Kicking and Screaming into 2007

Did you manage to get through 2006 without watching a rewarding movie? If you'd like to get 2007 off to a good start, let me recommend Noah Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming....

The film came out in 1995 and its about a group of friends who graduate from college but they can't seem or want to get on with life.

There's a Whit Stillman's feel to it.

Anyhoo... its a wonderful movie and there's some incredible dialogue in it. One of my favorite lines in it.

Otis: Cool! A dictionary! I'm gonna look up blowjob.

my trapezius

Ever visit WebMd.com and wonder why the hell you even bothered? I woke up this morning with some terrible discomfort in neck/higher back area. After doing a short search on the net... I think ii tweaked my trapezius muscle.

I'm a little unsure how I did this, seeing how I didn't wake up in a freakish position...

Anyhoo it hurts like HELL.

NFL HD

Thanks to having the DISH, I get to watch the NFL network trot out their "High Definition" Saturday Night Football game... While I'm not a fan of the Giants or the Redskins... I'm watching closely because I have 3 fantasy football players participating in tonight's game.

Anyhoo... had a quick complaint to lodge against NFL Network HD.

I don't know if its any different for viewers who watch the channel on Comcast or DirectTV, but the game and only the GAME, is in HD. I mean, even the Halftime show was in standard def! WTF? If you're going to broadcast a game in HD, get your shit together and broadcast the entire evening in HD.

Week One with the DISH

So I've had the Dish for about 7 days now... here's my thoughts on jumping from Digital Cable to Satellite.
Channel Options
If there's one advantage that Dish has over Digital Cable, its that they have an obscene amount of HD options. I won't bother listing all the HD channels here... you can peep them by clicking here. I roughly have 30+ HD channels... one of my favorite channels is MONSTER HD. They program quality Horror flicks 24 hours a day.
On New Years day... I get to nurse my hangover with Blaculaand Scream Blacula Scream. How fucking cool is that?


DVR / User Interface
I'm really impressed by Dish Network's DVR & user interface. It's really easy to get around all the available content. I've yet to see any compression DVR issues with HD recordings. This was problematic with TimeWarner... so much so, that I rarely recorded shows in HD because shows would playback scrambled.


All in all. It's been a very rewarding move. I have a few complaints to register... I think however that it's not the DISH box but my HD tv that's been acting up lately. More on that when I find out what's what.

- Alamo City Rollie -

The Dead Pool

With 2007 approaching... I thought it would be fun to start a little celebrity Dead Pool. If you have any interest in participating - email me a list of 10 celebs and the year of their birth. If the person cannot be searched on Wikipedia - he/she cannot be used.

September29th's deadpool

Picking your poison

Asked my friend & fellow blog-mate, Alex In nYc (the Flaming Pablum) if it was better to perform on present day Saturday Night Live or to appear on the cover of present day Rolling Stone... he got around to answering the question on his site this morning. You can read all about it by clicking here.

I was surprised to read that SNL was a clear and easy choice over Rolling Stone.

If I were asked the same question and say... the band in question was Braid. I think I would also pick present day SNL, but it would be close...

A Review of : Little Miss Sunshine

Finally got around to watching Little Miss Sunshine this evening... I don't quite see what all the fuss was about. The movie had a number of funny moments, but it certainly isn't worthy of all the praise its been receiving.

I watched the film by myself... and its never ideal to watch movies like LMS by yourself, so maybe I'm being a little harsh?

History Of HELL

I rarely get around to recommending podcasts I listen too, but one I've been meaning to plug is In Our Time on BBC Radio 4.

Earlier this month they did a wonderful piece on the History of Hell. Admittedly, I haven't had a chance to listen to it completely, but given the subject matter.... how could it possibly suck?

If you're down for philisopical round tables... subscribe to the podcast (iTunes i mean) by clickin' here.

.666.

Prada? The Devil?

Rented the Devil Wears Prada last night and wanted to quickly say that it was an enjoyable movie... its very disposable and wouldn't recommend anyone add it to their home libraries. Do go out and rent it if you find the subject matter at all interesting....

