Cheeseburgers
I just ate 3 McDonald's cheeseburgers. 2 more are waiting for me in the fridge. I must say, they were quite good. The tastiness has inspired me to rate the various cheeseburgers I have eaten:
McDonald's - Great all-around cheeseburger. Nothing special about the bun, patty, American cheese, and slice of pickle, but it's well put together. Simplicity is its charm. One is not enough to satisfy as a meal, but when the price drops to 49 cents, it's a tough one to beat.
White Castle - A decent offering, but somewhat languishes in the shadow of its more popular older brother, the White Castle hamburger. The bun-cheese-meat distribution needs some fine tuning, but it's still worth eating, especially in combination with a few of those beloved original Sliders.
Burger King - It's hard to understand how a place that calls itself "Burger King" could produce one of the pussiest cheeseburgers out there. If not for the quality Whopper, one seriously wonders whether it's even worth going to BK any more these days. Although the patty is relatively thick and well cooked, it hardly belongs in the embrace of vomit-inducing cheese and such an awful bun. How bread could be both mushy and flaky is beyond me, but such is exactly the case with the bun of this inferior sandwich. Unlike the McDonald's cheeseburger, the BK cheeseburger severely lacks identity; it doesn't serve well as cheap fast food, nor does it belong with the more expensive cheeseburgers. And certainly it should not be considered except in very desperate situations.
T.G.I.Friday's - When you go to a sit-down place and pay more than you do at fast food joints, it's reasonable to expect a significantly higher quality of cheeseburger. Well, it's safe to say that the folks at Friday's do not disappoint. With a generous selection of toppings, various types of cheese, and a thick juicy patty cooked to order, few cheeseburger lovers will have difficulty finding a combination to their liking. Solid and well built in every aspect.
Chili's - At first glance, appears quite similar to the Friday's cheeseburger. Unfortunately, despite having most of the same toppings and cheeses to choose from, Chili's patties are often under or overcooked in relation to the eater's request. Though the cheeseburger has potential to be excellent, the lack of consistency in its preparation leaves much to be desired.
Murphy's (Green St. Champaign) - Arguably the best cheeseburgers (or any burgers, for that matter) to be found down at U of I. Great by itself, but even greater when combined with free fries on Sundays. Simply a delight to the senses and highly recommended for anybody, at any given time.
Fuddruckers - Nothing special can really be said about the cheeseburgers at Fuddruckers. As is the case with this restaurant in general, customization is the key specialty. No complaints with the choices of patty size, which is not an option at other venues, but otherwise, the cheeseburger is average at best.
Taste of Chicago (forgot the name) - A well known staple of the Taste is the incessant yet entertaining hollering of "cheeseburger-cheeseburger-cheeseburger". But unlike the big-ass turkey legs, these are not considered "must-eats" for the yearly visit. The bun is reminiescent of the Burger King travesty, but is not quite as terrible. However, this cheeseburger is severely overrated and most are advised to save their tickets for beer.
*****
While waiting at the drive-thru to get my McDonald's cheeseburgers today, I was stuck behind this lady who decided to be retarded. She tried to order 10 cheeseburgers, but was told that the limit was 5. Her reaction was "you gotta be kidding me. I'm in a cast! I can't walk! Let me speak to your manager!!" I thought I was passionate about cheeseburgers, but the fury of this woman was scary. I wonder what her reasoning was, that being in a cast entitled her to berate a helpless employee, through the drive-thru intercom, expecting to have the company policy of the largest restaurant fast-food chain bent to her desires, while people like me had to sit there and wait. Well, eventually she gave up and just settled for 5. I wanted to grab a bat and pound in her windshield, but I'm pretty sure she got plenty of spit and armpit hairs in her food so it's all good.
*****
Wow, just saw Jose Valentin jack his 3rd in a row. Sox are playing such good baseball, I wonder how long it can last. Apparently Kirk Hinrich and Nick Collison had to check out the action for themselves in person. Well, what else is there to do in Kansas City? I wonder why they are there anyways, crazy white kids.
*****
Simpson's quote of the day: "Szechuan eh? No wonder she's so spicy! rrrrrrr" - Bart
Currently playing on my Winamp: White Stripes - We're Gonna Be Friends
I love this song. It's so pleasant and happy, puts me in a good mood.
Wednesday, July 30, 2003
come now oh my star is fading the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament optically perfect (99.9%) airborne contaminants surprising but cute but time is on your side its on your side now double star local trigger like a carousel up down and around it's no cause for concern 100% made in the U.S.A. not black and white most dramatic person 6-3 stuck on the end of this ball and chain and i'm on my way back down again kana %Reading+%Range giles gone wild say what you mean but it won't change a thing sick of the secrets received their reward in full polymer chains a thug changes love changes best friends become strangers Gateway no thanks no time but i sent you away what shall we say then? transportability matrix you can never ever leave without leaving a piece of youth blank canvas taipei USC full scale meat taco current call lager home plate and our lives are forever changed national party Dominate word bone scan sleeping bag believe in me VQ35 rated rookie have a hug dynamic host blue monster perkins finish last loud warble tone by open field parking carpet green CV cotton gap puppy church tha mc embers never fade city by the lake shark jack accelerator got the afternoon perfect rain whatever halftime silver underneath court mariachi band 168 wedge must be more moment that is mine how come Spot you came along and you cut me loose
Monday, July 28, 2003
Venting
Well, here I am at work late... again. So much stuff to do, the emails and phone calls keep coming from all these mother b*tches, asking me if I know the answer to their question and if not, can I find out, stuff like that. Being here past 5 or 6 sucks for the fact that normally at this time, I would be at home watching Friends or something. But I have to say, I get a whole lot more work done after everyone else is gone for the day, than I do in the 8 hours of normal time.
I guess one thing that calms me is thinking back to the early months of this year when I was on scheduled overtime. Add that to living in Darien, and snow on the highways, and I wasn't getting home till 7 or 8 a lot of times, while having to sleep at like 9 or 10. Also for a while my mom and dad went to Taiwan, so I had to take care of the house and cook for myself (i.e. McDonald's food-poisoning-inducing-Filet-O-Fishes). How quickly I forget the days of zero free time and no energy to do anything. So this is a good reminder that I shouldn't complain too much right now. Maybe I'll even go back and read my blogs from that time period, like when I wrote an "Ode to Snow" and stuff.
Well, here I am at work late... again. So much stuff to do, the emails and phone calls keep coming from all these mother b*tches, asking me if I know the answer to their question and if not, can I find out, stuff like that. Being here past 5 or 6 sucks for the fact that normally at this time, I would be at home watching Friends or something. But I have to say, I get a whole lot more work done after everyone else is gone for the day, than I do in the 8 hours of normal time.
I guess one thing that calms me is thinking back to the early months of this year when I was on scheduled overtime. Add that to living in Darien, and snow on the highways, and I wasn't getting home till 7 or 8 a lot of times, while having to sleep at like 9 or 10. Also for a while my mom and dad went to Taiwan, so I had to take care of the house and cook for myself (i.e. McDonald's food-poisoning-inducing-Filet-O-Fishes). How quickly I forget the days of zero free time and no energy to do anything. So this is a good reminder that I shouldn't complain too much right now. Maybe I'll even go back and read my blogs from that time period, like when I wrote an "Ode to Snow" and stuff.
Friday, July 25, 2003
Friday, I'm In Love (?)
Finally, the end of this work week has arrived. Fridays are always nice because the atmosphere is different, much more relaxed. People bring in doughnuts, everyone goes out for 2-hour lunches, and we all get our paychecks. Well, since I use direct deposit, some of the excitement of getting the paycheck and cashing it at the bank is diminished, because the secretary just hands me the stub. But still, it's always a good feeling at the end of each work week to see the fruits of your labor, summed up into a tidy number of dollars and cents (minus taxes). Especially this week, I think I definitely earned my paycheck.
*****
Yesterday, I watched some of this show called "Burned" on MTV. Basically, it's another one of those hidden camera things, and this one focuses on catching wannabe "players" in their act. Some of it is stupid because they have these girls kind of lead them on and stuff, which is a little unfair. But I was still pretty surprised at how much the guys were willing to lie. One guy said he was 28 (he was 21) and was talking like he knew Justin Timberlake and Jamie Pressley and stuff. The other guy was like "yeah, I just bought a house and stuff", when I think he was still in high school (at least that's what he looked like).
I always knew that guys lied to pick up girls, after all, some of my own friends in college did stuff like that. One guy (who will be unnamed here but some of you will know who I'm talking about) would tell girls that he was a grad student and drove a Benz. And I think it actually worked a lot for him because he was always hooking up. But I just figured that he was the exception, not the rule.
Well, it really makes you wonder about how much you can trust someone, meeting them for the first time. I think I am a pretty good judge of character and I can usually tell when people are full of crap, but I still tend to trust people a lot and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt most of the time. It doesn't really matter so much for me, though, because I'm a guy. When I see how these so-called players go about their business, it makes me a little worried for my sister and some of my close friends. It is also another reason that you shouldn't try to meet random people at bars (or other places), because you never know what kind of weirdos are out there. Now I know you ladies can take care of yourselves, but I still feel sorry for you all having to deal with that kind of stuff. That's probably why so many of the girls who are hot end up being biatches.
