My Review: Inside Man

I wasn't feeling too well on Saturday when we went to the movies, but I really enjoyed what we saw. Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster is a much better movie than I expected. The acting is as good as the script, which is a nice change of pace for a cop movie. It was especially cool watching a movie set in New York City in New York City, especially because some of the jokes in the movie were jokes that just couldn't have gone over as well in other cities. In all, a memorable that I recommend, even in New York where the ticket prices have reached $10.75.

Grade: B+

I wasn't feeling too hot that day so I slept through the previews, but fortunately the trailer I had wanted to see can be seen on the Internet (they have the Internet on computers now) by clicking here.

Baseball Obsessed

I'm having trouble coming up to stuff to write about in this speace lately, mostly because I have baseball fever and can't think of anything besides the Mets. I've been posting quite a bit over at my other blog, www.tranplantedmetsfan.com, though, so if that subject interests you please stop by!

We visited New York this past weekend and it was awesoem to see our friends and family for the weekend, as well as to indulge in our favorite New York treats - H&H Bagels, Angelo's Pizza, and the New York mass transit system. It's good to be back in N.C. though, as today my friends back home are suffering through a snowstorm and it's warm enough down here to walk around outside without a jacket.

I was outside a little bit more than usual this morning, as I had to clean up after Mookie. Mookie killed her first rabbit this morning. Michelle found a baby rabbit sleeping under our deck, and then Mookie found it. Needless to say, the two animals did not become friends, and I had to go home and dispose of the rabbit's body. So, Easter will be cancelled this year at the Mookie household, as it turns out Mookie killed The Easter Bunny's kid.

Dogs will be dogs, I guess.

Lost Spoiler

Part of the magic of 'Lost' was spoiled for me this week when an ad for Neosporin was snuck in the script. Jack said his island mate's rash would be helped by Neosporin. Sawyer has all the medicine stashed away, and he's charging two loads of laundry in exchange for a tube. This was so obviously a product placement. What's worse is that most physicians don't even like Neosporin...

Last night on The Office, a logo for Geek Squad was also conveniently placed so that it received considerable airtime during one scene. As TiVo and other DVRs become more popular this may be something we'll have to grow to accept, but I think it really does cheapen shows.

New iPod Feature

Owners of recent iPods will now be able to set how loud their digital music players can go, according to a press release today. Call me stupid, but isn't that what the volume control is for? Why do I need a separate feature to set the maximum volume? If Apple really wants to protect their customers' hearing, they should include an alternate headphone than those buds taht go in your ear. That is the worst kind of headphones for your ears! Personally I rarely use headphones, except on airplanes, preferring to play the iPod through a home stereo, car stereo, or computer speakers.

One Example Of Highly Effective Direct Mail Advertising

Just got this message in my inbox with the subject line, INVOICE:

-Se`nsattional revolution in m`eedicine!

-It's h`erbal sol`ution what hasn't side effect, but has 100% gua`ranteeed results!

-Don`'t loose your chance and but know wiht`out doubts,, you will be i`mpressed with results!!!!

Clic`k h`ere: http://craigstelecomsolutions.info

I usually don't respond to unsolicited e-mails, but this company's advertising is just so convincing! How can I delete this message without feeling like I'm missing out on an amazing opportunity? I really believe this h'erbal sol' ution will change my life for the better! Plus, the subject line is "invoice," so I must have committed to this in the past and forgotten about it so I had better make good on my promise and order mass quantities!! Don't worry, Craig's Telecom Solutions, my order is forthcoming!!!

Mookie Of The Month - March 2006

This is the craziest picture of Mookie I've ever taken.

The Career Of Bob Saget

Bob Sagat carried a reputation as the corniest man in show biz with his work as host of America's Funniest Videos in the 1990's. He did a pretty good job voicing over video of animals acting crazy, but it was often so cheesy that you couldn't help but laugh.

He also starred on Full House as the geeky dad, especially compared to the "cool" Uncle Jesse and "funny" Joey. Even though we heard rumors that Bob saget was actually a raunchy stand-up comedian, we couldn't shake the image of him as a cornball.

Last year we finally caught a glimpse of Bob's dirty side when he appeared on The Aristocrats telling a raunch version of the joke. Maybe he wasn't so cheesy after all?

Well, it seems he misses his America's Funniest Videos days a lot, because he's now creating a spoof of March Of The Penguins, where he's going to voice over penguins in the parody. This could be good, but it could also restore is cornball reputation.

Lesson Learned: Buy, Don't Lease.

One problem with renting is that you don't own the place so there are limitations on what you can do. When we moved to North Carolina we lived in an apartment for six months, and I couldn't get DirecTV because the satellite dish would have had to have been mounted to the building. I was real glad to buy a home just so I could free myself from Time Warner Cable!

It seems Prince has been paying NBA Star Carlos Boozer $70,000 a month in rent to live in the basketball player's Los Angeles mansion. But now Boozer is suing The Purple One for making too many alterations. Among Prince's "upgrades":

Painting the exterior with purple striping,
Painting a O(+> symbol on the house's exterior with the numbers 3121.
Installing a purple monogrammed carpet was in the master bedroom
Installing plumbing and piping for "beauty salon chairs."

I didn't see anything about satellite dishes, so maybe Prince likes cable?

By the way, Newsday says Prince's new album is his best since Sign O' The Times. I like what I've heard from the album, particularly 'Fury,' which was performed on SNL, but I have heard that "best since Sign O' The Times" line so many times in the last ten years that I am not sure how much to believe it.

Don't Stretch Yourself Thin?

Newsday has an article debunking myths about exercising. Here was the most startling:

Myth: "Before I work out, I should stretch to help prevent injuries."

A 2004 literature review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed what many studies had shown: Stretching will not prevent injuries. Moreover, stretching is not a warm-up. You're better off performing the exercise you're about to do at a much lower intensity for about 10 minutes - walking or jogging slowly before you run; gently swinging the club before a game of golf.

"There's actually not much data on the benefits of stretching, although it's like God, mother and apple pie - everyone is for it," says Dr. Carl Foster, president of the American College of Sports Medicine.

I love debunking myths, and I have a terrible attention span. I think Mythbusters would be my favorite show, except it's an hour too long. So this combination of debunking an age-old myth and finding a shortcut makes it my favorite news item of the day.

Don't you find it hard to believe though? I honestly don't exercise much, but when I used to run a lot, I would always feel that when I didn't stretch I felt more uncomfortable quicker. Maybe that warm-up technique would have worked better.

Stupid Egg Tricks

Can you really balance an egg at the moment of the Vernal Equinox?

Yes, if you have the right egg. And you should be able to balance that same egg any day of the year. Nobody knows where this urban legend started, but it's been around long enough that we should all be aware that it is an urban legend, and wacky radio DJ's should have something else to talk about today.

http://www1.umn.edu/umnnews/Feature_Stories/The_vernal_equinox_fact_and_fiction.html

Parmesan John

Somebody Please Buy Me This Shirt

Hypocrite Of The Month / Hero Of The Month

My pick for Hypocrite of The Month is an easy one - it's Isaac Hayes. He has quit his job of voicing Chef on "South Park"after the show did an episode mocking Scientology. Creator Matt Stone said it best,

“This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology ... He has no problem — and he’s cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians.”

This episode has caused quite a stir among Scientologists. Tom Cruise allegedly threatened to cease promotion of Mission Impossible: 3 unless Comedy Central (owned by the same company that made the movie) agreed to stop re-airing the episode.

Tom Cruise's actions don't surprise me - he's a very talented actor who's many times shown himself to be completely humorless and well out of touch with reality. I'm disappointed that Comedy Central didn't stand up to their parent company, but somehow I'm even more disappointed in Hayes, who looks like a "dish it but can't take it" kind of guy here. I'm sending back all of his albums - as soon as I find one in my collection.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, I just read an article about an artist who I am completely unfamiliar with, but who I already hold a great deal of respect for, based on a quote of hers.