Anyhoo.. I'm a big fan of Ugly Betty on ABC and I think I enjoyed Devil Wears Prada because of the similar story lines.

I wonder who aped who? U.B. came out after the movie (and book), but the show is supposedly based on a Spanish Novella.

Anyhoo... be a doll and watch both.

Safe Happens?

Anyone else have a hard time watching Jetta "safe happens" commercials?



Let me first say that I prefer seeing the staged crashes over a Slash shredding out on a promotional First Act axe... (getting a free $200 guitar is supposed to sway whom exactly?)


I just get an uneasy feeling watching them.

Which is strange seeing how I've never been in a car accident before.

I think I dislike it because it find the staged accidents to be a bit disingenuous...

Anyhoo, just venting.

R.I.P. James Brown

CNN.com is reporting this morning that James Brown passed away last night...

It saddens me greatly to hear about his passing this morning. He's arguably one of the most influential artists on the 20th century.

.aCr.

23rd of December

Where you been? : The past two weeks have been insanely hectic for me... work, life and the holidays have a way of making a person not want to sit in front of a computer screen on their off time.

Whats New? : Not a whole hell-of-a lot... I'm getting the "DISH" tomorrow... I'm crossing my fingers that a.) someone shows up on Christmas Eve & b.) Making the switch to DISH for more HD selection - is worth the trouble.

Holiday plans : My holiday plans are looking rather tame right now... my parents came up today. I got a recipe from a co-worker to make some delicious treats in the afternoon... I sorta haven't started my Christmas shopping...

it looks to be like a hellish day now that I think about it. If all goes well, I plan to update my digital camera status by evenings end.

.stay tuned.

Blown tires and blown opportunities for rest...

Ever meet anyone who has the knack of having car issues? Does said person have your cellphone number on speed-dial too?

After a hellish travel day over the weekend, I wanted to come home and have a quiet evening in front of the idiot box.

Those plans flew right out the window when my sister called me to report that she had a flat tire and she needed assistance in getting changed/fixed/replaced.

Why does this shit fall in my lap?

The Misery That Pets Endure

So.... while away in Canada, my sister thought it would be a good idea to have her dog and mine photographed with Santa.

I'm not one to get entirely into the "holiday" spirit, but it was something that I know my sister would really like my dog to take part in so I agreed.

Unbeknownst to me... my sister decided to purchase a costume for my pet and she entered him into a contest.


I don't particularly think highly of people who dress their pets. I can sorta see the merit of a Sweater when its really cold out... but its still something that doesn't particularly sit well with me.

Anyhoo... my dog placed 2nd place or "runner up" in the contest. Below is a picture of Elliot and Coco with St. Nick. I think its great that the camera caught their dislike of being dressed.

Dinner Forks and Possibly Strange Behavior

So I had a very lengthy discussion this afternoon with my good friend Lauren in Detroit today... a discussion came up about a quiet lunch I had on my birthday.

I purposely took a late lunch that day so that I could enjoy a nice quiet meal along the St. John water front... Some may classify this behavior as strange, I just wanted to avoid crowds.

Anyhoo... I sit down place my order and start my meal with a salad.

I look down at the table setting and I notice that the salad fork is unusually small. By admission, my physical build is similar to Grape Ape, so maybe the fork wasn't all that small. I have salad forks here at home that are a lot bigger tho'. But I digress...

I opt to use the dinner fork and the salad went down fine.

The waitress stopped by a little later and asked if I needed a refill... Maybe I'm crazy but, I felt a strange need to point out that the salad fork was unusually small. She didn't particularly pay much attention to me I think. She poured the refill, nodded and said my meal would be out shortly.

For lunch, I ordered a shrimp and asparagus stir-fry that came on a bed of rice. (which was delish) I sat back enjoyed the meal... until it occurred to me that I didn't use anything but my dinner fork for lunch.

I honestly can't explain why I did this... but I picked up a perfectly clean knife and I got it a little dirty so that It appeared that I didn't only eat with my fork.

Lauren insists that this behavior is that of a madman. I think she said "monster" actually...

I think it was sorta justified... anyhoo, it's been eating away at me all fucking day.

