March 30, 2007
March 29, 2007
Movie Time
There may not be an actor around today, who is as easy to like as Don Cheadle. The guy has quietly put together an amazing resume, filled with some of my favorite movies. Often he’s had some small, yet memorable role. But of late, he’s more the leading man or does a fantastic supporting job. Hotel Rwanda, Crash, Oceans 11, Traffic, Out of Sight, and smaller roles in Boogie Nights, Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead. Just love this guy, he’s just so easy to watch. Likeable like Denzel or Hanks, but not as forced. You know how those guys just sometimes seem to play the same character over and over? Cheadle doesn’t do that. There’s always a constant and believable struggle in his characters.
So when I first saw the previews for Reign Over Me, I was intrigued. Paired with Adam Sandler, who cracked me up with his comedies but really made a fan out of me with Spanglish, and directed by Mike Binder who did the underrated Upside of Anger, it had all the ingredients of a solid flick. Sprinkle in the 9/11 plot, and there was really no doubt that I’d see it. And I tell ya, it was very well done.
A little slow at times, along with a few un-necessary tugs on the heart strings, but over-all a very good movie. Sandler is another stand-up comedian who is probably better when doing dramas, like Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks (not sure if he counts as a former stand-up or not) Will Farrell and Steve Martin. So I suggest you check it out, although it won’t be a crime to wait for video. I say that only because it’s not a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen or in a hurry.
Last weekend I finally got around to seeing Blood Diamond, which I wish I had seen in the theatre. Luckily I did catch it on a big screen in a friend’s basement. I think I’ve finally forgiven Leo for doing Titanic. He was always a good actor, but after that his image overshadowed his work for a few years. His recent run of Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond is almost De Niro-esque. The boy is really hitting on all cylinders now.
Diamond is a powerful movie, in a similar way as Hotel Rwanda and Sometimes It Rains In April. Only with enough action that it could have been a Harrison Ford movie. Only you know, back when he did viewable movies. Diamond, very easily could have been preachy and full of it self being that it’s a pretty intense yet unfamiliar topic, but it found a way to remain engaging. Seriously find yourself wondering about where it all comes from, and how sick it is that we value some piece of rock that so many suffer for. Not that I’m getting married, but if I were, I’d really have to consider an alternative for the ring. And not just because I’m cheap either.
So when I first saw the previews for Reign Over Me, I was intrigued. Paired with Adam Sandler, who cracked me up with his comedies but really made a fan out of me with Spanglish, and directed by Mike Binder who did the underrated Upside of Anger, it had all the ingredients of a solid flick. Sprinkle in the 9/11 plot, and there was really no doubt that I’d see it. And I tell ya, it was very well done.
A little slow at times, along with a few un-necessary tugs on the heart strings, but over-all a very good movie. Sandler is another stand-up comedian who is probably better when doing dramas, like Robin Williams, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks (not sure if he counts as a former stand-up or not) Will Farrell and Steve Martin. So I suggest you check it out, although it won’t be a crime to wait for video. I say that only because it’s not a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen or in a hurry.
Last weekend I finally got around to seeing Blood Diamond, which I wish I had seen in the theatre. Luckily I did catch it on a big screen in a friend’s basement. I think I’ve finally forgiven Leo for doing Titanic. He was always a good actor, but after that his image overshadowed his work for a few years. His recent run of Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed and Blood Diamond is almost De Niro-esque. The boy is really hitting on all cylinders now.
Diamond is a powerful movie, in a similar way as Hotel Rwanda and Sometimes It Rains In April. Only with enough action that it could have been a Harrison Ford movie. Only you know, back when he did viewable movies. Diamond, very easily could have been preachy and full of it self being that it’s a pretty intense yet unfamiliar topic, but it found a way to remain engaging. Seriously find yourself wondering about where it all comes from, and how sick it is that we value some piece of rock that so many suffer for. Not that I’m getting married, but if I were, I’d really have to consider an alternative for the ring. And not just because I’m cheap either.
March 28, 2007
Okay, so I'm bragging by posting this. And I don't care. It's pretty damn funny to be honest, maybe a little long. Anyway, just my way to say congrats to my cousin. (see the Eric Hirshberg link on the right? Same guy..click it..buy a cd)
And while I'm at it, let me tell you about the other links on this page.
First is Porqchop, a friend, poker buddy and fellow blogger. Great blog, highly entertaining and sometimes and more disturbing.
Under that is Eric, click it, buy a cd...Oh I said that already.
Then my other cousin Glen, click it..Buy some books. Read 'em. Fantastic author, great guy.
No Splashin' is the new blog of another friend, more family friendly than this or Porqchop. Feel free to encourage more posts from the author.
Red Maverick Design is a graphic design company that my buddy V owns. Need some baseball cards for your kids soccer team? See him. How bout a poster of your favorite tee-ball player? That's the man to talk to.
There's a link to my favorite writer, Bill Simmons aka The Sports Guy He's basically what I aspire to be. Be like Mike? Nah, Be like Bill
There's also links to my Myspace page, some of my favorite YouTube clips, an old guestbook to some pages I had before blogging was popular, and two pages I had many moons ago that are still up.
March 26, 2007
Some Questions FromTheHirp
Went to Crown Center today (D’Bronx, yum) for lunch today and had a couple questions afterwards.
• Why do fortune cookies always say something positive? Seriously, at least once in a while shouldn’t it say something more realistic? Like, your wife is cheating on you. Your friends don’t really care for you. Your meal was made from neighborhood cats. Something other than how great we are would be great
• Second question. There was a sign outside D’Bronx, “Voted Best Pizza in Kansas City 2005.” Shouldn’t there be a limited time period on how long they can have that?
• I got a pack of Fruit Stripe gum, you know this gum. It’s only like, the best gum ever. I haven’t had it in years; the complaint was always that the flavor didn’t last. You’d think with the advances in gum technology, they would have figured out how to extend the flavor by now. Every other pack of gum brags about their long lasting flavor, Fruit Stripe continues to be the KU of gums. Good for one, maybe two rounds, then time to toss it.
But now I know what I want to do with my life. I want the job of determining how long a gums flavor lasts. Do they judge it on per chews, minutes or what? How do I get this gig? Personally, I think you gotta go by chews. There are so many different styles of gum chewing. You have the chomper, the bubble blowers, silent chewers who don’t really chew. Total bites is the most fair way to judge
• Why do fortune cookies always say something positive? Seriously, at least once in a while shouldn’t it say something more realistic? Like, your wife is cheating on you. Your friends don’t really care for you. Your meal was made from neighborhood cats. Something other than how great we are would be great
• Second question. There was a sign outside D’Bronx, “Voted Best Pizza in Kansas City 2005.” Shouldn’t there be a limited time period on how long they can have that?
• I got a pack of Fruit Stripe gum, you know this gum. It’s only like, the best gum ever. I haven’t had it in years; the complaint was always that the flavor didn’t last. You’d think with the advances in gum technology, they would have figured out how to extend the flavor by now. Every other pack of gum brags about their long lasting flavor, Fruit Stripe continues to be the KU of gums. Good for one, maybe two rounds, then time to toss it.
But now I know what I want to do with my life. I want the job of determining how long a gums flavor lasts. Do they judge it on per chews, minutes or what? How do I get this gig? Personally, I think you gotta go by chews. There are so many different styles of gum chewing. You have the chomper, the bubble blowers, silent chewers who don’t really chew. Total bites is the most fair way to judge
Bad Hirp
Back in my Lenscrapper days, my friend D and I used to pass the time by thinking of SNL-like skits. We had some pretty hilarious ideas, only we never wrote them down. So over the years, I’m afraid we’ve forgotten pretty much all of them. Well this weekend I was sitting and talking with a new friend, who told me a story about a friends mother making reference to her “one and only Sony,” a phrase I had never heard. In fact, it might be an original.
But that got the wheels spinning, so now I find myself wondering what would happen if the big tech companies jumped in the, um..toy business. What would they look like? What kind of names would they have? I probably shouldn’t post this, this is at times a family site. Ah, fuggetaboutit.
Sony: SelfPlayStation, aka SPS.
Apple: iGasm also probably the iGasm-mini, the 30 gig iGasm and iGasm video
Microsoft: XBoxxx would be pretty lame, and they usually use just totally bizarre names that make zero sense, like Vista. So forget XBoxxx, Panorama it is.
Nintendo: Can’t decide between Gamegirl, WEEEE, or DP
Palm: Palm Diver
Sprint: PCOYES. They would be late to the party of course, with many complaints about lack of service area.
Motorola: PLZR
Anyway, I’m pretty sure all this could make for a pretty good skit. If only Saturday Night Live still had those.
But that got the wheels spinning, so now I find myself wondering what would happen if the big tech companies jumped in the, um..toy business. What would they look like? What kind of names would they have? I probably shouldn’t post this, this is at times a family site. Ah, fuggetaboutit.
Sony: SelfPlayStation, aka SPS.
