so i think that this is going to be my last post of 2008. NYE plans are being ironed out (i think we are going to Lance Armstrong's bar) so until then i will just be hanging out with CeCe, playing the Wii, counting down the best moments of the Romeo Crennel era (there may have been two) and sadly picking up the pieces of a tragic fantasy football season (33-24 combined record in four leagues, no championships... but hey, at least there is the playoff scramble in which i will be drafting for today).
its been a pretty decent year for me and i've been able to share my adventures and thoughts with everyone through this blog, which put up 321 posts in its premier year. so that was pretty cool. so to cap off 2008, i am going to count down the best TYC blog posts of the past year and since i turned 23 this year, why don't we just make this a 33-point countdown? why 33? because i had more than 23 favorite posts, keep up. see you all in 2009.
33. Duganz's reign in the blogosphere is in jeopardy (01.01.08, the birth of TYC)
32. enough Kanye videos to satisfy Robyn for a week (02.24.08, Robyn v. Kanye)
31. mourning the loss of Facebook Scrabble (07.29.08, g'bye Facebook Scrabble)
30. thank you (02.26.08, Black History Month)
29, my mouth floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee (07.21.08, summer fightin')
28. Montana Meth Project: yip, still pretty ridiculous (05.05.08, meth is funny)
27. maybe it's time to put away the shorts... (12.10.08, Texas gets snow)
26. 2,837 ways to say "awesome"... or "disgusting" (08.04.08, the Super Monster)
25. no way Denzel's agent turns this script down (11.24.08, somewhat Huntley Project)
24. the ninja turtles get the bad touch... from Duganz (04.10.08, blog wars)
23. it ain't V-Day without a bloody Patricia Arquette (02.15.08, V-Day dinner)
22. Davis v. Helen Keller: Point, Davis (05.25.08, i dislike Helen Keller)
21. i don't think beer and beef is what Easter is about (03.23.08, Lent)
20. The Clintons smoothly serenade the female Clinton (04.06.08, Clinton & Clintons)
19. Hillary gets an awesome consolation prize (06.04.08, g'bye Hillary)
18. CSIs continue to disappoint real murder victims (11.18.08, CSI: Miami is awesome)
17. an armchair quarterback's look at his picks (10.01.08, i know nothing about baseball)
16. Maura the Steeler fan disrespects the Prince (06.05.08, Will Smith Top 10)
15. UNITY 2008: The Review (07.28.08, the trip to Chicago)
14. psst, Texas didn't get shafted by the BCS (11.30.08, quit whining Longhorns)
13. more love for Syesha before the tornado kills me (05.14.08, Syesha & tornadoes)
12. the Kaimin has an editor in place... for 2029-30 (07.21.08, KAIMIN BABY!)
11. supposed disorderly conduct at a football game (09.12.08, police v. danny)
10. this post dedicated to miss Lindsay Erickson (08.15.08, Le is pretty... mad)
9. a very bad error signals the end of an era (08.15.08, Ball Bustas last hurrah)
8. Sarah Palin's hotness might lure away my vote (08.29.08, hello Palin!)
7. R.I.P Noah Ginnings (11.20.08, Noah Ginnings passes away)
6. a new birthday to celebrate in the Davis house (10.03.08, Uncle Danny)
5. the letter that Grandma sent me (04.17.08, Grandma June passes away)
4. William successfully seduces a Waltzing Matilda (06.28.08, Bill's game)
3. updating Facebook because of a great girl (12.13.08, dating CeCe)
2. 364-163 (11.04.08, Barack Obama elected president)
1. making Billy Shakespeare hip for the children (11.18.08, LOL Shakespeare!)
so i went to Doubt this afternoon with CeCe and on my movie reviewing scale, i'm going to give it a $5 rating. the acting in the movie was pretty solid but the script was pretty heavy (nothing like molestation talk to cheer you up on a Sunday afternoon), some loose ends weren't tied up and i still am unsure whether or not the priest did it although CeCe gave him the "not guilty" verdict. but it wasn't a bad movie and i'm glad i went to that as opposed to some crapper like Marley and Me.
back from the movies, i am watching the Cowboys piss away their season to the Eagles. i think the score is 34-3 now so g'job Dallas, way to fulfill all those pre-season Super Bowl predictions. i would mock you more but i root for the Browns, who not only lost to the Steelers but didn't score an offensive touchdown for a sixth straight game. nice. well, at least we took out Big Ben so suck it Steeler fans.
