Oh Boy....

I have not been updating this blog recently and for that I apologize. Things have gotten a little wild recently, with trips to Illinois and lots of wedding stuff going on. I honestly have no qualms about getting married and am super excited. At the moment, I'm not even nervous. I know that will change when things get closer and especially on the day of. Not because I'm scared about what I'm doing, but because I tend to be the type of person who dislikes having all the attention on them. I realize weddings are supposed to be about the bride, but I will be standing up there also with a bunch of eyes on me.

That's what makes me nervous. So I will try and deflect all that as well as I can and enjoy myself, which I ultimately will. It will be a fantastic day and is just around the corner. I look forward to spending time with my friends and family, and will look to them in support. I have no idea who will be coming, but it will just be nice to catch up with friends and the like. Even just chilling with the Groomsmen beforehand. Those are the little things that I look forward to.

And with that I finish up wedding talk. Not much going on in the world of pop-culture for me to comment on. Though I will say the whole Brett Favre dong danglin' scenario makes me happy (note: not with an erection). I try not to be a spiteful or vengeful person, but sometimes people have it coming and deserve this. Yes, personally he has been through a lot with his family, but if it is true that he was sending pics out shortly after his wife was diagnosed with cancer, he deserves everything he gets. It takes a special kind of man to cheat on his wife under those circumstances. In related news, I really enjoy the now coined phrases "dick pics" and "cock shots." I don't know if there are two more self-explanatory phrases in the English language.

Season change....

The seasons have changed rather abruptly, with the temperature hovering above 65 on a daily basis. I do love it however. Any type of climate that allows me to comfortably wear shorts and a sweatshirt is moneybags for me. So it's time to run down things I enjoy about the quick switch of the seasons.

I love the switch to Oktoberfest beer. However, something I have found this year is the sales that stores put on summer beer in September. Just this past week I was able to score a 12 pack of "Honey Moon" (Blue Moon's summer dumpster baby) as well as the seasonal "Rope Swing" from Redhook. They are both fantastic and it really doesn't have to be a summer month on the calendar for me to enjoy a light and tasty beverage. So my advice to all those, go peruse local liquor stores to see if they have any deals on summer delicacies.

I love the chill in the air as I fall asleep. We keep the window open for about half the night and just let that cool air roll in. It is the best way to sleep. For show.

I love that the baseball post-season is just around the corner. I can be a homer and follow the Twins and maybe try and luck my way into some playoff tickets. The Cubs have been DOA since about April, but that doesn't mean I can't cheer for the Twins. The MLB playoffs and World Series are my second favorite sporting event (next to March Madness) and it has nothing to do with my team being there. God knows the Cubs don't do anything there. I just love the pagentray and the fact that only 8 teams get in. Exclusivity at its best.

I love that football is back, and at the moment I have something to cheer for. At the moment those cheering points are Pro-Bears/Anti-Vikings. I realize that from 1995-2007 my hatred for the Packers was 100% Brett Favre. Without him, I find them a very likable bunch. Who knew? But at the moment I am salivating over this Monday night with Bears/Pckers from Soldier Field. Should be a good one.

And lastly I love that my wedding is just a few fleeting months away. It came around fast, and I am excited to be together with family and friends as I get to marry my best friend. (Cue sappy music)

Seasons change and I get a little bit older, and I learn to appreciate things more and more. These have been some of those things.

Baby Searchin'

Is exactly what Jax will be doing on Sons of Anarchy tonight. Before I digress into the show, I want to proclaim my excitement for the start of the Fall TV season. I am rather pumped for returning shows and one that is just kicking off. So here is the rundown.

Monday - How I Met Your Mother remains must see viewing for this guy, despite a lack-luster previous season. But Jason Segel keeps me comin' back

Tuesday - Sons of Anarchy is my new favorite program. I watched the pilot when it premiered and set it aside. Well, I am here to atone and tell everyone I was wrong. The show is full of badassery and some of the best writing on TV. I finished up season 2 on DVD in a flurry, and await 9 PM tonight to see them IRA bastards get their comeuppance.

Wednesday - Terriers is a new show on FX about some sort of tandem of lawmen. I don't know much, but I do know it comes from Shawn Ryan who was behind The Shield. And I never discount F/X. Along with AMC, they are the only basic cable station who brings it consistently.

Thursday - The inevitable night of doom with lots of awesome TV. Community is on NBC at 7 and looks to continue from an awesome 1st season. However, they have stiff competition from CBS, attempting their first Thursday night comedy block in nearly 20 years. They lead off at 7 with The Big Bang Theory, which is good, but panders a bit like Two and a Half Men. I will watch though, because it is very solid and perpetuates the notion that nerds are lame and hence very funny. Then at 9 PM F/X hits you with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The show continues to get wackier, which can be a detriment, but the original guys are back to writing the bulk of the episodes. And count me excited to see Danny Devito in a Spider-man costume for a Halloween Episode.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday don't matter to this guy, but I will throw out the one new show that I will try and catch. The Walking Dead on AMC. A 6 part, graphic novel inspired, zombie opus that debuts on Halloween night. I like zombie movies, but they tend to be 90 minutes of gore. I'm excited for 6 hours to delve into character development and of course, some gore. If you haven't seen the trailer, google that nonsense. It's awesome.