Apple: iGasm also probably the iGasm-mini, the 30 gig iGasm and iGasm video
Microsoft: XBoxxx would be pretty lame, and they usually use just totally bizarre names that make zero sense, like Vista. So forget XBoxxx, Panorama it is.
Nintendo: Can’t decide between Gamegirl, WEEEE, or DP
Palm: Palm Diver
Sprint: PCOYES. They would be late to the party of course, with many complaints about lack of service area.
Motorola: PLZR
Anyway, I’m pretty sure all this could make for a pretty good skit. If only Saturday Night Live still had those.
March 23, 2007
Hirphawks
It’s a good thing I’m not a believer in signs, or I might be a bit confused by KU right now. Let’s see, they are playing UCLA next. Truth is, before I went to KU that UCLA was my favorite college basketball team. A cousin I always looked up to went there, and at age 12 I went out to visit him was able to see the campus and Westwood. The Burger That Ate LA was on my best burger list for years after that. Then my freshman year, UCLA came to Lawrence as defending National Champions. KU trailed by 19 at the half, came back and won by 15. Till this day, the best game of any kind that I ever saw in person. For the game I purchased a PHUCK UCLA tee shirt for myself and my cousin, I still have the shirt. And I’ll be rocking it tomorrow afternoon. I kinda doubt he has his.
That same year I met the girl that became my first real serious relationship, where was she from? Santa Cruz, which happens to be right outside of San Jose. According to mapquest, Santa Cruz is 32 miles away from San Jose, and Kansas City is 40 miles away from Lawrence. How those two facts come into play, I haven’t a clue. If I believed in signs and all that, I might read something into it. Instead it just amuses me. Why do I notice these things if I don’t look for signs? Because I always look for patterns. I look for them in peoples behavior, in sports, in cards, in movies and music. Yeah, definitely look for patterns, definitely. And anyway, if these were actual signs, there’s no way to know what the hell they mean. KU will win, or they won’t. I’m pretty sure I have nothing to do with the outcome.
That same year I met the girl that became my first real serious relationship, where was she from? Santa Cruz, which happens to be right outside of San Jose. According to mapquest, Santa Cruz is 32 miles away from San Jose, and Kansas City is 40 miles away from Lawrence. How those two facts come into play, I haven’t a clue. If I believed in signs and all that, I might read something into it. Instead it just amuses me. Why do I notice these things if I don’t look for signs? Because I always look for patterns. I look for them in peoples behavior, in sports, in cards, in movies and music. Yeah, definitely look for patterns, definitely. And anyway, if these were actual signs, there’s no way to know what the hell they mean. KU will win, or they won’t. I’m pretty sure I have nothing to do with the outcome.
March 21, 2007
Rewind, Stop, Play, Fast Forward...
There’s this guy that works in my building that my friend and I have labeled as “tee shirt ponytail guy.” It isn’t the most original of nicknames, but every time we see him around, he has on a tee. Being that this is supposed to be “business casual” it entertains us that he puts the emphasis on casual. Well, today I was walking by a cube, and it’s normal to see iPods or other Mp3 players or even CD’s, yet this desk had something much better. It had a walkman. Like it was 1991 all over again, and on top of that, this walkman was in a leather case. Heaven forbid it get a scratch.
Later I walked by again, and guess whose desk this was? Yep, it was “tee shirt ponytail guy,” now known simply as “walkman.” Seriously, this was over an hour ago and I’m still completely entertained by this. I can’t help but wonder if he spends hours on end making the best mix tapes he can to help pass the time at work. Does he copy songs from CDs to tape, or does he use his dual cassette deck? I used to do that, it was a huge pain in the ass. That’s why we did it for girls, because the time and thought put into it was supposed to impress them.
Or maybe he stops at gas stations and mulls through the $1.99 tape bins, looking for a rare Credence release. Is he more of an Air Supply guy, or REO Speedwagon? Or is it Bob Seager 24/7? You think I’m just coming up with this crap for the blog, but no this is the shit that I actually think about. Ritalin is a helluva drug.
Later I walked by again, and guess whose desk this was? Yep, it was “tee shirt ponytail guy,” now known simply as “walkman.” Seriously, this was over an hour ago and I’m still completely entertained by this. I can’t help but wonder if he spends hours on end making the best mix tapes he can to help pass the time at work. Does he copy songs from CDs to tape, or does he use his dual cassette deck? I used to do that, it was a huge pain in the ass. That’s why we did it for girls, because the time and thought put into it was supposed to impress them.
Or maybe he stops at gas stations and mulls through the $1.99 tape bins, looking for a rare Credence release. Is he more of an Air Supply guy, or REO Speedwagon? Or is it Bob Seager 24/7? You think I’m just coming up with this crap for the blog, but no this is the shit that I actually think about. Ritalin is a helluva drug.
March 20, 2007
I Need to Stop..
Now I have some thoughts on relationships and friendships I gotta get off my chest. Hopefully you have friends and can relate to this. If you don’t well, stop reading and no I won’t be your friend. Anyway, be it that you’re married or single and dating, there comes a time that your friends enter the picture. So is it important that your friends like the one you dating or are married to? I think it is.
Chances are if you’re married, your friends were probably around before so this doesn’t totally apply. If you’re making new friends while married, their opinion of your spouse really doesn’t mean shit. It’s more important that they are liked by the spouse. But when it comes to dating, personally I really do care what my friends think. It’s not so much that I care if they can be friends or not, but if a friend really dislikes someone I’m interested in, I have to take their views into consideration. There must be something they see that I don’t, and it must be pretty serious if they’d actually feel the need to tell me.
Not saying it would guarantee that I end things, but I trust that my friends always have my best interests in mind. Same goes for when I’m the friend, and my friend is seeing someone I dislike. If it’s just something like we don’t get along, that’s not worth mentioning or anything. But if I genuinely dislike the person, get a bad vibe and see them from a perspective my friend can’t, well I feel it’s my duty to tell them. More so with female friends, I think guys are usually more protective of their female friends. If it’s a guy, this might be sexist, but I’m just not as worried about him getting heart broken.
So how far do you take it? Just let them know that you think they’re dating a jackass? Do you tell them exactly why? With women, I think this is a double edged sword. They want you to watch out for them, but then that whole Romeo and Juliet complex comes into play. Tell a girl that she and a guy aren’t good for each other, and she starts feeling that “us against the world” and that it’s more romantic than dating someone who is accepted by friends and family. I’m pretty sure this is one of my sisters’ biggest problems. She always went after complete losers, and I always let her know.
Really, I’m not some sexiest pig who thinks every woman is stupid. Actually, I pretty much think that a man is the root cause of every stupid thing women do. Like the Rome and Juliet complex, all cause a dude wrote a play. Shakespeare knew what he was doing. He wrote that to impress a girl who was being told to stay away from him. Seriously, everything women do that annoy men are done because of how stupid men are.
Society has always made women feel they need to please men, and I can’t say I totally mind. I appreciate how they dress for us and everything else they do, but the dumb shit. Well, that’s not just on them. The majority of women I know, feel or felt that they’re supposed to get married. That getting married increased the level of happiness in their lives. I really believe that women in general, view getting married as a goal they need to accomplish. While men typically feel it’s something their supposed to do, more of a chore.
Anyway, I totally got off subject there. Back to the original thought about friends’ opinions mattering or not. I wouldn’t date someone just because my friends think I should, nor would I break up just for that reason. But I wouldn’t disregard their input right away. For me, the toughest part is knowing when to butt out and let them make, what I consider, a pretty big mistake. If you have real friends that you trust, all they want is what’s best for you. And if they’re willing to put their neck on the line, it’d be silly to ignore them. It’s like ignoring a lifeguard who tells you theirs strong rip tides, or ignoring one of my movie reviews.
See, told you yesterday I had some random shit on my mind. Would have posted all this yesterday, but I had a date with a few naps. Yeah, we’ve been seeing each other for a while. I really think it’s going to work out. Just don’t tell me to stop with the naps, you don’t know them like I do.
Chances are if you’re married, your friends were probably around before so this doesn’t totally apply. If you’re making new friends while married, their opinion of your spouse really doesn’t mean shit. It’s more important that they are liked by the spouse. But when it comes to dating, personally I really do care what my friends think. It’s not so much that I care if they can be friends or not, but if a friend really dislikes someone I’m interested in, I have to take their views into consideration. There must be something they see that I don’t, and it must be pretty serious if they’d actually feel the need to tell me.
Not saying it would guarantee that I end things, but I trust that my friends always have my best interests in mind. Same goes for when I’m the friend, and my friend is seeing someone I dislike. If it’s just something like we don’t get along, that’s not worth mentioning or anything. But if I genuinely dislike the person, get a bad vibe and see them from a perspective my friend can’t, well I feel it’s my duty to tell them. More so with female friends, I think guys are usually more protective of their female friends. If it’s a guy, this might be sexist, but I’m just not as worried about him getting heart broken.
