On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering
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| I Am John's Stomach Pains. On The Precipice of Mediocrity, Teetering |
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Monday, June 30, 2003 Why I Pussy Out When Faced By Confrontation Last week we had a softball game that should have been a walkthrough. The team we faced hadn't won a game yet, while we were 2-2, with a loss to the best team in the league, and a close loss that went to the final inning. We knew we'd have a slightly hard time because we were missing three of our best players, but we thought we had it made. I was even picked to pitch... always a dangeorus choice, mainly 'cause I could go either way. So we go in, and I'm scheduled to pitch the first three innings. The way the balls were hit, each inning should have been 1-2-3. Emphasis on should've been. By the time I went into the dugout for the third time, they had scored 10 unearned runs against us, while we had placed only 2. Our team was not in the best of spirits. I'm sure that added to some of the snappiness some of our players had towards the other team. Halfway through, it was becoming clear that our teams were not getting along. We'd snap at them, they'd make our less skilled players swing at balls they shouldn't have... at one point there was almost a beaning incident with a runner from second to home. But the real trouble came with the umpire. Now we'd had him before, so we knew we'd have problems. The thing is, he likes to talk to alot of the players up to bat, especially the women. So one of my teammates goes up to him and asks him to stop hitting on our players... I actually found it to be fairly polite. Of course the other team and the ump didn't think so, so from then on in the tension on the field was... well, tense. Anyway, it was after the game ended that the real shit hit the fan. Our respective managers met eachother on the field to discuss the problems, and then more of the teammates form both teams did. Alot of shouting an name-calling ensued (with one of their teammates saying that while we were a great team, one of our players should really look into getting some 'help'). Then the umpire and that same player go at it, yelling at eachother. He even threatened to kick him outa the league. So why the title of this entry? Well, as always, I'm in the middle trying to be the moderator, the guy trying to get the dueling factions to their opposite sides. I saw where it was gonna end up, either some of our players getting booted from the league or someone throwing a fist, so I'm there trying to calm everybody down, not backing up either sides opinions. It was pointed out to me, and of course I realized it, that I do this ever time, choosing a neutral position and not 'backing up your team like your supposed to'. It was only on the following day discussing it with my friend (who was one of the players cursing like a sailor) that I realized exactly why I do that (both in sports and other similar incidents, like bar fights). In high school, I was not a member of any team sports, so I don't think I ever really learned what it was like to stick with your teammates actions/decision no matter what. Almost all of my young adult/adult history with competition/confrontation stems from my years as a camp counselor. So looking back, whenever there was a problem, whenever there was a dispute of any kind, it was our job to step in an make sure the initial rumblings were as far as it went, and to cool down each respective side. The problem is, I've never let go of that mentality, and I'm always there, treating my friends like little children on a playground. I'd like to say that I'm through doing that, but I doubt it'll be instantaneous. Maybe I should be like Bob Wiley... Baby Steps... posted by Holz | 11:55 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Friday, June 27, 2003 For any of my Internet friends who've ever googled my name, let me stress that this picture is not me posted by Holz | 6:14 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Thursday, June 26, 2003 Yet another reason to love Box Office Prophets, they've recently put up an article highlighting the work of one of my favorite character actors, Frank Whaley. posted by Holz | 2:30 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Hmmm... Blogger has come out with a new posting template. Not sure how I feel about it, looks simplistic, but I thought the old setup was just fine... oh well. Nevermind, I just got a new window that looks much sleeker... sweet. posted by Holz | 10:25 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Tuesday, June 24, 2003 Fact Cookies Suck Ass Our cafeteria had Chinese food today, so that meant we had fortune cookies, as well. I love fortune cookies, something I always look forward to, sometimes even play 'In Bed' with a group a friends, always a fun 10 seconds. But today, I got the worst fortune I think I've ever read, only because it wasn't even a fortune, but a fact: Well thanks a whole fucking bunch for that nice little biology