time the whole team, especially leader Gordon (Idris Elba), is careful to pay attention to Ghost's (T.I.) behavior and intentions. After the heist, they let their guard way down before being totally sure they made their getaway with the money. It leads to troubles. I don't believe a master planner would be so quick to lower his guard.
Jack Welles is too smart to be a detective. He has all the answers to the many mysteries of finding out who the robbers are and shit. It's annoying for them to write a part like this. It reminds me of how annoying and unbelievable Det. Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) was in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
They wrote Jack Welles as the cop that is too invested in his job...like every other detective movie. He has his daughter with him and he avoids being a father to her on his "off" day. Too typical and already done way too many times.
I can't believe they killed off so many of the group. First, A.J. (Hayden Christensen in a part he did quite well in) get's killed in the backstabbing shoot-out in the hotel room after the heist. Jesse and Jake are tracked down (which isn't explained on 'how') to their house and have a shoot out with many policemen. Their survival or death not clear afterwards. John (Paul Walker) and Gordon are confronted by Ghost and Jack at the airport. Ghost is killed. Jack wounded. Gordon wounded and John are seen leaving to who-knows-where with a bajillion dollars.

Okay, so I've probably overanalyzed the movie. I'm not saying it was bad. I'm just saying it has already been done, better, previously.

In the end, it's a good watch if someone you know has it available to watch. Otherwise, you can wait to instantly watch it on Netflix when it becomes available.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Can you pick me up from the airport?

2011-03-14T14:34:00.000-05:00

Stupid girl at work came to my desk Thursday afternoon and asked me what I thought about this question. Not specifically this question but her response to this question to someone...who just happened to be her father.

Stupid girl's father was coming into town at DFW Airport, from where I don't know and it's not required for the story. He calls to ask his daughter if she could pick him up from DFW Airport and take him to Dallas for an appointment he has. His flight lands at 7:30am.

Stupid girl lives in Dallas. She's near the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway. In case you are not familiar, DFW Airport is about 25 minutes from her location without traffic or construction issues. She would not experience much if any traffic at 7am-ish going to DFW Airport but she may hit a bit on the way back.

Stupid girls tells me that she basically told her father, "No." She said she told him, "That's kind of early," and, "It would be different if we could go to breakfast..." and of course he pays. She said, "It'll cost like $15 for a cab. I will give you $15."

She came to me looking for justification in her response to "ease her guilt." She didn't get it from me.

I told her she was wrong and she was selfish for not helping out her father. I said, "It's your FATHER! It's not like it's a friend or a sibling!" I said, "You should do this for your father strictly for the fact that HE IS YOUR FATHER!" This is of course unless her father was a deadbeat but what I have gathered from knowing her, he is not. I ranted a little bit more and told her, "Even if my parent(s) were able to walk to my house in 15 minutes, I would tell them I'd pick them up! That's what we do as good kids to our parents who were good to us."

She still didn't get it. I haven't spoken to her yet today to see what she ended up doing. She wasn't late to work Friday morning so my assumption is that she didn't pick up her father from the airport.

She's a shitty person, a shitty worker and now she is a shitty daughter! I expected nothing less these days from her.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Mrs. Baird's bread factory is no more.

2011-03-12T18:42:00.000-06:00

Drove by the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway this morning. I knew they were deconstructing the old Mrs. Baird's Factory but I didn't realized it had progressed to so far so fast. It felt like just the other day that I read an article that some copper was stolen from the sight. The price you get for copper must be well worth it to steal from such a busy intersection. Of course, it could be easily taken if you are a sneaky enough thieving bastard! Anyway, thought it was worthy to note of the passing of a historical landmark (albeit not officially recognized).

Here are a few Google map shots of what it used to look like before demolition.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Going Overboard (1989)

2011-03-08T14:27:00.000-06:00

Going Overboard is one of the worst movies I have ever seen!

Taking more advantage of my Netflix instant watching, I put this movie in my queue. I didn't think it would be bad bad. I figured it would be definitely watchable. I mean it has Adam Sandler in it and he hasn't really made a bad bad movie (IMHO). There have been qeustionable ones but they have not been the kind of movie where you want to take a dull, rusty knife to your own jugular just to feel something other than the pain from watching this BAD BAD, DISGUSTINGLY HORRIBLE movie!

I think I read that Sandler made this movie before he started on Saturday Night Live. He still has the similar delivery he had after this movie and he was much skinnier (weren't we all) but the script and filming was just downright piss poor!