So how far do you take it? Just let them know that you think they’re dating a jackass? Do you tell them exactly why? With women, I think this is a double edged sword. They want you to watch out for them, but then that whole Romeo and Juliet complex comes into play. Tell a girl that she and a guy aren’t good for each other, and she starts feeling that “us against the world” and that it’s more romantic than dating someone who is accepted by friends and family. I’m pretty sure this is one of my sisters’ biggest problems. She always went after complete losers, and I always let her know.
Really, I’m not some sexiest pig who thinks every woman is stupid. Actually, I pretty much think that a man is the root cause of every stupid thing women do. Like the Rome and Juliet complex, all cause a dude wrote a play. Shakespeare knew what he was doing. He wrote that to impress a girl who was being told to stay away from him. Seriously, everything women do that annoy men are done because of how stupid men are.
Society has always made women feel they need to please men, and I can’t say I totally mind. I appreciate how they dress for us and everything else they do, but the dumb shit. Well, that’s not just on them. The majority of women I know, feel or felt that they’re supposed to get married. That getting married increased the level of happiness in their lives. I really believe that women in general, view getting married as a goal they need to accomplish. While men typically feel it’s something their supposed to do, more of a chore.
Anyway, I totally got off subject there. Back to the original thought about friends’ opinions mattering or not. I wouldn’t date someone just because my friends think I should, nor would I break up just for that reason. But I wouldn’t disregard their input right away. For me, the toughest part is knowing when to butt out and let them make, what I consider, a pretty big mistake. If you have real friends that you trust, all they want is what’s best for you. And if they’re willing to put their neck on the line, it’d be silly to ignore them. It’s like ignoring a lifeguard who tells you theirs strong rip tides, or ignoring one of my movie reviews.
See, told you yesterday I had some random shit on my mind. Would have posted all this yesterday, but I had a date with a few naps. Yeah, we’ve been seeing each other for a while. I really think it’s going to work out. Just don’t tell me to stop with the naps, you don’t know them like I do.
Ramblings
With today being March 20th, I would like to re-direct you to an old post that I really believe is a must read. http://hirp-com.blogspot.com/2006/03/march-20th-approaches.html As today is anniversary of the Great JoCo CarJacking of ‘94! Forget that silly St. Patricks Day, this is a day worthy of a parade.
Looks like Terrance Howard might have the same agent as Cuba Gooding Jr. Howard turned in two fantastic, career making performances in Crash and Hustle & Flow and some how agreed to do Pride. Which looks like another Hard Ball or Mighty Ducks, and I haven’t seen either of those. But to go from Oscar nominated movies, to working with Bernie Mac AND Tom Arnold probably isn’t going to help him much. I read that Cuba thought America wanted to see him as the funny guy after Jerry Maguire, and that’s why he did Boat Trip and Rat Race. Truth is, he was never that good of an actor. He pretty much just played himself in Maguire.
And since I’m on Jerry Maguire, I have a bone to pick. Now I enjoyed the movie just like anyone else, engaging characters, memorable lines, a cute kid and very cute Renee Zellwegger. But the fact that this is looked at as a romantic comedy, well that baffles me. Seriously, women got it all wrong with this one. “He had me at hello,” or “you complete me” won every woman over. C’mon! That’s what is wrong with women today. They thought that was romantic, and it was complete bullshit. The only “romantic” aspect of this movie was Rod Tidwells’ relationship with his wife. The whole thing between Cruise and Renee is everything we do wrong in relationships.
You have the woman who is in love with, not the man, but her idea of what he could be. She falls for his smooth words, that talk a big game, but totally allows him to treat her like shit. And you have a guy who knows he has a great girl interested in him, so does what he feels is the “right thing.” There is ZERO romance there. They had nothing in common, except that they didn’t want to be alone. And what’s sad is, it’s true. Women eat that up. Too many times they fall in love with a guy for what they think he can be, not who he actually is. And guys fall for a girl cause they think they should. She’s cute, funny, and smart. What’s not to love?
Truth be told, the only love story in the movie is between Tom and Cuba. I’m pretty sure Tom wanted it that way too. He loves the black man.
Speaking of gay movies, over the weekend I saw 300 with some friends. Fun flick with lots of action, and love how they filmed it. This is saying a lot, because I almost always hate over-done special effects. But they made the effects more of an art, than a replacement for filming on location. So yes, I enjoyed it, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the most homo-erotic movie ever filmed. Well, that I’ve seen anyway. 90% of the movie (yes, that’s fact, I kept track) is done in slow-mo. So you see buff, oddly hairless Greek men, running and fighting at the same speed we’re used to watching CJ Parker sprint into the water. These men continually express their love for each other, and willingness to die for one another.
And the King of the Persia might as well been Liberace. Dude had more jewelry than Mr. T, more piercings than Dennis Rodman (who actually would have been perfect for the role) more makeup than RuPaul, and longer nails than any woman I know. And what was his goal? Oh, just to make another man kneel in front of him. The only way you could get a gayer movie watching experience, would be to watch Brokeback with Tom Cruise while wearing a pink shirt and carrying a man bag. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Looks like Terrance Howard might have the same agent as Cuba Gooding Jr. Howard turned in two fantastic, career making performances in Crash and Hustle & Flow and some how agreed to do Pride. Which looks like another Hard Ball or Mighty Ducks, and I haven’t seen either of those. But to go from Oscar nominated movies, to working with Bernie Mac AND Tom Arnold probably isn’t going to help him much. I read that Cuba thought America wanted to see him as the funny guy after Jerry Maguire, and that’s why he did Boat Trip and Rat Race. Truth is, he was never that good of an actor. He pretty much just played himself in Maguire.
And since I’m on Jerry Maguire, I have a bone to pick. Now I enjoyed the movie just like anyone else, engaging characters, memorable lines, a cute kid and very cute Renee Zellwegger. But the fact that this is looked at as a romantic comedy, well that baffles me. Seriously, women got it all wrong with this one. “He had me at hello,” or “you complete me” won every woman over. C’mon! That’s what is wrong with women today. They thought that was romantic, and it was complete bullshit. The only “romantic” aspect of this movie was Rod Tidwells’ relationship with his wife. The whole thing between Cruise and Renee is everything we do wrong in relationships.
You have the woman who is in love with, not the man, but her idea of what he could be. She falls for his smooth words, that talk a big game, but totally allows him to treat her like shit. And you have a guy who knows he has a great girl interested in him, so does what he feels is the “right thing.” There is ZERO romance there. They had nothing in common, except that they didn’t want to be alone. And what’s sad is, it’s true. Women eat that up. Too many times they fall in love with a guy for what they think he can be, not who he actually is. And guys fall for a girl cause they think they should. She’s cute, funny, and smart. What’s not to love?
Truth be told, the only love story in the movie is between Tom and Cuba. I’m pretty sure Tom wanted it that way too. He loves the black man.
Speaking of gay movies, over the weekend I saw 300 with some friends. Fun flick with lots of action, and love how they filmed it. This is saying a lot, because I almost always hate over-done special effects. But they made the effects more of an art, than a replacement for filming on location. So yes, I enjoyed it, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the most homo-erotic movie ever filmed. Well, that I’ve seen anyway. 90% of the movie (yes, that’s fact, I kept track) is done in slow-mo. So you see buff, oddly hairless Greek men, running and fighting at the same speed we’re used to watching CJ Parker sprint into the water. These men continually express their love for each other, and willingness to die for one another.
And the King of the Persia might as well been Liberace. Dude had more jewelry than Mr. T, more piercings than Dennis Rodman (who actually would have been perfect for the role) more makeup than RuPaul, and longer nails than any woman I know. And what was his goal? Oh, just to make another man kneel in front of him. The only way you could get a gayer movie watching experience, would be to watch Brokeback with Tom Cruise while wearing a pink shirt and carrying a man bag. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
March 19, 2007
Kevin and Cloning
Long weekend, and I have some completely random ideas in my head that I want to cover. First order of business is Kevin Durant. Don’t worry for you non-sport fans, the other topics aren’t sports related.
The kid and his Longhorns were shown an early exit from the NCAA Tournament, so I was wrong about that. The good news is he is saying all the things that make it sound like he is at least still considering returning to Austin next year. He said something along the lines of “trying for a 4.0” “thinks this team has a lot of work to do next season” and “I want to win a National Championship.” Now those aren’t the sound bites of a guy who has already made up his mind to go pro, and you can’t really take everything he says literally, but it’s nice to see that he’s at least considering staying. Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN radio, made the very interesting point that coming to school for one season helps a kid make more money. In Durant’s shoes (Nike, I think) had he gone pro after high school, he would have made a few million in the NBA this season. But now that we know who he is, and most of America loves him, he’ll make so much more in endorsements. Now, they also made the point that coming back for another year won’t benefit him at all. He’s already the #1, maybe #2 pick. He can’t possibly get any better press or a better NBA contract since they have limits on what a rookie can sign for.
But he still sounds like a kid that might come back. And that spells bad news for KU, but great news for college hoops. Kevin, please come back.
***********************
Next order of business, cloning.
