Let The Games Begin

Every couple of years there is something a little different that we usually watch on the television at the end of the day… the Olympics. While I usually prefer the winter games, the summer event has also had plenty to offer in recent years with some dominant performances by many United States athletes. Of course, there are also many other countries well represented, especially this year, that are providing some great competitions and surprising finishes.

However, before the games get underway, the opening ceremonies usually set the tone for the two week marathon. The last summer games provided us with an evening of entertainment from London that, when all was said and done, it let many with the feeling of how is Rio going to top this in 2016? Well, simply put, they didn’t. The opening ceremonies left most of us wanting and, for me, cause the channel to be changed in search of something that would at least provide some entertainment. Thankfully it was only one night.

Per the usual order of things, gymnastics and swimming were the highlighted categories for the prime time lineup to start the games. These are also the two concentrations that pique my wife’s interest so there really wasn’t a question as to whether or not we would be watching them. As the qualifiers and medal rounds continued, the dominance by the United States was unexpected even by their own lofty standards and watching Michael Phelps continue to add to his medal count is something that many of us, whether you like him or not, have to stand back and admire.

In both disciplines, there were both close competitions and moments of sheer domination. This is what I consider to be the perfect mix that you want to see at the Olympics. Congratulations to the teams and the individuals from all countries that put everything into their performances. Because of them, I am actually looking forward to the rest of the competitions.

Of course, there have also been a few moments of unpleasantness behind the scenes as well. Prior to the opening ceremonies, countries boarded on their assigned buses to the stadium in preparation for the celebration. All of the teams were able to follow these instructions with the exception of Israel who was prevented from boarding their assigned bus by the Lebanese delegation. Of course, with Yarden Gerbi winning the bronze medal in the women’s 63kg weight class in Judo, Israel can say that they have an Olympic Champion at the Rio games while Lebanon is still trying to find their way to the podium... maybe their bus got lost.

TMI Tuesday: Get In The Car Daddy!

When my wife and I were planning out our summer last year we weren’t quite sure how our son would react to being in the car for long stretches of time. As it turned out, he enjoyed the time exploring and seeing new places… at least to a certain extent. Of course, last summer he spent most of his time sleeping as the mile markers slipped by the window and sometimes my wife would join him in slumber. Things are quite different now and it is hard to tell how long he would be able to stay in the car before he has enough.

This doesn’t mean that he doesn’t enjoy traveling or being in the car. On the contrary in fact. This weekend was a perfect example of this as there were many instances when we were outside and every now and again, usually whenever he caught a glimpse of my car in the driveway, he would point, babble something, and start leaning toward the car. We quickly discovered that what he was saying was “Get in the car daddy! I want to go for a drive!” So, shortly after, we would pack everything up, climb in the car, and get on the road… fortunately we had some idea as to where we were headed. At least this time around.

Almost as soon as the car would start moving, this restlessness ceased. Unlike the previous year, he was wide awake the entire time we spent driving around the area. Between looking out the window, playing with his small toys, and giving me a wide smile when I would reach back and tussle his hair, he was a happy little toddler enjoying the time on the road with mommy and daddy. And this change has got us thinking about our plans for this year… our, as of now, undecided plans.

It is amazing, but not surprising, to think about all the different things that our son enjoys and the fact that most of them are quite simple. He is not into a lot of the fancy toys or overstimulating shows, he enjoys the simpler things. He likes his wooden and overall non mechanical toys probably more than any others. He enjoys Mickey Mouse and Sunday Morning on the television. However, what he seems to enjoy most is exploring and seeing the world from behind the car window as well as experiencing new places. It makes me glad that we decided to be cautious by replacing my car and, at this point, I guess we better get moving on booking a few places to stay over the summer and schedule a few other day trips.

TMI Tuesday: Blasting The Baby Monitor

When we first starting putting the baby registry together last year one of the things that we made sure to put on there was a monitor. Rather than going with the usual ones, we wanted to upgrade a little bit and get the video monitor for no other reason than we felt more comfortable being able to see our son and not just hear him. So far, that has been the primary use of the camera (especially when he is eerily quiet in his sleep) but it has also been a great source of entertainment at times.

There have been many nights when our son has had trouble sleeping or getting to sleep. Being able to see him has allowed us to take preemptive action during those times. While he may not be screaming yet, we know the restlessness that comes before the ear piercing. We both hate to hear our son cry and preventing that from happening by calming his flailing legs has been a great way to avoid those moments.

Sometimes there are moments, especially after a long and/or tiring day, when we just want to see him. It is calming to watch our son sleep but sometimes we don’t want to risk stepping on that one squeaking floorboard and waking him up. The camera has afforded us the best of both worlds by watching him dreaming peacefully without the risk of disturbing those restful moments for him.

