Dancing With the Stars Debuted Tonight!!!

12 new C List "Stars"!

Hot babe (both male and female) dancers!

It can only mean... DANCING WITH THE STARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEEE (Swoon for Tom and Samantha)



Let's review each of the dancers that debuted tonight -- Just the men though!!

Wow... lots of clips of C List celebrities dancing... they then start the show with all the pros dancing with each other... yes... men and women... all sexy and hot... I get it... now... let's get on with the show... I am especially skeeved out when my absolute favorite Julianne Hough dances with her brother Derek. Icky... sexy dancing with your sister... icky...

Our stars are introduced, but only the men will be dancing tonight on this two night premiere event.

Yay... the judges!!!! Carrie Ann is looking mean... yay!!!

Penn Jillette -- I love Penn Jillette and I know he is an acquired taste. I love him so much that I pushed Tangentwoman to go to a Penn and Teller show in Vegas. He is paired up with another favorite of mine Kym Johnson. He is up first.



He is in my heart right now since I love him and we saw him just a couple days ago in Vegas. We also saw some television cameras wandering around the stage. He certainly isn't a great dancer, but he has incredible stage presence and all of the presence that I have seen in all of his television specials and shows is certianly there.

His dance is up... by the way... Kym is more of a person this year... and I always liked her. THeir dance was better than I expected from him. I don't think he will be out right away... but certainly not a finalist. His greatest detriiment is his size, but I enjoyed it because he was obviously enjoying it. The judges are gracious as they always are the first week... and Penn was himself. To Bruno after he was rough -- "I'll give you four weeks to learn a card trick." Great.

His scores and total -- 5, 6, 5 -- 16 That was harsh.

Samantha looks lovely...

Jason Taylor -- The NFL superstar is dancing with my other female dancer favorite Edyta Sliwinski.



Edyta!!!! Jason is knocking down football dummies in a sparkly shirt. Oof. Edyta thinks that Jason is a bit shy. He then comes out in a tutu. I am not sure about him... but he has Edyta so I will be forced to like him. The dance... for a large man... he is rather light on his feet... He was good... better than Penn, and pretty good. The dance suited him, but I don't know how he will handle the Latin dances. The judges like him.

His scores are 7, 8, 7 -- 22

Samantha looks lovely...

Cristian de la Fuente -- The telenova star that no one who speaks English only has ever heard of is dancing with Cheryl Burke. Oof.. he's pretty. The chicks are going to love him.



Hola. Yo soy Smelmooo-o. Yo soy un Americano. de la Fuente esta guapo y bonito. Se bonito. No esta mistako. His personality is much more funner than I thought it would be. I am currently not rooting for him. He's just pretty. He was nervous and slightly robotic and if I got anything out of this it is that Cheryl is really good and should have a decent chance. De la Fuente will help her get far enough to show more of her talents. The judges like him because he is good and sexy and pretty.

Their scores -- 7, 7, 7 -- 21 Total

Samantha looks lovely...

Adam Carolla -- I like Adam Carolla, but my initial impression is that he doesn't have a chance to win. However, he is with my favorite dancer -- Julianne Hough.



Julianne is hot and Adam is that goofy kid that sits in the back of the room who makes me laugh. He is pretty shy and he keeps laughing and joking so that he doesn't have to dance with her. Let me do it!!!!! The come out and dance the Foxtrot. This will be either fun or a train wreck. He is a bit rough and I hate Julianne's ugly yellow dress. I am voting for train wreck at the moment. I fear that I will only see Julliane for one more episode. :-( Let me divert my attention to something more important... the band is just so horrible. The judges think that they aren't the best. Bruno is especially an asshole tonight. To be this mean... he needs a few weeks of witty banter with them... this is the week of being nice.

Their scores are 5, 5, 5 -- 15

Samantha looks lovely...

Mario -- Mario is an R&B singer who is paired with Karina Smirnoff. Is it sad that I am far off more familiar with Karina than I am this person named Mario?



He is the youngest competitor ever... and is exactly what I expected personality wise -- boring as hell. He is going to be the male competitor in the competition that will annoy me because he has dancing experience and performance experience. I haven't been a Karina fan either, but I feel bad for her and Mario for the whole neck injury thing. He was great... He is this season's Sabrina... too much of a performer to be on this show, but his personality is actually something I will like to hear although boring-ish for now. The judges liked him for the most part.

His scores were 8, 8, 8 -- 24 Total

Samantha looks lovely...

Steve Guttenberg -- I have to admit that I was pretty excited to hear about Steve since he has the ability to make anything good -- see Cocoon. He is paired up with Anna Trebunskaya.



Yes... he IS one of the biggest box office stars of all time. Short Circuit, Police Academies, Three Men and a Baby's. I am really ready to like him big time. His interviews were charming and I will like him. He really seems to be enjoying himself out there. His dance was clunky, but dammit... he had fun out there. Infectious... Just infectious.

His scores were 6, 6, 6 -- Total 18

Samantha looks lovely...

Sooo.... I think Mario has to be the hands down favorite for the men if dancing is the only thing to be judged upon. Steve is the most charming with Penn coming in second... but his star appeal won't win it for him. But... my dark horse is... and I am aware of my words is De La Fuente.

Tomorrow... it's the chicks. Hooray. That's a preview? Yawn... the men seem to be better... and Janet is a Broadway star... lots of dancing in Hairspray... especially for the lead actress.

That's it for now folks... let's enjoy the ladies tonight.

P.S. Samantha looks lovely.

Happy St. Patick's Day

Enjoy one for me... I can't until Sunday... so you can have mine.

Las Vegas Images

Just some images that I won't forget...

Babes Direct to You



Back Fat



Flamingo Dancers



Bellagio Fountains



Neon, Neon, Neon



Penn and Teller



Inside the Venetian

Book 18 of 52 -- Cormac McCarthy's No Country For Old Men

I read this book after seeing the movie.

I was afraid I would be disappointed and was as enraptured with the novel as I had been with the movie.

I highly recommend No Country for Old Men.

The writing was simple but strong.

It leaves you with that lingering feeling of being a part of something words cannot describe.

I could not wait to finish the book and hated to come to the end of the book.

Savor the flavor that Cormac McCarthy creates in this wonderful modern western story.

Then... savor just how perfect and amazing the Coen Brothers' masterpiece film... with all the details and amazing touches.

Whoa...

don't ya' just love NJ?

If you've ever lived in Jersey ...you'll appreciate this!!!

New Jersey is a peninsula.

Highlands, New Jersey has the highest elevation along the entire eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida .

New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.

New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky .

New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana , Cuba .

New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US .

New Jersey has the highest cost of living.

New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.

New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation.

New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the 'Diner Capital of the World.'

New Jersey is home to the original Mystery Pork Parts Club (no, not Spam): Taylor Ham or Pork Roll.

Home to the less mysterious but the best Italian hot dogs and Italian sausage with peppers and onions.

North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius.

New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island .

The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland .

New Jersey has 50+ resort cities and towns; some of the nation's most famous: Asbury Park, Wildwood, Atlantic City, Seaside Heights, Long Branch, Cape May.

New Jersey has the most stringent testing along our coastline for water quality control than any other seaboard state in the entire country.

New Jersey is a leading technology and industrial state and is the largest chemical producing state in the nation when you include pharmaceuticals.

Jersey tomatoes are known the world over as being the best you can buy.

New Jersey is the world leader in blueberry and cranberry production (and you thought Massachusetts ?)

Here's to New Jersey - the toast of the country! In 1642, the first brewery in America , opened in Hoboken .

New Jersey rocks! The famous Les Paul invented the first solid body electric guitar in Mahwah, in 1940.

New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US , located in Elizabeth . Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.

New Jersey is home to one of the nation's busiest airports (in Newark ), Liberty International.