This weekend some friends and I got into a very engaging, and fun debate concerning the cloning of pets. And I’ve had some more time to consider my stance on this, and luckily I have this forum to get it out there. Plus if they read it, they have to read it all before responding and I can make sure to get the last word. I like that, sorry, I just do.
My belief is just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we necessarily should. It’s great that we can clone, it’s truly remarkable. But should we? No, I don’t think we should. First, I don’t understand why you’d want to. This one friend said he would clone his dog so he could have a replacement when his current mutt kicks it. Well, I understand that it sucks to lose a pet, but cloning it doesn’t give you your pet back. It gives you one that looks like your old dog. Cloning is very superficial, you don’t get the memories or connection with the cloned animal. You just get one that looks like your old dog.
That’s just one reason I feel it’s a bad thing to do. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, it’s playing God. Funny that the agnostic kid doesn’t so much care for anyone playing God. There is a nature of order, what controls that we can debate, but I think we can all agree that there’s an order to life. You’re born, you do whatever, you die. It sucks, but that’s how it works. Sometimes we fight off death, sometimes for too long. And we create life, but not in a lab. Same goes with animals. Creating life is a crapshoot, much like living. You can do certain things to put yourself in a desireable position, but it’s still a crapshoot. Copying a life just isn’t right. And let me add this, I used to work at Kinkos, I learned this. No matter how great the copier, the paper and the technology, a copy is never the exact same as the original. This is why Kobe Bryant isn’t as good as Michael Jordan, and why Zach Braff will never be Tom Hanks.
The last reason I’m against it is this, the technology scares the shit out of me. I understand a lot of good can come from it. We could possibly grow spare body parts, find a cure for cancer and other diseases. That’s all great, but at what cost? At some point, someone has to draw the line. Do you draw the line at cloning animals and why? Who gets to decide? Chances are it would be politicians, and I don’t exactly trust their track record when it comes to deciding what’s morally right for the rest of us. Really, there’s a lot more money to be made in cloning people rather than preventing it, so I think we know which way they’d decide.
And as for the thought/hope that they could find a cure for cancer or other diseases, well don’t get me wrong. I definitely think we should continue to search and strive for those cures, but I’m not sure it should be done by any means necessary. Look, I know someone who just past away this weekend from cancer, and I mean no disrespect to their family. But people die, it sucks, but it has to happen. The whole idea behind cloning people, or pets, is to keep life going. Well, it isn’t supposed to. How would we know to appreciate anything if we knew there was no end? You know what else? Our times lack originals as it is, the last thing we need is carbon copies of people. Even me, shit, especially another me.
The kid and his Longhorns were shown an early exit from the NCAA Tournament, so I was wrong about that. The good news is he is saying all the things that make it sound like he is at least still considering returning to Austin next year. He said something along the lines of “trying for a 4.0” “thinks this team has a lot of work to do next season” and “I want to win a National Championship.” Now those aren’t the sound bites of a guy who has already made up his mind to go pro, and you can’t really take everything he says literally, but it’s nice to see that he’s at least considering staying. Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN radio, made the very interesting point that coming to school for one season helps a kid make more money. In Durant’s shoes (Nike, I think) had he gone pro after high school, he would have made a few million in the NBA this season. But now that we know who he is, and most of America loves him, he’ll make so much more in endorsements. Now, they also made the point that coming back for another year won’t benefit him at all. He’s already the #1, maybe #2 pick. He can’t possibly get any better press or a better NBA contract since they have limits on what a rookie can sign for.
But he still sounds like a kid that might come back. And that spells bad news for KU, but great news for college hoops. Kevin, please come back.
***********************
Next order of business, cloning.
This weekend some friends and I got into a very engaging, and fun debate concerning the cloning of pets. And I’ve had some more time to consider my stance on this, and luckily I have this forum to get it out there. Plus if they read it, they have to read it all before responding and I can make sure to get the last word. I like that, sorry, I just do.
My belief is just because we can do something, doesn’t mean we necessarily should. It’s great that we can clone, it’s truly remarkable. But should we? No, I don’t think we should. First, I don’t understand why you’d want to. This one friend said he would clone his dog so he could have a replacement when his current mutt kicks it. Well, I understand that it sucks to lose a pet, but cloning it doesn’t give you your pet back. It gives you one that looks like your old dog. Cloning is very superficial, you don’t get the memories or connection with the cloned animal. You just get one that looks like your old dog.
That’s just one reason I feel it’s a bad thing to do. Secondly, and maybe more importantly, it’s playing God. Funny that the agnostic kid doesn’t so much care for anyone playing God. There is a nature of order, what controls that we can debate, but I think we can all agree that there’s an order to life. You’re born, you do whatever, you die. It sucks, but that’s how it works. Sometimes we fight off death, sometimes for too long. And we create life, but not in a lab. Same goes with animals. Creating life is a crapshoot, much like living. You can do certain things to put yourself in a desireable position, but it’s still a crapshoot. Copying a life just isn’t right. And let me add this, I used to work at Kinkos, I learned this. No matter how great the copier, the paper and the technology, a copy is never the exact same as the original. This is why Kobe Bryant isn’t as good as Michael Jordan, and why Zach Braff will never be Tom Hanks.
The last reason I’m against it is this, the technology scares the shit out of me. I understand a lot of good can come from it. We could possibly grow spare body parts, find a cure for cancer and other diseases. That’s all great, but at what cost? At some point, someone has to draw the line. Do you draw the line at cloning animals and why? Who gets to decide? Chances are it would be politicians, and I don’t exactly trust their track record when it comes to deciding what’s morally right for the rest of us. Really, there’s a lot more money to be made in cloning people rather than preventing it, so I think we know which way they’d decide.
And as for the thought/hope that they could find a cure for cancer or other diseases, well don’t get me wrong. I definitely think we should continue to search and strive for those cures, but I’m not sure it should be done by any means necessary. Look, I know someone who just past away this weekend from cancer, and I mean no disrespect to their family. But people die, it sucks, but it has to happen. The whole idea behind cloning people, or pets, is to keep life going. Well, it isn’t supposed to. How would we know to appreciate anything if we knew there was no end? You know what else? Our times lack originals as it is, the last thing we need is carbon copies of people. Even me, shit, especially another me.
March 15, 2007
Hirpisms
In an attempt to remain an informed member of society, I like to watch shows other than sitcoms and dramas. Last night I caught a few minutes of Glen Beck and a few minutes of Larry King, both shows were talking about the monsters that molest children. Seems there’s a new proposed law to give all convicted sexual predators different color license plates to help identify them.
Well, I applaud the fact that lawmakers are thinking out of the box, but this is just dumb. These guys often claim victim after victim for years without getting caught, they aren’t stupid criminals who are sticking up 7 Eleven with a highlighter in their coat pocket. I’m pretty sure they can get around having a green license plate. This wouldn’t keep them from committing more crimes, if anything it would just end with them being victims.
Tell me, if you’re going down the highway and you come up behind a car with green plates, and you know it’s some child molester behind the wheel, can’t you see yourself wanting to run them off the road? Now maybe that should happen, maybe they deserve that. But then why have a legal system? (Although our fine President has given us more reasons of late to ask that question)
I tell ya, I used to be adamantly against capital punishment. So I don’t know if I’m just fed up, or if it has something to do with getting older and even more cynical, but after hearing the details recently about the piece of shit that molested a little girl and then buried her alive, well my first reaction was kill him. Before I always felt that hey, if someone commits a crime against your family, and you feel they should die for it. Then do it yourself, and face the consequences. That story changed my thinking. That guy should be buried alive with a rusty knife jammed down his pee hole.
*********************
Anyone else find it mighty odd that the 9/11 mastermind just decided to confess to the Government how he had planned 31 attacks, on the heels of two pretty big White House scandals? What, we’re supposed to believe he just felt like opening up? Interesting timing, that’s all I’m saying. Not that it could be part of a “vast Right-Wing conspiracy” or anything.
*********************
And since today kicks off March Madness, let it be known. I picked the Hawks. Three weeks ago I thought it would be Carolina, but I got the Hawks now. Rock Chalk!
Well, I applaud the fact that lawmakers are thinking out of the box, but this is just dumb. These guys often claim victim after victim for years without getting caught, they aren’t stupid criminals who are sticking up 7 Eleven with a highlighter in their coat pocket. I’m pretty sure they can get around having a green license plate. This wouldn’t keep them from committing more crimes, if anything it would just end with them being victims.
Tell me, if you’re going down the highway and you come up behind a car with green plates, and you know it’s some child molester behind the wheel, can’t you see yourself wanting to run them off the road? Now maybe that should happen, maybe they deserve that. But then why have a legal system? (Although our fine President has given us more reasons of late to ask that question)
I tell ya, I used to be adamantly against capital punishment. So I don’t know if I’m just fed up, or if it has something to do with getting older and even more cynical, but after hearing the details recently about the piece of shit that molested a little girl and then buried her alive, well my first reaction was kill him. Before I always felt that hey, if someone commits a crime against your family, and you feel they should die for it. Then do it yourself, and face the consequences. That story changed my thinking. That guy should be buried alive with a rusty knife jammed down his pee hole.
