The Gun Debate...

With gun control such a huge topic right now, I think it’s time for me to give my opinion on the whole ordeal and here it is…  Maybe it’s me but there needs be more restrictions and laws put in place to govern privately owned firearms.  My guess is that will be too broad for both the gun nuts and conservatives that want all privately owned guns taken away.

The gun nuts will try to tell me there are already too many laws in place and I’m trying to take away their rights due to the 2^nd Amendment.  First of all the 2^nd Amendment is a bill that was created in 1791 that gives people a right to keep and bear arms.  Let me stay that again, the bill was created in 1791 when none of those Founding Fathers could even fathom a semi-automatic or fully automatic assault rifle capable of killing 100’s of people in minutes.  Guns in 1791 were single shot weapons that couldn’t be reloaded within a couple of minutes.  They were loaded through the muzzle and by means of fire through a flintlock.  So basically, it was just as dangerous loading the damn thing as it was firing it at someone.  Revolvers wouldn’t be invented until 1835, use smokeless powder until 1885 or load bullets from a clip until 1890.  Shit, the first automatic rifle wasn’t even made until 1887.  Do you see the problem here?  These ancient “arms” weren’t capable of doing the damage they can do now.  If someone fired a 1791 musket in a mall, he would be tackled or put down before he could even load the thing a second time.

Let’s also look at why that Amendment was even put in there in the first place.  Well the country was brand fucking new and only extended as far as Ohio.  Which means there was a danger from Indians, other countries invading our young asses and wild animals breathing down our necks.  With an advanced military, police and other means of protection, I don’t think you have to worry about a Native American sneaking on your property to scalp your ass.

The nuts that want to stand behind the 2^nd Amendment just aren’t being realistic.  Also, the Amendment doesn’t say that laws can’t be put in place to regulate “arms”. In fact, I think if you could go back in time and ask any of these Founding Fathers, they’d be all for restricting who gets “arms” and how they should be regulated.  Especially if you could show them how destructive they become.  For those that want to take them away entirely, that’s not fair as well.  Not only is their protection for that in the Constitution but I think people should have a right to protect themselves or own anything they damn well please.  Most of the gun owners in the country are actually pretty responsible and if you look at the recent tragedies, pretty much everyone had the person stealing the guns or obtaining them unlawfully.

Maybe it’s me, but here’s a sample of things I would do given the power to help with gun control.  First, broader background checks that include everyone in the household where a gun will be located.  If anyone in the household was criminally convicted, was/is mentally unstable or has any other socialogical problems, then the HOUSEHOLD can not have a gun.  I don’t care if Mother Teresa is the one applying.  If she’s living with a convicted criminal with a mentally bi-polar son in the house, no deal!  Second, take all fully automatic guns off the market for private citizens.  I’m sorry, but I don’t see the need for fully automatic rifles in the public.  Its fine for law enforcement and military but you shouldn’t need a fully automatic assault rifle to go hunting with your buddies or to defend yourself against an intruder.  Third, make those that abuse ANY and all gun laws subject to strict penalties.  Mandatory 5 years in jail for even the smallest gun infraction.  Maybe that’s too extreme but if the laws that abuse guns are strict more people will obey them.

Lastly, I would like to see mandatory training programs set up with skilled military and law enforcement groups teaching them before you can obtain a firearm.  I think passing a test and background check are not enough.  Setting up groups that teach the importance of safety, the importance of the laws and the proper techniques for owning and using a firearm would prevent accidents and hopefully tragedies in the future.

Maybe it’s me, but it’s time to smarten up and for both sides to start thinking logically about this situation…

Teacher Loses Job Due to Porn Past

Have you read the story of a California middle school teacher that was fired from her job because she appeared in pornographic movies before she started teaching?  A California judge recently ruled that the teacher can NOT get her job back because she was in porn because it will impede her from being an effective and respected teacher/colleague.  Here’s a link to the judge’s ruling and more on the story:

http://news.yahoo.com/judges-calif-middle-school-teacher-cant-shake-porn-094317714.html

As I researched the story more, it seems that the teacher was only in porn for about eight months and it was before she was employed by the school.  It was due to financial reasons after she separated from her boyfriend.  It also seems that she hid or lied about being in porn because she was embarrassed and humiliated and in all honesty who wouldn’t be.  I can see why you wouldn’t offer up this information and then try and hide or deny it when it does become public.  I’m sure this was an awful part of this young woman’s life that she probably regrets every moment of her life.

Maybe it’s me but if this woman is qualified to be a teacher why shouldn’t she be allowed to teach?  She didn’t do anything illegal, starring in pornographic videos is not against the law and while some may object to it, a woman (or man) can do whatever they want to do with their body within the law.  The judge’s decision stated that the teachers decision to “engage in pornography was incompatible with her responsibilities as a role model for students.” Everyday you hear about infidelity of our leaders, hell, even the former President of the United States (Bill Clinton) cheated on his wife with a young intern while in office.  Now look at him, he’s one of the most popular former Presidents and he is a sought after public speaker.  I’m sure a lot of people look to him as a role model.  There are countless others in politics, sports and other areas of life.

While she may not be everyone’s ideal role model, you could make the argument that she should be looked up to as a role model.  This woman was down financially and unfortunately had to do some terrible things I’m sure she regrets but then she got herself out of that situation and now is working as a teacher.  I’m sure it was hard road to do what she did and her story must be amazing.  Maybe her story could help young woman not make the same mistakes she made and her life experiences could be a very valuable life lesson to these woman to not only stay in school but not rely on a man to support them.