*****
On another topic, FANTASY FOOTBALL is fast on its way. Baseball is the best sport, but the most memorable moments come from Fantasy Football, especially in the legendary McNown league, now in its 4th season. For me, it's been many more heartbreaks than celebrations in the past, but that will all change this year. Well, I can always hope. At a minimum, I would like to beat Dave Chan for once, especially as he has already named his team the "Dudo Dominators".
In baseball, since the last time I wrote about my team, they took a sharp dive in the standings (from 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 2nd). It was partly because P's team stepped up, and partly cause my boys all stopped producing. With about 60 games left in the season, I'm looking for A-Rod to make up for his lackluster first half, and Rich Harden to step in and carry some of the starting pitching load from my tired veterans. I really don't wanna finish in 2nd place yet again. >:-O
Finally, the end of this work week has arrived. Fridays are always nice because the atmosphere is different, much more relaxed. People bring in doughnuts, everyone goes out for 2-hour lunches, and we all get our paychecks. Well, since I use direct deposit, some of the excitement of getting the paycheck and cashing it at the bank is diminished, because the secretary just hands me the stub. But still, it's always a good feeling at the end of each work week to see the fruits of your labor, summed up into a tidy number of dollars and cents (minus taxes). Especially this week, I think I definitely earned my paycheck.
*****
Yesterday, I watched some of this show called "Burned" on MTV. Basically, it's another one of those hidden camera things, and this one focuses on catching wannabe "players" in their act. Some of it is stupid because they have these girls kind of lead them on and stuff, which is a little unfair. But I was still pretty surprised at how much the guys were willing to lie. One guy said he was 28 (he was 21) and was talking like he knew Justin Timberlake and Jamie Pressley and stuff. The other guy was like "yeah, I just bought a house and stuff", when I think he was still in high school (at least that's what he looked like).
I always knew that guys lied to pick up girls, after all, some of my own friends in college did stuff like that. One guy (who will be unnamed here but some of you will know who I'm talking about) would tell girls that he was a grad student and drove a Benz. And I think it actually worked a lot for him because he was always hooking up. But I just figured that he was the exception, not the rule.
Well, it really makes you wonder about how much you can trust someone, meeting them for the first time. I think I am a pretty good judge of character and I can usually tell when people are full of crap, but I still tend to trust people a lot and I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt most of the time. It doesn't really matter so much for me, though, because I'm a guy. When I see how these so-called players go about their business, it makes me a little worried for my sister and some of my close friends. It is also another reason that you shouldn't try to meet random people at bars (or other places), because you never know what kind of weirdos are out there. Now I know you ladies can take care of yourselves, but I still feel sorry for you all having to deal with that kind of stuff. That's probably why so many of the girls who are hot end up being biatches.
*****
On another topic, FANTASY FOOTBALL is fast on its way. Baseball is the best sport, but the most memorable moments come from Fantasy Football, especially in the legendary McNown league, now in its 4th season. For me, it's been many more heartbreaks than celebrations in the past, but that will all change this year. Well, I can always hope. At a minimum, I would like to beat Dave Chan for once, especially as he has already named his team the "Dudo Dominators".
In baseball, since the last time I wrote about my team, they took a sharp dive in the standings (from 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 2nd). It was partly because P's team stepped up, and partly cause my boys all stopped producing. With about 60 games left in the season, I'm looking for A-Rod to make up for his lackluster first half, and Rich Harden to step in and carry some of the starting pitching load from my tired veterans. I really don't wanna finish in 2nd place yet again. >:-O
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
Work Busy-ness
The past couple days at work have been by far the busiest I have ever experienced since I started working. Normally, my days are pretty calm, I just do stuff at a leisurely pace. And that's usually enough get everything done without any problems. But for some reason, I have been flooded with phone calls and emails this week, most of which represent a new task for me. I'm really starting to hate that sound Microsoft Outlook makes when new mail arrives.
The bad part is, at the end of the day, I've worked over 10 hours, leave feeling exhausted, and still have a ton of stuff left to do the next day. The good part is, between all of the phone calls, emails, running between offices and labs, I barely even noticed the time going by and it's already Wednesday. I just want this week to be over, and I'm glad the end is somewhat in sight.
Another positive is that, at least in theory, since I haven't really had much of a chance to read peoples blogs and stuff in a few days, there will be many new and interesting updates awaiting me when I finally have time. Well, hopefully my theory will be correct.
Earlier today I got a "good job" from one of my managers. It was unexpected because he is usually one of the tougher guys to deal with, and he always grills everyone (including other managers) on things. The way he asks questions tends to make you feel like you are being interrogated, and it's hard to read his reaction, so usually I figured that he just wasn't possible to please. Thus, to hear a compliment from him was all the more fulfilling.
This makes me consider changing the way I treat people. Maybe if I gave everyone hard looks all the time, threw out insults, or just acted like an overall badass, people would be twice as impressed when I acted nice. So I'm thinking I should go around and say stuff like "dang, you're fugly" or "you are dumb as wood" all the time, and then one day if I happen to compliment someone on their shoes or something, they would be ecstatic.
On a side note, one of my guilty pleasures at work is listening to people get yelled at. It hasn't really happened to me, so maybe that's why I can be so sadistic. But there's something wildly entertaining about hearing people get ripped a new one by their boss.
Well, considering how much stuff I still have to do, it probably wasn't the best idea to write a blog. Looks like I might be here late again. Oh well.
The past couple days at work have been by far the busiest I have ever experienced since I started working. Normally, my days are pretty calm, I just do stuff at a leisurely pace. And that's usually enough get everything done without any problems. But for some reason, I have been flooded with phone calls and emails this week, most of which represent a new task for me. I'm really starting to hate that sound Microsoft Outlook makes when new mail arrives.
The bad part is, at the end of the day, I've worked over 10 hours, leave feeling exhausted, and still have a ton of stuff left to do the next day. The good part is, between all of the phone calls, emails, running between offices and labs, I barely even noticed the time going by and it's already Wednesday. I just want this week to be over, and I'm glad the end is somewhat in sight.
Another positive is that, at least in theory, since I haven't really had much of a chance to read peoples blogs and stuff in a few days, there will be many new and interesting updates awaiting me when I finally have time. Well, hopefully my theory will be correct.
Earlier today I got a "good job" from one of my managers. It was unexpected because he is usually one of the tougher guys to deal with, and he always grills everyone (including other managers) on things. The way he asks questions tends to make you feel like you are being interrogated, and it's hard to read his reaction, so usually I figured that he just wasn't possible to please. Thus, to hear a compliment from him was all the more fulfilling.
This makes me consider changing the way I treat people. Maybe if I gave everyone hard looks all the time, threw out insults, or just acted like an overall badass, people would be twice as impressed when I acted nice. So I'm thinking I should go around and say stuff like "dang, you're fugly" or "you are dumb as wood" all the time, and then one day if I happen to compliment someone on their shoes or something, they would be ecstatic.
On a side note, one of my guilty pleasures at work is listening to people get yelled at. It hasn't really happened to me, so maybe that's why I can be so sadistic. But there's something wildly entertaining about hearing people get ripped a new one by their boss.
Well, considering how much stuff I still have to do, it probably wasn't the best idea to write a blog. Looks like I might be here late again. Oh well.
Monday, July 21, 2003
Fun Times In Palatine
Earlier today, around 5 pm or so, if you happened to live on my street, you could have witnessed a pretty entertaining scene. Some dumbass was washing his car in his driveway, and all of a sudden it started pouring rain, hardcore style. Then instead of just packing his stuff up and going inside right away, the idiot decided to try to finish washing. So while it continued to pour, you would've seen this guy scurrying around with a sponge, head down, and furiously trying scrub his vehicle as he got progressively drenched.
By the way, the dumbass of the story was me. To be fair, no weather reports I consulted throughout the day had even mentioned the possibility of rain. This episode further intensifies my scorn for the weather forecasting industry. They are so worthless. The thing is, it was really sunny and nice all day, and then in a matter of about 2 minutes, it got dark and then the clouds decided to unload on me and my car washing gear.
Anyways, the reason I decided to try and finish washing was because I only had one side done, and I figured it would look too retarded if only half of it was clean and the rest was dirty. As it turns out, I didn't exactly do the most thorough job finishing up the job in the rain, so there are still a bunch of parts that are dirty and my car looks retarded now anyways.
Meanwhile, I got pretty well soaked. I thought my days of getting soaked with my clothes on had reached its end with the "fountain incident" last month, but apparently this was not so. I must say that having all your clothes be plastered to your skin is one of my least favorite feelings. Not quite "catheter-level" of discomfort, but it still sucks.
*****
Currently playing on my Winamp: Velvet Revolver - Set Me Free
Dang, I haven't written blogs at home in a long time. This song is good, Scott Weiland hasn't done anything good lately but this almost brings me back to the early STP days.
*****
Some pics from BLU, as requested:
Sorry if it takes a while to load, or if Imagestation is messed up. Maybe in the future I will just post a link to an Imagestation album, but for now I'm just gonna try to keep it all on this page as much as possible.