Jenny Lewis, who is in an indie-rock band called Rilo Kiley that I've never heard of, is releasing an album with a group called the Watson Twins, who I've also never heard of, called Rabbit Fur Coat. The music on the album is being described as "countrified," "twangy," and "faux-gospel," which is apparently a departure from their indie-rock roots. There is a cover of the Travelling Wilbury's "Handle With Care," on the album, which I think is really cool, but that's not why I am already in love with Lewis, without ever hearing a note from her. It's this statement, about making a different kind of album:

"If some people like it, that's great," says Lewis, on the line from a tour stop in Seattle. "But it's also kind of satisfying to know that some people will totally hate it, because that's a part of expanding your audience."

Brilliant. Just brilliant. It reminds me of a quote made by Tom Petty a few months ago:

Q: Do you think [The Last DJ] did not do well because it was not what people expect from Tom Petty?

A: Well, too bad, you're going to have to take what he gives you. I don't give a damn what you want.

Q: Yes, you do. You have just spent hours talking about the respect you have for your audience.

A: Yes, well, that is respecting them. If I disrespected them, I would pander to them, but I don't. I never have, and I'm never going to. If you just think I'm going to sing "Refugee" every time, I'm not going to do it. I'm too old for that now.

Q: What do you want to do?

A: I'm more interested in what I'm going to leave behind me now than in making a big hit record. I've refined what I do for a long time. If getting better at it means it goes over the heads of those who only wanted to party, then so be it.

Respect for your audience, and respect for your craft. Imagine that. I'm putting Rabbit Fur Coat on my wish list, and so should you.

Pearl Jam is Back (and Tom Petty too!)

Last night I downloaded the new single from Pearl Jam, "World Wide Suicide" off their upcoming album Pearl Jam. WWS is a great track, reminding me a bit of "Satan's Bed," from Vitalogy, which in my opinion is still their best album to date.

I'm real excited about the new release, and hoping their worldwide tour brings them to NC this year. I won't be buying the CD in a record store though. I'm preordering the album here, and for $19.50 (including shipping) I'll get the new album mailed to me, along with a live CD of a 1992 New Years show, and at midnight of the release date (May 2), I'll be able to download the entire album to my computer.

As for the tour, well this could get REALLY interesting. My all-time-favorite artist Tom Petty also has a new CD due out soon (likely in June) and he'll be touring with the Heartbreakers in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their first album. According to an article in Billboard:

"What we're trying to do is a bunch of shows with different artists that either we like or think would be an interesting show," Petty manager Tony Dimitriades tells Billboard. "One of the main things we're doing is a bunch of shows with Pearl Jam. We're also talking to John Mayer about doing some dates, as well as the Strokes."

I have no interest in John Mayer, but a Petty/Pearl Jam combo would be friggin' amazing!

Top O' The Morning To Ya

I never remember it's St. Patrick's Day until I get to work and everyone is wearing green. If I had remembered, I'd at least have eaten Lucky Charms for breakfast or something. If I were still in college I'd at least be heading to the bars this evening to drink some green beer. If I still worked in Manhattan I'd at least be able to go outside during lunch and laugh at the drunks puking all over 5th Avenue.

Instead, all I can do is post "Happy St. Patrick's Day" on this here blog and maybe tonight go see 16 Blocks, a movie starring Bruce Willis, who is probably not Irish, but the film's Director of Photography, Glen MacPherson, probably is.

Juggling Video

I tried to learn how to juggle as a kid, but didn't have the hand-eye coordination (or the patience) to learn. Imagine if I had stuck with it, I could be getting standing ovations for my juggling, like Chris Bliss, in this video:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4776181634656145640&pr=goog-sl

My NCAA Tournament Bracket

I don't know a darn thing about college sports. Somehow, however, it's inevitable that every March I will get involved in the tournament that determines the national champion. Every year, the one guy at work who actually watches college hoops will rope everyone else into participating in the bracket.

Now that I've moved to North Carolina, it's even worse. They LOVE the college basketball down here. It doesn't hurt that there are four teams (Duke, UNC, NC State, UNCW) from this state in the tournament this year, but these people follow the sport THE WHOLE SEASON.

So I have picked my teams for the bracket, despite the fact that I have never seen one team out any of the sixty four play in my entire life. I picked Villanova to win the whole thing, partially because I actually know the name of their coach, Jay Wright, because he was the coach at Hofstra while I attended.

I was almost starting to care who won the tournament, until while I was reviewing my highly-educated picks, when I saw that the championship game is played on April 3rd. April 3rd! Frickin' Opening Day! Do these people have no shame???

Davey and Goliath

When I was a kid, there was a claymation show called Davey and Goliath about a kid "Davey" and his dog "Goliath" who would learn some kind of morality lesson in each show. I don't remember if I actually liked the show or not, which originally aired in the 1960's,but I remember watching it all the time because the claymation was cool and I liked the way the dog said "Daaavey,"

There is a new show on Cartoon Networks' Adult Swim block of shows called Moral Orel that is basically a parody of Davey and Goliath. There's no dog, which is disappointing, but the show is a riot. The funniest parts are very subtle. Like AquaTeen Hunger Force, it's on way too late at night, but do yourself a favor and TiVo this show.

Moral Orel


Goliath and Davey


By the way, I have been looking through my recent posts and noticed how many "plugs" I give to products. Believe me, I am not getting paid by these companies. It's funny just thinking about that notion. I just happen to be a fan of "NEW" stuff, and like to pass along information about products and entertainment I enjoy. I think Malcom Gladwell has a name for people like me in his book, "The Tipping Point."

In and Out

I've been quite lax in posting lately, partially because I've still been recovering from the jet lag I suffered travelling to San Francisco last week, and partially because work has been hectic... But I wanted to make sure I didn't let too much time go by between posts.

San Francisco is a cool city, but one of the highlights of the trip was a quick lunch at In-N-Out Burger. In-N-Out is a great fast-food joint that only has restaurants in California and Las Vegas, so whenever I head out West, I make it a point to stop in and grab a burger. This trip I initiated four co-workers to the great taste of In-N-Out. A trip to Cali just isn't complete without a cheeseburger from that place.

Barry Bonds is Screwed

Just in time for Opening Day, a book titled Game Of Shadows will be released on March 27th written by two San Francisco Chronicle writers which details Barry Bonds extensive use of steroids since the 1998 season. An excerpt appears in the current issue of Sports Illustrated, and the accusations and evidence are damning. Bud Selig has to be praying that Bonds isn't healthy enough to break Aaron's record.

Katrina Catastrophe Still Haunting U.S., Bush

Six months after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and Mississippi, we are reminded of what a disaster it was, how many people are still reeling from the effects, and how poorly it was- and continues to be- handled.

Last week Oprah Winfrey dedicated a show to the Katrina aftermath, where the images of towns hit look like they were taken in the days after the hurricane, but astoundingly are actually current. People are still homeless, and reconstruction has barely begun. Hundreds of empty trailers sit in lots, inexplicably left undistributed to needy families. USAFreedom Corps and The Red Cross still desparately needs volunteers.

In yet another blow to President Bush and teh Federal government's response to the disaster, today a video was released by the AP that shows FEMA briefing Bush four days before the storm hit, outlining the potential for great loss of life, potential for catastrophe if the Superdome was to be used as a rescue headquarters, and the likelihood of levees breaking. Bush doesn't ask any questions during the briefing, but pledges his commitment to providing support. A clip is then shown of him appearing on Good Morning America after the storm hit, saying that "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." That statement at least was quite apparently a lie.

Still Travelin, Travelin, On...

Got back from the grand state of Utah after midnight last night, and picked up Mookie from her dogsitter after work today. Wednesday morning I'm on the road again, heading to San Francisco for the weekend. I'm looking forward to eating at a restaurant called Slanted Door, which I hear is outstanding. I'll let you know.

