Back In The Day

So, last weekend, I got to do something that I don't get to do often enough.

I got to take a trip home. Now, by home, I don't mean the place where I store my stuff. I mean... "home". For those of you that don't know, I grew up in South Florida, and to me, that is where my heart is. Don't get me wrong; I love living in Dallas, and I value all of the friends that I have here, but my history is down there. My wife and I try to get down there about every other summer for vacation, but this year was different for a couple of reasons:

1 - It was only for three days, due to me saving my vacation time for the end of the year

and

2 - There was a reunion of the people that I was in high school band with last Saturday.

Add to that the factors that it was the weekend of my best friends birthday, and it was announced that there would be an appearance by our high school band director (whom none of us have seen since I graduated fifteen years ago... he left that summer to move to Michigan with his new wife), and there was no way in hell that I was missing this opportunity to recharge my batteries on the East Coast.

Nothing can truly explain how many levels this trip had. Whenever my plane lands at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, I always get this great feeling of calm that I can't get anywhere else. It's kind of like knowing that you are getting back to a simpler time in your life, even if for just a short while. Also getting a chance to reconnect not only with people that I went to high school with, but also with some people that I went to church with growing up (I went Sunday morning, and Hurricane Wilma did a lot of interior damage to our sanctuary... about crushed my soul... at least the stained glass windows were OK), which in turn got me in contact with even more people that I went to high school with.

You see, after the class of 1991 graduated from Coconut Creek High School (don't laugh... that was really the name of the school and the city that it is in), a lot of us scattered across the country. We had a really good turnout at our 10-year reunion, and the 15-year was planned to late for me to make any travel changes. For the most part, though, we were a pretty tight group of people whom, even though thousands of miles separate most of us, still try to keep up with each other. This reunion of a bunch of different classes was even better, because I not only got to see my classmates, but others that I spent time with as well.

Then, there was the fact that Mr. Ayres flew down to see all of us. He was the teacher that really not only heavily influenced me more than any other teacher I've ever had (except my 2nd and 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Griffin), but the same could be said by HUNDREDS of other people that he has taught. Save a few grey hairs, he looked exactly the same, and having him there was more than any of us could have even dreamed of. To have him look at all of us and say, "It's great to see that all of you have done so well for yourselves" was like having the approval of a loving father to all of his kids. And that's what we were all.

We're looking to do it again next year in Orlando, and I'm hoping that they can plan it in the fall, when my wife and I are trying to get to Disney World.

Do yourself a favor: if the opportunity comes your way to reconnect with people you've lost over the years, DON'T LET IT PASS YOU BY. The feeling is unequaled.

Until I have anything else to write...

BB

SummerBamm XXXIII Weekend

Well, it's that time of year when we celebrate the anniversary of my hatching. It was 33 years ago this coming Sunday, in the small town of Greenfield, Iowa, that I was introduced to this world. It's kinda hard to believe that I am a third of the way to 100, but my thirties have been the time of my life so far. There will be the big party at the house tomorrow, and I am anticipating this one being bigger than last year. The pool is actually clear and running (for the most part... there are some small problems that we can get through the party with), the grill will be doing its thing, and good times being had by all.

My mom usually calls me on my b-day just to say "I'm glad it's not years ago today!" It's a bit of schtick that's been going on for a while now, and I also try to get a hold of her first to beat her to the punch. She got me some Bluetooth wireless headphones for my mp3 player, which will help out a lot at the gym.

I've really been trying to recommit my self to the gym in the last month or so. I try to go every day that something doesn't get in my way. I don't think I've lost more than a couple of pounds so far, but I have more energy and I feel better, so that's a start. Plus, I'm doing some resistance training, so some of the fat I am sure is turning to muscle. God, I hope so.

That's really about it, so raise your glass on Sunday to say Happy Birthday to ME!

BB

To All Of The Haters

For the last couple of weeks, I have taken my share of ribbings for the NBA Finals.

Now, for those of you that are not aware, I was raised in the Fort Lauderdale area, so naturally, I am a supporter of the teams I spent my youth watching. Naturally, this includes the Miami Heat, who just wrapped up a series with the Dallas Mavericks by winning, 4 games to 2.

I live in Dallas.

Now, I am not the kind of guy that talks a lot of smack, as I don't like to put any bad karma on my team. I have taken a lot of flack from the Dallas fans (not all of them, but a good cross section), but I have said that I would be happy either way, as I enjoy the Mavericks as well.

This all being said, I would like to send the following statement to the Maverick fans:

Stop whining.

The Mavericks lost this series, especially in Game 6. There were blown calls on both sides of the ball, but don't blame the loss on that. Look at the numbers, and you'll see that the Mavs couldn't hit the side of a barn in that game if they were standing in front of it. At the end of the game, when Jason Terry shot the 3 to tie and go into overtime, I thought it was going in. He had a clean look, and from that angle, Terry is automatic. I couldn't even believe it when that ball bounced out of the rim.