lesson! Next, why don't you tell me if I exercise, I'll lose weight! Anyway, the rest of my table found it to be pretty lame ass well, and my friend B decided to call the company and complain for me. Here's his e-mail that explains how the phone call went: I called the fortune cookie company, and I explained that I did not get a fortune, I simply got a fact. When I said that the fortune cookie said that it takes 70 muscles to frown and only 14 to smile, she politely informed me that the fortune cookie means for you to smile. I informed her that correct fortune cookie lingo requires it to have some sort of future tense in the fortune, not a simple fact. I suggested that it read as "You will have many smiles with your friends" or even "you will have many days of not frowning". The operator told me that she will forward my comments on and thanks for calling. I gave her my name, address, etc.. and asked her if all of that company's fortunes are like that and she didn't know. I told her that as a customer, I would rather have a fortune that says I will be rich one day that a fortune that says that if you save 1000 per month for 30 years at a 6% interest rate, you will have $1,000,000.[Yes, Stomach Pains readers, that's an actuary joke] She said thank you and hung up. I thought that i was so clever and funny, aparently I was gravely mistaken. I am going to go get another one so I don't base my impression of the company on one data point. Well, at least I had that to make me smile today... Update! Just got another e-mail that is even better... I had to see for myself if there was any method to Minh's madness of fortune cookies, so I purchased two more from downstairs. One of them said "So many dreams are waiting to be realized" The other said "He who hesitates is probably right" We will take these one at a time. Have you ever heard that phrase " While you are waiting for it to happen, somebody else is making it happen"? I think the fortune cookie should have said "You will make your dreams come true". See, was that so hard? "He who hesitates is probably right". This is begging for statistical validation. I thought I would be able to turn it over and have a matrix with one dimension being Hestitate / Not hesitate, and the other dimension is wrong / right. The null hypothesis would be that each dimension is independant. There would then be a significant percentage in the hestitate-right cell and in the not hesitate-wrong cell. They could then compare it to the distribution if the null hypothesis was correct and use a chi-squared test of independence to reject the null hypothesis so we could conclude that "He who hesitates is right 82.4% of the time +/- 3.6% with 95% accuracy". Instead on the back it says that apartment is chinese is gong-yu. BFD I am calling the fortune cookie manufacturer now. Ok, I just blasted some poor lady that probably thinks that I am a freaking retard, but here is the information that I got. First off, the person that I spoke to did not write the fortunes, that much is clear. She had no idea who wrote them, but she tried to tell me that they were chinese proverbs passed down for 1000s of years. I told her that was not the case, because every fortune cookie I have ever seen besides these was a "fortune" that had something to do with the future. I admitted that the one about waiting with your finger in your nose for your dreams to come true was based on the future, but I tld her that perhaps the fortunes should have some sort of piece of advice too. I asked her if perhaps I could write the fortunes even though I am in California, and she is in Minnesota, and she said that she could have somebody call me back. I am still waiting.... "Good news will arrive today, stand near your phone" I just made that one up. The last thing I told her was that there was a typo on the bottom where it said Lucky # 4,6,9,23,43,49. Those numbers are highly UNLIKELY to be the next lotto numbers, so much so that I told her that I could calculate the odds of those particular 6 numbers being chosen out of 50 possible numbers, but while I was on the phone, I couldn't figure out how to easily with excel. I guess I could just multiply 6/50 * 5/49 * etc. But alas I told her that if she calls them her unlucky numbers, somebody might specifically go get a ticket that doesn't have those numbers and be pleasantly surprised when, surprisingly, none of the 6 numbers comes up. I think she was getting grouchy, so I let her think about that for a while and told her that she will have a great day and to be on the lookout for good news. Yes, these are my friends... posted by Holz | 2:40 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) HULK SMASH PUNY BLOG!!!! So I was prepared to tell y'all about me experience with the Hulk yesterday, but thank to my putrid disgust over VH1, I had to delay a day. Anyway, let me just say that Unbreakable was nearly unseated this weekend in my mind as the best comic book film by Ang Lee's masterpiece, and it would have been if not for the let down of ending. But I'll get to that. First off, my experience with the Hulk is fairly