Gigantor

4 Stars

Starring Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino (Spy Kids 1-3), Kim Raver (Third Watch & The Nine), Mickey Rooney (It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Bill Cobb (A Mighty Wind), Ricky Gervais (The Office - BBC) Dick Van Dyke, & Robin Williams

Very nice holiday film showing a man who is struggling to support himself and impress his son takes on a last minute job that becomes an adventure.

Ben Stiller was entertaining, but Rooney & Wilson stoled the show. Van Dyke did well, too. Attilla The Hun was great as well. This is as definate owner.

Check it out. You'll like it.

Gigantor

4 Stars

Starring Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino (Spy Kids 1-3), Kim Raver (Third Watch & The Nine), Mickey Rooney (It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Bill Cobb (A Mighty Wind), Ricky Gervais (The Office - BBC) Dick Van Dyke, & Robin Williams

Very nice holiday film showing a man who is struggling to support himself and impress his son takes on a last minute job that becomes an adventure.

Ben Stiller was entertaining, but Rooney & Wilson stoled the show. Van Dyke did well, too. Attilla The Hun was great as well. This is as definate owner.

Check it out. You'll like it.

Gigantor

4 Stars

Starring Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino (Spy Kids 1-3), Kim Raver (Third Watch & The Nine), Mickey Rooney (It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Bill Cobb (A Mighty Wind), Ricky Gervais (The Office - BBC) Dick Van Dyke, & Robin Williams

Very nice holiday film showing a man who is struggling to support himself and impress his son takes on a last minute job that becomes an adventure.

Ben Stiller was entertaining, but Rooney & Wilson stoled the show. Van Dyke did well, too. Attilla The Hun was great as well. This is as definate owner.

Check it out. You'll like it.

Nguzo Saba

Hello folks.

I'm sure you all know about Kwanzaa. The official definition is A Celebration of Family, Community & Culture. It is celebrated from December 26th - January 1. So case you were wondering, no it's not a religious holiday. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966. Here is a brief bio from the Official Kwanzaa Web Site (http://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org):

Dr. Maulana Karenga is professor of the Department of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach. He is also chair of the President's Task Force on Multicultural Education and Campus Diversity at California State University, Long Beach. Dr. Karenga holds two Ph.D.'s; his first in political science with focus on the theory and practice of nationalism (United States International University) and his second in social ethics with a focus on the classical African ethics of ancient Egypt (University of Southern California). He also holds an honorary doctorate of philosophy from the University of Durban-Westville, South Africa.

Dr. Karenga is also widely known as the creator of Kwanzaa, an African American and Pan-African holiday celebrated throughout the world African community on every continent in the world. He is the author of the authoritative book on the subject: Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Community and Culture and lectures regularly and extensively on the vision and values of Kwanzaa, especially the Nguzo Saba (The Seven Principles), in various national and international venues.

More information on Dr. Karenga, Kwanzaa & Nguzo Saba can be found on the site linked above.

Later.......................

Christmas

Well I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Mine was pretty nice. We pretty much relaxed until we went to my mothers for dinner.

It was fun times there and lots of food as my mother always does. The dogs had fun too especially Tyson as he went outside in her fenced in yard and just ran & jumped all over the place. Again I wish I had a Digital Camcorder. Someday I guess.

I sleep about a 3rd of the time there and I don't know why. Oh well.

My sister-in-law & her boyfriend also came and they really enjoyed the chow as they chowed down.

We later came back and just chilled some more then went to bed.

I sure you guys may have done more, but I hope you had fun.

Later...........

No Thank You

3 Stars

Starring Aaron Eckhart & Maria Bello

Movie about a spokesman for tobacco companies all over the nation, who doesn't do it because the love the product, but he can talk and debate well. This movie definately shows a different side to what the promoters of some the most dangerous products go through.

I kind of liked the comedic twist in it. It showed a different side in Aaron's acting abilities. Maria (ER & Cowboy Ugly) also did well as she plays a spokeswoman for the alcohol industry.

One of the best parts was when they argued on who had the most deaths.

Not an owner, but at least worth checking out.

4 Stars

Starring Kevin James (King Of Queens), Courtney Cox Arquette (Friends & Dirt), Danny Glover (Color Purple & Lethal Weapon), Sam Elliot (Tombstone) & Wanda Sykes (Over The Hedge).

Directed by Steve Oedekerk (Kung Pow)

A hilarious flick about a young party cow who learns the hard way that he must grow up and run things. Wanda as usual was great playing Bessy, the blocking best friend to Daisy (Cox). And Sam Elliot did well with that distinctive voice of his playing Ben, the father of Otis (James). If I were to compare this move to another animated flick it would be Hoodwinked. Just as funny.

Definately check it out. OWNER!!!!!!

No Thank You

3 Stars

Starring Aaron Eckhart & Maria Bello

Movie about a spokesman for tobacco companies all over the nation, who doesn't do it because the love the product, but he can talk and debate well. This movie definately shows a different side to what the promoters of some the most dangerous products go through.

I kind of liked the comedic twist in it. It showed a different side in Aaron's acting abilities. Maria (ER & Cowboy Ugly) also did well as she plays a spokeswoman for the alcohol industry.

One of the best parts was when they argued on who had the most deaths.

Not an owner, but at least worth checking out.

4 Stars

Starring Kevin James (King Of Queens), Courtney Cox Arquette (Friends & Dirt), Danny Glover (Color Purple & Lethal Weapon), Sam Elliot (Tombstone) & Wanda Sykes (Over The Hedge).