George Washington slept here. Several important Revolutionary War battles were fought on New Jersey soil, led by General George Washington.

The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park , NJ , laboratory.

We also boast the first town ever lit by incandescent bulbs.

The first seaplane was built in Keyport , NJ .

The first airmail (to Chicago ) was started from Keyport , NJ .

The first phonograph records were made in Camden , NJ

New Jersey was home to the Miss America Pageant held in Atlantic City .

The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City .

And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world, not to mention salt water taffy.

New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area outside of the Middle East countries.

The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey , in the Watchung Mountains

New Jersey has the tallest water-tower in the world. ( Union , NJ !!!)

New Jersey had the first medical center, in Jersey City

The Pulaski SkyWay, from Jersey City to Newark , was the first skyway highway.

NJ built the first tunnel under a river, the Hudson River, ( Holland Tunnel).

The first baseball game was played in Hoboken , NJ , which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.

The first intercollegiate football game was played in New Brunswick in 1889 (Rutgers College played Princeton ).

The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden , NJ , (but they're all gone now!).

New Jersey is home to both of ' NEW YORK 'S' pro football teams!

The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson , NJ .

The first FM radio broadcast was made from Alpine, NJ, by Maj. Thomas Armstrong.

All New Jersey natives: Sal Martorano, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Queen Latifah, Susan Sarandon, Connie Francis, Shaq, Judy Blume, Aaron Burr, Joan Robertson, Ken Kross, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughn, Budd Abbott, Lou Costello, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Marilynn McCoo, Flip Wilson, Alexander Hamilton, Zack Braff, Whitney Houston, Eddie Money, Linda McElroy, Eileen Donnelly, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise, RS Krill, Joyce Kilmer, Bruce Willis, Caesar Romero, Lauryn Hill, Ice-T, Nick Adams, Nathan Lane, Sandra Dee, Cougar Bob, Danny DeVito, Richard Conti, Joe Pesci, Joe Piscopo, Joe DePasquale, Robert Blake, John Forsythe, Meryl Streep, Loretta Swit, Norman Lloyd, Paul Simon, Jerry Herman , Gorden McCrae, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Phyllis Newman, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Eva Marie Saint, Elisabeth Shue, Zebulon Pike, James Fennimore Cooper, Admiral Wm.Halsey,Jr., Norman Schwarzkopf, Dave Thomas (Wendy's),William Carlos Williams, Ray Liotta, Robert Wuhl, Bob Reyers, Paul Robeson, Ernie Kovacs, Joseph Macchia, Kelly Ripa, and, of course, Francis Albert Sinatra and 'Uncle Floyd' Vivino.

The Great Falls in Paterson , on the Passaic River , is the 2nd highest waterfall on the East Coast of the US .

You know you're from Jersey when . . .

You don't think of fruit when people mention 'The Oranges.'

You know that it's called Great Adventure, not Six Flags.

A good, quick breakfast is a hard roll with butter.

You've known the way to Seaside Heights since you were seven.

You've eaten at a diner, when you were stoned or drunk, at 3 A.M.

You know that the state isn't one big oil refinery.

At least three people in your family still love Bruce Springsteen, and you know the town Jon Bon Jovi is from.

You know what a 'jug handle' is.

You know that WaWa is a convenience store.

You know that the state isn't all farmland.

You know that there are no 'beaches' in New Jersey --there's the shore--and you
don't go 'to the shore,' you go 'down the shore.' And when you are there, you're not 'at the shore'; you are 'down the shore.'

You know how to properly negotiate a circle.

You knew that the last sentence had to do with driving.

You know that this is the only 'New' state that doesn't require 'New' to identify it (try . . . Mexico . . . York . . . . Hampshire-- doesn't work, does it?).

You know that a ' White Castle ' is the name of BOTH a fast food chain AND a fast food sandwich.

You consider putting mayo on a corned beef sandwich a sacrilege.

You don't think 'What exit?' is very funny.

You know that people from the 609 area code are 'a little different.' Yes they are!

You know that no respectable New Jerseyan goes to Princeton --that's for out-of-staters.

The Jets-Giants game has started fights at your school or local bar.

You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls.

You refer to all highways and interstates by their numbers.

Every year you have at least one kid in your class named Tony.

You know the location of every clip shown in the Sopranos opening credits.

You've gotten on the wrong highway trying to get out of the mall.

You know that people from North Jersey go to Seaside Heights , and people from Central Jersey go to Belmar, and people from South Jersey go to Wildwood.
It can be no other way.

You weren't raised in New Jersey --you were raised in either North Jersey, Central Jersey or South Jersey .

You don't consider Newark or Camden to actually be part of the state.

You remember the stores Korvette's, Two Guys, Rickel's, Channel, Bamberger's and Orbach's.

You also remember Palisades Amusement Park .

You've had a boardwalk cheese steak and vinegar fries.

You start planning for Memorial Day weekend in February.

And finally . . . You've NEVER, NEVER NEVER, EVER pump your own gas.

Safe and Sound...

Awesome dog happy to be home...

No slot machines, cigarette smoke or cigars to annoy us...

On Our Way...

The last rings of the slot machines annoying me.....

Survivor Fans vs Favorites -- Week Six Lands

I HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET AND WON'T UNTIL SATURDAY!!!!



LLLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE (Some 4 months later than when it happened in real life.)

Ahhh... it's day 12 and the Favorites have named the chicken... Charlie... It's time to kill the chicken... but that didn't stop Ami from choking the chicken... hee hee... I made a sexual innuendo joke and it makes me smile more knowing that Ami is an out of the closet lesbian.

Crap... they are doing a school yard pickem and mixing up the tribes... I can't tell you the names of the tribes... Malakal tribe and Airai tribe.

Reward Challenge and the reward is a get to know you BBQ for the "new tribes."

It's a neat challenge where there are pairs of survivors attached to each other and they have to chase the others around and catch their flags. Lots of people have bruises after this one and pain and cuts in this one.

Side note... I found the whole Joel dragging Chet around and bashing Chet's head into logs extremely uncomfortable to watch and it pissed me off because it is the real world of the big muscle head bully beating up on the weaker guy crap. Just uncalled for.

Aside from all the injuries, this is a pretty neat and cool challenge.

Now... we have footage of the winners and losers in their new camps and new "tribes" as they discover themselves... and each other. Erik The Ice Cream Scooper is growing on me due to his seemingly naivety...

The Airai camp and beach sucks... and the ocean is making its way into the camp. James lets us know all that he thinks about everything and I am not sure I understand anything he says.

Sooo... Jonathan Penner is hurt and the medics are called otu to clean out an injury to his knee where a stick went through his knee. The footage showed him getting stitched up and was also rather uncomfortable to watch.

Amanda found a shark and killed it. Seriously. They didn't blur any of that.

Immunity Challenge time... some sort of wacky puzzle game with rock throwing and a "caller" to solve the puzzle. Airai's pieces don't break so easily and are actually laughing a lot during the challenge.... let's see who wins... Airai comes from behind big time to win...

Lots of debate and discussions are had... and it is down to either DOUCHE BAG Joel or Dopey Chet.

Whoever gets voted off, the viewers win.

Let's read the votes...

Once the votes are read the decision is final....

Joel
Chet
Chet
Joel
Joel
Joel
Joel

Fifth person voted out... Joel... see you later meat head...

Prediction -- The merge threw me off last week but I will go with Kathy.

