New Direction/ First List: Desired DVD Sets

Ok, I have failed at updating lately. So, I have decided to take the blog in a new direction. That direction is Lists. I love top ten lists, or list of any kind really. My lists won't always be 10 items long. Sometimes they will be shorter, sometimes longer. Perhaps this new theme will make it a little easier to come up with something to talk about. I am up for suggestions.

On with the first list....

Desired DVD Sets

7. Full Metal Alchemist

The only animated series on my list, Full Metal Alchemist is one of the few "anime" shows I have taken an interest in (the other being "Trigun"). I caught a few episodes of this one in college and thought it was pretty interesting. I would like to sit down and watch the entire series.

6. M.A.S.H.

Love this show! Love it! The writing is fantastic. I grew up watching the re-runs.

5. The Cosby Show

Another show I grew up watching. This has to be some of the funniest stuff ever on television. You have to love the way Cliff interacts with his family. I will never forget this line, "Son, your mother sent me up here to kill you".

4. The Shield

Intriguing. Dark. Dirty (but some how still good) cops. What else is there?

3. Seinfeld

Jerry. Elaine. George. Kramer. This series had some great episodes. True, the final episode waned a little, but as whole the series is solid.

2. Freaks and Geeks

I don't even know if this show ever made it to DVD. (looking it up right now...) It did! NBC cancelled this show after ones season. My brother and I were really upset, because we really liked it. (It also starred an young Seth Rogan and young James Franco.)

1. ER

I think I watched this show every season for at least the first ten seasons. To be honest I got a little busy with life and it couldn't hold my attention. But, I did tune in for the final episode. This would be a great series to watch from start to finish. Dr Greene's death has to be one of the best episodes.

Zoo Day!

Yay! Kat and I went to the Zoo today! I had a great time, mostly because of the company. Let me break down our trip to the zoo for you, both the good and the bad.

Admission: We actually had free tickets to the zoo because of a work related event. So. score one for us! But, if we had to pay it would have been 11 bucks each. Thats a little more than I would like to pay, but I guess that is a good deal compared to other things around. BTW, Houston Zoo offers many free admission days throughout the year. Good for them!

Parking: Another score for us here. Parking at the zoo is free! It is hard to find free parking for things this day in age. I was very pleased to see that the zoo did not charge.

The Weather: One reason Kat and I chose to go today was because we wanted to go before it got to far into summer weather. It turned out to be a semi-nice day. Yes, it was hot and bright today, but there were several shady areas in the zoo, and God also provided cloud cover from time to time. So, overall, I can't complain. Kat and were also sure to put on sunblock before out trip. I strongly recommend it.

People/Crowds: Ahhh, crowds. Another thing Kat and wanted to avoid by going earlier on in the summer. We knew that most schools get out for summer sometime in the next few weeks, and we wanted to avoid the large family crowds. There were a few small children groups there, but nothing too overwhelming. (Although, some of those kids were a little wild, and needed some home training.) For the most part, the zoo seemed kind of empty (not complaining here). There were a few times I felt as if Kat and I were the only ones in the park. (and then that led to thoughts of what to do with zoo animals in case of the zombie apocalypse. Long story) So, no crowds=good!

The Animals: I was fairly pleased with the variety of animals our zoo has to offer. There were the typical lions, tigers, and bears, but there were also zebras, exotic snakes, lots of different birds, and meerkats! I would be pleased if the zoo were to add more animals that we are not use to seeing at most family attractions.

As far as the animal watching went, I was a little let down. The most active animals were probably the birds, a few of the monkeys, and the red panda. As far as the larger animals went,(with the exception of the elephants and giraffes) we were lucky if we even saw them. Some were is the very back corner of their pens. The tiger, the lions, the bears and even the hoofed animals were just lying around. Now, I understand that it was the heat of the day, and they were probably tired, but it was still a little disappointing.