.aCr.

Back in the Alamo City

Arrived safely late last night after spending an entire Saturday traveling back from Canada... The plane ride(s) down were pretty uneventful... my luggage arrived safely so I grinning ear to ear.

I had a rather long layover in Chicago... but my travel mate was kind enough to take make me a guest to the American Airlines Admiral Club.

For those not in the know... the Admiral Club is a perk you can pay extra for if you travel a lot.

Entry into the place requires a paid membership card and a photo ID. Once in, you get access to a very comfortable lounge that has countless chairs and couches. Televisions, a bar and I think a small restaurant. There was a very visible wait staff and the people who worked at the help desks were amazingly helpful and curious. Sometimes... you can get excellent service from desk clerks but you can tell they're being dicks at the same time... these folk were very professional.

There was an assortment of fruit and hand snacks available. I made scored a complementary soft drink and mooched the wifi, while I made some personal calls...

Anyhoo... I'm incredibly happy to be back at home.

Spent a good portion of my day taking long cat naps with my dog Elliot. The weather is a little shitty out but i can't complain really. It's a lot better than St. John.

My parents came up to celebrate my birthday. Its awesome to have them around. My father and I are about to watch the Cowboys & Saints in High Def.

So there you have it. I'm back in San Antonio and I'm thrilled to be back.

Bar Nite

So I just got in from another nite out on the town... Had a few drinks to celebrate my 29th at bar not all that far from my hotel. I didn't get too sauced up tonight... I opted to keep it under wraps until I get back into town tomorrow night.

The last thing I need tomorrow is a hellish hangover when I have 12 total hours of travel time.

Anyhoo... here's a photo from the bar stool I spent a great deal of time on.

Day 5 - St. John City Market

If you ever get a chance to visit this city, I wanna highly recommend the "City Market". I spent a considerable amount of my afternoon visiting a number of small merchant booths and struck up conversations with locals who came in to pick up fish & produce. I didn't purchase anything... but I had a good time just walking around and watching.

Reviewing the local Record Store Scene

As many of you know... I have a healthy appetite for music and I make it a point to visit local record stores when I visit a location.

Prior to my trip to St. John, I did a Google Map Business search for "record stores" and I was surprised to see that there were 3 options within walking distance from my hotel.

As luck would have it... a lot of shops & store fronts close at 4:00PM so I couldn't make a proper visit until this afternoon.

So here we go... my review of the Record Store options for St. John New Brunswick.

CD/PLUS - If you're into mainstream music... or if you're hard up for picking up something for a misguided tweener - look no further than "CD/PLUS". The in store staff suffers from all the cartooney trappings of Empire Records.... I spoke very briefly to one employee... it wasn't a music related question. Apparently Don Cherry has released his 18th VOLUME of Hockey Nite in Canada....

Mr. Music - So... I'm really torn up about my visit to Mr. Music. On my first nite out... I was asked by a bartender if I stopped by "mr. music" yet. I said I hadn't... but I didn't want to trek across St. John while it was dark. With a scheduled "half-day" in hand, I made sure to jot down the street address and I set out this afternoon to make a proper visit. Despite checking the google.map twice before I left the hotel... I managed to get lost on my way out to the record store. What didn't help was the nasty weather and my reluctance to change from my work clothes to something a little warmer & shoes with better traction.

I eventually found the place... but I was deeply saddened when I walked in and the place had no more than 400 CD's on the shelf. The place seemed to be more of a local head shop... sadly, I had no real use for a glass bong or one-hitter. I was tempted to look at a few, but I then remembered that 1.) I don't smoke pot or tobacco. 2.) I don't need the hassle of bringing one back to the states.

There was a nice collection of knives and used Metal CD's. I saw a KISS patch that I was tempted to pick up... but I wouldn't know what to stitch it to.

I think that if I would have run across this place and not made plans to walk all the way out to swing by, I would have had a different opinion of the place.