new, as I've only collected the latest Bruce Jones run of the book which has been coming out for about 2 years now. The character never really interested me, mostly because I had the preconceived notions fomr the old TV show about a mindless beast destroying everything in it's path. Stupid me, I forgot that the Incredible Hulk was a Marvel character, and was much more than that. For some reason I approached it as a DC comic. For those not in the know, the difference between the two companies is their approach to dual identities of their character. In the DC world, Superman is the face, and Clark Kent is the mask; Batman is the true essence of the character, Bruce Wayne is who he hides behind. Marvel flips that approach: Peter Parker is Spiderman, not the other way around. Ang Lee knows this, and creates a story that is all about Bruce Banner, and delves into how everything that the Hulk is is just an extension of one fucked up little kid. The movie has an incredibly slow pace, but at no point was I bored. Lee makes you feel for these characters before the main plot even begins, making the pain that the actors emote throughout the entire film that much more real. Speaking of which, not only is Jennifer Connelly the most beautiful woman in Hollywood, she is one of the best facial actresses as well. She has alot to do in this movie just by reacting, and her eyes are a window to all her internal pain growing up. Suffice to say, this is a movie about how the sins of the father resonate in their children. Sam Elliot brings Thunderbolt Ross to life as probably the best comic book supporting character straight outta the books... even better than J. Jonah Jameson from Spiderman. Eric Bana and Nick Nolte really play off each other well, and Nolte is so over the top with his mad scientist ravings, I would not be surprised to watch E! News Daily one night with a special report saying that the LAPD had found a dozen or so bodies in the basement of Nolte's home. Bana gives a haunted performance... many reviewers are calling it wooden, but those people are idiots. Bruce Banner must be played this way... his alter ego is rage personified, so it makes sense that Bruce would approach nearly every situation as a quiet, meek man in the background. I doubt it was a coincidence that the DVD release of one of my favorite movies of the past year, Punch-Drunk Love, occured in the same week Hulk was released. The final star of the flick (aside from Josh Lucas' over-the-top - but perfectly done - Talbot) is Hulk himself. I won't go into how impressive the special effects are, either you can suspend disbelief for 25 minutes of your life, or you can't, that's not up to me. But the fact is, he comes alive. Up close, he's a tragic figure, running purely on rage, confusion, and a host of other emotions. From afar he moves like a lumbering oaf, tripping through the air - which is how it's supposed to be! I've read reviews that his movement while jumping is unbeleivable... personally, it's the most true to life I've ever seen. Imagine being able to jump for three miles on end... you're not gonna be doing it smooth, you'll be flailing around trying to direct yourself. Anyway, while the acting was great and I really liked the Hulk animation, the best part of the flick, and the movie that makes it a must see for all comic book fans, is Ang Lee's directing. The close ups, the wide angle shots, and the best use of split screens I've ever seen in a movie theater. But really, it's the scene transitions Ang uses. From pulling out in a flash, to using a helicopter's blades to slowly slice into a new scene, and to actually freezing an explosion into a comic book panel, Ang Lee is a directing god. Don't believe your critics, man... you're Ang Lee, and we'll definately like you when you're Ang Lee. Finally, the reason I have not fallen in absolute love with the movie is that the ending was a mess. I think I understand almost everything that's going on, and in many cases it's straight out of a comic book, but the problem centers around that the screen is just too dark to get an understanding of the action. Much like a comic, we have to be listening to the dialogue and the grunts to understnad what's going on on-screen, and with a movie, even a comic book movie, that's not the right way to go. posted by Holz | 10:25 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Monday, June 23, 2003 I Don't Know Music, But I Know What I Don't Like So, this weekend, I caught alot of VH1's Top 100 Songs of The Past 25 Years. While I think they succeeded in the upper 50, the list on a whole amounted to 2 words: Horse. Shit. The show was broken up into 5 segments of 20 songs, so I thought I'd point the biggest problems with each area, with a few highlights. Keep in mind that these are just my opinions, so that makes them absolutely right, and any disagreements make you completely wrong. 