Tucker's Nuts
1. Natalie Bolton (1)
2. Alexis Jones (4)
3. Amanda Kimmel (5)
4. Cirie Fields (8)
5. Ozzy Lusth (9)
6. Parvati Shallow (12)
7. James Clement (13)
8. Eliza Orlins (16)
9. Kathy Sleckman (17)
10. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (20)

ASSSHHHHFAULT
1. Ami Cusack (2)
4. Chet Welch (7)
6. Jonathan Penner (11)
7. Erik Reichenbach (14)
8. Jason Siska (15)
3. Joel Anderson(6) -- BOOTED WEEK FIVE!!!
2. Michael Bortone (3) -- BOOTED WEEK FOUR!!!
5. Yao-Man Chan (10) -- BOOTED WEEK THREE!!!
9. Mary Sartain (18) -- BOOTED WEEK TWO!!!
10. Jonny Fairplay (19) -- BOOTED WEEK ONE!!!!

Off.... AGAIN!

I am off again for another trip.

This one will be in Vegas and I will get a chance to play a bunch of poker!

Tangentwoman will be joining me later in the trip and we have plans to see the Grand Canyon and a Penn and Teller show.

She gets one thing she wants and I get one thing I want.

See kids... compromise is the cornerstone to any marriage!

She just better never ask me to get a cat though... then it's over.

;-)

PS. I am here safely!!! And I can eat outside if I want to.

How Many Five Year Olds Could You Beat Up...

23

TW can only beat up about 12.

What a sissy.

Book 17 of 52 -- Sue Grafton's T Is For Trespass

After reading all of the reviews I really expected to like this book, but instead I found it quite boring.

The first half of the book mostly flitted from one subject to another, with Kinsey detailing what she had for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There was no excitement...nothing pushing me to read "just one more chapter" before I put the book down for the night.

There are two or three separate sub plots and none of them were developed enough to reel me in.

This is a mystery story with no mystery - really.

There are no clues, no adventure, no whodunit, no excitement at all.

I'd guess that Grafton recently had to deal with an elderly relative having a bad caretaker, because that's all that happens in this book - an elderly man has a bad caretaker!

I'd also guess that Grafton recently got some reading glasses, since she has (38-year-old) Kinsey complaining about the tiny print on cereal boxes.

Survivor Micronesia Fans Vs Favorites Week Five Boot

Survivor Fans Vs Favorites Week Five Already!?!?!

Sooo....we are LIIIIIIVE...... oh wait... no we aren't... that will be in a few weeks from now.

What I should say is... "Preeeeviously on... SuRvivoR..." Now... I feel at home.

Oh thank you 2 minute recap... I am reminded at how awesome Cirie is/was.

If MikeyB is the only Mike on this season, why do the credits and everyone refer to him as MikeyB? Dummies.

I am up to episode five and I have no idea what the tribe names are... Fans vs Favorites will do me just fine.

Time for the first challenge (Reward) -- It involves a challenge of floating coconuts and spelling stuff with the letters on the sides of the coconuts. Ozzy shows why he is the most amazing challenge player in Survivor history by doing some pretty damn smart movies with the coconuts. Super James and his brain will have to solve the puzzle... oh shit... as I type this... he actually is the one that solves it! Damn...

They win some hens and a cock. *7 year old giggle*

Kathy goes back to Exile Island and Ozzy volunteers to join her. Kathy so reminds me of a combination of my sisters in law. *Tangentwoman cringes*

Ozzy finds the idol and does the most intelligent thing in Survivor history. He makes a fake idol and hides it in its place. I am guessing that someone is going to "find" it and play it in a later episode. That would make me smile.

Ok... we are at our final challenge (Immunity) This is so incredible complicating that I am not going to take the time to describe what is going on. In one of the most lopsided challenges in Survivor history, the Favorites kick the Fans' asses. All of them.

Now... we have to put up with MikeyB trying to get even with Joel for voting off Big Boobies McGee Mary off the show even though MikeyB had a crush on Mary. As of now, it looks like it is going to be Chet getting voted out because he is a wimpy pants sissy face (booo hooo "I am so sick...") OR Kathy.

Tracy plays Joel like a fiddle and gets him scared of MikeyB and the conversations start about voting off MikeyB begin...

We go into tribal council and it is going to be Chet or MikeyB... interesting little twist. Jason pulls an interesting move where I first thought he was making fun of Jeff and then it turned out he was making a heartfelt plea to his tribe to vote out the "weakest" link, which really does seem to be Chet.

The votes are in and the person receiving the most votes must leave the island immediately.

Chet
Chet!
Mike
Mike
Chet
MikeyB
MikeyB
MikeyB

Fourth person voted out... MikeyB. Fascinating.

Prediction -- I'll go with the same picks since I got them all wrong last week. Kathy if it's Fans and Jonathan if it's Favorites.

Be good kiddies.....be good.

Tucker's Nuts
1. Natalie Bolton (1)
2. Alexis Jones (4)
3. Amanda Kimmel (5)
4. Cirie Fields (8)
5. Ozzy Lusth (9)
6. Parvati Shallow (12)
7. James Clement (13)
8. Eliza Orlins (16)
9. Kathy Sleckman (17)
10. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (20)

ASSSHHHHFAULT
1. Ami Cusack (2)
3. Joel Anderson(6)
4. Chet Welch (7)
6. Jonathan Penner (11)
7. Erik Reichenbach (14)
8. Jason Siska (15)
2. Michael Bortone (3) -- BOOTED WEEK FOUR!!!
5. Yao-Man Chan (10) -- BOOTED WEEK THREE!!!
9. Mary Sartain (18) -- BOOTED WEEK TWO!!!
10. Jonny Fairplay (19) -- BOOTED WEEK ONE!!!!

Three Word Movie Reviews

30 Days of Night -- 29 Too Long

The Amateurs -- Sur[risingly Charming... Decent

Beowulf -- Good Looking... Average

Blind Dating -- Improperly Marketed.... Excellent!

Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie -- I Laughed Bunches

Bones: Season Two -- Good Quality Show

The Brave One -- Bit Long... Decent

The Comedians of Comedy: The Movie -- Different... Good Comedy

The Darjeeling Limited -- Quirky And Entertaining

Fierce People -- Tough Viewing... Rough

The Future of Food -- Tasted Sour... Borin'....

Hellraiser -- Still Raisin' Hell

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 -- Continued Story Appropriately

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth -- Goofy, But Entertaining

Hellraiser Bloodline -- Just Getting Stupid

I Like Killing Flies -- Colorful Guy... Fun

Joe Louis: America's Hero Betrayed --

Knight Rider (2008) -- Night Night... Blech

Larry the Cable Guy: Git R Done -- Heh... All Done

The Martian Child -- Loads of Mediocrity

Michael Clayton -- Not Bad... Entertaining

A Mighty Heart -- Bored to Tears

Penn & Teller: Bullshit!: Season 5 -- Still Love Bullshit!!!

The Poseiden Adventure (Original) -- Classic and Great

Puppet Master -- Still Campy Fun

Romance and Cigarettes -- Couldn't Take It

Semi-Pro -- Farrell Vehicle... Passable

Shocker -- Still Awesome Cheesey

Teaching Mrs. Tingle -- Super Duper... Crap

There Will Be Blood -- Daniel's Phenomenal... Excellent!!!

Book 16 of 52 -- Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

The hits just keep on...hitting?

Stephanie Plum is back with the usual funny cast of characters.

Grandma Mazur has found a bag full of money and is off to Atlantic City to play the slots.

Lula has an offer to be a plus-size model.

Diesel is the main man in this book, but Morelli and Ranger make brief appearances too.

A leprechaun wannabe talks to animals, a horse is kidnapped, and oh yes, there are some exploding cars.

You know, the usual stuff in a Stephanie Plum novel.

The action is fast and furious and the laughs just keep coming as this short, between-the-numbers book rolls to a climax.

It's completely brainless and Janet Evanovich is certain to cash in with this $18 book.

Thank goodness for libraries sometimes.

HDMI Cord!?!?!? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!!!!

Sooo... I consider myself very technologically capable.

I don't really need to read instructions when I open a box and set up stuff.