Earlier today, around 5 pm or so, if you happened to live on my street, you could have witnessed a pretty entertaining scene. Some dumbass was washing his car in his driveway, and all of a sudden it started pouring rain, hardcore style. Then instead of just packing his stuff up and going inside right away, the idiot decided to try to finish washing. So while it continued to pour, you would've seen this guy scurrying around with a sponge, head down, and furiously trying scrub his vehicle as he got progressively drenched.
By the way, the dumbass of the story was me. To be fair, no weather reports I consulted throughout the day had even mentioned the possibility of rain. This episode further intensifies my scorn for the weather forecasting industry. They are so worthless. The thing is, it was really sunny and nice all day, and then in a matter of about 2 minutes, it got dark and then the clouds decided to unload on me and my car washing gear.
Anyways, the reason I decided to try and finish washing was because I only had one side done, and I figured it would look too retarded if only half of it was clean and the rest was dirty. As it turns out, I didn't exactly do the most thorough job finishing up the job in the rain, so there are still a bunch of parts that are dirty and my car looks retarded now anyways.
Meanwhile, I got pretty well soaked. I thought my days of getting soaked with my clothes on had reached its end with the "fountain incident" last month, but apparently this was not so. I must say that having all your clothes be plastered to your skin is one of my least favorite feelings. Not quite "catheter-level" of discomfort, but it still sucks.
*****
Currently playing on my Winamp: Velvet Revolver - Set Me Free
Dang, I haven't written blogs at home in a long time. This song is good, Scott Weiland hasn't done anything good lately but this almost brings me back to the early STP days.
*****
Some pics from BLU, as requested:
Sorry if it takes a while to load, or if Imagestation is messed up. Maybe in the future I will just post a link to an Imagestation album, but for now I'm just gonna try to keep it all on this page as much as possible.
Friday, July 18, 2003
Things That Piss Me Off
- Being tired all day, then not being able to fall asleep at night. For some reason I always feel like passing out at work, where I'm sitting upright, it's loud, it's bright, and people are all around. Then I get to my bed, turn the lights off, with peace and quiet, lay down with my 3 pillows and comfortable blanket, and then toss and turn for an hour and a half.
- White Sox losing to the stupid Tigers. Yes, let's lose to Mike Maroth twice this year, who is 5-13 and still on pace to lose 20 games for the season. Let's sweep the Twins and then get owned by the two worst teams in the AL. Let's make 2 big trades and then fall 8 games behind 1st place. This team makes me mad and sad at the same time. I know Hawk knows how I feel.
- Little black beetle-looking bugs that are all over the townhouse. Where do these things come from? I seriously kill about 5-10 a day, and I'm not even around the house for that long.
- Birds. I know I've complained plenty of times about them crapping on my car, but I just hate them that much. What good do they serve to the ecosystem, or to me? Shouldn't they be eating insects? Like those black beetles that keep getting in the townhouse somehow? Shouldn't they be singing and making beautiful summer sounds? No, the ones in Palatine wake me up in the morning with irritating noises. There's no sweet chirping to be heard.
- Ben Affleck and J. Lo, I saw some of them being interviewed on NBC last night, and man... I don't know exactly why, but they just piss me off. And it's not just "annoyed" anger, I think it's rage of unhealthy proportions.
- That 86-year old guy that drove through the marketplace in Santa Monica. The man went three blocks, killing at least 10 innocent people along the way, before finally stopping his car. THREE BLOCKS! And police who went to his house found that he hit his own garage numerous times while trying to park. Why in the hell was he still driving?? It's just plain disgusting.
- Baseball players that just take the day off without telling me. Barry Bonds, Hank Blalock, Troy Glaus, all you punks. Man, just say something, that's all I ask. You wanna be home with your family, fine. Need a little time to rest a sore shoulder, fine. But at least give me a holler beforehand. You're wasting valuable starts on my fantasy team.
Things That Make Me Happy
- UPS online tracking. I'm a converted fan. And right now, with 3 packages on their way to follow, it's pure bliss.
- Express jeans. This is unexpected for two reasons. One, Express used to be Structure and I swore off buying clothes at Structure. Two, I am not a woman, and I am not gay, so a pair of jeans shouldn't get me excited. Ok, well maybe I'm not really that excited, but ever since ripping a hole in the knee of my best jeans last year, I have lacked a nice, comfortable pair of jeans to wear. Well, I decided to give the store another chance, and the jeans void seems to be filled. Now I'm definitely "looking tasty, really scrumptious".
- Simpsons and Friends. The two best long-running TV shows ever, in my opinion. I know a lot of people have complained that they aren't as good anymore, but I'm still entertained. Also, every show is entitled to have a few bad episodes, and I haven't seen more than a few bad episodes out of either series. I just recently discovered that they show syndicated Friends on TBS every day, so sometimes I'll see like 3 or 4 episodes in one day. It's interesting to watch the really old ones, while thinking about how "years later", all the stuff that happens with Ross/Rachel, Chandler/Monica, and then Joey/Rachel. And they all started out looking so plain and kind of ghetto. But through the seasons, they eventually developed some fashion sense along the way, and they obviously started working out too. I must say Rachel has very nice female arms.
- Microwaveable White Castle. Tastes just like the real thing. Well not like it's hard to make cheap, ghetto hamburgers that you can cook in the microwave, but still nice. My only complaint was that it cost too much. So what did I find in the box? That's right, a COUPON for my next purchase. 75 CENTS OFF BABY!! Pure genius, now I am definitely a repeat customer. Someone at the corporate headquarters must have been using his/her noodle.
- Listening to the song "Paranoid Android". Always been one of my favorite Radiohead songs, always will be.
- Being tired all day, then not being able to fall asleep at night. For some reason I always feel like passing out at work, where I'm sitting upright, it's loud, it's bright, and people are all around. Then I get to my bed, turn the lights off, with peace and quiet, lay down with my 3 pillows and comfortable blanket, and then toss and turn for an hour and a half.
- White Sox losing to the stupid Tigers. Yes, let's lose to Mike Maroth twice this year, who is 5-13 and still on pace to lose 20 games for the season. Let's sweep the Twins and then get owned by the two worst teams in the AL. Let's make 2 big trades and then fall 8 games behind 1st place. This team makes me mad and sad at the same time. I know Hawk knows how I feel.
- Little black beetle-looking bugs that are all over the townhouse. Where do these things come from? I seriously kill about 5-10 a day, and I'm not even around the house for that long.
- Birds. I know I've complained plenty of times about them crapping on my car, but I just hate them that much. What good do they serve to the ecosystem, or to me? Shouldn't they be eating insects? Like those black beetles that keep getting in the townhouse somehow? Shouldn't they be singing and making beautiful summer sounds? No, the ones in Palatine wake me up in the morning with irritating noises. There's no sweet chirping to be heard.
- Ben Affleck and J. Lo, I saw some of them being interviewed on NBC last night, and man... I don't know exactly why, but they just piss me off. And it's not just "annoyed" anger, I think it's rage of unhealthy proportions.
- That 86-year old guy that drove through the marketplace in Santa Monica. The man went three blocks, killing at least 10 innocent people along the way, before finally stopping his car. THREE BLOCKS! And police who went to his house found that he hit his own garage numerous times while trying to park. Why in the hell was he still driving?? It's just plain disgusting.
- Baseball players that just take the day off without telling me. Barry Bonds, Hank Blalock, Troy Glaus, all you punks. Man, just say something, that's all I ask. You wanna be home with your family, fine. Need a little time to rest a sore shoulder, fine. But at least give me a holler beforehand. You're wasting valuable starts on my fantasy team.
Things That Make Me Happy
- UPS online tracking. I'm a converted fan. And right now, with 3 packages on their way to follow, it's pure bliss.
- Express jeans. This is unexpected for two reasons. One, Express used to be Structure and I swore off buying clothes at Structure. Two, I am not a woman, and I am not gay, so a pair of jeans shouldn't get me excited. Ok, well maybe I'm not really that excited, but ever since ripping a hole in the knee of my best jeans last year, I have lacked a nice, comfortable pair of jeans to wear. Well, I decided to give the store another chance, and the jeans void seems to be filled. Now I'm definitely "looking tasty, really scrumptious".
- Simpsons and Friends. The two best long-running TV shows ever, in my opinion. I know a lot of people have complained that they aren't as good anymore, but I'm still entertained. Also, every show is entitled to have a few bad episodes, and I haven't seen more than a few bad episodes out of either series. I just recently discovered that they show syndicated Friends on TBS every day, so sometimes I'll see like 3 or 4 episodes in one day. It's interesting to watch the really old ones, while thinking about how "years later", all the stuff that happens with Ross/Rachel, Chandler/Monica, and then Joey/Rachel. And they all started out looking so plain and kind of ghetto. But through the seasons, they eventually developed some fashion sense along the way, and they obviously started working out too. I must say Rachel has very nice female arms.
- Microwaveable White Castle. Tastes just like the real thing. Well not like it's hard to make cheap, ghetto hamburgers that you can cook in the microwave, but still nice. My only complaint was that it cost too much. So what did I find in the box? That's right, a COUPON for my next purchase. 75 CENTS OFF BABY!! Pure genius, now I am definitely a repeat customer. Someone at the corporate headquarters must have been using his/her noodle.
