We Are

Tonight The Wife and I went and watched We Are Marshall and before I get to the review I need to give a little back ground. The film is about the Marshall football team that died in a plane crash and the following year as the team starts to rebuild. I grew up outside Huntington, WVa where Marshall is located. I knew the story growing up. I even when to some games in the mid-eighties and early nineties until I graduated from high school. One of my dad's account was Marshall's athletic department so that's another connection. I remember when a player from my home town of Ironton died suddenly (I can not remember or even find his name right now), Marshall was on a national championship run in 1-AA and they were playing in his memory. That's the good part of my Marshall past.

Now the bad, once it was announced that Marshall was joining the Mid American Conference (same conference as my Bowling Green Falcons) and all of Marshall's fans and media writers blasted the MAC and said it was beneath them. The fans were rude to every MAC team including one game that a high level school officials pregnant wife had to be surrounded by security to protect her from the fans. Also, how can I for get about the student section being forced to move to the home side because teams complained about racial slurs. I made a personal agreement with myself after Marshall left the MAC that I could not consider not hating them until they had been out of the MAC for five years.

It's not been five years, but the story of a tragedy that effected everyone in the area forced me to want to see this movie. In 1970 Marshall's football team was flying back from a game against East Carolina when the plane crashed outside of Huntington. Pretty much everyone died. The university had to decide if it wanted to field a team the following year and the challenge to field a team the following year.

This was a great movie, The Wife and I started to tear up withing the first 10 minutes. It is a well written and shot movie the football action was shot in double time and slowed down which gave it a very crisp feel. Also I was surprised at Mathew McConaughey, normally in every movie he is in he plays Mathew McConaughey, but i seriously believed he was Jack Lengyel. Then there was co-star Jack Sheppard, I mean Matthew Fox he played Red Dawson the surviving coach from the 1970 team that switched spots with another coach and drove back to Huntington. He was emotional and you could feel the pain he had because of fate and losing a coach and players he recruited to play.

This film mas mostly shot in Huntington so throughout the most of the movie I'd lean over to The Wife and say I know where that is! That for me made the movie even more real. It was shot on campus, places that all locals know. They did not fake locations, they even used a lot of locals as extras and bit rolls.

Overall I teared up at least four times and I don't think The Wife ever stopped. We heard sniffling throughout the theater. If you love football, movies, or movies based off of real events, or you want to see how tragedy can be turned into good then you need to see this movie. I will be in line the night this movie is released on DVD. A++

Movie Watching

Just before we signed our leese on Fried Chicken Drive I signed up for the Blockbuster Online Movies. Before I moved Gostomski told me that Netflix because they have a faster deleivery. I will admit that may be true, but here is why I signed up with Blockbuster not only do you get 1 free store rental a week, you can take the movies sent you and return them to the store and pick up another movie for free.

Let me brake it down this way. In the mail I get A Muppets Christmas Carol, The Wife and I watch it, I take it back and pick up Little Miss Sunshine at the store, then Blockbuster sends me Ray. To compound that we signed up for the three movies at once deal so those three movies become 6-7 per week if not more!

So in the first month of this deal here are the movies we watched with my little rating on each movie.

1. A Christmas Story B+
   
2. Saints and Soldiers A
3. Ferris Bueller's Day Off B+
4. Christmas With the Kranks C-
5. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation B
6. The Muppet's Christmas Carol B-
7. The Manchurian Candidate C-
8. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 B+
9. Little Miss Sunshine C
   
10. Invincible A-
11. Lady in the Water C+
12. Clerks 2 B-
    
13. Thank you for Smoking C
14. An America Haunting C
15. Hostel D-
16. Cars B

The we still have two at the house

1. Garden State
2. Four Brother

So with in a month we have watched 16 movies and the plan cost 18 dollars a month. We are averaging a dollar a movie. I don't know how much longer we can last at the torrid pace, but I think I'm getting bed sores from sitting and watching so many movies.

indoor shoes

For almost all my life anytime I walk into my house I take my shoes and socks off. I don't know what it is, but I feel better the second I do it. So like Pavlov's dog I started to do this in North Carolina. After about two weeks I started to notice my feet were always sore. It got to the point where I was thinking I needed to go to the doctor for maybe some kind of stress fracture.