The Park: I found the zoo easy to navigate, and a good size too. But, a good majority of it was under construction. Some attractions were shutdown, as well as whole parts of the zoo. The zoo is adding a dinosaur exhibit this summer, so that was part of it, but it went beyond that. Kat and I often saw empty pens with no animals, and grass and weeds overtaking it. "Temporarily Closed" was a not uncommon sign most of the day. As far as those pens that were occupied by creatures, some of them could use a facelift. I mentioned to Kat that I thought some of the animals' areas looked sad and barren. Some color goes a long way.

Conclusion: I think you get what you pay for. Once the construction is out of the way, and the appropriate animals are returned to their empty cages, it will make for a great family outing. Parking is free, (and so is admission on certain holidays) so check the weather, grab the family and head on out to the Houston Zoo!

For kicks and giggles.

Ten Things

1. I am getting married in FIVE MONTHS!!!! to the very lovely, talented Katharine L. Weatherly.

2. I did not watch the LOST finale. Sorry.

3. Our show, The Little Foxes, got extended for one show Friday and one Saturday.

4. I really love the friends I have made here in Houston. I have a wonderful church family, and am very excited to be getting married here soon! I hope that God does not call us away from Houston any time soon. It is starting to feel like home.

5. I wish my college work place (Chuck's BBQ) was here in Houston. Man, I miss that place. Great Job.

6. I am listening to Counting Crows right now.

7. My parents are coming to town this weekend. I am really looking forward to seeing them.

8. Kat and I are going to the zoo tomorrow. I am pumped about it. Maybe I will blog about it. Check back for that and pics.

9. Wish I was ripped.

10. Can you believe that are actually making a Final Destination 5?!?

Top Forty

Pastemagazine.com has a list of the top forty tv theme songs of all time. I have to say there were some surprises. I didn't even watch half these shows.

I was glad to see that MASH made the list as well as All in the Family, Mr. Ed, and Welcome Back Kotter.

Who holds the number one spot? Read to find out.

Or just ask me.

Let's Get Your Opinion On the Matter

Ok, I got a speeding ticket back in February. I won't go into it, but the circumstances were lame. You can ask Stormy Mitchell, she was there. She'll tell you.

The ticket was going to be over 250 bucks. I had these three options of dealing with it.

1)Bite the bullet and pay up.

2)Go to court and contest it.

3)Take defensive driving, pay a smaller ticket penalty, and have it erased from my driving record.

Now, I chose to go with option 3. Here is why...

There is no way I could afford to pay over 250 dollars. I am saving up for a honeymoon, and every penny counts.

I was under the assumption that if I went to court, that I was going to have to pay fees no matter if I won or loss. However, I now know that if I had won the court fees and the ticket fine would have been dismissed. If I had know this, I might would have gone to court. From what I hear, if you choose a jury over a judge you pretty much always get off scott free.

I went with the third thinking it would be way cheaper. I knew that I was going to have to go through some paperwork and other headaches. I had no idea what a hassle it was going to actually be. It ended up being a lot more work than I thought. Plus, there were several hidden fees that they do not tell you about when they suggest Defensive Driving.

But, the final cost was not close to the actual ticket fee. So, I did come out cheaper and the ticket is wiped off the record.

They just want their money. I know it. You know it.

So, let me ask. What would you do? Pay the ticket and get it over with? Go to court and risk it, plus get the runaround on court dates (keep in mind you have to get out of work too)? or go through the hassle of Defensive Driving?

Please comment.

Ben Folds!

Got my girl a ticket to the Ben Folds concert at the House of Blues!

You Don't Know Me

Brick

Mr. Clean

Just cleaned my bathroom.

made me think of this.

Everyone's A Critic (my first restaurant review)

Tonight my fiance', Kat, and I tried out a new burrito joint called Bullritos. Kat had two coupons for free burritos, so we thought we would grab the bull by the horns (yeah, that was a pun. Brace yourself, there are plenty more coming) and give them a try.

