I figure that many hockey fans also read comic books. I know I do. I tend to equate the Detroit Red Wings with the Justice League, The Tigers with the X-men (cause they get no respect); the Pistons with the Fantastic Four (because of the squabbles) and the Lions with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy.
Some years ago DC Comics (part of an international communications giant that also publishes Sports Illustrated) killed off its character Superman. The guy in tights was deader then dead for a year or so. Then he came back to life, stronger than ever.
It makes me think of the NHL, which looked deader than dead a couple years ago. Big companies that publish Mickey Mouse and Superman dumped the NHL teams that they had previously owned.
But the NHL came back, with a vengeance.
For example, the revenues for last season exceeded $2.1 billion. This was an all-time high for money in the door.
The rosiest projection for league revenues, at the start of the season, was $1.8 billion. This gave the NHL a windfall of about $300 million.
The result of this is that the salary cap will go up from $39 million per team per year to $44 million.
The NHL also set a record for regular-season attendance with 20.8 million fans, a 2.
4 percent increase from 2003-04.
I have talked about how the salary cap tends to even out the distribution of talent. This proved to be the case in 2005-2006.
As the season ended, there were 25 teams in serious contention for post season play.
Also, the final four in the Stanly Cup Playoffs all had team payrolls below that of the average team in the NHL. This fact was much to the chagrin of Red Wings fans.
Eat all the pizza you can, but it wont buy the Stanley Cup any more.
Lagging behind is television success for the NHL. The league, in its lockout days, lost the TV contract with ESPN.
(ESPN is owned by the same company that used to own the Anaheim Mighty Ducks.)
The NHL signed a new contract with the Outdoor Life Networkwhich is kinda odd because it is, by necessity, NHL hockey is an indoor sport. (There are no high margin VIP suites around the old mill pond.
)
In order to accommodate matters, the Outdoor Life Network changed its name and became the OLN. Word has it that by September OLV will be called the Versus Network.
TV ratings last season were a disappointment.
The NCAA womans softball championship got better ratings than Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. And the absence of NHL hockey on ESPN helped create the fad for Texas Holdem poker shows.
But as the Versus Network grows, so will the audience.
Look, there on the tube. Its a bird, its a plane, no its HOCKEY.
I do not know if there is such a thing as reincarnation.
But, when I was a psychotherapist, and when a client presented material that is from a "former life'", I accepted it as valid.
My first encounter with phenomena suggesting we live successive lives was nearly twenty five years ago when I was an under-graduate.
I was living with a friend of mine, a Dr.
Joanne Logan, who had a PhD. in psychology, and her husband, Henry, a brilliant artist and scholar.
We were experimenting, using hypnosis to test the limits of memory.
What were the earliest experiences that we could recall?
Without the use of hypnosis, we could remember our first day of kindergarten, when we were five, and somewhat before that.
This was the same whether the Doctor, the artist or I was the subject, and regardless who acted in the role of session "therapist''.
However, when the subject was aided by a mild hypnotic trance, the mind could access a wealth of earlier material. This was true, regardless of who was subject or who was hypnotist. There is nothing new about this.
The minds ability to reach deeper and more accurately into the past when hypnosis is used is called ``age regression''.
After hours and hours of work, it was clear that Henry was the most successful hypnotic subject of the three of us, and that he responded best when I was the hypnotist. So our work proceeded with Dr.
Logan, the team member responsible for recording on tape the sessions, Henry the subject, and I.
In early sessions, Henry could recall infancy. He could not recall birth.
By our estimates, hypnosis could push back the boundaries to close to the first birthday.
As a hypnotist, one moves the subject back and forth in time with commands that say, ``Move to (date)'', or ``Move back __ years'' or ``Move back to an earlier time when you experienced _____ ''.
One evening, Dr.
Logan and I had agreed to try something new. When a subject is hypnotized, he or she maintains a high degree of autonomy. Subjects do not become obeying automatons, as they do in the old time vampire movies.
If Henry was given a command he could not fulfill he would respond, ``I am sorry, I can't do that.''
Dr. Logan asked me to get Henry to an early period of infancy, and then give him a special command.
We got into session, and within a few minutes Henry was relating an incident that he said was occurring at the age of seven months.
"That is very good Henry,'' I said, ``now I would like you to move back five years.''
"I am in bed and I am very sick.
'' He spoke in a different voice, soft, and tired. His breathing was labored. He spoke of his surroundings in the present tense; the sick room, the abandonment by his friends and family.
I no longer called him Henry, because I no longer felt that Henry was there.
He told me he was thirsty, at this point I was not sure what to do. Would a drink of water blow my friend out of his trance?
I was not sure what the consequences of that might be, so I told him that I would bring him water after he answered a few questions.
That session did not last much longer. It was brought to a close more for the benefit of the hypnotist than for the subject or the Doctor.
The possibility that life did not end when we die shook me. All of my education had brought me to the belief that death was the end. A belief in life after life was not as commonly held then.
But something had happened and I hoped George Alonzo could give us details that we might verify in the library of the University of California. Unfortunately the late Mr. Alonzo 1869-1946, a British farmer, had not led the kind of life that shows up in the records of the University of California.
Alonzo was a laconic man. Getting verifiable details from him was difficult.
We decided to search for a lifetime before 1869 and we found one.
"Snug'' circa late 1850s until death in the late 1860s. What was interesting was that Snug had another voice and held his posture in a peculiar fashion.
Also, that our subject, having now re-experienced two deaths, Alonzo's and Snug's was able to experience his own birth with relative ease.
The subject was then eager to experience the births of his other two personas, and so we did.
This was great fun. But as Dr.
Logan would point out, we had very little evidence to support the notion that these sessions demonstrated reincarnation.
That all seemed to change after the session when we encountered the lifetime of Auguste Comte.
Isadore Auguste Marie Francois Xavier Comte was born in rural France in 1798.
At the age of 16 he moved from Montpellier to Paris to attend the academy. He was a brilliant student and was given a position, teaching mathematics, shortly after his eighteenth birthday. Although he is called the "Father of Sociology'', he is better known for developing a philosophical system called logical positivism.
His philosophy states that man should not get hung up seeking the causes or explanations of what he sees. The most one can do is study what is observable.