After we move into our place on Fried Chicken Drive the wife comments on how hard the kitchen floor was. At first i thought she was crazy, till I needed to do some cooking and after 10 minutes my feet were killing me. Since I do a lot of the cooking this be came a constant problem.

Flash forward to Christmas Day, I open a present and what do I see a pair of slippers. I'll admit this, I have never liked slippers and never understood why people liked them. They are pretty much indoor shoes. It always felt better to walk around barefoot. Also I get the image of an 80 year old man in his bathrobe and slippers walking outside and struggling to pick up the paper. I give The Wife the "Oh thank you. They... are... ummm nice." She then tells me they are for when I am in the kitchen so my feet won't be as sore. I get up slip them on and start walking around. At first it felt weird, kind of like walking with a pillow strapped to each foot. Then I started to really like it and that's when everything hit me.

This is the first place I have lived that does not have a basement, apartment, or some kind of crawl space underneath it. In North Carolina basements are non-existent so everything is build on a concrete slab. A HARD CONCRETE SLAB! That's why my feet are so sore. So I am now getting old. I wear slippers, so

GET OFF MY LAWN YOU WHIPPER SNAPPERS!

Christmas Day Semi Live blog

This is the first time in four years I have had to work on Christmas, and with news, Christmas day is generally boring and you do the same story every year (Unless something horrible like a deadly house fire occurs). So I am attempting to live blog my day. I will admit it's already 4:30 and I'm going to start this from the time I started off to work.

2:20pm- I leave the house with the new MP3 player in hand. I get a nice mix to drive to
Bel Biv Devo- Poison
Ash- Meltdown
U2- Beautiful Day
Ash- Life Less Ordinary
Jimmy Eat World- Bleed America
Ash- Burn Baby Burn

3:00pm- Get to work and find out that I'm either going to do a story about church services or about the monsoon. I'm hoping Church service.

3:15pm- Wonder about Levy's Mom so I go and visit the site and find out James Brown has died! It's a little weird because yesterday I cut some video of him giving out some toys to some kids. A legend has died. Most people will remember the last few crazy years from him, but he was an innovator and a leader in the civil rights movement. I still remember watching a documentary about his show in Baltimore after Martin Luther King died. Many believe his show was the reason that B-more did not have a riot that night. R.I.P. Godfather.

3:30pm I pull out the laptop and start watching Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraption's.

4:00pm Wonder where the hell my reporter is. Oh guess what they have him coming in at six.

4:15pm Watch Wallace and Gromit in "The Wrong Trousers."

4:30pm Decide to do a live blog my work day. I should have brought a book.

4:55pm I just found out that my dead guy baseball league has a podcast. I'm currently listing and my team just got blasted! Montreal was the best team in the NL, but I got swept in the first round. Overall so far, DJL... kick ass my friend.

5:15pm Started to watch Dallas vs Philly and I have made a personal revelation. I hate Tony Romo. It's not because I hate the Cowboys(which I do) I just hate the hype. From preseason till now it felt like the media machine wanted him to play. Everyone was calling him the second coming of Troy Aikmen, even though he had never really played in an NFL game. I'll admit he did well when he first came in, but no one had seen him and did not have any real tape of him to break down his weakness. So he picked teams apart, now the rest of the NFL has seen him and his numbers are not as good. 16TDs 10 INTs. Wow that's slightly above average, lets crown him MVP of the league and Pro Bowl starter. If he does well go for him, but shut up with the hype of Romo.

5:35pm Just found out one of the reporters graduated from New York University, which immediately makes me laugh. I use to work with another reporter who graduated from NYU and told me their nickname is "The Violets." Wow I am scared of a violet so a couple of the photographs changed the nickname to "The Fighting Violets."