100-81: Let's see, any list that starts out with Madonna's Ray of Light that doesn't have Worst or Crapfest in the title is just wrong. Don't get me wrong, I like Madonna, but I don't think she's done a relevant song since the one from A League of Their Own. Glad to see MMMBop on the list, some of you may know I'm actually a fan of Hanson. Cheap Trick's Surrender shoulda been much higher. Same goes for Metallica's one and only entry on the list with Enter Sandman (nowhere near their best song... a trend you'll see on the list). Tracy Chapman's Fast Car gets on the list and it's not in the top 20... travesty. And Eminem slides in at 85 with My Name Is... I like that he's on the list, but not too high yet, that works for me (and for those who know the list, yes, I am going for irony in the future) 80-61: Destiny's Child? Are you fucking kidding me?!? And to have Green Day's Good Riddance right after is just crap, Time of Your Life is probably the most used song in television from the late 90s, and to not even place it in the top 50 is bullshit. Missy Elliot's Work It... don't know, don't care... didn't she used to wear trashbags? I Wanna Be Sedated comes right behind a Hall & Oates song... I feel this is a sign of the Apocalypse. They then place a John Lennon song on the list I don't think anyone's ever heard of, Starting Over, because someone at VH1 pointed out they needed to get something on the list from a Beatle, and hey, there's this song that makes the cut by 4 minutes, let's use it! Jack and Diane at 67... good choice. Hot in Herre at 65... bad choice. Finally, Backstreet Boys are the only boy band to make the list with I Want It That Way. Ummm... I have no words. I mean, it's not horrible, it's a good pop song... but still... it's fucking Backstreet Boys. How comes New Kids got the shaft? 60-41: Good to see Carlos and Rob get more props for Smooth, I don't think the 42 Grammys it won was enough. Meatloaf's Paradise... great fucking song, one of my favorites, some great memories. Same with Tears In Heaven. It was at this point I started gettin' excited, because this hour had some really great songs. Then they had to fuck up and include Goo Goo Dolls Iris above a bunch of 'em. Then they made it worse by giving three of my least favorite songs in a row, Start Me Up, Faith, and Are You Gonna Go My Way. We're at the 50 mark, and I'm already beginning to fear where they are going. Then my boys from Beantown make the list, but it's their song from Armageddon, a song they didn't even write... sadly, not a single song from Get a Grip, their best modern album. We end this section with Under the Bridge... and while I'm not a fan of the Chili Peppers, I won't complain because I know they used to be influential (even though now they're beat poets with a guitar rift). 40-21: Michael makes his first appearance with Beat It... good song, but one of his best? Not too sure. Somehow, Alicia Keys' Fallin' comes in two spots above Tom Petty's Free Fallin'... Alicia has a nice voice and all, but will that song stand the test of time? It doesn't even stand the time in my car anymore. Sugarhill Gang's Rapper's Delight at 35... should be in the top 10, easy, for sheer influence. Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes... some of you may know that song has alot of meaning for me, good and bad, so yeah, I like it's placement. We get Jeremy and Nuthin' But a G Thang back to back and I'm starting to warm back up for VH1. Then they put Britney at 28. I nearly puke in disgust. If anything, I might have put it in around 95 or something, but even that's generous, but placing her above Springsteen's Born In The U.S.A.? This can't get much worse. Livin' On A Prayer almost gets VH1 back into my good graces, then the taste of puke comes up again when Celine's Titantic song comes up. I mean, I don't disagree, it deserves the spot, but that song just makes me sick now... List ends with a timeless 80's song, Cindy Lauper's Time After Time, and a forgetable U2 song, With Or Without You. Whatever. We're going into the home stretch, and I'm reaching for the Pepto... 20-1: AC/DC starts us off, and I'm smiling... definately deserves the top 20. I don't agree with the placement of Public Enemy's Fight the Power, but oh well, it should be on the list somewhere, and here's as good as any really. Losing My Religion is a great choice, simply for the impact it had on music videos. Don't Speak at 16... personally, I think it should be even higher, that is a timeless song that will never get old... such heartfelt meaning, and a powerful video too. Then we get TLC's Waterfalls... maybe I just forget how popular it was, but is that even in rotation on an radio anymore? Alanis makes the list, but not for Ironic, which in it's way is kinda... nevermind. Glad to see her on the list, and I won't complain, but You Oughta Know at #12? Somewhere Dave Coulier weeps (or is it Bob Saget?). I think the top ten all deserve comment... Madonna starts the top ten with Like a Virgin, and I got no complaints. The Police somehow show up with Every Breath You Take... is it wrong to think Puffy's cover should have been on this list instead of Sting? Whitney Houston's contribution to the Dolly Parton Residuals Fund places well, and I agree... not my type of music, but I know a great song when