i will cap off this blogdome trail mix with this sad note. i have made plenty of fun at the expense of my sister over the past few months because of her endless love of texting. unfortunately, i have become her. my recent billing cycle with Verizon ended on Friday and when i looked at my online statement i saw that i had sent/received 1,886 text messages. yes, you read that right. 1,886. good thing i upgraded my texting plan last month or else all of my Christmas money would be going to the "Can You Hear Me Now?" guy. and wow, the Cowboys just fumbled again and the Eagles ran it back 807 yards to put Philly up 41-3. i mean, wow.
as many of you know, for a series of reasons, i did not travel home for the Christmas season this year but i've got to say that Christmas 2008 wasn't that bad. it was strange not seeing Noelle's usual Christmas day antics (wake everyone up early, eventually complain about the presents she got) and it was very weird not to be at RMCC for the annual Christmas Eve service but it was still a decent holiday.
i have a girlfriend that apparently likes me or something because she made sure that i had gifts to open on Christmas day and my mother has gotten over hating me because the family sent cookies and money. over the past few days, i've also gotten some more gift cards in the mail and i am expecting a few more over the next week so that's cool too. but the Christmas MVP award goes to Mary Kate, who was gracious enough to invite me over to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas with her friends and family and that hospitality will be something that i will never forget.
Christmas 2008 was different for sure (it was like 70 on Christmas in Texas, wtf) but it was an oh k day.
Merry Christmas everybody. that's all i have to say.
on the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... TWELVE YouTube clips to "I'm Real" by J.Lo & Ja Rule, eleven clips to the remix edition of R. Kelly's Ignition, ten links to Michael Jackson's timeless classic (THRILLER!), nine links to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" by RedNex on the YouTube, eight YouTube clips of House of Pain's "Jump Around." seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because no song took Senior High by storm like "I'm Real" did. i went to a lot of dances in my glory days and that was the only song that i can remember that was played twice at the same dance and i doubt anyone would have been upset if it was played a few more times. it was the perfect song, 1/2 slow jam, 1/2 bump & grind. it was a duet that allowed the guys a verse smoothly (yet street, because we were from, ya know, Montana) serenade the ladies while the gals could sing right back. it was even a bit dirty and i can remember that even though the DJs always played the edited version, everyone would scream out Ja's line "Bitch, I ain't doing this shit for nothin'." instead of the, yawn, boring edited line of "Baby, I ain't doing this here for nothin'." how much did us Senior Highers love this song? this classic was the last dance at the Class of 2003's senior prom. to this day, i think it was the right choice.
on the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... eleven clips to the remix edition of R. Kelly's Ignition, ten links to Michael Jackson's timeless classic (THRILLER!), nine links to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" by RedNex on the YouTube, eight YouTube clips of House of Pain's "Jump Around." seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because i had a fro. also, because we killed the coolness of the song, not just Montanans but teenagers everywhere. i went to a journalism conference and en route to D.C., i bought the Chocolate Factory CD. one night, we (there were 100 or so kids from the conference spread out among the 50 states and the capitol) decided to have a dance party and we must have played track no. 10 on my new CD at least 20 times. and i am not joking. this may be the most overplayed song ever but it's good to know that our obsession with the song helped R. Kelly may for his legal fees.
sometimes i think that us in the ol' media like to take things and run, publishing stories that make no sense. this is a perfect case of such irresponsibility.
this isn't an anti-Cheney/pro-Cheney rant here. if this was a story about a poll in which the question was "Is Dick Cheney A Good Vice-President" and 77 percent of the respondents voted "no," then i would have no problem. my problem is the "worst vice-president ever" deal. do you know who Hannibal Hamlin, LBJ and Nelson Rockefeller are? they are all former vice-presidents. i am nearly a history major (damn three credits) and i love historical trivia and without looking at the Wikipedia, i couldn't tell you who the last five vice-presidents were and i had a tough time remembering the last three (i forgot all about Quayle) and i would be willing to guess that the majority of the 1,013 people polled are in the same spot that i am. it's hard to say someone is the worst Vice-President ever when the only other person you are comparing to him is Al Gore.
i also don't like the "worst ever" title in regards to historical comparison. how can you compare what Cheney did to what Joe I'mtoolazytolookthisup was doing in the 1840s? just because Cheney has probably had the most power of most vice-presidents and there has been more media scrutiny doesn't mean he's the worst ever. i mean, sheesh, Spiro Agnew had to resign from office because of his corruption.
i don't even think that you can compare presidents because can you really say that Dubya was so terrible when there were presidents for nearly 200 years who presided over a country that supressed all its residents that weren't white males? besides, people more often than naught have no idea what they are talking about. folks treat JFK like he was a god although when you actually look at the basics, Kennedy was not a good president.