I also wonder how many of our teachers have checkered pasts but because they aren’t plastered over the internet they are allowed to keep teaching.  How many teachers did questionable things in college?  Maybe they were a part of a fraternity or sonority that hazed other people, or maybe they drank obscenely in college, perhaps they even slept around a little.  I wonder how many regret what actions they may have done when they were younger or in college.  Yet, they are the ones that get to decide the fate of this poor young woman.  Maybe it’s me but if this teacher is qualified for her job, she should be able to teach. 

Maybe, just maybe, we should try and keep minors off these porn internet sites that you have to be 18 to access.  Where are the parents or other teachers that are allowing their children to look at these sites and actually condoned trying to find her old videos?  The article makes it look like teachers and students were actively trying to find her videos, even making it seem like they tried at school.  Where is the punishment for their acts?

What do you think of this story?

Fundraising Campaigns At Work!!!

You know what I really hate?  I hate when my company hassles me and wastes my time in their damn money raising campaigns every year.  EVERY year I’ve been working for this company, which dreadfully just passed 10 years, I’m hit with the

United Way

campaign AND the Let’s Go Arts campaign.  I don’t really have anything against both charities, well I shouldn’t say that because I strongly dislike the Let’s Go Arts program, but the way my company tries to extort money out of me is frustrating to no degree.

Not only do I get 2 to 3 e-mails daily about these fundraisers but I also get print-outs, posters, “contests”, and sometimes other methods of mayhem I can’t even fathom to explain.  For instance, one year we had a “silent auction”, and I put that in quotes because basically we had a tag sale with crap people didn’t want anymore and instead of throwing it away brought it into work and decided to try and peddle it off on us.  Sorry co-worker, I don’t want your used Foreman Grill or baby clothes from your demon offspring that I have to hear about everyday.

I wonder how much it costs for these fundraisers.  We always hear we raised this much money but did they take out what they actually spent?  How much paper did you use to print out those materials?  How much time did you waste writing up those terrible e-mails or meeting with the committee to come up with those awful ideas and “contests”.  I doubt it but I’m sure our shareholders are happy that we’re wasting company time to try and raise $400 bucks for the

United Way

.  (By the way, I’m fully aware that using company time for the blog is probably not what the shareholders want me doing.  Stop pointing that out d-bag.)

How about the Let’s Go Arts campaign?  Not only do I hate being bothered and hassled about participating but could we pick a sadder campaign?  It’s for the Greater Hartford Arts programs.  I’m sorry but unless it’s going to the artists that graffiti the terrible city of Hartford, CT I don’t really care about the Greater Hartford Arts community.  In fact, instead how about we just take the money we raised for the “arts” and give it to the city to help take down old abandoned buildings or clean up the once historic North Side of the city.  Nope, instead let’s give it to the Arts and not be able to walk in a once great part of the city.

Sorry, I got off track there, back to these horrible campaigns I’m bludgeoned with every year.  It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even read the e-mails or print outs, nope, I just hit the delete button and file the print outs in the recycle bin.  As for the “contests” and other great ideas they come up with, I do my best to be “busy” on a fake phone call or avoid the “temptations” of the cookie sale in the lunchroom.  I don’t want to buy a home-made cookie from my co-worker who I know most likely doesn’t wash their hands in the rest room and smells like they bathed in perfume because they got up late and couldn’t take a shower for $1.  Seriously, one cookie for $1?  I can get a whole box of Entenmanns’s or Chip’s Ahoy for that amount.

Maybe it’s me, but if you want my money for your fundraising campaign, stop hitting me over the head with it and stop with the unnecessary and very unwanted bullshit.  Just tell me what we’re doing and if I decide to drop some change your way, good, if not I don’t want you at my desk asking me about it.  I’m all for giving to charities but I’ll be damned if I ever do it at work again.

It's Valentine's Day so Make Sure you Love Someone or At Least Buy Them Something!

Ah, the good ole Valentine's Day is upon us again and you know what that means, it's time for my annual rant on how pointless Valentine's Day is.  I still don't get it and luckily I have a great wife who thinks mostly the same way I do.  We don't buy each other gifts, in fact this year I even got her to agree to a no cards rule.  I just simply explained that after I opened the card, I would hold onto it until Saturday then throw it in the garbage.  We're not in high school anymore, we don't have a shoe box full of love notes and cards we're saving to look at with our friends.  So no gifts, no cards just do what we normally do, which by the way is hang out and enjoy each other's company.

I just don't see the whole point of buying gifts, going out to a special dinner and cards.  I can do all those things any day of the year so why MUST I do it on February 14th?  Maybe it's because we have a kid now and getting a sitter is a pain in the ass during the week or maybe it's because we've been married for over 7 years and have spent so many romantic nights that doing it when we're "supposed" to feels awkward.  We go out to dinner all the time, have nights out by ourselves, I don't know, it's just crazy to me because we have this crazy date on the calendar I'm supposed to love my wife more today.

Hey guys, how about you love your wife/girlfriend/friend/family (whatever) EVERY day and not just go overboard on Valentine's Day?  Maybe it's me but I'm sick of this commerical made-up holiday.  I say it every year and I'm going to continue to say it.  I guess it's good for the economy and shit but it's sickening the amount of people that look at this day like it's a magical day and they should be loved more than usual.  Get over it.  Do what I do, boycott it.  Spend the night in with that special someone, cook a nice meal and enjoy a peaceful night of romance (by the way, you can do that every other night of the year as well).