5:45pm- Just found out that NYU are the violets, but their mascot is a bobcat named violet. Come on NYU be the Bobcats or be the violets, but not both. I personally think they need a mascot that is something that represents the city and university. What about The Cabbies, what you don't fear NYC cab drivers. I heard those guys are surly, mean and drive like it's Grand Theft Auto. Hell if Norwalk can be the Truckers why can't NYU be the Cabbies.

6:05pm- well this maybe the last addition for a while. Looks like I have to head to a place called Pittsboro for a story about a house fire.

6:00pm-11:30pm- Went to Pittsboro and did an OK job on a sad story. This lady and her three year old son were next door at her dad's house cooking Christmas dinner and decided it was late and spent the night there. At 1am her trailer caught fire and was pretty much lost. Then later in the morning after the fire crews left, it rekindled and burnt what ever was left. On what is normally a day of joy, her life was turned upside down. These kind of stories always make me feel appreciated for what I have, because at any time we could loose it all.

The true meaning of Christmas

Baby Jesus was born with his golden diaper. He was sent here by his father on planet Krypton to save the world. The virgin Mary gave birth to baby Jesus in a manger and baby Jesus was surrounded by the animals and nearby Shepard. But then out of no where came the sinister Santa Claus mortal enemy of baby Jesus, you see Santa wanted the golden diaper so that he could rule the world. So Santa came down with his reindeer of death!

"HO HO HO! Someone has been naughty!"

With fast as lightning skills Santa strikes but the local Sheppard try to stop him. Santa seeing this adjust and throws his highly accurate Ninja stars made of coal and cuts down the Shepard.

Mary shrikes and fears for baby Jesus' life. "Don't you harm him!"

"Shut up woman!" As Santa shoves her aside. But what Santa did not know was that Baby Jesus was trained by Chuck Norris! Baby Jesus jumps up and scissor kicks Santa in the face!

"Take that fat man." Baby Jesus declares!

"I see you have learned from Chuck Norris, I alone can not take you, but what about my reindeer of death! On Danser, On Dancer, On Prancer, On Vixen, On Comet, On Cupid, On Donner, Oh Blitzen, On Laser, On Taser."

The Reindeer burst in and take action. Danser lands a vicious round house kick, and Baby Jesus staggers. Looks at the blood trickling down from the corner of his cheek, whips it off and exclaims. "Is that all you got."

Baby Jesus unleashes a series of blinding fast moves and starts taking out the reindeer. Comet gets a knee to the groin, Vixen takes a head butt. Laser charges in with a series of moves and Baby Jesus stops him with a single punch and then rips into his chest and pulls out his heart. Taser sees this and wants to avenge his brother death, but Baby Jesus hits him with a Fatality Move from Mortal Kombat.

The other reindeer see these Donner yells "FORM Rudolph GO REINDEER FORCE!"

The other reindeer join together to create the greatest reindeer of them all Rudolph the Death Nosed Reindeer.

Baby Jesus backs up and Rudolph starts ripping laser beams all around him. A few hit baby Jesus and he is stunned and looks like he might be finished.

"Ha Ha Ha your golden diaper is mine!" Santa evil laughs as baby Jesus hits the floor.

But then came the three wise men, Chuck Norris, Jack Bauer and Charles Bronson. The three wise men go into action, Chuck Norris round house kicks Rudolph, while Charles Bronson shots him with his .45 and Jack Bauer yells at Rudolph "DO AS I SAY!" And stabs Rudolph in the leg with his PDA of death.

Baby Jesus stands up and charges Santa and punches him in the face!

You win baby Jesus you win! I will do what ever you say.

Fine, you no longer will do evil and you shall live in the North Pole and once a year bring toys to good little boys and girls so that they will know of your shame. Also your reindeer may never take the form of Rudolph again."

"But what if it is foggy and I can not see my way to deliver the toys?" Wonders Santa.

"Fine if it is foggy then you can use the power of Rudolph." states baby Jesus.