Hopefully I'll be a nit better prepared for this trip than this one that just past. We walked out the door Thursday night without our toiletries bag. So, among other things, I didn't have a razor with me. Since we were attending a wedding Saturday, I couldn't avoid shaving entirely, but I was going to have to go without the Gillette Mach 3 and the Shick Quattro I rotate between, and use the disposable Bics that mom has a stash of for forgetful guests. Well we went to Albertson's supermarket Friday night to pick up some deodorant to replace the stuff I also forgot, when I saw it:

The Gillette Fusion shaver.

Now, when I saw the commercial for this new shaver during the Super Bowl I wasn't impressed. Gillette has upped the ante to a FIVE BLADE razor, with a sixth blade on the back side for trimming sideburns. How much difference fcould five blades make over four, or even three, I thought.

But then I saw the razor in person.






The razor has a very cool design, but I must admit, the single biggest reason I broke down and bought it was the color scheme: Mets Blue and Orange. Oh yeah.

Of course, I didn't but the battery powered version. After all, I have enough trouble avoiding cutting myself when the blade isn't moving! And anyway, the battery powered version is more orange and silver instead of blue and orange.

Yes, I am pathetic, but I believe the new razor set the tone for the weekend, later on during which I was able to secure tickets for Mets' Opening Day.

Oh, and by the way, the razor works really well. Very nice shave. Forgot to mention that, somehow.

Traveling, Baby

Mookie is on vacation again this weekend. We got back from Costa Rica Sunday afternoon and picked up Mookie from her home away from home. We dropped her off again Thursday evening, as we headed off to Utah for a family wedding. Mookie looked too happy to be back at her retreat. I hope she's glad to see us when we pick her up Monday evening!

Details of Day 3 of our Costa Rica Trip are available below.

New Nosebleed Solution

Last week I was telling my wife, who frequently gets nosebleeds, that she goes about stopping them all wrong. I told her that she needs to put her head back to reduce the blood flow to the nostrils. She said that theory has never been proven. She's right - several places I checked advise against leaning back because the blood would then go into your stomach and cause you to become nauseous. Go figure, I was wrong again!

Well there's a new product on the market called NasalCEASE that is a natural "biopolymer" product that releases calcium to quickly stop bleeding. It's $11.50 for a pack of five and is available at CVS. Supposedly 30% of households in America include at least one person who suffers from minor recurring nosebleeds. I don't know what the statistic is for how many of those households also include a know-it-all.

Details of day two of our Costa Rican vacation are available here.

Guess Who's Back?

I'm back from my amazing vacation in Costa Rica! Here are some of the best photos - I'll be posting more next month when more bandwith opens up for me on Flickr. Meanwhile, I'll be retro-blogging (I think I just coined a new phrase) over the next week with day-by-day details of the trip. I'll post each days events with the date they happened. Hope you enjoy the tales of our adventures in Costa Rica! Day One is available here. I'll also resume regular blogging tomorrow. Adios, amigos!

Our Trip To Costa Rica - Days Six, Seven and Eight

Thursday, February 16th:

The weather was fantasic today once again. We started the morning off with a delicious breakfast, including granadilla fruit, tamales, platanos madura, and that fantastic Costa Rican coffee. We relaxed around the pool, and later in teh morning boarded a small boat to take a trip over to nearby Coco Beach to have lunch and buy souveniers. On the way to Coco, we were lucky enough to see more exotic wildlife. This time we saw a humpback whale with a baby! Just incredible. There are people who pay good money to go on whale watching cruises and never see a thing. we had no expectations of seeing a whale on this excursion it was basically a water taxi over to the nearby beach and town. It was just plain awesome.

When we arrived at Coco, we spent a little time admiring the pelicans dive for fish, and then explored the town. It was a very dry, hot day to be walking around dusty Coco, but we did have a good lunch at Casino Restaurant and bought some coffee at the supermarket to bring back to our friends at home. We also bought some souvenirs for ourselves.

When we got back to the resort, we relaxed in the hot tub with cocktails (I had a Michelada), then went back to the room for a well deserved nap. Okay, maybe we didn't deserve it, but we enjoyed it!

Friday, February 17th:

With all the excursions we took this week, today was the first day we got a chance to check out the Allegro's private beach. The beach at the resort itself is just perfect for relaxing, but as a bonus they have a private beach that requires a short boat ride to get to. The private beach was gorgeous! We relaxed in hammocks, took a dip in the water, and enjoyed more cocktails, of course! We also saw many, many howler monkeys lounging in the trees above us. There were too many to count. Just incredible. A littel while later, a family of white-face monkeys came swinging through the trees past us. The howlers made quite a fuss, unhappy at the visitors, but the white-faced monkeys just kept on going.

After a few hours, we headed back to the Allegro, for a game of volleyball in the pool, more cocktails in the hot-tub, lunch, more cocktails, and another nap. Tonight we ate in the resort's Italian restaurant, and it was a perfect way to end the trip. The food was excellent, and our waiter made us a special flaming coffee liquor drink to finish off teh evening. I wrote down all teh ingredients but unfortuantely lost my pad since then. Oh well! Our trip to Costa Rica was fantastic - Pura Vida!

Saturday, February 18th:

Please know in advance that you will be charged a tourist tax when you leave Costa Rica - it is $25 a person. We did not know about it before hand, and we must admit it was a little disappointing to leave the country with that experience. Our flight out of Liberia was delayed - by three hours - and the airport is not very comfortable for that kind of delay. It is not air-conditioned, except for the small gift shop, so please be prepared for this when you go. As I said, our flight was delayed by three hours, so when we finally got to Miami, we missed our connection to Greensboro. And to make matters worse, this was the last flight out of Miami to GSO for the night! All the area hotels were booked for the night and so the Miami International Airport was our hotel for the night. After a week in a gorgeous resort it was quite a different experience sleeping on the floor of the very chilly airport that night. We finally made it home Sunday afternoon - all in all it was a fantastic trip and we can't wait for another chance to visit the beautiful region of Central America.

Our Trip To Costa Rica - Day Five

We got another early start on day five of our trip, as we head out for another excursion. Today the destinations were a rainforest, the Tabacon Hot Springs, and the Arenal Volcano. Our guide for the day was Gustavo, another excellent guide from TAM Travel.

At the rainforest we learned how rainforests are formed, and that the United States and other countries actually compensate countries like Costa Rica for preserving rainforests because we all depend on them to create oxygen. We were lucky enough to see a family of howler monkeys high in the trees. Then we were introduced to the Maleku tribe, a tribe of people indigenous to Costa Rica who still live in the traditional fashion. They spoke to us about their lifestyle and we bought some artwork from them to support their plight. Money is of no use to them on a day-to-day basis because they live off the land, but they do use the funds to buy more land to preserve their people.

We left the rainforest and headed towards the hot springs. Along the way we were lucky to see a toucan and a family of pizote (cousin to the common raccoon). The countryside of Costa Rica is beautiful!

The Tabacon Hot Springs is a man-made destination, but is very beautiful and has a very natural feel to it. We had dinner at the Tabacon resort and then headed to the volcano. Unfortunately, teh weather was such that we only saw a small burst of orange from teh volcano. We were told there is a fifty-fifty chance of seeing any action, so we were lucky to see the small burst that we saw.

On the way home, we stopped the tour bus to observe a two-toed sloth travelling along some telephone lines. He looked like something from a Star Wars film. Very cool!

Our Trip To Costa Rica Day Four

Today was Valentine's Day, and to celebrate we took a wonderful Sunset Cruise on the Pacific. The view was breathtaking, and while waiting to see the sun go down, we saw dolphins! "Dolphin watching" was advertised with the package, but we honestly didn't expect to see any. Howver, we saw so many! At one point they leaped out of the water as if in a Sea World show. It was magnificent!

Also on the boat, we tried Cacique for the first time. Cacique is the brand name of a local alcohol called guaro that is made from sugar cane. While only 60 proof, it packs a nice punch when mixed with Fresca. So 'Cacique y Fresca' is what we had, and was what we got quite drunk on during the cruise. The sunset was gorgeous, even rivaling the sunsets we saw in Greece on our honeymoon. We'll never forget the views. Once the sun went down we turned the boat back towards the resort, but first the crew turned all the lights off on the boat, so we were able to admire the incredible star-filled sky. I had never seen so many stars! It made us feel very small, and very fortunate.