Clapping After a Movie

One of my biggest pet peeves happened again yesterday.  The dreaded clapping at the end of a movie!  I don't fully understand what the clappers get out of the practice.  Do they understand that no one that made the movie is in attendance?  Do they think that I or my other fellow movie patrons actually care that they liked the movie enough to warrant an applause?  I've seen this so many times, it's pretty hard to count, actually I'm willing to bet that at about 90% of my movie theater experiences there has been clapping after the movie.  Well, maybe not, I've seen some real bombs at the movies but I'd say that 75-80% of the movies I see, some idiot or most likely idiots clap after the final scene.

I just don't get it.  Who are they clapping for?  The actors, director and producers aren't there.  The theater ushers waiting to clean up the eight dollar popcorn you barely finished don't give two shits about what you thought about the movie.  Believe me, I could care less!  It's not like if I was on the fence if the movie was good or not, I'm going to be swayed by your clapping.

Maybe it's me but it's time to stop clapping at the end of a movie.  Let's save the clapping for live events (sports, Broadway, etc.) and just file out of the theater and get on with our lives.

Perhaps I should start a new trend...Every time I hear clapping at the end of a movie I'm going to BOO loudly.  Even if I enjoyed the movie.  That way I could really piss off these people.  I'm sure that will spark some debate and best of all....FIGHTS!

Cocaine - It's one hell of a......song???

As I was listening to a local radio show last evening, Eric Clapton’s classic song “Cocaine” came on.  While I love the song, I thought to myself, why in the world would they play this song on the radio?  More than half the song will be blanked out.  Well you can imagine my confusion when the whole song played and they didn’t edit one word.  Not one!  Imagine if my seven year old son had been in the car.  I would’ve surely been asked, “Daddy, what is cocaine?”  Which would have been a very interesting talk at such a young age but I guess it’s never too early.

It got me thinking about other songs and other stations that play music and block out drug and sexual references.  For instance, the two local Hip Hop and R&B stations block out all marijuana, ecstasy and sexual references all the time. Sometimes a song comes on and more than half of the song is blanked out, it’s basically just one long instrumental.

Aren’t all radio stations following the same regulations?  I’m confused.  I’d hate to bring race into it but is it a black and white thing?  It can’t be that the Eric Clapton song is portraying cocaine as being bad because the song glorifies it the same as most rap/r&b songs.  The only thing I can think of is that it’s from a different era and therefore it’s a “classic” and can be played as an oldie.  Either way it’s on the radio waves for children to hear and I’d like to see similar radio sanctions across the board.

Truthfully, I’d like to see less or no restrictions but that’s the United States and we’ll have to deal with it.  My problem is if you’re going to edit weed and sex, then you better mute Eric Clapton declaring his love for cocaine.

Maybe it’s me but the radio stations clearly want you to do cocaine and not smoke weed while having sex with a bad a*$ bi$#h.  Sorry for the censorship, this must be a hip hop / r&b station.

Your thoughts?

Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer

Have you seen the news today about an author and special ed teacher that claims Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer promotes bullying?  Here’s an article that discusses the claims made by this “professor”.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/05/rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-bullying-fox_n_1129731.html

I’ve been watching this Christmas Special for my entire existence.  Every Christmas for the past 30 years I have watched this movie at the very least once a year, now that I have a child, probably closer to two times a year.  Not once have I every thought, wow, Comet and Santa are really giving it to Rudolph.  Not once have I ever said shame on you Comet for bullying poor old Rudolph and damn you Santa for not reprimanding him.

I’ve realized that the Comet and the other reindeers were making fun of Rudolph because he was different but they weren’t bullying.  No one punched Rudolph in the gut and said he wanted his lunch money.  No one flushed his head down a toilet.  Not once did I say to myself, holy shit Comet is setting a bad example for my child by picking on Rudolph.

You know why I never thought of those things?  It’s because the whole story is about Rudolph over coming the mocking and ridiculing to become “the greatest reindeer of all.”  I guess I always so it as an underdog story and how despite not looking the same, he overcame that and became the hero. To take out the other reindeers picking on Rudolph and not accepting him would be to RUIN the story of the underdog against all odds.

Lastly, I think we are going a little too crazy with the whole censorship of children materials.  Kids aren’t as gullible or stupid as the media claims them to be.  My child isn’t going to go to school and become a bully because he wants to be like Comet from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  What’s next editing out Charlie Brown’s Christmas so they don’t mock Charlie Brown at the end saying his tree is stupid?  Really, this author/professor has a problem with Rudolph?  God help us if he re-watches Charlie Brown Christmas.  I just watched that two nights ago and the children mock, ridicule and call Charlie Brown names pretty much the duration of the special.

Maybe it’s me but we need to leave Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer alone.  Keep it as the underdog story that it is.  We need to stop pretending our children are so stupid that a Christmas special from 1964 is influencing them into a world of bullying.  Our kids are listening to the story of how it’s ok to be different and rooting for Rudolph, not sad because Comet is mean to him.

Christmas Cards

Christmas Season is upon us and my wife and I are in the midst of a disagreement about Christmas Cards.  I say, screw it, let’s not send any out this year and she’s at the opposite end of the spectrum and says it would be rude not to send any out.  Since I want to keep a happy household, I agreed to send them out this year but only if it’s a picture of Pete or the family.  We agreed that perhaps only Pete this year since last year we had a family picture.

I agreed to a picture card or nothing because if we just sent out a card with our signed names, people are just going to throw them away.  You know how I know that?  Well, because I do it.  You send me a generic Christmas card with Happy Holidays or Merry Chirstmas and just sign your name with no picture, personal note or anything; I’ll tell you right now where it’s being filed…The Garbage Can.  If it has a picture, I’ll keep it with our photos or if it has a personal message, then maybe I’ll call you and thank you or write you back, but if you just buy and send out a generic ass card and sign it, love the so & so’s, it’s trash time.

