Month: September 2007

Revisiting Roswell

I can't remember why exactly I ended up watching Roswell reruns. Oh wait! Now I do. It was because of my beloved StumbleUpon. I stumbled upon a site where you can watch tv reruns and movies for free via streaming video. Roswell was on the list, and I couldn't help but watch.

Roswell was that one show that Heather and I bonded over in college. We'd go over to her mom's house and watch it while Heather devoured more buttered popcorn than any 110 pound model should be allowed. To be fair, sometimes it was cookies.

She was also into Felicity, but I only caught maybe two episodes. College was actually one of those periods of life when I watched very little television. Movies were another story, but television was definitely NOT a priority.

I loved Roswell. Several things I attribute to the show: 1) introducing me to Dido and the awesome song, "Here With Me;" 2) being the first series I saw that overtly promoted the bands and songs used for each episode; 3) giving Heather and I something new and fun to enjoy together.

Watching it slowly all over again, the plot is still entertaining, but the dialogue and plot are at times a little more juvenile than i remember. There are moments when a character gets all flustered over something petty.

I love the show, and I wish they had continued more than three seasons. My wife insists that I don't wish it had continued because of what happens in season three. Guess I'll wait to see what happens again before I disagree with her. I do remember that the pregnant girl from LOST shows up at some point as the fourth alien.

Honestly, I want to know why Jason Behr and Brandon Fehr aren't leading men in other series or films. They are charismatic and intriguing actors. I get that sad feeling of unrealized potential.

Anyhow, here's to great memories and an excellent first season worth revisiting.
Cecil and Prince: A Father’s Responsibility

It is a father's natural responsibility to affirm and approve of his son. It doesn't matter whether you intended to be a father or not. It doesn't matter how absent your father was. Too many men apparently don't want to know that they have the power of assigning value and worth to a child. It's not a sexist statement. Fathers and mothers impart different things to their children.

I am saddened when I hear about Prince Fielder, a consideration for Major League Baseball's NL MVP award, say that he doesn't care about awards except insofar as his father (Cecil Fielder) never won one and to do what his father hasn't done is to finally shut him up.

What happened here, Cecil? I'm hearing on the radio that you made asinine statements about your own son to the public. What the hell is the matter with you? He's YOUR SON.

Prince has 50 home runs, but doesn't care about any of it until he supercedes his father with number 52. The comments I heard on ESPN radio yesterday indicate that Cecil Fielder (the father) once commented publicly that the main reason his son Prince received so much attention as a newcomer to the league was because of the family name.

There's also the whole divorce and family issues. Apparently, Cecil dropped his wife and his son Prince like a hot potato earlier in his career. Prince is on the cusp of accomplishing things his father never did, and his wounds are starting to show through.

I don't want to see anyone writing about how Prince needs to stop complaining about the old man. Give him a break. It's hard enough to grow up and mature WITH a functional family. Without one, there are always emotional casualties. Cecil wasn't around to father. He's said things that demean his son's abilities in front of the national media. In essence, he has not affirmed his son. I applaud Prince's drive to overcome the insults heaved toward him. He's attempting to be the overcomer.

Once he's accomplished what his father could not, Prince Fielder will stand on his own two feet as an accomplished athlete. No one will talk to him like he's in his deadbeat dad's shadow. Forgive me for judging, because we're all imperfect and wonderfully flawed. But give this guy a break. He should be applauded by his father. Cecil Fielder should be going on the record saying how much he hopes and expects his son to surpass his own accomplishments. That's what a father's heart does. It longs for more for the son that the father himself could have.

I'm looking for prominent men in all walks of life who truly father their children. I want to applaud them for raising up a generation of sons who will know their value and will believe in themselves and stand firmly for what they believe in. In the meantime, we must call a spade a spade and not condone poor fathering on the grounds of stardom.
My First Fantasy Football Experience

It's an understatement to say that my first experience with fantasy football began with a whimper, not a bang. One week into the 2007-2008 NFL season, Aaron asks me to fill in the last slot in their fantasy football league. Fantasy leagues have been a sort of mystery to me. I've known about them for the past five years, but never cared to learn more.

I've been a little curious, though, so I agreed to give this a shot. I followed the email link to Yahoo! Sports and created my team – the DoubleDs. Learning as I went, I set up my personal preferences for my team's draft order. I ranked quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and team defenses (forgetting all about kickers). I had my preferences set for the automatic draft, only to find out that some guys can't be present for the draft and apparently can't figure out that an automatic draft means that they don't actually have to be there. So I get the news that we're postponing the fantasy league draft another week.