I hear it... Celine, eat your heart out. For some reaosn Prince's When Doves Cry gets number 7, instead of Purple Rain... strange. The song I believe shoulda taken number one, especially seeing as the top five are pathetic, was Run D.M.C. and Aerosmith's Walk This Way... greatest song of my generation. And then we get to the top five... so so wrong. U2's One starts us off... I know it's a good song and all, but honestly, does anyone listen to it besides U2 fans and people watching a bride and groom's dance at a wedding? Next, can someone tell me who Eminem blew to get number four on this list with a song that's not even a year old, and is one of his worst? Instead of choosing Lose Yourself, the song which won him the Oscar (which I also don't believe belongs on the list yet) they choose the song 8 Mile... I can't even begin to comprehend this... was it even released as a single? Number three is GnR's Sweet Child O' Mine. Good song, but again, why go with this instead of November Rain, Don't Cry, or even Paradise City? The second spot goes to Michael again, for Billie Jean, which confused the hell outta me. I mean, I'm all for Michael gettin' his props on the list, but I didn't even think this was one of his 5 biggest hits... could be wrong. Finally, we get to number one and it's Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit. I can't even beign to describe my disgust with this choice, and what it says about my generation. All I will say is that grunge music is only remember because of magazines like Rolling Stone tells us it is still relevant. The grunge era didn't even last a year... it is total and utter crap that people think it's the best music of the past 25 years, and is a disgrace to the rap culture, the punk culture, the rock ballad culture, the hair band culture... hell, even the bubblegum pop culture which has yet to burst in the past 5 years, despite many people's predictions... So in conclusion VH1, a hearty Fuck You for continuing The Lie that Kurt Cobain and his shitty lyrics are relevant in any way, shape, or form. posted by Holz | 9:47 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Friday, June 20, 2003 Someone Call a Doctor! This Man Has Had Stomach Pains For A Year! Yep, it's been a year since I entered the little activity known as webblogging. Thanks to my BuffyBB pal Wicca_Willow, I originally started posting because I wanted to keep track of interesting things that were going on in my life at the time, mainly because I have the worst memory (short term, long term, doesn't matter) and I thought this would help me remember a bit. It quickly grew into pretty much the best way of staying in touch with friends and family... I'm not the best when it comes to staying in touch... apologies. I've made some great connections from this little blog, both online and offline, and I hope I've been able to bring the barest hint of a smile to your faces on occassion. I realize my language can get a little... blue, on occasion, so if I've offended anyone in that regard... well, you know what you can go and do :-) That's just how I am... Wish I could give a bigger entry on this momentous - hehheh - day, but work is hell... but what else is new. Hope y'all keep reading, I plan I putting up a list of my favorite entries from the comments section sometime this weekend... and since it's so new, I don't think Stan's latest comment should be eligible, so I'm going to include it here, only because it summed up my site pretty well, and had me ballin' all the way to the office: Too much politics say the simpleton. Speak more of comic books, concerts, and road trips. What we don't know can't piss us off. Ignorance is bliss. I pledge allegiance to apathy and ignorance! Yo Joe! Thanks Stan... you will forever be "The Man"... posted by Holz | 1:53 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Thursday, June 19, 2003 Hypocrisy of the Two Parties Has anyone else noticed the slight hypocrisy that is occuring between the two political parties at the moment? I'm talking about the whole absence of WMD situation in Iraq. Ignoring the fact that the Bush's too-broad view of labelling any weapon isn't a pea-shooter a WMD (despite what some may think, chemical and biological weapons are not weapons of mass destruction), the truth of the matter is the administration has repeatedly told the American public (not to mention the entire world) that they had undeniable proof that Saddam had/was making these so-called WMD, and this was the reason we had to attack Iraq without provocation. It is now crystal clear that the administration lied. They had no proof. They went in guns blazing under the hope that they would find a large cache of weapons. They didn't find shit. And the fact is, even if we found any evidence tomorrow, it's too late. It is now a fact that the administration (I won't say Bush, because, come on, there's a chance he was just given faulty information) lied about having any hard evidence. They didn't even have circumstantial evidence. So here's the conundrum... once again we have a president/administration lying to us. I'm