His works and life, though not common knowledge, were significant enough to be verifiable in the library of the University of California.
Doctor Logan and I could research Comte's life, his friends where he lived and other data. From this we wrote down a series of target information, trivia that only someone who was intimate with Comte would know. The more of these target facts that our subject would hit in session the more certainty we had that we were dealing with a factual phenomena.
While our score was not perfect, our percentage of hits was very high, well above 70 percent.
Suddenly Mr. Comte refused to cooperate with our experiments.
He said he was being pricked and prodded like a animal being trained. And of course he was right.
By now we would put Henry under hypnosis with a suggestive phrase, and when he was in a deep trance I would say ``Good Morning, Auguste'' and we would carry on conversation.
He was charming and witty in a snobbish sort of way that we would talk like friends and enjoy our selves.
Henry, our hypnotic subject, had no recollection of what transpired in the sessions. He started to feel he was more appreciated in his 19th century persona than as he was in present time.
He started getting upset about the whole process. There was a strain on Henry and Joanne's relationship. I was wearing out my welcome as a house guest.
It was clear that we would not be continuing this series of experiments much longer.
Next session Henry went under quickly. A called for Auguste.
Did he have any idea what was happening? Was this evidence of reincarnation? Was Auguste a disembodied spirit, a ghost and Henry a medium, or was he part of the person that Henry was.
Auguste was aloof, he did not know and did not care. In parting I asked Comte to do me a favor. If he was part of the present personality would he say something as Henry that we could recognize as having come from Auguste.
He agreed. We brought Henry out of the trance for the last time.
We went out to a restaurant and had a long brunch and plenty of coffee to promote conversation.
Henry talked and talked, but it seemed that Auguste uttered not a word.
Finally, I expressed my disappointment that we had found a distinct mental phenomena, and yet had no idea what it was, or why it occurred.
Henry turned to me and said, "At the highest stages of philosophic inquiry; men's thoughts show no concern for the causes or categories of observed phenomena, they merely observe.
''
This formal utterance was unlike anything Henry said to me before. But more importantly, I recognized it as the central argument of logical positivism, the philosophic system of Comte.
I thought, ``Thank you Auguste''.
I don't know if there is such a thing as telepathy either, but my suspicion is that the snobbish 19th century French mathematician got the message.
Our experiments in Berkeley were done. Sure, they lacked scientific rigor.
But we sought after one thing and got a good glimpse of something else; the possibility of survival after death.
I remember watching that show whenever I was home from school when I was little. I mean, that was nearly my favorite show. Plus, I respect his work with shelters to help spay and neuter animals.
The Bulls started there season last night. Yes, I might not be as vocal as them as I am the Sox and the Bears, but that's because I'm still kinda bitter about the breaking up of the dynasty they had. All because of the Jerrys (Reinsdorf and Krause.
) Just to recap, how Jerry Reinsdorf has made my life good and bad: Late 1980s- demands a new stadium to be built in place of Old Comiskey. Threatens to move the White Sox to Florida. 1991- New Comiskey debuts.
No one is excited about it. Upper deck is steeper, place seems kinda sterile. 1994- Strike ends the MLB season in August, Sox were winning the division at the time.
Jerry Reinsdorf is one of the people blame falls on for the strike due to his part in negotiations. 1997- I can't say too much about it, but at the time, Jerry Reinsdorf giving up on the season at the end of July being only 3.5 games back was heartbreaking.
Jerry Reinsdorf's quote about it: "Anyone who thinks we can catch Cleveland is crazy." 1998- The end of the Bulls dynasty. The Jerrys sink the team, after winning a championship, go 13-37 in a strike shortened season, then 17-65, 15-67, 21-61, 30-52, 23-59, before making the playoffs in 2004.
2005- "A ground ball past Jenks up the middle of the infield, Uribe has it, he throws, OUT! OUT! A White Sox Winner and a World Championship!
The White Sox have won the World Series and are mobbing each other on the field!" So, if I met Jerry Reinsdorf, I could probably punch-hug him. Anyways, the Bulls opened the season last night by blowing out the champions from last year, the Heat, by 42 points.
The Heat are also the ones that knocked them out of the playoffs. I'm even more happy about it because I hate Shaq as well. So much promise for a new season.
I've finally situated my toe splint so I can walk without feeling pain. I just can't wear my work boots, as they are too tight. Finally, I was in a minor accident today.
Stress minor. Scratches on bumper, but the reason I'm blogging it is because it was weird. It was in a parking lot by work.
I was backing out of a spot, almost all the way out, and she backed out of a spot across the aisle. So her fault. We scraped bumpers.
I called the police, they said to come to the station to file a report. Good old Chicago cops. I got her information, but then she and two guys that were around but not with her started to surround me and just yell at me, you don't need the information, it's minor, you don't need to go to the police.
One guy actually took the paper out of my hand and ripped it up. Feeling somewhat threatened, I left at that point, but got her license plate info. As I was leaving, I saw her writing down information of the other two guys.
So I went to the police to file a report. Told them what happened, and they filed a report, blaming her on a hit and run. I'm not pressing charges, they won't go after her, but I just have it in case she goes to the police and tries to say I left the scene and uses those two guys against me, maybe they'd make up a story or something.
Did the same thing with my insurance, so I'm protected all around. The last thing I need is to be arrested during a traffic stop because there's a warrant out for my arrest on a hit and run. So that was a fun experience today.
Well, this is an exceptionally long blog, so I think I should end it here.
Brian, wanting his nails done.
Don't ask. Jacki and Brian, using their star power. Mark and Jacki, they support each other so well.
Well, Thursday I went to the Barenaked Ladies concert here in Chicago. 8th row was pretty exciting, and had myself some fun. Enjoyed the concert, plus enjoyed not having to work one day :-D.
Got home Thursday, and read some BNL message boards. It was there that I found someone selling 2nd row tickets to the show in Madison on Saturday for face value. I replied, saying I'd take them, because I thought Madison was a 2 hour drive, and figured, hey, 2 hours is worth face value.
Well, Madison is 3 hours, but still not that bad. I was excited. 2nd row!