i get the point of polls but when the subject matter is so watered down, is there really a point in publishing this nonsense?
well, we have word of our second-ever Kaimin wedding and surprisingly its not Lynch and Strickland that are getting hitched. yes folks, Patrick Duganz is engaged to his girlfriend Alisia... although his relationship status on Facebook has not yet been adjusted so i don't know if i can believe this rumor... that he told me. anyways, congrats buddy, that's pretty awesome. maybe now you'll have something to blog about!
on the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... ten links to Michael Jackson's timeless classic (THRILLER!), nine links to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" by RedNex on the YouTube, eight YouTube clips of House of Pain's "Jump Around." seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? i vividly remember leading a Thriller dance with Arik Brum at a Student Council dance when we were all seniors. we likely shamed Michael in our attempt. but Senior High loved the Thriller, whether it be butchering the moves at a dance or shredding the lyrics at graduation. good times.
so Friday night happened. a couple of nights ago, i has the "pleasure" of watching my university play for a national championship for the second time in five years. and for the second time in five years, i got to see Montana be embarrassed on a national stage. 24-7. yuck. good to know that our offensive line full of Division I rejects and an All-American/karaoke buddy couldn't keep Richmond from having its way with our quarterback.
losing sucks. period. but i still wasn't too torn up about it as there are still some people associated with that team (J.D. Quinn, Robert Hauck) that i am still not big fans of so i am glad that they didn't get to celebrate a championship. it would also be very hard to celebrate a championship with all the nonsense that has happened over the past two years that has changed our school from a respectable powerhouse into a national laughingstock. so whatever, we lost, go Griz. maybe after we finally get rid of Bobby and start to clean up our program, i can truly get into being behind this team.
it was, however, kind of weird to watch the game because i was watching the TV and it was like a flashback to my RA days (specifically the 2005-06 school year). former residents Brandon Fisher and Shawn Lebsock were making big plays on the Griz defense and i saw at least three of my former residents in the Chattanooga stands. i felt like a moderately proud father.
and while we are talking about football, the high school football season officially ended yesterday. Lake Travis rolled over Longview 48-23 to win its second straight championship. what was my day like? i did the live in-game blog, wrote a sidebar and was in charge of the box score. i left my apartment at 9 on Saturday morning and didn't get back until 10:30 at night. for the first time that i can remember, i was physically exhausted by work. but, i guess, it was a good way to go out. onto basketball season.
on the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... nine links to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" by RedNex on the YouTube, eight YouTube clips of House of Pain's "Jump Around." seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because i grew up in Montana.
on the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... eight YouTube clips to House of Pain's "Jump Around." seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because we were a bunch of easily influenced youngsters so when the House of Pain told us to jump, we said "how high?"
on the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me... seven YouTube links to "I Drive Myself Crazy" by N'SYNC, six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? no, really why? because even the nerds occasionally luck out on the dance floor. as i've previously mentioned, i was kind of a loser in junior high and the only video evidence of me being at a dance showed me aimlessly meandering through the crown while everybody else slow danced. but every now and then, some poor girl would agree to dance with me and i vividly remember dancing with Stevie Moe to this song in the eighth grade. now how is it that i can remember an 8th grade slow dance but i can't remember if i locked my car two minutes ago? i don't have an answer but i think it just further proves how sad my life once was (as if the whole part about N'Sync being a highlight of my Lewis and Clark days didn't already give it away).
in every relationship, there are those important firsts: first date, first kiss, so on and so forth. last night, CeCe and i had an important first: first time meeting the family. well, sort of.
let me explain. since my family is spread out among three states i am no where near (Montana, Virginia and Oregon) and my best friends aren't doing much better when it comes to location, my immediate support system has become my Austin-based friends. if i ever need someone to get a beer with or to help combat an emergency, these are the people that i would likely turn to unless Le could find a way to quickly get down here from Seattle if i ever had a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital.
so last night, it was time for CeCe to meet part of my Austin-based family. we met up with Anna, Em, Seth and David for drinks/dinner and then we went to the Trail of Lights at nearby Zilker Park. it was fun and i think everything went well and hopefully everybody liked everybody.
however, the night wasn't perfect.
it was a pretty nice night, in the mid-40s, which was warm to me but cool enough for my Texan girl to want some hot chocolate. so we found a concession stand and i got myself and her a cup of the hot cocoa. unfortunately, before i had even had a chance to enjoy it, the hot chocolate decided to attack. i bumped into one of the girls and the cocoa splattered all over the stomach area of my white UM sweatshirt. later on, i tried to take a sip of the drink and apparently missed the sippy hole and it drizzled down the front of my sweatshirt. seriously, there were four-year-olds looking at me like i was a slob.
