I realize that I spend most of my time throughout a day making fun of people or snapping off snarky comments. However, there is a side of me that touches on serious things and this is one of those times.
Kristi's Aunt passed away this past week and I was at home with her family. I helped out with as much as I could considering everything that her family had to deal with. It was an extremely sad time. She was only 51, and despite not having a huge impact on my life, she most definitely did on Kristi and every other member of her extended family.
I really haven't had anyone too close to me pass away except for one grandfather. And as sad as that was, he was very sick and in his late 70's, so it was expected. This women, though being extremely sick, was just entering the prime of her life and now will not be around to see her three daughters grow up. I have no idea why people die at a young age, but it isn't fair. I wish her family the best and some sort of consolation during their time of grief.
I've known people who have lost close family members, and they told me it sucks more than you could ever imagine. And after hearing that one of my first thoughts was, "How can I help in their time of need?"
I've realized that you really can't make anything physically better. But, you can be there for them whether they need a cry or a laugh. Because ultimately people just need to know they are loved and cared about. I think I did a good job these past few days being that shoulder to lean on, and though the situation was not fun at all, I think I came out of it a better person.
I don't really have a point to all of this rambling except this. If you consider someone a friend, be there for them in their time of need. It will mean the world to them and most likely, when something goes down in your life they will be there for you. It's not the greatest situation to be in, but it goes along way in helping the healing process.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I Hope I Don't Get Dumber....
Well, I get two of my wisdom teeth removed today, and I am utterly terrified of the procedure. All four are through the gums and the correct place. They just have to numb me up and take them out. I've got cavities that need to be filled as well. So two come out today, and two next Wednesday. Wish me luck, and hopefully I won't cry in the office today.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Passing Judgement....
There are things that everyone hates. Plain and simple no bones about it. But as soon as you start hating a person you are viewed as passing judgement. And you know what, I really have no problem with that. Especially when it comes to celebrities. So here goes, Zach's most hated celebrities of 2009 from 5 to 1.
5.) Cameron Diaz - She just makes terrible movies and I'm sick of it. Last time I enjoyed one of her films was There's Something About Mary. And I liked it despite her. Honestly, look at her resume, what jumps at you. Animated films with her voice in them. I hear that's tough acting. The hardest part for me would be not punching Eddie Murphy in the face while I was in the studio with him.
4.) Katherine Heigl - I plain and simple can't stand her. One of my biggest pet peeves is someone who doesn't give credit where credit is due. She called out Judd Apatow saying he is sexist towards women in his films. Remind you this was after she starred in Knocked Up and her star status skyrocketed. Then she won an Emmy for Grey's Anatomy. And then withdrew her name the following year saying the writers didn't give her quote "Emmy material to work with." If she was a guy I would say look at the balls on this one. There is nothing wrong with being a dominant woman in Hollywood. Oprah did it, Ellen DeGeneres is doing it. Difference is they don't throw people under the bus while driving it.
3.) Sacha Baron Cohen - In light of looking like a misogynist, I would like to point out that I hate male celebrities too. This guy is near the top. I think he's funny and I think his movies are funny. Uncomfortable and albeit funny. But seriously man, not everyone needs to see you in character every damn day. The guy promotes his movies as the characters and it drives me nuts. I didn't see Denzel Washington go on The View as Alonso from Training Day and start capping old ladies. The sad thing is he is a truly funny guy. I saw him on Letterman promoting Bruno and he was charming, eccentric, and a little shy. More of that please.
2.) Jeremy Piven - This no talent hack has been the toast of Hollywood for a while now and I gotta say, I'm not impressed. He's been around forever, made some good movies, and now has a persona. He is Ari Gold, which is good if you like his show or his style. I do not. I find Entourage to be the most self-serving piece of shit show on Television in years. Nothing happens. I've watched five episodes in my lifetime and the same things happen. The main guy gets a job, he loses it, Ari curses, he gets the job back, you see boobs, his posse sits at the pool, roll credits. Really? That's all it takes to make a hit show? I can only hope the next time he's at a sushi restaurant there is a guy in the back with a samurai sword who makes quick work of this punk.