not so naive that I can't admit Clinton didn't lie to us concerning his marital infidelity. But the truth is, at the time, and still do this day, I don't care. He lied on a subject that was not politically relevant. He lied because it was a private matter between husband and wife. Obviously there's more to it than that, but the fact is, it wasn't a lie concerning his job. Was it an impeachable offense? I said no. Conservatives said yes. Now we have a president/administration lying to us about an action that involved invading a country (and it was an invasion, don't delude yourself), killing innocent civilians and our own troops (who are still dying by the way... what, you didn't actually think the war was over, did you?). We have an entire region of the world calling for our destruction. We've lost all sympathy we recieved after 9-11. There's even a sense of a holy war on the horizon. Is this an impeachable offense? I say yes. Conservatives say no. There's obviously hypocrisy on both sides. However, I think it comes down to a little more than simply lying... Benjamin Disraeli once said, "There's three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Clinton's lies were just that, lies. Bush's lies are damnable beyond belief... and if the job approval ratings are any symbol of how the the country should be reacting to all this... that's the biggest lie of 'em all. Wednesday, June 18, 2003 Move the hell out of the left lane you slow fucks! posted by Holz | 11:12 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Tuesday, June 17, 2003 I'm hoping I'll be able to post my thoughts on this later tonight when I have some free time, but I thought some of you would be interested in reading this: Roe of Roe vs. Wade files to have earlier judgement overturned. The link first appeared on Fark, and I have a feeling the comments section will grow to be pretty interesting. posted by Holz | 2:33 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) For the first time, I'm actually excited about the comic book movie that's being released on my birthday. Why? Check out the new posters for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. posted by Holz | 11:39 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) A Funny Story From a Friend I thought some of you would get a kick out of this email a friend sent me a while ago concerning an incident involving a bathroom, an empty house, and police officers. And to think I thought only strange things happened to me: posted by Holz | 10:43 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Monday, June 16, 2003 It's times like these I'm ashamed to be an American. The only thing one can hope for is that these are the people who choose not to vote in elections. posted by Holz | 10:16 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Saturday, June 14, 2003 BFD: Big Fucking So yesterday my pal Mark and I headed down to the Shoreline Amphitheatre in San Jose to attend Live 105's BFD concert festival. I had orginally bought 8 tickets because I thought it would be a pretty popular concert, but alas, not many people were interested in going. Oh well, Mark and I had a great time, there were tons of cool areas and the music was pretty kicking. There were highpoints and there were lowpoints of course, so let's start with the lows: 5 Fuck Yous* From BFD: Fuck You... ...to Ashton Kutcher. Because of you, people now think it's 'edgy' and 'cool' to wear those mesh baseball caps around. Hey you, dude with British pop-band haircut? That green mesh cap with white front advertising for some lumber company doesn't make you 'hip', it makes you look like a tool ...to The Guy Who Kicked Fire Onto Me. Alot of people were trying to start mini-bonfires on the lawn, with one actually getting a pretty good crowd, by right behind me this little fuck was trying to start one, and once it started his friend kicked it to put it out, instead of stomping on it, and it flew right into my legs. Asshole. ...to The Deftones. Man, did you guys sucks ass. First of all, when you only have 45 minutes to play, don't take two minute breaks on a dark stage between every song. Second, all your songs sound the same. Finally, how you play a festival and don't play the one popular song you have, Change, I have no idea. ...to Kurt Cobain, just on principle. Because of your pathetic life and death, Nirvana will always overshadow Foo Fighters, even thought they are the far superior band. If there's a Rock and Roll Heaven, I hope you're the janitor. ...to The Person Who Gave Evanescence SARS. Of course, I was stoked to see FF, but the real band I wanted to see live was Evanescence, but sadly one of there members is in the hospital with some respatory thing, so they had to cancel. That just sucked beyond belief. Oh well, I'll catch 'em some other time. 5 Fuck Yeahs From BFD: Fuck Yeah... ...to BT (aka Brian Transeau). I'm not a huge fan of DJ music, techno, electronica and the like, but this guy really knew how to mix, and unlike other mixers I've seen who are crouched over a table with headphones, this guy got into it, dancing around, waving