to make matters worse, i ended up only having one sip of the hot chocolate. do you know why i only had one sip? because it tasted like garbage. i literally think that they just took a bunch of water from Barton Creek, warmed it up in a microwave and then added some cheap cocoa mix. it was terrible. i would rather chug a pint of clam chowder than attempt to drink another ounce of that chocolaty shitwater. and i HATE clam chowder so that should tell you how bad this cocoa was.
but overall, everything was great last night. the Trail of Lights was really cool so if you're in the Austin area, i would really suggest going. good times. oh, and for those of you concerned, the "hot cocoa" washed out of my sweatshirt so my two-outfit rotation (UM sweatshirt, AE sweatshirt) will continue.
on the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... six YouTube links to C'Mon N' Ride It (The Train). FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? once again its because of the popularity. popular kids led the train while the unpopular ones played the role of the caboose. in addition to being a tool to gauge popularity, the chaperones also loved themselves some Quad City DJs because they gave them four minutes that they didn't have to stop kids from bumpin' and grinding by reminding them to leave room for Jesus.
on the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... FIVE YOUTUBE LINKS!!! (to "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot). four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre", three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because all ass-less white girls need a reason to shake their butts. do you want to know how to get a girl to scream like she's a 12-year-old (circa 1999) at a Backstreet Boys concert? blast the words "Oh my gawd Becky, look at her butt..." on a set of speakers. this scene in Charlie's Angels with Cameron Diaz is no joke. i remember my senior year winter formal dance and me and Claire were dancing until that song came on and she said "Sorry, I need to go find my girls." i felt a little jilted until i looked around and saw almost every other guy on the dance floor girl-less and looking a little bewildered. forget this song, Baby Got Back will always be the anthem for the B-Town Ladies.
a month ago, i put up a short blog about Elvin making a guest appearance on Without A Trace as a bank manager. well, it's hard to one-up The Cosby Show (unless you got like Theo or something) so Without A Trace took a step back tonight. from the C-list stars from yesterday vault, Without A Trace plucked out Ben Savage for a quest appearance spot as Benny played a geeky murder suspect who was chasing a girl who was turned on by the Civil War. if you don't remember Mr. Savage, remember Boy Meets World.
well, i want you to remember Boy Meets World before the kids went off the college. that show was great but then everyone graduated and went to the same college, the storylines got ridiculous, Eric became unbearably stupid and needless characters like Rachel and Angela were introduced. i missed the days on Minkus! i also was a bit weired out by Mr. Feeny. Feeny was great when the kids were little but sheesh, the man needs to let go. was it really necessary for him to follow him to college? with the way he was attached to these kids, i'm kind of surprised that there wasn't a special episode in which Topanga reveals that Mr. Feeny touched her in an inappropriate way. creeper.
so after hitting like 60 or 70 degrees on Sunday, it cooled down a bit on Monday, so chilly that this became a legitimate brief for me to work on. yes, the 30s aren't being welcomed down here in Texas but i think that Montanans would literally think that anything in the 30s would be cause to whip out the swim trunks. when i talked to my dad on Sunday morning, he was talking about how he couldn't ride his bike because it had just snowed like four inches and when i looked online a few minutes later it was -13 below. yesterday, Austin was supposed to get a high of 41 and it was 55 degrees warmer than what was going down in Billings. according to Captain John's status on The Facebook, there was an 80 degree difference on Sunday! seriously. i'm not going home for Christmas and people asked me if i am bummed. the weather is in the negative teens, of course i am not bummed! i love wearing shorts!anyways, speaking of temperature, what's cooler than being cool? no Outkast, it's not "ice cold." the correct answer is being a Cleveland Brown. seriously, we suck. in addition to collecting its 10th loss of the season last year in a 30-10 loss to Philly, Cleveland had its fourth straight game without an offensive touchdown. and we did it on Monday Night Football so the nation could see how awful we are. somehow we got two Pro Bowl selections which is shocking because i thought the only one doing his job in Cleveland was the beer man who was supplying the liquid that has been helping the Brown fans drown their sorrows. i still love my Browns but i am getting a bit bitter, everyday i look at my Braylon Edwards bobblehead with more and more scorn each day.all that's left for Cleveland to do this season is to somehow lose to Cincinnati next week and then get stomped by Pittsburgh in the season final (which will bring on a lot of fun insults from my stupid Steeler friends, thus sending me into a deeper downward spiral of depression). the only solace is that i love the off-season. until next September i will be trying to convince me that the Browns didn't overspend on the free agents that they picked up and that their likely Top 5 draft pick won't be a huge bust. i am just going to assume that Romeo Crennel will be fired so i will soon fall in love with our new coach and if Romeo somehow keeps his job, i will come running back to his side like an abused Juliet.until next year, hope springs eternal.
