Mattlog

Doc Who

This may be another one of those nuggests of pop culturefun thatmay fly over a few of your heads. But bear with me. It's making a come back. Possibly.

Back in Chicago on the PBS station WTTW channel 11 Sunday night was a great night of TV. Late night Sunday night. At 10 pm they ran Monty Python's Flying Circus. At 10:30 Dave Allen at large. at 11 PM Doctor Who. Back when I was 10 Monty Python was part of contuning education on COmedy. It was accidental but what I learned about COmedy I can mostly thank Chicago television. Wgn Channel 9 ran Abbot and Costello movies on Saturday. Channel 32 which was an independant station (and soon became one of the first Fox affiliates) showed Three Stooges and HBO showed George Carlin. It was a Comedy
Class one could only dream of. And when I was 10 I saw Monty Python.

But that's another blog... today I'm discussing Doctor Who.

So recently I caught the newest entry into the Doctor Who legacy. And for the most part... I liked it. It's tough to judge a book by it's new cover and the hardest part is that it's a re-entry into Doctor Who so we have to go over what a Tardis is again. What the Tardis does. It's bigger on the outside than inside. We have re-introduce the Doctor. The time traveling extrodinaire.

But with that done, I liked the new Doctor. He's funny (always a necessary part of Whodom, I find, when iot starts taking itself too seriously it weighs down the show.) It seemed like it may have been trying to hard. Lets be extra funny and whatnot... but I think after a few eps it'll settle down and we'll get some fantastic new stories... including the Daleks. But that's over you noobs heads.

I've has the oppertunity to go back and watch some of the old eps from back in the 70's and the show is a bit slow paced for us MTV weeners. But it's still a great show and lots of fun.

In other news, Friday is Midnight Madness at TOys R Us when they'll be selling all the new EP III toys. Can't wait.

Have a good day and I'll be back this week again, I promise.

Matt

[]

Todays topic. Brackets.

They're useful in puncutation.

But enough about that. If you could care less about sports skip to the link... I have one more intesting nugget to discuss. But for those of you who do ... Let's talk some NCAA. I should say I'm not a big basketball fan. I like playing. It's just hard to watch on TV. I don't get all into it. But cause I thought it'd be fun I decided I'd fill out a bracket, and see what happens. I do listen to a lot of sports radio. (Like hearing today that Jow Borowski was out for what could be six weeks made me want to faint.) So some of my guesses we educated... by other more educated peope. But it took me 15 minutes to fill out.

But wow, did it make March Madness fun. I usually dread it cause, like I said I don't care about basketball. But having a brakcet on the line actually gave me something to discuss with people who know way more about it than I do.

Even more amazing... I'm in second place. Wake Forest killed me. I had them in the Final Four. But everything else I feel good about. I picked a couiple of the upsets which really helped my ranking. Like Texas Tech (though they were not in my final 16) and Old Dominion and I even guessed Villinova and Louisville. But who would have guessed both Bama and Boston College would be out.

Anyway, my final is between Illinois and North Carolina with Ill taking it all. It looks like the path has been cleared for Ill to make the finals with Wake Forest out. But I'm having fun and that's all it's about anyway.

Here's a link: http://www.ownmars.com/
It's an interesting question. I just read Deception Point by Davinci Code writer Dan Brown and he argues both sides of the arguement. Should we commercialize space?

Lot of philosophical questions to be asked. Does anything off planet really belong to anyone? I guess if they're there first why not?

I'm waiting for the day the moon is turned into a giant cookie with OREO written across it. Or and ad for toe nail clippers when it's just a sliver. (not really)

Who controls space? Is it just a planets and planets of untapped real estate?

And what about this God person anyway? How does one factor in the Almighty when answering this question? Did he give us Mars just just to turn it into a giant bill board? Course, it could be said He let us do it to Earth, why not Mars?

I;m on the fence here. On the one hand I don't like the idea of anyone doing whatever they please with the universe. It's pretty messed up as it is and we don't be mucking with it. It's one thing to egotistically change the face of the earth but another to do so to Alpha Centuri. On the other hand we're not getting anywhere fast without privatization and transportation to and from.

So you make the call. Someday I'll right more on this. But only when I'm far more educated on the subject.

Till then... Mar is only $30 bucks for 200 acres.

The Internet

Wierd weekend... way too much of work... 46 hours since last MOnday. Luckily the last 4 of that was bock of the house... so that's a wada wada dough.

Here's and update about the giant thing I usd to have growing on my face. It's still gone.

For a while I wasn't gorwing hair in the area in and around the effected area but 2 months later there's hair again much to love of my lovely girlfriend.

However, I now have a sty in my eye. I can't lie. But it hurts to cry and I feel though I'll die. (sorry something told me to rhyme all that.) My apologies. :)

But I do. And it only hurts everyonce in a while. It's really more gross to look at. But Kristin freaked out when she heard it was growing (even though that's what they do.) And told me I should headto the doctor. I assured her it would go away... that's what they do. She told me to see a doctor anyway... so I did the next best thing which was to go to WebMd.com. Looked up Eye Sty and sure enough it said that most stys go away on their own and a warm compress four times a day should speed up its healing.

Which too many words later brings us to my topic which is the Internet. It seems obvious to say but the internet can 98% of your questions. (I made hte number up since I asked Jeeves and he gave me no real answer.)

But sitting around chatting one night my friends Jason and Alex were discussing who the bigger beer company is and why? I did a quick google and being a Bud man myself I assured them it was Budwieser. "Well you're biased" they said taking a small pull off a Miller light. SO I disappeared for a while and when I returned
I announced quite matter of factly that indeed Budweiser was quite a larger seller of beer and not just by a ittle but by millions of barrels. Millions. (the exact numbers from 2002 were 101,800,000 million barrels (31 gal barrel) to Miller's 39,660,000 ... which even I thought extreme.. but that's another topic for another day.)

The internet is instant answers. I need a 8 letter word starting with c for prostitute. Concubine pops right up.

Ah the internet with any answers I need.

Matt

42 days

Hitchhikers Guide the Galaxy opens in 42 days. If you know anthing about Hitchhikers than you understand it's importance.

If you don't... you soon will.

So got there. http://hitchhikers.movies.go.com/

Be Cool

First of all it's spring break... secondly, the weather has been super. So It's Friday and I'm writing the only blog of the week.

I saw Get Shorty and loved it. I love the style of it. I actually like Travolta in it. And Scott Frank's script rules. RULES. Get Shorty is based on a Elmore Leonard novel. Oddly enough Scott Frank also adapted Out of Sight another great Leonard book and also a movie that ranks high on my list of fine films.

And perhaps because I love movies the way Chili loves movies I loved his "COOL" way of working over Gene Hackman and Delroy Lindo. Chili's fucking cool. He maintains his head. And James Farintino as Ray Bones is hilarious!

So I went and Get Shorty and it was amazingly like the movie. Leonard's ear for dialogue is tremendous. So I dipped into other of Emore's books like Freaky Deaky and Rum Punch (which Tarintino used as the basis for Jackie Brown.) And the consistant factors in all of them were the great dialogue (as I mentioned) and the great characters. There some of the most interesting characters in these books and they all have their own way of speaking. It makes adapting his novels into films not only a cinch but a treat.

So when I saw he had written a sequel to Get Shorty, I couldn't wait to read it. Be Cool. So I picked it up and suddenly Chili didn't want to produce movies anymore he ends up (much in the same way as the movie) in the music biz. Well this put me off right away because, you know, Chili loves movies why change that? And then the road continues and I felt like Chili had lost his edge. He was too into clever trickery than his usual "Calm down. Now look at me."

I've been a fan of Vince Vaughn fan ever since Swingers. He had a horrible stint on Saturday Night Live which worried me... but I love his sense of humor and even though he from time to time plays one note (Old School and Dodge Ball are good examples.) And it doesn't mean I don't love him but in Be Cool he's the same guy with hilarious bits to say. Oh and he's a bad guy. Like mean.

And The Rock is funny. Hilarious. I mean, a gay bodyguard. f

I give it 2 1/2 out of five... or five outta ten. Or 50 out of hundred. Not bad but not great.

Revenge of the Trailers....

I don't know how many of you saw it. It was on last night on Fox. The Trailer. The bad ass trailer for Episode III.

Ryan, Kristen and I on the couch. 5.1 surround sound playing.

"Are you threatening me, Master Jedi?"

He grabs for his lightsaber jumps the desk and flashes his red sabre.

Ryan and I freaked. Kristen looked at us like we were nuts. We are. But even the fact that Lucas himself has said this movie will be PG-13 is well, our only hope. This movie may redeem everything that went wrong with EPs I and II. Not that even there was MUCH wrong with II. Except wasting 15 minutes on the Droid Factory sequence... but I digress.

I'm more pumped than ever.

In other news I was just playing poker online had a A-Q. Paired with an Ace on the board and someone beat me with a Big Slick. How is that even possible?

Finally, busy weekend for me. Work work and more work.

But you all enjoy yours, come Monday review of Be Cool.

Matt

Poker? I barely know her.

I saw the saddest Poker hand the other night on Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo. Bonnie Hunt was short stacked against Colin Quinn. She goes all in on her hand. Colin FLOPS a FLUSH. To add insult to injury the turn card is also a heart. And just to grind the salt in the wound the final card is also a heart. The 5 cards are all hearts. But Colin had a King.

With the Vega$ trip coming up soon, I've decided to go back and read the books on Poker I've got. My latest purchase however has been super. It's Poker the Real Deal by Phil Gordon. He's the Celebrity Poker guy on the show.

Phil has had an interesting life. In the early 90's Phil had a job with a software company which was soon bought out and Phil could retire at 25. He traveled the world and soon developed a love of poker. And in 2001 took fourth in the World Series of Poker. He's won over $1.1 Million in Poker tourney's. He was invited one night to Hank Azaria's poker game and eventually met Josh Molina (of West Wing and Sports Night fame) and created the Celebrity Poker Showdown.

But the book he went on to write is completely accessible. If you have ANY interest no matter how small in Poker you should read his book. It starts with a very brief history of Poker. And then goes to deliver not only the basic basics how toplay. But also what to do in a card room of a casino, how to play online and even the mindset of a poker player.

I've been playing some free tourney's here in Austin playin all right. I've won free pool. But even playing "correctly" you can still lose. Playing a A-K is almost always a good play. However, it's easy to be beat out by pocket sevens. A good thing to remember.

But there's something horribly addictive about poker and the adrenaline that occurs when your sitting on a flush and no one else knows. It's such a rush. And the look on someone's face who had a full house of Jacks and Kings is pricless.

Can't wait for the Vega$ trip, looking forward to Spring (which arrived this week to Austin) and can't wait the 70 days until Ep III. And all the movies that follow it. Like War of the Worlds.

Matt

72 Days

72 Days till Ep II.

Just in case you thought I stopped counting.

I haven't.

It's a busy 72 days for me though. My calendar is full and looks something l ike this.

Spring break round these parts in the next week. More business and my girlfriend will have some time off.

April 1- Exhibition game between the Astros and AAA Round Rock Express. Got tix for 20 bucks behind 1st base.

The week of the 15th the AAA Cubs are coming to Round Rock. Will check out a game during that series.

April 18th my sis is coming to visit. She's staying through Saturday the 23rd....

When my flight leaves for Vega$. Some Blue Man Group some Poker and lots of drinks.

April 30th my lovely girlfriend bought me Astros/ Cubs tix in Houston. So we'll be visiting there for a game.

Also that weekend the release of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. See it love it, laugh at it.

The May ... you know May. Stuff happens in May. Probably alot of Star Wars stuff. Like buying the Trivial Pursuit Star Wars DVD edition and buying tickets for the midnight showing.

Then May 18th I wait in line about noon for the midnight showing. Which at the very least will involve RYan, my girlfriend, Jeff and myself. Then 12:01 In silence... "A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away."

Kristen just watched Ep II. She loved it. And I've gotten her to agree that should we have fraternal twins their names will be Luke and Leia. So that's something. Can't get her to agree on Skyler Walker though. Hmmmm. Girls.

Talk to you Wednesday, where the subject will be Poker.

And now a long lost Moment of Zen.

Matt

The Cutting Edge of Technology.

Today at work we were discussing old school tripe. What was your first CD? One 31 year old told me hers was Boyz II Men. Right around Boomerrang. My first was Huey Lewis and the News "Sports." Despite everyone around me being my age people were in disbelief I had a CD player so early. I actually think I bought in '85 or '86 not '83 when it was released. But I know I had the FLashdance soundtrack, bought by my dad on Cd in '83 cause he bought it when my mom and him saw the film one night.

My mom had won one of Sony's first CD players back in '83 when she won a sales contest. Which was great for my dad cause he loved being on the cuttig edge of technology. Which is where I some how went off in our conversation today.

My dad had pong. The Magnavox kind with the two nobs. He had a COmmodore Vic 20. Then a 64. Then while my mom was selling computers she bought a IBM PC Jr. Huh? Yeah with thew new 5 1/4 inch floppys. And cartridges to run DOS.

But my always sort of bougth stuff on the cusp of it becoming obsolete. Like he bought a Betamax. We had that for 6 years before he finally broke down and bought a VHS.

He bought the Magnavox Odyssey 2. Magnavox had made our pong surely they were cutting edge. And they were for 2 weeks before the Atari 2600 came out. Everyone else is playing Pac-Man and we were playing KC Munchkin. Which in a way was cooler cause you could MAKE your own mazes.

But you know, despite it all we had the good stuff. Nights in my house were spent playing Pick Axe Pete. All of use gathered on the couch passing the joystick around. The game would keep track of the highest score you'd played (as long as the machine was kept on) and if while playing you didn't make 10% (or 10 bee sent as my sister, 4 at the time, would say) then you got another turn. The trick of the game was to jump boulders unless you got an axe. Then the axe would blow up boulders. And you would pass the level if you made it to the magic corridor. The next level would remove a piece out of the board. One glorious night my mom had two pieces left. Boulders were flying everywhere. Her score was up to some 940 points. And that's when Pick Axe Pete bit the dust.

But those are some great memories. There were other games my parents might never have played. Course, my mom later became addicted to Tetris and Super Mario World. Many Christmas' went by playing that. And I can remember my grandfather thinking it was a TV show. But he probably never owned a video game system in his life.

But we would groan when one of us would die. Why did he think were getting so worked up over a cartoon show?

Well thanks for the trip down memory lane. I'll be back Late Friday with some other amusing anecdote I'm sure.

Pete Himself.

Matt