We had a small dinner at the resort's Mexican restaurant. The food was very good, especially my appetizer, which was ceviche. We headed to bed early, as we have to wake up early tomorrow for another all-day excursion!

Of Our Trip To Costa Rica Day Three (PART TWO)

NOTE: I lost my notepad on our trip to Utah in February, so many of my notes on recipes, animal names, and places were lost. I'll continue to blog to the best of my memory on this awesome trip:

...CONTINUED
We made it through the water slide okay, though it would have been more fun if it were warmer. We had a real nice lunch of traditional Costa Rican fare. Especially tasty were the fried plantains. After eating them, you never want to have regular potato chips again! We then took a real nice horseback ride to some hot springs, and then to a beautiful natural waterfall. It was a beautiful ride through the countryside, and we saw a geothermal energy power plant, which generates electricity from the nearby volcano. Much of the country's electricity comes from this type of power plant. Finally, we took a bus back to our hotel where we had a terrific dinner. On this night the cocktail of the night was something called a sabanero? which is made with a local fruit. Very tasty, and I regret not writing down the recipe.

Our Trip To Costa Rica - Day Three (PART ONE)

Today we woke up early to have another delicious and finish in time to meet the tour bus at 8AM. We booked what was called the "Combo Tour" of the Buena Vista Hot Springs and Canopy Tour. The small bus that picked us up brought us to the TAM headquarters near the airport in Liberia where we met our tour guide and people from other hotels who were also taking the tour.

Our guide for the day was Arturo, who turned out to be a funny, and excellent, tour guide. The group was small, only about 8 people or so. We boarded the bus and headed to our destination. Along the way, Arturo pointed out sites of note. At one point he asked the driver to stop and he ran onto the campus of a nearby university without explanation. We thought perhaps he had to use the bathroom or something, until we watched him jump up, grabbing things off the school's trees. After he got a few of whatever he was getting, he bounded back onto the bus. He was holding some fruits. I recognized them immediately from watching the food network: Cashew fruits!

The cashew nuts we take for granted are actually the seeds of the cashew tree that hang off the end of the tree's fruit. Arturo explained that locals don't usually eat the nuts of the tree, because it's a very involved process to shell the nut. It is much more common for locals to eat the ripened fruit, which we found out isn't bad! Sort of like a bitter apple.

As we continued along, we passed by many pastures where cattle grazed. I remarked to Michelle how scrawny looking the cows looked compared to ones I was used to seeing. The reason for this was that these were Brahman cattle, recognizable by their loose skin, which is thought to contribute to its ability to withstand warm weather (by increasing the body surface area exposed to cooling).

The funniest thing about these cows was that it seemed like each one had a little bird as a companion. Arturo explained that these cattle egrets came over to Costa Rica along with the cows when they were originally brought over from Africa. The birds will eat the grasshoppers, beetles, ticks and other insects that are commonly found around cattle.

We finally arrived at Buena Vista, near Rincon de la Vieja National Park. We got suited up with our gear for the zip line and right away noticed how windy it was. Extremely windy. Arturo told us this was not normal, but that it wouldn't affect our good time. As we walked up the hill to the zip lines we felt the strong breezes and talked about how after the zip lines we were supposed to ride a water slide. The cold air had us wondering how much fun that would be, considering... TO BE CONTINUED

Our Trip To Costa Rica - Day Two

We awoke this morning refreshed after a good night's sleep. We walked down to the restaurant to a wonderful breakfast - everything you could possibly want. From omelettes made on request to French Toast to local fare like tamales and platanos maduro - a delicious way to prepare bananas. And the coffee was, as expected outstanding, whether served "negro" or "con leche," I also discovered a delicious fruit - sweet granadilla, which is a cousin to the passion fruit. To eat this fruit, you cut into the skin with a butter knife all the way around to cut the fruit in two halves and reveal the pulp inside. The pulp is green and made up of seeds. Michelle swore that I was eating them just to gross her out, but basically you take a spoon and eat the entire insides in one scoop. It is so tasty!

After breakfast we we went back to the room and planned our excursions for the week. We booked two trips with TAM Travel with an office at the hotel. Tomorrow we'll take what's called a canopy tour, where we'll ride zip lines high in the trees, ride a water slide, take a horseback ride through the countryside, and finally relax in some natural hot springs. Thursday we'll visit a rainforest and try to see the Arenal volcano. And Tuesday we'll take a sunset cruise right from the beach of our hotel.

But today is a day to relax on the beach! We took a short walk up and down the shoreline, and checked out the wildlife - we saw a large reptile called a ctenosaur, or black iguana, and various birds like pelicans and little blue herons. We saw hermit crabs, which I'd previously only seen in gift shops and pet stores. We also saw tajalines - these funny crabs that would dig themselves little holes in the sand. As we approached them they'd scurry back into the holes. We couldn't believe how quick they were! After laughing at the crabs for awhile, we found ourselves some recliners and got some sun.

After relaxing awhile, I decided to go exploring again. Up the beach a bit, I saw some young guys hacking at a big pod attached to a tree with machetes! This pod had to be some kind of insect nest, and I couldn't imagine what was going on! I saw the teenager hack at the pod, and then reach his arm into the hole he made. What could he have been trying to get at? Honey, perhaps? Well, I was feeling brave, so I walked up and asked "Que Pasa," (one of the 15 phrases I remembered from high school Spanish). And then he showed me - he reached into the pod and pulled out - birds! Tropical baby birds! He called them paraquitos, and my new amigo Javier even let me hold one of the little guys! I was stunned.

I found out later that these birds - actually conures - lay their eggs in termite nests where they will be safe and where food (the termites) is readily available. Unfortunately, kids like Javier know the bird's habits and will seek out these babies which can go for hundreds of dollars on the open market. This is illegal of course, but far be it for me, an American, to tell a Costa Rican how to preserve his environment.

The rest of the day we enjoyed the pool, the free drinks, the jacuzzi, and mostly the beautiful weather! The sunset was gorgeous, and we climbed the tower at the resort to get a better vantage point. What an amazingly beautiful country. More adventures await!

Our Trip To Costa Rica - Day One

We flew into Costa Rica on American Airlines into Daniel Oduber International Airport, in the city of Liberia. This is one of the two major airports in Costa Rica, but it's not like any major airport I'd ever seen. Made up of just one building that looks more like a big open air barn and just one runway.

We arrived in Costa Rica at about 1 PM local time, which is the same time zone as US Central. We thought we'd be in Mountain Time Zone, but we were surprised when we looked at a map to see that Costa Rica is actually directly south of Atlanta. Shows how much we know about world geography. We were met by representatives of our travel agency, but before they could take us to our hotel, we had to get some cash. Luckily there was a bank and an ATM at the airport, but using the ATM was a bit of a challenge for me. The machine dispensed in both US dollars and Costa Rican colones, but only in specified increments. I could get 20 US dollars, or I could get colones in quantities of ten-thousand, five-thousand, or two-thousand. The conversion rate is 525 colones = 1 dollar, but it still felt crazy to withdraw ten thousand colones! I withdrew ten thousand colones, and then another two thousand colones to start the trip with, as we planned on using our Visa card for almost all our expenses.

We took a van across very bumpy roads, and by the time we arrived at our hotel we both had headaches from the lack of eating coupled with the bumpy ride. Still, we were excited to start our vacation!

When we arrived at our hotel, the all-inclusive Allegro Papagayo, we were greeted with a welcome cocktail called "sunset" by the bartender Alberto. Sooo delicious! Unfortunately I never got the recipe, but believe me it was quite good!

Since we left Greensboro pretty early, and didn't get to eat in the Miami airport, by the time we got to Costa Rica we were pretty hungry. Our room wasn't ready yet, so while we waited we headed down to the restaurant to get some much needed food. We were too late for lunch, but they had a snack bar where stuff like hamburgers, hot dogs and nachos were available.