on the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me... four YouTube links to "Hot In Herre" by Nelly, three YouTube links to "Senorita" by JT, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? because of my boy Mike Williams. i love the kid but you could almost guarantee that if this song was played at some homecoming dance in some sweaty gym at Senior High, you could look and that kid would be trying to rip his shirt off. i am sure every school had THAT guy at their dances. and while Mike was one of the few high schoolers i knew with a six-pack, couldn't just once it be one of those semi-attractive girls who are desperate to make a name for themselves ripping off their clothes? i mean c'mon.
on the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me... three YouTube links to "Senorita" by Justin Timberlake, two links to the "Macerana" and a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.why? this song doesn't have the best dance beat in the world but there is a reason that this song was popular at the teen dance nights that were put on at Despos (R.I.P.) following my senior year of high school. yes, i am talking about the gender exclusive sing-a-longs. i am all about crowd participation so whenever JT asked the fellas to holler out a few words and then in a high falsetto asked the ladies in the house to do the same, we always obliged.
on the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... two YouTube links to the "Macarena" and one YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? solely for popularity reasons. in addition to being a song that should be played at every wedding, the Macarena was a way that us junior highers figured out popularity. at the ol' dances that song would come on and everyone would line up facing the DJ... except for one line, which would be in front with their backs to the DJ, facing the crowd and leading the dance. the cool kids were always in that line. do you know who wasn't in that line? the academic olympians and the chess club champions. no, to secure a spot in that line meant you were something special... and it was an accomplishment i achieved at the last dance of my stay at Lewis & Clark. still a career highlight for me.
the songs on the Lewis & Clark video got me thinking about all the jams we used to dance to back in the day. see, the kids these days have crap to rock out to. this is just addicting jibberish, it's not a good song (although, this might be the third time i've linked to that video in the past week).
so as my Christmas present to y'all (that's Texan for the English phrase "you all"), i am going to present the 12 Days of... Danny Dancing. yea, pretty much everyday i am going to unwrap a classic and tell you why it was a great song to dance to when i was Little Girl's age. all the hits listed will be songs that were played at the dances i attended from my first year at ol' Lewis and Clark (1997-98) up until the summer after my senior year at Senior (2003). so enjoy... and JUST DANCE!!!
on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... a YouTube link to "Too Close" by Next.
why? this is still perhaps the ultimate bump-and-grind song but since the song came out in 1998, we were much to young to know it. as i've mentioned before, i listen to these lyrics now and i think someone should have been fired for letting us dance within 60 feet of a girl while this song was being blasted over the stereo. i mean, wow. but still, it's a great song... and i'm insisting it's played at my funeral right after Amazing Grace.
earlier this week, i think it was on Tuesday or whatever night it snowed, me and CeCe decided to chill (no pun intended) and watch a movie. what movie did we watch? The Dark Knight? Remember the Titans? Josie and the Pussycats? no, we watched a video tape (they still exist) of... my junior high video yearbook. yes, it was a trip down memory lane and CeCe was tolerant enough to go on the trip with me.
i will say this, 2008 version of Danny is a lot better than the 1997-99 model. wow, i was a goober and every time i saw myself on that screen i was reminded of it. aside from my wardrobe, which i think proves that the parentals hate me, i think my lowest video moment might have been a clip of one of the Jr. High dances. first off, i was getting down while wearing my red and white No. 52 Lewis & Clark football jersey (hip) and secondly there was a shot of an apparent slow song and the camera scanned back and you could see me just meandering through the crowd alone while everyone else danced with a member of the opposite sex (loser).
junior high dances were brutal back in the days. i think i may have danced five slow songs the entire two years i was there and i attended every dance. i was petrified of the girls and their cooties and the ladies seemed to be repulsed at the idea of having be within ten feet of me for the duration of an entire Savage Garden song.
flash forward to today and i am still somewhat scared of girls and their cooties but i have lucked out and found someone who isn't repulsed by me. me and CeCe made it official on Thursday and are now officially dating. this is a new step in my life and not only am i incredibly grateful that God has put such a wonderful person in my life but i am also very excited to see where this road takes us.
on Friday, i did something that i had never done on Facebook and i have been on that thing so long that i remember when you could clear other people's walls. on Friday, i seriously changed my relationship status. i took down my single status which is how i will keep it because i think we are going to wait until we are in a Facebook relationship because i don't need someone that i had a semester of sophomore math with knowing my business. it's just how i roll.