*********************
Anyone else find it mighty odd that the 9/11 mastermind just decided to confess to the Government how he had planned 31 attacks, on the heels of two pretty big White House scandals? What, we’re supposed to believe he just felt like opening up? Interesting timing, that’s all I’m saying. Not that it could be part of a “vast Right-Wing conspiracy” or anything.
*********************
And since today kicks off March Madness, let it be known. I picked the Hawks. Three weeks ago I thought it would be Carolina, but I got the Hawks now. Rock Chalk!
March 14, 2007
Idiotisms
Back a few months ago I talked a little about some phrases/idioms that bugged me, http://hirp-com.blogspot.com/2006/09/another-post-about-vegas.html and I have some more to add to the list.
They are all pretty common, but as part of my research I went to GoEnglish.com just to make sure I worded them correctly. Plus it was a lot easier than racking my brain trying to think of as many as possible.
When it rains, it pours- That’s not even true. Sometimes it’s a light mist, sometime’s it’s a drizzle.
Can’t cut the mustard- What? Did someone try and cut mustard? Let’s say someone did, should we really be using phrases they coined? Not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box.
Beating a dead horse- I guess it’s better to beat a live one? Really, if you’re talking to a big enough piece of shit that you think they beat animals, isn’t it better that they beat one that’s already dead? I know, it really means not to keep talking about an issue when it’s clearly not going anywhere. But I believed in that, I wouldn’t have a blog.
Crying over spilled milk- Is there a beverage that I can cry over it being spilled? Why single out milk? It does a body good, you know.
Get up on the wrong side of the bed- Well then damnit, they need to label the bed. And whoever gets stuck sleeping on the wrong side is just screwed.
All Greek to me- I just wonder what they say in Greece.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush- What?? How did hillbillies get so much input in our vernacular?
And there’s obviously a serious foot/leg theme in these, someone has a fetish: head over heels, best foot forward, on your last leg, finding your feet, off on the wrong foot, pulling your leg, foot in mouth, shake a leg, brake a leg, leg up. Kinda weird.
Here’s one that’s kind of popular among sport fans, “so and so couldn’t carry other dudes jock.” Why would they want to? What would that prove, and do I really need to know if they can? There are some serious homosexual undertones in sports. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
They are all pretty common, but as part of my research I went to GoEnglish.com just to make sure I worded them correctly. Plus it was a lot easier than racking my brain trying to think of as many as possible.
When it rains, it pours- That’s not even true. Sometimes it’s a light mist, sometime’s it’s a drizzle.
Can’t cut the mustard- What? Did someone try and cut mustard? Let’s say someone did, should we really be using phrases they coined? Not exactly the sharpest crayon in the box.
Beating a dead horse- I guess it’s better to beat a live one? Really, if you’re talking to a big enough piece of shit that you think they beat animals, isn’t it better that they beat one that’s already dead? I know, it really means not to keep talking about an issue when it’s clearly not going anywhere. But I believed in that, I wouldn’t have a blog.
Crying over spilled milk- Is there a beverage that I can cry over it being spilled? Why single out milk? It does a body good, you know.
Get up on the wrong side of the bed- Well then damnit, they need to label the bed. And whoever gets stuck sleeping on the wrong side is just screwed.
All Greek to me- I just wonder what they say in Greece.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush- What?? How did hillbillies get so much input in our vernacular?
And there’s obviously a serious foot/leg theme in these, someone has a fetish: head over heels, best foot forward, on your last leg, finding your feet, off on the wrong foot, pulling your leg, foot in mouth, shake a leg, brake a leg, leg up. Kinda weird.
Here’s one that’s kind of popular among sport fans, “so and so couldn’t carry other dudes jock.” Why would they want to? What would that prove, and do I really need to know if they can? There are some serious homosexual undertones in sports. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Press Skip
Video didn’t kill the radio star, and neither did illegal downloads. What did it? The CD. No, I mean it. Well, it wasn’t really the CD as much as it was the skip button. Once every listener had the power to bounce around an album from the comfort of their couch with that remote, the artist was fighting an uphill battle. Sure you could fast forward a cassette, but you always went just a little to far and ended up a few seconds into the song. Then tried to rewind it back to the beginning, and you went too far. And before that, you had to get up and walk over to the turntable, lift the needle and place it at the start of your song.
Musicians, and more so record companies, were screwed once the CD player was in every house, car and backpack in America. Singles were always important, going back to when 45s came out,. The market wasn’t saturated as it was in the early 90’s, but there wasn’t someone new release that was hyped by a label coming out every other Tuesday. MTV changed things, a video could make or break someone. If you had a good song and video, you could move units. But once someone had the CD, all that mattered were the singles. The songs they know is what the average listener cares about, and with a CD they could skip from familiar song to familiar song.
And that’s what killed the album and screwed up music. Fans learned the popular songs, but didn’t spend as much time listening to the rest of the CD. It used to be, at least this is how I picture it, that someone bought an album because a single sucked them in. Then they listened to the rest of it, and that’s where they found the songs they could relate too more personally. Today, I’d say 9 out of 10 times my favorite song on a CD wasn’t released as a single. But after everyone became so used to just playing their favorite songs thanks to that handy skip button, it was only natural to download one or two songs.
But shit, I’m even boring myself with this now. It all sounded so much better in my head, but I’ve written too much to just scrap it. So you’ll suffer through reading it, sorry. Basically, it's like this: CD's have done to music what blogs have done to reading. It's real easy to move on to something else now. As you may have already done.
Musicians, and more so record companies, were screwed once the CD player was in every house, car and backpack in America. Singles were always important, going back to when 45s came out,. The market wasn’t saturated as it was in the early 90’s, but there wasn’t someone new release that was hyped by a label coming out every other Tuesday. MTV changed things, a video could make or break someone. If you had a good song and video, you could move units. But once someone had the CD, all that mattered were the singles. The songs they know is what the average listener cares about, and with a CD they could skip from familiar song to familiar song.
And that’s what killed the album and screwed up music. Fans learned the popular songs, but didn’t spend as much time listening to the rest of the CD. It used to be, at least this is how I picture it, that someone bought an album because a single sucked them in. Then they listened to the rest of it, and that’s where they found the songs they could relate too more personally. Today, I’d say 9 out of 10 times my favorite song on a CD wasn’t released as a single. But after everyone became so used to just playing their favorite songs thanks to that handy skip button, it was only natural to download one or two songs.
But shit, I’m even boring myself with this now. It all sounded so much better in my head, but I’ve written too much to just scrap it. So you’ll suffer through reading it, sorry. Basically, it's like this: CD's have done to music what blogs have done to reading. It's real easy to move on to something else now. As you may have already done.
March 13, 2007
Hirpisms
• Maybe you heard that John Popper, of Blues Traveler, was arrested. He was caught going 111mph, and in the car he had weed, four rifles, nine handguns, a Taser and night vision goggles in his car. I’m thinking maybe marijuana contributed slightly to him having such an arsenal. Call me crazy, but I think he might be a tad bid paranoid to be driving around with all that. I love that he had night vision goggles in the car. Does he think he’s a Navy SEAL?
• So Stallone got caught with steroids. Gee, who woulda thunked it? I don’t know about you, but I sure didn’t see that coming AT ALL. Next we’re going to find out that Britney has fake boobs or the Pussycat Dolls lip-sync. I’m willing to bet that there are more actors taking steroids than there are actresses with implants. Gotta check with my bookie and see if he’ll take that action.
• A sorority was kicked off of the campus of Depauw for, get this, accusations that only attractive and popular students were asked to remain after they punted two dozen members. Um, attractive and popular students, in a sorority? No freakin’ way! I know I wasn’t in school long, but it sounds like times sure have changed. C’mon! This is just dumb. Girls want to be in the most popular sororities with the reputation for having the best looking girls. So it was okay if they passed on ugly girls to start off with, but it’s wrong now that they upped their standards?
• So Stallone got caught with steroids. Gee, who woulda thunked it? I don’t know about you, but I sure didn’t see that coming AT ALL. Next we’re going to find out that Britney has fake boobs or the Pussycat Dolls lip-sync. I’m willing to bet that there are more actors taking steroids than there are actresses with implants. Gotta check with my bookie and see if he’ll take that action.
• A sorority was kicked off of the campus of Depauw for, get this, accusations that only attractive and popular students were asked to remain after they punted two dozen members. Um, attractive and popular students, in a sorority? No freakin’ way! I know I wasn’t in school long, but it sounds like times sure have changed. C’mon! This is just dumb. Girls want to be in the most popular sororities with the reputation for having the best looking girls. So it was okay if they passed on ugly girls to start off with, but it’s wrong now that they upped their standards?