I realize I am leaving things out like South Park and the like, but these are the main shows I will focus on. Because I like zombies, biker gangs, and physicists. Look out for my review of Sons of Anarchy tomorrow, hoping to become a weekly staple.

Slowing down....

It is what these blog posts have been doing, and also what I am trying to do with my time. One of my ultimate pet peeves is people who assume they are busier than you are. I mainly feel this way because busy is a state of mind and it's different for everyone. One man's busy is another gal's slow. But I have been trying to enjoy some things while trying to work and workout and attempt to help plan a wedding. Below are a few of the things I am enjoying at the moment.

Just took in Season 4 of Dexter in a two day span. And the show was seriously a gut punch followed by a body blow every single episode. I vouch for the show since it's start and feel like it does get overshadowed at times. Sure it's plotting and pacing is uneven. But every show has it's own ebb and flow. Needless to say this season leaves you rather sick at the end. All of the prior season had some sort of flicker of hope at the end, whereas this one was a kick in the cords. I will be viewing the season again sometime soon, but was rather spent after the dire subject matter and John Lithgow's bare ass. Not sure which one will give me more nightmares.

Going to attempt to expand my horizons a bit in the next few weeks and take in some lesser known movies. The Kids are Alright is on my list, mainly because all reports are the acting is fantastic. Can't go wrong with Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Also want to see The Tillman Story, which is about a documentary on the fallen former NFL player. Sounds like it is extremely somber and focuses on his family and their loss. I have read a bit about it and look forward to the talks about the government cover up. The guy was killed by friendly fire, and it took the better part of 5 years for the news to come out. Will almost certainly be a tearjerker.

And to conclude with my slowing down theme, I have actually been reading a work of fiction lately. It's a zombie novel, but so far I have enjoyed it immensely. I forgot how soothing it is to just turn everything off and read for 30 minutes. It helps when you enjoy the subject matter, but ultimately it just takes you to your own world. that is certainly something I have been missing lately.

I've had it....

I feel like Peter Finch in Network over the whole Brett Favre business. I'm not going to take it anymore. Unfortunately, I now live in Minneapolis, which means I'm in the belly of the beast. As I speak (or I suppose write in this case) there are 15 of my coworkers huddled around a TV set. Why you ask? Because the local news had their cameras at the airport to see Brit's plane land. And off the plane walked the old gunslinger. Oh he was limping too, because of course there were cameras. Gotta milk the angle. That's Favreology 101, when the cameras are on, put on your best John Wayne face.

It surprises me that no one has picked up on this parallel yet, but Brett Favre is Tom Cruise. Both had insanely successful and profitable careers, but later in those careers their true colors began to show. Tom got divorced and thought he would show people a different side of him. That side turned out to be the crazy side. And sure, people still like Tom, but not as many as in 1996. Brett was on top of the world, but couldn't let go. He kept wanting more and more, much like Cruise. But his colors shown after that NFC Championship loss to the Giants. It was his jumping on the couch moment. Crying, retiring, saying he wasn't loved anymore. And then Brett rebounded in his Mission Impossible: III performance last year. And now he's trying to convince you he's still a star. Well all I have to say after that long comparison is, I hope this season is like Valkyrie. And by Valkyrie I mean Julius Peppers breaks his legs.

Brett has always been a me guy, and I have no idea how that gets past fans. He doesn't care about you, he cares about your perception of him. He wants to be known as the everyman. And to this point he has done that. But I was hip to this trick back in 2006, and now 5 years later I have become indifferent. Actually, I will never be indifferent because of my hatred for the man. Nothing will please me more than Minnesota missing the playoffs. Their division has gotten exponentially better, and the Vikings schedule has gotten much more difficult. I honestly think they go 9-7 or 10-6 and miss the playoffs. And god help them if 2 of those losses are to the Bears. I will rub that in every ones faces

The last part of this saga is that he truly doesn't care for any of the other quarterbacks on the team. If I was Tavaris Jackson I would literally go to the coaching staff and tell them I was done. I don't care if I could get a job with another team or not. He is being jerked around by the staff saying "He's our guy," when they secretly have meetings with Favre. And to really twist the shank, his own team mates went to visit Favre and get him to come back. TEAM MATES!!!! The guys you are supposed to go to battle with would rather have another guy than you. They will practice with you, but when it comes to the game they want the other guy. I would leave if I was Jackson.

I realize that my views are jaded and a bit long winded. But to me it boils down to this: there are guys busting it all over the league to make roster spots, or starting lineups, or to just get better. And this guy waltzes in and expects the job handed to him. I honestly don't know what's worse, Favre or the team that enables him to do these things. It will play out I suppose, and I will probably watch. But I won't like it and will yell about it every chance I get.

The Warmth....