Directed by Steve Oedekerk (Kung Pow)

A hilarious flick about a young party cow who learns the hard way that he must grow up and run things. Wanda as usual was great playing Bessy, the blocking best friend to Daisy (Cox). And Sam Elliot did well with that distinctive voice of his playing Ben, the father of Otis (James). If I were to compare this move to another animated flick it would be Hoodwinked. Just as funny.

Definately check it out. OWNER!!!!!!

No Thank You

3 Stars

Starring Aaron Eckhart & Maria Bello

Movie about a spokesman for tobacco companies all over the nation, who doesn't do it because the love the product, but he can talk and debate well. This movie definately shows a different side to what the promoters of some the most dangerous products go through.

I kind of liked the comedic twist in it. It showed a different side in Aaron's acting abilities. Maria (ER & Cowboy Ugly) also did well as she plays a spokeswoman for the alcohol industry.

One of the best parts was when they argued on who had the most deaths.

Not an owner, but at least worth checking out.

4 Stars

Starring Kevin James (King Of Queens), Courtney Cox Arquette (Friends & Dirt), Danny Glover (Color Purple & Lethal Weapon), Sam Elliot (Tombstone) & Wanda Sykes (Over The Hedge).

Directed by Steve Oedekerk (Kung Pow)

A hilarious flick about a young party cow who learns the hard way that he must grow up and run things. Wanda as usual was great playing Bessy, the blocking best friend to Daisy (Cox). And Sam Elliot did well with that distinctive voice of his playing Ben, the father of Otis (James). If I were to compare this move to another animated flick it would be Hoodwinked. Just as funny.

Definately check it out. OWNER!!!!!!

December '06 Trailers

Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, & Jeremy Piven

A team of U.S. counter-terrorism investigators set out to find the perpetrators behind a deadly attack on Americans in a Middle Eastern country. In order to work through the bureaucracy and cultural hostility, the team enlists a local police officer, but still find itself target for the terrorists.

Written & Produced by Micheal Mann

Music By Danny Elfman

Directed By Peter Berg (Starred In Collateral & Corky Romano)

Releases April 20, 2007

http://www.thekingdommovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

GRINDHOUSE

From the men who brought to you: Pulp Fiction, Desperato, Resevior Dogs, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Kill Bill, & Sin City.

Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez present two full-length movies in a new horror double feature.

In Rodriguez's "Planet Terror," two doctors find their graveyard shift inundated with townspeople ravaged by sores. Among the wounded is Cherry, a dancer whose leg was ripped from her body. As the invalids quickly become enraged aggressors, Cherry and her ex-boyfriend Wray lead a team of accidental warriors into the night.

In Tarantino's "Death Proof," Austin's hottest DJ, Jungle Julia, sets out into the night to unwind with her two friends Shanna an Arlene. Covertly tracking their moves is Stuntman Mike, a scarred rebel leering from behind the wheel of his muscle car, revving just feet away.

Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Marley Shelton, Kurt Russell, Naveen Andews, & Rosario Dawson

Releasing April 6, 2007

http://www.grindhousemovie.net/

-----------------------------------------------

The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson

Produced by Steven Spielberg & Micheal Bay

Directed by Micheal Bay

Definately a huge flick looking forward by many of Transformer cult fans including myself. Check it out if you are a true fan of the 80's cartoon.

Releasing July 4, 2007

http://www.transformersmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson are a promising singing trio called The Dreamettes. Their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who moves the girls from backup singers of superstar James "Thunder" Early to superstars of their own.

Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, with Danny Glover, & Eddie Murphy.

Releasing Christmas Day 2006.

http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Check out these flicks if you like. Hopefully they won't be disappointing.

Later..........

December '06 Trailers

Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, & Jeremy Piven

A team of U.S. counter-terrorism investigators set out to find the perpetrators behind a deadly attack on Americans in a Middle Eastern country. In order to work through the bureaucracy and cultural hostility, the team enlists a local police officer, but still find itself target for the terrorists.

Written & Produced by Micheal Mann

Music By Danny Elfman

Directed By Peter Berg (Starred In Collateral & Corky Romano)

Releases April 20, 2007

http://www.thekingdommovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

GRINDHOUSE

From the men who brought to you: Pulp Fiction, Desperato, Resevior Dogs, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Kill Bill, & Sin City.

Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez present two full-length movies in a new horror double feature.

In Rodriguez's "Planet Terror," two doctors find their graveyard shift inundated with townspeople ravaged by sores. Among the wounded is Cherry, a dancer whose leg was ripped from her body. As the invalids quickly become enraged aggressors, Cherry and her ex-boyfriend Wray lead a team of accidental warriors into the night.

In Tarantino's "Death Proof," Austin's hottest DJ, Jungle Julia, sets out into the night to unwind with her two friends Shanna an Arlene. Covertly tracking their moves is Stuntman Mike, a scarred rebel leering from behind the wheel of his muscle car, revving just feet away.

Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Marley Shelton, Kurt Russell, Naveen Andews, & Rosario Dawson

Releasing April 6, 2007

http://www.grindhousemovie.net/

-----------------------------------------------

The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson

Produced by Steven Spielberg & Micheal Bay

Directed by Micheal Bay

Definately a huge flick looking forward by many of Transformer cult fans including myself. Check it out if you are a true fan of the 80's cartoon.

Releasing July 4, 2007

http://www.transformersmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson are a promising singing trio called The Dreamettes. Their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who moves the girls from backup singers of superstar James "Thunder" Early to superstars of their own.

Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, with Danny Glover, & Eddie Murphy.

Releasing Christmas Day 2006.

http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Check out these flicks if you like. Hopefully they won't be disappointing.

Later..........

December '06 Trailers

Starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, & Jeremy Piven

A team of U.S. counter-terrorism investigators set out to find the perpetrators behind a deadly attack on Americans in a Middle Eastern country. In order to work through the bureaucracy and cultural hostility, the team enlists a local police officer, but still find itself target for the terrorists.