If you’re going to be lazy about it, then why bother?  I’m with those people though, why bother?  If I was alone, living by myself I wouldn’t send out Christmas cards, I guess my friends and family should be happy I have a wife that takes the time to take a picture, order cards and send them out every year because truthfully I wouldn’t waste my time.  I know it’s tradition but it’s a dumb tradition.  I can’t tell you how many Christmas cards I get from people that I don’t really ever see.  If the only contact we have is a generic Christmas card every year I think it’s time to re-evaluate our relationship.

Like I said, I’m all for Christmas cards with some thought or a picture of the family or a loved one but if you’re going to be lazy and just sign a bunch of cards, maybe it’s me but save the time, ink and paper and just don’t bother!  I wouldn’t!

Lending Friends Money...

Have you ever borrowed or let a friend borrow some money?  How’d that situation turn out?  Most likely it either ended badly or made the friendship uncomfortable to the point where you don’t hang out or get together as much as you want or should.  Luckily, I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to borrow some money from a friend, I just borrow from the many other sources out there (thank you Visa and American Express…).  However, I have let friends borrow money and it never ends well.

The biggest problem I believe is the uncomfortable feeling that surrounds asking for the money back or what to do when someone doesn’t pay you back.  I won’t name people but I recently let someone borrow a large sum of money, but stupid me didn’t discuss payback times or options.  I figured that this friend was a stand-up person and it wouldn’t really come to that.  My friend seemed grateful and said they’d get it to me ASAP.  There were a lot of things going on in their life but they were adamant about it saying they’d get it to me when the have it.  Well, it’s been almost three months and not even a whimper about the cash.  Now, I’m stuck in a sticky situation where I have to bring it up and discuss how they plan on getting me the money without ruining the friendship or making our time together uncomfortable after I get the money.

I guess I wouldn’t really be concerned if my friends spending habits hadn’t changed in the past few months.  Not only has my friend been on numerous vacations, but they are also planning other vacations for the fall/winter.  Now every time my friend opens their mouth and discusses a vacation or new purchase, I just get angry and now have come to the point where I have to be a debt collector and start turning the situation ugly.

My biggest problem with this is really not the money.  It’s the common courteously.  If I knew I owed someone money, it would be a priority to pay them back.  I wouldn’t be out gallivanting around knowing I owe someone a substantial amount of money, I would be figuring out how to pay them back even if it meant paying them a little every week or month.  I’m the type of person that if I had to borrow, I would make sure I got them the cash as soon as possible.  Due to the friendship, I would want to make it square as soon as I could to avoid killing the relationship or making anyone uncomfortable.

The ultimate lesson in this whole mess is to never lend money to friends but its hard not to in certain situations.  Since they’re your friends, you want to “help” as much as possible but at the same time, you can’t just be handing out money all the time.  There should a friendship courteously that goes with lending money to friends that the ultimate goal in paying it back is to make sure that no one’s uncomfortable.  Maybe it’s me but if you owe friends money, it’s in your best effort to handle the situation as smooth as possible and pay back the money as fast as you can.  It’s just the right thing to do…

Don't Let An Accident Take the Magic Away!

There is something magical about catching a baseball at a ballgame, something so magical that grown men crave it just as much as children.  People will sacrifice $10 beers; catch balls with babies in their arms, and fight over the ball as if it was a gold bar worth millions of dollars.  When one gets a ball, they hold it up in triumph as if it were a trophy; the crowd applauds and sometimes cheers.  The pursuit and catching a ball inside a stadium is noble and awe-inspiring.

Which makes what happened last week at a Texas Rangers game just awful.  I’m sure many of you know the horrific details so I won’t get into them but in a nutshell, Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers threw up a foul ball to a fan by the name of Shannon Stone.  He was trying to get the ball for his 6 year old son and leaned over too far and fell about 20 feet and died from his injuries of the fall.  It wasn’t Hamilton’s fault, it wasn’t Stone’s fault, and it simply was a horrible horrible mistake.  Player’s do this all the time, its part of the charm of baseball, and fans love it.  It’s taking a piece of tradition home with you from the stadium.

I’m sure in the moments before the fall, this man was indescribably happy.  He was going to catch a baseball from one of the best players in the game and hand it to his son who would have a great story to tell all his friends for the rest of his life.  Unfortunately the ball came up short and to no one’s fault an accident occurred.  It’s a shame too because now, a six year old has to grow up without a father and Josh Hamilton, who’s been through a lot himself, has to have this on his conscience for the rest of his life.  It’s unfair really, to all those involved but again we have to see this how it is, a horrible awful accident.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve stressed how this was an accident pretty hardcore in this blog entry.  My point to it all is that we can’t change something that is so great about the game of baseball because of a horrible accident.  Maybe it’s me but we can’t let this accident stop players from interacting with fans and take away the magic that makes baseball one of the best sports and entertainment out there.

This type of thing hardly ever happens in stadiums and if it does, it’s usually a fan’s drunken stupor that leads to it.  Kind of like the incident at Coors Field earlier this year when a drunken idiot tried to slide down an escalator and fell to his death.  Even those incidents are far and in between.  Should we stop fan interaction and getting a ball from your favorite because of one senseless accident?  Absolutely not!

