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

Funny How Time Flies

I know that it's been a long time since I made a post, but it's kind of strange that I work less hours at this job than I did at my previous one, but I seem to have less free time than I used to. Kooky.

It's now been approximately eight months with the new company, and I still love my job. It changes around quite a bit, but that's really the challenge, isn't it? No two days are the same, and it keeps me on my toes. I even get to travel a bit, and I always enjoy that.

Last week, my wife and I celebrated two years of marriage, and six years of commitment. Kind of strange when you realize that we've been together half of my goddaughter's life. I know this sounds cliche, but I do enjoy her company as much now, if not more, than I did when we first met.

I'll try to be a bit more consistent this time, and will add more when I have more to say.

Oh yeah, and I have come to the conclusion thatRicky Gervais is the king of uncomfortable.

My Next Thirty Years

I heard this song this morning while sitting at my desk, and it made me think about how fast the first 32 have really gone.

I'm not going to go on a tangent about how it goes slow when you're a kid and faster when you grow up, but I have figured out why:

When you're a kid, a day is just a day. You get up, eat breakfast, meet your friends at school, come home, do your homework, eat dinner, talk to your friends for a while, and go to bed. As an adult, if it isn't Saturday or Sunday, it's a day closer to the next ones. So we end up spending our weeks looking forward to the next weekend instead of focusing on the day at hand. Sure, work tends to be different than school, but hey, no making your parents sign stuff.

It also made me realize that my 15-year high school reunion is next year. Next year is also going to be a reunion of all of the people that were involved in my high school band from 1990 through 1999. I guess you don't realize how much things change as time goes by. To me, I am the same guy that I was back then (a bit heavier, and less hair... but the same guy). To everyone that was at my 10-year that I hadn't seen, it was a different story.

Now, when I was in high school, I wasn't the most popular guy, but I had a lot of friends. As my sister Julie puts it, "You were universal". I had friends in just about every group (I never thought we really had cliques in my class... we were all pretty tight), so I knew people. Still, though, a lot (and I mean A LOT) of people were actually walking up to my wife instead of me. It got to a point where she had to say, "Unless you went to high school in HOUSTON, TEXAS, you want to talk to him." It was actually a bit embarrassing, to be perfectly honest.

Part of me is a bit sad that I lost touch with so many people over the years, but it's cool. A lot of our class is scattered about the country, but the 10-year was great to reconnect. We had a good chunk of our class there. This band thing is also really neat, because we have a message board to keep everyone in the loop, and I am seeing names and events that I haven't thought about in ages.

I guess it's true: the older I get, the better I was.

Until next time...

BB

A Story And A Review

When I was a kid, I was a bit ahead of the learning curve. By kindegarten, I was reading on a third grade level. Oddly enough, I never tested high enough to be considered "gifted," so I was stuck being a fairly smart kid in a class with the "regular" kids.

Needless to say, I was a bit mischevous as a result.

One of the few things that kept me from too much trouble was reading. At the age of eight, before cable was affordable to the masses and VCRs were the size of a Buick, my third grade teacher Mrs. Griffin (and one of the most incredible women I have ever met) introduced me to a book that she read a chapter of each day to us called "Charlie & The Chocolate Factory". It was one of the few books I have ever read more than once, and when I was in the fifth grade (decent sized fish in a small pond), I was even asked to read the book to the third graders that she taught. I even read the sequel, "Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator" more than once. It was a book that played quite a role in my childhood, and Roald Dahl became one of my favorite authors. For all of the darkness and under-the-surface teaching that it did, I still feel a smile on my face when I think of it.

In the '80s, I was introduced to the first film version, Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Making it a musical kind of made sense to me, with all of the Oompa Loompa songs that were in it, and I thought Gene Wilder did a fairly accurate portrayal of the eccentric candy factory owner. I was quite surprised to find out later that the author absolutely aborred the film, and vowed that he would never let anyone else do it again. Hey, I own the DVD. Again, the film holds a very special place to me.

A few years ago, when I found out that Dahl's widow had given her blessing to Tim Burton to direct a remake (after seeing his vision of her husband's Jake & The Giant Peach), I was a bit skeptical as to another version of what I felt to be a wonderful film. I was really concerned when I heard that Marilyn Manson was cast ast Willy, but then a bit at ease when the final decision was made to give the role to Johnny Depp. As my buddy Chad's wife's birthday approached, and she had said that this movie is what she wanted to see for the celebration of another complete orbit of the sun, I decided to go with her and the family to see what Burton would do.