Written & Produced by Micheal Mann

Music By Danny Elfman

Directed By Peter Berg (Starred In Collateral & Corky Romano)

Releases April 20, 2007

http://www.thekingdommovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

GRINDHOUSE

From the men who brought to you: Pulp Fiction, Desperato, Resevior Dogs, From Dusk 'Til Dawn, Kill Bill, & Sin City.

Directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez present two full-length movies in a new horror double feature.

In Rodriguez's "Planet Terror," two doctors find their graveyard shift inundated with townspeople ravaged by sores. Among the wounded is Cherry, a dancer whose leg was ripped from her body. As the invalids quickly become enraged aggressors, Cherry and her ex-boyfriend Wray lead a team of accidental warriors into the night.

In Tarantino's "Death Proof," Austin's hottest DJ, Jungle Julia, sets out into the night to unwind with her two friends Shanna an Arlene. Covertly tracking their moves is Stuntman Mike, a scarred rebel leering from behind the wheel of his muscle car, revving just feet away.

Starring Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Marley Shelton, Kurt Russell, Naveen Andews, & Rosario Dawson

Releasing April 6, 2007

http://www.grindhousemovie.net/

-----------------------------------------------

The Earth is caught in the middle of an intergalactic war between two races of robots, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel, Megan Fox, Tyrese Gibson

Produced by Steven Spielberg & Micheal Bay

Directed by Micheal Bay

Definately a huge flick looking forward by many of Transformer cult fans including myself. Check it out if you are a true fan of the 80's cartoon.

Releasing July 4, 2007

http://www.transformersmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson are a promising singing trio called The Dreamettes. Their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who moves the girls from backup singers of superstar James "Thunder" Early to superstars of their own.

Starring Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Beyonce Knowles, Anika Noni Rose, with Danny Glover, & Eddie Murphy.

Releasing Christmas Day 2006.

http://www.dreamgirlsmovie.com/

-----------------------------------------------

Check out these flicks if you like. Hopefully they won't be disappointing.

Later..........

Entertainment Junkie

It returns. I have decided to bring back the Junkie. It's just something an entertainmentphile (Is that a word?) loves to do.

So check it out: http://enterainmentjunkie.blogspot.com/

Reviews on Movies seen in theaters & DVD, Music, TV, etc.

What I Do......

Well folks. People always wondered what I do so I will do my best explaining. I work for an electronics retailer (The Best One........Heh Heh). I am part of a group of 5 to 10 specialists called simply the Project Team. What we do is pretty much do from store to store doing several, you guessed it, projects. These projects do differ in scale starting from Store Assistance, Departmental Reset, Store Remodel, Store Relocation, and New Store Opening.

Now a brief description:

Store Assistance - During our down time we would just go to several stores during the day and assist the merchandising and/or media team with what they need help catching up on. Normally this is during the holiday season (Mid-November thru February). Nice break from the other work we do.

Departmental Reset - These are the small projects that can range from one to two days and usually happens in one to a few of the small departments or part of a large department (Home Theater, Computers, or Appliances). The department will change due to a new product being introduced or just a new plan. We do this mostly because the store does not have the time or labor to do it. Also pretty cool to do based on complexity.

Store Remodel - Here is when things get hairy. This kind of project usually takes 2 to 5 weeks depending on what is being remodeled and I mean major face lift. U may also hear me call this by the name of the remodel. Recently it's been Customer Centricity. This can be a mother basically because we work overnights and most stores get nervous because the during the day it's not pretty until the project is complete. Most of the time the store is negative about it, but always end up very appreciative. We are use to this.

Store Relocation - We would shorten it to Relo. Most of my team members would say this is the worse project to be part of. I would put it equal to Remodels. This project would take just 3 weeks. Basically the entire store is moved to a new location. The only thing that stays at the old location is the fixturing. This project nice because the store is not open so no worries about cleanliness, but we still keep it clean after every day. Also this is day work. Niiiiiice.

New Store Opening - This is the paradise of every project team. Like the Relos, they are 3 weeks long and day work. The store is brand new, Starting from scratch, No dust or crap everywhere (except for the boxes). Like I said before, this is the favorite of most project teams. Not much negativity happens during this process.

Revisit/Follow-Up - These usually happen after the project (of course). What happens is that something doesn't show up during the project or couldn't be completed due to external delays. Once they show or we can get to it it can be completed. Not to bad.

Most retailers do these same things, but mostly rely of third parties to do it. We are internal/corporate.

Well there you go. Maybe not as brief as I would like. I can get carried away sometimes.

Hopefully you have a better understanding on this. Questions are welcomed.

Oh and we travel a lot. Domestically and Abroad.

Later..........

Merry Christmas

I was in Tyler, TX on an assignment with my Project Team and I was approached by a customer who said, "I saw on your guys website that the sales staff can not say Merry Christmas to customers and I was wondering, is that true?"

Um I believe the company would more so want us to be sensitive to all religions. Meaning if someone says Merry Christmas then we have the option to say it back. If we see someone who is obviously not Christian we will just say have a great day.

I will just add this. You people need to lighten up especially Christians. Christ is not being taken out of Christmas not will it ever be. This "War on Christmas" is nothing, but a test of faith and for folks to be so triggered by people saying Happy Holidays vs Merry Christmas shows your lack of faith. If your faith was so strong you would not be so upset.

On the flipside, folks of other religions who are bothered by Merry Christmas being displayed and said by people, like I said about Christians, this just simply showed your lack of faith. If your faith is strong then you should be happy no matter where you go (Rabbi at the Seattle Airport).

Geez folks. Stop being babies.