March 12, 2007
Raised the Bar..Now Clear It
Yesterday I watched KU-Texas II, couldn’t have had asked for a better game. Seriously, the fact that it was their second meeting in just over a week only made it better. The way the Hawks won, gives me a ton of confidence going into the NCAA tourney. I see no reason why we shouldn’t win the whole damn thing. Actually, looking at the brackets I do see one. And it’s Texas. I’ve told some friends for a while now that I thought the Longhorns were Final Four bound. It’s the exact type of team than can run the table. And KU fans know this. How? We lost to a similar team in Syracuse a few years ago.
Take one dominating player, with a very good point guard and the right role players, and you have the ingredients for a title run. I really don’t want to see them a third time, and that’s odd because I’ve loved both games. I just don’t see how we can beat them three times in a row. Seriously, I hope Durant stays just so we can keep watching him. Missouri and Kansas State like to pretend we’re rivals, and we have some memorable games with them. But Texas, with Durant, really puts us to the test. We won two great games, and we HAD to play great. The close games with KSU or MU are as much a byproduct of them stepping up cause beating us means so much, and Kansas not playing great. These games were much closer to being Duke-Carolina-esque.
Back to KU, I LOVE that Brandon Rush publicly said he wanted to guard Durant. He gives up a good 4” and did a fantastic job when he guarded him. We got clutch shots from no less than four players. And even though Durant dropped 37 on us, we actually did a great job against him. Which means he’s good. Really fucking good. Anything short of the Final Four is a huge disappointment, I expect a title now.
Take one dominating player, with a very good point guard and the right role players, and you have the ingredients for a title run. I really don’t want to see them a third time, and that’s odd because I’ve loved both games. I just don’t see how we can beat them three times in a row. Seriously, I hope Durant stays just so we can keep watching him. Missouri and Kansas State like to pretend we’re rivals, and we have some memorable games with them. But Texas, with Durant, really puts us to the test. We won two great games, and we HAD to play great. The close games with KSU or MU are as much a byproduct of them stepping up cause beating us means so much, and Kansas not playing great. These games were much closer to being Duke-Carolina-esque.
Back to KU, I LOVE that Brandon Rush publicly said he wanted to guard Durant. He gives up a good 4” and did a fantastic job when he guarded him. We got clutch shots from no less than four players. And even though Durant dropped 37 on us, we actually did a great job against him. Which means he’s good. Really fucking good. Anything short of the Final Four is a huge disappointment, I expect a title now.
Regrets
This weekend I was having a conversation with a friend about regret, and they had this clever philosophy that gave me ammo for a post. It goes, “you shouldn’t regret anything, because at some point that is exactly what you wanted.”
Well, I call bullshit on that. You should absolutely have regrets. Trying to ignore it or give your self some pass on regret is just an attempt at to excuse what you did. Just like any other emotion, you should experience it fully. It’s not that regret should rule your life or haunt you forever, but if you don’t regret anything, then the fear of regret is also gone. It’s a license to do whatever you please without consequences.
Regret and fear is what separates us from socio-paths. Personally, I regret more things that I did not do rather than things I have done. Mainly because I know before I do something what the chances are that I might regret it. The phrase itself reminds me of another, “careful what you ask for cause you just might get it.” There have been many things I wanted to do, but because I knew in the long run, I chose not to. According to this, it doesn’t matter if it was wrong, it’s what I wanted at some point.
Just because you wanted something, and were able to obtain it, doesn’t mean it was the right choice. Instant gratification is usually what you want just for that instant, that’s kind of why they call it instant gratification. Now there is a definite difference between regretting something and just doing something and learning from the experience. Go out with a girl you meet at the methadone clinic, that’s something you’re more likely to regret. Going out with a girl who has a Nascar bumper sticker..wait, sorry, no that’s a regret too. But going out with a girl and you catch her cheating on to you is more an experience you should learn from.
Driving drunk is something you should regret, getting caught should be the learning experience. Going to K-State is something you should regret, picking them to win something should be the learning experience. Chasing a one out flush to the river is a learning experience, emptying your bank account to fund a trip to Vegas is something you should regret. Or the best decision you ever made, that’s kind of a slippery slope.
Regret should be felt just as you should feel anger, jealously, sadness, happiness, or any other emotion Dr. Phil or your wife wants to talk about. And this “no regret” philosophy seems pretty popular, and I think that’s un-forgivable. I’m not ashamed of the things I regret. Mostly, I regret not finishing school. Aside from that, there isn’t much. But that’s because I effin' hate regret.
"You used to hold me, told me that I was the best
Anything in this world I want I could posess
All that made me want is all that I could get
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets..."
-Jay Z “Regrets”
Well, I call bullshit on that. You should absolutely have regrets. Trying to ignore it or give your self some pass on regret is just an attempt at to excuse what you did. Just like any other emotion, you should experience it fully. It’s not that regret should rule your life or haunt you forever, but if you don’t regret anything, then the fear of regret is also gone. It’s a license to do whatever you please without consequences.
Regret and fear is what separates us from socio-paths. Personally, I regret more things that I did not do rather than things I have done. Mainly because I know before I do something what the chances are that I might regret it. The phrase itself reminds me of another, “careful what you ask for cause you just might get it.” There have been many things I wanted to do, but because I knew in the long run, I chose not to. According to this, it doesn’t matter if it was wrong, it’s what I wanted at some point.
Just because you wanted something, and were able to obtain it, doesn’t mean it was the right choice. Instant gratification is usually what you want just for that instant, that’s kind of why they call it instant gratification. Now there is a definite difference between regretting something and just doing something and learning from the experience. Go out with a girl you meet at the methadone clinic, that’s something you’re more likely to regret. Going out with a girl who has a Nascar bumper sticker..wait, sorry, no that’s a regret too. But going out with a girl and you catch her cheating on to you is more an experience you should learn from.
Driving drunk is something you should regret, getting caught should be the learning experience. Going to K-State is something you should regret, picking them to win something should be the learning experience. Chasing a one out flush to the river is a learning experience, emptying your bank account to fund a trip to Vegas is something you should regret. Or the best decision you ever made, that’s kind of a slippery slope.
Regret should be felt just as you should feel anger, jealously, sadness, happiness, or any other emotion Dr. Phil or your wife wants to talk about. And this “no regret” philosophy seems pretty popular, and I think that’s un-forgivable. I’m not ashamed of the things I regret. Mostly, I regret not finishing school. Aside from that, there isn’t much. But that’s because I effin' hate regret.
"You used to hold me, told me that I was the best
Anything in this world I want I could posess
All that made me want is all that I could get
In order to survive, gotta learn to live with regrets..."
-Jay Z “Regrets”
March 09, 2007
No Clever Title
Last night Porqchop and I ventured out to Olathe to see Black Snake Moan, and today I can say our record is intact. Every movie we’ve seen together has been good, some even great. An actual review is still brewing, so you’ll have to come back later for that. This here post (wow, after Departed I wanted to talk with a Boston accent and now I want to sound as if I’m from the south) has more to do with choices actors make. Bad choices to be specific. Everyone’s favorite badass mother fucker, Samuel Jackson, was fantastic again. Jackson just needs some help picking roles, maybe more than any other actor in Hollywood. He’s one of those guys who can’t seem to turn down offers. How else can you explain, The Man, xXx, Swat, Formula 51 or Deep Blue Sea.
So let’s cover the talented actors we all like, who just can’t seem to find an Ari Gold to help them out. And I won’t be moved on these:
Kevin Spacey: American Beauty, Seven, Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, K-Pax and Pay it Forward. Ouch, two huge mistakes. To his credit though, he’s actually been spending his time working in theatre.
Robert De Niro: I hate saying it, up till 2000 he looked like the greatest of all-time and never picked the wrong role. Then came Rocky and Bullwinkle, suddenly there was 15 Minutes, Showtime, Analyze That and Meet The Fockers. Please get back on track. It’s like watching Jordan on the Wizards.
Al Pacino: Perhaps he and De Niro made a pact, come turn of the Century, they thought it’d be fun to just whore themselves out. This was Michael Corleone, he never should have considered Any Given Sunday, S1m0ne, and he should never be forgiven for Gigli. Hopefully Oceans 13 can turn it around.
Denzel Washington: One of my favorite actors, but the dude takes so many similar roles that it’s hard to keep them in order. John Q, Remember the Titans, Out of Time, Manchurian Candidate and Déjà vu are all the same guy.
Ben Stiller: The rest of the “Frat Pack” has been golden, he did Envy, Duplex, The Fockers and watched Steve Carell take his career away from him.
But if I had to give out one award, it would go to Nic Cage. He’s made an art of picking horrible roles and movies to be a part of. Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Lord of War, World Trade Center and Matchstick Men are some pretty respectable highs. Agreeing to do Ghost Rider, Wicker Man, Windtalkers, Family Man, Gone in 60 Seconds, City of Angels, Con Air and his other Jerry Bruckheimer movies make me think this guy can’t say no.
So let’s cover the talented actors we all like, who just can’t seem to find an Ari Gold to help them out. And I won’t be moved on these:
Kevin Spacey: American Beauty, Seven, Usual Suspects, L.A. Confidential, K-Pax and Pay it Forward. Ouch, two huge mistakes. To his credit though, he’s actually been spending his time working in theatre.