And I was going to bring my good camera. Well, enjoyed the concert thoroughly. I took tons of pictures, and enough can't be said about how much it seems they enjoy playing.
The smiles, the fun they have, it's just phenomenal to me sometimes. They really seem to enjoy it, with all the adlib raps, and random things they talk about. Well, after the concert, like others, I decided to go out back and wait for the band by the buses.
Well, I waited, talking to people for an hour and a half or so, and Ed, Kevin, and Jim came out and talked and autographed things and took pictures. My best option, having been completely unprepared for this, was to have them autography my iPod. I missed Kevin, due to running to my car and getting it, but Jim and Ed took pictures with me, autographed the iPod, and talked.
I went home, elated. I mean, it seems like things keep happening to me that I can call best day of my life, like the World Series game, the Season ticket holder pre-season party, the Grinder Bash, etc, but once again, this night was in the running as one of top days of my life. Got home, and went to check the bands site, and sure enough, one of the pictures, seen , shows my face in it as Steve is reaching out to have the crowd sing part of "If I Had A Million Dollars".
See if you can find me, otherwise, I have a pic with my image circled below. I also have the live show on mp3, I purchased at the concert, basically, you buy it before the show begins, and at the end of the concert, 15 mins later or so, they have a USB stick with the entire concert on it. I listened to the audience singing part referenced above, and well, it's not like you can pick my voice out, but still, I'm in there.
Well, now to the pics: Start of the show, with Ed on a platform rocking out to "Wind it Up" Start of the show, see what I mean, doesn't Steve just look happy to be playing? The one-mic part of the show, they've gathered around one microphone to play and sing. Klimt 1918 were to open the Rock-/Metal-part of the concert.
After the break the hall was still a little empty and it took a little while until more people were in the audience – probably basically because many of them were downstairs to get autographs from Dornenreich who had their autograph session while Klimt 1918 were on stage.
I like Klimt 1918s current album "doppoguerra" and I liked their live presentation, though the vocals could have been a little more powerful. But I found myself a bit confused when I saw two music-stands on the stage.
One was at the guitarist's position, but he was all the time changing place and never actually went somewhat near to it – so what the hell for did he have it anyway?? The other one was placed prominently next to the microphone, not to be overseen actually - and the singer stayed right there during the entire gig.
I can't tell whether he actually looked at it, 'cause I didn't pay much of attention to it, but when I did I had the impression he at least occasionally glanced at it. Sheets of music or prints of the lyrics – whatever may have been on the stand(s), this is embarrassing. I don't mind - after all Klimt 1918 aren't my favourite band on Prophecy.
They gotta know what they are doing...
Anyway, I did enjoy watching them on stage. :)
Dark Suns were the next to enter the stage and as always gave a very good performance – a little short for a Dark Suns-gig, like singer / drummer Nico Knappe commented: he commonly feels happy having finished half the set by the time that now it was already almost over, but well, more isn't possible with that many artists to perform on one single day all on the very same stage. Dark Suns' presentation was fresh, energetic and powerful – it always is, they're experienced, but it never gets boring as a matter of routine.
It's a real pleasure seeing them perform on stage – next time they play in Berlin: count me in, I'll be there! :)
I hope some day they'll put the drums at the front, because Nico is their actual front-man. His performance at the drums while singing is really something!
Absolutely precise in timing and powerfully performing both major tasks at the same time - drummers like him are a rare breed! I'd love to see the consequence taken to place the drums at front lined up with the other instruments in the center position some day. But this may require a large stage I guess – anyway, if it's possible guys, you should do it!
:)
A long soundcheck was the next we got to see...
well, to hear...
Man, this might have been an hour! A necessity due to recording the event, but there were negative reactions in the audience. To make it worse, once Secrets of the Moon finally entered the stage they had some trouble to give their performance mistakelessly - according to what I heard people say about the gig afterwards.
I didn't notice any mistakes, but in the beginning I just gave like 60% of my attention to the band while waiting to get into the space for photographers and camera operators. The other 40% I wasted on a few of my photographing colleagues who spent an awfully long time in there having me wait - a little annoying. :-/ Anyway, I didn't have much film left, so once I was in I didn't stay long.
At least about half the gig I did get to see in a better position in the audience thereafter. It was then that I first noticed they from time to time weren't absolutely in sync..
. That's all there was to "giving not so good a gig" as some folks said - I disagree. I love Secrets of the Moon!
And I did enjoy seeing them perform. Among nowadays Black Metal acts they're the best in my eyes - not counting Satyricon, since they are the one remaining great band from the early nineties. Front-man sG did express his disappointment with their own performance though - so perfect it was not, but whatever it was that wasn't received so well, it didn't cut back on pretty much any of my pleasure watching them perform their really powerful songs.
I'm looking forward to see them live again some time.
Festival-headliner The Vision Bleak didn't waste much time to enter the stage with their beautiful intro "The Drama of the Wicked" after Secrets of the Moon were off. Curtains up for The Vision Bleak!
"Creepy and haunting entertainment" - that's what The Vision Bleak is for, on stage just as well as on CD. Undead look, but very lively their performance: a real pleasure for ears and eyes. I missed the kinda bones-and-branches-design microphone-rests that had been the dot on the i in their shows on their "heidnischer horror"-tour ("heidnisch" is German for heathenish) with Helrunar, but what the hell - it was a great show anyway!
After all, there is no "i" in "10 Jahre Prophecy Konzertnacht"...
;)
For the occasion they played with additional strings and brass and the opera singers Sophia Brommer (soprano) and Thomas Helm (tenor) performed additional vocals – too bad that Thomas couldn't make it for the entire concert. He entered the stage for the final song he hadn't even had time to redress or get a make-up done - so he was dressed casually with no make-up. His Slayer-Shirt really was a strong contrast to the stylish look of all the others on stage!
While Sophia seamed to have a little trouble making her voice be heard solely against Konstanz - though I think that basically was due to her microphone being lowered in sound for her additional vocals not to overpower Konstanz' lead - once Thomas was on stage the two of them sang Konstanz down. Until this point Konstanz had absolutely dominated the show as front-man: wild and creepy gestures, faces, etc. but against the two opera-singers his voice didn't stand a chance.