*Getting Of My Soapbox*

Later.........................

Success

Alright!!!!!!

I finally got Heather's (Holy Man On Toast) wireless up and running after three failed attempts. Very happy about this as is she.

I just feel good about this because it is the only computer system, other than my own and at work, that I worked on.

I know wireless is not very hard for a geek to handle, but like I said I usually don't work on other systems than my own.

I know that wasn't an interesting blog, but I wanted to post it.

Later..........

Tyson Update #........Don't Remember

Well folks, here is an update on who I now call the runt. According to Jen he is responding to me well. I'm not sure how since he still drives me crazy. He does in a way entertain me in many ways. I wish I owned a digital camcorder so I can show you how crazy he is. Oh we also call him nut job.


He'definately getting comfortable here at home as he jumps on all furniture. He has even mastered jumping on the Bed.



Bella kind of doesn't like that, but he is still not allowed to sleep with us overnight. He still sleep in his kennel.

He and Lucas still battle, but we believe Lucas is enjoying it though. There are times where he looks likes he's looking for Tyson.

Overall it seems like the three critters are getting along. Bella will now chase Tyson back when he bugs her. She will also steal toys from him. Go Bella.

She has a mean snarl.

Here is one other picture I wanted to show you:

Tyson & Lucas are getting civil enough that once in a while they will sleep together.

Very sweet.

I will bring more reports at least once a month.




Later.........

Uncut

Well I went to the ER this morning to removed the stitches that I got 11 days ago on my left thumb. It wasn't too bad to remove. Stung a little.

The bad part of the visit was because I was informed of high blood pressure. Pretty sad new to learn even though given how big I am, I knew something like that would be wrong.

So my adventure in medical begin as I have to see a doctor for re-evaluation. Sad times.

Well pray that HPB is the only thing wrong with me. Though it is foolish to believe that that's all.

Well I'm off to make an appointment.

Later.........

Highway Toys

So I am driving home and all of a sudden I see some paper and trash on the road. Then out of the blue the cars in front of me slammed on their breaks. The reason is because an idiot packed his PICK-UP truck with loads and loads of boxes only anchored down by bungie cables.

Another truck was in the process of backing up to help the guy out. His truck was also filled with boxes held down by bungie cables. I just don't get people sometimes.

Such Dumbasses.

Later.........

Alien Abduction

Movie Review: Happy Feet

4.5 Stars

This was an outstanding film that reunited two actors from the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy; Elijah Wood & Hugo Weaving. It also brought back the feel of a previous film that Nicole Kidman starred in with Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge. But of course the show was stolen by the great comedic actor, Robin Williams who provided the voice for Ramon & Lovelace. Other actors include Hugh Jackman (X-Men & Van Helsing), Brittney Murphy (King Of The Hill & Just Married), Comedian Johnny Sanchez, Carlos Alazraqui (Reno 911), Lombardo Boyar (Bernie Mac Show), Rapper Fat Joe, & the late Steve Irwin.

Love the soundtrack in this flick and enjoyed the dancing sequences although I felt there wasn't enough.

Another impressive part of this film is the combination of real live acting and CGI mixed in.

Definately suggest everyone check out this film.

Owner.

Later........

Gated Community: The Beginning

Well folks. It looks like it is happening here. As you may not know the apartment complex that I live in has been going through some changes since we got new management about a year ago: Redone pool, Mini Picnic Areas, Dog Poop Stations (seriously....). And coming soon, gates at all of the enterances.

We (Jenny & I) were talking about this because we noticed some cutouts on the ground near the enterances and determined that they might be putting up gates soon.

Well I get home from work and right at the main enterance I see workers putting up posts and running wire right where we saw the cut outs. We got to be getting gates. Will that make things better or worse? We will see. For sure it will increase rent in 2008. Especially for maintenence. We already got increased for 2007, but with a bonus break for December.

I will say that the complex is standing by their word on changing some things here.

What's next??????.......

Stay Tuned.........

Later..

New Start

I know about folks doing New Year Resolutions, but it figure I should do some new starts. The biggest being communication. Mostly staying more in touch with people and updating this blog more often and I mean daily.

I also plan to change my web page. If you haven't seen it it is at: www.byov.com/WJCC/Wil.

There are other things, but don't want to talk about all of it now.

Later.......

Home Alone

Well folks. I am not home alone for the week as my wife has flew up to Minnesota to see her family and my mother will be flying up to Milwaukee. I have never experienced a Thanksgiving alone since college (More than 10 years ago). Well I won't be totally alone as I will have my critters:

It will be fun and interesting.


I probably will be doing something with my sister-in-law and her guy on thanksgiving, but other than that it's me and the critters. I plan to relax, clean, & check out movies. I suppose this is a pretty good payback for leaving my wife alone for 10 weeks.

I will be fine though.

Later....

PS3

Oh my God. These folks are crazy with this gaming craze to get one on the day of release. It's just as funny to me as people who go see midnight showing of you horror, sci-fi, or comic book movie.

I have seen people camp out a week before the release of the system. People don't even do that for Black Friday.

It's amazing to see what priorties people have and my are seriously out of wack.
Am I a gamer? Yes. Will I get a PS3? Eventually.

But I will never resort to what I have witnessed this pass week.

Later.......

Homecoming

Oh man. Finally home after three months on overnights. I have been to Springfield, MO......Corpus Christi, TX...........and Laredo, TX during this time along with some local stores. It pretty cool to do a store from time to time, but to have 6 straight Home Theater projects can do a major toll on a person especially when you are away from home.
Even though there is more work to do I am at least at home for almost 2 months. The only other sucky part is that my wife will be heading out of town nest weekend to be with her family for thanksgiving. My mom will also be going out of town to be with the family in Milwaukee.
I will be here almost alone to enjoy Thanksgiving. I say almost because I will be making plans to have Thanksgiving dinner with my sister-in-law, Naomi and her boyfriend.
It will be fun times. Besides I also have my critters to keep me company as my wife did while I was away.
Anyways, it is great to be home.