so that's, that, i am officially, and happily, off the market. sorry (single) ladies.
i am sitting in a room at the Renaissance Marriott in Dallas right now (great room) so i figured that i should blog about a random conversation i had last night and a random thought i had on my three-hour car ride up here.
the Griz won tonight so with James Madison behind it, Montana should coast through next week's championship game against Doesntmatter State. so hizzah. but still, it's kind of hard to celebrate the alma mater's first championship since 2001 because Missoula is kind of on my bad side right now. i love Red Robin and during my four years at UM, there was never any talk of the Garden City getting a Red Robin so my cravings could only be cured during trips back home to Billings. well, 18 months after my graduation, Missoula has a Red Robin and to make it even better, the Red Robin stands where Club Cabo used to be. holla. well, screw you Missoula. if i ever come back again, i better get priority seating there because i'm sure all the money i've spent at the Red Robins in Billings and Austin probably funded the opening of the Missoula store.
people ask why i love the Red Robin. why? because the fries taste like freedom and eating the clucks is equivalent to an orgasm for your mouth. that, and eating at Red Robin is one of the few nice family memories i have as a kid, so while the food isn't great, Red Robin literally does make me feel kind of warm inside.
my second random thought is about this song and how much the lyrics bother me. this song is either a woman's admission of alcoholism or this lady is singing about a night in which she was apparently robbed ("where are my keys? I lost my phone...") drugged ("i love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore") kidnapped ("what's the name of this club?") and sexually violated ("how'd i turn my shirt inside out?")... but either way it's all good because you can just dance!!! fudge it, instead of being upset about my crappy four years of Red Robin-less Missoula, i am just going to join my girl Lady Gaga on the dance floor. holla.
so this is a shout-out to my homegirl Le whose adopted home state of Illinois has made some news this past week.
most importantly, it appears that the ol' governor is in some trouble with the law. since Obama was elected president (Yes We Can), he has a now vacant seat in the senate and when there is a vacancy up on Capitol Hill, its the job of the governor to appoint someone to fill that spot. the only problem is that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevthisisahardnametopronounce wants a lil' more than a Thank You card in exchange for the appointment.
i'm going to put this on the table Rod-B so sit down and listen up. i enjoy hanging out in the District so in exchange for Obama's seat, i will give you $5, a gift certificate to Arby's and a copy of The Dark Knight that i've only watched once. deal?
in other news, the Tribune Company has filed for bankruptcy so i guess the journalism world can now become even more paranoid and petrified. this is a very interesting industry that i work in.
yea folks, it snowed in Austin tonight. not going lie, i am very scared. see, us Montana boys know how to drive in snow (except for that one time i drove the Taurus through a snowstorm and off the highway, but that's another story that i'm sure Le can tell you). but do you know who doesn't know how to drive in snow? or ice? Texans. i remember when i first moved down here, people kept referring to the past winter's Great Storm. do you know how big the Great Storm was? an inch of snow. it takes Montanans like 10 inches of snow in April to even begin considering calling off baseball games. i don't even think anyone in Texas owns a window scrapper or even knows how to use one.the roads are going to be a mess tomorrow. Austin is a pretty warm town year-round (it was 70 degrees when i went to work today) so i am guessing that the city is not all that equipped to combat icy streets. i am putting the over/under on ice-related car accidents by noon on Wednesday at 25... and i think i will take the over. unfortunately, i have a very busy day at work tomorrow so i can't call in sick so if you need me, i will be taking every backroad possible to the newsroom.i am actually happy to see snow. granted, i do laugh when i receive picture messages of snow in May from my friends back home but i kind of miss snow. it doesn't really seem like Christmas unless there is snow on the ground.
so my girl Hillary Clinton recently got put in Obama's cabinet where she will serve as the Secretary of State. but in addition to being the new SOS and a member of the Board of Big Beauties, Hillary is also now a former junior senator from New York. and since that spot is now vacant, ol' New York, New York has to fill it and look who wants to replace Hillary.seriously, the Nanny? look, no offense Fran but if i am going to send a washed-up actor from the 90s to D.C., i am sending this guy.in other news, it's Christmas time and so it is time to start shopping. every year the Statesman adopts some classes from Sanchez Elementary (a local elementary school that we also have a mentorship program set up with) and the gifts were due yesterday. i had kind of put off shopping so i had to run around to get my kid (Kevin) his gift.on Kevin's wish list he had put "Speed Racer puzzle," "ball," and "car" in that order. since the puzzle was not only topping the list but also the only specific thing on it (there are 780 different kinds of balls), i knew that i had to get that puzzle. the only problem is that it's kind of hard to find Speed Racer material in this town and after unsuccessful trips to Wal-Mart and the Barton Creek Mall, i was beginning to think that i was just going to have to buy Kevin every ball in the Wal-Mart sporting goods department. luckily, my last stop was Target which is apparently the headquarters for your Speed Racer needs. i was able to get two Speed Racer puzzles and some Speed Racer hot wheels. awesome.i also got my wrapping paper for the 2008 holiday season. every year i buy one roll of wrapping paper and use it for everything (Christmas, birthdays, etc) until it runs out. last year, i rolled with Dora The Explorer (my Sanchez kid was a girl) and this year i am going with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from the legit TV special. so if you get married in the next year and your new toaster comes wrapped in Rudolph wrapping, now you know why.