Now, to be fair, I am a little bias because I love, love, love Mission Burrito.

But, I figured I would give them a chance.

The food was edi"bull". (haha). I mean, it was tasty, but it was not incredi"bull". And that might have been the best part.

To be honest, this was not the best night to give them a try. I requested corn, but they were out. Kat wanted a refill on ice, but the ice machine apparently broke while we were there. Unbelievea"bull"! (love this).

The atmosphere was just too "chainy" for me, if that makes sense. Everything was metallic, not inviting, not comforta"bull" enough. haha.

My biggest disappointment with Bullritos is that if you get a burrito in a bowl, they do not give you a tortilla shell on the side. We actually had to pay extra for chips. That is just horri"bull".

Oh, and the wait staff's shirts read, "100% Bull Shirt". Really? I am not offended by this, I just think its lame.

So, save your time and money, and just go to Mission Burrito. You will be glad you did. And that's no bull.

Spring Forward

Did everyone remember to set your clocks ahead one hour?

I hate losing the hour of sleep, but it is nice to have an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day.

Why do we do this?

or if you don't feel like reading that, there is always this.

Peace out everyone.

What I'm Doing

I am doing a load of laundry right now.

As soon as I publish this post I am headed out the door to get some milk.

Sorry if I wasted the last 30 seconds of your life. You should probably be reading a book right now anyway, instead of playing on the internet.

I'm out.

Lent, Anyone?

Raised in a Southern Baptist household, I have never had much knowledge of Lent. This year I am making an attempt to participate. But, that aside, today's blog is dedicated to Lent...

Lent-(in the Christian religion) an annual season of fasting and penitence in preparation for Easter, beginning on Ash Wednesdayand lasting 40 weekdays to Easter, observed by Roman Catholic, Anglican, and certain other churches.

also, the pass tense of lend (meaning to grant the use of (something) on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned.)

Lint- minute shreds or ravelings of yarn; bits of thread. Like this.

So, one could possibly lend some lint on Lent. cool.

Prez Day

Happy President's Day!

Here are a few fun facts in honor of this special day. (and by special, i mean i had to work today, so it was just like any other).

-Presidents Day was started in 1971 by Nixon.

-8 Presidents never attended college.

-Most common religious affiliation among Presidents has been Episcopalian.

-Oldest president inaugurated was Reagan.

-14 presidents served as vice presidents.

-James Buchanan was the only president to never marry. Sad day.

-Lincoln, Jefferson, F. Roosevelt, Washington, Kennedy, and Eisenhower are portrayed on U.S. coins.

-Washington was 6'2". I pictured him shorter.

-John Adams graduated from Harvard.

-James Madison was the shortest President at 5'4".

-Barack Obama does not like ice cream (I know, its a shame). but, he does collect Spider-Man comic books.

This has been fun facts with Jason.

Here is another for you. I'm out. Good night.

Two Minutes for Hooking

Tonight I went to my first hockey game. (Thanks to Will Ladesma). I have never really followed hockey and don't know much about it, but I had a great time. I found myself really getting into the game, and the more I understood about the way it was played the more I enjoyed it. Its nice to live in a city like Houston where there is actually a team to root for. And hey, our team actually won. 3-1. Thats nice to say. I have been to two Astros games and they lost both of those, so attending a winning game for your home team is nice. Its a good way to start out my hockey viewing. Go Aeros!

Here are a few highlights of the night...

Two Zambonies.

Treated myself to a hotdog and soda.

Great seats! Fourth row behind the goal!

Got to hear the Canadian National Anthem.

No. 6 for the opposing team (the Abbotsford Heat) looked like Bill Hader with a mustache. Take a look.

good night.

Worth the Watch?

Welcome to my first movie review for this blog. Come to think of it, I think this is my first movie review ever. I am afraid that my review might come off as me just rambling. If that's the case, then I am sorry. But, please know that I have lots of ideas and things to say, I am just not the best at putting them on paper (or in this case, on computer). Hope you still enjoy what I have to say.