Later..............

Bone Crusher

Movie Review: The Protector

3 Stars.

Yes Heather, it's a movie review. I checked this flick out in Corpus Christi on October 21st at the Doller Cinema. Pretty intence. Tony Jaa, who also starred in Ong-Bak: Muay Tai Warrior, is the new martial arts superstar following the steps of Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, & Jet Li. Instead of using Kung Fu as the fighing style Jaa brings Muay Tai Kickboxing, which is origionally from Thailand.

The Protector definately keeps your attention as Jaa demonstrates many ways to crush your opponents bones. Very crackling. This film is origionally from Hong Kong with english dubbing in it, which could throw you off, but also keep you entertained.

Since I saw this flick in the budget cinema it will probably hit DVD very soon. I would recommend checking it out if you like Martial Art & Action films.

Later........

Corpus Christi

Well folks I am in Corpus Christi, TX and let me tell you that I was in a terrible mood when I arrived. You would have thought I was flying for hours (the flight was only 1hr 8min).

I started with jumping on a cramped regional jet by American Eagle. This plane was smaller that the one I flew to Minnesota in August. It seriously sucked. The second half of the flight it rained and felt like it took forever to land.

We then headed to the hotel and it again felt like it took forever, but we got there and boy does it ever look like a dump. I am usually pretty okay with where I stay, but with the bad flight and the fact that I'm away from my wife for four weeks, I would expect more from the hotel.

No free breakfast, No Suites, Small fridge & microwave, No street lighting, Nothing near by to go to, and the Gulf of Mexico kicks up too much salt. The only good thing about being there was that the housekeeping staff is very considerate to us in the way that they will clean our rooms if we are not back from the store, yet. Otherwise they will not bother us. Springfield's Residence Inn always bothered us by either knocking on the door, calling the room, or just attempting to come in (and that's with the do not disturb sign on the door).

The remodel at the store here is going well though. The store staff is a hell of a lot better that the last store we worked with. Well back to work.

Later........

Texas State Fair

That's right. No clever title this time just Texas State Fair.

Me, the wife and a few friends went to the fair on Saturday. The weather was very nice and the trip down was pretty cool. It was my first time on the DFW transit system. First, we went on the Trinity Railway Express (TRE) from West Irving Station to Union Station in downtown Dallas. Then we jumped on the DART Red Line train from there to the location of the Fair Shuttle Bus, which of course took us to the fair.

Once there we saw a blockade of Church folk preaching the word and handing out flyers to fairgoers. Got inside the gate and the ladies immediately had to use the facilities. During the time I went to one of the car show buildings. One of the vehicles that caught my eye was the Toyota Avalon. Pretty nice car and very spacious (compared to my Taurus). My friends wanted me to jump into the Nissan Z just so see if I fit in it and I did, but it was low enough to the ground that I had a hard time getting out.

We left and met up with Alex at one of the other gates and went for a corn dog. Pretty tasty, but not a favorite. We then went to check out a dog show featuring some Frisbee catchers, pool divers, and poll racers. Fun times.

Next we went to taste test some food, which some of it was good and others were okay. Nothing to rave about though. We then headed to the Midway where most of the rides and fried food are. There we went on the Texas Star, the largest Ferris Wheel in the Western Hemisphere. I'm not going to lie I was scared to get on it, but I did and it turned out to be okay. We then went to seek out Fried Coke and succeeded. I didn't have any, but we and Jen did enjoy a funnel cake.

After that I went to test drive a couple of Chevrolet vehicles, the Monte Carlo & Avalanche. They were nice to drive, but the Impala is definately one of my favorites.

We then headed home and chilled until I had to fly out to my next project assignment in Corpus Christi, TX.

Fun times.

Later.......

Lunch Time

Okay, so here's the story. I'm working overnights for Best Buy and one night I was on my lunch break where I stopped at a RaceTrac gas station to get some Powerade 2 for $2 and Burger King to get a Whopper for a buck.

At the gas station I was about to leave when I was approach to a man asking me if I might happen to have a hanger on me. Apparently he or his friend must have locked their keys in the car. I, with a dumbfounded look answered no. Like I would be carrying a hanger (let alone a wire one) in my car. Then he asks if I think if anyone else might have a hanger. I said, "I don't know, why don't you go and ask them?" I tried very hard not to laugh and drove off to Burger King.

I ordered 2 Whoppers w/ cheese(A Buck A Piece) and I was quoted $3.10 as my total. That's a lot of tax I thought. Then I got my food with the receipt. The difference was $0.80. That was the price of the cheese on both whoppers. $0.40 per Whopper. Daaaaaaaaammmmmmmmnnnn. That's crazy. Oh well Ileft the King and when back to work to eat my lunch, where on the way I passed the same RaceTrac gas station and low and behold the same 2 dudes were still there lost, confused, and still locked out of their car. I just bust out laughing. Too Funny.

Later......

Jack FM

Correction. Jack FM is on 100.3 Not 100.7.

Sorry.

No Talking DJs Needed

Alright folks of the DFW Metroplex. I don't usually bring up stations for anyone else to check out on a large scale, but I feel this one is necessary. There are two new radio stations that play music pretty much the way it should be played.

One is Jack FM 100.7 FM. This station plays hits from late 60's to today. It's mostly Rock & Pop style music and the recorded DJ is pretty funny. No goofy DJs, no stupid listeners calling in saying how cool they are or who they will or will not date. Dumb Asses.