And then there are the entertaining times. Whenever we hear him rustling in his crib we turn on the video. Sometimes, as mentioned above, we need to climb up the stairs and settle him. Other times we know what is about to happen. It can be just as loud as those aforementioned screams and they are much stinker as well. Those are the times when we know he is about to let his colon calm him.

It usually starts with the legs high in the air as if he is practicing some odd form of flatulent yoga. Keep in mind that we are watching this from the foot of the crib (maybe the funniest of all the possible angles). This is followed by a little shimmy. This can happen several times depending on the intensity of the end result. Once everything is primed the fuse is lit and the explosion vibrates the crib. I guess you could say that it is a brief moment of satisfying wakefulness for our baby. Once the dust settles he turns his head to the side and falls right back into a deep and restful sleep. At this point we just hope our laughing isn’t so loud that it will wake him up.

So there are many uses that we have gotten out of the video monitor. Some are very practical and have been beneficial since we brought our son home in the winter. Of course, there are also the other times when it has just been a great source of laughter.  

Not The Same

Last night I did something that I haven’t done in a long time… I stayed up to watch David Letterman. This being his last show, I wanted to see what kind of sendoff he would be given... especially the last Top 10 list. I guess you could say that curiosity got the best of me as I kept on thinking back to the night when I watched Johnny Carson sign off one last time before heading into retirement.

The evening was definitely not the same as the one I watched back in 1993. Not just in my perception and perspective but the final night had a completely different feel then that which happened 22 years ago. And that pretty much sums it up, the Carson departure was a happening while Letterman’s last night was something that happened. There were, of course, memorable moments (including an overdue (for many reasons) standing ovation for his wife and son) but it was not the same sad farewell that I remember so many years ago. However, I do prefer Foo Fighters over Bette Midler. 

With that said, I still recall many nights watching Letterman over the years. Once Carson retired, there wasn’t much of a choice for me as I was never a big fan of Leno and some of the newer hosts just didn’t catch my attention. Nothing compared to the classic Tonight Show but Letterman seemed to be the closest (albeit a tremendous departure itself) to that feel. At least that was the case years ago… since then things have most certainly changed and I have pretty much foregone  the late night shows altogether. 

Over the past 20 years Letterman and late night have changed. The politicizing dialogues / monologues that he and others have employed in recent years haven’t made me want to watch these shows. This is what truly differentiates Letterman from Carson. The Tonight Show was not a place for politics (decides a few light jabs during the opening) as Carson knew that his job was not to form public opinion or influence public policy (or the supply of toilet paper). This is why politicians were seldom seen on the set. Letterman has made his views very clear both in his monologues and in his banter with guests.

Carson was a mainstay in the media and on the television. We watched him to wind down and forget about the day. All the BS that happened during the daylight hours were put behind us as we were entertained for an hour each evening. There were other places to turn to get riled up and/or discuss politics. While he once embraced that basic concept, Letterman veered to the far left as time went on and that evening respite slowly evaporated.

The new crop of hosts seem to be turning back to that formula and reaping the benefits. This is why there are many that will continue to miss those evenings with Johnny and why Letterman’s departure seemed to be more of an inevitability rather than a surprise. Hopefully, with the last of his generation stepping down, we can continue our progression back to the way late night was supposed to be. I guess, like many things, only time will tell.

The Super Bowl Waiting Game

It seems as though the topic of the Super Bowl has come up in just about every conversation I have had in the last few days. Most of the time it has been about the game itself while the commercials and halftime show have also been topics thrown into the mix. No matter the specifics within the general topic I had basically the same reaction… doubt that I’ll watch it just let me know who wins.

However, tonight I found myself turning the channel to check on the progress of the game. The little that I saw it seemed to be an interesting contest and based on the social media streams and post-game coverage, it was one of the better matchups that has happened in some time. But I wasn’t watching occasionally to see if Seattle or New England would win another title, I tuned in to watch a few commercials (which continue to go downhill) and to see when The Blacklist would be starting.

Of course, there was also the one time that I flipped the channel and the halftime show was running rampant across the field. They seem to be getting more and more extravagant every year and playing into the fact that the primary purpose of the NFL is entertainment. It was also amusing, which was also pointed out on Facebook by a friend of mine, that Katy Perry was riding the “more you know” star. Definitely no deflated balls found in the halftime show (also courtesy of the observant comments found on Facebook).  

In the end, George Carlin was wrong. Football seems to go on forever. It is not rigidly timed both for the on the field play or on the field antics. The games get longer and longer every year with the halftime show providing viewers with a loner and longer bathroom break. You could almost hear the entire country flush at the same time about five minutes after the first half ended.  