- Listening to the song "Paranoid Android". Always been one of my favorite Radiohead songs, always will be.
Thursday, July 17, 2003
Design Review Time
Yes, it's that time again. Design Review, otherwise known as the meetings that never seem to end. So if anyone needs to find me for the next couple days, I'll probably be in some conference room in Rolling Meadows, waiting my turn to present everything I've been doing for the past few months to the bigshots.
Well, at least there will be copious amounts of food and bottled beverages.
Yes, it's that time again. Design Review, otherwise known as the meetings that never seem to end. So if anyone needs to find me for the next couple days, I'll probably be in some conference room in Rolling Meadows, waiting my turn to present everything I've been doing for the past few months to the bigshots.
Well, at least there will be copious amounts of food and bottled beverages.
Wednesday, July 16, 2003
Blogs - The Next Generation
As I've been reading through some of my old blog archives, I was struck with the thought of how much it would suck if one day, Blogger suddenly went under, and all of my stuff was lost. Well, maybe other people wouldn't care about my old stuff, but at least I would be kind of pissed.
So, an idea that has been floating around in my head for a while now is to move my page to an independent server. I'd have to look into how much it costs, but if it's only a couple bucks a month or so to get a fast and reliable host, I think it might be worth considering. And especially if other people who write blogs/xangas wanted to share the server, then it would definitely be worth it.
Some benefits I can think of:
- When Blogspot or Xanga servers are down, our pages would still work. When their servers are slowed, ours should have plenty of bandwidth to be running fine. Basically, it would be nice to not have to depend on their servers so much.
- No banner ads. Unless you want to try to earn a few cents on the side, our pages could be ad-free.
- Easy to back up your archives. Also, I think it's pretty easy to set up Blogger to post to a 3rd party site, so people who use Blogger now (like me) wouldn't have to change a whole lot.
- Easier to host files. You don't have to fool with Imagestation to put up pictures, Comcast to put up music, etc. Everything would hopefully be simple to manage on one server, with everyone given their own directory to organize and stuff.
- More flexibility for expansion. This might be a stretch, but I can kind of envision bigger and better things in the future for the little blogging community we have among us right now. Not just being connected by a "blogring" or something. But for example, maybe we could maintain a page where different people just post up reviews of the latest movie they saw. Maybe dedicate a page that lets people share links to entertaining websites they found, or post funny videos for other people to download. Between the people who read this blog, their friends who have blogs, and their friends' friends, there's a lot of room for growth, and plenty of possible ideas to pursue. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here.
- More flexibility for creativity. Like if people wanted to add flash to their page or something like that, it would probably be more accessible to do it on a less limiting host than Blogspot or Xanga. Maybe someone could try to program a more reliable commenting system than Haloscan, and share it with everyone on the server.
Anyways, a lot of that might be wishful thinking. But I'm just trying to use my noodle here. If we can get a good host for like 5 bucks/month, and 5 of us get in on it, that's like $1 a month, which is pretty cheap. Of course, I'm sure no one wants to pay any money for something they can get for free. So I might have to sabotage Blogspot and Xanga (just kidding). It really depends on how much people think they could realistically gain from among the benefits I listed above.
Oh well, if I get around to looking up more info, it will be posted here on this blog at a later time. Or if anyone already has info to share, feel free to leave a comment too.
As I've been reading through some of my old blog archives, I was struck with the thought of how much it would suck if one day, Blogger suddenly went under, and all of my stuff was lost. Well, maybe other people wouldn't care about my old stuff, but at least I would be kind of pissed.
So, an idea that has been floating around in my head for a while now is to move my page to an independent server. I'd have to look into how much it costs, but if it's only a couple bucks a month or so to get a fast and reliable host, I think it might be worth considering. And especially if other people who write blogs/xangas wanted to share the server, then it would definitely be worth it.
Some benefits I can think of:
- When Blogspot or Xanga servers are down, our pages would still work. When their servers are slowed, ours should have plenty of bandwidth to be running fine. Basically, it would be nice to not have to depend on their servers so much.
- No banner ads. Unless you want to try to earn a few cents on the side, our pages could be ad-free.
- Easy to back up your archives. Also, I think it's pretty easy to set up Blogger to post to a 3rd party site, so people who use Blogger now (like me) wouldn't have to change a whole lot.
- Easier to host files. You don't have to fool with Imagestation to put up pictures, Comcast to put up music, etc. Everything would hopefully be simple to manage on one server, with everyone given their own directory to organize and stuff.
- More flexibility for expansion. This might be a stretch, but I can kind of envision bigger and better things in the future for the little blogging community we have among us right now. Not just being connected by a "blogring" or something. But for example, maybe we could maintain a page where different people just post up reviews of the latest movie they saw. Maybe dedicate a page that lets people share links to entertaining websites they found, or post funny videos for other people to download. Between the people who read this blog, their friends who have blogs, and their friends' friends, there's a lot of room for growth, and plenty of possible ideas to pursue. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here.
- More flexibility for creativity. Like if people wanted to add flash to their page or something like that, it would probably be more accessible to do it on a less limiting host than Blogspot or Xanga. Maybe someone could try to program a more reliable commenting system than Haloscan, and share it with everyone on the server.
Anyways, a lot of that might be wishful thinking. But I'm just trying to use my noodle here. If we can get a good host for like 5 bucks/month, and 5 of us get in on it, that's like $1 a month, which is pretty cheap. Of course, I'm sure no one wants to pay any money for something they can get for free. So I might have to sabotage Blogspot and Xanga (just kidding). It really depends on how much people think they could realistically gain from among the benefits I listed above.
Oh well, if I get around to looking up more info, it will be posted here on this blog at a later time. Or if anyone already has info to share, feel free to leave a comment too.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Edited For TV
Something that pisses me off is when they edit movies for TV and change what they say. A few examples that come to mind:
- From Home Alone, Buzz telling Kevin "I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were growing on my [butt]"
- From Happy Gilmore, when he's fighting Bob Barker: "The Price is Wrong, [BOB]!"
- From Can't Hardly Wait, after the confrontation between Mike Dexter and Aman-duh, some random girl at the party shouts "[Freak]!"
- From Austin Powers, at the card table: "My name is Number 2, and this is my associate, Alotta [Cleavage]"
- From Austin Powers, when Dr. Evil is informed that his ozone layer plan won't work: "[Shoot]"
Ok, I understand that there are censorship regulations and the TV people are just covering their [butts] from FCC violations or whatever. And it's better than cutting out the whole thing. But man, sometimes censorship is just stupid. I hate how people have to be so uptight about everything, that they have to mess up a quality moment in a quality movie (such as the ones I listed above). I'm sure there are plenty of other examples I'm missing too.
You know, the whole thing is a lot like taking a perfect piece of art, and then drawing over certain parts with a crayon. Or, imagine someone putting pants on one of Michaelangelo's nude sculptures. It's just not right. (yes, I'm comparing Can't Hardly Wait to the work of Michaelangelo)
They say it's to protect the children. Yeah right, like kids don't hear words like [Bob] and [freak] every day at school anyways. I know I did. Hey, I bet a lot of them hear much worse at home from their own parents. And that's who is supposed to be "protecting the children" to begin with, the parents. If you don't want your kids to be hearing those words, don't let them watch those movies. Chances are, they are gonna hear them somewhere or another, so I figure once I have kids, the best I can do is give them a friendly beatdown any time they use words like that.
Either way, all I'm saying is, just because certain parents don't take responsibility for raising their own kids, I shouldn't have to suffer by seeing my favorite movies on TV being messed up by cheesy editing.
Something that pisses me off is when they edit movies for TV and change what they say. A few examples that come to mind:
- From Home Alone, Buzz telling Kevin "I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were growing on my [butt]"
- From Happy Gilmore, when he's fighting Bob Barker: "The Price is Wrong, [BOB]!"
- From Can't Hardly Wait, after the confrontation between Mike Dexter and Aman-duh, some random girl at the party shouts "[Freak]!"
- From Austin Powers, at the card table: "My name is Number 2, and this is my associate, Alotta [Cleavage]"
- From Austin Powers, when Dr. Evil is informed that his ozone layer plan won't work: "[Shoot]"
Ok, I understand that there are censorship regulations and the TV people are just covering their [butts] from FCC violations or whatever. And it's better than cutting out the whole thing. But man, sometimes censorship is just stupid. I hate how people have to be so uptight about everything, that they have to mess up a quality moment in a quality movie (such as the ones I listed above). I'm sure there are plenty of other examples I'm missing too.
You know, the whole thing is a lot like taking a perfect piece of art, and then drawing over certain parts with a crayon. Or, imagine someone putting pants on one of Michaelangelo's nude sculptures. It's just not right. (yes, I'm comparing Can't Hardly Wait to the work of Michaelangelo)
They say it's to protect the children. Yeah right, like kids don't hear words like [Bob] and [freak] every day at school anyways. I know I did. Hey, I bet a lot of them hear much worse at home from their own parents. And that's who is supposed to be "protecting the children" to begin with, the parents. If you don't want your kids to be hearing those words, don't let them watch those movies. Chances are, they are gonna hear them somewhere or another, so I figure once I have kids, the best I can do is give them a friendly beatdown any time they use words like that.