Robert De Niro: I hate saying it, up till 2000 he looked like the greatest of all-time and never picked the wrong role. Then came Rocky and Bullwinkle, suddenly there was 15 Minutes, Showtime, Analyze That and Meet The Fockers. Please get back on track. It’s like watching Jordan on the Wizards.
Al Pacino: Perhaps he and De Niro made a pact, come turn of the Century, they thought it’d be fun to just whore themselves out. This was Michael Corleone, he never should have considered Any Given Sunday, S1m0ne, and he should never be forgiven for Gigli. Hopefully Oceans 13 can turn it around.
Denzel Washington: One of my favorite actors, but the dude takes so many similar roles that it’s hard to keep them in order. John Q, Remember the Titans, Out of Time, Manchurian Candidate and Déjà vu are all the same guy.
Ben Stiller: The rest of the “Frat Pack” has been golden, he did Envy, Duplex, The Fockers and watched Steve Carell take his career away from him.
But if I had to give out one award, it would go to Nic Cage. He’s made an art of picking horrible roles and movies to be a part of. Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas, Lord of War, World Trade Center and Matchstick Men are some pretty respectable highs. Agreeing to do Ghost Rider, Wicker Man, Windtalkers, Family Man, Gone in 60 Seconds, City of Angels, Con Air and his other Jerry Bruckheimer movies make me think this guy can’t say no.
March 08, 2007
Hirp Hop
Recently I had my “whiteness” brought to my attention. It was during a recent round of E-mail trash talk, where someone dropped the word “sup.” Wasn’t even me that said it, but next thing I know, I’m reading that such ebonix are expected from me and that my generation is desperately and sadly trying to identify with hip hop.
Well, big shocker here, but I happen to have some thoughts on that. It helps that just this week I was talking about watching “Bastards of the Party” and how throughout high school and even today I took an interest in gangs. In the past year plus that I’ve had this site I’ve talked a bit about hip hop as well. So maybe this mailer isn’t alone with his opinion.
So let me explain something. Yes, I’ve been into hip hop for a long time now. And back in high school, it was pretty much all I listened too. Yes, my jeans sagged a little then. No, I didn’t wear my hat backwards or crooked. I didn’t speak in ebonix, although some slang did come out. Some of my friends were black, and I’m pretty sure they still are. Some lived in less neighborhoods that were, um, less affluent than mine. It wasn’t a conscious decision to go out and be-friend them. I wasn’t the rich kid from the ‘burbs who thought, hey, I need some homies.
This was the early to mid 90’s. I liked well, the music for starters. The beats, and the lyrics. It was also the attitude and the bravado. Being pissed and challenging authority made more sense to me then whining about my life while wearing a flannel and not showering.
Hip hop in the early to mid 90’s wasn’t like it is today. It wasn’t all gangster raps and talk about Versace and diamonds. Sure, there were “gangsta” rappers like Tupac, Snoop and NWA. But the message then wasn’t the same as it is today. And there were more conscious rappers and groups. Boogie Down Productions, Ice Cube, Nas, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Public Enemy meant more to me than Nirvana or Soundgarden. There was Ed OG and The Bulldogs, who released a song “Be a Father to Your Child” right around the time my first niece was born, and I had questions concerning her father. Sorry, the smell of Teen Spirit didn’t reach me.
My generation wasn’t the first to be attracted to “urban” or “black” music. What was Elvis doing listening to blues? What were all those white kids doing at Woodstock listening to Hendricks? Today hip hop has pretty much taken over the world. It’s everywhere. It’s in commercials, every day fashion, movies, even in the color of GM automobiles thanks to Jay-Z Blue.
As for my own “whiteness” well, yes my skin color is white. I’m fine with that, but like hip hop itself, I can cross over. I’ve received my ghetto pass from multiple sources. I’m good to go anywhere, be it in Kansas City all the way to Nairobi. I can have a conversation about lyrics with the biggest hip hop heads you can find, or I can discuss what makes Billy Joel so great. My iPod can go from John Mayer and follow it up with Kanye West, to Sinatra and then Tupac and it’s all me being me. That’s the textbook definition of keeping it real. Recognize bitches.
Well, big shocker here, but I happen to have some thoughts on that. It helps that just this week I was talking about watching “Bastards of the Party” and how throughout high school and even today I took an interest in gangs. In the past year plus that I’ve had this site I’ve talked a bit about hip hop as well. So maybe this mailer isn’t alone with his opinion.
So let me explain something. Yes, I’ve been into hip hop for a long time now. And back in high school, it was pretty much all I listened too. Yes, my jeans sagged a little then. No, I didn’t wear my hat backwards or crooked. I didn’t speak in ebonix, although some slang did come out. Some of my friends were black, and I’m pretty sure they still are. Some lived in less neighborhoods that were, um, less affluent than mine. It wasn’t a conscious decision to go out and be-friend them. I wasn’t the rich kid from the ‘burbs who thought, hey, I need some homies.
This was the early to mid 90’s. I liked well, the music for starters. The beats, and the lyrics. It was also the attitude and the bravado. Being pissed and challenging authority made more sense to me then whining about my life while wearing a flannel and not showering.
Hip hop in the early to mid 90’s wasn’t like it is today. It wasn’t all gangster raps and talk about Versace and diamonds. Sure, there were “gangsta” rappers like Tupac, Snoop and NWA. But the message then wasn’t the same as it is today. And there were more conscious rappers and groups. Boogie Down Productions, Ice Cube, Nas, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Public Enemy meant more to me than Nirvana or Soundgarden. There was Ed OG and The Bulldogs, who released a song “Be a Father to Your Child” right around the time my first niece was born, and I had questions concerning her father. Sorry, the smell of Teen Spirit didn’t reach me.
My generation wasn’t the first to be attracted to “urban” or “black” music. What was Elvis doing listening to blues? What were all those white kids doing at Woodstock listening to Hendricks? Today hip hop has pretty much taken over the world. It’s everywhere. It’s in commercials, every day fashion, movies, even in the color of GM automobiles thanks to Jay-Z Blue.
As for my own “whiteness” well, yes my skin color is white. I’m fine with that, but like hip hop itself, I can cross over. I’ve received my ghetto pass from multiple sources. I’m good to go anywhere, be it in Kansas City all the way to Nairobi. I can have a conversation about lyrics with the biggest hip hop heads you can find, or I can discuss what makes Billy Joel so great. My iPod can go from John Mayer and follow it up with Kanye West, to Sinatra and then Tupac and it’s all me being me. That’s the textbook definition of keeping it real. Recognize bitches.
March 07, 2007
Family Affair
So my uncle, he went to Ohio State. A cousin of mine, well he’s UCLA alumni. Now, look at the most recent college basketball Top 25 poll, it’s Ohio State, KU, and UCLA as 1,2,3. What does this mean? It means March Madness started early for the Hirp family. The emails have already started.
See, the cousin that’s UCLA alum, well he was born and raised in Michigan and is a lifelong Michigan fan. Where as his older brother is loyal to their father, and cheers for Ohio State. So come football season the three of them meet up, with an uncle from their mother’s side, in either Ann Arbor or Columbus for the annual game in that great rivalry. They get to swap heated emails, talking all sorts of shit. And I’ve been a bit envious of that, and with this I’m knee deep in the middle of it. It’s fantastic. As many of you know, I tend to enjoy talking trash via emails, and this situation is no exception.
And the tourney doesn’t even start till next weekend. Best case scenario, KU beats either Ohio State or UCLA in the Final Four, and then beats the other in the Finals. Worst case, all three schools get knocked out early. Good thing I’m not a betting man.
See, the cousin that’s UCLA alum, well he was born and raised in Michigan and is a lifelong Michigan fan. Where as his older brother is loyal to their father, and cheers for Ohio State. So come football season the three of them meet up, with an uncle from their mother’s side, in either Ann Arbor or Columbus for the annual game in that great rivalry. They get to swap heated emails, talking all sorts of shit. And I’ve been a bit envious of that, and with this I’m knee deep in the middle of it. It’s fantastic. As many of you know, I tend to enjoy talking trash via emails, and this situation is no exception.
And the tourney doesn’t even start till next weekend. Best case scenario, KU beats either Ohio State or UCLA in the Final Four, and then beats the other in the Finals. Worst case, all three schools get knocked out early. Good thing I’m not a betting man.
March 06, 2007
Torture
There may not be a torture worse than waking up before your alarm goes off, well not counting torture that includes harm to your testicles. I think I’d rather have my finger nails ripped off. Actually, this is what I thought when I woke up. I’m already thinking about changing my mind on this. I forgot my iPod today, and I’ve been working for maybe 15 minutes. It’s going to be a long day. Maybe I should stop posting anything regarding religion or God? Stupid karma, I hate you.
So I’m going to make another list, it’s been a while since I went High Fidelity on here. Those little almost common events that happen in life that feel like straight up torture:
• Waking up before the alarm, you’re stuck between trying to fall back asleep for another five minutes or watching the clock tick town till you hear that awful noise.