Two days ago, I hear from Aaron that there are "technical difficulties" with Yahoo! that will require us to join a chat room and do a manual draft. Technical difficulties in this instance means that someone doesn't understand the Internet and how to use it.

The end result is that I, the guy who had his players ranked for the automatic draft, end up being the only guy who gets screwed. I couldn't make it to the manual draft because my wife and I have a pregnancy class to attend on Saturday afternoons.

THE RESULT:

I get home on Saturday evening to find that I am stuck with Matt L., Matt H. and Matt S. as my quarterbacks. I have no decent wide receivers. My tight end is a loser. The only plus is that I have Adrian Peterson, Clinton Portis, and the Steelers defense. Luckily, I managed to find Dallas Clark available and picked him up as my starting tight end.

In the end, I have a 5 or 6 out of 10 while at least two other teams in my fantasy league are 8s. It doesn't matter much to me, except that I now see how Fantasy Football COULD be fun (assuming you actually get to pick your players).

A word of advice: don't join a league where the other guys don't know how to use the Internet. Other people's lack of expertise could bite you in the ass.
Tony Romo Is the Real Deal

Despite what some naysayers have said recently about Tony Romo, those of us enlightened individuals know better. He is no Jake Delhomme. He is the great Tony Romo, and I'd buy TeamRomo.com and start a Dallas Cowboy's blog if I could (tonyromo.net IS apparently for sale for $500, but i hate .nets).

Some will say he hasn't proven himself yet. Fine. But I happen to respect Joe Theismann and Joe says that Dallas has found a gem in Tony Romo. He likes what he sees out of his ability to throw and run and make things happen for this team. Joe Theismann just happens to be one of the most hallowed quarterbacks in the history of the NFL. He's been analyzing quarterbacks for decades. I think he knows what he's talking about. And when he took the initiative to point out to Randy Galloway yesterday on ESPN Radio that Dallas has a gem in Romo, people should listen.

Of course, Romo hasn't won a playoff game yet. He HAS rebounded from intense criticism and failure thus far. That dropped snap was bad last year, even though it didn't actually cost Dallas the game. According to Bill Parcells, in his recent interview with Babe Laufenberg, the team had one more chance to stop Seattle in that game and get the win. So even Parcells post-Cowboys doesn't think Romo cost Dallas the game. He could easily have thrown Tony under the bus without directly insulting him.

Granted, Romo can't run like Vince Young. Maybe he can't pass like Tom Brady (though I'll never admit it). But he is a total package thus far. He has shown us no reason to doubt him. One dropped snap last year and a few less productive games under Parcells is no indictment against him.

Tony has made it through the first two weeks relatively unscathed without wide receiver Terry Glenn. As soon as Glenn comes back, assuming he's healthy, there's no reason why Romo can't keep this up. In fact, we might be seeing success thus far as a result of Glenn's injury. Don't get me wrong. Terry Glenn is DEFINITELY an asset. But Terrell Owens wants the ball. He wants his stats. With fewer stars, Owens is happier because he gets more of the spotlight. And as long as he produces like he has these first two games, that works out just fine.

It's true that we haven't seen Romo in enough games to claim he's the best in the league. Even I won't make that statement YET. He'd have to have two solid seasons before he can be compared with the best in the league. I WILL say that Romo is my favorite quarterback to watch (which is only slightly affected by my geographic location).

There is a difference between talent and greatness. We have seen Tony's talent. That much is certain. It will take time and some serious winning to prove greatness. But don't you worry. Tony Romo looks like the real deal.
This Week’s Idiots and Champs

I can’t help but write about today’s current events there are so many interesting and juicy topics in the mainstream media circle, so let’s get started.

First, the Idiots:

O.J Simpson

There is really nothing I can say about O.J. Does anybody really care? Apparently, he is all over the news with alleged armed robbery charges – holding some memorabilia dealers at gun point accusing them of stealing his “s***” . All I can say is that Karma’s a bitch and I hope he rots in jail so we don’t have to see his ugly sociopath face all over the news again.

Barry Manilow

Barry refused to appear in a scheduled interview on the popular morning show “The View” because he did not want to sit on the same stage with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a self-proclaimed conservative sister-in-law of Matt Hasselbeck – starting quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks. Barry is a close friend to Rosie O’ Donnell. Both play together in very far leftfield. Is it me, or are all extreme liberals cowards, especially the washed up singers who sucked even in their prime? By the way, I think it is a genius marketing ploy by Manilow. Not.