So, did I like it?

Well, it's now been about two and a half weeks, and I'm still not sure where I sit.

On one hand, Burton's vision was wonderful. The advances in visual effects are incredibly evident here. Depp's Wonka was dead-on, and is able to give a performance that never made me even want to compare him to Wilder. And the kids were INCREDIBLE. Great casting and performances all around.

On the other hand, I felt Burton took a few liberties he shouldn't have (i.e.- the whole father angle, and changing the whole ending), which kind of left a bit of bad taste in my mouth.

So, I guess I am giving an apples-and-oranges argument here, but I'll still give Charlie & The Chocolate Factory a rating of "7". See it if you can, but don't trip over yourself getting there.

I'll have more later.

BB

Quick Hits

Be careful what you wish for, 'cuz you just might get it. (*coughmariocough*)

Batman Begins: It was good. You should see it. I've seen it twice. Best Batman movie EVER. And better than Episode III. I fear no fanboy.

Land Of The Dead: Sucked. S-U-C-K-E-D. Not sure what Leguizamo was thinking.

War Of The Worlds: Creepy and good. Speilberg has redeemed himself.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Surprisingly good. Check your brain at the door.

Quck observation: I have been participating in McDonald's latest promotion, where you get a code off of a Big Mac to try to win a PSP. I haven't won yet, but each time I enter, I get an offer for five bucks off of a PSP game. Hello, dumbass, why would I need a coupon to buy a game for a system I'm trying to win? And don't give me "Maybe you already have one," 'cuz that don't fly.

Later...

BB

Movies

I know it's been a while (again), but I swear, I have a good excuse. This whole week, I have been stuck down at City Hall configuring a bunch of laptops for a project that launches next week, so I have been stuck in a conference room, UNDERGROUND, with no internet per say. Plus, with the frustration I have been dealing with on this thing, I didn't really want to deal with a computer when I got home. I ended up using my PC anyway, as I finally finished loading all of my CD's into my new mp3 player (it took over two weeks), but there was little to no internet action during that time.

Now that we've cleared THAT up...

Last night was the premiere of the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. For those of you that are unaware, this show is NOT live (it was taped last week), and it had some great highlights, and some lowlights. Here is a list of a bit of both:

HIGHLIGHTS:
-Probably the best set that this show has ever seen. Lots going on, and the fact that nothing inside the letters was a video screen was cool.
-Jimmy Fallon... not that bad as a host. Some of his standup in the beginning was a bit flat, but he knew when to stick on something and when to move on. Good stuff.
-The Breakfast Club reunion was absolute GREATNESS. I can't believe that Nelson and Estevez shined the thing (great line about their whereabouts from Hall), but it was cool to see those kids together again. And DAMN, that silver bucket was HUGE.
-That Rachel McAdams has grown up, in the most positive of ways... iiiiiif you know what I mean.
-Lacey Chebert working the J. Lo booty! Wow.
-Lindsay Lohan is starting to look a little healthier. The wife and I were talking about that, and she just needs to have a little thickness to her. It adds to her hotness.
-Anybody else notice that as the Lohan left the stage with her award, that the next presenter was spare-ass-second-rate-Lohan wannabe Hilary Duff? Heh.
-Nicole Kidman: class act.
-Foo Fighters: always great. Anybody else notice that Grohl just rocks anything he touches, but Novicelic can't seem to get anything going?
-Mariah Carey: great performance. Good to see her finally getting things back on track. The thickness works for her, too.
-Did Suchin Pak get the girls done?
-Much love to Ben Stiller for parodying the whole "Serious Talk During My Speech" thing.
-Dustin Hoffman. 'Nuff said.

LOWLIGHTS:
-Did we need the "Fantastic Four" speech about who's who and what they do? I am now nervous about this film again.
-Nicole Richie? Really? Was Kennedy unavailable?
-Yellowcard absolutely DESTROYED "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Period.
-Eminem: Eh. Points for the shirt, but that's aboot it.
-Memo to Paul Walker: her English ain't that great. Fight through it.
-Some of the bits (Ep. III, Crashing 101, Fighting With The Announcer) went on WAY too long.
-This Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes thing is just unstable.