We checked into our room, which was clean, but honestly not what would be considered "four star," as advertised. The room itself was more like a Days Inn, to be quite honest. The bed was comfortable enough, and the hot water worked, as did the air conditioner and the television, so it could have been worse. We took a nap before dinner, exhausted from all the travel so far.

This was our first time at an "all-inclusive" resort, and weren't sure what to expect. We can be "food snobs" of sorts, and were worried about what it would be like eating from a buffet every night. The food the first night was decent, and it was nice to eat outside, listening to the birds around the resort.

After dinner was what what we hoped were signs of things to come. We walked down to the beach and saw a man with a flashlight looking for something. We asked what he was looking for and he told us he was looking for animals. He then pointed to what he called a mapache running into the forest. We'd never heard of them before, but were thrilled to see our first glimpse of Costa Rican wildlife, right there at the resort. (As it turns out, mapache is spanish for 'raccoon', so -not that wild) But the man then told us that there was a monkey up in the trees! We couldn't believe it. We followed him, and looked as he shone his light up into a tree. Sure enough, looking down on us was a howler monkey! We knew that howler monkeys lived in the area, and were hopeful to see one, but were thrilled to see one the very first night. Then as we walked back to the hotel, we saw another animal in our path - It was a coati (pronounced KWA-tee) - a cousin to the raccoon that we know here in the States, but very different looking and unlike the common raccoon is not nocturnal. It took one look at us and took off.

So we were very excited as we headed off to sleep - our first night sleeping in amazing Costa Rica!

Outta Here..

No more posts for awhile... The wife and I are headed off to vacation! Mookie's going on vacation too, but not with us. She's going to spend the week with a nice woman with a bunch of dogs, which means Mookie will get plenty of attention. See you later!

Mookie Of The Month - February

What's Mookie looking at? She's looking for the damned groundhog that made it snow.

(Britney's) Baby You Can Drive My Car

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department is concerned that Britney Spears isn't following state laws about using proper child restraint in the car. A paparazzi outfit named X17 (don't ask me) snapped this shot of Britney driving her SUV with her baby in her lap. Britney defended her actions by saying she

"was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger. I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm's way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us."

I am not saying I know what it's like to have photographers following me around everywhere, and I am sure it's annoying, but really, how in the world could Britney Spears or her kid have been in danger because of photographers?

I think being a paparazzi is a pretty pathetic job, personally, but their job is to take pictures of celebrities, and it would seem like, if you're a celebrity, if you would just stand there and let the dumb photographers take your picture instead of racing around like it's some kind of cat and mouse game your life would be a lot simpler.

And then hey, who knows, maybe the tabloids would just publish pictures of you shopping instead of you driving around with a baby on your lap!

Mookie Meets Aqua Teen Hunger Force

Okay, so this will likely be my weirdest post ever. Click below the photo to read a comic where Mookie meets Aqua Teen Hunger Force. No further explanation necessary. Enjoy!

click here to read the comic

24 Frickin' Rocks

Okay, I love this show. Last night I was thrilled when I realized that Kim Bauer (Elisha Cuthbert) will soon make an appearance. In the meantime here are some cool 24-related links. To explain the links in advance would ruin them. Instead, just visit:

http://www.notrly.com/jackbauer/index.php?topthirty

http://www.mcsweeneys.net/2006/2/7ruenprapan.html

http://www.ccir.ed.ac.uk/~jad/ringtone.html

Another Celeb Couple Call It Quits

About two months ago I published a posting that Sheryl Crow was annoyed that tabloids were publishing untrue rumors that she and her fiancee Lance Armstrong were splitting up. Now, this past Friday, Crow and Armstrong announced that, indeed, they are calling it quits.

This goes to further prove my theory about celebrities and tabloid journalism: With all the crap that is published in the rags on a daily basis, whenever a celebrity takes the time out to dispute a given rumor, it's a real good sign that the rumor is actually true.

Super Bowl Ads

Of all the ads I saw tonight, I still like one that debuted a few years back the best. The CareerBuilder.com ads with the office filled with monkeys cracks me up everytime. Partly because I think everyone has had jobs like that, and partlt because I think it would be ablast to hang around actual monkeys all day, rather than people who act like monkeys. I'm talking about jobs I've had IN THE PAST, of course.

By the way, I apologize for the lack of posts on this blog lately - I've been posting more frequently at www.transplantedmetsfan.com, but truthfully I've felt like my last few posts here were rather weak, and I have been waiting for inspiration to spark some better writing.

Come back soon for some very special new Mookie material though!

Punxsutawney Phil: America's Most Misunderstood Rodent?

He is a rodent, right?

Anyway, Happy Groundhog Day, everyone! Today, the prognosticator known as Punxsutawney Phil allegedly predicted six more weeks of winter. Why do I say 'allegedly'? Because I believe Phil's predictions are being misunderstood, year after year.

Most sites I checked say Phil is right about 39% of the time. That's not even as good as flipping a coin! Well, I believe in Phil. I would like to pose the theory that his accuracy rate is actually 61%, and we have just gotten the whole 'see his shadow/not see his shadow' interpretation of weather forecast reversed!

On the other hand, I should also point out that Phil has "seen his shadow" 94 times out of the last 117 times, so maybe we should stop dragging the poor bastard out of his hole every year and wait for him to send us an e-mail or something with his prediction.

Flag Daze

Mookie is getting acclimated to the underground fence, but slowly. So far she won't violate the boundary, mostly because she won't go anywhere near the flags that mark it! She won't go within 15 feet of one!

I just found out about a job search engine that helps you find jobs that allow you to bring your dog with you to the office. I don't think Mookie would do well in an office, but I am going to give Mookie the link. I want her to find herself a job where she can bring me in to work with her. I wouldn't mind taking a nap on the floor while she earned some money.

Celebrity Schmuck Of The Month

You need to check out proof that Brad Pitt adopts a hairstyle to match whatever woman he is dating at the time. What a hammer.

UPDATE: Thanks Tubby for pointing out the bad link. Here is the right one.

Woe Is Mookie

We tried to give Mookie a gift this weekend - the gift of freedom. Little Mookie loves to run around our yard, but we usually have to keep a leash on her because she likes to run into the neighbor's yard and sniff around their barbecue. We also felt that she wasn't getting enough time outside, with the chance to run around and exercise. So this Saturday we spent most of the day installing an underground fence.

It was relatively easy to install, and I had it finished Sunday afternoon. Then it was time to start the training.

Basically, the training is that you allow the dog to wander towards the boundary, marked by white flags, until she gets a "correction" (i.e static shock), at which time you pull her back into the yard, praise her, give her a treat and then wiggle the flag to show her it was because she crossed the boundary that she got zapped. They say the system is safe for any dog over 8 pounds (Mookie is about 28 lbs.), but we tested the collar on ourselves and it is not pleasant!

I think we traumatized our dog! So far, she's been "corrected" (i.e. zapped) three times. She definitely does not like the zapping, but I don't think she is making the connection between getting shocked and the boundary. She is very cautious outside right now, because I think she is afraid this could happen at any time while outside. Usually I have to drag her back inside after a little while outside, but this morning she wanted to go back in as quick as possible!

Hopefully she will learn quickly, and learn that outside is still fun, as long as she stays within the boundary. I feel so guilty!

A Real Ringer

This week I got a new cell phone, the Samsung a950. In addition to all the things a phone is supposed to do, it has a 1.3 megapixel camera and an mp3 player included. Pretty cool, huh?

The only problem with the 1.3 megapixel capability is that you can't send a picture that large over the airwaves. I took a picture at the camera's highest limits, but now the picture is just stuck in the phone, only viewable through the phone's 1 inch LCD display! I can't even transer the picture to my computer via a cable, like a regular digital camera. To transfer a picture, I need to buy a special $99 Trans Flash memory card and separately, a card reader to connect to a computer (I don't know how much that reader is). Okay, well that doesn't really bother me. I already have a decent digital camera, and at low settings, the phone's camera is useful for assigning pics to a person's phone number, or sending quick snapshots to friends.