Thankfully the postgame ruckus seemed to pass relatively quickly and the regularly scheduled programming resumed leaving the football game in the past. It seems as though no matter how good of a game it was there is always an anticlimactic feel at the end of the night when the Lombardi Trophy is raised the same speech is repeated by the owner and 90% of the time the winning quarterback is brought up to the podium to receive the MVP. It is almost formulaic once the clock winds down. Of course, what do I know, I am a lifelong Eagles fan.

Distractions On The Screen

As was mentioned in a previous post, we were discussion what some of our favorite movies are in the office this past week. It came about from the simple fact that there are a few people in the office that had not seen what many of us thought were some of the better movies. So, with that in mind the mass email was sent to see what movies everyone considered ‘must watch’ options. Not necessarily the best movies ever made but the ones that we thought everyone should view at least once.

For me, having watched too much television and seen too many movies in my life, this was a particularly difficult task. Actually, many of the movies I first thought of are the ones that inevitably steal hours from me when I can’t help myself from watching them. The original email sent out asked us to list our top ten and that was quickly becoming an impossibility after about ten seconds of consideration. So, instead of sticking within the numeric confines, I pulled together a much longer list. Despite its length it comprised about 5-10 minutes of thought.

Many of the movies on my list are simply great movies and are recognized as such by countless top movies ever made or award winning films lists. Others are not as obvious but because I can’t help but watch at least 10 minutes of the movie when I am skimming through channels I had to put them on the list. And there are others, this is where many of the historical and documentary movies come in, that tell a story that should be heard.

So, here in no particular order is the 100 movies that, for one reason or another, I think that people should watch. Actually, that’s not true. I have put the movies in a very rough four tier system with every 25 or so movies in a rough groups (they are color coded below).

1.      Gettysburg

2.      Schindler’s List

3.      My Life

4.      Fargo

5.      Rudy

6.      Quiz Show

7.      Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

8.      The Departed

9.      National Treasure

10.  Super Troopers

11.  Talented Mr. Ripley

12.  The Chosen

13.  Hitler’s Children

14.  Good Will Hunting

15.  Saving Private Ryan

16.  All The President’s Men

17.  The War Room

18.  Heat

19.  Holy Land Hardball

20.  You’ve Got Mail

21.  84 Charring Cross Road

22.  The Good Shepherd

23.  Chaplin

24.  Uprising

25.  Patton

26.  Wag the Dog

27.  Arthur

28.  Gravity

29.  Righteous Kill

30.  RED

31.  Bourne Identity

32.  Forrest Gump

33.  Sideways

34.  A Beautiful Mind

35.  Yentl

36.  Munich

37.  Rocky

38.  Catch Me If You Can

39.  Cabaret

40.  Defending Your Life

41.  Wall Street

42.  Back to the Future

43.  My Big Fat Greek Wedding

44.  Serpico

45.  Office Space

46.  Apt Pupil

47.  There Will Be Blood

48.  American History X

49.  Groundhog Day

50.  Deconstructing Harry

51.  Sarah’s Key

52.  Somewhere In Time

53.  Open Range

54.  TAPS

55.  Argo

56.  Gandhi

57.  A Few Good Men

58.  JFK

59.  Silence of the Lambs

60.  Dances with Wolves

61.  The Grey Zone

62.  The Dark Knight

63.  Gladiator

64.  Raiders of the Lost Ark

65.  Citizen Kane

66.  Au Revoir Les Enfants

67.  Gangs of New York

68.  Titanic

69.  Star Wars

70.  Fiddler on the Roof

71.  Stand By Me

72.  Wizard of Oz

73.  Goodfellas

74.  The Godfather

75.  Life Is Beautiful

76.  Paper Clips

77.  Braveheart

78.  Shawshank Redemption

79.  The Fugitive

80.  Unforgiven

81.  Scent of a Woman

82.  Awakenings

83.  Dead Poets Society

84.  The Sixth Sense

85.  National Lampoon’s Vacation

86.  Ghostbusters

87.  Monty Python’s Meaning of Life

88.  What Dreams May Come

89.  Hunt For Red October

90.  Glory

91.  Top Gun

92.  Interview with a Vampire

93.  Seven

94.  Limitless

95.  Major League

96.  The Aviator

97.  Police Academy

98.  Glengarry Glen Ross

99.  Bella

100.                      Any Given Sunday

Well, that is the list that I have now. It will certainly change as I put more thought to it and, in fact, it has changed several times from when I started writing this post until now. While I may have cut them or have yet to think of them, what movies are missing from this list? What are some of your favorites and/or the ones you can’t help but watch whenever you see come across it when channel surfing? And, of course, what movies would you eliminate from the list above? Make your own list and maybe do the same thing in your office. Who knows, you may have a movie or two in common as I found out with a few of my colleagues.