That's all I've really got for now.

BB

Techno-Boogie

I got a new toy last night.

I've been wanting an MP3 player for a little while now, as it makes sense: my musical tastes can change so quickly, and carrying over 1,000 CD's with me everywhere I go just doesn't make a lot of sense. I was really hoping to get a 60 GB player, but I don't want to shell out almost $500, so I figured a 30 GB would work for now.

I found one I want at my local Best Buy for a decent price (under $200), but they were out. So I went to the Ultimate Electronics down the street, since they're closing, and the biggest one they had was a 20 GB, which I CAN'T go to. The next stop was Circuit City, which is right down the street from our house. They had a 40 GB for right at $200, as it was an Open Box item, so we got it. Open Box doesn't bother me, and the girl at the store said it should be okay and complete.

After another trip to Best Buy to get an FM transmitter, it was back to the house to start loading music. Or so I thought.

The only thing in the bag was the home charger. So, after a bit of cursing and fuming I ran back to Circuit City (it was 8:30 by this time) to find the rest of my purchase. Luckily, the brother of a good friend of mine works there, so he could try to expidite the process. It took about 45 minutes for everything to be resolved, and all I got out of the deal was the USB cable to plug it into the computer. That's better than nothing, but I kinda wanted to get the travel case that is supposed to come with it. The software I was able to get off of the website (God BLESS the internet), and I didn't really want the earbuds anyway. I've got better headphones at the house.

I've gotten a few CD's loaded into it (had to delete a bunch of classical music that was on there from the previous owner), and it works like a charm. So, a medium-sized shout out goes out to the Mesquite Best Buy.

BB

Back In Time

Today, I was looking through an MSN group that features and upcoming reunion of my high school band program (I'm a geek, and damn proud of it) next year, and reading some of the posts in it and seeing some of the names there got my head spinning.

Then I realized that I've been away from that institution for almost a decade and a half.

It's bad enough when I realize that kids that are old enough to drink now were born when I was in the sixth grade, but I've been out of high school for almost fifteen years? Wow.

I don't think I know of anyone's high school class that has scattered more than mine (I would venture to say that less than five percent of my graduating class still lives within spitting distance to the old stomping grounds), but with the wonderment that is the internet, we can all stay in touch as often as we can. Most of the guys and girls that I was close to are just a few keystrokes away (it even got two of my closest friends from school to be in my wedding), but I do miss having them be a five-minute drive from my house.

I know that a lot of people refer to their childhood and adolescence this way, but I really do believe that growing up for me was a much simpler time. Being 1,500 miles away from the town that I call home still gets to me every once in a while (I've been in Dallas just over ten years now), but I'm lucky enough to be in a position that I can visit every couple of years.

It's also kinda cool to have a wife that likes to go with me. The first time I took her with me home (for my ten-year reunion... that was strange because I didn't think I'd changed THAT much, but most people that I hadn't seen thought SHE was in the class), she was like a kid on Christmas morning. I had her film our vacation, as I thought that she would film more things that people wanted to see. I had grown up around the area, so I was sure that there were a lot of things that I take for granted. She was amazed by all of the palm trees and Publixes (Publix is a chain of grocery stores in the Southeast, so you can imagine my confusion). She's been back with me once since, and we had an even better time.

The second trip was for the wedding of my best friend, Ricardo Rincon, this past August. We stay with another of my closest friends, James, who has a wonderful girlfriend as well, and were incredibly gracious in opening their home to us. I don't know if I could live in South Florida again (the cost of living alone will kill you), but it's nice to go back home periodically to recharge the batteries and remember what it was like.

On to other matters...

We had a great weekend, with friends coming into town to visit. These visitors (along with the above mentioned website) were the inspiration for this posting. Having Mikey come in from Arkansas State University was absolutely a pleasure (but not in the biblical sense), and having Mario visit so we could all be together for Episode III made the night even more special than it already was.

Dropping Mario off at the airport on Sunday morning, I'll freely admit that I got a bit misty. Much like I did when he moved away last year, I felt like a part of me was gone. Having someone else from the East Coast to bond with made me miss home a little less. We seem to be just a bit of a different breed of cat, and we've shared some memories that will last a lifetime.