his arms in the air... he f'n rocked ...to The Chick in the Bikini. Sure they may have been fake, but man did they shake. Thanks. ...to Gettin' Out Of The Parking Lot In Under 5 Minutes. Usually one of the worst experiences of a concert is waiting an hour to get outta the parking lot, and as one of the last people to leave the theater, we considered it a given. Instead, we get back to the car, and do a U-y and come out the way we came in with a few other cars, and we are gone. Didn't even have to pop in a CD. ...to The Roots. I've seen 'em before when they played with DMB, but I had forgotten how much this band funks out. Great guitar, great bass, great vocals, and the audience was right there with 'em. Loved it. ...to Dave Grohl and the rest of Foo Fighters. I was still in a bad mood that I hadn't gotten to see Evanescence, but FF proved they alone were worth the price of admission with a great mix of oldies, new songs, and modest selection from the new album. From energetic performances on My Hero, Fly, and Monkeywrench, to a 15 minute long jam on a song I hadn't heard before (something about Stepping in the Rafters, I think), and ending with a kick ass performance of my favorite song of all-time, Everlong, I was ecstatic. And the humor punched throughout had me cracking up. *thanks to my roomie Anton for helping me get the pluralization right posted by Holz | 3:13 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Friday, June 13, 2003 Happy Friday The 13th! Special props go out to my boy Tomothy for sending me this Friday the 13th jingle, sung to the theme from The Man Show. Sadly, I will not be watching any horror flicks tonight since I'll be at BFD all afternoon and night. Maypole dances, wicker men, spears, blood, zombies, hot women, It's Friday the 13th! Ice picks, chainsaws, jubilee, decapitations, vampires, machetes, It's Friday the 13th! It's a place where geeks can come together! To exact our revenge on our high school tormentors! Power drills and ouija boards Witches, ghouls, axes, swords It's Friday the 13th! Thursday, June 12, 2003 This is kinda freaky, a computer that plays 20 questions. The first time I did it, I picked a cigarette, and it figured it out in 10 questions... >Open the pod bay doors, Hal< posted by Holz | 9:42 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Wednesday, June 11, 2003 Thought some of you may want to see what's in My DVD collection. It's not as big as some friends of mine, but I like to think it's pretty respectable. posted by Holz | 11:12 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) I've Officially Become a Yuppie I caught myself ordering something at the Starbucks counter I never thought I'd hear myself ask for. A Low-fat Mocha. Now, my usual standard is a medium coffee with a double shot of espresso thrown in, but the pills I'm taking are packed full of caffeine, so I don't thinkI require that jumpstart in the morning anymore. So I decided o go for a Mocha instead, because hell, they taste so damn good (and yes, I realize Mochas have espresso shots in them, the irony isn't lost on me). But today the words 'Low-fat' slipped out of my mouth. I don't think I've ever ordered anything Low-fat. I sure has hell have never ordered a diet drink of any kind. If I ever found myself buying a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew (on purpose) I think I'd have to punch myself in the face. I've done it... it hurts. God help me if I start ordering my drinks with extra foam... I may just have to kill myself... posted by Holz | 9:33 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Pissed At Political Correctness at 1:30 Just watching a rerun of The X-Files, the first appearance of Gibson Price... there's a piece of dialogue where Diana Fowlly (sp?) says she's spent too many years in the brains of Arab terrorists. But now, while the closed captioning still has Arab in the dialogue, it is now dubbed as 'armed'. It's shit like this that fucking pisses me off. I'm too tired to get into it now, but I wish I understood the thought process that goes into a decision to change a published work of art after the fact, just because a couple years later, some people may be offended. The whole E.T. thing was a total joke, changing terrorists to hippies and the rest of that shit, but honestly where does it stop? I swear I'm gonna turn on FX one night and see an airing of True Lies, where the Arab terrorists are now going to be really tanned white guys who are mad at having to pay taxes... posted by Holz | 1:41 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Tuesday, June 10, 2003 Who Needs Sleep? Well I'm Never Gonna Get It... It's a little after 3am, and I've yet to have fallen asleep. Is it the excess caffeine in my body from my new diet pills? I don't think so, I'm still only on the 1 pill part of taking it (it builds up to sets of three), plus I am addicted to caffeine, so a little more isn't gonna change my outlook. I actually think I'm a little scared to go to sleep. For the past week or so I've been having nightmares every night. Nothing serious, no monsters, or killings