The Vision Bleak's show ended in the highlight of the evening: When the charme was gonna be done Dornenreich's Evíga suddenly appeared on stage and supported Schwadorf in his shouted passage! Seeing and hearing the two of them shouting Schwadorf's lines was really impressive (both are incredible shouters!!
) - a real gooseflesh-moment! I wish I had had the chance to take a picture of that incredible moment! But I didn't have any film left.
.. :( Schwadorf and Evíga shouting and Konstanz, Sophia and Thomas singing was really impressive and furthermore was a cooperation of three still active Prophecy-bands: Dornenreich represented by Evíga and Noekk by Thomas Helm (in fact with Schwadorf.
..) both unitedly supporting The Vision Bleak.
What a wonderful moment!! A moment to remember!
When The Vision Bleak left the stage the cheering audience instantly demanded an encore - and we got what we wanted: two further songs to enjoy - still with Thomas but without Evíga, his presence on stage just had been a short cameo...
The concert night ended thereafter - round about 1 ½ hours past schedule. There was no after-show party (too small and conservative a village to be furthermore bothering the inhabitants with the noise of party..
.), so the audience cleared the place pretty quickly - just dropping by the merchandise booth for a few last special-offer prized items and left. From what I can say the audience was delighted with the event - and so was I: I can't wait for the next Prophecy concert night!
The rest of the night I spent with the guys from Dark Suns, Neun Welten, The Vision Bleak's Schwadorf, The Vision Bleak-roadie Oliver and Stefan from Prophecy Productions. I ended up chatting, drinking and changing location until having breakfast at the hotel of Markus, Tobias, Oliver co. - Markus, Oliver and I didn't call it a night any more, just kept having a great time until they left "town".
..
A huge thanx to everyone involved into this wonderful concert night!
!
edDy
So I'm minding my own business walking up to the soda machine because the kids drank the rest of the soda for lunch.
I get to the machine and put a dollar bill in.
It goes in...
I wait for it to say $1.00 in beautiful red display light. Instead after pausing for a time it spits my dollar back.
It was as if the machine was considering taking my dollar and then after a moment of contemplation decided that my dollar was not worry. Not a big deal since I have several dollars in my wallet. I didn't pick a super ratty bill but it had some wrinkles so I picked out a nice crisp bill to put in.
I've got extra ones in my wallet right now since I'm planning on hitting a strip club tomorrow.
So I place this much nicer much flatter looking dollar into the machine and again it sucks it up nicely and I sit waiting to see the machine register my currency so I can get my damn coke. And again after waiting 5 or 10 seconds it spits my dollar back out.
Well it looks like I'm not getting a coke today. I had change back at the house but I just foolishly assumed that one of my few dozen one dollar bills would work in the machine.
So I decide to check the mail so as not to waste my trip to the machine.
The mail boxes are right there next to the coke machines. Tons of mail (mostly ads) so I'm glad I checked it and I start walking back checking out the prices on laptops.
I pass a nice bunch of guys and girls I have to laugh at their conversation.
Talking about weather or not Vin Diesel is gay. One girl says that he's bi and it really doesn't matter cause he's sexy as hell no matter what he is.
I've got to say I walked a bit slower than I would have because I was enjoying the conversation way too much.
Now normally people see me now and leave me alone. They are either pleasant to me or just plain scared of me. I like it that way.
I'm getting closer to my apartment and I hear these girls whistling and screaming "Hey sexy...
." and other random comments that are meant to be less than flattering. Yes these were not sincere remarks toward me and it was clear that they did not find me sexually desirable even though they were saying things to the contrary.
I looked over at them and they giggled and ran behind the stairs where I couldn't see them. I continued walking and they popped back out and made a few more remarks and I just look forward and ignore them.
But when I get back to my apartment and set the mail on the counter I get a little steamed at their little fun at my expense and I decide to go back to where these skanks were hanging out and acting cool puffing away at their cigarettes filling their lungs with tabacoo making their lungs as black as their filthy hearts.
I'm approaching from an angle to where I can't even sure if they are still there so when I pop up behind the corner I definately startled two of them.
"That was fuckin' rude! Don't you have any manners?
" I ask them in a pretty angry voice.
They are definately stunned but obviously used to accusations because they come up with an almost convincing lie.
"We didn't say those things at you.
"
"Yeah one of our friends was walking by and we were just playing around with her."
Of course the problem with this lie is that I was there and saw no other person in the area and they were looking directly at me when I stared them down and they jumped behind the stairs. So unless their friend is imaginary (which who am I to question their mental state) I'm certain I was the one they were razzing.
At this point I realize not only is arguing with them futile but how stupid I am for wasting my time going back to try and instill some fear and manners in them.
I just tell them "Oh okay I'm sorry" again even though I know they are lying to me I'm the one who apologizes and as I walk off I hear them snicker and say more rude things under their breath.
I'm not sure of their ages but they had to be between the ages of 17 and 20 and they definitely had no right to judge anyone on their sexual appeal.
They all had mean bitchy faces and their figures were nothing to write home about. Combine this with their obvious winning personalities and the smell of Newports coming off their clothes they should be more concerned about their own appearance. Well I guess not since they are young girls and they'll always be able to get guys so long as they don't let their vaginas get too loose.
I don't see that being a problem with their bitchy attitude. No one's gonna hit that too many times in a row.
If I'd a been drinking I'd probably wouldn't have even made it to the apartment and would have marched over to them when they started in on me.
And I'm sure that the statement I probably would have made to them would have been something like this.
"Don't you girls have jerk-off boyfriends? Aren't their cocks getting lonely for your assholes right about now?
"
God I just wonder what their response would be to that. Nothing too imaginative I gather but still I feel like a softy for not tearing into them. Why do I have a soft spot for ugly skanky pimple faced teenagers?
Why do I feel like they can be so much more. So they probably suck their guys dicks and eat each other out. They yell stupid insults at guys like me and they stain their teeth yellow and stink up their breath with cigarettes.
What could have lead them to a life of nicotine addiction at such a young age?
I could ramble on about them but I'm not going to. I'm sure the whole thing wouldn't have mattered had I not had a dream I was back in high school earlier this morning.
The soda machine mocking me didn't help either. But I swear this whole Chris being bullied thing is really affecting my psyche. He has to go back tomorrow so I'm nervous for him.