Maura noted today on her gChat status that today is apparently the 75th anniversary of Prohibition being abolished. so as if you didn't need another excuse to drink, now you can throw one back in the name of history.
in addition to history, i will be drinking for The Juice. yea, O.J. is going to prison for a while, getting 15 years for that whole Vegas robbery snaffu. my hope is that he serves 10 years and they let him out so he can live out the rest of his life on the outside.
look, i'm not going to apologize for OJ here, the man is an idiot for thinking he can storm into a room like that and get away with it when the entire world is after him. but as i watched his apology, i felt incredibly bad for him. let's be real here, the man was set up. and honestly, if this is anyone else, does anybody care? if this is anyone else, is there a tape recorder magically set up in the room to provide the condemning audio? if this is anyone else, does that nonsense kidnapping charge stick? if this is anyone else, is Sportscenter cutting out of highlights of some mundane NBA game to bring us live shots of random courtroom proceedings? my guess is no for all four questions. another great victory for Team Justice...
i am still bothered that some white people are still upset about 1995 but i guess they got their victory today so congrats. the good news is i will hopefully never have to see Fred Goldman's face again.
i went to Role Models last night with CeCe and i've got to say that it was maybe the best movie i've seen this year. better than Get Smart and Hancock and maybe even better than The Dark Knight (i still think that movie doesn't get remotely good until the truck flip scene). Role Models was just funny from beginning to end (well, 3 minutes from the end) and Jane Lynch's character was great. on my rating scale, i give it a $7 which is approaching Denzel territory. seriously, Denzel could film a movie about him mowing the lawn and i still would be obliged to give him the highest-rating of all, the big 8-dolla mark.i also lost my Alamo Drafthouse virginity last night. see, my usual movie theater is the one at the Barton Creek Mall because that's how i roll, i like to keep it simple. but last night, we went to the Drafthouse where you can order drinks of the alcoholic or non-alcoholic variety as well as dinner. it was awesome. wasn't too expensive either so that was plus. they are showing one of the real life ninja turtle movies later this month and will be celebrating with an all-you-can-eat pizza party but since CeCe has already stated she's not going with me, i am looking for some friends who love turtles and pizza. so give me a call people, don't make me go make new friends on the Craigslist. i would suggest that everyone try out the Drafthouse. in the meanwhile, me and Barton Creek might be taking a break but don't worry BCM, i will cherish the memories that me, you and Denzel shared.but the point of this blog isn't to give Denzel another shout-out (holla!) or to give Role Models a good review (three thumbs up). no, i am here to send a WTF (in CAPS, no less) to MGM. see, MGM decided to release the new Tom Cruise movie on Christmas which would seem like a good idea if it was this Tom Cruise movie. or this one. but no, the movie that MGM is putting on Christmas is Valkyrie, which is about Tom Cruise trying to take out Hitler. seriously? even a movie about Tom Cruise and prostitutes is more Christmas-friendly than Hitler.who is going to go see a movie about Hitler on Christmas? oh, and i'm still three credits short of a history major so i know a thing or two about the 1940s and last time i checked the Big H went out via suicide, not assassination so who want to go see a movie about a failed Hitler assassination on Christmas? doesn't sound like a happy ending to me. i just can't see Pops sitting about the tree after the kids opened all of their gifts and saying to Moms "Well we've opened all these cool presents and are about to sit down to a great dinner but do you know what Christmas is missing? Tom Cruise. and Hitler."do you know what makes a good movie? a movie with animated animals. take a loveable cartoon bear/cat/turtle/hippo and throw him into a bunch of funny circumstances with his sidekick, a wise-cracking dog/monkey/squirrel/triceratops, and you have got Christmas gold. i mean MGM could have at least attempted to make Hitler a cartoon character.i hope MGM learns their lessons when Valkwasitcalled makes $5 on opening day. and if cartoons aren't your thing and you are still looking for a way to neglect your family on Christmas day, i suggest going to see Role Models. it's awesome.