1.) Brett Favre - Was there ever any question that he was going to be number 1? There is a deep burning passion of hatred for this man buried deep in my loins. Partly because he destroyed the Bears for nearly 12 years of my life. And partly because the main is kind of a jerk face, but no one ever reported that. Oh really he took performance enhancing drugs, lets look the other way. Oh really he cheated on his wife, lets look the other way. Oh really he had his own locker room and barely spoke to teammates, lets look the other way. If ass clown was in the dictionary, his picture would be right next to it. Honestly, he was a great player, but his personality and off the field stuff left something to be desired. Reporters always said he was an everyman, and I believed that as long as I thought everyman was an asshole. He has hijacked the emotions of two teams and took them for his own personal joyride. Now there are tons of Brett haters and I love it. I just look at my view of him and am happy I was ahead of the curve.
And there it is, the list of hate. I realize I am a jerk, but I do have my reasons. And I don't know these people, so in an essence, no blood no foul.
5.) Cameron Diaz - She just makes terrible movies and I'm sick of it. Last time I enjoyed one of her films was There's Something About Mary. And I liked it despite her. Honestly, look at her resume, what jumps at you. Animated films with her voice in them. I hear that's tough acting. The hardest part for me would be not punching Eddie Murphy in the face while I was in the studio with him.
4.) Katherine Heigl - I plain and simple can't stand her. One of my biggest pet peeves is someone who doesn't give credit where credit is due. She called out Judd Apatow saying he is sexist towards women in his films. Remind you this was after she starred in Knocked Up and her star status skyrocketed. Then she won an Emmy for Grey's Anatomy. And then withdrew her name the following year saying the writers didn't give her quote "Emmy material to work with." If she was a guy I would say look at the balls on this one. There is nothing wrong with being a dominant woman in Hollywood. Oprah did it, Ellen DeGeneres is doing it. Difference is they don't throw people under the bus while driving it.
3.) Sacha Baron Cohen - In light of looking like a misogynist, I would like to point out that I hate male celebrities too. This guy is near the top. I think he's funny and I think his movies are funny. Uncomfortable and albeit funny. But seriously man, not everyone needs to see you in character every damn day. The guy promotes his movies as the characters and it drives me nuts. I didn't see Denzel Washington go on The View as Alonso from Training Day and start capping old ladies. The sad thing is he is a truly funny guy. I saw him on Letterman promoting Bruno and he was charming, eccentric, and a little shy. More of that please.
2.) Jeremy Piven - This no talent hack has been the toast of Hollywood for a while now and I gotta say, I'm not impressed. He's been around forever, made some good movies, and now has a persona. He is Ari Gold, which is good if you like his show or his style. I do not. I find Entourage to be the most self-serving piece of shit show on Television in years. Nothing happens. I've watched five episodes in my lifetime and the same things happen. The main guy gets a job, he loses it, Ari curses, he gets the job back, you see boobs, his posse sits at the pool, roll credits. Really? That's all it takes to make a hit show? I can only hope the next time he's at a sushi restaurant there is a guy in the back with a samurai sword who makes quick work of this punk.
1.) Brett Favre - Was there ever any question that he was going to be number 1? There is a deep burning passion of hatred for this man buried deep in my loins. Partly because he destroyed the Bears for nearly 12 years of my life. And partly because the main is kind of a jerk face, but no one ever reported that. Oh really he took performance enhancing drugs, lets look the other way. Oh really he cheated on his wife, lets look the other way. Oh really he had his own locker room and barely spoke to teammates, lets look the other way. If ass clown was in the dictionary, his picture would be right next to it. Honestly, he was a great player, but his personality and off the field stuff left something to be desired. Reporters always said he was an everyman, and I believed that as long as I thought everyman was an asshole. He has hijacked the emotions of two teams and took them for his own personal joyride. Now there are tons of Brett haters and I love it. I just look at my view of him and am happy I was ahead of the curve.
And there it is, the list of hate. I realize I am a jerk, but I do have my reasons. And I don't know these people, so in an essence, no blood no foul.
Monday, July 20, 2009
In the Year 2009....