Either way, all I'm saying is, just because certain parents don't take responsibility for raising their own kids, I shouldn't have to suffer by seeing my favorite movies on TV being messed up by cheesy editing.
Monday, July 14, 2003
- I think part of the reason I don't sleep well is because of my mattress. It's soft and comfortable, but I noticed that I always feel so much more refreshed when I sleep on the stiffer bed at home in Darien. I don't toss and turn as much, and I don't wake up in the middle of the night either. It seems that stiffness of surface is key. Maybe I should just sleep outside on the concrete in a sleeping bag from now on.
- A highlight from the weekend: A few hours of No Limit Hold'em with the boys at Rod's graduation party. It was good times, so I think we should make it a regular thing. Except, I would feel too much like a 40-year old guy having "Poker Night" with his buddies to escape from his wife for a day out of the week.
- I think the main reason we all decided to play Hold'em that night was probably because they have been showing the World Poker Championships on ESPN a lot lately. Makes me wonder about how much TV influences our lives, especially subconsciously. For example, I always find myself itching to play football more during NFL season, and softball more when it's baseball season. It's not just the weather, it's the exposure to watching games of each sport in each case. Something about the visual effects of seeing a nice tackle, a nice touchdown catch on TV must trigger the desire to play football with your friends. Same goes for watching baseball, and now Poker.
Then again, I'm probably just overanalyzing it like I do to everything else. But it does make you wonder if seeing too much violence on TV, movies, video games, etc. really does cause people to become more violent. I've never really believed in that school of thought, mostly because it seems like a cheap excuse for people who commit violent crimes. I mean, it's quite a jump to go from watching someone get murdered, to murdering someone yourself. But there are always the sickos who enjoy killing for some reason, and who knows how they got to be that way?
See, normal people (like me) watch a show like Jackass and just laugh about it. It's quality entertainment. But stupid teenagers can watch the show and end up thinking that it would be a good idea to jump off a moving car or something. In the same way, normal people might play Mortal Kombat II (or, for this generation of controversial video games, GTA: Vice City), and just have fun ripping a guy's heart out after kicking his ass in round 2. But what about the wacko kids out there who are mentally ill or emotionally unstable? You gotta figure that out of all the people playing this game, someone out there might grow up and end up becoming obsessed with ripping people's hearts out from playing MKII as a kid. In that case, who do you blame? You can't expect the video game companies to be responsible, when their game is perfectly fine and fun for 99.9% of people who play it. But for that 0.1% of sick people, they wouldn't have turned into violent killers if not for playing MKII.
Dang, my head is starting to hurt. My brain is running on empty, and I think I need to take a nap to avoid thinking.
- A highlight from the weekend: A few hours of No Limit Hold'em with the boys at Rod's graduation party. It was good times, so I think we should make it a regular thing. Except, I would feel too much like a 40-year old guy having "Poker Night" with his buddies to escape from his wife for a day out of the week.
- I think the main reason we all decided to play Hold'em that night was probably because they have been showing the World Poker Championships on ESPN a lot lately. Makes me wonder about how much TV influences our lives, especially subconsciously. For example, I always find myself itching to play football more during NFL season, and softball more when it's baseball season. It's not just the weather, it's the exposure to watching games of each sport in each case. Something about the visual effects of seeing a nice tackle, a nice touchdown catch on TV must trigger the desire to play football with your friends. Same goes for watching baseball, and now Poker.
Then again, I'm probably just overanalyzing it like I do to everything else. But it does make you wonder if seeing too much violence on TV, movies, video games, etc. really does cause people to become more violent. I've never really believed in that school of thought, mostly because it seems like a cheap excuse for people who commit violent crimes. I mean, it's quite a jump to go from watching someone get murdered, to murdering someone yourself. But there are always the sickos who enjoy killing for some reason, and who knows how they got to be that way?
See, normal people (like me) watch a show like Jackass and just laugh about it. It's quality entertainment. But stupid teenagers can watch the show and end up thinking that it would be a good idea to jump off a moving car or something. In the same way, normal people might play Mortal Kombat II (or, for this generation of controversial video games, GTA: Vice City), and just have fun ripping a guy's heart out after kicking his ass in round 2. But what about the wacko kids out there who are mentally ill or emotionally unstable? You gotta figure that out of all the people playing this game, someone out there might grow up and end up becoming obsessed with ripping people's hearts out from playing MKII as a kid. In that case, who do you blame? You can't expect the video game companies to be responsible, when their game is perfectly fine and fun for 99.9% of people who play it. But for that 0.1% of sick people, they wouldn't have turned into violent killers if not for playing MKII.
Dang, my head is starting to hurt. My brain is running on empty, and I think I need to take a nap to avoid thinking.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
Notes
- Bought 3 DVDs the other day for $45: There's Something About Mary (Collector's Edition), Can't Hardly Wait, and Happy Gilmore. This increases my DVD collection from 4 to 7. Now I need to either get a DVD player or hook up my computer to my TV, so I can watch them on something bigger than a 14" screen.
- I guess you can't expect much out of high school kids, but the employees at Best Buy are either really stupid, ignorant, or just liars. I was looking at the PS2 display, and I asked the guy there if he knew anything about the newer models that do progressive scan and have remotes and stuff. It would be one thing if he just said "I don't know", because I'd understand. But then he had to start saying stuff like "oh, that's just misinformation, don't believe in that". Since I knew I wasn't talking about "misinformation", I was like "hmmm.... are you sure, because I've heard about this and read about this from a bunch of different sources". So he paused, before continuing on with his little "that was just misinformation, you should ignore it" spiel. Man... stupid employees piss me off. The reasons left to shop at Best Buy instead of getting everything online are getting fewer and fewer.
- Does anyone else think that the whole country is getting Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Bruce Willis? That's my theory, because I just don't think that Ashton Kutcher is really dating Demi Moore. For Demi and Bruce, it benefits them because they are both in Charlie's Angels 2 (albeit minor characters), and the added publicity probably translates to higher earnings from the movie. For Ashton, it benefits him because he likes to punk people, and what could be bigger than punking an entire nation that is hopelessly obsessed with celebrity couples?
By the way, doesn't it also seem convenient that Justin Timberlake started seeing Cameron Diaz a few weeks before the opening of Charlie's Angels? Kind of like a couple months ago, when Colin Farrell was seen with every hot girl in Hollywood just as his movies were coming out. Maybe Cameron D is using JT for publicity. But hey, I'm sure he wouldn't complain too much about being used.
- A couple people have told me that Terminator 3 is entertaining, so I want to see it. Too bad I don't think anyone would go with me, it may end up having to be one of those "Loser Rentals" for me. I'll add it to Blue Crush on my LR list, of DVDs that I will probably end up watching alone on some Friday night in the future.
Oh, and I can't believe Arnold Schwarzenegger might run for governor in California. Even worse is that people there might actually vote for him. I mean, have they not seen his movies? He's not even good as an actor, how can he possibly be good as a governor? And when he talks, the Unintentional Comedy of it all has me laughing for hours. Can you imagine him giving a speech about some political issue and actually expecting anyone to take it seriously? "Up and at-dem! Up and at-dem!" "My eyes! The goggles do nah-thing!"
- Bought 3 DVDs the other day for $45: There's Something About Mary (Collector's Edition), Can't Hardly Wait, and Happy Gilmore. This increases my DVD collection from 4 to 7. Now I need to either get a DVD player or hook up my computer to my TV, so I can watch them on something bigger than a 14" screen.
- I guess you can't expect much out of high school kids, but the employees at Best Buy are either really stupid, ignorant, or just liars. I was looking at the PS2 display, and I asked the guy there if he knew anything about the newer models that do progressive scan and have remotes and stuff. It would be one thing if he just said "I don't know", because I'd understand. But then he had to start saying stuff like "oh, that's just misinformation, don't believe in that". Since I knew I wasn't talking about "misinformation", I was like "hmmm.... are you sure, because I've heard about this and read about this from a bunch of different sources". So he paused, before continuing on with his little "that was just misinformation, you should ignore it" spiel. Man... stupid employees piss me off. The reasons left to shop at Best Buy instead of getting everything online are getting fewer and fewer.
- Does anyone else think that the whole country is getting Punk'd by Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore, and Bruce Willis? That's my theory, because I just don't think that Ashton Kutcher is really dating Demi Moore. For Demi and Bruce, it benefits them because they are both in Charlie's Angels 2 (albeit minor characters), and the added publicity probably translates to higher earnings from the movie. For Ashton, it benefits him because he likes to punk people, and what could be bigger than punking an entire nation that is hopelessly obsessed with celebrity couples?
By the way, doesn't it also seem convenient that Justin Timberlake started seeing Cameron Diaz a few weeks before the opening of Charlie's Angels? Kind of like a couple months ago, when Colin Farrell was seen with every hot girl in Hollywood just as his movies were coming out. Maybe Cameron D is using JT for publicity. But hey, I'm sure he wouldn't complain too much about being used.