Yeah anyway I had a dream I was getting along with the semi-popluar kids. But it turned out to be all a ruse. Yeah in the end I was made fun of.
Before I had a chance to do anything I sprang up from my bed sweating.
Now I'm back in my apartment. My adorable kids are behaving well (as usual).
I could go back out with 4 quarters and get my soda but fuck it now I'm gonna drink a few beers.
Hopefully when I start my radio show I can have these cunts-in-training on my show and perhaps we can stop this senseless cycle of women growing up to be bitches and raising more bitches. I bet if they read some books or watched something other than The O.
C. they might turn out okay.
I am getting awful edgy and making fun of my sexuality during a time when I can feel my sex urges getting strong was not good.
For some reason though I used to attract strippers when I was younger. Now that I no longer think it's immoral or even degrading to be a stripper I'll probably be overlooked like I am by all the rest of the women in the world. Maybe if I work really hard I can build up some contempt for them before I go.
Although I'm starting to feel too desperate again so I imagine they are all going to ignore me except when I'm waving money in their sex organs. No matter what happens it's gonna make an interesting blog for sure.
On the bright side this little incident with these teenage brats this afternoon has gotten me out of my three day blogging slump.
I've got my computer back in my room too so that might help. All my cool porn is on my computer. Also thanks to the new card reader I was able to quickly transport all my files I'd put on Nancy's computer while it's been in my room so everything I've been working on is on my computer along with other stuff that's on my computer.
So hopefully this will motivate me to blog more.
I say that, not because I plan to write about it at length, but because it has caused me to look at the way I handle relationships. One of my friends told me I was blaming myself and I can't do that -- that the person I was dating is entirely to blame -- but I disagree with her. The relationship was so completely screwed up from the beginning it never should have happened in the first place.
It happened because I let it. I have a friend whom I'd qualify as a "bitch." If that sounds harsh, it's only because you don't fully understand the term "bitch.
" I was talking to her about the end of this relationship yesterday and she said, "I wonder what he'd be like with a girl like me." I thought about that for a moment. Actually, to be truthful, I've thought about it a lot.
Would a woman who wasn't quite so nice to him have been able to rope him in? Normally I'd say yes. Normally I'd look back on everything I did and see what I could have done differently because, you see, I don't play games.
I am who I am. But what I'm coming to realize is that being a "bitch" isn't playing a game. Being a "bitch" is all about standing up for yourself, demanding you be treated right in a relationship.
I detailed the beginning of my relationship with this guy to my friend and asked how she would have handled it. From the very first phone conversation, she would have told him what he was doing was unacceptable. It wasn't all that bad, really, but she doesn't roll with that crap.
If a guy can't find a way to make time for her, then come pick her up and take her somewhere decent on the first date, she wants nothing to do with him. And she would have nothing to do with him. Which is why she has a boyfriend who treats her like a queen.
I've been walked all over by two men this year. I've put up with the oddest situations -- situations my friends have said were completely unacceptable. Why?
Because I believed. Deep down these two men were really good guys and no one denies that. They just didn't have their shit together enough to have a relationship with me.
Yet they tried, which I guess is something, but in the end they just couldn't do it. I thought I could fix them. And that is where I can blame myself.
That is the problem I need to work on. Earlier this year I started to write a series based on the book Why Men Love Bitches. It details everything you need to do to stand your ground in a relationship and get the respect you deserve.
Over the next few weeks I plan to post parts of that series, not only to help all of the women out there who go through the same thing, but to help myself. I have to stop letting people -- especially men -- run all over me. And it starts here.
I know a lot of men are going to say this stuff is crap. Just be yourself in a relationship and the right one will find you. But this is about being yourself, believe it or not.
It's about staying true to who you are even after you find some great guy. It's about not giving all of that up in some spineless, wimpy way.
We need you to give your input as to what works for you in a relationship. Be honest!!
! Although it would benefit you greatly for all of us women to be spineless wimps in your presence, when you're really honest with yourself, you want a woman who can hold her own. Who maybe doesn't make things quite so easy for you.
Now is your chance to make a difference!!!
A few months back I posted my picture on one of those websites where people rate your level of "hotness." I'm not sure what I was looking for exactly..
. Actually, that's not true. I was looking for an ego boost, kinda like when a woman asks a man if a pair of pants makes her look fat.
There's only one correct answer to that one, just as there was only one answer I wanted to hear when I posted that picture.
I didn't really get my ego boosted -- the first picture I posted rated only an 8.7.
Ouch. So I posted another one and it immediately went up to 9.1.
So much for that old picture -- I think I'm going to burn it. I noticed I've advanced to 9.2 so somehow; even though my picture is the same, I'm .
1 hotter than I was a few days ago. That's probably the best I can do without posting a picture of myself that looks like an ad for a one-nine-hundred number.
So anyway, I'm still getting these daily e-mails with pictures of men who supposedly want to "meet me.
" Occasionally if one is appealing enough, I'll click "yes" just to see what happens. I'm not sure exactly what is supposed to happen since so far nothing has come of that. I click and click and.
..nothing.
Do you think maybe the button is broken?
Today, I'm looking through the usual e-mail, half-awake, when something catches my eye. A lightsaber.
Now, I grew up in the 80s so of course I know the all-consuming power of the Star Wars trilogy over my generation. And I really don't mind that some men continue to collect the memorabilia well into old age. I was married to a man who loved those movies, owned them all, and had his fair share of memorabilia.
But there's a difference between loving a movie and loving a movie and, I'm here to tell you guys, if you want to pick up chicks, dressing up in a Storm Trooper costume just ain't gonna cut it.
Apparently no one told this guy that. Not only is he holding a lightsaber in the picture, but he has a Storm Trooper standing behind him.
At least, I guess it's a Storm Trooper -- I wouldn't know since I'm not obsessed with this movie. Star Wars fans will probably be all-too-willing to come forward and correct me on this, but he's dressed in all black and wearing an eye patch..
.I have a vague memory that this is Luke after he had his eye taken out somehow. Isn't it interesting how some stuff gets into your brain and stays there, while other, much more important things, escape out over time?