It's pretty self explanatory.

So.... about a year or so ago, Tangentwoman and I broke down and purchased an HDTV, which was just lovely and stunning -- Programming automatically looked better.

Not too long ago, we were at Best Buy looking at other pieces of new technology (good thing about not have kids and having two incomes... you can look and consider buying that stuff!) when we got into a conversation with a salesman about HDTVs.

He mentioned that we should have an HDMI cable connected between the device (cable box) and the TV -- "You won't believe me, but you aren't really getting HD. We have a return policy and if this cord doesn't work, please bring it back."



I hemmed and hawed and broke down because of the awesome return policy -- especially when I saw the price tag of the cable.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot... he was right!

That is REAL HD -- Frigging awesomeness is exuding from my television now and I am sooooo psyched about it that I am soooo looking forward to Dancing With the Stars on real HD.

Sometimes... you really SHOULD listen to the guy at Best Buy -- he might know what he is talking about.

Happy Birthday MB

You don't look older than 21.

It will be nice when you buy dinner for me in AC.

A little tax season funny

A little boy wanted $100.00 very badly and prayed for weeks, but nothing happened.

Then he decided to write God a letter requesting the $100.00.

When the postal authorities received the letter to God, USA, they decided to send it to the President.

The president was so amused that he instructed his secretary to send the little boy a $5.00 bill. The president thought this would appear to be a lot of money to a little boy.

The little boy was delighted with the $5.00 bill and sat down to write a thank-you note to God, which read:

Dear God: Thank you very much for sending the money. However, I noticed that for some reason you sent it through Washington, DC., and those a*#holes deducted $95.00 in taxes.

SemiPro Movie Going Experience

Commercials
Justin Timberlake Pepsi
Greek
Verizon FIOS
HPV Vaccine
IKEA

Trailers
The Forbidden Kingdom
What Happens in Vegas
Get Smart
Harold and Kumar II

Concessions!!!!!!

Super Bowl Tickets!!!!

A man had 50 yard line tickets for the Super Bowl. As he sits down, a man comes down and asked the man if anyone is sitting in the seat next to him.

"No", he said, "the seat is empty".

"This is incredible", said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the world, and not use it?"

Somberly, the man says, "Well... the seat actually belongs to me. I was supposed to come here with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Super Bowl we have not been together since we got married in 1967."

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else - a friend or relative or even a neighbor to take the seat?"

The man shakes his head, "No. They're all at the funeral."

Book 15 of 52 -- Tom Perrotta's Joe College

I like Tom Perrotta.

A lot.

This is a very funny look back at college life in the early 80's.

I went to college a decade later but can still see a lot of myself in the protagonist and his friends.

Danny, the main character,comes from a working-class background, which causes him to view Yale with a somewhat different perspective than his well-to-do dormmates.

Although he enthusiastically samples this foreign world, he finds he is not able to leave his old life behind so easily.

During a vacation, he becomes involved with an old high school classmate, and, largely due to his own passivity, lets the relationship continue after he goes back to school.

The second half of the book takes place during a school break and examines the truth to the statement "you can't go home again" as Danny takes over his father's lunch truck route while he is recuperating from an operation.

I won't describe all the messes this young man becomes entangled with, but suffice to say how he finally resolves them is hilarious.

The only thing I disliked about the book was the often almost-maddening passivity of Danny.

He seemed to have a knack for getting out of tough spots due to luck, not his own effort.

As a result, he did not seem to grow much by the end.

However, for a spot-on look at college during the Reagan years, read "Joe College."

(I Think)

Survivor Fans Vs Favorites -- Week 4 Debuts Later Today

Reminders... Cirie has more power than we think... Joel negotiated a pretty cool swerve on Mikey. Mikey was pissed and tried to tell Joel how stupid it was. Confrontation ensues.

Can someone please tell me how these frigging "FANS" have no idea how to make fire? Haven't you watched 15 seasons of this and should know how to make frigging fire?

The theme of Cirie having lots of power as the swing vote is being trumped up BIG time again... I wonder... umm... you know what it means kids. God... Tangentwoman and I again... are reminded of how much we lover her.

Immunity Challenge -- Eliza is filmed saying... "There is NO way we are losing this challenge." I wonder what that means... the tribes arrive with face paint and Jeff Probst is wearing a stupid baseball hat. For the favorites... Jason and his paint look crazy.

The challenge is incredibly physical. It involves wrestling in the water and bags...and tackling and lots o blurred out butts and boobs. Erik is especially violent to Eliza by beating her in the head with a bag and flipping Amanda like a body slam. Of course... James takes exception and the Favorites eventually win.

Did I mention that last week's Exile Island was fun to watch because Cirie was there? This week it's Ami and Kathy... probably going to suck.

Back at camp... Cirie keeps making me smile with her observations and comments. She is not part of either four person alliance left and I am watching her finagle stuff. My gut is telling me that if a Favorite wins this thing, it is going to be Cirie. I love Cirie.

Sooo... we get five minutes of bitching and moaning about how bad it rained the night before. Lots of big tough guys whining and crying. Oh wait! A Chet siting! He is comforting the girls. I am not surprised.

The immunity challenge is upon us and it involves strength and shooting coconuts into a basket. The fans win the challenge and now it is time for all that editting in the beginning of Cirie having the power to vote someone off... let's see what the next 15 minutes holds.

The confrontation between Jonathan and Cirie was fun and amazingly tense. The other people watched in amazement because it was so frigging crazy. People are negotiating and scheming and this is what makes the show so amazing.

After all of this? Yao Man gets the boot.

This was a great episode.

Tonight's Prediction -- Kathy for the fans... Jonathan for the favorites...

Be good kiddies.....be good.

Tucker's Nuts
1. Natalie Bolton (1)
2. Alexis Jones (4)
3. Amanda Kimmel (5)
4. Cirie Fields (8)
5. Ozzy Lusth (9)
6. Parvati Shallow (12)
7. James Clement (13)
8. Eliza Orlins (16)
9. Kathy Sleckman (17)
10. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (20)

ASSSHHHHFAULT
1. Ami Cusack (2)
2. Michael Bortone (3)
3. Joel Anderson(6)
4. Chet Welch (7)
6. Jonathan Penner (11)
7. Erik Reichenbach (14)
8. Jason Siska (15)
5. Yao-Man Chan (10) -- BOOTED WEEK THREE!!!
9. Mary Sartain (18) -- BOOTED WEEK TWO!!!
10. Jonny Fairplay (19) -- BOOTED WEEK ONE!!!!

Just Plain Silly

I love that the Garden State is getting rid of their Department of Agriculture... brilliant.

Penelope Cruz at the Oscars

Lovely... just lovely.

Book 14 of 52 -- Stuart Woods' Beverly Hills Dead

Yawn...

For fans of Stuart Woods, be warned that this isn't an action adventure.

The first third of the book is a rather interesting look inside a Hollywood studio after World War II.

The second third deals mainly with the Communist "witch-hunts" that resulted in blacklists and wrecked careers.

True, there's a murder late in the book, but the ending is classic Deus ex Machina, with no real suspense or tension.

As social commentary, it's a fair book.

As a suspense or action novel, it fails. Woods has written many books that are much better.

Flying to Phoenix -- I Hate People

Oh boy...

Just thinking about this trip gets me all tied up in the stomach.

During my recent 2 weeks away from home in two different cities, I had to fly from St. Thomas to Phoenix, Arizona.

There are no direct flights between those two cities.

The only option I had was to fly three separate flights.

The first leg was a hop and a skip over to San Juan.
The second leg was the longest leg and it was from San Juan to Houston.
The third leg rounded out the trip and was from Houston to Phoenix.

All in all? 17 hours travelling time.