Back Street Records - So here's my take on Back Street Records... If you're in St. John or if you're in the Province of New Brunswick... this may possibly be the best place to pick up Indie music or choice vinyl. The place is VERY small but the selection is very nice. The store owner has a lot of influence on what's on the shelf... I saw Neutral Milk Hotel for example in a number of formats... I thought about picking up a few discs, but opted to wait till I got back to Texas. A large number of the discs i was looking at were imports (from the US) so I opted on just waiting till I got back.

Timbits

Purchased my first Timbit this morning... found them to be a bit underwhelming.

For those who haven't made the plunge... the "honey dip" Timbits are *not* glazed donut holes. The Chocolate timbit is pretty solid... I ordered 2 of each but opted to toss the order out after my first bites.

.rollie.in.canada.

Making Metal Friends

So.... I'm in a meeting earlier this week. I'm sitting at the end of one table... at the other end of the crowded room there's a guy from IT sitting quietly. His cellphone rings and you'll never guess what the ringtone is.

It's the guitar solo for "Bark at the Moon".

I raise my head and ask "Bark at the Moon?"

The guy lifts his head and throws goats.

At the conclusion of our daily meetings we got together and talked about Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. It's amazing how Metal can bring people together.

Twenty Nine

It just occured to me that tomorrow is going to be my 29th birthday... I've known all week that my birthday was going to fall on a Friday and I've known for a number of months that I would be in Canada to sorta celebrate it...

I don't really know what I'll be doing tomorrow. I'm sure I'll go out to eat... but I haven't decided how much drinking I'll do....

I have a flight the next morning and I don't want to feel shitty on what will surely be a full day of traveling.

I can't believe how much my life has changed in 12 months. I think I'm happier. I'm sorta glad that I'm here in Canada on the day of my birthday... than say San Antonio.

Reason being... my stay in San Antonio has been very bitter/sweet.

Why you ask?

It wasn't till about late October that I really got over my breakup with Kathie... it's been a topic that I've avoided on this blog and its a subject I rarely engage with friends or family... but I felt like someone went inside me and turned all the fucking lights out.

Recently... my outlook on my decision to stay in San Antonio has changed dramatically. I've made some very good friendships and I'm begining to feel comfortable in my skin again.

This trip to Canada couldn't have come at a better time. For a number of months... I've been foolishly hard on myself and I shut myself off from everything around me.

I wish I could describe the spark I get inside when I walk around the downtown streets of St. John in search of something new to experience... someone new to talk to. It's like discovering the happiest moments of my life when I lived in Detroit.

What I'm now looking most forward to is doing this in San Antonio....

I can't believe that it took 2000 mile trip to realize that I really wanted to be in Texas for my 29th.

.rollie.in.canada.

Day's 3 and 4 in St. John, Canada

So it's day four for me here in St. John, New Brunswick... spent most of the day recovering from a heavy night of drinkin' on Wednesday.

Made some friends at the St. John Ale House... specifically the bartender. I forget how much I had to drink... but I managed to drop my digital camera into a black n' tan.

Some of the quality beers that did me in were...

• Clancy's Amber Ale - by Moosehead.

• Blueberry ALE - by Pump House

• St. Ambroise - by Mc. Auslan

• Cream Ale - - by Mc. Auslan

• Rickards Honey Brown

....

When I'm not pickeling myself from the inside out... I've been jotting down little observations about Canada.


1.) I've heard people say "This Side of Montreal"... which is a lot like saying "this side of the Mississippi" in the States. Admittedly, I couldn't point to the City of Montreal on a blank map of Canada, but I'm pretty sure its located in the middle.

2.) I'm a COLGATE guy... but I was given a tube CREST by the hotel on my first night because my luggage was still missing.... anyhoo, I used it and I gotta say the tooth paste had a very weird consistancy to it. It felt very "water based". Anyhoo, there's a Canadian Dental Association. Their logo is sorta has a "secret society" feel to it.

3.) Reversing Falls - So the City of St. John is known for its "Reversing Falls"... there's a river here called St. John and it flows into the Bay of Fundy (which is sorta the Atlantic). Anyhoo when the tide comes in, the water can rise 30ft. When the tide goes out, its not uncommon to see boats just sitting... On my first day here I saw the tide completely reverse. Which was a pretty cool thing to watch.