Maybe he's heard the old saying, 'there's something about a man in uniform.' Ummm..
. Doesn't quite apply here. Doesn't apply to park rangers or McDonald's employees either, in case you're taking notes.
In fact, there's something about a man in a Star Wars costume that screams, "I'm forty, live in my mom's basement, and haven't had a date in eleven years." I'm sure this stigma came from one too many Star Wars freaks who actually do live in their mom's basements and it's probably about as fair as people assuming I'm stupid (or easy) because my hair is blond, but there you have it. Dress up like Luke Skywalker every night in the privacy of your bedroom.
Go to conferences and hang out with Ewoks. But when you're trying to get a date, you might want to do your best to look like a normal human being who doesn't live in a fantasy world. Real men don't walk around holding lightsabers.
(No pun intended there.)
It gets better. Just out of curiosity, I clicked on his picture to read his profile.
Not only is this guy wearing a silly costume, he has the nerve to say he doesn't want to date anyone who isn't a Leo or Sagittarius. As if he could be so picky! I guess if he could, he wouldn't be contacting me, a Virgo.
I just got done watching the new episode of Breaking Bonaduce. This episode explained alot to me about how a reality show can be so touching.
I always get letters, comment, and e-mails saying how "raw" and "real" I am with my emotions, and how people cry their little heads off watching Chris and I. Well, I cried my little eyes out watching Danny and Gretchen. I KNEW they would get better!
After hanging with them ALL NIGHT doing the paranormal project, I have developed a huge spot for them in my heart. They are great people. Their show today was so touching I had to break out the tissues.
Danny made me laugh my ass off to the point that it hurt with the kids, and his song. His parenting is great, curse words and all. It reminds me of when I grew up.
I can easily see myself slippin in front of my kids...
though I dont think Danny is slippin. ; ) The way those two looked into each others eyes just rocked me. That's love baby, I feel it, I know.
Love aint always perfect, it would be nice if it was! I see Gretchen as Chris and Danny as me. I see now how someone can relate so much to another couple.
Thanks for making Chris and I feel normal D G! This was the best episode of their show, in my opinion. You guys should check it out.
I am DYING to get out of this house! I have only a few times, but it just wears me out so damn bad! I just want to go work out, for hours and hours.
If I did, I'd be back in the hospital. Poor Chris, he has to deal with my Cabin Fever. Thankfully, I still have my Xanax.
It's for this very problem. Just one more week and I think I can wander into the world..
I can't wait. Chris said that most people would enjoy the time off and just sit and heal. I fuckin run in circles in the house like a dog that needs let outside to take a shit!
I am too high energy to just "sit there".
I feel that Chris and I found the perfect lot to build on. The views of the ocean from it will be SICK.
We will have enough room for a tiny front yard (rare in the beach area) and enough lot for a 3 1/2 thousand -4 thousand square foot home. We have looked high and low, and I just feel it with this one. The decks we can build off this thing would be SICK.
(as in damn good!) We should be up and out by the end of January and leasing a home till we sell this one and build another.
Well, I think I might try doing a little more laundry.
It's about all I can do. I feel like I am washing and re-washing everything in the house! That and petting my kitties, Sgt.
Pepper and Lucy in the sky with Diamonds (Lucy Diamond). They probably have no more hair left.
On October 16th, 2006, Whitney Houston filed for divorce from her husband of more than a decade.
As most of you know, she was married to former "NEW EDITION" front man Bobby Brown. Finally, the saga of Whitney and Bobby seems to be over forever, and I, for one, couldn't be happier.
And somewhere, Wendy Williams, whose whole career is based on that turbulent marriage, was crying in a radio studio because her career is pretty much over.
Now, she'll have to find something else to talk about for six hours a day. Maybe Kevin Federline and Brittany Spears?
Just three weeks after Houston filed for divorce, Brittany boldly gave her husband of just two years his walking papers and told him via text message (that's so cold!
). Some used to joke that Spears and "K-Fed" were the White Trash equivalents to Whitney and Bobby. The parallels in their relationships are somewhat similar, I'll agree.
But comparing Brittany Spears to Whitney Houston is like comparing Mr. Ed to Secretariat.
And Bobby Brown, to be totally honest, was a decent recording artist.
"Humping Around" is still one of my favorite songs, as well as "Every Little Step I Take." Kevin Federline couldn't hold Bobby Brown's jockstrap, so that comparison is total bullshit. After all, Scum-Fed can't pay people to see his wack-ass concerts, and he couldn't rap if his life depended on it.
But alas, his CD has finally eclipsed the 10,000 units sold plateau, so who am I to diss a performer whose album has just gone "TIN FOIL."
even though the two couples have a lot of differences, one common theme occurred in both instances. Successful females marrying men who are significantly less successful than they are.
Okay, Maybe Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown aren't the best example of this, but they are the most famous one. Still, though, she was number one recording artist in the world at one point, and Bobby Brown, for all his "Don't Be Cruels" was a middle of the road, C-Level celebrity, at best. Years ago, Whitney was one of the most sought after females in the world, and had her choice of mates (notice I didn't say just "MEN") to pick from.
do i make sense as you peel your clothes...
courtesy of you're truly, use your legs, not your tact Wednesday night I went with Helen to see the Hotel Cafe Tour at the Meridian. She wanted to see Tristan Prettiman and I wanted to see Rachael Yamagata and Jim Bianco and we both left being fans of more music - even though Tristan wasn't even there. Sorry Wanny.
We got there just at the right time. Not too early where we hand to stand in line, but not too late as we got to the front row and didn't have to wait that long for the show to start. Then we made friends with the security dude standing by us because we were sitting on the speakers and I asked him if he was going to yell at us to get off.
He assured me that he would do so such thing. We were damn close man. My feetsies were on the stage and I could've reached over to play the keyboards (oh ya!
I was right in front of that thing). In fact, I was so close I could have reached over and shaved off Cary Brother's hermit beard - although a lot less hermit than his appearence on Rehearsals.com - that was full out I'm-Going-To-Gut-You-With-My-Spork-Tastic-Ness.
The show opened up with Jonah Matranga and I was standing next to his pantyfans and it was fun because they were super excited and they were these two boys. It was hilarious. He's pretty cool - I picked up his album.