The next is Movin' 107.5 FM. It's simular to Jack FM except they touch on a different side of the Pop spectrum. R&B, Dance, & Hip Hop. Also like Jack FM (at least so far) they don't have goofy DJs and stupid listeners calling in.

My favorite so far is Movin' with Jack FM falling to second. Kiss, Da Beat, K104, & that Reggaetone (however you spell it) station can lick it hard.

Sorry, Kidd Kraddick, Doug Banks, & Ricky Smiley. You time needs to end.

So check it out and if you don't like them go back to those other stations.

Later........

Update

Alright people, if you haven't attended the color party or aren't pretty close friends of us, I got the promotion. I passed my exam in Minnesota with a pretty good score and I am not a certified Functionality Technician for the Best Buy Project Team. I'm pretty excited about it.

Things are going pretty well on the team and they are giving me more responsibility. It's pretty interesting working for a man who is 10 years my junior, but I can deal with it.

My traveling has increased recently as we went to El Paso just after Labor Day for a week. Then we did a remodel in Springfield, MO. It was kind of interesting as I worked on some new things I never delt with before. We visited a resturant called Lamberts: Home of Throwing Rolls. Yes, they literally throw rolls at you upon request and he throws them like a pitcher. The following I checked out Branson, MO. Bigger than I expected and even more busy. We were in Springfield for 3 weeks

Right now we are doing a remodel in Mesquite, TX and we are about to enter the second and final week for that project. The following Saturday we are flying out to Corpus Christi to do a 2 week remodel there and then a 2 week remodel in Laredo, TX.

Fun times kind of.

I will do better in blogging.

Later.

Wish Me Luck

Well it is the end of my training week and I am going to be taking my Certification Exam tomorrow. I feel confident, yet I'm still a little unsure. I'm more worried on how they will word the questions on the test. Hope I don't get trick into missing the right answer.

I should do well. Me and my roomate quizzed ourselves harder than we expected. So much that Rashaad's head starting hurting and we had to stop. Kind of funny.

Well I better get back to my room and get some more studying in. Haven't studied this hard since college. Man!!!!!

Wish me luck all.........

I will need it.

Oh my gosh.....

Well I am feeling a lot better. No more headache, no more dizzy spells, no more nausea, but I do still have a little congestion.

I start off the day a bit late at 11:00am and went to get something to use for the week of training suggested by my wife. As I was leaving the store I witness an odd situation (I'm still in Minneapolis BTW). There is a car trying to get out of his parking spot. Behind him are 5 cars, 2 facing south and 3 facing north. I'm not sure they are fighting for the same parking spot, but they were at a stand still while waiting for this car to back out. The car inches out and as he does the car closest to him inches towards him. He moves a little more and the car get closer to him. They are practically a couple feet from each other and he has no choice to move forward. So he moves forward and to the right and he was still in parking spots. He gets dangerously close to another parked car and he was practically pinned. The other car that was inching towards him then started to work her way into the spot even though the man has not cleared the area. I started to smile and not laugh and the guy finally got out. That is the most unusual situation I have ever seen (and I'm currently from Texas). Very Sad.

I later headed out to the airport to pick up a couple of co-workers from Dallas-Fort Worth and had to circle the arrival area because they won't allow you to just sit there and wait on your passenger. After 4 rounds, they finally emerged from the airport and we headed back to the hotel. When we entered the room we found a gift pouch on one of the beds (my room had one too, but I never bother to open it). In it was an eye mask, ear plugs, linen spray, & a sleeping CD. So we say, "Put in the CD." and it played some soothing music with a doctor who was pretty must speaking subliminal message into you mind as you sleep. We immediatly turned it off (didn't want to get sleepy).

Later we left for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe in Downtown Minneapolis. Pretty nice. I haven't been to one of these since junior year in high school (Damn I'm Old). Before we got to the resturant a man approached us wanting change to use (for what I don't know and don't care). I gave him some, he said thanks, and then asked for more. I said no, you have it all. Bye. I know that was kind of rude, but you got money from someone. Be happy and move on. Don't be greedy. Dinner was good and we went back to the hotel to rest up and prepare for first day of training.

There's that for today. Not as eventful as yetsterday, but still interesting.

Later............

Minne---SOTA

Well I am now in Minneapolis, MN for job training and I had a pretty interesting trip up here.

First we start of at DFW (That's Dallas-Forth Worth for those of you not in Texas). My wife drops me off and I head to check in. I place my bag on the scale and I am informed that I have to pay $25 for only 5 extra pounds in my bag. Why didn't I take my bookbag with me? Dumbass.

Then after I checked in my bad I headed down to my gate and realized something else. I have my tunes and my player, but no headphones......D'Oh. Dumbass. Well at least I was feeling tired so I can sleep through the flight.

While not feeling well with a headache & slight congestion, I sat at the gate waiting for the announcement to board the plane and I see on CNN Headline News that a judge was being arrested for exposing himself in a court room. WHAT!?!?!?!? I don't remember where this took place, but I just started laughing hard (not that one).

I finally get the announcement to board the plane and as I step on I noticed the the door and walkway one the plane was short and narrow. Found out that I wasn't on a standard American Airlines aircraft, but actually on their smaller jets named American Eagle (***Eagle Screech***).
Man it was cramped (height-wise) and when I used their facilities, let's say I have never had my top head forcibly bent down in the same direction as my bottom one. I just hoped we did run into turbulence and I crack or break my neck.