Now, you need to know, as the reader, that my movie reviews (as well as music, etc) are not always going to be for current movies. It will be for whatever movie I have recently watched, new or old. Today's move review is for "The Break-up".

Movie: The Break-up

Director: Peyton Reed

Released: June 2006

Plot: In a bid to keep their luxurious condo from their significant other, a couple's break-up proceeds to get uglier and nastier by the moment.

Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Anniston, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Justin Long, Vincent D'Onofrio

Rating: PG-13

Let me go ahead and say that my biggest pet peeve with this movie was the use of the Lord's name in vain. "G-- D---" is said two or three times within the first ten minutes of the movie. As a Christian, that is enough to take me out of the movie watching experience right off the bat. There

was also some crass dialogue as well as a couple of bare butt shots (one male, one female), as well as a scene involving strip poker (no nudity there, but you can imaging what we do see).

Other than the above negative content, this movie was alright. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston make for a good pair, Vaughn being the funnier of the two. The movie is rounded out with a good supporting cast. Jon Favreau was probably my favorite character in this movie. He and Vaughn have starred beside each other a number of times and it shows. The scenes between them feel almost unscripted, which works, actually. Justin Long is pretty funny as the very effeminate receptionist and Vincent D'Onofrio is solid, as usual.

Another thing I liked about this movie is that it's ending was realistic. The once happy couple do not end up back together like they would in most films. They actually go their separate ways. Its kind of sad, but hey, real life is sad.

Now, despite the negative content, I think there is a lot we can take from this movie. The break-up in this movie is a result of, in my opinion, selfishness. (And just let me say that the couple was living together without being married, which can lead to all kinds of problems) Its the very common act of not wanting to put the other's needs before your own. Vaughn's character, Gary, doesn't want to do a simple task for his live-in girlfriend, Brooke, (Anniston) which of course leads to a dispute about how he doesn't help enough, and of course the ultimate break-up. Neither one moves out of the apartment in hopes that the other will apologize/move out first. Of course, that never happens and the apartment eventually sales, sending the two of them their separate ways. Gary does try to turn things around before the end, but it is too little too late.

What did I, what can we, take from this film? Well, I think it shows us all how important communication is. On the night of their big fight, Gary just leaves the apartment, instead of talking about things. Now, I can't promise that everything would have been fine between Gary and Brooke had they talked about things earlier on. (I guess we wouldn't have a movie then). But, they could have avoided a lot of hurt. Also, Gary and Brooke were not, in any way, putting the other first. And that is the only way for a relationship to survive. Put the other person before yourself. Again, I liked that the movie ended the way it did. I think the break-up and the things that went with it (i.e. hurt, anger, frustration) were the consequence of a break-down (ah, see what I did there) in communication. I felt bad for the characters, but through their mistakes, I think I learned something. I hope that I always communicate with Kat (my fiance') and always put her needs before mine.

Well, is "The Break-up" worth the watch?

Take away the language and some crudity, and I would say you have yourself a pretty good "stay at home" date movie.

Hope The Two of You Enjoy This

Well, I had this great idea for Top Ten on Thursday, which was gonna be a weekly segment. But, then I lost the post. Oh well, guess it will be Top Ten on Tuesday (I wanted a "T" theme). I guess this video will have to do.

Top Ten Tuesday

I think I am going to try to make Top Ten Tuesday a weekly thing. Don't hate on me if I miss a few. I am a busy guy. This thing right here ain't the only thing I got going on.

Anywho, Tonight's Top Ten: The Top Ten Things I Would Rather Do Than Be an Actor

(Keep in mind these are in no specific order. Sometimes the Top Ten will be, but not tonight)

1) Professional Bull Rider - I have always thought that professional bull riders were the pure definition of tough. It has to got to be a thrill to ride something that could very well kill you as soon as you are done. What a rush! Plus, as a professional you have the opportunity to bring in at least 100,000/yr.