- A couple people have told me that Terminator 3 is entertaining, so I want to see it. Too bad I don't think anyone would go with me, it may end up having to be one of those "Loser Rentals" for me. I'll add it to Blue Crush on my LR list, of DVDs that I will probably end up watching alone on some Friday night in the future.
Oh, and I can't believe Arnold Schwarzenegger might run for governor in California. Even worse is that people there might actually vote for him. I mean, have they not seen his movies? He's not even good as an actor, how can he possibly be good as a governor? And when he talks, the Unintentional Comedy of it all has me laughing for hours. Can you imagine him giving a speech about some political issue and actually expecting anyone to take it seriously? "Up and at-dem! Up and at-dem!" "My eyes! The goggles do nah-thing!"
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
Real World Lookalike
You be the judge.
Real World Paris
Another season of Real World has been quietly underway for a few weeks now. I don't think I've ever followed an entire season, beginning to end, because my TV watching habits are too erratic to stay with a weekly series. But I've been able to catch scattered patches of episodes here and there throughout the many seasons.
The thing about RW is, by most standards, it fits the genre of trash television pretty closely. Part soap opera, part Jerry Springer. Let's put a ignorant white guy in a house with a strong black personality and see what happens. Are you homophobic? Great, we'll put you in a house with a homo roommate and be shocked when conflict or tension arises. The more mental/psychological issues you have, the better you'll fit in as a cast member. Of course, we'll also have to make sure you are young and attractive, and have no issues with hooking up with the other attractive cast members when you know cameras are around you everywhere. Are you Asian? Well, as long as you're whitewashed and female, come on in. Sorry, yellow males need not apply.
When you think about it, there's very little about the scenario that makes it the "Real World". How many of us in the real world were given a pimped out house to live in for no reason? And how many of us have been offered automatic jobs that have little, if anything, to do with your qualifications?
Even with all that said, you have to give credit where credit is due. No matter how predictable the episodes are, or how stupid the whole thing is at times, I gotta admit that the show has produced many entertaining moments that make it worth watching. And it was reality TV years before reality TV became huge. With all the stupid gimmicks in reality shows these days, it's somewhat refreshing for me to be able to just watch a bunch of people live together and see what happens. You don't gotta trick a bunch of women into thinking some guy is a millionaire. You don't have to make anyone eat moose testicles. You don't need to vote someone off every week. There's no lifelines to use, and no wannabe singers getting ripped apart by a British guy.
So anyways, just for kicks and giggles, I decided to write some short analysis on each character in this season's RW. It's still kind of early in the season, and I already missed parts of some episodes, but oh well. I did the best I could.
Mallory
Looks-wise, she's the only pretty one in this house (except maybe for Simon), but it already seems like she might become this season's version of Trashelle. Maybe she won't be as messed up, but who knows. Some warning signs:
- Says she likes to make out with random guys at clubs
- "Drinks like a fish" and uses drunkenness as excuse for stuff
- Not afraid to lie to people
- Phone call home involves parent worried about her embarrassing family - like Trashelle
- She's from Palatine... cesspool of America's filth
Christina
Don't know why, but I can't stand the way she talks. I think something about how she accents certain words just irritates me. The other thing is, the word "butterface" seems to pop up in my mind every time I see her. (to remind everyone, definition of Butterface: a girl who would probably be hot, based on body, hair, clothes, etc. - "but her face...")
I found the peanut butter episode to be very entertaining. Actually, it kind of made me realize that I am now older and farther along in life than all of these Real Worlders, so to speak. I'm too mature and I have more important things to worry about than someone eating my food. Then again, I don't think there was ever a time in my life when something so trivial could turn into such major drama.
Ace
So far, probably the guy I dislike the least. Maybe a little too in love with being the "cute Southern boy from a small town". I personally hate being called "cute" by anyone, because I believe only girls, babies, and certain animals should ever be considered cute. Nope, not even small digital cameras should be considered "cute".
Leah
Quickly and easily became my most hated cast member of this Real World. I've said it before in this blog, but the worst kind of girl is the ugly biatch. It's one thing to be a biatch if you are attractive and can get away with it. However, if you are not hot, but think you are, and still act like a biatch, then it doesn't get much worse than that.
The ongoing feud between her and Adam is the most compelling reason for me to continue watching the show. Those two characters were meant for each other. It's just fun to observe idiots pissing each other off, makes for a good show. So hopefully there will be more Adam-Leah conflict in the rest of this season.
Simon
"One of these is not like the other...." Everyone else is straight and from the US, and MTV decides to throw in the token gay guy, who is also the only non-American. He's got an interesting British accent/gay lisp combo going on. I'm kind of curious to see if there will actually be any future episodes that involve him, or if he's just gonna be the guy they only show once in a while, a side character to make remarks on the other roommates. That's pretty much all he's done so far. But for now, I guess I'll be content to just be entertained by his resemblance to Keith Van Horn.
Adam
Here's the token angry black guy, with a twist. It's a well-known Real World requirement to include exactly 1 black male cast member who gets mad about stuff - no more, no less. Except this time, it's different. Adam isn't ghetto, he's not intimidating, he's just a whiny loser.
Every time he talks, he makes it seem like he is about to say something brilliant. Actually, almost everyone that goes on Real World seems to always think they have something important to say. But when the words come out, they inevitably make me scratch my head and think "huh?" or "well, duh".
The most entertaining Adam part so far this season, other than the drama with Leah, was him rapping his lame song in one of the first episodes. What a big dork. But I hope they have a lot more episodes centering around him, because it gives me uncontrollable fits of laughter.
CT
I always liked the SNL series with Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch as Bostonians, who have thick accents and rave about Nomaaahh all the time (The best one, naturally, is the one with Britney Spears - "that accent makes you sound retaaahhhded"... haha). But I always figured that their Boston accent was exaggerated, that nobody actually talks like that. Well, I guess CT proves me wrong, because this kid has a thicker accent than what I thought was possible. But other than that, I can't really think of anything interesting to say about him. Maybe we'll see more on the next episode, when we are promised the "biggest lie in Real World history". OOOOHHH BABY
You be the judge.
Real World Paris
Another season of Real World has been quietly underway for a few weeks now. I don't think I've ever followed an entire season, beginning to end, because my TV watching habits are too erratic to stay with a weekly series. But I've been able to catch scattered patches of episodes here and there throughout the many seasons.
The thing about RW is, by most standards, it fits the genre of trash television pretty closely. Part soap opera, part Jerry Springer. Let's put a ignorant white guy in a house with a strong black personality and see what happens. Are you homophobic? Great, we'll put you in a house with a homo roommate and be shocked when conflict or tension arises. The more mental/psychological issues you have, the better you'll fit in as a cast member. Of course, we'll also have to make sure you are young and attractive, and have no issues with hooking up with the other attractive cast members when you know cameras are around you everywhere. Are you Asian? Well, as long as you're whitewashed and female, come on in. Sorry, yellow males need not apply.
When you think about it, there's very little about the scenario that makes it the "Real World". How many of us in the real world were given a pimped out house to live in for no reason? And how many of us have been offered automatic jobs that have little, if anything, to do with your qualifications?
Even with all that said, you have to give credit where credit is due. No matter how predictable the episodes are, or how stupid the whole thing is at times, I gotta admit that the show has produced many entertaining moments that make it worth watching. And it was reality TV years before reality TV became huge. With all the stupid gimmicks in reality shows these days, it's somewhat refreshing for me to be able to just watch a bunch of people live together and see what happens. You don't gotta trick a bunch of women into thinking some guy is a millionaire. You don't have to make anyone eat moose testicles. You don't need to vote someone off every week. There's no lifelines to use, and no wannabe singers getting ripped apart by a British guy.
So anyways, just for kicks and giggles, I decided to write some short analysis on each character in this season's RW. It's still kind of early in the season, and I already missed parts of some episodes, but oh well. I did the best I could.
Mallory
Looks-wise, she's the only pretty one in this house (except maybe for Simon), but it already seems like she might become this season's version of Trashelle. Maybe she won't be as messed up, but who knows. Some warning signs:
- Says she likes to make out with random guys at clubs
- "Drinks like a fish" and uses drunkenness as excuse for stuff
- Not afraid to lie to people
- Phone call home involves parent worried about her embarrassing family - like Trashelle
- She's from Palatine... cesspool of America's filth
Christina
Don't know why, but I can't stand the way she talks. I think something about how she accents certain words just irritates me. The other thing is, the word "butterface" seems to pop up in my mind every time I see her. (to remind everyone, definition of Butterface: a girl who would probably be hot, based on body, hair, clothes, etc. - "but her face...")
I found the peanut butter episode to be very entertaining. Actually, it kind of made me realize that I am now older and farther along in life than all of these Real Worlders, so to speak. I'm too mature and I have more important things to worry about than someone eating my food. Then again, I don't think there was ever a time in my life when something so trivial could turn into such major drama.
Ace
So far, probably the guy I dislike the least. Maybe a little too in love with being the "cute Southern boy from a small town". I personally hate being called "cute" by anyone, because I believe only girls, babies, and certain animals should ever be considered cute. Nope, not even small digital cameras should be considered "cute".