Isiah Thomas

Thomas is in the middle of a sexual assault case with a former Knick executive, Browne Sanders. Apparently he thinks it is okay for a black man to call a black woman a “bitch” and a “ho”. But if a white man said it, that would be offensive. Sounds like he and Don Imus have a lot in common, except Imus is out of work and Thomas still has a job and apparently doesn’t care if white season ticket holders cancel or don’t buy. What is James Dolan thinking?

Sally Fields

Sally accepted an award at the Emmy’s. Part of her acceptance speech went like this: “If mothers ruled the world there would be no God D*** wars in the first place.” What does this say about Sally?

50 Cent

Well, it looks like we will be missing out on one of Hip Hops biggest and brightest stars who vowed to retire if fellow Artist Kanye West sold more albums than him. Both albums were released the same day September the 11th –“Graduation leads with 781,000 copies sold over the 603,000 moved by 50 Cent’s Curtis, according to projections” I have a feeling this won’t stick. If I were to buy an album it would be Kanye’s.

The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick um CHEATERS!!!!!!

The Patriots have been caught red handed using video assistant Matt Estrella to record defensive signals by the New York Jets coaching staff. The Patriots have been known to sign players who have been cut from other teams, hire them to play for the Patriots, and then cut them after the New England coaching staff have suckered them out of all the useful information about their previous employers. Tom Brady isn’t the only ladies man in the New England Organization, Bill has been accused of being the significant other in a New Jersey divorce case, so he obviously condones cheating……Speaking of bastards, is Tom Brady still acting out the deadbeat dad role or am I getting him confused with “Norbit” GO COWBOYS !!!!!!!

Perez Hilton

Aside from this chump’s alter ego I just can’t stand this flamboyant gossip blogger who gets way too much credit for a (guy/girl/thing) with the intellectual ability of a goldfish and only has the capacity and substance to write about things that are the equivalent of Michael Vick’s diarrhea.

And now, for the Champs:

The Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys signed Tank Johnson to a two year deal. I think this is a great move for the Cowboys. It makes them deeper and will help the defense out tremendously, especially since Ferguson is out with injuries. Tank is known to be some what problematic. He is on probation for gun charges (no permits) and he violated probation. The Bears cut him. Tank is suspended for the next 8 games with the Cowboys and will make his debut in November. I am sure there are a lot of Cowboy cry babies out there who think this is a bad move. Well, I am here to tell you IT’S NOT ….. Really what do the Cowboys have to lose?

Brad Pitt

“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” starring Brad Pitt comes to theaters September 21st watched the trailer. Looking forward to the movie.
Good Communicators: When NOT to Speak

Not everyone is a good communicator. That's fairly obvious. What isn't so obvious, or at least commonly discussed, is when it's a good time for even talented communicators to zip the lip. Some of you communicators out there feel entitled to speak at all times, given the fact that when you do speak, people understand what is being said.

Having a gift isn't the same as being mature, however. This is where people get confused. There are many skilled communicators who are VERY immature. There are various reasons for stunted growth in social and emotional areas, and we won't cover all the reasons why this happens today.

After some honest reflection, it's rather obvious to me that a gifted communicator will get away with a lot more immaturity than others, if for no other reason than because he or she can talk a good game. Sadly, knowing words and how to use them does mean that you are the embodiment of their concepts. Politicians are the perfect example. Eloquent words of peace, new beginnings, and reform are always popular subjects for political speeches. Does anyone really believe that these men and women espouse their stated ideals?

People learn to say what it takes to get results. Period. Children learn this at an early age. If good behavior doesn't attract attention, then bad behavior is the next choice. If that gets results, the child tries it again later. Eventually, a child learns what is effective and what isn't. The ends justifies the means.

Until you grow up… at least, that's the hope. Hopefully, you eventually reach a certain point where you weigh the pros and the cons and make intelligent decisions, sometimes accepting the more difficult road in light of the costs of the easy road.

Gifted communicators learn early on that the right words unlock the right doors. They find that if they can simply study words and the responses they elicit, the right combination of words can be found each time to elicit the desired response. For an immature communicator, this means that people and words become mathematical equations. Plug the right symbols into the right places and the equation works perfectly.

Sadly, this means that some communicators spend more time studying how to manipulate people than how to mean what they say. These orators have the gift of gab, and it's their ticket to the big time just like stunning looks allow some women to get whatever they want without ever developing a deeper personality.