I’ve never been lucky enough to get a foul ball at a stadium or even have a player toss one up to me.  Do you think that this incident will stop me from trying?  Heck no, in fact, I’ll keep trying to get a souvenir for my son just like Mr. Stone I’m sure would have kept trying had he lived through this accident.  Perhaps stadiums should look into railings around the ballpark and re-access how tall they are but at the same time, let’s not go overboard here.  It’s not like we’re talking about hundreds of people falling out of the stands.  Let’s call it what it was, an accident and just pray and hope it never happens again.

Next time you attend a baseball game, look around you.  See how many people have gloves at the game.  Not just kids either, they’ll be tons of adults with glove.  Let’s not take that away, let’s keep the magic of getting a baseball at the stadium intact!

The 4th Of July

Well the fourth of July came, what did you do?  I’m sure everyone attended a cook-out or two over the weekend as I but on the 4^th before my 3^rd (yes 3^rd) cookout of the weekend I was fortunate enough to have some free time in the morning.  Flipping through the TV I came across HBO which was showing the mini-series John Adams in its entirety.  I’ve wanted to watch it for years but just never have found the time, being the 4^th, I thought, how appropriate, let me catch some of this.  After the first hour, I was engulfed.  I taped the rest of the series and finished it up yesterday.  If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it as the historical accuracy is spot on and to truly appreciate what our founding fathers went through building this nation, it must be viewed.

This post isn’t intended to praise this wonderful series but instead to bring awareness to the historical significance of the holiday.  Many people don’t truly appreciate why we celebrate this wonderful day and instead see it as a day off work and a chance to goof off with friends at a barbeque.  I would label myself a historical buff and have read a lot of books on the founding fathers and watched many television programs on the our Revolutionary War, but it never truly hit me until I watched John Adams.  You see, John Adams isn’t the most celebrated Patriot of our revolution and he isn’t the one that you think of when you think about us fighting for our independence but yet he was an iatrical part of the events.  It made me wonder about all those other Patriots that may not have fought on battle fields but did risk everything including death to make our country free and independent.  John Adams and others that attended secret meetings of a pre-America Continental Congress faced death by hanging if captured and were away from families not days but months and years at a time.  The hardships and risks they took need to be appreciated and praised just as much as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin.  For every Revolutionary War hero, think about all those unsung heroes that may have been omitted from our history text books.

Next year, instead of goofing off at a firework celebration or eating a heart attack waiting to happen amount of hot dogs, take some time to watch something on our founding fathers, maybe read a book, visit a landmark and appreciate those that fought hard and risked EVERYTHING to make our country free and independent.   Maybe sing the Star Spangled Banner and thank those brave young souls that you don’t have a British accent.

PS – Isn’t it amazing that our country just turned 235 years old?  That’s not a lot of time.  Just something to think about…

I Miss Summer Vacation!

My son had his last day of school yesterday and all he kept talking about last night was how great it was to be on summer vacation.  Mind you he’s only 6 and just completed 1^st grade but yet he already knows that for the next two and a half months he’s got nothing to worry about except having fun.  I miss those days.  When you get out of school and get a full-time job, you do have vacations but generally it’s a week to ten days.  I’ve never even had 10 straight days off of work for pleasure in my entire duration of working.  While I’ve been on disability for an extended period of time, that is hardly a vacation.  There is no relaxing involved in that scenario.  I long for the old days when you had two straight months of sleeping in and hanging out all day.  What I would give to have a full month off again!

I can’t even imagine taking a full month off.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely thought about it but when I take vacation for a week I come back to a disaster, can you imagine what you would come back to after a month?  Perhaps next year I should start with two weeks and see how it goes.  The problem is I worry too much about my job and the people I work with.  I work in a small department and when I’m on vacation there is only one person left to do the work of two.  I don’t know why but I can’t relax or enjoy myself when I know that the person I left at work is stressing and cursing me out.  Not to mention that in this economy a job is very important and losing it could be disastrous.  I know my work wouldn’t fire me because I’m taking vacation but I always worry that my co-worker or another person in the company will do a better job than I am while I’m out.  Again, needless worry and stress when I should be having a relaxing time.

Maybe it’s me but it’s time I stop worrying about what’s going on here and enjoy myself.  I have vacation time and it’s time to start using it to my full advantage.  Next year I will take two weeks off in a row and not care what happens here at work.  I have to!  Seeing and hearing my son “brag” about having fun for the next two months last night really got to me.  It’s time to get that summer vacation feeling back again!

Oh No Canada....

As most of you probably know, I’m a huge sports fan and last night was Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals.  I know what you’re probably thinking, hockey?  Really?  Well, believe it or not, I was actually into the hockey playoffs this year, or at least the last three rounds.  I don’t really follow any one team but being a Red Sox fan and seeing that the Boston Bruins hadn’t won a championship since the early 70’s I began following them.  I was treated to some really good hockey.  I can honestly say that in the last month or so, I’ve watched more hockey than I have in my entire life.  All three series were pretty fantastic and Game 7’s in any sport are usually great games.  Unfortunately for Vancouver Canuck fans, it was pretty anti-climatic as the Bruins rolled to a 4-0 win and it really wasn’t all that close at the end.  The sad thing, the game isn’t what this post is about; instead it’s about the sore-loser Canadian fans that were classless, dangerous and downright stupid for their actions in the final minutes of the game and after.

Canadian fans set the tone for the night by first booing our National Anthem, then loudly singing along to their anthem.  Real class there Vancouver, real class!  I’ve been to numerous baseball and even hockey games where a visiting Canadian city is in town (Toronto and Montreal) and have NEVER heard fans boo during the Canadian anthem.  NEVER!  Not only was this disrespectful but it was ignorant and just plain stupid.  My opinions and thoughts on Canada were not all that high before I heard this but now I will make it a point to not only SIT during your anthem but any time I can to absolutely ignore and/or miss when a Canadian team is in town.