"Yes master I will never forget this night and thank you for sparing my life."

There you have it the true meaning of Christmas.

Booger mountain

Where you always pick a good one.

What? I won Time Magazine's Person of the Year?

Thank you, thank you I mean this was completely shocking to me that I just won Time Magazine's Person of the Year award.

I didn't even know I was nominated.

Umm WHOOO! Well let me thank my wife, my entire family, all five people who read my blog YOU GUYS ROCK!

To the people that I beat out, James Baker your committee may have changed the course of the war in Iraq and all, but you ain't the best Baker out there so IN DA FACE!

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad well he may just have a conference about how you Time never existed so he'll get over it

Finally, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, you may have a nuclear bomb, but you just got the bomb dropped on you bitch! Suck this warhead!

What?

What do you mean I wasn't the only one to win the award?

You mean I have to share it with that crazy Lonely Girl, A Ninja, OK GO (Well that was a kick as video, Mentos guys and every other blogger?

Well you know what I have to say about that Time You can take your award and cram it up your cram hole! I don't need this! I thought we had something special Time and then you go whorin' around with everyone one else!

Get out Time! Get out! Don't come back EVER EVER EVER!

Unless you want to come back in for break up sex?

Lack of post = lack of sleep

I've had about six different post I've wanted to do since I moved to Raleigh: the new pad and Christmas tree place called Booger Mountain. I'm serious Booger Mountain, you can't make that up. Why haven't I posted anything? Well I blame my new schedule or the lack of a schedule. Since I've started working at JDOG-17 (The new station name) I have worked 9am-6pm, 2am-11am, 11am-8pm and 3am-noon. I've been all over the map and this will not end until after the holidays. I'm the new guy and everyone is taking time off so I'm the filler guy.

I get home every day and pretty much it in my recliner and watch movies or should I say watch half and fall asleep and wake up to the credits. I'm hoping that when I get off at work tomorrow at 11am I can at least get a picture of Booger Mountain.

My Saturday at Cameron Indoor

This past Tuesday my chief photographer asked me if I wanted to shoot a Duke basketball game on Saturday. My first thought was HELL YEAH! Second thought of was this. I was stupid and decided torture myself and work yet another long Saturday.

I get a late jump to the game. The press passes were nowhere to be found and had to wake up the sports girl to find them. I drive all the way to Durham. I have no idea what to expect. I'm thinking I will have to jump through hoops just to park and will have problems getting into Cameron Indoor, then finally getting a spot to shoot.

I can tell I'm getting close. I wonder where the arena is? Wait a second I thought I was in Durham.

I get to a door and ask where is the media gate.
"Come on in."
How do I get to the floor? It's my first time here.
"You go up these stairs (7 of them) and turn right and you'll see it.

I walked maybe 15 feet and I was on the court. I find a spot with the stations name and I get ready to shoot. I will be honest and I was expecting something a little larger than what it was. For those of you who know Bowling Green, it's not that much larger than Anderson Arena. It's one million times nicer than Anderson, but I was expecting a large stadium that could seat at least 20,000. Instead they say it seats just over 9,000, I don't believe that, but it's what they say.


Then I felt like Brick Tamland LOUD NOISES! I heard the Cameron Crazies. their student section wraps around half of the lower "bowl." Plus they are organized. I noticed a couple of the kids giving signals in between sections. For a random game against George Mason it was the second loudest game (loudest was when BG played Toledo and my audio was either pegging or was off. Remember the key statement there. Cameron Indoor on an off night almost beat BG on our best.



Then I saw a strange sight. It looked like Duke had at least 10 assistant coaches. Then during a time out five of the guys jumped up and started to towel off the floor. These were college kids in suits on their knees using a towel to wipe up sweat. Duke has the best dressed towel boys EVER!



Overall it was a really good experience. Duke won the game and I got some really good highlights and I learned a few things:

• Cameron Indoor is very small
• Best towel boys ever
• I really need to stop working doubles on Saturdays
• Duke students are smart and have WAY too much time on there hands.