Leah
Quickly and easily became my most hated cast member of this Real World. I've said it before in this blog, but the worst kind of girl is the ugly biatch. It's one thing to be a biatch if you are attractive and can get away with it. However, if you are not hot, but think you are, and still act like a biatch, then it doesn't get much worse than that.
The ongoing feud between her and Adam is the most compelling reason for me to continue watching the show. Those two characters were meant for each other. It's just fun to observe idiots pissing each other off, makes for a good show. So hopefully there will be more Adam-Leah conflict in the rest of this season.
Simon
"One of these is not like the other...." Everyone else is straight and from the US, and MTV decides to throw in the token gay guy, who is also the only non-American. He's got an interesting British accent/gay lisp combo going on. I'm kind of curious to see if there will actually be any future episodes that involve him, or if he's just gonna be the guy they only show once in a while, a side character to make remarks on the other roommates. That's pretty much all he's done so far. But for now, I guess I'll be content to just be entertained by his resemblance to Keith Van Horn.
Adam
Here's the token angry black guy, with a twist. It's a well-known Real World requirement to include exactly 1 black male cast member who gets mad about stuff - no more, no less. Except this time, it's different. Adam isn't ghetto, he's not intimidating, he's just a whiny loser.
Every time he talks, he makes it seem like he is about to say something brilliant. Actually, almost everyone that goes on Real World seems to always think they have something important to say. But when the words come out, they inevitably make me scratch my head and think "huh?" or "well, duh".
The most entertaining Adam part so far this season, other than the drama with Leah, was him rapping his lame song in one of the first episodes. What a big dork. But I hope they have a lot more episodes centering around him, because it gives me uncontrollable fits of laughter.
CT
I always liked the SNL series with Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dratch as Bostonians, who have thick accents and rave about Nomaaahh all the time (The best one, naturally, is the one with Britney Spears - "that accent makes you sound retaaahhhded"... haha). But I always figured that their Boston accent was exaggerated, that nobody actually talks like that. Well, I guess CT proves me wrong, because this kid has a thicker accent than what I thought was possible. But other than that, I can't really think of anything interesting to say about him. Maybe we'll see more on the next episode, when we are promised the "biggest lie in Real World history". OOOOHHH BABY
Monday, July 07, 2003
4th Of July Weekend
I think the tradition of watching fireworks on the 4th of July isn't nearly as huge for me anymore. Taking its place atop my list of 4th of July traditions is barbequeing. Can't have the holiday weekend go by without the brats, burgers, beer, baseball, board games, and big booties. Well actually, there wasn't really much booty, especially with it being an Asian BBQ and all. But it was still a good time. Props to Cindy for hosting all of us and cooking in the crazy hot weather, what a beast.
Saturday, didn't do much other than watch baseball, and then saw Charlies Angels 2 at night. It was pretty entertaining, I think if you liked the first one (like I did), you would probably like the second too. The first one is still better though, mostly because it had "the Chad".
As usual, went to church on Sunday, took a nap in the afternoon, and then stopped by Waste of Chicago for a couple hours. Mostly, it was not worth the drive and parking fees, but at least it wasn't that crowded and hot. And I had one of those big turkey legs too, which is always a plus.
Other notes from the long weekend:
- Used a credit card at McDonalds for the first time. Looks like the fast food industry is finally caving into the age of electronic money. Now that we can get Filet-O-Fishes, buy movie tickets, and even pay toll on the highway without having to deal with bills and coins, maybe I'll be able to convert from wallet to money clip soon. But I haven't taken the plunge yet, because I don't want to damage or lose my Britney Spears stickers.
- Played mahjohng on Thursday night with the original Pact members plus Dennis's Mom. The highlight was Mrs. Wu talking to Chras and P in Chinese. Also played some pong that night, makes me feel like playing a lot more.
- I HATE BILLY KOCH... someone who has such blatant disregard for protecting leads should never be a closer. Ok, so Carl Crawford got a little lucky for homering on that pitch. But why do these things seem to happen so much to Billy Boy? It doesn't matter how hard you can throw, if you blow saves regularly, you don't deserve to be the guy to finish games. I can take some solace in the fact that we don't have Alfonseca, but at least Alfonseca isn't the closer.
I think the tradition of watching fireworks on the 4th of July isn't nearly as huge for me anymore. Taking its place atop my list of 4th of July traditions is barbequeing. Can't have the holiday weekend go by without the brats, burgers, beer, baseball, board games, and big booties. Well actually, there wasn't really much booty, especially with it being an Asian BBQ and all. But it was still a good time. Props to Cindy for hosting all of us and cooking in the crazy hot weather, what a beast.
Saturday, didn't do much other than watch baseball, and then saw Charlies Angels 2 at night. It was pretty entertaining, I think if you liked the first one (like I did), you would probably like the second too. The first one is still better though, mostly because it had "the Chad".
As usual, went to church on Sunday, took a nap in the afternoon, and then stopped by Waste of Chicago for a couple hours. Mostly, it was not worth the drive and parking fees, but at least it wasn't that crowded and hot. And I had one of those big turkey legs too, which is always a plus.
Other notes from the long weekend:
- Used a credit card at McDonalds for the first time. Looks like the fast food industry is finally caving into the age of electronic money. Now that we can get Filet-O-Fishes, buy movie tickets, and even pay toll on the highway without having to deal with bills and coins, maybe I'll be able to convert from wallet to money clip soon. But I haven't taken the plunge yet, because I don't want to damage or lose my Britney Spears stickers.
- Played mahjohng on Thursday night with the original Pact members plus Dennis's Mom. The highlight was Mrs. Wu talking to Chras and P in Chinese. Also played some pong that night, makes me feel like playing a lot more.
- I HATE BILLY KOCH... someone who has such blatant disregard for protecting leads should never be a closer. Ok, so Carl Crawford got a little lucky for homering on that pitch. But why do these things seem to happen so much to Billy Boy? It doesn't matter how hard you can throw, if you blow saves regularly, you don't deserve to be the guy to finish games. I can take some solace in the fact that we don't have Alfonseca, but at least Alfonseca isn't the closer.
Thursday, July 03, 2003
I Hate People
Seems like everywhere I go, every time I wanna just relax or have some fun, PEOPLE have to be there and mess it up for me. I'm really starting to hate people. It'd be one thing if they stayed out of my way, but why do they always gotta be where I am?
I wanna ride the Whizzer, but no, first I gotta wait an hour cause PEOPLE are in front of me. I would like to drive home on 53, set the cruise control at 95, kick my feet up and just steer, but too bad there's PEOPLE taking up lanes on the highway other than me. Even worse, some of these PEOPLE have flashing lights on top of their car and write tickets. Then I'm trying to enjoy a White Stripes concert, and guess what? MORE PEOPLE. I go to the Sox game -- yes that's right, MORE PEOPLE. What do I have to do to get away from all these PEOPLE??
Alright, I know I'm just being angry now. Seriously though, it would be nice if the places I went weren't always so crowded. Especially when they're mostly high schoolers or college students. I'm sick of being stuck in a herd of sweaty, obnoxious kids. And I really think the young'ns are getting stupider and more annoying these days. I refuse to believe that I was anything like these punks when I was that age.
Maybe I'm just in a bitter mood because I have to be at work today, while SOME PEOPLE have started their weekend already... biatches. Well, actually I was a little pissed this morning, but now I don't really mind that much. This day is pretty chill so far, and I think from lunch on thru the afternoon there will be some sort of "America Day" celebration out in the parking lot of NGC-Rolling Meadows. There's a certain buzz in the air, and I see red-white-blue decorations all over. It looks like the 4th of July! Makes me want a hot dog REAL BAD... haha
Seems like everywhere I go, every time I wanna just relax or have some fun, PEOPLE have to be there and mess it up for me. I'm really starting to hate people. It'd be one thing if they stayed out of my way, but why do they always gotta be where I am?
I wanna ride the Whizzer, but no, first I gotta wait an hour cause PEOPLE are in front of me. I would like to drive home on 53, set the cruise control at 95, kick my feet up and just steer, but too bad there's PEOPLE taking up lanes on the highway other than me. Even worse, some of these PEOPLE have flashing lights on top of their car and write tickets. Then I'm trying to enjoy a White Stripes concert, and guess what? MORE PEOPLE. I go to the Sox game -- yes that's right, MORE PEOPLE. What do I have to do to get away from all these PEOPLE??
Alright, I know I'm just being angry now. Seriously though, it would be nice if the places I went weren't always so crowded. Especially when they're mostly high schoolers or college students. I'm sick of being stuck in a herd of sweaty, obnoxious kids. And I really think the young'ns are getting stupider and more annoying these days. I refuse to believe that I was anything like these punks when I was that age.