or anything like that, just unnerving dreams that wake me up at 4 in the morning and keep me up for a few minutes. So I think that's probably keeping me from choosing to go to bed... oh well, I'm gonna stop being a baby and get about 4 hours sleep... here's hoping my workday tomorrow isn't too strenuous. posted by Holz | 3:24 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Monday, June 09, 2003 Day One of the New Diet So today I started medicating myself to lose some weight. Eating healthy and exercise were doing nothing for me, so I am now taking two separate supplements to help in my weight loss. The first is a weight loss pill called Hydroxycut. I was actually planning on buying Stacker2 or TrimSpa, but the guy at GNC told me they are all basically the same thing, so I went for this one. I was also convinced that I needed a dietary supplement to provide me with lotsa stuff I would need b/c the Hydroxycut was gonna block it... or something. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was looking for, and even if I got suckered into buying something I didn't need, it's probably worth it in the long run. So here it is. Day One. Sad to say, even though I've been doing my workout regimen for about two weeks, I've actually gained weight, and am currently wavering around 235-240. I have no illusions that I'll drop 30 lbs. in 8 weeks like the non-typical results in the commercials, but if I can drop 12 lbs. every two months, it'll get me to 200 by the end of the year, which I'd be happy with. Of course, I'd be happier with 180, but I'd also be happier with Xenia Seeburg sitting on my face... we can't all get what we want. What else am I looking to get outta this? Well I'm hoping I won't have to wear my pants unbuttonged around the house to be comfortable. I'm hoping I will no longer get winded tying my shoes. I'm hoping that this will somehow make my IBS a little more under control, and not inflame it. I'm hoping my keg will start to look like a six-pack. Basically I'm hoping the person I am now will no longer exist in 6 months... posted by Holz | 12:00 PM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) Wednesday, June 04, 2003 S.A.S to S.A.M.: From San Antonio Spurs to Secret Agent Man (the most unique blog entry title... perhaps) I was gonna make my first blog entry after a short hiatus on my first two softball games (currently 1-1, perhaps more tomorrow) but I thought I should discuss my first foray into karaoke. Tonight was Game 1 of the NBA finals, so a few of us decided to head out to Manucso's (a pretty fun sports/dance bar). Honestly, I could give a rat's ass (I honestly went back and added the apostrophe there for proper English) for who wins this series with the 76ers and Larkers out of it, but hey, I won't be giving up an oppurtunity to drink during my non-studying time. Anyway, we're a quarter into the game when our hot waitress (aren't they all?) informs us that tonight is actually Karaoke night. We thank her for the info, but seeing as it's 2 hours later, our interest ain't too piqued. Cut to two hours later, my pal Dave is getting ready to leave after seeing his Spurs kick the Nets ass (he's originally from San Antonio) and my friend Mark and I are beginning to flip through the karaoke book of songs. Me, I've always talked about how I wanted to go to one of these things, but I never got around to it. Mark on the other hand was the president of his frat, and he's telling me of multiple group sing-alongs he partook in. Emphasis on 'group'. So an hour later (my roomie has shown up, drank with us, and left), and I've decided to go for it. 6 Cigarettes, 8 beers later, I'm up on the stage belting out Secret Agent Man along with Mark. Now, this is a favorite driving song of mine (sadly, Believe It or Not was not on the list) and I had a great time up there. Sadly, we didn't have any of our buds in the audience to tell us exactly how pathetic we sounded, so we told eachother we kicked royal ass, easily the best of the night. Of course, following four chick's singing Eminem's My Name Is... who barely get the chorus, Janice singing My Funny Valentine would be a classic < /not too obscure I hope>. So, we both decided we are definately gonna show up again in the coming weeks (I have a feeling we'll be doing Bloodhound Gang The Bad Touch on stage together) and hopefully we'll be able to drag a few more people up there. I recommend it to everyone... anyone who knows me knows I love singing incredibly bad to the radio while in the car, so if you think you suck as much as me, don't worry, there are even worse people out there... Anyway, thought this page on cool comic book frames is damn funny... posted by Holz | 8:26 AM | Rant & Rave, Bitches! (0) |
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"Let a man get away with fuckin' you once, you stay bent over so's he can fuck you again whenever he damn well pleases. An' if one man can do it? Another will too. An' another, an' another still. So's being fucked, that's yer life. 'Til who you were, you ain't. 'Cause all you are is an asshole." 100 Bullets #42 | |||||