He's pretty...
intense...
on stage and he has a song about weird people. I like the line, "If you like large intenstines, I want to know." Everyone was all very good.
Jim Bianco was in top form and the band was super fantastik! I loved how the keyboardist played the clarinet, the accordian, AND the thing that looks like a tiny melophone (..
I think?). Rachael was stunning of course and did awesome even when some guy kept hassling her during her song and ran up to the stage and kissed her and made her not be able to finish her song.
It all started with him talking really loudly behind us and she finally said 'WHAT THE FRACK MAN!' It was great. She told him off too.
Too bad she admitted he was cute.But at least I got a picture of her telling him off. The boy reminded me of a certain mountain boy.
.. anyway, she kept saying he was cute and of course that just egged him on and he was getting real annoying.
Oh people and liquor. And it was always fun when everybody came on and danced and sung at the same time. There was plenty of the singing and the dancing and it just got sloppier and more crazy as the night progressed.
By the end of the show, Jim Binaco fell off the stage and took out the keyboard bench and Rachael Yamagata with him. Of course, they recovered by kissing. There was also a brief moment of nudity from Jim Bianco during a Cary Brothers song.
. and I'm talking about butt naked like the day he joined the world. The highlight of the night was definately the discovery of new music.
Sara Bareilles, guys. She's awesome and really nice. It was her first night on the tour and she did great.
Really diggin' the tunes and I had to remind her when she came back on stage that she needed to plug in the keyboards (to which she told to whole audience 'I like this girl' Ya, I'm just THAT cool). Of course, there was some bonding after Jim Bianco, Cary Brothers, and the band walked right into the audience and started singing a song, and Sara knocked the keyboard off the stand and hid behind me and Helen. Good times.
I got a picture of her and the poor keyboard. Got to talk to Sara after the show and grabbed a little bit of new tunage (really gotta stop spending all my money on CDs). Then Helen and I talked to our security guard friend again while waiting for Jim Bianco to come out, of course he was taking forever to come out and we kept hassling the security gaurd to let us go find him.
He wouldn't budge. Finally Jim came out but was standing by the bar and we couldn't get pass the now human chain of security guards so I finally told Mr. Man to go get Jim if he wouldn't let us go talk to him.
Of course I was kidding, but some lady overheard us and asked who we wanted to talk to. We told her and she walked over to the bar and told Jim to come talk to us. It turned out she was the tour manager.
She was really nice and we talked to her too. She ended up inviting us to the after party and if Helen and I weren't so pooped and had to go to work in the wee hours of the morn' we totally would've taken her up on that offer. All in all.
. a great fun night that..
lasted a long ass time! It was like 3 hours long! And now.
. some photos. (UHND.
com) – Brady Quinn walked off the field last Saturday for the final time in Notre Dame Stadium and will only have two more chances to wake up the echoes as the quarterback for the Fighting Irish. He already owns 35 different Notre Dame records most of which where accomplished in the past two seasons, but there has been one thing eluding one of Notre Dame's all time greats – a win over arch rival USC.
So far Quinn has faced the Trojans three times, and three times the Irish have come up short behind the strong right arm of Brady.
If it wasn't clear before this past week just how much a win over the Trojans means to the Dublin, Ohio native all one has to do is read the transcript from his press conference last week or simply watch the post game footage from Saturday's Army game.
We learned last week that Quinn keeps a USC hat – a gift from an uncle – in his room as reminder of Notre Dame's rival. "At first I was confused because I didn't sign with USC.
But then he told me, look at the hat, being one of our biggest rivals and just remember every day when you're preparing to go there that there's someone out there always looking to beat you," Quinn explained last week.
A few days later Quinn would be seen standing in front of the Notre Dame student section leading a stadium wide "Beat S.C" chant along with wide receiver Rhema McKnight.
Quinn took over the NBCSports.com post game show set and got the crowd of 80,000+, most of whom stayed to send off the Notre Dame seniors, chanting "Beat S.C" in unison.
While the victory over USC might still be absent from Quinn's impressive body of work at Notre Dame, he's had plenty of other memorable moments under center for the Irish.
A win on Saturday will truly be THE defining moment of Quinn's Notre Dame career, but even without such a moment, Quinn has had plenty of other defining moments. Here's a chronological look at his career progressions.
September 20, 2003 – First Career Touchdown: vs. Michigan State
Quinn saw some action in the first game of his career when Carlyle Holiday got knocked out of the Washington State game briefly. He wouldn't throw his first career pass till a week later once Michigan was well into a 38-0 drubbing of the Irish.
His first career touchdown would follow in week 3 against Michigan State.
Carlyle Holiday struggled for the third straight game and Willingham decided to put his freshman quarterback in with the game still in doubt. Brady 7 of 17 passes for 103 yards including the first career touchdown pass – a 29 yard toss to Rhema McKnight.
Quinn sparked an Irish offense that couldn't move the ball. His performance was enough to prompt Willingham to make Quinn his starter – a role he's held since.
September 27, 2003 - First Career Start: at Purdue
In recent week's Brady's told the story of how he was "prepared" by the old coaching staff for that first career start.
"It was funny, because back then, you know, no one had necessarily said, Hey, you're going to be starting. It was more or less something where you just kind of understood because of the way the reps were going," reminisced Quinn during the Purdue game week. He would add, "But no one really came in and said, Hey, this is the direction we want to go, you're going to be starting this game, you're our guy, we're going to stay with you.
"
The game itself had plenty of ups and downs. Quinn would throw what is today still a career high 59 times in Notre Dame's 23-10 loss. The one lasting image from that game, however, is the beating Quinn took while throwing the ball nearly 60 times.
Purdue may have only registered one sack in the game, but Quinn took a beating that day from the Boilermaker defense.
Interestingly enough, Quinn's career long pass also came in his first start – an 85 yard touchdown to Maurice Stovall at the end of the first half. The game would be a microcosm for Quinn's career – he took a lot of hits, but he got up every time something he has been doing now for four years.
October 11, 2003 – First Career Win: at Pittsburgh
His first start may not have earned a win for the Irish, but his second would. Notre Dame was just 1-3 heading into a road game against #15 Pitt. This was the game when Willingham discovered that Julius Jones was on the roster.