The mp3 player would be okay, if I didn't already have an iPod, or was willing to shell out $2.50 per song.

What I DO like about the phone, besides that it looks cool, is the ability to record custom ringtones with the built-in microphone or through e-mail. Because of that feature, I finally have the ringtone I have always wanted, ever since I got my first cell phone - The original 1962 version of "Meet The Mets", the Mets' theme song. Heh, heh...

Speaking of the Mets, I started a new blog today, about what it's like to be a transplanted Mets fan. The url is www.transplantedmetsfan.blogspot.com Hope you enjoy it!

Save CBGB's!

Wow. I just read that legendary Manhattan club CBGB's has announced it will close indefinitely on Halloween 2006. I don't know when this news broke, but I just read it on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.

I had looked up CBGB because for some reason I was thinking of the place and I couldn't remember what the letters on the sign outside the club stood for. The letters on the awning are:

CBGB
OMFUG









As it turns out, according to Wikipedia:

The full name is CBGB & OMFUG which stands for "Country, Bluegrass, and Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers".

"And gormandizers is a voracious eater of, in this case, music." - Hilly Kristal, proprietor of CBGB.

CBGB's is most famous for being the place where The Ramones became famous. Since then, virtually every band who ever made it (as well as countless other bands who never made it), played at CBGB at one time in their careers. When I was in college my friends and I used to see shows there all the time. The first time I went there, I thought it was an absolute dive. I couldn't understand what the big deal was. I knew some big names had played there in the past, including Tom Petty, and that in some ways it was the birthplace of American punk rock, but when I looked around, all I could see was that the place was a wreck! Obviously I was not cool enough to appreciate what "punk rock" was all about. Heh, heh.

Anyway, regardless of what the place looks like, CBGB is a little piece of history of American music, and it will be a damn shame when it closes. The owners are working to find another location in Manhattan, or God forbid, Las Vegas. In the meantime, head down to CBGB while you still can. And you may want to ignore what the place looks like, but don't. Embrace it. Eventually I came to realize that true rock and roll isn't all polished and neat and shiny. It's all about the energy, and I've never been in a club with more energy than CBGB.

Link: www.savecbgb.org

A Million Little Opinions

This month America went nuts over the revelation that some of the events in James Frey's memoir A Million Little Pieces were either exaggerated or completely made up. I didn't read the book after Oprah picked it for her Book Of The Month club, but my wife did. My wife loved the book and the message it conveyed. She was amazed when she saw James Frey appear on Oprah, amazed that a man who seemed so nice could have committed so the heinous acts described in the book.

So then The Smoking Gun comes out with these accusations, and James Frey appears on Larry King to defend himself. Oprah even calls into the show, defending Frey, and says this is all "much ado about nothing," because the message in the book is the message in the book, and people connected to the book, and whether or not things were exaggerated is irrelevant.

As I said, I didn't read the book, so I can't say if it would matter to me to find out events described in the book did not exactly happen as written.

I did, however, read a memoir by Dave Eggers titled A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius. This book was suggested to me by Amazon.com based on earlier purchases, and was given to me as a gift by a co-worker this past Christmas. I read about the critical acclaim for the book and that it was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. I had become somewhat of a fan of Eggers through his website, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, so I was excited to read his bestseller.

I was disappointed by AHWOSG. The first half was quite compelling, but the narrative completely fell apart for me midway through, as the story of a young man attempting to raise his orphaned younger brother was interrupted by other, extraneous, stories, especially of the launch of Might Magazine and Eggers' attempts to become a castmember of The Real World.

I recently read that James Frey was also disappointed by Eggers book:

"A book that I thought was mediocre was being hailed as the best book written by the best writer of my generation. F**k that. And f**k him and f**k anybody who says that. I don't give a f**k what they think about me. I'm going to try to write the best book of my generation and I'm going to try to be the best writer."

And this was before all the criticism levied at Frey. Before Pieces even came out! Now, looking back, it's quite ironic that AHWOSG was the target of Frey's attack. Like Pieces, Eggers' book was also a memoir, but there were events in the book that also were clearly embellished, exaggerated, and convoluted. As a reader, there was no doubt that Eggers had drifted into fiction territory. Even more of a difference however, is that Eggers wrote extremely explicit disclaimers to these passages in the book's foreword. At the time, these drawn out disclaimers seemed odd to me, as some sort of literary device, or an attempt to add humor to the story of what had been a traumatic part of his life.

Now though, as Frey defends his work as a memoir that was not meant to be taken as an autobiographical exact account of events, he must be haunted by his attacks on AHWOSG, a memoir whose author went to great lengths to precisely explain where he had drawn lines between fiction and non-fiction.

In summation, I somewhat agree with Frey's assessment of AHWOSG, but I think he should regret making it.

Everyone's Favorite Long Islanders

Like many other 17 year old male Long Islanders at the time, I had a minor obsession with "The Long Island Lolita," Amy Fisher back in the early 1990's. Well, Amy went away for awhile, then resurfaced a few years back when she got out of prison. She landed a job as a columnist for the The Island Ear, and appeared on Oprah Winfrey last year to talk about the whole ordeal (and to promote her autobiography). Meanwhile, Joey and Mary Jo divorced, with Joey he moving out to Hollywood to try and pursue an acting career. So far, not much has happened there.

Well, I guess the trio feels they haven't received enough publicity, because they've gotten together to plan a TV reunion!

"It's been nearly 15 years, so it's time to just put it behind us," Fisher, now 31, told the New York Post.

Why is it that some people think the best way to "put something behind them," is to appear on national television to talk about it?

Myth Busters

If you ever get an e-mail forwarded to you with a story of a missing kid, or a scandalous statement by a politician, or a call to boycott a store because of a particular policy, it's a good idea to try and find out if the information is true before continuing the e-mail chain. The easiest way to do this is to go to Google and type in the word "snopes" and a key phrase from the e-mail, like the name of the missing kid or the damning phrase uttered by the famous person. Most likely your search will bring you to snopes.com, a site dedicated to the topic of urban legends. They are really good at investigating the veracity of stories that are circulating.

Here's one example:

From: http://www.snopes.com/racial/business/hilfiger.asp

Claim: Designer Tommy Hilfiger shocked the world when he appeared on a television talk show and said, "If I knew that blacks and Asians were going to wear my clothes, I would have never designed them."

Status: False
Rumors that Tommy Hilfiger made a racist remark exploded onto the Internet in the fall of 1996 after a news article purporting to be from a Philippines tabloid began making the online rounds. One version had him saying, "If I knew that blacks and Asians were going to wear my clothes, I would have never designed them." More colorful renditions had him making his shocking revelation on national TV and Oprah Winfrey then throwing him off her show. (Oddly enough, the same story has been told about Liz Claiborne since 1991, that Oprah threw her off the show after Liz claimed she didn't design for Black women as "their hips are too big." That didn't happen either.

A 1997 newspaper article debunking this tale noted:

In one cybermyth, Hilfiger supposedly told style reporter Elsa Klensch of CNN that he didn't think Asians looked good in his clothes. Then, as the story morphed, he told Winfrey the same thing about Blacks, at which point she threw him off the set.

Yet representatives of both shows deny Hilfiger ever appeared as a guest.

A 1999 article also carried denials from officials of the shows on which the incident is rumored to have taken place:

"Tommy Hilfiger has never appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show," said Audrey Pass, a spokeswoman for Winfrey. "Hilfiger's never appeared on CNN Style with Elsa Klensch," said Kathy Park of CNN.

Oprah herself did what she could to quell this slander. On Monday, 11 January 1999, she opened her show by adamantly denouncing the rumor, emphatically stating the following:

So I want to just set the record straight once and for all. The rumor claims that clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger came on this show and made racist remarks, and that I then kicked him out. I just want to say that is not true because it just never happened. Tommy Hilfiger has never appeared on this show. READ MY LIPS, TOMMY HILFIGER HAS NEVER APPEARED ON THIS SHOW. And all of [the] people who claim that they saw it, they heard it — it never happened. I've never even met Tommy Hilfiger.