Two things stood out on my rather long trip where I read two books and tried to sleep as much as possible, but that is always impossible for me on flights.

The first leg of the trip saw me hanging out in the terminal when a small man popped his head into the terminal and said... "Who here is on flight XXX? Come with me."

Seven of us followed him to his little plane and he said to me, "You can sit next to me."

I sat next to him on his little itty bitty plane and I was extremely concerned to be sitting in the front seat where I could punch out the pilot if I really wanted to.

I have an issue with take offs when I fly, so I thought that this was going to be pretty tough -- it turned out to be extremely soothing since I was able to see everything.

Phew.

The next leg of the flight was five hours and I was sitting next to this couple who had a 2-3 year old who stood ... the entire flight... at the feet of the mother.

She cried and screamed... THE ENTIRE FIVE HOUR FLIGHT and taxiing as well.

I really ... seriously... give a pass to parents that make the attempt to quiet their kids, but these parents essentially ignored their child the entire trip.

If the flight wasn't full, I would have.... nothing....

When I arrived in Houston, I checked in with my office and was pretty crabby (I was told later), but managed to get through the call.

Just to piss me off... I dropped lunch all down the front of my shirt -- ruining it.

Great... but at least I made it to Phoenix safely and in "good" time.

A hotel bed has never felt so good.

Jimmy Kimmel Gets Revenge

Quick Oscars Thought

Only one person last night had an outfit that really stuck out to me either awesome or horrible as I think most people went really safe last night except for Tilda Swinton. I was actually not surprised by her look... it's what I expect.

But.. the person that I just thought looked lovely was Penelope Cruz. Her hair and dress and make up looked perfect.

Just my two cents.

Book 13 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's The Closers

Harry's back from retirement and is chomping at the bit to get back in the old groove.

He's on probation though, as the new chief has stuck his neck out for Harry, whom some cops think is now past it.

Assigned to the unsolved crimes unit, his first case strikes home in the first 10 minutes!!!

Now that Bosch is a father, with and adorable little girl to love, the death of other young girls has become personal for him.

Harry and Kis make a great team, but this case is tricky, perhaps because of some underhanded politicking by the weaselly assistant chief Irving.

The Closers is more a police procedural than a mystery, set in the time period when DNA evidence was coming into its own as a legit technique.

Harry nearly blows his return on several occasions, but, mainly because of his tenacity and intelligence, he and Kis get their man and deliver some belated justice to the victim's heartbroken parents.

Police work at its best.

This is not the most exciting of the Harry Bosch novels, but it is one of the most satisfying.

Bar Stool Economics

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free.
But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.!
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'
'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

New Drink

A woman and her boyfriend are out having a few drinks. While they're sitting there having a good time together, she starts talking about this really neat new drink. The more she talks about it, the more excited she gets, and starts trying to talk her boyfriend into having one.

After a while he gives in and lets her order the drink for him.

The bartender brings the drink and puts the following items on the bar:

A salt shaker, a shot of Baileys, and a shot of lime juice.

The boyfriend looks at the items quizzically and the woman explains. "First you put a bit of the salt on your tongue, next you drink the shot of Baileys and hold it in your mouth, and finally you drink the lime juice."

So, the boyfriend, trying to go along and please her, goes for it.

He puts the salt on his tongue... Salty but OK. He drinks the shot of Baileys... Smooth, rich, cool, very pleasant. He thinks... This is OK. Finally he picks up the lime juice and drinks it...

In one second the sharp lime taste hits... At two seconds the Baileys curdles... At three seconds the salty, curdled taste & mucous-like consistency hits... At four seconds it feels as if he has a mouth full of nasty snot. This triggers his gag reflex, but being manly, and not wanting to disappoint his girlfriend, he swallows the now foul tasting drink.

W hen he finally chokes it down he turns to his girlfriend, and says,
"Jesus, what do you call that drink?"

She smiles widely at him and says, "Blow Job Revenge."

Still Snowing

I drove by this this morning... when it stopped for 15 seconds.

Oh Goodie... It's Snowing...

Book 12 of 52 -- The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue

Recommended by SZG, I picked up The Stolen Child without an inkling of what it was/is about.

It's an easy and engaging read; a perfect airplane book, really.

The language is spare but powerful and the images vivid and memorable.

The Stolen Child is about a group of changelings that live in the woods, occasionally kidnapping a human child so that one of their own can assume the child's identity.

Such things have existed since time immemorial, we learn; but as the book progresses through the 20th century, the world changes out from under them.

In a parallel plot, we follow the life of a changeling in the human world, living the life of the child he replaced -- a child who is now one of the changelings in the forest.

It's the kind of book I really would have loved as a younger man.

It grapples with issues of identity and memory, belonging and isolation.

It also appeals to the impostor complex, the inferiority complex, the outsider that lurks in all of our psyches during adolescence and beyond.

It bothers me a little that I feel I'm past all that.

Am I a grown-up now?

When did that happen, exactly?

Good book....

Survivor Fans Vs Favorites -- Week Three This Week

Sooo... there I was... all alone on Valentine's Day as Tangentwoman went to the REAL city to see an Alanis Morrissetteeetteeeesssrrriiiss and Matchbox 20 show with some of her lady friends and I was home 90 minutes earlier than I thought I would be from performing my civic duty on a town government board.

I got home and checked out my DVR listing which had an episode of Lost that I wanted to see and I was pissed to see that Survivor wasn't on the list!

Our DVR blew Friday night's viewing for us as we planned on a night of pizza, couch and television after a particularly long ass week.

Ok... we watched it online the next day and it was a blessing... God... I love the internet.

I have begun to develop some early impressions of the players...

Fans
Kathy aka Big Bird is kooky but not crazy so far. The editting has been a bit rough on her.

Mikey B was fun to watch and an obvious fan of the show with his over thinking his strategy. I was digging him until his obnoxious comments during the voring out process. It was a switch... flipped... just like that.

Joel is a huge meathead... or is he? For a big strong strapping guy that you expect stupid stuff to come out of his mouth... Nope... he's pretty smart and by the end of the episode... it became easier to like him.

Mary, Tracy, Natalie, and Alexis are all there for their sex appeal and yeup... they exude that in buckets...

Chet -- Poooooor Chet.

I have yet to develop a strong opinion on Erik and Jason... as they seem pretty cookie cutter right now.... so I will reserve judgment for another day.

Favorites

On the favorites side, it's really good to have Cirie back. I totally forgot how much I missed her... Jonathan too.

Ozzy and Amanda are making out a lot... blech. Ozzy is cool and as still a major threat as anyone in challenges... and Amanda is now being blurred out up top instead of down below.

The rest of the "Favorites" were barely on this week since the Fans were obviously going to be booting someone so they got most of the camera time.

Hrm... I have no clue who is getting booted this week, but I am going to go with Yao-Man or Kathy depending on which tribe loses the immunity.

Be good kiddies.....be good.

Tucker's Nuts
1. Natalie Bolton (1)
2. Alexis Jones (4)
3. Amanda Kimmel (5)
4. Cirie Fields (8)
5. Ozzy Lusth (9)
6. Parvati Shallow (12)
7. James Clement (13)
8. Eliza Orlins (16)
9. Kathy Sleckman (17)
10. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (20)

ASSSHHHHFAULT
1. Ami Cusack (2)
2. Michael Bortone (3)
3. Joel Anderson(6)
4. Chet Welch (7)
5. Yao-Man Chan (10)
6. Jonathan Penner (11)
7. Erik Reichenbach (14)
8. Jason Siska (15)
9. Mary Sartain (18) -- BOOTED WEEK TWO!!!
10. Jonny Fairplay (19) -- BOOTED WEEK ONE!!!!