That aside, after the game, when the Bruins were receiving the Stanley Cup and getting their praise from the Commissioner and the NHL, the fans loudly booed.  They booed so loudly it was tough to hear at times and it again showed poor class.  I’ve watched a lot of series clinching games that were won by the visiting team and I can’t remember one where the visiting team was treated with such disdain.  I even remember when the Red Sox won game 7 of the American League Championship Series in New York in 2004 after an improbably comeback that Yankee fans didn’t boo.  YANKEE FANS!  They HATE the Red Sox and even they didn’t loudly boo during the ceremony (granted, most had exited before the final pitch anyway, but that’s for another post).  Again, Vancouver, really?  Are you that ignorant?

During the final moments and after the game, the Vancouver fans and general public also rioted.  Yup, they rioted and acted like a bunch of poor-sport babies because their team couldn’t pull off the win when they were up 2-0.  Fans set cars on fire, even some police cruisers, local stores were destroyed, windows damaged and looting and people were injured while these crybabies acted like idiots.  While not ALL fans destroyed the city, there were thousands that participated and I just don’t get it.  I’ve seen fans go crazy after they WIN a series and flip cars and cause some ruckus but never really seen the destruction that happened after the game last night.  Here’s a good website with some video and photos (http://www.twirlit.com/2011/06/16/vancouver-riots-2011-photos-city-destroyed-after-canucks-loss-watch/).  As you can see, utter chaos!  I guess it’s true; Canadians are really into their hockey…perhaps a little too into their hockey!

Maybe it’s me but Canada definitely lost some of my respect and I can bet some Americans are waking up today with some bad views of Canada.  I know, personally, I never really thought much of Canada to begin with but with events like this, it just really puts a bad taste in my mouth.  Grow up Canada….it’s just a game.

What are your opinions?  Do you agree?  Were the rioting, booing of the National Anthem and booing during the presentation ceremony disrespectful and class-less?  Let me know!

Super 8 - A True Throwback!

This past weekend I was able to catch Super 8, the new movie by J.J. Abrams and produced by the great Steven Spielberg.  It felt like I’d stepped back into the 1980’s as the movie has that Goonies/Stand by Me/E.T. vibe.  J.J. Abrams pays homage to Spielberg in a great way because the movie screams 80’s Spielberg.  It had it all, the story that’s focused on the kids, the messy home life scenes, the setting, the lighting and the late monster reveal.

Overall I thought the movie was fantastic though some late third acts scenes had some plot holes I can forgive them because the movie as a whole was so good.  The nostalgic feel to me was the most important aspect of the movie.  In today’s movie market you hardly see a “smart” movie with kids aged 10-13 as the leads.  Generally it’s either late teenagers or older getting the main focus of movies.  Here the kids are 12-13 years old and their acting is superb.  Dialogue that was spot on and although it’s a far fetched idea, it still seems grounded in reality, much like E.T. and Goonies.

I brought my six year old and he too absolutely loved it.  Though, I’ve trained him by reliving all of my favorite 80’s movies over and over again with him.  In fact, some of his favorite movies are my favorites (Stand by Me, The Goonies and Sandlot).  The problem is, I wonder how late teens and early twenty year olds are viewing this movie, the 16-23 demographic for example.  They are a bit too old to remember these classics and with movies nowadays being vastly different, I wonder what they thought of it.  These days, movie patrons are treated to a full-on-shot of the monster 15 minutes into a movie or even before in the trailers.  How are these impatient high school and college kids reacting to having to wait and sit through some excellent character development before getting their monster fix?

If you have a chance to see it, DO IT!  Especially if you grew up watching those classic 80’s movies and miss them as much as I do.  Maybe it’s me but I don’t think we’ll ever get movies like those again.  Though seeing Super 8 has me optimistic, maybe these types of movies will make a comeback.  I sure hope so because there’s nothing like that feeling.

10:30 Game Time....Really MLB?

Did any of you guys stay up to watch the Red Sox vs. Yankees game last night?  Well, if you did, you’re better than me!  The game went through a 3 and a half hour rain delay and didn’t start until 10:30 p.m.  I was only able to keep my eyes open until the 3^rd inning and finally had to give up.  Outrageous!  If I had tickets to the game I would have been majorly pissed.  I just don’t get why they couldn’t scratch the game and play it at a later date.  They play each other numerous times and could even schedule the game around an off day due to the closeness of the cities.  It’s not like we’re talking about two cities that are on the opposite sides of the country.  We’re talking a 3 hour ride here.

I don’t really know who to blame here.  My guess would have to be Major League Baseball.  My guess is that they had the final call and decided that 10:30 was an acceptable time.  I disagree and don’t think anyone should have to wait around 3 ½ hours then sit through a 3 hour ball game.  I hope they made arrangements with the Subway transit for those that come to the games on the trains.

Imagine if I had tickets and had to go to work in the morning.  There is no way I would have been able to stay for the game.  As a fan of the Red Sox and more importantly a fan of baseball I think playing that game at that time was unfair and cruel.  Baseball is getting more and more ridiculous with their scheduling that at times it’s comical.  What about the kids?  Kids love watching baseball, especially the Sox vs. Yankees.  Do you think any parent would allow their 8-13 year old to watch a game that starts at 10:30?  I sincerely doubt it.

Maybe it’s me but better judgment should have been used last night and the game should have been cancelled and made up at a later date.  Shame on you MLB, shame on you!