I guess it's the same deal as always, different details. Football stars make their way through life on their athletic talent. Musicians and singers get what they want because of their ability. Models get what they want because they're beautiful. And talkers get what they want because they know the right words to say.

All of these giftings may require some discipline to hone or maintain, but we all tend to gravitate towards what we do best. We all want praise and we all want to feel valuable.

The biggest challenge for a gifted communicator will be learning when to remain silent. You may know the right words to get what you want, but can you walk the talk? If you're not speaking from life experience or sincere belief, chances are your mouth will write checks your character can't cash. Just remember that silence can be more profitable than the right words, if it means that you don't overextend yourself. Do what you say. That's character. If you can't do it, don't say it.

You're only as good as your word.
Thoughts on the New Linkin Park Album: Minutes to Midnight

Linkin Park received both praise and heavy criticism for their latest effort, Minutes to Midnight. I'll be the first to admit that I was disappointed when I realized that the days of rock/rap were over for the hugely popular band. Of course, any time you take the world by storm, there will always come a time when the excitement and newness fades.

Like all bands, Linkin Park is looking for that way to combine the exploration of artistic expression with a renewed relevance to contemporary culture. The result was Minutes to Midnight, a surprising mix of styles and genres that both reward and disappoint the listener simultaneously.

Is the new album worth a listen? Sure. Is it worth a purchase? Can't say for sure. Fans will surely be divided on this one. If you demand the combination of rage and heartbreaking vulnerability, you will be disappointed. If you feel a kinship with the band based on the past and you're willing to evolve alongside the band, you may be pleasantly surprised.

If music is an expression of life, Minutes to Midnight expresses a growth within the band, though perhaps a growth that is still fumbling to find a solid identity post-trauma. Bands like Linkin Park, Nine Inch Nails, and Korn, though all very different in style, all made it big through the combination of expressing their personal traumas with an unusual vulnerability. The measure of continued success, however, depends somewhat on the artists' ability to grow both as people and as musicians.

Trent Reznor has lost fan base because people tend to grow up. They mature, God willing, and leave behind them some of their childish rantings. One would hope that people eventually come to terms with their wounds and traumas and find the ability to forgive and move on. Artists who stay locked into a perpetual irresponsible youth phase lose their fan base to maturity and tend to find themselves somewhat irrelevant to the next generation.

Linkin Park shows us that they are willing to grow and to change. They still have good music, so we can't throw them out simply because they didn't provide us with another In the End or Papercut.

Those of you whose Linkin Park experience is incomplete without a good scream will still have a little juice through songs No More Sorrow and Given Up. If you want a little Limp Bizkit feel, check out the Hands Held High and Bleed It Out. Of course, What I've Done is already a hit on the radio and several movie soundtracks.

For the more melodic side, check out Shadow of the Day, The Little Things You Give Away, and Valentine's Day. Linkin Park is more political here, referencing the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the War in Iraq. Regardless of their point of view, it's refreshing to see that they can look beyond their own hurt and engage the world around them.

Minutes to Midnight is worth listening to. It currently graces my list of top ten albums of the year thus far.
The Next Internet Millionaire

Don't hate. The following is a promotional piece i think you should read. I won't do this often, so check it out and give me some feedback once you've visited the link:

How would you like the opportunity to do a joint venture with one of the biggest names in Internet marketing? How would you like the opportunity to win $25,000 in cash? And how would you like the opportunity to be a part of Internet history? If it sounds to good to be true, this is one time that the truth is actually better than it sounds! Joel Comm has created the world's first Internet reality show, and he is inviting you to take part by being a contestant on The Next Internet Millionaire!

This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity unlike anything you've ever seen before. All you have to do is film a short video audition in order to have a chance at being on the show! It doesn't matter if you are a newbie or experienced Internet user. It doesn't matter if you can create a professional video or if you just have a simple webcam. It doesn't even matter if you currently have any product ideas! All that matter is that you have the DESIRE to be The Next Internet Millionaire! Go to this page right away and learn how to submit your video audition…

And by the way, even if you don't want to be on the show, I highly recommend you get on the show mailing list as you will learn a lot just from watching this groundbreaking event! The Next Internet Millionaire… Will it be you?

To your success!
Bank of America Mortgage Software Intentionally Flawed?

It's a sad day when you realize that you can't trust an institution like Bank of America to deal fairly. You would expect a Fortune 500 company like Bank of America to ensure that their software was functional and capable of serving the needs of their customers. Not so.

Recent experience has taught me that this banking and lending giant "can't" find the time or money to fix an error in their software that would make the lending customer service experience as smooth and functional as it should be.