As somebody that I KNOW reads this thing from time to time, I just want to say that your friendship is one that I truly treasure, and you're the best. Hold it down for me up there, old friend. We'll get up there to see you someday.

BB

Revenge Of The Sith

OK, I've caught up on a bit of sleep, so here we go...

Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader. Almost everybody dies. Luke & Leia are born. That's all I'm telling you.

As the worldwide frenzy that is Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith hits theaters, all I can tell you about this film is that it was completely and totally worth the wait. George Lucas ties up the entire story with a nice little bow so that the prequel trilogy now blends in nicely to the original trilogy, which is now almost thirty years old. A local reviewer here has stated to not be surprised if this one gets a Best Picture nod from the Oscar committee. I'm not ready to go out on that limb yet, but this film is the fastest two and a half hours you will ever spend. I did not look at my watch once, nor did I truly care (aside from the "Damn, I'm screwed tomorrow" thoughts), and now I cannot wait for the DVD set (tentatively set for November 7th), so the true marathon can begin.

The rating is a "10". You expected something else? I enjoyed Ep. I.

The only thing that I can say on the flipside of the coin is that I cannot WAIT for the media hype to die down. I am so sick of the press getting a hold of the people that perpetuate the stereotype of the Star Wars fan. When I have to sit through a TRL Star Wars special where you KNOW that the "hosts" wouldn't know a true SW reference if it reached up and bit them on the ass (LaLa, I'm talking to you... at least take the time to commit the basics to memory, so it's not OBVIOUS that you are reading the cue cards), it's gotten out of hand.

And to the sports media, I have this to say: no matter how you justify it, you are just as bad as the SW community. You dress up in outfits that are indicitive of your specific passion, you will wait for hours to get tickets to the "show," and you have no effect on how the event plays out. In most cases, there are up to 80 times you can see your desired team play. So get the hell off of that horse whose back seems to be taller than the radio tower that spews your crap to the world (yes, Gregg "The Hammer" Williams, this means you... I am an avid fan of your show and your station, and I think it's freakish the way you "score" a baseball game... I'd rather get the stats from the paper or on-line... also, there is no way in HELL that you'll just walk up to a box office tomorrow and get a ticket right before showtime and get whatever seat you want; the movie did almost as much in ONE SHOWING at midnight across the country than some box office champs do in a whole weekend). It's these same "freaks" that probably work very hard to make sure that you look and sound good over the airwaves, so watch who you call what.

Wow. That felt kinda good.

BB

The Calm Before The Storm

In less than eight hours, I will be feasting my senses on the experience known as Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. There have been ups and downs on the roller coaster of my life known as the last month, but it is all coming to a culmination tonight in beautiful DLP goodness.

I am prepared for the fact that I am going to be the walking dead tomorrow, but I am OK with the fact that it will all be worth it. The critics (for the most part... Rolling Stone has just become more shock value to me than anything anymore) have been gushing over it, and I am told that the first whole reel (about 25 minutes) is the opening battle scene (drool), I don't think it's possible for me to do anything but love this film. "Famous last words," I know. But I am willing to put this out there.

I'm not saying that I have the bar set real high, nor have I set it very low. I am one of the guys that actually liked The Phantom Menace (I simply see it as the first chapter in a book, Jake Lloyd's acting aside), and I really enjoyed Attack of the Clones.

And then, there's this.

Three years ago, when Attack of the Clones came out, my friend Chad and I had a conversation that has really been ringing to me lately. We came to the conclusion that, when this day came, we would be excited for it and sad for it at the same time. On one hand, this is the final piece to the puzzle of the story of the rise and fall and rise again of Anakin Skywalker. On the other hand, this is it. A phenomenon that occupied almost our entire lives is coming to a close (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX aside... I'm not counting on this happening, but it would be cool), from watching the movies over and over ad nauseum, dragging parents, friends, and kids to conventions, relaxing to the musical score, suffering through the Holiday Speical, having action figures before anybody else at school, buying almost every version of the films ever put out, seeing the movies over and over again when they were re-released, rumors of the prequels, casting, "Celebration" conventions, and forming bonds with people that we might not have bonds with otherwise (including each other, to an extent), Lucas' vision of a story from a long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away will linger for generations to come.