There Will Be Blood Moviegoing Experience

Commercials

Oh god...On the Border enchiladas look good.
Martin Scorsesee is in one of those annoyingly good Cingular "We don't interupt your phone calls commercials."
Can William Shatner get more annoying? (Priceline)

Movie Previews

In Bruges
Funny Games (Looks awesome and black)
Leatherheads
Shine A Light
The Duchess (Wow! Kiera KNightly in a period piece! Awesome!!!!)
Defiance

Three Word Movie Reviews

10 MPH -- Goofy But Dumb

Across the Universe -- Visually Stunning Awesomeness

Bernard and Doris -- Quality High Society

Big Trouble in Little China -- Top Five Film!

Blonde Ambition -- 2007's WORST Movie

Blonde and Blonder -- Smiled Coupla Times

Born Rich -- Introspective Weak Film

Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? -- Enjoyable Insightful Doc

Elizabeth: The Golden Age -- Satisfactory Period Piece

Feast of Love -- Passed the Time

Golden Door (Nuovomondo) -- Visually Stunning... Deep

Gone Baby Gone -- Gritty Interesting Drama

Introducing The Dwights -- Super Quirky Good

Ira & Abby -- Mediocre at Best

No End In Sight -- Standard Iraq Documentary (I am going to get shit for this, but can someone please say something new about what is going on over there? Thank you.)

Reefer Madness: The Musical -- That's Funny... Good.

Rocket Science -- Charming, Quirky Insightful

Scream -- Still Awesome...Fun!

Seed of Chucky -- This Stuff Rules

Shortbus -- Stupid Glorified Porn

Small Town Gay Bar -- Prejudiced People Suck

Trade -- Strong Powerful Film

Waxwork -- As I Remembered

Waxwork II -- Better Than Original

Rock of Love 2 -- I Am Super In Love

Sooo... I have been remiss about blogging about Rock of Love 2 even though I love this show... as much as the first season. The chicks are all "types" of chicks and some are hot and some... are... not...

This is an awesome episode because they have jumped into the challenge right away... MUD BOWL 2!!!! The chicks are divided into two teams and put into skimpy outfits and play football in the mud.

Was it awesome? Yes... There wwas fake snow... rain... and wind. God bless America.

Soo... for the chicks... here are some of my thoughts.

Inna -- She's a big brute and this isn't even in the context of the football game. She kills me... and scares me...



Megan -- She's a cutie, but she is so incredibly stupid that it drives me even crazier than anything.



Catherine -- She's the old lady of the bunch and reminds me of "that woman" at rock concerts who continues to dress and wear the make up the same way 20+ years later.



Ambre (Corrected because Shari is a nudge -- She reminds me of the bitter 35 year old cute girl who never met the right guy and has all these thoughts about how shitty men are. She grows on me every week... and isn't that horrible as of now.



Destiney -- Just a dopey little dopey pants.



Peyton -- She was my first favorite in terms of the show and the chick that seemed the best for Bret right away. She seems down to earth enough and rock chick enough to be good for him.



Kristy Joe -- She seems to be a sweetheart, but I think that she might be insane. She is also a classicly attractive woman, but I learned that she might not have real eyebrows... that was disappointing to me.



Jessica -- This is episode 4 or 5 and yet... I really have no frigging idea who the hell she is.




Last and NOT least... Daisy... Daisy is an itty bitty girl with a million tattoos. She's a dirty chick and yet... she is my ultimate favorite of both seasons... why? I am really not sure.



Sooo... who gets booted this week?

Not Amber... Not Destiney... Not Kristy Joe... Not Megan... Not Inna... Not Jessica (Who?)... Not Catherine... Not Peyton... It's Daisy...

Shows you what the hell I frigging know... I am shocked by this... But WAIT!!!! He isn't booting anyone... Daisy is allowed to stay and he is keeping everyone...

If he got anything out of that... he saw that Daisy really did freak out in a non-crazy way that should have shown him that she likes him big time.

Shit... I am thinking about this way too much...

Happy President's (Presidents'?) Day!

Just think... we get a new one soon.

I can't wait.

Zoey Vs. The Mirror

Even for those of you that are dog haters... you have to admit that this is seriously adorable.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 2008 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave.
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list

Ever....

.... blow your nose so hard that you fart?

I just did.

Book 11 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's The Narrows

Yeuppers... I read a lot on my trip and I pumped through this one on my 4.5 hour flight home. The trip itself was about 6.5 hours long and it made for easy reading.

Here's a quick funny thing -- my flight attendant was reading the same book so I had to talk to her about it... that was both good and horrible. Boring conversation but extra cans of Diet Coke!

Harry Bosch is a likeable guy -- tough without being perfect, able to table his own emotions while getting a job done and he's seen it all and still retains his humanity and integrity, although happiness has always eluded him.

And most of the time, he has the courage to be genuine.

As you know, even with books in series, I like to approach each one individually and judge it on its own merits and The Narrows is strong enough to stand on its own.

One of the factors that makes it an intriguing cop story is that Harry can sometimes - not always - figure out how killers think.

Logic, intuition, and experience combine in his mind to allow him to think outside the box.

Connelly is adept at leading his readers step by step through the fascinating ins and outs of attacking a crime, narrowing down the possibilities, and discovering the whos, whats, and whys of Harry's cases.

The balance between action and intellect is always satisfying, and makes The Narrows a gritty, enthralling winner.

Losing Respect For People -- Happy Valentine's Day

I work in an industry where appearance is important.

I was recently at a meeting and I looked around the table and thought about the things that make me lose respect for people pretty quickly.

Hair Pieces -- I can understand why some people might resort to wearing fake hair on their head from a strictly vain perspective, but it never looks right. Seriously... it never looks right. Think about it for a second... have you EVER heard someone say... "Wow! Joe is wearing a hair piece. He looks great!" No... what you normally hear is... "Oh god... Joe is wearing a hair piece... how dopey."

Please people, don't get yourself a hair piece. You just look silly and no one thinks it looks great.

Longer Thin Part of Tie -- One of biggest pet peeves is the way that some people tie their ties. I am not talking about the types of knots as some people look better and can tie knots better than others. I really dislike and lose respect for people when the thinner part of the tie is longer than the front part of the tie.

It's just plain wrong and easy to fix. C'mon guys... fix it... You just look stupid.

Mispelling of Easy Words -- Can you really take someone seriously when they spell easy words wrong on big important documents such as a resume? I was recently going through the process of hiring someone and I got a lot of resumes. You wouldn't believe how many people had mispelled words on them. Simple ones too like Experience and my personal favorite... Education. I am not kidding when I say that one person actually had Edumacation on her resume.

Screw the Ice Storm

It's Pitchers and Catchers time!

It must be SPRING!!!!

Book 10 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's Lost Light

Harry Bosch has begun his retirement and he doesn't like it.

After a career in law enforcement, and devoting his life to protecting, and avenging those wronged by the law, Bosch finds it difficult to sit home and do nothing, especially since he is haunted by the unsolved murder of a young girl.

Bosch begins his private investigation, only to find another unsolved crime...one that is linked to the murder of the young woman.

Unable to rest until the killer is caught, Bosch will work outside of the law, but every step he gets closer to the truth brings him closer to a madman who'll stop at nothing to keep that truth from being found out.

`Lost Light' is another great entry in the Harry Bosch series.

The story unfolds at a breakneck pace, and every turn of the page introduces a new plot twist.

Harry Bosch is one of the best characters in detective fiction, and with each new outing we see him grow wiser and more mature taking the series to a whole new level.

Michael Connelly continues to dazzle readers with his original, fast-paced and complex novels.

Each new novel surpasses that of the previous, proving Michael Connelly to be a master of his craft.

Book 9 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's Chasing the Dime

Pissed off yet Steakbellie... this is yet another book I read on my two weeks away.