Warning: If you have a home loan with Bank of America, they have orchestrated their software to be "flawed" so that any payment towards principle only will be mishandled and at least partially applied towards your regular monthly payment and interest.

That's right. Although there is an option to pay towards principle only, you the customer have to call the customer service department and explain to someone (who has apparently never experienced this issue before) that they have misapplied your payment and you have to make sure they reappropriate the payment towards principle only.

IF YOU DO NOT HOLD THEIR HANDS, BANK OF AMERICA WILL MISAPPLY YOUR PAYMENT AND YOU WILL UNWITTINGLY PAY FOR MORE INTEREST THAN IS NECESSARY.

This is beyond sad and pathetic. This is borderline criminal. If 10,000 borrowers made one extra house payment per year towards principle and didn't realize how BofA was "unintentionally" misapplying their payments, Bank of America profits an extra million dollars per year. That might sound like nothing to one of the nation's largest financial institutions, but that's an extremely costly error for a company with the billions to correct such an issue.

There is no excuse for this error. I wish I could tell you that they will fix this issue quickly. However, Bank of America has been misapplying extra payments for years. There's no telling how many people have lost equity in their homes due to blind trust in a company that says you can easily make a payment towards the principle of your home.

Someone will inevitably accuse me of being incapable of properly making or specifying that each payment was strictly intended for principle. Had several Bank of America representatives not admitted to the flaw in their software, I would consider the possibility that this issue is due to incompetence on my part. Unfortunately, the burden of responsibility does not fall on my shoulders, but rather the corporation.

I apparently never received the memo that informed us all that companies no longer have to provide honest and accurate service in order to prosper. My bad.
Mel Gibson is a Film Making Genius

For the most part I had a relaxing Saturday – not a lot to do. Just some chores. The kids are at the age were they are content playing video games and skateboarding outside. My wife was at work today, which gave me the opportunity to watch a movie that I bought last night in hopes of watching it with her, but she shot down as soon as she looked at the cover. LifeTime is more her thing. In all fairness, she did sit through 300 with me.

Anyway, I get the laundry out and put in Apocalypto. My eyes were glued to the TV the whole time. I didn’t fold a piece of laundry. How did I overlook this film when it was released in theaters? I don’t think I heard anything about it at all.

Did this film win any awards? Why not? Is Mel Gibson getting blacklisted by Jewish Hollywood because of his anti-Semitic views? I do think that every person should except responsibility and the consequences for their ignorant actions, but should his body of work or new work take a hit because of it? Should the actors, writers, cinematographers, musicians, and producers not receive any recognition because they are in one of Mel’s movie’s?

His personal life should be left at just that, because what he does with film is undeniably genius. Apocalypto takes place in ancient Central America – a region that is dear to my heart because I grew up in Costa Rica. Many of the images in the film that take place in jungles and rainforest were very familiar, which was exciting. The film's dialogue was in some ancient native Mayan language which was translated into English via subtitles. For a guy who has ADHD, I was still enthralled the entire time.

This movie was so intense, so graphic, and so realistic, my adrenaline was going the whole time. The main character in the movie is Jaguar Paw. His village was invaded by a superior and ruthless tribe – it’s hard to explain. They take most of the village’s men off to the stone built city to be executed in a very graphic nature, via human sacrifice for some type of Mayan god. He escapes death due to a solar eclipse; and from that point, it’s a roller coaster ride.

Jaguar Paw makes his way back to his village where he hid his pregnant wife and child in a cave before he was captured. Through the jungles, he is being chased by ancient demon-like warriors. At the end, he is vindicated. This is a must see.

Then you have Braveheart, a movie in which Mel directed and starred. It was an instant classic about the liberation of Scotland with historical relevance – something that seems important to Mel. Then you have the Passion of Christ. No matter which way you cut it, it is probably the closest thing on film to what actually happened throughout the New Testament. I wonder why this movie was plagued by so much controversy? It didn’t really stray from biblical history and was incredibly touching. The actors were superb and you could tell that a lot of the research, blood, sweat, and tears were put into it.

All at the demise of Mel Gibson that and very public drunk driving incident where he was babbling anti-Semitic comments to the police. Although I am willing to forgive Mel Gibson and move on to sitting and waiting at the edge of my seat for his next film, is everybody else? I think they should, if for no other reason than for the sake of personal entertainment. Because you're missing out on what a guaranteed quality film when you skip out on one of his movies.

Mel Gibson is movie making genius.