Jones ran 24 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns to lead Notre Dame to the upset. Side note – how nice is that a win over Pittsburgh would no longer be considered an "upset."
Quinn was not overly spectacular completing just five of 17 passes for a mere 33 yards, but the win over was the first win of the Quinn Era and was a welcomed site after losses to Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue in consecutive weeks.
September 25, 2004 – 4 Touchdown Game: vs. Washington
The 2004 season did not see too many high points for Quinn or Notre Dame, but when Washington traveled to South Bend at the end of September, the Irish put on one of the few offensive explosions of the season. Quinn had his first career four touchdown game of his career – he know has seven career four touchdown or better games.
Quinn connected with Matt Shelton and Anthony Fasano each two times for his four TD's. The win moved the Irish to 3-1 on the season and the four touchdown passes gave Notre Dame fans hope the Irish were about to turn the corner. A 41-16 loss to Purdue to following week tempered the enthusiasm and Notre Dame would finish the season 6-5.
September 1, 2005 – Game One of the Weis Era: at Pittsburgh
The first game of the Weis Era started with a bang. Quinn threw a 51 yard screen pass to Darius Walker for a touchdown on the first drive of the game. The second drive would end with an interception, but Quinn would lead the Irish to touchdowns on the next four drives – all in the first half for a 35-13 half time lead.
Quinn looked like a different quarterback in game one under Weis. Little did Notre Dame fans know – it was just the beginning.
September 8, 2005 – A Win in the Big House: at Michigan
A week after the unranked Irish went into Pittsburgh and "upset" the 23rd ranked Panthers (again, how nice is that we don't have to classify a win over Pitt as an upset anymore), Quinn led the Irish into the Big House to face the 3rd ranked Wolverines.
Despite scoring 42 points in their first game, no one gave the Irish much of a chance on the road. Two touchdowns passes by Quinn in the first half later and people were believing.
Brady's stats in the game weren't amazing, but he completed 19 of 30 passes for 140 yards and managed the game extremely well.
Quinn avoided the rush well and avoided making the big mistake unlike Chad Henne who fumbled the ball away at the goal line and threw another interception in the redzone.
September 15, 2005 – Comeback Falls Short in Overtime: vs. Michigan State
The Spartans were a thorn in the side of Notre Dame during the Davieham Era and after the 2-0 start under Weis, Irish fans thought the Spartans mastery over Notre Dame would end.
The Spartans jumped out to 38-17 with under two minutes to go in the third quarter after scoring 21 unanswered points.
Notre Dame's chances looked grim, but Quinn would lead his team on a furious fourth quarter comeback to force overtime. Darius Walker, Maurice Stovall, and Jeff Samardzija each caught touchdown passes from Quinn over the final 17 minutes of the game to send the game into overtime.
Notre Dame would fall short after Jason Teague took an option pitch from Drew Stanton into the endzone for the game winner, but the game showed an ability to comeback that Notre Dame simply hadn't had in years. Quinn broke the Notre Dame single season game touchdown record with five in the game.
October 15, 2005 – Quinn for the Win (Almost): vs.
USC
A season ago against the Trojans, Quinn came inches and seconds short of getting his first win over USC. The heavily favored and #1 ranked Trojans came into Notre Dame Stadium and one of the best regular season college football games in years was the result.
Trailing 28-24 after Reggie Bush's third touchdown of the game, Quinn engineered one of the finest drives of his Notre Dame career.
Eight plays, 87 yards, in three minutes and five seconds all capped off with a five yard scramble for the go ahead touchdown with 2:04 left in the game.
Quinn was four of four for 53 yards on the drive with each completion going to a different receiver. The drive should have been THE defining moment of his Notre Dame career, much like this weekend could become, but Matt Leinart just had to converet a 4th and 9 for 61 yards to Dwayne Jarrett just over the outstretched arm of Ambrose Wooden.
The "Bush Push" would occur a few plays later and USC would escape with their winning streak intact.
October 22, 2005 – Quinn Downs a 6 Pack: vs. BYU
A week after nearly pulling off one of the biggest wins in Notre Dame history, Quinn and the Irish avoided a let down when BYU came to town.
Heading into this game Weis was winless at home after the Michigan State and USC heart breakers. Brady broke his own record of five touchdowns in a game with six against the Cougars – four of which went to Maurice Stovall. The six touchdowns gave Quinn 20 on the season which broke Ron Powlus's Notre Dame single season record of 19.
November 19, 2005 – More Records for Quinn: vs. Syracuse
Not even one full season under Weis and Brady was already well on his way to rewriting the Notre Dame record books and against Syracuse on Senior Day another couple big records were broken. With a second quarter touchdown pass to Maurice Stovall, Quinn broke Powlus's career touchdown record of 52 with his 53rd career touchdown pass.
Another Powlus record would fall as well when Quinn finished the game with 7,618 career passing yards – breaking Powlus's record of 7,602.
November 26, 2005 – The $14 Million Drive: at Stanford
Notre Dame closed out the 2005 regular season with would should have been a "gimme" on the road against Stanford. No one told Stanford, however, and Notre Dame found themselves trailing 31-30 with less than two minutes to go and a BCS Bowl and $14 million payout on the line.
Thirty yard pass to Samardzija. Seventeen yard pass to Samardzija. Three yard scramble.
Twenty yard pass to Stovall. Four yard run by Darius Walker. Six yard run by Darius Walker.
Six plays, 80 yards, 51 seconds off the clock, and no timeouts. Game over, hello Fiesta Bowl.
January 2, 2006 – Another Fiesta Bowl Disappointment: vs.
Ohio State
Notre Dame's comeback win over Stanford pushed the Irish into the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. Quinn's first pass of the game to Samardzija who had gotten behind the defense was just overthrown, but Notre Dame would end up scoring on the opening drive anyway. The lead would be the only one Notre Dame had in the game.
Ohio State's offense piled up over 600 yards on the Notre Dame defense and the Notre Dame offense was bottled up for most of the second and third quarters. Quinn was average against a Buckeye defense that brought a lot of pressure on him, sacking him five times. Quinn took a beating, but as always got up after each hit and keep chugging away.
News RSS