Apparently I have retreated to my days of being 18 again. Not that it's really all that exciting, but I have been reading and playing video games non-stop for the better part of a week. My brother returned home for a few days before moving to Chicago for 6 months, and he left his copy of Gears of War 2. To which I reply, "Hells Yes."
The game play isn't that great, but the story is cool and graphics are undeniably solid. And I have yet to play another video game where you take a chainsaw gun and slice an alien from groin to mouth. I wish it was real life, because then those pricks from The Hills wouldn't stand a chance.
It's games like this that make me really happy I splurged nearly $500 for an XBox 360 a few years ago. However, I have not purchased a new game in over a year, which makes me sad on my investment. For the past few months, it has been a very expensive and high-tech DVD player. But I vow to make that all change. I am going to buy more games and probably soon. I'm one of those who treats games much like movies. I hear about them, scout them, read reviews of them, and then buy the good ones. Hopefully the studios will come through on the new Batman game and Bioshock 2.
With the reading part I went to the SP public library and got an official library card. I know that is so 1998. I checked out Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane of Mystic River fame. I'm about half way through and I'm pretty sure I have the twist figured out. For a mystery story it's pretty cool and has a lot of the elements I enjoy reading about. Plus, the movie comes out in a few months and I figure I should have it read by then. I'm trying to improve my speed since I read about as fast as Brando moved through a buffet line.
And I'm pretty pumped for the movie with Leo. Mainly because I want to see DiCaprio with a Boston accent again. "Ovah here, throw tha bawdhy in the fackin' harbah."
The game play isn't that great, but the story is cool and graphics are undeniably solid. And I have yet to play another video game where you take a chainsaw gun and slice an alien from groin to mouth. I wish it was real life, because then those pricks from The Hills wouldn't stand a chance.
It's games like this that make me really happy I splurged nearly $500 for an XBox 360 a few years ago. However, I have not purchased a new game in over a year, which makes me sad on my investment. For the past few months, it has been a very expensive and high-tech DVD player. But I vow to make that all change. I am going to buy more games and probably soon. I'm one of those who treats games much like movies. I hear about them, scout them, read reviews of them, and then buy the good ones. Hopefully the studios will come through on the new Batman game and Bioshock 2.
With the reading part I went to the SP public library and got an official library card. I know that is so 1998. I checked out Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane of Mystic River fame. I'm about half way through and I'm pretty sure I have the twist figured out. For a mystery story it's pretty cool and has a lot of the elements I enjoy reading about. Plus, the movie comes out in a few months and I figure I should have it read by then. I'm trying to improve my speed since I read about as fast as Brando moved through a buffet line.
And I'm pretty pumped for the movie with Leo. Mainly because I want to see DiCaprio with a Boston accent again. "Ovah here, throw tha bawdhy in the fackin' harbah."
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Early and Often....
I have been working the early news shift at work this week so I have been a tad sluggish and slow to report. With that said, my trip was amazing. Words truly can't sum up what it's like to go on vacation to a new place and with someone you truly enjoy spending every minute with.
Las Vegas is pretty awesome, but does have its downfall. The two major negatives I had were that it is hot and dirty. The first is no big deal because it is so dry that you don't notice it as much. You have to drink plenty of water just to stay hydrated because you don't even realize that you need it. I really wish they would clean up the city more. It is dirty and has crap all over the place. Nothing like walking and sifting through inches of pamphlets featuring ladies of the night.
But my trip was awesome and I had a great time. all of the hotels are unique in their own way, and definitely a sight in themselves. The Monte Carlo was great and I enjoyed everything about where we stayed. I didn't win anything at the tables, but that didn't matter. I had a great time. I saw the Golden State Warriors, Gus Hansen, and guys from the UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball team (true story). There really is nowhere else that you can see all these things and take in so much, in so little time.
I take away from this trip two things. I need to take vacations more often, and need to go more places with Kristi. Because this trip was Legendary.
Las Vegas is pretty awesome, but does have its downfall. The two major negatives I had were that it is hot and dirty. The first is no big deal because it is so dry that you don't notice it as much. You have to drink plenty of water just to stay hydrated because you don't even realize that you need it. I really wish they would clean up the city more. It is dirty and has crap all over the place. Nothing like walking and sifting through inches of pamphlets featuring ladies of the night.