My title not only reflects an awesome Incubus song, but also what I have been feeling lately here in the Twin Cities. We do not have air conditioning, only a window unit in our bedroom, and let me tell you the last couple days have been dooseys. Yesterday, it got up to 94 with a heat index of 105. To paraphrase Lewis Black, "You know the heat index is over 100 when you step outside and wonder why you didn't put deodorant on your balls." So yeah, wicked hot. People wonder why I yearn for the awesomeness that is winter. Because I don't sweat while watching TV in Winter.

Took in the first two season of Nip/Tuck over the past month or so. It's a show that I watched early on in it's run and then fell off, and then jumped back on again. The first 2 seasons are bad ass, but it runs off the rails pretty quickly in the 3rd season. By the second case of incest in 4 episodes, I was off that ship. But if you enjoy something that was cutting edge and rather risque for its time, take a look on Netflix where all of the seasons are on instant view.

Speaking of F/X shows, I started watching the first season of Sons of Anarchy, and I can't recommend it enough. It's essentially Hamlet, but if Hamlet had a methhead ex-wife and beat people to death with broken pool cues. I only caught the latter half of season two on the old idiot box, so seeing it from its genesis is a real must for anyone who enjoys television.

Went and saw Inception for a second time, this viewing being in an IMAX theater. Loved the movie even more than the first time I saw it. The pacing in the middle kind of turns me off, but everything else is spot on. And if you thought the underlying bass in the score was loud, see it in IMAX. I'm surprised people's eyeglasses didn't break.

And lastly, baseball is now dead to me with the Cubs being 10 games out of first place after the All-Star break. This team just didn't have it and was poorly constructed. Too much money handed out to veterans who were starting to decline, and the confidence in four rookies to be in the bullpen is just mystifying. I know Brewers fans share my lament, and we can only wait for the sweet embrace of football season. A season which should be rather competitive for the NFC North. Full preview to come sometime in August......

Tuesday Afternoon Ramblings....

I am back in the Midwest after a week out on the east coast. I really enjoyed my time in Massachusetts and look forward to going back. The scenery is beautiful, most people are nice, and the word I kept thinking of to describe it was "peaceful." I think everyone can agree when you go somewhere, peaceful is a good place to start. The flights were all good and I had a week to kick back and relax. Took in some east coast brews (Offshore Ale you are dericious) and traveled to Boston. Boston, like most big cities, has too much to see in six hours, which incidentally was the amount of time I had there. It was enough to follow some of the Freedom Trail, hit Boston harbor, and have a drink at the Cheers replica bar. I had fun in the sun and sand, but am happy to be home. Now on to the important stuff. My review of Inception.

I have spoken in this blog before about how I consider the movie theater to be a sort of semi-sacred space. As Kristi and I walked into the theater and entered the concession line I saw a couple with a young child most likely aged 3-5. I thought nothing of it and said to myself, "That kid is going to enjoy Toy story 3, because I know I did." So we go and sit down in the jam packed theater and not 2 minutes later in strolls the couple with said child. I was angry before the movie even started. The main reason being those parents had no idea about the movie or the audience it was going to attract. The movie is 2 hours and 28 minutes long which a kid could not sit through if they were given a bottle of Jim Beam. It's a movie made by a director who has built his reputation on making "thinking man" movies. You have to pay attention, and its hard when a young child is in the theater. So I was not pleased and because I am the luckiest guy in the world, they sat directly behind us. The movie begins and the child gets rather fussy (Shocker!) And the parents sit there with the child for nearly 45 minutes of him making noise, through no fault of his own. It's what kids do. Thankfully the child was taken out of the theater and I could take in the rest of the film. I said it after I saw a child no older than 8 at Kick-Ass. The ticket taker at the theater should have the ability to deny entry to anyone they deem unfit to go see a movie. Because god knows parents can't make an informed decision by themselves.

But I digress, luckily I didn't miss much because I was intensely focused on the screen the entire time. I have been waiting for Inception for a long while, and it did not disappoint. I am not going to declare where it rests in the pantheon of movies until I see it again. But as of right now it is up there based on sole originality. Say what you want about Christopher Nolan, but color me impressed that he wrote the film and directed it. People who are that talented always impress me. Even if the movie had sucked, I would have said he was ballsy enough to be original and put his heart into it. Visually the movie was fantastic. Wally Pfister once again with fantastic cinematography. And I'm not sure who the film editor was, but they should be engraving their name on the Oscar statuette.

Acting wise, Inception was a collection of awesomeness. DiCaprio was solid as usual and I have been a big proponent of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for a while now. He has made an almost seamless transition from child sit-com star to legitimate dramatic actor. Cillian Murphy and Ken Watanabe were given more to do, and both were very impressive. Marion Cotillard continues to wow in bit parts of blockbuster movies. She was the only like able part of Michael Mann's Public Enemies, and in my mind, is the most memorable character of Inception. The only quibble I had was with Ellen Page who, in my mind at least, will always be Juno.

Say what you will about the ending or the plot in general, but it is open to interpretation. I formulated my final opinion on what I think happened 16 hours after I saw the film. But the part I enjoyed the most was the 10 minutes Kristi and I spent through the credits discussing the movie. It made us think, gave us our own opinions, and then forced us to have a conversation. The movie may not be the greatest, but when it forces you to have conversations it at least did something right.