Take Fan Voting AWAY!

If you want a good laugh today, check out the all-star voting for baseball’s mid-season classic.  I know all star games in pro sports have become nothing but popularity contests but this year’s baseball voting is downright comical and sad at the same time.  Generally every year there are players that get left off the roster that should have been on it and sometimes players will sneak on because of popularity but this year, so far anyway, the fans have got it very, very wrong.

First let’s talk about the leader at 1^st base, Mark Teixeira.  He’s having a pretty good year so far (16 HR’s, 38 RBI, .901 OPS) but is he really the best 1^st baseman in the American League?  Adrian Gonzalez is having a monster year (.918 OPS, AL high 46 RBI, .329 avg.), Miguel Cabrera is having another MVP type season (1.001 OPS, 40 RBI, .311 avg.).  Heck even DH David Ortiz, who if you had to put at a position would be 1B, is having a monster year (.964 OPS, 13 HR’s, 28 RBI).  So is Tex the best option at 1B?

Now let’s take it to the National League at the same position.  Albert Pujols currently leads the voting and is so far having one of his worst statistical years ever.  His batting line of .265/.335/.412/.746 and 9 HR’s, 31 RBI looks putrid next to Joey Votto (1.001 OPS, 7 HR, 32 RBI, .338 avg.) and Prince Fielder (.924 OPS, 11 HR, 42 RBI, .291 avg.) who are putting together fantastic starts to the year.  Why does Pujols belong this year?  Is it because of his past MVP seasons or maybe his hardcore St. Louis fan base flooding the ballots?

The rest of the National League however is pretty good.  The voting seems logical and all the leaders in other categories I could reasonably say deserve to go to the All-Star game.  The biggest travesty comes from the American League.  Your leading vote getter so far at the position of short-stop is….Derek Jeter.  What the…?  Derek Jeter?  Really?  He of the following stat line - .264/.328/.332/.660 with 2 HR’s and 16 RBI?  Wow.  Let’s see there are probably 7 other SS that should be ahead of him, but I’ll narrow it down for you to 3.  Asdrubal Cabrera of the Indians is having a beast of a year so far (.875 OPS, 10 HR, 39 RBI, .299 avg.) and should be the leading vote getter.  But there’s also Erick Aybar (.315 avg., .800 OPS, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 14 SB) and Jed Lowrie (.305 avg., .803 OPS, 3HR, 22 RBI) tearing it up right now.

I get it.  Jeter is iconic and legendary but the All-Star game is for what players are doing THIS YEAR!  It’s not what about you’ve done in your career.  I could see if this was Jeter’s last season in the league and we all knew he was retiring, then great, vote him in one last time and give him his curtain call, but we all know he’s going to continue to play mediocre baseball for the rest of his contract, so why is he the leading SS vote getter?

Maybe it’s me but I think it’s time to revoke the fan voting system MLB has in place.  If Major League Baseball is trying to push this game as “meaning something” and it does by giving the winning league home field advantage in the World Series it’s time to get the best players on the teams.  If it wants to continue with the fan voting popularity contest, then it’s time to remove the meaning of the game and let it be just an exhibition game.

With the game determining home field advantage for the World Series, then it’s in the best interest to have the best players at each position for each league.  Jeter should not be at shortstop and I’m sorry but Pujols shouldn’t be at first base this year.  Take away the fan voting and come up with a new system.  I’m sick of fan bases flooding the ballots to get their favorite players on the field when sometimes they just don’t deserve it.

Lastly, I’d like to point out that although I’m a Red Sox fan, I’m a baseball fan first and a baseball purist at that.  I don’t care that there are six Yankees leading the voting so far.  In fact I believe that 4 of those Yankees deserve to be in the game (A-Rod, Granderson, Russell and Cano) but let’s get rid of the ones that don’t deserve…

Manslaughter For Not Predicting An Earthquake? Really?

Wow.  Just Wow!  Take a look at this article when you get a moment of free time (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20110526/sc_livescience/seismologiststriedformanslaughterfornotpredictingearthquake).

It’s about a group of 6 seismologists that are being tried for manslaughter for not being able to predict a 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila.  Maybe it’s me but this is just plain ridiculous!  Seriously, there is no exact science to predict an earthquake.  The article discusses how scientists are actively trying to develop methods to predict earthquakes but there are no tools out there currently to help predict a very random phenomenon.  It’s like trying to predict next year’s Super Bowl or World Series winner.  Yes we know certain areas of the world are more susceptible to earthquakes but when and exactly where they will hit is not exactly a science.  I’ll liken it to predicting a Super Bowl winner again.  We all know the best 6 or 7 teams but do we really know if any one of those teams will win the big game for certain?  No, it’s impossible because it’s unpredictable, just like many weather phenomenon.  It’s not possible to predict Mother Nature!

I will continue to follow this story because it could affect other scientists and weather experts.  What if I bought tickets to a baseball game and my local meteorologist told me it was going to be sunny and 85, yet when I get to the game and the sky opens up and a thunderstorm cancels the game.  Can I sue the weatherman for the cost of the tickets because he didn’t accurately predict this thunderstorm?  Can I sue the weatherman for the sunburn I got because he didn’t correctly tell me the sun was going to be out when I mowed my lawn?  Come on… This is ridiculous.  Meteorologists at least have instruments and tools to predict weather patterns but even that isn’t an exact science.  Patterns change, fronts come and go and it’s just an extremely hard job to do.  Imagine if we could sue them when they weren’t right.  There would be no weather experts because no matter what, Mother Nature is very unpredictable.