life can be odd sometimes. bad things happen and sometimes you think that you have the worst life in the entire world. but ya know what? you don't. the Statesman launched its Season for Caring campaign last week and i suggest you take a look at the stories/videos because my co-workers really did do a great job on this series. these people have it a lot worse than me and the fact that some of them can still manage to smile and remain moderately optimistic and hopeful is pretty amazing.
is it just me or has Beyonce become the biggest big man-hater in the world? i mean Irreplaceable was oh k but didn't she get married before she put out If I Were A Boy and Single Ladies? (ps. what the crap is this? and this?) is H.O.V.A. beating her at home or something? spending all their money? why is Beyonce so unhappy? is she still upset that Jennifer Hudson whooped her ass in Dreamgirls?i mean cheer up Beyonce, you have no reason to be upset. for some reason, people mistook you were the most talented member of Destiny's Child and now you are rich and famous while Kelly is probably on the reality TV circuit and i believe Michelle is working at a McDonalds. also, for some reason, Obama wants you to perform at the inaguration but hope fully he will "change" his mind. YES HE CAN!oh, and i kind of like the R. Kelly remix to one of Beyonce's most recent hateration anthems. when the man isn't allegedly pissing on underaged girls, he's one helluva talent.
today is kind of a sad day because i feel like my soul has been dealt a series of punches as well as been jabbed a couple dozen times with a pair of rusty scissors. yea, for most people out there who participate in the sport, the fantasy football playoffs start this upcoming week... and i made the playoffs in only two of my four leagues. and to make things worse, i missed the playoffs in the two leagues that matter.
in my office league, i lost my head-to-head match-up this past week and the loss not only cost me a playoff spot and a division title but a minimum check of $75 as well. ugh. in the SJI league, in which i was the defending champion, i lost out of a playoff spot by a single game. and it sucks because i got off to such a good start in both leagues but lost 5 of 6 the final games in the Statesman league and dropped 3 of my last 4 weeks in the SJI league.
i blame this guy. i had him in both leagues and his recent injury killed me. in SJI, i had to replace Reggie Bush with Ike Hilliard. Ike Hilliard!!! when you share the same first name as one of my favorite candies, things are not going to end up very well and they certainly didn't end up well for my fantasy lifestyle.
so now that i am essentially done with the fantasy football until next August, i need to come up with another game to play. i am thinking about training for either the Price Is Right or Wheel of Fortune. so for the next few months, expect to either see me in various mall outlets trying to guess the prices of toaster ovens or volunteering at random elementary schools so i can gain access to their cache of word games.
oh, and it's Britney's birthday. enjoy.
i was hanging out with CeCe last night and we somehow got hooked into watching a bunch of shows on TLC about morbidly obese people (i know, very romantic).
the one that really got my attention was the one titled "The 750-Pound Man" which was about a man that was 760 pounds. well, and here comes a spoiler, the guy dies really suddenly in the show (turns out, being 760 pounds is a bit unhealthy) and then the laughter started flowing because i am sure that i am just a terrible person. the guy had to be cremated because he was too big for burial but instead of finding a nice urn (or vase... or cookie jar) to put him it, they just put his remains in a white box that looked like it could have been easily mistaken for a doughnut box if left on the subway. they are at his funeral and they just keep flashing back to this damn white box. kind of trashy but very bizarre.
there were a lot of nice moments too in the show (and the two that followed it) like when 750-Pound Man's friend lost like 80 pounds in a month or so and at the end had found a girlfriend and started a family. i am rooting for that kid.
anyways, i don't know why i wanted to make this my blog topic. maybe its because i can't get the images of 750-pound Man's shirtless body out of my head. seriously, how do you get to be that big? how is that possible? granted, i am nowhere close to being the poster child for healthy fitness but i'm not that bad and i would probably want to be put down after crossing the three bill-mark so i can't even imagine being over 700 pounds. one of the guys on the show after The 750-Pound Man was over 950. 950!!! i get some of these people have diseases and all but still...
alright, i'm done being insensitive for the day. i am going to go eat a salad.
so i think that this is going to be my last post of 2008. NYE plans are being ironed out (i think we are going to Lance Armstrong's bar) so until then i will just be hanging out with CeCe, playing the Wii, counting down the best moments of the Romeo Crennel era (there may have been two) and sadly picking up the pieces of a tragic fantasy football season (33-24 combined record in four leagues, no championships... but hey, at least there is the playoff scramble in which i will be drafting for today).