Also, does Dirk Nowitzki not realize that he is seven feet tall? DRIVE TO THE HOLE. If you challenge somebody, you will draw the foul, and unlike Shaq, you can make free throws. You are supposed to lead this team; you need to do so.

The other thing that I don't think that the Mavs fans realize is that they will be back to the Finals sooner than I feel that the Heat will be. They are young, and they've now got the first Final jitters out of the way. You have to look at the positive and learn from the negative. Stop drinking the Kool Aid that the Mavs can do no wrong, and move forward.

I enjoyed this series, but I'm glad it's over. My blood pressure couldn't handle a Game 7.

Until next time...

BB

Funeral For A Friend... "Dammit, Boy...."

I've kinda had to wait all week to post this, and I still don't know what to say.

As I was on my way up to Wichita, Kansas this past Monday, I got the call that a good friend of mine, James Lynn Wolf, lost his battle with cancer. He was in his 50s, which is still way to young to me, and he had so much going on. Well-wishers have been making their sentiments known in droves, and tomorrow is his memorial service.

This is the first time since I was a teenager that I have had to bury someone that I know (a couple of years ago, a friend from high school took his own life, but I was unable to fly to Florida for it... I still think of him often and wish I could have been there...). My friend Tamy said to me last week, "We're too young to start burying our friends," and I completely agree. Lynn was the oldest member of our Sports City "family," and he was definitely the patriarch. One of the nicest men that you will ever meet, he was always the first to laugh at my jokes, the first to help out when his assistance was needed, and always there if you needed him. Just kind of goes to show you what a cruel bitch cancer can be.

Most of my emotions have been spent in private (gotta be the strong one, you know), but I feel as if that will not be the case in 25 hours. I don't even know if I'll be able to put anything into words at his memorial service, because how can you put into words a man's life that is so far above mere words?

To paraphrase Michael W. Smith, I guess God just missed Lynn's company. He'll definitely be missed down here by all who knew him, even as an acquaintance. If you met him, your life was better because of it.

Here's to ya, Big Dog. Football season will never be the same.

BB

Special My Tookus

I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and figured I'd take a few minutes to rant on it. I'm not guaranteeing any greatness, but here goes...

How can you release a "Special Edition" of a movie on DVD if there is no other edition available. I mean, for something to be special, it has to be compared to something else. If there is nothing else to compare it to, it's just normal. I understand that there are marketing people out there that think that it will sell more DVDs, but to me it's just stupid.

Now, do I think that the studios should release a "bare-bones" version of their films along with the "Special Edition" to make it more special? Wouldn't hurt. Plus, there are a lot of people out there that are not as geeky as me that would be more apt to purchase a "bare-bones" film at a bit of a lower price. Hell, they still make full-screen movies, and if you are apt to buy a full-screen DVD over a widescreen one, then you should just take the DVD player back to the Wal-Mart that you bought it from and stick with your VCR. I can understand that for most TV shows you have to have full-screen, but not movies. "Pan and scan" just sucks. No other way to put it.

And give me a widescreen version of "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" before I take hostages.

Later.

BB

The Office

I've been actually wanting to rant about this for awhile, but for some reason, I picked today to be a bit surly.

There are certain things that I have seen around the office building that I am in (BTW, I hit my one-year anniversary about a month ago.. hooray ME!!) that I have to vent, because it drives me crazy.

For instance: unless you have some sort of physical limit that prevents you from doing so (and I know that there are those of you out there that do), only use the elevator for trips of two floors or more. In my building, the people on the second floor have their own dedicated staircase that goes from the lobby to the second floor. Yet, these people still feel the need to take the elevator between the two. Now, I have worked in two different office buildings with multiple floors (once on the 11th, now on the 6th). I would like to be able to get to my office with some efficiency, and not have to stop on every floor because somebody carrying a single folder seems to feel that the extra 5 ounces prevents them from taking stairs that would take less time than waiting for the elevator. One flight ain't gonna kill ya. USE IT.

Also, I have to give a shout out to those of you that do not smoke, like myself. Through the research that I have done over roughly the last decade or so, I have come to the conclusion that those who smoke take an average of an extra hour of breaks a day to support the charring of their respiratory systems. Therefore, I propose the "non-smoker break". I've been doing this for a while, and nobody seems to have an issue as of yet. (Now, let me say that if you have a job that chains you to your phone, and requires you to do a "not ready" button to take a break, you're kinda screwed.) I just simply take a walk or look outside the window for a few minutes. Kinda gets you a fresh brain, and nobody can bitch if they don't handle up on the smokers. Kind of my way of levelling the playing field a bit.