The movie couldn't even have been saved by the many bikini-clad girls. For one, none of them got naked. And for the other, none of them got naked.

Now, I don't think they were taking this movie seriously to begin with but if you are going to put forth the effort and currency, I would think they would have done something a little better. This movie just seemed like a teenager's film project, like The Human Centipede but way worse.

What was amusing about the movie is to see the younger version of the guys (as well as he doesn't put in present movies like Burt Young) that Sandler puts in his movies nowadays. I don't know their names but I can say that one was his best bud in The Wedding Singer.

Final verdict: not worth the film it was shot on, the DVD disk it was probably sold on, or the bandwith usage through Netflix. It was one of the hardest movies I have had to watch because I really, really, really wanted to just stop it and watch something else!

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Shit movies on Netflix

2011-03-08T14:02:00.000-06:00

It looks like my assumption was somewhat right about how Netflix doesn't have the movies we (I) want to watch. It seems like Netflix is more like premium cable television channels: they play new(er) movies over and over and over during seemingly peak times of the day and they play 5-10-20-yr-old movies over and over and over during all the other times of the day.

Anyway, check the Gizmodo write up here and I believe they have a link to the actual article within theirs.

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That's all I got to say about that!

The Human Centipede [First Sequence] (2009)

2011-03-08T10:43:00.000-06:00

The Human Centipede (First Sequence). This is another movie that I was able to watch on my Netflix free trial. I think I had it on my Blockbuster Queue as well but I figured since I can get it on watch instantly, why wait for it to come in the mail.

I must say that I was quite disappointed with the movie. It was slow and too drawn out. It was pretty boring. Maybe if it had a better storyline/script and was about a maximum of 45 minutes long (and that's pushing it), it would have been a lot better.

The guy that played the doctor played the part fairly well. I mean he looked the part which added to his creepiness. I'm not sure that he could have fended off any of the individuals that became part of the "first sequence" if they decided to fight back before becoming "attached." He was pretty frail compared to the Asian guy as well as the two girls. I know they were drugged and all but after they were attached the Asian was pretty functional compared to the other girls. Yes. Yes. He was probably in a huge state of shock to wake one day to find some naked hot chick's lips surgically attached to his sphincter but I would think "fight or flight" would have kicked in at sometime.

I don't recall how the Asian guy got captured but the two girls are just plain stupid. If this doctor would have answered some door I knocked on, I would have turned tail. My danger radar probably would have been chirping if not blaring full blast. It's like if Lurch from the Addam's Family answered the door. I...Am...Outta...There!

I'm not medical enthusiast but I really didn't understand the point of removing the victims knee caps. Maybe it was to keep them from trying to "run" away but I would think that having your knee caps removed would hurt like fuck! As such, I would think it would hurt like fuck to crawl around on your knees.

The point of a horror movie is to inflict fear into an individual in the sense that they think this could actually happen. I don't think this movie did a very good job at that. I mean the occurences could happen but it wasn't a frigtful notion as much as it was an "Eh, it could happen but not likely" kind of thought.

SPOILER ALERT!I didn't like the ending much either. I didn't like how both the detectives/investigators were killed. They both got popped by a puny, scrawny, severly injured man. The first cop got cut and shot (I think). Granted he was feeling the effects of ingesting a bit of whatever drug the doctor put in his water. Note to self and readers: DON'T TAKE DRINK OFFERINGS FROM STRANGERS! The second cop, the seemingly smarter of the two, had a hell of a shot to the doctor's forehead but he himself was shot and died shortly after.

I did find it sickly amusing when the Asian guy had to shit. His reactions and emotions were priceless. It totally sucked ass (literally) for the girl stuck to his ass. This scene had to be one of the better of the entire movie.

So, at the end of the movie, I was left with two impressions:

I guess the 2nd sequence will probably start off with someone finding the doctor's insane "research notes" and decide to continue with his work since he's dead.
It sucks for the girl that "survived" to be the middle link of the three-pede. The guy's whose ass she is sucking on killed himself and her friend who's sucking on her ass died from infection. She is stuck in the middle (Ha! I crack myself up!).

In the end, I was very disappointed in this movie. I saw a bunch of previews and articles talking about it before it premiered that were more positive than negative. I guess my expectations were set too high. I felt like I was watching a movie made by a high school theater student with an old Hi-8 camcorder and some friends or random people he asked to be part of his "project film."