My name is Rob, and I'm a geek. A damn proud one.

BB

The Longest Yard

Last night, I got to attend a screening of this remake of the 1974 Burt Reynolds classic, hosted by the great Michael Irvin. Big props to Bart Wright for scoring me the tickets for myself and the wife. Mike's entire family was there, as well as Deion Sanders, local big-time preacher T.D. Jakes, a slew of family and friends, and as Mike put it "some of the best fans in the world".

Mike and his wife did not stay for the movie, as he committed to have his first viewing of the film with the cast in L.A. (I respect that), but did have a Q&A session afterwards. I wanted to stay to hear the Q&A, but due to the fact that it was almost 10:00 PM by the time the movie was over, plus the drive home, plus the fact that this is going to be a LONG week, we skipped out.

Now that we have the scene set, let's get to the review...

Former Pittsburgh quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler), kicked out of the NFL for allegedly shaving points in a big game, gets himself thrown in a Texas prison for basically ruining a LOT of policemen's evening. Once there he learns that the warden (James Cromwell) hosts a football team comprised of the guards, and wants Crewe to help get the team into shape to win the state championship. Crewe suggests that they have a warm-up game to get ready for the season, and in return is given the task of forming a team of inmates to take on the guards in what should be a blow-out.

If you are expecting the dark, serious tone of the 1974 version, you're only halfway there. Sandler has shown he can work serious, but this is not Punch-Drunk Love here (thankfully). He works the exact balance of drama and comedy, with a couple of nods to some of his previous films.

As for the rest 0f the cast, I was very impressed with the work of some of the non-actors (Michael Irvin, Nelly, Bill Goldberg, Bob Sapp, Kevin Nash, Steve Austin, Brian Bozworth). Director Peter Berg does a great job of keeping the story moving, and makes great use of the camera during the football sequences. I found myself laughing out loud more than once, and cringing at all of the right times.

So, on a scale from 1-10, I will give The Longest Yard an 8, which means "probably not going to get a Best Picture nod, but I'd pay to see it again at night".

Until next time...

BB

Eight Days A Week

Long weekend leading into a long week.

Got to spend some time at the charity lineup this past weekend. Good to see the group before Wednesday, and I got to hear some stories about what's been happening in the overnights, which brings me to a rant.

You know, I don't really care if you believe in and/or agree with someone's belief system of likes and dislikes. Do everyone a favor for me and don't infringe upon their personal space, much less safety. There was a guy out at the lineup camping out who was awakened the other day to the sound of huge firecrackers being set off. That was bad enough, but they were ATTACHED TO HIS TENT. To the point that they were right next to him.

I can go to the wall with some things, but this is ridiculous. If it makes you feel better to belittle somebody else, fine. You might want to run a self-diagnostic, but whatever. But when it gets to the point where you possibly cause someone physical harm, it's just wrong. This guy could have, on the outside, lost some hearing. At the most I don't even want to consider. I mean, these things blew a hole in the side of his tent. Air horns, yelling things out your window, revving up your engine, snickering, shaking your head... sure, they're hurtful and wrong, but this is SUPER WRONG. I hope someone finds these guys and shoves a firecracker straight up their tookus.

I would also like to display my distaste for a local radio station who ran a contest over the weekend that does not sit well with me. Mix 102.9, which is an adult contemporary station, was giving away family 4 packs to a showing of Episode III at 7 PM on Wednesday. Go back and read that last sentance carefully. If you do your math correctly, you will realize that this screening is five hours before the show that D/FW FanForce has been lining up for. At the same theater.

If you want to do this screening, that's cool. Just don't do it at the theater where fans have been raising money for charity by lining up to get into the midnight showing for two weeks. The theater management came out and apologized to the group, saying that this thing was dropped in their lap. Granted, this is a ClearChannel station, so take that for what it is worth. I'm close to the point of taking them off of my presets.

Ending this on an upbeat, I get to attend a screening tonight of The Longest Yard, sponsored by our local ESPN radio station, and it will be attended by one of the film's stars, Cowboy great Michael Irvin. Exciting times, and I'll try to have a review up tomorrow.

And Mario, since this is the last entry you'll see before you get on the road, have a safe trip down, and we all can't wait to see you.

BB