2) Veterinarian- When I was little I loved animals. At that time I really thought I might be one when I grow up. But, things change. Sometimes I still think about being a horse vet. The average vet brings in about 75,000/yr.

3) Cinematographer- Before I went into acting, I thought about going into film making. But, not as a director, as a cinematographer. Sometimes when I go to the movies, I have to make myself pay attention to what is going on in the story or I will miss it because I am too focused on the cinematography. I will be thinking, "oooh that's a nice shot. I like how they did that there" and then suddenly realize that I have not been paying attention to the dialogue and now I have no idea whats going on. The average pay for a cinematographer in 2006 was between 26,000 and 60,000.

4) Stunt Man- I use to jump off things all the time. I played outside all the time when I was a kid. I was quite wild and was all over the place. I would climb trees, roll on the ground, and do the other crazy outdoor kid stuff. I had tons of energy. I remember jumping off this tree stump and rolling on the ground. My mom said, "you should be a stunt man". I remember thinking, "that's a job." It is indeed a job. The average stunt man (or stunt woman) makes about 5,000 to 70,000/yr.

5) Highschool Teacher- My mom is a teacher, and for a time, my father was also. I just think that teachers really do have a large effect on the life of children/teens. I don't really have a preference for what I would want to teach, but I think I would like to teach History. I know the relationships between teacher and students are not as sentimental as shows like Boy Meets World would have you believe, but I have always wanted to leave an impression on those younger than me. I think teaching would be a way to do that. Teachers make from 30,000 to 50,000 a year.

6) Stunt Driver- Man, how cool would it be to be the stunt driver for movies. You get to drive cars as fast as they can go or wreck them on purpose. I just think it is great that stunt driving is an actual job, haha. Salary is usually based upon experience and the film/project budget, but stunt drivers can make about 6 digits a year.

7) Professional Photographer- I have loved photography ever since I was a kid. I was always asking my mom and dad for a new camera. I loved taking photos. Sadly, I know little about the actual "science" of photography. I should have taken a class in college, but I never got around to it. I would love to own my own studio, and see my photos in popular magazines or books. Depending in what kind of photography they do, one could earn between 14,000 to 50,000 a year.

8) Musician- I love music. All kinds. I also like to play it to sold out crowds. I have always thought it would be cool to travel the country playing gigs here and there. I would play anywhere that would have me. It has to be a rush to play music in front of 50,000 people. It is a given that if you make it big, a professional musician (aka "rockstars") can make up to 50,000 or more. Of course, you have to make it big. Most never do.

9) Mascot- Ok, so its a little like acting. But, not quite. I think it would be cool to dress in a funny looking costume and entertain the crowds at a local sporting event. The theatre I work for has a mascot for the children's theatre, but I am too tall to wear the costume. Sad day. Depending on experience,and which team they are affiliated with, some mascots can make 30,000 a year. But, keep in mind that is for professional sports teams.

10) Video Game Tester- What could be more fun than playing video games all day. And if there is something you don't like about a game, you can make suggestions that a designer change it. Of course, its not all fun and games, but hey, no job is flawless. Game testers make an average of 30,000 a year.

Everyone Else Was Doing It

Guess I am starting one of these things too.

My first idea was to do a blog of Top 10's. But then I decided that I have more to talk about than just the top ten things I did over the year, or what ten video games have left an impression since childhood (which will be a post, trust me).

So, I bring you In My Opinion. Just my thoughts about things. I hope to cover movies, music, books, books that have been turned into movies...you name it! (that could be an idea there. Readers name a topic and I give my opinion).

I hope to do weekly/monthly things like upcoming movies I am excited about, book reviews, Top Tens, Do's and Don'ts, CD reviews, Etc. And just basically ramble about my life.

Thanks for starting this journey with me. The layout may change as I get use to the site, but the thoughts will always be original.

But, hey, that's just my opinion.