There was no mystery, suspense, intenseness, or ANYTHING that would keep someone interested. I, unfortunately, make myself watch all of a movie because I hate to not complete the watching of a movie. It's weird, I know. Anyway, even the very brief nudity of the two female characters that was shown was not enough for me to speak much more about this horrible film. I've already wasted too much time and effort.

If you haven't figured out my verdict yet, I will definitely tell you to pass on this movie. It is a waste of the studio's time, money and effort as well as yours. So listen to me and avoid it! Don't even listen to anyone that says ANYTHING positive about this movie. They lie and they don't know what the hell they are talking about. Just leave it on the shelf, literal and virtual.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

How effective is product placement?

2011-03-02T14:40:00.002-06:00

I don't know. How do you/can you effectively track such a thing? I really don't think they have a sure fire way at this time.

I recently saw some article that said Apple won the award (imaginary, I think) for most product placement in movies, TV shows, and the like.

That's great but does it really make people want to get an iPod, iPad or Mac for themselves just because they saw it in a movie? It's just not trackable. Now, if they had a product that was specifically made for that movie or had something that made it unique because of the movie (something like the U2 iPod even though I don't recall it was in a movie but you get my point, I hope), then maybe it could be tracked.

I'm not saying this isn't a viable marketing tool. I'm just curious on if they take the time to track something like this.

What made me type this is different kind of product placement. The product placement is obviously positioned strategically for certain potential customers but I'd like to know if it really works. I would think somewhat because I'm a male and I know how we think (you'll see the correlation when you see the advertising product placement).

Click here to see the first image. Enticing? Yes. Are you aware of the product that's being advertised? Maybe. Are you thinking about the product that's being advertised? Males = Not really, Females = Maybe. If you know what the product being advertised is, are you interested in buying it? Males = Maybe but probably not for the real reason of liking the product. Females = Who knows?

Click here to see the second image. Enticing? Yes, especially to males. Are you aware of the product that's being advertised? Males/Females = Wha...can almost see boobs. Are you interested in buying the product being advertised? Males = Still can almost see boob, Females = No, because the close up of the actual product was a better view of the product.

I don't remember where I saw this link but product these photos are trying to sell can be found here while it lasts.

So, which is better for sales: product placement in movies/shows or product placement on an attractive model? We may never know.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Email humor 03/01/2011

2011-03-01T15:14:00.001-06:00

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Today's grammar lesson:

In this world of hi-tech, I have noticed that many, who text message and email, have forgotten the "art" of capitalization. Those of you who fall into this world, please take note of the following statement. I cannot stress enough that grammar is important:

Capitalization is the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

This lesson is finished.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!

Charlie Sheen to be replaced by John Stamos?

2011-02-28T14:42:00.001-06:00

Just saw a quick headline on my Google Reader from E! Online stating the following:

Sources: CBS Begins Courting John Stamos to Replace Charlie Sheen (for Real This Time!)

Click here for article while it lasts.

I'm not a regular of Two and a Half Men but the episodes and short clips I've seen are pretty freaking hilarious. I wish I had the time to invest in catching up and/or just watching a new show. I have a hard enough time watching the shit I want to watch as it is...the TiVo is screaming at me to get the shitloads of episodes watched!

What I've seen of the show does not make me think that John Stamos would be a welcome, needed, or good replacement or addition. I've never really like Stamos' acting. He spent too long a time with Full House and his "acting" on that show is the lasting impression I have of his abilities. In Never Too Young to Die, he had a different character than in Full House but he still wasn't that great. I think I've seen him on some evening TV show in the past year or so...quick IMDB search says it was ER and Glee. I wasn't impressed in what I saw of him on ER. I barely saw a full episode of him in Glee so I can't comment on it. I did like him in some made-for-TV-Lifetime-type movie but I don't recall what it was. I think he beat his wife or killed her and tried to kill another...you know, the typical Lifetime movie.

I think it comes down to Stamos does serious-with-personality way better than he does ANY comedy. And Two and a Half Men is 95% comedy...the other 5% is serious which becomes a lead in to the comedy.

Anyway, I really don't care either way. I'm not vested in watching 2 1/2 but for those that are, I really think it'll be very hard to replace Sheen's arrogance-with-comedy or comedy-with-arrogance role.

Actually, I think I put too much damn thought it such a quick read and post. :-)

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That's all I got to say about that!