Wrong Tense

Our Atlanta airport adventure was one that was filled with some interesting characters. It all began during my slow crawl through security where, for a change of pace, the TSA officers repeatedly instructed us to keep our jackets, shoes, and belts on; keep electronics in our carryon bags, and only remove items from our pockets that would set off the metal detector (really that meant only removing cell phones, keys, and loose change. This was much easier than the usual process so I was ready to go in no time.

However, this wasn’t good enough for the woman in front of me who stubbornly refused to walk through the metal detector. First the excuse was that it was an invasion of her privacy. When that didn’t work she moved on to the ‘it causes cancer’ argument. When both of those failed to achieve her desired result, she mumbled countless complaints under her breath as she darted through the checkpoint like a cat caught in the rain. PITA’s like that shouldn’t fly.  

A little later during our time in airport limbo, having just been notified that our departure was delayed due to bad weather in the Philadelphia area, my colleague and I readjusted our luggage and hunkered down for an extended stay at the Atlanta airport. By this time, evening was beginning to creep over the horizon and everyone was eager to get on the plane and in the air. This was only exacerbated by the fact that we just witnessed the flight to Phoenix just complete the boarding and close the doors to the terminal. At least someone was going somewhere.

Needless to say the restlessness and slight boredom was slowly taking hold of the awaiting passengers. What we needed was a distraction. Something to occupy our minds until the decision to board was finally announced over the speakers. As if on cue, a flustered and disheveled woman walked quickly to the gate on the opposite end of the waiting room. We all knew where she was going but sometimes the greatest entertainment is in the reaction.

Someone missing there flight is nothing new but the uniqueness of the response is something that I have never witnessed firsthand before. You could tell by the mumbling, pacing, and anger that this was going to be good. With the situation building and the knocks on the gate door echoing across the terminal, we all shifted in our seats to get a better view as the drama unfolded. And you know what, unlike a lot of movies that clog the theaters, this performance didn’t disappoint.

As soon as we all turned, got ourselves comfortable, and began looking for the popcorn the woman slamming he fist on the door decided to change tactics. After a quick check out the window to make sure the plane was still at the gate, she returned to the desk near the door and instead of using her fist she decided to use her voice so she picked up the microphone and made an announcement over the load speakers… “US Airways personnel needed as Gate D23. A passenger is about to miss her flight!”

This ‘announcement’ was repeated, as if in an OCD loop, for about ten minutes. The one thing that kept running through my mind is that she might want to consider changing the tense in that statement because your butt isn’t getting on that plane. Her voice was a mix of both panic and pissed. You could tell that she desperately wanted to get on that plane but you could also sense that this wasn’t the first time she has found herself in this situation. Just when we thought the vain throbbing below her neck tattoo was about to burst, a woman opened the gate door and stepped behind the desk making sure that the door was closed securely behind her.

I give the US Airways employee credit because she managed to hold her ground while calming the incessant passenger. In what was an anticlimactic conclusion, the woman hovered above the computer screen while alternate arrangements were made. Before long, the matted haired woman stormed off and made her way to some other part of the terminal (either the new gate or the bar). And in a moment of perfect choreography, the announcement was made for passengers to begin boarding our flight home.

 

Coffee Is My Friend

This is the 50^th blog that I have posted since beginning this stream of rambling in May. It’s the golden anniversary. Of course the only thing golden on this blog is when I piss people off.

So far, I have already been asked numerous times about how I am able to post every day and the answer is very simple… I am full of crap and I’m willing to share it with everyone what cares to have a sniff. This isn’t a government health care bill, this blog is very simple. I’m just recording what rattles around in my head before it has a chance to escape.

This blog is my everyday life, the boring and the interesting (at least to me), the random thoughts, the observations of things happening around me. Fueled by coffee (lots and lots of coffee) and a time card, I have been writing posts in the middle of the night while all sane people are asleep. Sometimes I get a random thought or two and it makes its way to my fingers while other times I can look at a blank page off and on for hours.

All it takes is some determination and a commitment to write no matter how many or how few read a post. For me, if I try to write for a specific audience nothing happens but if I just write and let life dictate the prose I don’t have a problem. As I like to say, it’s fine to have your head in your rear as long as it’s out of the way of your writing. Basically, apply the same rules that a politician applies when speaking to a large crowd.

But, overall, have fun. Entertain yourself and everything else will fall into place. Bring some balance to your day by blogging.