Lastly (for now), when you are leaving your building after work, leave some room in traffic for those behind you. Don't block an exit just because you have temporarily escaped the clutches of The Man; feel for those of your bretheren that are trying to do the same. Especially if your building is on the frontage road to the freeway, like mine. I have to take the back way out just to avoid the headaches.

Off to Houston this weekend with the wife to witness the union of two of our friends, as well as to meet up with the great DanElHombre from the News Askew Boards for some drinks, so good times are to be had.

Until I get not lazy again...

BB

Show Me The "HUH?"

Yeah, yeah. I know it's been awhile. Bite me.

I kinda had to post about this, because I'm a little confused. For those of you that know me, you know that I have been a bit unsettled in the last few years when it comes to the films that are pouring out of Hollywood like cheap wine at a teenage kegger. It seems like the concept of "the original idea" has all but left us as a society, as there are more remakes and revivals of things than an Elvis impersonators' convention in Vegas.

So now, there is a new film that is being released in April that has so much buzz about it, that the cast and crew had to get back together for five days of reshoots, so as to make this "phenomenon" live up to the standards that our society seemingly has put it up to.

It's called Snakes On A Plane. It's about a flight full of witnesseses to a crime or something (guarded by Samuel L. Jackson... brotha, you're KILLING ME taking projects like this) that goes awry when a bunch of SNAKES get loose and terrorize the passengers on THE PLANE.

Snakes. On A Plane.

First of all, is there anything in this CGI-induced age that we have been thrust into look more CGI looking than snakes? I mean, at least Spielberg used SOME real ones. One would think that after the anti-profit that was not only one but TWO Anaconda movies that we would leave the snake flicks alone, but NOOOOOOO. We now get this potential piece of dreck starring one of my favorite actors of this generation. Sure, he did "The Caveman's Valentine" and "The Long Kiss Goodnight," but he's still SAMUEL L. FREAKING JACKSON. George Lucas called HIM to be in the Star Wars prequels. He is this generation's Shaft. He's Jules, for God's sake. And he takes THIS? It's not even like I've heard any stories about him filming this a decade ago, and it's just now seeing the light of day.

Snakes. On A Plane. That's what we're going with.

Hell, at least Florida's in the Final Four.

BB

I Want My HDTV

So, about eight months ago, I buy a big screen. It's one of those things that I have always wanted, and I wanted to make sure that I got one before my wife and I have kids. I'm not stupid: I know if I waited until after the offspring arrive, there would be no way that I would have been able to. I also bought an HD antenna, so I could at least watch my local channels in high definition.

It kinda works.

Due to the fact that I have this big church next door to the house (and since the antenna is kinda small), I don't get all of the local channels that I want. It's cool though; hopefully, the price of the HD Tivo will be low enough for me to get one, and when DirecTV gets HD local, I'll be fine.

Here's the problem, though:

I tuned in our local CBS affiliate tonight, as Survivor: Exile Island premiered tonight, AND IT WASN'T IN HD. So, I let the TiVo in our bedroom get it, so I can watch it later.

How is it possible that one of the highest rated show on television (and the highest in reality television HISTORY), can't be enjoyed in HD goodness? If for no other reason, the tropical locations would look incredible. Ask the people who air Discovery Channel in HD, for Alanis' sake.

Sorry, just wanted to rant. Later.

BB

That's Beautiful! Is That Velvet?

Sorry. Couldn't think of a more creative title. The phrase is just stuck in my head.

Not really much going on, but I thought I'd check in anyway. Been doing a lot of travelling for my job, so that we can get more business. Did two trade shows on either side of Thanksgiving: Austin (which was good times, but I've done that town before), and Las Vegas (never been there, but I can understand why one wouldn't want to live there... that town is simply out of control). I may share some stories down the line, but not just yet. I've got to give both of my readers something to look forward to.

As far as the Royal Rumble last night, I'd have to say it was above average for a "major," but good for any other PPV. I'm a little bit confused as far as Rey Mysterio winning the Rumble itself, but I'll see how it plays out until WM 22.

I think that we all knew that Cena was going to get the title back, setting up a title match with HHH at WM22 (even I'll have to admit that it's time to put the belt back on the boss' son-in-law, only to probably drop it again a few months later to spend time with his new child). I also think we all knew that Angle would retain (Mark Henry carrying the company? I don't think so), but I don't think anyone called the ending. Funny thing was that those of us that were all sitting together at the greatness of Pugsley's Library were literally just saying, "Where the hell is the Undertaker?", and there he was. At that point, making the Cena/Edge match first and putting the Rumble in the middle of the card made sense.

And you've gotta LOVE that Cena entrance.

That's really about it for now. Will check in when I check in. I can't make promises to you people anymore and not keep them.

Holla, holla, holla!

BB