Honda CR-Z and Crosstour

2011-02-28T11:38:00.014-06:00

Saturday, I had a long day. I played tennis in the morning and then went to lunch with my tennis buds. I didn't need to go and really didn't want to go, initially, but I did. That's the kind of friend I am. I didn't want to go (to tennis or even lunch) because I had honey-do things to do as well as studying for a test on Monday—today.

I got back into my area about 2pm. I had to get the CRV oil changed and then an inspection because it expires the end of this month. I had a coupon for the dealership oil change for $24.95. I think it's like a $8-$10 savings. That's why I wanted to see how backed up the dealership "express" service was. I pulled into the bay and a service guy, Lamont, approached my vehicle. I asked how long for an oil change. He said about an hour. Damn! I told him that I am going to need an inspection, either there or somewhere else, but I wanted to see what they thought about my tires. They looked center-bald.

Anyway after all the back-and-forth chatter and making a longer story shorter, I was at the dearlship "express" service for a little over three hours. I got oil changed, tire changed, tire rotationed/balanced, and inspected. All for the low price of $948.

While I was waiting during my hour that turned to three hours, I got some studying done for my test which I probably wouldn't have done otherwise, especially with the decent albeit windy weather. During my breaks fro study, I walked around the outside near the dealership and saw a few vehicles that were pretty interesting.

The first I saw was the CR-Z. I saw this one from the side-rear view. It reminded me of a Prius but somewhate sportier, to me anyway. I really liked the way the CR-Z looked in comparison. The wife was talking about a Prius as our next vehicle or something similar in the hybrid option. Funny that I should see this the day after we talked about it. I asked the service guy, Lamont, to compare the CR-Z to the Prius. The main thing I got out of his babbling was that the CR-Z has three different driving modes: sport, economy and something else. I could be wrong on the first two. I guess that's why Lamont is the service guy and not the sales guy but they really should give the service guy more knowledge on the vehicles to help start a sale or whatever. Know what I mean?

Anyway, it might be something worth looking into when we decided to get a new vehicle down road. You can find Google images here.

The 2^nd vehicle I saw ws the Crosstour. It caught my eye from its rear end. I thought it was similar to that of a type of BMW—I don't remember exactly what model. I looked inside to see what the interior was like. It was pretty nice and it has wood-grain dash and such. It looked pretty "luxurious" as well as somewhat sporty. To me, it was eye-catching and I had to know more about. Once again, asking the service guy, Lamont, wasn't much help other than, "Your oil changes in the CRZ-Z or Crosstour will most definitely not have a couple of $24.95. The oil is zero weight and the change is $55." Helpful but not the help for which I was looking.

I found a pretty decent write up here. Of course, it turns out to be written by a dealership but it gives you the gist of the vehicle with some images. You can find other images by Googling or click here since I've already done it.

The Crosstour seems like a pretty nice vehicle. I think the price tag is around $34k and I'm sure that goes up or down with whatever package is chosen.

Neither is in my immediate (or even distant) future but it's nice to see different...new...vehicles and dream.

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That's all I got to say about that!

Follow-up comments on some products I've purchased

2011-02-25T22:41:00.000-06:00

I was perusing some hit stats for my blog and I saw some search terms that pointed people to my most awesom thoughts. The ones that meant something to me were the ones where I purchased an item and I didn't follow up with what I thought about that item. What an injustice to my readers. So, I thought I would follow up on a few products that I have purchased within the past year or two. I'm not going to link to the original posts as they are searchable and will be found quite easily.

Anyway, here it goes:

Remington Dual Flex Cordless Shaver—This this is a complete and utter piece of shit! I didn't expect much from the $19.99 price tag but I expected something a little better than I got. The dual blades/shavers are worthless. I felt like I was using an old cheese grater on my neck. In fact, after using this once and only once, I had nicks and cuts near/around my Adam's apple. Talk about BURNS! I thought maybe using this as a fuzz buster instead but I'm sure it would have shredded my clothes as it did my neck. Again, I didn't expect much but a new rechargeable and portable shaver would have been very nice to replace my very old other one (I forget which brand and model). I washed the Dual Flex very well with soap, water and Sea Breeze then promptly returned it to Walgreen's.