Maybe it’s me but whoever is trying these seismologists needs to have their head examined because how in the hell can you predict an earthquake….

Sane Enough To Kill, But To Insane To Stand Trial???

I just finished reading an article about the Arizona shooting suspect Jared Loughner.  A judge has declared him incompetent to stand trial at this time and he will be sent to a mental health facility for up to four months to be evaluated.  If he gets “better” or mentally stable and understands the consequences of the case against him, the trial will continue but if not, the charges could be thrown out and he’ll spend the rest of his life in an institution.

I usually don’t like to bad mouth the United States of America, but man does our Justice Department really puzzle me.  This 22 year old was competent enough to get a driver’s license, buy a handgun, get admitted to college (he dropped out), feed himself, dress himself and plan and construct a killing spree.  Yet, he’s not competent enough to stand trial for the crimes he’s committed?  I don’t get it.  I remember reading awhile back that this same individual sent messages to some of his friends and family the night before the killings that read, “Please, don’t be mad at me.”  This shows that he knew what he was going to do was wrong and that the killing spree was premeditated.  So exactly how is he incompetent?

The judge has had two mental health experts evaluate him and they both concluded that he is a schizophrenic and likely not faking the whole thing but how does one go from competent enough to get into college and plan a huge killing spree to a loony toon overnight?  It just doesn’t make sense.  I love this country more than anything but it’s stuff like this that really tries my patience.  It seems we give these killers and murderers more rights and compassion than they really deserve.

This case is really an easy one to determine.  It’s pretty much an open and shut book.  Hundreds of people were at the rally and saw him shoot the people.  The evidence is all there, so why do we need to waste taxpayer’s money by housing, feeding and giving medical and mental care to this lunatic.  It’s stuff like this that really make you scratch your head and say what the fuck?

Maybe it’s me, but the court system in the United States and all of the judges that review cases should be checked for competency.  Get it together already.  If an animal or dog attacks a person and causes serious harm, they are deemed “mad” and put down; I think it’s time to extend that to human beings as well.

Maybe it’s me, but our gun laws should also be checked for competency because apparently you can own a gun and be a mentally unstable schizo maniac….

Post 9/11 Flying...

I’m back from vacation and I hate to be that person but I wish I was still in Florida.  I hate it when people come back from vacation and all they do is talk about and wish they were back to relaxing and doing nothing all day.  I always think to myself; “come on get back to reality already.”  Yet today, I find myself thinking how nice it was to be in sunny Florida and by the poolside bar enjoying a cocktail.  Oh well, I guess I have to snap out of it.

While traveling I did notice something that really pisses me off, it kind of goes with what happened a couple weeks ago with the killing of Osama Bin Laden.  Maybe it’s me but 9/11 really screwed up flying.  I had only flown maybe three times before 9/11 but I remember it being so easy and so relaxed that it was probably the easiest part of a flight.  Nowadays getting through security and onto an airplane is so nerve-racking and annoying that I want to punch all terrorists square in the face.

I have the system down and usually feel pretty confident while going through security but when you witness other people getting screamed at because they forgot they had a bottle of toothpaste or an unopened bottle of soda in their carry-on, you yourself start to feel uneasy.  Don’t get me wrong, I think the protocol is needed and anything that makes us more secure as a country is alright by me but those damn terrorists really fucked flying up for all of us.

Take off your shoes, take off your belt, separate all them when putting them on the conveyor belt.  Walk through the metal detector. Whoops, you beeped, please do it again.  Oops you beeped again, now you get the wand.  Heaven forbid you beep during that, then you may get have to get a full cavity search (thank goodness, I’ve never had that pleasure…yet).

There’s no joking around with these people either.  I went through the metal detector with my Red Sox hat on and had to remove it and have it inspected by the attendant.  I jokingly said, “Ha must be a Yankees fan.”  The attended sternly stated that, “no sir, this is just protocol, it doesn’t matter which baseball team I like.”  Easy there lady, I was just joking with you.  The security seems too brash and if they lightened up a bit, I bet everyone would be more relaxed.

While flying is the quickest and generally the easiest way to get to your destination, those stupid American-hating Muslim bastards really fucked it up.  I think that all the terrorists we capture and hold prisoner should be lined up after the security gate at the airport and every passenger should be able to kick them in the nuts after they go through the hassle they created.  It would make us all feel just a little bit better about the process and I for one would actually look forward to the proceedings.  Who’s with me?  I wonder if the White House website has a suggestion box I can send this to…

Men and Lip Balm

Special double post for you today because we’ll I have a lot to talk about I guess.  While on my little weekend excursion that I spoke about in my last post there were two guys on the trip that applied lip balm quite frequently and a couple of us joked with the guys pretty roughly.  I have a couple of friends that do this as well and I think it should be a man rule.  Men should not put lip balm on in public.  In fact, maybe it’s me but men should not apply lip balm on in public view with other men around.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for protection and maintenance of the lips but seriously guys, you look ridiculous.  I get chapped lips and if I don’t take care of it, I get nasty ass cold sores and no ones wants those or chapped lips but guess what there’s a way to apply lip balm and not look like a little bitch.  Go to the bathroom, go to a corner, go to another room, I don’t care, just stop applying it on in front of other men.  You look like you should be wearing a purse around your shoulder that carries your tampons and douche’s.  Please for the sake of manhood everywhere, excuse yourself, hit up a bathroom (make sure you’re in a stall) and take care of your lips.  If you don’t, fully expect another man to make a comment or straight up smack the shit out of you because quite frankly – you deserve it!