Maybe I'm just in a bitter mood because I have to be at work today, while SOME PEOPLE have started their weekend already... biatches. Well, actually I was a little pissed this morning, but now I don't really mind that much. This day is pretty chill so far, and I think from lunch on thru the afternoon there will be some sort of "America Day" celebration out in the parking lot of NGC-Rolling Meadows. There's a certain buzz in the air, and I see red-white-blue decorations all over. It looks like the 4th of July! Makes me want a hot dog REAL BAD... haha
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
Sox
White Sox traded minor leaguers to get Carl Everett and Robbie Alomar last night, and I haven't been this excited about the team in a long time. The feeling reminds me of when we signed Albert Belle, except hopefully there will be better results this time. Even though I never liked Everett, Alomar has always been one of my favorite players. Probably the best 2nd baseman I've seen play since I started watching baseball. I hope he's not too old to put up quality numbers, and his bat gets rejuvenated by AL pitching. Either way, his defense should be awesome, and he should be a big improvement over Willie Harris or D'Angelo. WE GOT ROBBIE ALOMAR YO
The only potential negative I can think of is that these guys would break up the good team chemistry we have right now. Everett has always been a jackass, but maybe not to teammates. I don't know much about Alomar, other than the time he spit at the ump. But right now, I don't care. Kenny Williams is off my black-list for now. Sox are only 3 games back. I don't even mind if Jerry Manuel stays. WE GOT ROBBIE ALOMAR YO
*****
Meanwhile, my fantasy baseball news is not so good. Frickin Mussina, the heart of my team, got shelled by Baltimore last night. I'm pissed.
*****
My grandpa turned 80 yesterday. That's pretty old.
Having to drive down after work for his b-day dinner brought back reminders of how much rush hour sucks. And being stuck in traffic is multiplied about 10 times worse when you are running late. You start to develop irrational anger against the car in front of you, even though it's not his/her fault for having to stop. I'm so glad I moved up to P-town.
*****
It's cherry season. Oranges/Tangerines are still the best fruit, but you can't go wrong with cherries.
Last weekend I went to Dominicks and got microwaveable White Castle. Dunno if it will be as good as the real thig, but it costs more, so it better be at least close. Also, I got Hot Pockets. Man, I haven't had those things since the ISR days sophomore year of college. Sausage Pizza flavor is the best. So now my freezer is very exciting, I can't wait to try out my new frozen food purchases.
White Sox traded minor leaguers to get Carl Everett and Robbie Alomar last night, and I haven't been this excited about the team in a long time. The feeling reminds me of when we signed Albert Belle, except hopefully there will be better results this time. Even though I never liked Everett, Alomar has always been one of my favorite players. Probably the best 2nd baseman I've seen play since I started watching baseball. I hope he's not too old to put up quality numbers, and his bat gets rejuvenated by AL pitching. Either way, his defense should be awesome, and he should be a big improvement over Willie Harris or D'Angelo. WE GOT ROBBIE ALOMAR YO
The only potential negative I can think of is that these guys would break up the good team chemistry we have right now. Everett has always been a jackass, but maybe not to teammates. I don't know much about Alomar, other than the time he spit at the ump. But right now, I don't care. Kenny Williams is off my black-list for now. Sox are only 3 games back. I don't even mind if Jerry Manuel stays. WE GOT ROBBIE ALOMAR YO
*****
Meanwhile, my fantasy baseball news is not so good. Frickin Mussina, the heart of my team, got shelled by Baltimore last night. I'm pissed.
*****
My grandpa turned 80 yesterday. That's pretty old.
Having to drive down after work for his b-day dinner brought back reminders of how much rush hour sucks. And being stuck in traffic is multiplied about 10 times worse when you are running late. You start to develop irrational anger against the car in front of you, even though it's not his/her fault for having to stop. I'm so glad I moved up to P-town.
*****
It's cherry season. Oranges/Tangerines are still the best fruit, but you can't go wrong with cherries.
Last weekend I went to Dominicks and got microwaveable White Castle. Dunno if it will be as good as the real thig, but it costs more, so it better be at least close. Also, I got Hot Pockets. Man, I haven't had those things since the ISR days sophomore year of college. Sausage Pizza flavor is the best. So now my freezer is very exciting, I can't wait to try out my new frozen food purchases.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
In The News
- Supreme Court rules that it is legal to be gay. Gay people across the country rejoice. Not like sodomy laws ever prevented anyone from being gay, but hey, if you're gonna be gay, I bet it's kind of nice to be legally gay instead of illegally gay. Some straight people are pissed. I think the term "sodomy" was named after the city of Sodom in the Bible, which was destroyed by God because they were too sinful. Glad to see our nation desires to be more like them.
- Government launches "Do Not Call" list for people to avoid telemarketers. It's about freaking time they did something. Although, I think everyone should start out defaulted to the "Do Not Call" list, and people who actually want telemarketers to call them should have to sign up for a "I'm A Dumbass Loser" list.
- A porch collapses in Lincoln Park, killing a lot of partiers in their early 20s. Hey, I'm in my early 20s, and I'm not a "partier" but I've been at parties in Lincoln Park. Scary thought.
- Miami and Virginia Tech leave Big East, join ACC. More sign of declining loyalty in sports. But to me, it's a big "who really cares" story in the news.
- Palestinians propose a truce with Israel. Sounds like a good thing, but I think they are just running out of bombs and trying to regroup, after all their leaders got assassinated by missile strikes. I say screw all these "militant" Muslim jihad groups, why negotiate with people who blow themselves up? If they don't want to live, their death can be arranged by the civilized world - and innocent lives they would've killed could be spared.
A question to ponder. "Extreme" Buddhists go off to a mountain somewhere, live by themselves, meditate all day, and give up sex. "Extreme" Hindus just avoid eating cows and stuff. "Extreme" Christians dedicate their lives to missions, serving the hungry in Africa or speading the gospel in China. And I don't know any Shinto-ists, but I'd imagine since they love nature so much, "Extreme" Shinto-ists would just hump trees or something. Why is it that "Extreme" Muslims are always violent? Go anywhere in the world - Israel/Palestine, Bosnia, Pakistan/India, Russia/Chechnya, on and on. It's pretty clear that they don't get along with others. In kindergarten, the kids that didn't "play well with others" would be sent home. Well, these guys not only don't play well with others, they suicide bomb others, hijack others planes and take others hostage. Then they brainwash their kids into hate-filled killing machines so a new generation of extremists will take their place. Well, instead of punishing these people, the rest of the world just offers them more land. A policy of appeasement. Awesome...
- US soldiers continue to be attacked by local Iraqis because the people are pissed that the troops haven't done enough to help the Iraqi people. Well, other than risking their lives to take out their brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, I guess they're right, Americans are chumps. Oh, and if I ever want some American soldiers to help me, I also think it's an excellent idea to launch rocket propelled grenades at them and shoot them in the head when they're trying to be friendly. That'll make them want to help out my people for sure.
- Supreme Court rules that it is legal to be gay. Gay people across the country rejoice. Not like sodomy laws ever prevented anyone from being gay, but hey, if you're gonna be gay, I bet it's kind of nice to be legally gay instead of illegally gay. Some straight people are pissed. I think the term "sodomy" was named after the city of Sodom in the Bible, which was destroyed by God because they were too sinful. Glad to see our nation desires to be more like them.
- Government launches "Do Not Call" list for people to avoid telemarketers. It's about freaking time they did something. Although, I think everyone should start out defaulted to the "Do Not Call" list, and people who actually want telemarketers to call them should have to sign up for a "I'm A Dumbass Loser" list.
- A porch collapses in Lincoln Park, killing a lot of partiers in their early 20s. Hey, I'm in my early 20s, and I'm not a "partier" but I've been at parties in Lincoln Park. Scary thought.
- Miami and Virginia Tech leave Big East, join ACC. More sign of declining loyalty in sports. But to me, it's a big "who really cares" story in the news.
- Palestinians propose a truce with Israel. Sounds like a good thing, but I think they are just running out of bombs and trying to regroup, after all their leaders got assassinated by missile strikes. I say screw all these "militant" Muslim jihad groups, why negotiate with people who blow themselves up? If they don't want to live, their death can be arranged by the civilized world - and innocent lives they would've killed could be spared.
A question to ponder. "Extreme" Buddhists go off to a mountain somewhere, live by themselves, meditate all day, and give up sex. "Extreme" Hindus just avoid eating cows and stuff. "Extreme" Christians dedicate their lives to missions, serving the hungry in Africa or speading the gospel in China. And I don't know any Shinto-ists, but I'd imagine since they love nature so much, "Extreme" Shinto-ists would just hump trees or something. Why is it that "Extreme" Muslims are always violent? Go anywhere in the world - Israel/Palestine, Bosnia, Pakistan/India, Russia/Chechnya, on and on. It's pretty clear that they don't get along with others. In kindergarten, the kids that didn't "play well with others" would be sent home. Well, these guys not only don't play well with others, they suicide bomb others, hijack others planes and take others hostage. Then they brainwash their kids into hate-filled killing machines so a new generation of extremists will take their place. Well, instead of punishing these people, the rest of the world just offers them more land. A policy of appeasement. Awesome...
- US soldiers continue to be attacked by local Iraqis because the people are pissed that the troops haven't done enough to help the Iraqi people. Well, other than risking their lives to take out their brutal dictator Saddam Hussein, I guess they're right, Americans are chumps. Oh, and if I ever want some American soldiers to help me, I also think it's an excellent idea to launch rocket propelled grenades at them and shoot them in the head when they're trying to be friendly. That'll make them want to help out my people for sure.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)