ASUS G50VT-X5—This is one beast of a notebook. I purchased it as a desktop replacement although I had no intention on replacing or foregoing having a desktop. This thing is heavy. It's not overwhelmingly so but it isn't a thin portable like some of these other notebooks and netbooks. I purchased knowing this in advance. This thing is pretty fast. It runs Vista which after having 7 afterwards on my machine at work, I would upgrade the G50VT if it was near-free for me to do so. Since it's not, I will stick with Vista for now. I've had this for a little over a year and have not had any problems up until about a month ago. I think I posted about it crashing on me. After I got a new hard drive and reinstalled my software (this machine came with restoration software and disks...a big plus in my book for ASUS!), I focused on the seemingly bad hard drive to hopefully get my files off it. I back up every night to multiple hard drives but the one thing I didn't back up was my Outook.pst file. I keep all my email that matters filed in different folders within Outlook and this hadn't been backed up since maybe a month or so before. The nice thing about the G50VT is that it has a spare HD bay for expansion. I had a 500 GB in there before the crash which was one of my backups locations. When the crash happened, I thought I'd use the 500 GB to replace the failed 320 GB. For some reason I couldn't get the 500 GB to recognize for re-installation. Luckily, I had another 500 GB that I used. I was able to insert the "bad" 320 GB into the expansion bay and get my files. In fact, the 320 GB was not bad at all. It was fully and properly functioning. After some tinkering and swapping, I found that the 500 GB I originally had in the expansion bay was bad and it was causing the notebook to not boot or anything but turn on. Yippee for me as I didn't have to take it in for service! Since the reinstall though, I think I've noticed that the machine runs a little hotter and the fan runs more. I'm not sure why or if it was the same before and I just didn't notice. I use this machine every now and then because I decided to purchase the Alienware M11x to be my portable powerhouse notebook for school and personal use.

Alienware M11x—I got this thing for a really good deal a month or two ago. I probably could have waited a month or so and gotten the better deals on the i5 that I am seeing now. My thought is that I really wasn't going to use the M11x for high-processor-requirements like gaming as much as just simple things such as school, email, and Internet. I say that but I am sort of disappointed about not waiting a month or so to get the faster speed at basically the same price. Oh well! The M11x is a pretty nice machine. I like how it is zippier than my Samsung netbook and occasionally it'll open a browser window or Office file faster than my ASUS-G50VT (which is sort of weird). I'm digging the slightly larger than a netbook screen and the backlit keyboard. The casing is slick and appealing but definitely prone to fingerprinting just like the LCD screen. I haven't played around a lot with all the features like overclocking and the Aliensense because I don't need to overclock right now (and don't have the time to play around right now) and I prefer to type in my password than wait for the camera to recognize my mug for no-typing logging in. It works but my typing is faster especially in low-light situations.

I've been pretty happy with it up until the day that I could no longer use it. One day, I took it out of my bag. Hit the power button and it turned on. I got the cool LEDs to light up around the computer base and keyboard but nothing else. No boot up. No Windows loading screen. Nothing. I thought this could be a hard drive issue so I removed the bottom cover and removed the hard drive. I connect the HD to my ASUS via USB to SATA cables and the HD shows up in My Computer. I am able to copy, paste and remove files without issue for a few hours. I decide it must not be a HD issue. I put the HD back into the machine and turn on the power. Voila! I have boot up, Windows logon and I am able to see my username's desktop and all. I work on it for a few hours and go to bed. I wake in the morning and turn the M11x off. I wait a few minutes and power it back on. Same as before: no boot up, no Windows loading, nothing! I repeat powering down, uplugging the power cord, removing the battery, replacing the batter, plugging in the power cord and powering on many, many times with the same result: Nothing!

A few days later I am finally able to call Dell/Alienware support. I don't know if all Dell machines are like this but it was VERY nice to have the Alienware "brochure" that had all my machines information on it like customer service phone number, specs of my machine, the customer support tag, the type of service plan I have, along with other information. It was beneficial to have all this in one place. I call from my work around mid-afternoon on a Friday. I get some Middle Eastern person who's name I could not understand and could barely comprehend his English speaking. I was polite and told him I was having trouble hearing/understanding him and he made effort to be more clear. After some time, he "asked his supervisor" some questions and they said I needed to have the machine in front of me so they could troubleshoot some more to make sure they ordered the correct part for service. WTF!? When did I become part of Dell's technical support team? The way I see it is that they should send someone out (I have next day home service as part of my plan) to assess my issue and then if they have to take my machine or return another day with parts, that's what THEY should do! I paid for the service to be done for me not for me to be part of the service I'm paying for! Anyway, I told them I'd have to call them back when I got home from work or in the next day or so. He gave me a different 866 number to call and said it would be direct to their department and anyone would be able to help me due to the notes he has placed under my file on their system.