But my trip was awesome and I had a great time. all of the hotels are unique in their own way, and definitely a sight in themselves. The Monte Carlo was great and I enjoyed everything about where we stayed. I didn't win anything at the tables, but that didn't matter. I had a great time. I saw the Golden State Warriors, Gus Hansen, and guys from the UW-Whitewater wheelchair basketball team (true story). There really is nowhere else that you can see all these things and take in so much, in so little time.
I take away from this trip two things. I need to take vacations more often, and need to go more places with Kristi. Because this trip was Legendary.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Zach Be Bloggin'....
It's been a week since I last updated, and I leave for my trip tonight, so this was clearly the best time to stop working and update.
Driving up to Minneapolis tonight and then flying out to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon. Should be an absolute blast and I truly look forward to spending time with Kristi.
Aside from that not a whole lot going on. So it is short and sweet, and I will have a review of my time in Vegas sometime next week.
Driving up to Minneapolis tonight and then flying out to Las Vegas tomorrow afternoon. Should be an absolute blast and I truly look forward to spending time with Kristi.
Aside from that not a whole lot going on. So it is short and sweet, and I will have a review of my time in Vegas sometime next week.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The World is a Little Quieter Today...
Billy Mays. What can I say, the man was a legend. He could sell you anything, and in fact did sell you everything for the past 30 years of his life. He died tragically and unfortunately leaves his family behind. He has a wife and a little 3 year old kid, and for that I am sad. People made fun of Billy Mays for hawking crappy items and that is their right. But after watching his reality show, this man was as devoted as they come. He loved what he did, and it seemed like he took pure joy out of taking an idea and running with it. So I will remember the great times I had watching Billy Mays' infomercials, and mourn the best his industry has ever seen.
It's weird with all of these deaths lately. The King of Pop has been dethroned and it sucks. I'm not a fan by any means, but I do realize the impact he had on the entertainment industry and people in general. However, that does not make him immune to jokes. Because let's be honest, the guy was certifiable. I never knew the entertaining Michael Jackson. I knew the kid diddler. And for that I am sad.
Farrah Fawcett was beautiful and made a great career out of playing parts that didn't require a whole lot of acting. But to her credit, she was a good actress who just happened to be one of the most naturally beautiful people on the planet. She was on Charlie's Angels for just one year, and that is what everyone remembers her for. I can only hope I can make an impact like that in such a short amount of time.
And Ed McMahon was one of the best the television industry has ever seen, and you will probably never see a side-kick like him again. People are too greedy to share the lime-light, but he never wavered in his support of Johnny Carson. I don't think people quite realize what it takes to be on the air 250 nights a year for 30 years. That is truly amazing and is a feat we will never see duplicated.
All of these people deserve the accolades they are receiving. They were great at what they did and brought joy to millions. Sure they had their rough patches, but who doesn't. I for one will take a moment to remember them, and hope some up and comers can take their places.
It's weird with all of these deaths lately. The King of Pop has been dethroned and it sucks. I'm not a fan by any means, but I do realize the impact he had on the entertainment industry and people in general. However, that does not make him immune to jokes. Because let's be honest, the guy was certifiable. I never knew the entertaining Michael Jackson. I knew the kid diddler. And for that I am sad.
Farrah Fawcett was beautiful and made a great career out of playing parts that didn't require a whole lot of acting. But to her credit, she was a good actress who just happened to be one of the most naturally beautiful people on the planet. She was on Charlie's Angels for just one year, and that is what everyone remembers her for. I can only hope I can make an impact like that in such a short amount of time.
And Ed McMahon was one of the best the television industry has ever seen, and you will probably never see a side-kick like him again. People are too greedy to share the lime-light, but he never wavered in his support of Johnny Carson. I don't think people quite realize what it takes to be on the air 250 nights a year for 30 years. That is truly amazing and is a feat we will never see duplicated.
All of these people deserve the accolades they are receiving. They were great at what they did and brought joy to millions. Sure they had their rough patches, but who doesn't. I for one will take a moment to remember them, and hope some up and comers can take their places.
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