Here's another one. http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/diamond.asp

Claim: Diamond Pet Brands dog food has caused canine deaths.

Status: True.
Origins: A voluntary recall involving a number of Diamond Pet Foods products is in effect in 24 states (Alabama, Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Vermont, and West Virginia). The recall has been issued because dogs in 22 states have died as a result of ingesting this brand's product that had been contaminated with Aflatoxin.


Okay, one more... http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

Claim: Cell phone users must register their numbers with the national "Do Not Call" directory to prevent their cell phone numbers from being released to telemarketers.

Status: False.

Example:
Greetings To All of My Friends and Family

In just 4 days from today all U. S. cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketing companies and you will begin to receive sales calls. You will be charged for these calls! Even if you do not answer, the telemarketer will end up in your voice mail and you will be charged for all of the minutes the incoming (usually recorded) message takes to complete. You will then also be charged when you call your voice mail to retrieve your messages.

To prevent this, call 888-382-1222 from your cell phone. This is the national DO NOT CALL list; it takes only a minute to register your cell phone number and it blocks most telemarketers calls for five years.

In case you have friends other than me, pass this on to them.

Origins: Despite dire warnings about the imminent release of cell phone numbers to telemarketers that continue to be circulated via e-mail year after year, no such thing is about to occur, nor do cell phone users have to register their cell phone numbers with the national Do Not Call registry before a soon-to-pass deadline to head off an onslaught of telemarketing calls. The panic-inducing e-mails (which circulate especially widely every January, since many versions of the warning list the end of that month as a cut-off date for registering cell phone numbers with the national Do Not Call registry) have grown out of a misunderstanding about the proposed creation of a wireless directory assistance service.

Here's the truth:

A national directory will be compiled, but numbers will be included on an opt-in basis. If a cell phone subscriber does nothing, the number will not be listed. When the directory is ready, it will be available only as part of the existing 411 directory service, accessed by calling in and asking for a specific number. It will not be published in a book or on the Internet. And it will not be sold to telemarketers.

Cell phone subscribers can list their numbers on the do-not-call registry if they choose, but there is no deadline to get on the list, as the e-mail messages now circulating suggest

Some versions of the exhortation to cell phone users to add their names to the Do Not Call Registry erroneously state there is a specific deadline for getting listed. Says Lois Greisman, the Federal Trade Commission official who oversees the anti-telemarketing registry: "There is no deadline; there never has been a deadline to register."

Adding one's cell phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry won't have any adverse effect, but customers should be aware of exactly what that action will and will not accomplish.

Updates: Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular Corp. have always declined to participate in the proposed cell phone directory, and initial partners Sprint Corp. and Alltel Corp. have since pulled away from the project due to concerns about bad publicity and possible new government regulations. So, as of January 2005, even if the cell phone directory database were compiled as planned, at least 45% of U.S. cell phone numbers wouldn't be included.

So, there you go. Lets end the misinformation together!

Check out these investigations of e-mails you may have gotten recently:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/muddled.asp
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/fishfly.asp
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/pitman.asp

Top V TV Shows

Here are my 5 favorite shows on TV:

1. 24 (FOX)
2. Lost (ABC)
3. The Office (NBC)
4. Aqua Teen Hunger Force (TOON)
5. Family Guy (FOX)

Sorry, CBS, I did really like "Everybody Loves Raymond," I'm just not a 'CSI' kind of guy.

Nine Tonight

Don't bother rearranging your schedule to watch tonight's 8PM broadcast of Lost. That episode is actually a rerun of last week's 9PM episode. Instead, wait, have a late dinner, and tune in at 9PM tonight, when the new episode airs.

Dating Drew Barrymore

Oh! I almost forgot the other movie we rented this weekend... There is a documentary out called "My Date With Drew," which chronicles the adventures of Brian Herzlinger as he attempts to meet, and secure a date, with his longtime crush, Drew Barrymore. On it's own, the movie is just "okay," I give it a B-," but we found it really funny for some personal reasons.

Firstly, way back in the day, my friend Tubby and I once made a movie called "I Won't Back Down," which was a goofy comedy chronicling my (fictional) attempts to meet Tom Petty and get him to perform a song I wrote for him. A song called "Devil Dogs."

Okay, now the other reason that "Drew" was so enjoyable was the fact that Brian H. appears to be the long-lost, separated-at-birth, twin brother of my good friend Scott. Not only do they look alike, but the mannerisms, expression, and personality are dead-on as well. Even if you don't know my friend Scott, perhaps you will still be amazed by the physical resemblence:

24 is back!

I was a little unsure about this season of '24,' my favorite show on television. The reason is that this season Jack Bauer is a man who is supposed to be dead, so I was afraid the show would go in a weird, Michael Knight-type direction. But I was not disappointed in the least by last night's two-hour premiere. Even if you missed it, now is the time to get on board by watching tonight's two-hour "part two" of the premiere.I've said this before, but '24' is essentially "Die Hard: The TV Series. If you enjoyed those films, you will love this show.

The show is supposed to take place in a real-time format, but if you try to analyze all the times where characters must be using teleporters to get from one place to another for it to actually be "real-time" you'll make yourself crazy and distract yourself from the action and drama.

Last night Jack's daughter Kim was mentioned but not seen, so I can only hope this season marks the return of Elisha Cuthbert.

More movies

The Dukes Of Hazzard: At the suggestion of my good buddy Tubby, I rented The Dukes Of Hazzard last week. I thought Willie Nelson was funny in his role as Uncle Jesse, and Burt Reynolds was a fine choice for a slimmer, more evil, Boss Hogg. I was also very happy to see Flash, even if Roscoe P. Coltrane was meaner than I remember him to be. Johnny Knoxville was surprisingly good in this movie as Luke Duke. I never would have guessed he could act! Sean Willams Scott did an acceptable job as Bo. As for Jessica Simpson, well, I don't think she had two dozen lines in the entire movie so I can't rip apart her acting apart too badly. Essentially she was just there to walk around in sexy outfits, which she did very well. Of course, my favorite part of the movie was this exchange of dialogue:

Boss Hogg: Do you really think you can fix this thing (The General Lee)?

Cooter: Well, I'm fixing to fix her.

Hogg: You couldn't fix an election if your brother was the governor!

I also was happy to see a guy wearing a Full Moon Fever T-shirt throw a hot dog at a guy wearing an armadillo hat. That was pretty damn funny. Especially because I'm pretty sure I once have had a hot dog thrown at me while I was wearing a Tom Petty shirt.

The Dukes of Hazzard makes for a good rental if you don't want to think too much.
Grade: B

Munich: On the completely other end of the spectrum, the latest film from Steven Spielberg takes a look at the aftermath of the massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics. I thought the movie was a bit long, and though I haven't read any other reviews to corroborate my theory, but to me the movie seemed to be a statement about the aftermath of 9/11. This is in line with something my wife said she was once told by a professor: A historical movie often says just as much about the time period in which it was made as it does about the film's subject.
Grade: B

(By the way, It feels a bit weird to give identical ratings to a brainless comedy and a movie that could be considered Oscar-worthy, but I need to judge films within their own category. Catch my drift?)

I have seen a lot of movies lately, but the cool thing is that I haven't paid full price for any movie since King Kong. The reason is that at the theatre I live near they are very generous when it comes to matinees. We saw Munich on Saturday at 4:50PM and only paid the matinee price of $5.50. Any movie before 5:00, any day of the week, is a matinee. We literally paid more for the snacks at the concession stand! Also, gift cards for Blockbuster and Hollywood Video are beautiful things.

That's all for now. But we also rented Million Dollar Baby, so look for a review later this week!

Mookie Of The Month - January

New Camaro Pics

Check out pics of the new Camaro from the North American International Auto Show:

Click here for slideshow

24 starts Sunday!

Did you know that '24' star Elisha Cuthbert has a blog? About hockey???

http://www.nhl.com/blogcentral/cuthbert_blog.html

Watch the two hour premiere of '24' this Sunday night, and then the next two hours on Monday!