Henry Pierce is a hotshot scientist, focusing on the microscopic world of molecular electronics with the goal to create a supercomputer the size of a dime (hence the book's title) - and he's about to make a huge breakthrough that will advance the state of the art a long way towards that end.

Pierce gets dragged into some seriously crazy stuff.. involving prostitutes, porn, murder, blood... etc... etc... etc...

His life begins to unravel.

"Chasing the Dime" is something of a departure for Connelly, taking the reader not just away from the ongoing life of detective Harry Bosch, but also away from the gritty, noir world that most of his work inhabits.

The emphasis in this book is less on the physical and more on the mental.

Pierce is a brilliant man and he brings his considerable analytical skills as a scientist to bear in figuring out what is happening.

Although "Chasing" may not have the sheer intensity or moral poignancy of the best of Connelly's mysteries, it is still the kind of thriller that keeps your interest piqued, keeps the pages turning, and pays off with a satisfying conclusion.

Late to The Game

I have watched this about 10 times and I love it every single time.

It's the infamous Sarah Silverman "I F&cked Matt Damon" video that she made for Jimmy Kimmel.

Hilarious...

Book 8 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's City of Bones

Mr. Connelly's Harry Bosch continues to be one of the most intriguing characters in crime fiction.

This story revolves around a set of newly discovered bones on a hill side in Laurel Canyon.

The bones are 20 years old and Harry sets about unravelling the mystery.

What sets Bosch apart is his depth and flaws.

Mr. Connelly's scores big in several ways.

First, is the depth he adds for all his characters.

Secondly, his crisp writing moves the plot along at a good pace.

Lastly, the touches of the police procedural are like no other writer that I have encountered in crime fiction.

His writing is addictively good.

VERY INTERESTING STUFF

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs -Alexander the Great, Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!
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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

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Fun Tucker Picture

Weekend At Tuckers

He was SSSSOOOOOOO asleep that I thought he might be dead.

What do I do?

I took a video of him.

Cute litte Tucker

Life in a Beer Commercial

I have been meaning to write about this for a couple months now.

I was on a work trip in Miami watching the Rutgers/Louisville game in a bar with some of my colleagues from across the country.

Rutgers blew the huge lead they had and lost the game.

I was pretty sad.

The guys I was with were rooting for Rutgers too even though they were from West Virginia.

During the game, we saw a goofy beer commercial where there were a bunch of guys who were surrounded by hot babes and beer... We joked that that would be fun to be a part of.

15 minutes later, we were.

The bar livened up a great deal when a whole bunch of women in bikinis piled into the place playing the drums and instruments.

They started handing out free Heineken bottles and encouraging everyone to dance.

Since there were only about 25 of us in the bar, we all got a lot of attention and felt like we were in that beer commercial we saw a couple hours before.

It was a funny and memorable experience...

Survivor Micronesia -- Debuts Tonight

And so... Survivor 16 Micronesia: Fans Vs. Favorites starts tonight. 10 All Stars and 10 Superfans will be participating in this season.

Expect great and terrible television this season kids. It's going to be a bumpy and dopey ride.

FBT was tired of taking it up the Survivor butthole for the past two seasons so he took a pass on the game this time around -- Little Baby Poopy Pants is his new name.

Asssshfault!!! is back and we have a much more fun bet this time around -- dinner in Atlantic City!

For my pick tonight I hear you asking?... No one likes Johnny Fairplay. I almost guarantee his departure...

Here's the new picks... and... remember... the parenthesis indicate when they were picked in the draft.

Tucker's Nuts
1. Natalie Bolton (1)
2. Alexis Jones (4)
3. Amanda Kimmel (5)
4. Cirie Fields (8)
5. Ozzy Lusth (9)
6. Parvati Shallow (12)
7. James Clement (13)
8. Eliza Orlins (16)
9. Kathy Sleckman (17)
10. Tracy Hughes-Wolf (20)

ASSSHHHHFAULT
1. Ami Cusack (2)
2. Michael Bortone (3)
3. Joel Anderson(6)
4. Chet Welch (7)
5. Yao-Man Chan (10)
6. Jonathan Penner (11)
7. Erik Reichenbach (14)
8. Jason Siska (15)
9. Mary Sartain (18)
10. Jonny Fairplay (19)

Go to School With Me -- I'll Make You Famous

Not too long ago, Tangentwoman and I were out to dinner with some friends of ours.

Our friends live in the town that I grew up in so it's always funny to go back to the places I saw all the time as a child... but as an adult.

While we were at dinner, a guy I knew from high school recognized me and came up to me to see what I was doing. He and I were in a bunch of plays together in high school and he was a pretty talented guy.

He gave me a quick update about his life too which included being back in New Jersey to visit his family while he was finishing up filming a pair of major motion picture studio films.

His name is Tom Malloy and he wasn't lying as he is making The Alphabet Killer and LoveN'Dancing. His career is taking a fun turn to the successful I hope.




I started thinking about other people that I went to high school with that also became pretty famous.

Ethan Hawke -- Ethan didn't go to the same school as me, but he was a good friend of one of my friends. We played kick ball together a couple of times when we were really young and he was a pretty big jerk then, but he has done pretty wel by himself.



Vera Farmiga -- Yeup... you don't know her by name, but you sure as hell know who she is. She was the lead woman and psychiatrist in The Departed. She was also in the remake of the Manchurian Candidate and played the Senator's daughter. She is making movies like crazy and is becoming pretty mainstream.



I wasn't really friends with her at all in high school, but she was in a couple of classes with me. She was also a quiet person and seemed very sweet. I am so happy to see her succeeding in life.

and so begins Lent...

and so begins Lent...

no soda, chocolate or booze...

Just crankiness....

Super Tuesday Upset!!!

Rutgers beat number one ranked and the last undefeated team in the nation UCONN last night.

What a game!!!!

Book 7 of 52 -- Michael Connelly's Blood Work

Blood Work is the story of retired FBI agent Terry McCaleb, who suffered a heart attack at a young age as a result of having cardiomyopathy – a form of heart disease.

His heart weakened progressively until a matching donor was found and McCaleb received a successful heart transplant.

The book picks up the story about 8 weeks after the operation, where McCaleb is living on his boat ‘The Following Sea’ in Cabrillo Marina, Los Angeles.

At the start of the novel, a young woman called Graciela Rivers turns up at McCaleb’s boat with a photograph and informs him that her sister Gloria – the woman in the photograph – is the person whose heart is now beating in McCaleb’s chest.

McCaleb now needs to find the woman's killer.

I know I’ve ranted before about books that pull the carpet out from under you, but this book is on an altogether higher plane.

The identity of the killer(s) and the reason for their killing(s) was huge.

Personally, I was snookered and this has to be one of the cleverest books I have read.

I guess there was a reason why they made a movie starring Clint Eastwood about it.

Only Good Thing About Giants Win

Rutgers University is very proud of Shaun O'Hara LC'99, the fifth Scarlet Knight to earn a Super Bowl ring. Shaun is an alumnus of whom we can truly be proud, both on and off the playing field. Rutgers is thrilled to call him one of our own!

New York Giants fans everywhere are celebrating the biggest upset in Super Bowl history, the 17-14 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots. Virtually everyone's underdogs shocked the sporting world because they believed in themselves when very few wanted to give them a chance.

No one epitomizes the Giants and the road they traveled in the 2007 season more than Shaun, their outstanding starting center. With hard work and determination, Shaun went from being a walk-on prospect at Rutgers to become an All-BIG EAST Conference lineman and captain of the Scarlet Knights football team. He then earned a place in the NFL as an undrafted free agent, and today is celebrating as a team captain and leader of the offensive line for the Super Bowl champion Giants.

Three Word Movie Reviews

2 Days in Paris -- I Survived It

2 Days in April -- For Football Fans

Blood Work -- Somewhat Decent Adaptation

Daddy Day Camp -- Just Awful Shit

Death Sentence -- Actually... Pretty Intense

Freaks & Geeks -- Wow... That's Great.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare -- Really... Not Over?