• A fogotten iPod, cell phone, wallet or keys.
• Long red lights, never hit them when you aren’t in a rush and if you look around no one else seems to mind the extended delay.
• Missed calls from when your phone never rang, made even worse when you don’t get the voicemail notification for another hour or so.
• A TV show ending cut off by DVR, most likely you’re just missing “scenes from next week” but, I still like seeing that. And if I’m going to skip watching it, I prefer it be my choice.
• When the coverage of game you want to watch on ESPN is delayed because the previous game went into overtime.
• The person in a meeting or a class, who has to ask a million questions and keeps everyone late. Typically it’s already been covered, and it doesn’t really matter because no one else is even paying attention. Everyone is looking at their watches, trying to get organized so they can do the quick pack up and leave move. And the questions never seem to stop.
So I’m going to make another list, it’s been a while since I went High Fidelity on here. Those little almost common events that happen in life that feel like straight up torture:
• Waking up before the alarm, you’re stuck between trying to fall back asleep for another five minutes or watching the clock tick town till you hear that awful noise.
• A fogotten iPod, cell phone, wallet or keys.
• Long red lights, never hit them when you aren’t in a rush and if you look around no one else seems to mind the extended delay.
• Missed calls from when your phone never rang, made even worse when you don’t get the voicemail notification for another hour or so.
• A TV show ending cut off by DVR, most likely you’re just missing “scenes from next week” but, I still like seeing that. And if I’m going to skip watching it, I prefer it be my choice.
• When the coverage of game you want to watch on ESPN is delayed because the previous game went into overtime.
• The person in a meeting or a class, who has to ask a million questions and keeps everyone late. Typically it’s already been covered, and it doesn’t really matter because no one else is even paying attention. Everyone is looking at their watches, trying to get organized so they can do the quick pack up and leave move. And the questions never seem to stop.
March 05, 2007
Hirpisms
Remember when I said that the Geico Gecco should get it’s on movie back in January? Well, if you don’t here’s the proof: http://hirp-com.blogspot.com/2007/01/next-big-star.html. Turns out, their Caveman characters are actually going to be filming a pilot for ABC. Should be interesting, but I swear to God they are taking the wrong character. http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=253853>1=7703.
*****************************
Over the weekend I watched an HBO special, “Bastards of the Party,” an interesting documentary about the history of gangs in LA. Directed and featuring Cle “Bones” Sloan, who you saw in Training Day as the leader of the Bloods in the project where Denzel Washington character had an apartment. Basically, he was playing an earlier version of himself. Now he’s still a member of the Bloods, but working to change gangs from the inside. Seriously, the man is a hero. And the film is chilling and worth watching.
In high school, and to some extent today, I was almost as fascinated with gangs as I am with the Mafia. I’m telling you, you didn’t want to mess with this badass Hebrew in JoCo.
*****************************
Watched the KU-Texas game over the weekend, and Kevin Durant shouldn’t be legal. He's the best freshman I’ve ever seen. Better than Shaq, Webber, Carmelo, Kenny Anderson or Chris Jackson. He’s the most dominating college player we’ve seen since Shaq. He can score from anywhere, block shots, rebound and he has plenty of room to get stronger. For KU sake I hope he turns pro, but I’d love to see him stay.
I miss the days when guys stayed in school for four years, and not just because I wish I had. There was a time, I admit, that I kind of cheered for some guys to turn pro early so that we could see what kind of careers they would have. But think, if LeBron James had gone to Ohio State, right now we’d see the Buckeyes with a senior in LeBron and a freshman in Greg Oden. And Texas, which is in Austin, have I mentioned how much I like Austin? Oh, well Texas would have LaMarcus Aldridge, D.J Augustin and Kevin Durant on the same team. And back in the late 90’s, we could have seen a Duke team with Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Shane Battier and some guy named Kobe. And maybe Kobe would have had a nice little rivalry with Vince Carter for two years. That just may have been a pretty good team. Have I mentioned how much I love the “what if” game? Big fan, BIG fan.
Now I also need to mention that I think this would have improved the NBA by leaps and bounds. Players would have more discipline, discipline that they can’t get when you give a 19 year old a few million bucks and no one to keep them in line off the court. Fans would have had more time to get to know players. We’d see rivals grow, as we did with Bird-Magic. And that’s probably not the best example, since Magic went pro early too. Yet most importantly, these guys might have worked on some fundamentals a little more. Perhaps we’d see more players that can actually make a free throw or an open jump shot in the NBA.
*****************************
Over the weekend I watched an HBO special, “Bastards of the Party,” an interesting documentary about the history of gangs in LA. Directed and featuring Cle “Bones” Sloan, who you saw in Training Day as the leader of the Bloods in the project where Denzel Washington character had an apartment. Basically, he was playing an earlier version of himself. Now he’s still a member of the Bloods, but working to change gangs from the inside. Seriously, the man is a hero. And the film is chilling and worth watching.
In high school, and to some extent today, I was almost as fascinated with gangs as I am with the Mafia. I’m telling you, you didn’t want to mess with this badass Hebrew in JoCo.
*****************************
Watched the KU-Texas game over the weekend, and Kevin Durant shouldn’t be legal. He's the best freshman I’ve ever seen. Better than Shaq, Webber, Carmelo, Kenny Anderson or Chris Jackson. He’s the most dominating college player we’ve seen since Shaq. He can score from anywhere, block shots, rebound and he has plenty of room to get stronger. For KU sake I hope he turns pro, but I’d love to see him stay.
I miss the days when guys stayed in school for four years, and not just because I wish I had. There was a time, I admit, that I kind of cheered for some guys to turn pro early so that we could see what kind of careers they would have. But think, if LeBron James had gone to Ohio State, right now we’d see the Buckeyes with a senior in LeBron and a freshman in Greg Oden. And Texas, which is in Austin, have I mentioned how much I like Austin? Oh, well Texas would have LaMarcus Aldridge, D.J Augustin and Kevin Durant on the same team. And back in the late 90’s, we could have seen a Duke team with Elton Brand, Trajan Langdon, Shane Battier and some guy named Kobe. And maybe Kobe would have had a nice little rivalry with Vince Carter for two years. That just may have been a pretty good team. Have I mentioned how much I love the “what if” game? Big fan, BIG fan.
Now I also need to mention that I think this would have improved the NBA by leaps and bounds. Players would have more discipline, discipline that they can’t get when you give a 19 year old a few million bucks and no one to keep them in line off the court. Fans would have had more time to get to know players. We’d see rivals grow, as we did with Bird-Magic. And that’s probably not the best example, since Magic went pro early too. Yet most importantly, these guys might have worked on some fundamentals a little more. Perhaps we’d see more players that can actually make a free throw or an open jump shot in the NBA.
March 02, 2007
Hooray for Hirpywood
It almost seems like Hollywood has made a conscience decision, which by itself proves two previous theories. One, Hollywood has a conscience and two, the intelligence to make decisions. But lately, I’m seeing more movies come out and more previews for movies that actually look worth seeing. This weekend we get another movie from David Fincher, the director of Seven and Fight Club. Zodiac, with an impressive cast of Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr and Brian Cox, takes us back to the 60’s and 70’s when a serial killer tormented the Bay Area.
I’m pumped for this flick. It has all the right ingredients for a must-buy. And I love stories about serial killers. Be it on A&E, CourTV or a movie, I just eat this shit up. Plus, I can’t say enough about this cast. Its big names, yet some of the most underrated actors out there. Jake is a more talented Tobey Maguire. Mark Ruffalo is part Edward Norton, part Paul Rudd. He just takes good roles, and does a good job every time out. Well, I did skip 13 Going on 30, so most of the time he picks good movies. Robert Downey Jr., well he has made a comeback even MJ could be proud of.
Also hitting theatres this weekend is Black Snake Moan, which looks like we’re getting the good Samuel L. Jackson, and not the guy who says yes to every offer. And a suddenly hot Christina Ricci, in what looks like a pretty original flick, at least for the mainstream. I’m sure Porqchop has a few in his collection that have a sexy half naked white woman chained up, but you won’t find those at Blockbuster.
I’m pumped for this flick. It has all the right ingredients for a must-buy. And I love stories about serial killers. Be it on A&E, CourTV or a movie, I just eat this shit up. Plus, I can’t say enough about this cast. Its big names, yet some of the most underrated actors out there. Jake is a more talented Tobey Maguire. Mark Ruffalo is part Edward Norton, part Paul Rudd. He just takes good roles, and does a good job every time out. Well, I did skip 13 Going on 30, so most of the time he picks good movies. Robert Downey Jr., well he has made a comeback even MJ could be proud of.
Also hitting theatres this weekend is Black Snake Moan, which looks like we’re getting the good Samuel L. Jackson, and not the guy who says yes to every offer. And a suddenly hot Christina Ricci, in what looks like a pretty original flick, at least for the mainstream. I’m sure Porqchop has a few in his collection that have a sexy half naked white woman chained up, but you won’t find those at Blockbuster.
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