We approach Minneapolis-St. Paul (MAN THIS IS A LONG STORY) and my headache was still in effect creating dizzy spells. Well that combined with the bumpy descent of the jet cause big time nausea (oohhhh....). I made it down got my luggage and headed for car rental. They were going to cram my big butt into a midsized vehicle, but I was able to get a fullsize car. I had a big choice to make as I saw a Chevrolet Impala & a Pontiac Grand Prix. Well since me and my wife drove an Impala before I figure I try out the Grand Prix. Sweet choice. This car has nice power and sweet sound system. That made my day along with the judge showing his other gavel and somet.........uh nevermind.

Oh, I almost forgot. This also made my day (that makes 4 things). I get to the main desk at the hotel I'm staying at and the people walking around were talking and man oh man. I have never heard the Minnesotan Accent spoken as strong as I heard it here. I tried so hard not to laugh. I know.....BAD WIL!!!!

Oh Ya Sure......You Becha.

Okay. Time to get some grub and relax. Get rid of this headache.

Later.

Tyson Update

This are going pretty well with Tyson. He and Lucas now have an understanding and they play very often. It sometimes sounds like they are fighting, but they are not.

As for Bella she is warming up to him, but she still keeps her distance. Especially when he is in high energy.

One new thing I discovered with him is his odd fear with cats. Probably developed from his relationship with Lucas. He will bark and snarl at them, but when he gets within 5 ft of them he yipes and freaks out.

Oh he's still a puppy. Doesn't have any sense yet. We will change and improve as he grows up.

Catch A Break

Man, a brotha just can't catch a break. My father-in-law is living his last days in hospice, my wife struggles at work (a little), my wife & dog gets attacked by a Rottweiler (he's fine), and now for the second time someone commits identity fraud.

A word to Winfield, THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I DON'T WANT TO SHARE MY INTERNET WITH ANYONE, especially ones I don't know. There are reasons why I strongly value privacy.

Some bitch, and I use that strongly, decided to take our money and go for a swim in Allentown, PA. It's a good thing though that banks monitor and take action when crazy activity on a card. Pretty embarrassing when you can't pay your groceries because of this.

There are a few positives though. I my be able to get a deferment on a couple of loans until this blows over. And we have other sources on funds to get us through for a while.

Don't worry about us. We are still good. We just mostly want a better life than this one and we do believe it will happen. It's just a matter of when.

Growing On Me

Well, here's an update on the Tyson Invader. It's looks like he will stay with us, but he was pretty close on going back. We are trying a routine with him keeping him on a leash, kennel, and pen at times.

Lucas is doing well with him. They now will sleeping near each other without stirring each other up.

Bella is another issue. She is really now accepting him well at all, but she's going to have to soon. First she needs to remember she's the top dog in the house (other than Jenny & Me). Next we need to get her to walk with Tyson without freaking out. Tyson is improving well on walking and the accidents are decreasing (not that there were a lot of them). Bella still walks well, too, but when they are together she is just unbearable. Jenny and I kind of feel it's our fault trying to protect her from getting hurt from other dogs and unintentionally kept her from socializing with other dogs. This is one of the reasons why she loves people so much.

Instead of beating ourselves up on that we are going to break this behavior and work on a new one. It will work because: 1) we are going to work to make this happen and 2) she's going to have to accept that Tyson is not going anywhere.

This will work even if it kills us (don't worry it won't). For some reason I'm feeling very motivated.

Darn Dog Is Growing On Me!!!!!!!

I will give more updates on this and talk on other things as well.

Newcomer

New Post Yeah!!!!!!

Our home has been invaded by a hybrid. Thanks to Heather and Sin we are test driving a new creature for the weekend. His name is Tyson. He is a Chihuahua-Dachshund (man that's harder to spell than the first half) mix.

We got him at a Pet Hospital where Sin works. Tyson was in danger of being put in a pound because the owners have a new baby in the home and since Tyson is only 4 months old, he got very jealous and was nipping & destroying everything. Sin and her co-workers stopped them in their tracks and said to give them two days to find him a home.

She then dropped the bomb at Applebees on movie night in ear shot of my wife. Of course, she was caught of guard and really wanted him, but there was one thing in her way.

YAAAAAARGH ME!!!!

We went to go see him and really liked him. We later took him home for the test drive. Things are going a bit shaky now, but I'm trying to stay positive in believing that we can get him trained and disciplined. It might work. The tough times are when I am out of town and Jenny works her long hours on the same days. He can't be alone for too long. We'll try to figure it out.

Two others are definately not sure about this invader (as they may see it). Lucas as be trying to meet the Tyson and all of Tyson wants to do is play with Lucas, but he's not having that. Bella is even more resistant. Tyson is probably too excitable for her right now. Lucas though seems to have now jumped to protector mode and Tyson is a bit shaky about going near him. It's just the beginning.

I will let you all know later if we end up keeping him or not. Cross your fingers.

KaPow/KaChinga

4 Stars

Starring Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Jenifer Lewis, John Ratzenberger with Micheal Keaton & George Carlin

Another great hit by Pixar. A young rookie, Lightning McQueen, tries to battle it out to win the Piston Cup, but on the way to L.A. he gets caught up in a small town along Route 66 called Radiator Springs. While there he does a little growing up while enriching the lives of the folks there.

Definately worth checking out. Even owning. I love Pixar and I wish they would breakaway from Disney and do their own thing, but I'm not a businessman, just an avid movie goer.

Check it out..........................No, just buy it.

KaPow/KaChinga

4 Stars

Starring Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Jenifer Lewis, John Ratzenberger with Micheal Keaton & George Carlin

Another great hit by Pixar. A young rookie, Lightning McQueen, tries to battle it out to win the Piston Cup, but on the way to L.A. he gets caught up in a small town along Route 66 called Radiator Springs. While there he does a little growing up while enriching the lives of the folks there.