The Game Plan -- Cliche but Fun

Good Luck Chuck -- Worst of Year

Gray Matters -- Silly Chick Comedy

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -- I Love Harry

Helvetica -- Heh..Well "Written"

The Hunting Party -- Passed the Time

The Invasion -- Passable Snatchers Remake-ish

The Jane Austin Book Club -- Typical Chick Flick

King of California -- Goofy Delightful Douglas

King of Kong -- Most Awesomest Film

The Lookout -- Surprising Good Movie

Maxed Out -- Learned Lots... Quality

Mr. Woodcock -- Completely Mediocre Film

Nightmare on Elm Street 4 -- Passable Freddy Sequel

Nightmare on Elm Street 5 -- Just Getting Sillier

The Nines -- Not Nine.... Seven

Smiley Face -- Oooooof. Just Bad.

Suburban Girl -- Trivial Poopy Stuff

Sydney White -- OOOf... Mindlessly Fun

Wedding Daze -- Hrm... Mediocre Drivel

Wes Craven's New Nightmare -- Neat Twist Fun

Really Lazy (?) Super Bowl Blog... LIVE!

Before this starts... I am having trouble deciding who to root for tonight. For those who know me, I hate both teams immensely... the Giants more though. However, I have a lot of friends that are Giants fans and I don't want them to be upset, but I really hate them... so I will take a pass there. The Patriots and the stupid tuck rule kept the Raiders out of the Super Bowl a few years ago so they annoy me as well and they are just so smug.

Side note -- I am an extremely competitive guy, but I NEVER make fun of anyone who's team loses in big games like this. Go ahead guys... for those of you that think I am wrong...think about it... I have never made fun of you because your team lost. Never... sooo.. may the best team win today...

Whatever... I can't decide right now so I am just going to have to continue dating your daughter (Nice reference Smelmoooo!)

Jordan Sparks lip-synched the National Anthem.... and she cried while doing it. Oof.

The roof is closed in Phoenix because it is FRIGGING cold there as it was all week when I was there. I wish I had packed better.

It is time for the coin toss. For the past 12 years or so, I have never gotten one wrong and my buddy Mike always had to pay me $5 -- this is one of the first years that we aren't doing that bet. I bet a nickel with Tangentwoman that it would be heads. I lost... this is a bad sign for me...

I would love for it to be Giants 5 and Patriots 8 OR Giants 9 and Patriots 0 at any particular point in the game when it says 0:00. Thank you.

God... I love football.. thankfully the writer's strike doesn't get in the way of this... the second greatest night of the year.

The game is underway!!!!!! Two running plays in a row for Brandon Jacobs... are they scared of Eli's arm?

The first commercial.... Bud Light... I think I will start a list of good, great, eh, and bad commercials. They will be below.

There are two minutes left in the first quarter and it has been an extremely underwhelming game so far -- Giants winning 3-0. That's the halftime score as well

Bill Belichek is wearing his dress up sweatshirt... what a dirt bag.

Is it gay to say that I might actually love this referee? Mike Cherry is so crisp with his hand signals and makes me happy when I see him. He always seems to have control of the crew and works hard. but I digress.

Soooo... Eli throws his first INT and I have to admit... that wasn't Eli's fault -- it was all Steve Smith's fault.

Middle of the 2nd -- Giants just sacked the Pats twice... wow... nice work.

Halftime.... I SWORE THAT THIS WOULD BE A SURE FIRE OVER BET IN THE OVER/UNDER 54 1/2 but... it is only 7-3. Ick.

We totally decided not to watch the halftime show and watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother instead.

I have been really good so far and waited this long to say this... but dammit... I hate Joe Buck.

Is the game still on? Oh yeah... 2:20 left in the 3rd quarter... ho hum... why am I so bored? Are both defenses just that good right now or are both offenses just that bad?

Still 7-3 after three quarters? Ick.

It only took three plus hours for them to make a Frank Caliendo reference/sighting. I almost made it... He really is everywhere.

I ate too much. This is when I admire Mr. Steakbellie. I ate a bunch of chicken strips.... oooh... tooo many.

Giants take the lead on an excellent drive by Eli... THat's right FBT... I said that Eli did a great job. Shoot me.

I still hate Joe Buck... and Aikman is still the same bumbling bobo brain as I am used too every stupid week...

Two minute warning... Giants down by four... driving to win...

At the one minute mark, Eli avoids a tackle like the most agile awesome player ever and throws this amazing ball that David Tyree catches in the second most amazing movement of the game. WOW... that was amazing. If the Giants win this, THAT was the key play.

This last two minutes has taken like 25 minutes in real time. Steve Smith has played like 7 games as a rookie and made an incredibly aware and professional catch.

Touchdown Giants -- Burress catches a wide open ball. Almost as wide open as Moss was on the other end for the last NE TD.

35 seconds left in the game, and the Patriots gotta go 74/75 yards. First play... incomplete, second play... sack, third down... incomplete, and fourth down... incomplete.

Giants win! Holy crap! That was a crap game for 45 minutes and the last quarter was awesome. At least I stuck with it and got a good end of game out of the deal.

Congrats friends of mine... that was a pretty impressive win.... they deserved the win and dominated that game. So answer me this... will Coughlin be back next year?

Great Commercials
Tide to Go Stain on Shirt Commercial
Budweiser Thunder & Rocky commercial -- certainly shows the power of music.
Coke Macy's Day Paragde Balloons -- Very Clever

Good Commercials
Bud Light fire breathing commercial
Diet Pepsi Max commercial with the Chris Kattan ending
Bud Light Wine and Cheese Party
Victoria's Secret commercial -- They are always good.
Amp Nipple Jump Starter commercial
Bridgestone screaming animals commercial
Fedex Carrier Pigeons
Toyota Corrola Ferret commercial
Careerbuilder Follow Your Heart Commercial
Bud Light Caveman commercial -- predictable but amusing
Life Water Dancing Lizards
Cars.com Witch Doctor
2nd eTrade Baby commercial with clown
Dog drinking Gatorade
Bud Light Will Ferrel
Justin Timberlake Pepsi commercial... not original though.
DOritos mouse trap commercial -- that got funny when the mouse costumed person beat up the person.
Alice Cooper Richard Simmons Bridgestone
Bud Light Ability to Fly
American Airlines Teambuilding Commercial... that's funny
Coke Political Jinx game
Ben Rothlisberger American Idol commercial

Eh Commercials
Audi Godfather commercial
Dorito's music video
ETrade baby commercial... saved by the baby puking.
Dunkin DOnuts music commercial...
Wanted movie
Derek Jeter Ford Edge ... I love Jeter, but can he be more boring?
Chester Pitts NFL commercial
Toyota Mongoose Big Wheel commercial
G2 Jeter/Manning
Go Daddy.com Danica Patrick commercial... served its purpose
Cars.com fighting commercial
Garmin Napoleon commercial
Carlos Mencia Bud Light Commercial
Planters Cashews commercial
Dwayne Wade/Charles Barkley commercial...
Shaq as a Jockey (Vitamin Water) -- The NFL sucks... stop paying them.
Carmen Elektra Ice Breakers Gum
Careerbuilder.com spider commercial

Bad Commercials
Dell (Red) commercial
Under Armour -- Blech... stupid
Prudential retirement plan commercial "Find Your Path"
Yukon Hybrid Commercial
Hyundai Genesis Car Commercial
2nd Sales Genie.com commercial (Ling Ling)
Sunsilk Women Hair Commercial
Taco Bell office mariachi commercial
Hyundai Genesis second commercial -- Just as bad. Don't admit it's bad.... argh people
Sales Genie.com commercial