Recent Movies

Blogging has been light this month because I simply haven't been inspired by anything enough to post a note about it. More to come, though! In the meantime, here are some short takes on some movies and DVDs I've recently watched:

Fever Pitch: This movie was excellent. I laughed throughout the movie, and I must admit I cried at the end (not when guy got girl - when the Red Sox won!). I think it would be best appreciated by a die-hard baseball fan, like myself, or the significant other of a die-hard baseball fan, like my wife. Drew Barrymore is rather lousy in this movie, but it didn't hurt the film overall.
Grade: A-

Cinderella Man: Much better than I expected. This is much more than a boxing movie, even though it happens to be a very good boxing movie. But it is also a look at what life was like in New York during the depression. I would give it an "A" except Renee Zelwegger got on my nerves quite a bit.
Grade A-

Must Love Dogs: In all fairness, I can only give a review for the first 20 minutes of this movie. It was so painful that I had to turn it off. Unlike Mses. Barrymore and Zelwegger, I really like Diane Lane and I don't dislike John Cusack, but the dialog in this movie is so atrocious that even Oscar winners couldn't deliver them with conviction. If anyone was able to sit through this train wreck and would like to give me their take, please post a comment.
Grade: F / Incomplete

Broken Flowers: You may not have heard of this film, which I assume went direct to DVD, but I picked it up on a whim at the video store. This is a low-budget, independent film, and stars Bill Murray. I liked this movie a lot, though it may not be for everyone. It's oddly paced, and doesn't have a typical Hollywood-ending, but all in all it is a nice break from the usual fare.
Grade: B+

Rumor Has It: The concept for this film makes for a funny premise. It's sort of a sequel to The Graduate. The film is amusing enough, but for a movie that pays homage to such a great film, I was really annoyed at some very sloppy editing. Several times during the film, when there was a conversation between two actors, it was extremely obvious that when the character who had her back to you was talking, the vocal track was from a different take. The facial movements did not line up at all, and there were audio cues to tip you off as well. This may seem like nitpicking, but I found it very distracting, and one of the people who was with me noticed it as well. It made a mediocre film even worse. Kevin Costner sucked too, as usual.
Grade: C

Fun With Dick and Jane: The trailers looked like Dick and Jane would be a lot of fun, but unfortunately this movie was seriously lacking in the areas of both "fun" and "funny." Jim Carrey tries really hard to carry this very flat film, but to no avail. Ultimately, it may have been that the movie's theme (people losing their jobs and pensions due to corporate bankrupty caused by executive fraud) is just too serious a topic to get enough laughter.
Grade: C-

Letterman

It's been a while since I was able to stay awake late enough to watch Late Show, but I found this excerpt from the transcript of Bill O'Reilly's appearance amusing:

DAVE LETTERMAN, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": How were your holidays? Good?

O'REILLY: I had a nice winter solstice, yes.

LETTERMAN: OK.

O'REILLY: You can't say Christmas.

LETTERMAN: You can't say Christmas? Why is that?

O'REILLY: Because it's politically incorrect. And we did a lot of reporting on this. And that was a big thing that we were doing leading up to the -- while you were in St. Bart's, we were leading up to the Christmas holiday by saying, "Hey, how come we can't say Christmas?

LETTERMAN: I wasn't aware that you couldn't say "Christmas." When did this happen?

O'REILLY: Sears-Kmart started it. They said, "No more Christmas. It's all Happy Holidays or Winter Solstice. I actually got a card from a friend of mine that said, "Have a blessed winter." I live in New York. You know what you can do with your blessed winter, you know what I'm talking about it? Are you with me, Dave?

LETTERMAN: I wasn't aware that this had happened.

O'REILLY: You weren't aware of the big, giant controversy over Christmas?

LETTERMAN: Well, I ignore stuff like that. It doesn't really affect me. I go ahead and do what I want to do. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah.

O'REILLY: Here's why it matters.

LETTERMAN: Yes.

O'REILLY: You with me on this?

LETTERMAN: Yes.

O'REILLY: OK. Ridgewood Elementary School in Dodgeville, Wisconsin. The song "Silent Night"? "Silent Night," you know? Knocked out the words and told the little kids to sing, "Cold in the night, no one in sight. Winter winds whine and bite. How I wish I was happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm." They replaced the words to "Silent Night" with that.
Now, with all due respect, I even think the baby Jesus would say, "Give me a break." You know? You want another one?

LETTERMAN: No, but what -- I don't -- but what does this prove? It proves that community of...

O'REILLY: It proves there are pinheads at the Ridgewell Elementary School in Wisconsin. That's what it proves. Here's another one. You want another one, or are you bored with this?
LETTERMAN: I kind of think we should -- I mean, but isn't this the kind of thing where, like, once or twice every 20 years, somebody gets outraged and says, "Oh my God, we've got to put diapers on horses."

Worst Christmas Gift Ever!

I always resented the popularity of Sesame Street's Elmo. As a kid, my fave character was Grover, and I was annoyed that his glory was cast aside when the Sesame Streeters colored him orange and had him neutered to create the high-strung Elmo character. After reading this article, I'm convinced that the little bastard is evil!

Family members said 16-month-old Miranda Boll's new book, "Potty Time With Elmo," was supposed to teach an interactive lesson using voice commands.

However, when the book's buttons are pressed, it reportedly says something it is not supposed to -- "who wants to die?"

Nice, Elmo. Real Nice. You don't hear Super Grover making those kinds of comments!

Mike V and Annie's Beer, Cheese, and Potato Soup

Made this last night. Mmmmmm...

Annie and Mike V's Beer, Cheese, and Potato Soup
(serves 8)
Ingredients:

5 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch pieces
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, diced
12 oz. bottle of Amstel Light (or beer of choice)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 celery stalks, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 can of corn
2 lbs. Velveeta, cubed
salt and fresh ground pepper


1. Put the potatoes and 1 cup cold water in a microwaveable bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Vent the plastic wrap with a fork or knife. Microwave on high for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

2. In a large pot, saute the garlic and onions in olive oil on medium/high heat.

3. Add potatoes and the water they steamed in.

4. Add beer, chicken broth, and just enough water to cover potatoes (about two cups)

5. Add flour, corn starch, celery, salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper. Stir regularly to prevent potatoes from sticking to the bottom and burning.

6. Once liquid has begun to thicken, add milk and corn. Cook at medium heat for about two or three more minutes.

7. Reduce heat to low, and add Velveeta cheese. Stir continuously to prevent cheese from burning in bottom of pot. I like to add more black pepper at this point.

8. Be patient and wait for more thickening! We are looking for a nice, thick chowder here. Once the soup is really nice and thick you are ready to serve.

Best served with warm biscuits.

Mmmmmmm....

Top V Films of 2005

Here are the 5 best movies I saw in 2005. I didn't see a TON of movies last year, but of the ones I did see, these are the ones I liked best:

1. Hotel Rwanda
2. Batman Begins
3. March Of The Penguins
4. Wedding Crashers
5. Sin City

Honorable Mentions:

The 40 Year Old Virgin
Shopgirl
The Family Stone
War Of The Worlds (Because of how much of a jerk Tom Cruise is, I really did not want to see this film, but the special effects were the best I've ever seen, and I just have to admit Mr. Cruise is a really good actor.)

Other Movie I Must Mention:

Fever Pitch - I have not actually seen this movie - I avoided it because I thought known Mets fan Jimmy Fallon was a traitor for celebrating on the field when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series, but then I found out that was part of the filming of this movie (in the script of which the Red Sox lose and agonizing defeat but the movie had to be altered due to actual events) and everyone who knows me says I should go see this because I'll love it. I plan on renting it soon!

Top V Books of 2005

Happy New Year!

Here are the 5 best books I read in 2005:

1. Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
3. Freakonomics by Levitt and Dubner
4. The Bad Guys Won! by Jeff Pearlman
5. America The Book by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show

Honorable Mentions:
Cradle To Cradle by McDonough and Braungart
Automatic Millionaire by David Bach
Superstud by Paul Feig
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown