Cry Baby

If there's one type of movie that inevitably makes me emotional, it's got to be sports movies. I know-cheesy, bad acting, bad scripts, etc. But for some reason, the memories I have of my own athletic history (and my dad being a coach) get at me when I watch sports movies. It doesn't really matter what sports movies...Remember the Titans, Hardball, Glory Road, the Gridiron Gang, Hoosiers...

...if the movie has some lead actor that is trying his hand at comedic atheltics (aka Waterboy)-only tears of frustration and pain exit my eyes. One movie that gets me every time is Coach Carter. I know that it's extremely cheesy, but for some reason, I get so inspired by these flicks. Here's a speech given by one of the inner city players on Coach Carter, right after he's had an ephiphany about the direction of his life, and when he can turn to no one else-he turns to his coach.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Thank you Sir, you saved my life.”

Don't Pass the Chuck

Probably my favorite author of this time, could be attributed to none other than Chuck Klosterman. He's written so many books that challenge every aspect of my intellect. Strangely, I first got turned on to his literary genius through a little show known as, the O.C. Seth Cohen was reading, perhaps his most famous book, "Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs". I can honestly say, that this book was the first book I have ever read that coaxed genuine laughter out of me. It's a rather strange oddity when you're sitting by yourself, reading, and can't stop laughing. Chuck's satire is unparalleled in my opinion. He has also written books including: "Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota", "Killing Yourself to Live", "Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas", "Eating the Dinosaur", and the book I'm currently enjoying, "Downtown Owl".

Perhaps it's because I grew up in a town not too different from Owl, North Dakota, or it may be Klosterman's subtle wit and ability to transfix the reader, transporting them into his own world. This is his first published stab at writing a full, fiction novel. I'm not done with it yet, but am enjoying it immensly. I've been so busy re-reading books that have movies coming out this season (i.e. New Moon, the Road, Precious, etc.) Now back to Chuck.

Lately...

...I've been watching the following. Sometimes, I get home from work, and my motivation level is next to zero. So what happens...I read, eat, or watch television. Here are a few snippets of things that have entertained me.

Kathryn and Legacy from So You Think You Can Dance...not a season I've been watching much. But I did manage to catch this dance and loved it. It's supposed to be about a girl dealing with grief...it was beautiful.



The ridiculously hilarious new, primetime sitcom "Glee" cracks me up. The storylines are always a little vacant, but the performances are so funny. Here's a good mindless video to take you back.



Today on the Ellen Show...a really funny segment with a cute Chinese girl. Sarah, you will see a lot of these little kids soon.

Thank Goodness for Moms

After looking at my friend Dusty's page, I saw that he took part in this hilarious exercise down memory lane. Evidentally, by the magic of technology, we can see how ridiculous we would've looked had it not been for our moms telling us we couldn't get a certain haircut, or piercing, or shirt. Mom...thank you!


I've always wanted dreads. After seeing this picture, maybe I'm rethinking that. I think I look like an extra from the Pauly Shore movie, Encino Man.


This is the Tiger Woods version of me...a Blasian.


When everyone wanted to be Zach Morris...ah...thank goodness I never had this ridiculous hair!


Is this an AC Slater look-a-like contest?


Um...I still see this hairdo on many people. They just shop at Walmart and aren't male.


Bahahahaha!


Carrot top...not really an Asian haircut.


Kelly will you please cut my hair like this? Haha.


In honor of MJ.


My dad had this hair.


I've never noticed before...but I look like that guy in all the tabs that they're saying is a "bad father" or "reckless parent"...what's his name again...oh ya...John.


No words.


I'm pretty sure I'm going to bring this hairstyle back.

Hope you laughed. I certainly did...am. Thanks for sharing Dusty. This was too funny!

Movie Quiz...why not.

1What's the best sports movie? Hoosiers obviously
2What chick flick can you watch over and over? Sleepless in Seattle (I love my city)
3As far as musicals go, which one transcends? White Christmas will always be
4What movie can always make you cry? hmmm...any sports movie
5What's your favorite holiday movie? Love Actually
6What movie are you always in the mood for? Harry Potter
7Which movie can you quote in your sleep? Home Alone
8What movie brings back all of your childhood memories? The Goonies
9What movie do you wish they would remake? Wizard of Oz (c'mon Tim Burton)
10Even though most sequels don't fair too well, what movie deserves a sequel? The Incredibles
11What disaster movie do you love most? Twister
12TV on DVD can bring a series to life. What series do you enjoy most? the OC or Law and Order SVU
13Which movie was the bigest let down for you? The Secret Life of Bees
14What was the last movie you saw in the theatre? Where the Wild Things Are
15What movie are you most looking forward to seeing? The Road or Pirate Radio

Bringin' Back the Train

The other day while I was watching 106 & Park on BET-yes, you heard me right-they did a modern day soul train. It looked like so much fun. We were talking about it at work, and everyone was telling me that soul train is what people of color do while midwesterners do the dance-line...or mambo. This made me truly bust a gut. And you know I'm not tryin to get down with the mambo, chicken dance, or macarena.

As the holidays quickly approach, I've been getting excited for all of my favorite Christmas movies. I think that it's really hard to make a good, quality Christmas movie these days. The classics are just too good. One that I did discover last Christmas that I enjoy, also features a soul train. Here's a clip. Enjoy.



Can you imagine doing a soul train with your family? Might be the funniest thought ever. I think that Christmas at the Wilde's might need to implement this tradition into their holiday traditions.

We don't krump...we jerk.

This video is a couple of people from work. They're jerkin'. If you haven't heard of it already...jerkin' is the new scene dance. Get it.

Ode to a Squeeze It

How I miss thee,
Dearest Squeeze-It.
The crazy faces that you had.

How I miss thee,
Juice of wonder,
the greatest refreshment fad?

Your flavors running wild,
amix the plentiful sweet.

Your crazy bottled figure
of which you cannot beat.

Juice boxes are so boring.
Your absence is so sad.

Cherry, Lime, and Blue...
Your flavors remain rad.

Stomp!

Thanks to Melissa, I was able to see this hilarious video. You can't help but feel a little sorry for her, but that's what she gets for trying to cheat. Let that be a lesson. And now, she's got her own music video, too. Just watch the second video. Does she sound a little like a dying dog?

25 Things

Thanks Meagan for showing me this video...cracks me up.

Bubba Bow-staff

It's good to be back in Idaho.


Bo Staff Training from Shane Grove on Vimeo.

Is Vinny an Idol?

Months ago, we were all under the impression that Vinny, Calvin Nicholas Arthur Mann, left for graduate school in Scotland. Up until a few weeks ago, I had never questioned this. But now...now that I've seen a few episodes of the hit show, American Idol I've discovered that this is most likely not true. Vinny is posing as Scott McInteyer. You be the judge.


Scott or Vinny?


Scott or Vinny?

You be the judge.

"Desmond is nowhere to be found..."

Today, I got up early and flew out from Sea-Tac to Boise. It was an early morning, and with little sleep from the previous night as well...I was exhausted. I kept falling asleep waiting to board, and I realized that if I did, I would be dead to the world. So, I needed to do something to keep me occupied. I decided to play what I've named, "The Lost Game". Here's how it works. You look at all of the people that you're flying with, also waiting to board. You start pondering what their professions are and what they would contribute to the culture on the island, if we crashed. Then you look at the supporting cast, and those that are probably just going to be extras in the background. Today, I spotted someone that I think would've flipped and joined the Others if push came to shove. Two kids and their mom sat right behind me on the plane...and I'm sure they would've been casualties. Sad I know. And I think that I saw a brother-sister relationship that would've been much like Boone. A small role, but not much meat to the character development. This game definitely kept me awake, and I boarded the plane. Made it back to Idaho...and am set for a great, relaxing visit.

Looks Do Matter!

I have come to terms with the fact that I truly am treated differently based on what I'm wearing. It's unfortunate, but when I'm in my Abercrombie (work) clothes, people ask me the most ridiculous questions. Here are some of the comments.


"Hey, you a Duke man?"
"How often do you go tanning?"
"Didn't I see you on the treadmill yesterday?"
"Do you get to like, date every girl that works here?"
"Should I tuck the front part of this shirt in?"
"Will you come to Victoria's Secret with me?"
"Do you think T.I. is innocent?"

But when I'm in my normal get up...what I choose to wear when I'm not at work, the questions are totally different. They're more like:


"What'd you think of the new Andrew Bird album?"
"Don't you hate it when people buy albums only on iTunes?"
"Want some of my homemade granola?"
"Should I get a vegan tattoo?"
"Got a lighter?"
"How do you feel about Neitzsche?"

These are all things that I've been asked by complete strangers. Not people that I know...just random walk-by strangers. It's so bizarre to me that my clothes cause me to live such a double life. I mean...what's a vegan tattoo anyway?

How do you talk "Valley"?

Does anyone remember back in the day when people talked with hand motions that included distinct hand gestures, not just floppy wrists? Now, if you're an individual that talks with over-exclamatory hand gestures, you're seen as a little femmie. But back in the day, talking with hand gestures was very common. For instance...do you remember using the "retard" hand gesture? You know, when someone says, hey put your right hand on your chest, and try and bite your left ear. Der...what? Haha. Or perhaps the Stephanie Tanner, "sick-en-ing" face. To do this gesture, all that you need to do is take your pointer finger and stick it partially in your mouth while rolling your eyes. This was the hand gesture that conveyed...gross. Or my personal favorite...the energetic "YES!". To do this...you simply bend your right arm, make a fist and act like you're elbowing a little person in the nose behind you. If you are really excited, you can add the lift of the right knee as well. I remember this gesture primarily being used in two different scenarios. The first being after someone got away with a prank or other devious acts. The second being, when an individual scores a hot date with someone totally out of their league.

Why not bring these back? I think we should. Deal?

Flurp?

Has anyone heard of "flurping"? My co-worker Megan told us the following story the other day:

"I didn't have lockers in grade school. We had cubbies. I remember when I was in Kindergarten, I went to get something out of my cubby, and I flurped. Then when I went to stand up, I slipped on my flurp because some of it came out of my mouth! It got all over my skirt! Then Miss Bop had to clean it off and help me out."

Now, I understand we all had words we couldn't pronounce as children. And many of us had made up words that we used in common language. In fact, Cool Ric had one of the most priceless stories from his childhood that directly depicts this. When Ric was a young Korean-American child, his family would occasionally partake in a hot dog or two. Because Ric's mom, as precious as she is, couldn't pronounce the word "buns" very well because she still has a fairly thick accent. Young, impressionable Ric then went to a friends birthday party in Junior High! At this bbq, they were having hot dogs and hamburgers, like any normal bbq. There were hamburger buns on the table, but they had yet to bring out the hot dog buns. So Ric proceeds to say, "Hey guys, where are the bonzas?" Everyone looked at him, and were like, what are bonzas? Ric was flabbergasted and didn't know what to say. "You know guys...the bonzas!?!" Turns out, Ric knew that hamburger buns were buns, but thought that hot dog buns were called bonzas! Haha!

Well, evidentally, Megan (the above mentioned co-worker) has always heard the term "flurp". She says it so matter-of-fact; like we should all know what she's talking about. She explains it as a small burp, when a little bit of throw up comes up the throat. I don't know if this is a common word and I've been left out of the loop or what. Any idea?

So funny!

As a follow up to my earlier, SNL version...you should watch this video. I can't tell you how funny it is!

Can You Hear Me Now?

If you were to take one look at me...what would you think I was listening to? Don't get this confused with a previous posting by me regarding theme songs. Just by looks, what would you guess I was listening to.

Have you ever wondered what people are listening to on their ipods? I have found myself very curious of this lately. So curious, that I play a game with myself...guessing what it is that they're listening to. Today at Panera Bread, there was this guy, by himself...listening to his headphones and reading a play manuscript. "What is it that he's listening to?" I thought. In all actuality...I don't know. And I won't ever know, unless I go and ask him. I decided that I thought he was listening to either Wycle Jean's the Carnival or "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. Either way...it was kinda fun to guess.

For instance...

Jake Lee: Avril Levigne (sorry, don't be offended)
Katie Powell: Janis Joplin
Tracy Wilde: Michael Buble
Sarah Walker: Rascal Flatts (even though I know this isn't true)
Austin Zander: Linkin Park

Of course these are only if I didn't know these individuals. And I don't really think that this says anything about the person. But it is a fun game.

Have we lost touch?

I created a quiz that I hope you all do. It's called, "This is me". We'll see if you can get it done. Just copy and paste the address below into your browser.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/take-quiz.php?id=0901152321071193&a=1&

Good Luck!

Put a Ring on It

How is this not one of the most hilarious music videos of 2008? SNL went through a few years of a drought. The Bush jokes continued to get older and older. But with the Sarah Palin impersonations and cameos from Justin Timberlake...SNL is back on the right track. Too bad Chris Farley and David Spade aren't able to conjure up a reunion show of all the great comedians of SNL. Speaking of, I cannot wait for Jimmy Falon to take over as a late night talk show host. SNL live on.