I was finally able to call the 866# he gave me this past Tuesday (Gimme a break! I've been busy with work, kids and school). When I called the first time, it rang about 10x and then it sounded like someone picked up the line and hung up. I didn't know for sure until a recording came on that said, "If you'd like to make a call, please hang up and try again." I called the number a second time and a recording came on that said something about "Thank you for using [something]" and my call was forwarded through some phone system, I guess. Finally, a woman picked up and I told her I was calling about following up with getting my Alienware serviced. She responded confusingly, "I'm sorry what were you calling in reference to?" I repeated and she said, "Sir, you have reached [so-and-so] Apartments." I was like, "This is NOT Dell Computers customer service?" "No sir." "Okay, thanks!"

That's as far as I've gotten so far because I had some more homework and shit to do the past few days. I may go home this evening and try again but I might have something to do. I will definitely follow up Friday evening or sometime Saturday because they are available 24/7. It's just my schedule that's fucked up.

I can say that 1) I'm not impressed with the stability of the M11x since it's been two months and something is wrong with it and 2) Dell/Alienware customer service so far has has somewhat solidified all the negative comments I've read online over the years about their poor service. Hopefully, it will get better when I have time to call them again.

Tachyon XC HD Helmet Cam—I've tried to get my use out of this little toy. It's a toy to me because I really didn't need to buy it. I just thought it was cool and had to get it.

Anyway, I have posted a short video before so you can just search "Tachyon" on my blog to find and see it. It's nothing spectacular since it was my first use but it shows the quality of the video pretty well. I've made another short driving video but I haven't edited it yet.

My plan is to take it with me in the next few days, weeks or probably months on my helmet during a bike ride but it depends on when I get a chance to do it.

So, look forward to seeing some more videos from the Tachyon soon. They are big files so it takes me some time to edit and such with my limited knowledge of video editing tools.

HTC Evo Shift—I've had this phone for a few months now. I've gotten a little more used to it. I like the phone much better than my initial introduction with it. All the features of it are pretty cool. The touch screen is fast and responsive. The apps that I've downloaded and used have been useful and have so far been without issues. It came with quite a few apps already installed which I have used and like as well.

One issue I have is the emailing function. I have my SBCGLOBAL.NET email set up with my phone for sending and receiving. When I am typing a message, it doesn't automatically create punctuation like my Blackberry did. For instance, words like "can't," "won't," "wouldn't," or "I'm." It even doesn't automatically add a period when I space-space at the end of a sentence. Luckily, the slide-out keyboard has a dedicated period key but it still would be nice for it to auto-end a sentence.

I downloaded the app Handcent SMS for texting. It does what the email should with the auto-punctuation. It also makes texting kind of fun because it puts the text messages in bubbles. I like this SMS app over the built-in app.

There was another issue I had with the phone but for some reason I can't remember what it was. I remember talking to my wife about it because she had the same issue with her Evo. I'm sure it'll come back to me soon.

I'm still getting familiar with other functions of the phone that I may not use as often. Overall, I don't think it was a bad purchase or upgrade from the Blackberry. It's taking some time to get used to the different functions compared to my Blackberry but I did have the Blackberry for almost six years and this one just for a few months.

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That's all I got to say about that!

In the news 02/25/2011

2011-02-25T11:22:00.005-06:00

Article headline from the Dallas News states:

Cowboys running back Marion Barber donates $500,000 worth of computers to Dallas ISD high schools

Click here for article while it lasts.

I read this article and I give props to Marion Barber for giving back to a few schools in the Dallas ISD.

I think all high-paid athletes should give back. They are making millions and with all these budget cuts and the down economy every amount, especially $500k, helps.

It's also the right thing to do when it's these communities that are helping to pay their salaries. These childrens' parents are probably fan(atics) that pay top dollar to attend the football games and frivolous events with their family and friends. They should be acknowledged and rewarded in some way.

Anyway, big high five to Marion, for his donation could not have come at a better time with the anticipated education budget cuts. Oh yeah and it says that Marion approached the principal of one of the schools to see what he can do.

BIG HIGH FIVE TO BARBER!

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That's all I got to say about that!