Definately worth checking out. Even owning. I love Pixar and I wish they would breakaway from Disney and do their own thing, but I'm not a businessman, just an avid movie goer.

Check it out..........................No, just buy it.

KaPow/KaChinga

4 Stars

Starring Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry The Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, Tony Shalhoub, Jenifer Lewis, John Ratzenberger with Micheal Keaton & George Carlin

Another great hit by Pixar. A young rookie, Lightning McQueen, tries to battle it out to win the Piston Cup, but on the way to L.A. he gets caught up in a small town along Route 66 called Radiator Springs. While there he does a little growing up while enriching the lives of the folks there.

Definately worth checking out. Even owning. I love Pixar and I wish they would breakaway from Disney and do their own thing, but I'm not a businessman, just an avid movie goer.

Check it out..........................No, just buy it.

Oh Bugger!!!!

Movie Review

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The saga continues. This was a great movie. Johnny Depp was a great as ever and it was saweet to see Barbosa at the end. I can't say much more about this movie accept that the Kraken was very gross, yet cool.

Here are some comments of some of my friends.

Cynthia Coffman: Arrgh! It was a yo-ho-hoing good time!

Heather Staples: The innuendo's were cracking me up..though I could have done w/o the scary tentale oogie-ness.

Elizabeth Williams: Loved it!!!

Megan Monzel: There should have been tentacle sex. I mean, look at how phallic Davey Jones' head was!!!

Peter Overland: Wonderful!

Kelley Hartsell: loved it! already saw it a second time too. :-)

Winderful Andravin: YO HO! Swash me buckle and tickle me pickle, savvy?

Lindy Rosado: The ending was like a walk down the plank! And now we have to wait a whole year to finish the story?! BOO

Laura Hardison: IT SUCKED

Oh Bugger!!!!

Movie Review

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The saga continues. This was a great movie. Johnny Depp was a great as ever and it was saweet to see Barbosa at the end. I can't say much more about this movie accept that the Kraken was very gross, yet cool.

Here are some comments of some of my friends.

Cynthia Coffman: Arrgh! It was a yo-ho-hoing good time!

Heather Staples: The innuendo's were cracking me up..though I could have done w/o the scary tentale oogie-ness.

Elizabeth Williams: Loved it!!!

Megan Monzel: There should have been tentacle sex. I mean, look at how phallic Davey Jones' head was!!!

Peter Overland: Wonderful!

Kelley Hartsell: loved it! already saw it a second time too. :-)

Winderful Andravin: YO HO! Swash me buckle and tickle me pickle, savvy?

Lindy Rosado: The ending was like a walk down the plank! And now we have to wait a whole year to finish the story?! BOO

Laura Hardison: IT SUCKED

Oh Bugger!!!!

Movie Review

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

The saga continues. This was a great movie. Johnny Depp was a great as ever and it was saweet to see Barbosa at the end. I can't say much more about this movie accept that the Kraken was very gross, yet cool.

Here are some comments of some of my friends.

Cynthia Coffman: Arrgh! It was a yo-ho-hoing good time!

Heather Staples: The innuendo's were cracking me up..though I could have done w/o the scary tentale oogie-ness.

Elizabeth Williams: Loved it!!!

Megan Monzel: There should have been tentacle sex. I mean, look at how phallic Davey Jones' head was!!!

Peter Overland: Wonderful!

Kelley Hartsell: loved it! already saw it a second time too. :-)

Winderful Andravin: YO HO! Swash me buckle and tickle me pickle, savvy?

Lindy Rosado: The ending was like a walk down the plank! And now we have to wait a whole year to finish the story?! BOO

Laura Hardison: IT SUCKED

Who's Son Are You?

Movie Review

Superman Returns

After 5 years the man returns. This was a great movie done by Brian Singer (X2 & Usual Suspects) starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, & Kevin Spacey. Spacey was the perfect choice in place of Hackman to play the role of Lex Luthor (very twisted character). A lot of folks would say the story line was pretty lame, but if you think of it. No one thought very highly of any of the Superman movies except for Superman II when he battle General Zod and his partners in crime. People loved that one.

So in the light of that I felt this Superman definately follow the ways of the old movies. Very impressive given how some of the other comic book films that sway or change from the origional story flow.

I definately recommend this movie to any action, sci-fi, comic book fan. You will enjoy it. Check it out.

Who's Son Are You?

Movie Review

Superman Returns

After 5 years the man returns. This was a great movie done by Brian Singer (X2 & Usual Suspects) starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, & Kevin Spacey. Spacey was the perfect choice in place of Hackman to play the role of Lex Luthor (very twisted character). A lot of folks would say the story line was pretty lame, but if you think of it. No one thought very highly of any of the Superman movies except for Superman II when he battle General Zod and his partners in crime. People loved that one.

So in the light of that I felt this Superman definately follow the ways of the old movies. Very impressive given how some of the other comic book films that sway or change from the origional story flow.

I definately recommend this movie to any action, sci-fi, comic book fan. You will enjoy it. Check it out.

Who's Son Are You?

Movie Review

Superman Returns

After 5 years the man returns. This was a great movie done by Brian Singer (X2 & Usual Suspects) starring Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, & Kevin Spacey. Spacey was the perfect choice in place of Hackman to play the role of Lex Luthor (very twisted character). A lot of folks would say the story line was pretty lame, but if you think of it. No one thought very highly of any of the Superman movies except for Superman II when he battle General Zod and his partners in crime. People loved that one.

So in the light of that I felt this Superman definately follow the ways of the old movies. Very impressive given how some of the other comic book films that sway or change from the origional story flow.

I definately recommend this movie to any action, sci-fi, comic book fan. You will enjoy it. Check it out.