Anyhoo... I'm going to turn in pretty soon.

.Rollie.In.Canada.

5th Installment of the Pop Cult podcast

I forget how long its been since the last pop culture got put out... but the guys and I got together last week and recorded a new episode.

In it... we pretty much cover movies coming out over the holidays. A friend of mine called in the middle of recording so we decided to call her back and have her join in.

I think it came out pretty good.

Peep it.

Canada in Review

So I'm 2 nites into my stay in Canada... here are my observations thus far.

1.) Cheezeburger
Whose dick do you gotta suck to get a good cheeseburger in Canada?
For some strange reason... every deli sammich I've had here in Canada has been amazing. At this point, I'm tempted to try a cheeseburger every evening in hopes of finding something worthwhile to write home about.

2.) Heinz ketchup tastes way DIFFERENT.
I don't know if they put sugar in the Ketchup but the Heinz ketchup is unusually sweet.

3.) Beer.
I've had a number of good beers in my short visit.... Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale and Keith's RED are both quality brews. I had a pint of Moosehead Lager tonight. That too was quality... rounding things out was a pint of STELLA. (not Canadian, but available here)

Worst beer so far... I had a pint of Alpine before I broke back to the hotel tonight and that was a little weak.

4.) Bars
I've been to a number of bars in the two nights here in St. John. Here's what I got.

a.) Jungle Jim's Bar n' Grill - Grade : F - I walked into this place only because I saw some young asian kids with cool haircuts. Had the WORST ch eeseburger of my life and the place is borderline - family friendly, despite it's bar front appearance.

b.) Thandi - Grade A minus - This bar was very chill... they have a nice TV... the beer seemed a bit overpriced and there was NO one at the place when I went in. I had a drink with the house chef. He's a cool guy too'. If you're in this place, stop in.

c.) St. Johns Ale House - Grade : A - Stopped by this place tonight on the recommendation of a co-worker in San Antonio. The beer selection is the best I've run across (on tap that is) in St. John. The House Cheeseburger (forget the name but it has HAWK in it) was the best burger I've had so far... but that isn't exactly saying much.

d.) Callahan's Irish PUB - Grade : B + - I had a drink here before I busted back to the hotel tonight. There was only one person at the bar and I think that guy was visiting his mom who was tending bar. The place had a lot of sports memorabilia and they had the only jukebox I've run across here in Canada. (Tom Waits - RAIN DOGS is in there and I plan to listen to it Start to Finish on my birthday friday) - The bar should deserve a greater mark... but it's far from being a solid visit because of the poor beer selection on tap... come to think of it. They had only 1 beer on tap and it was ALPINE. There was NO Irish drinking music on the jukebox. To rub more salt into the wound... i think there's a better Irish bar just up the street.... I didn't get the name but I plan to swing in tomorrow nite.

The only redeeming thing about the place is the building its in. Peep this place!


I sorta drank in the basement of this place.

5.) TSN - The ESPN of Canada
Admittedly, I haven't spent a lot of time with the Television in Canada, but that isn't exactly a bad thing... I switched over to "TSN" to catch Monday Nite Football the other day. Prior to the 10:00PM kickoff time, I had a lot of time to watch the Canadian Sports Center... It's very weird to see Sports Center lead with Hockey news... only to be followed with a detailed report about the Toronto Raptors. Only to be followed with late breaking Hockey related news... Still can't figure out who New Brunswick likes to root for. Boston is sorta within shouting distance... as is Buffalo NY.

6.) Local News
I watched 10 minutes of the National Canadian broadcast news the other nite... only to have it interrupted by having the news repeated in french. I tried to find a local news feed but for some strange reason - BOSTON (channel 7) and DETROIT (channel 7) are shown here. I settled on watching the Detroit news only because I lived there for so long... The news of Mayor Guido passing was really sad. Admittedly, I never spent much time in Dearborn, but the news made me feel incredibly homesick.

7.) Tim Hortons
Listen... I'm not going to hate on Tim Hortons... I woke up this morning and I purchased a fabulous hot chocolate from them. The only observation I have about the establishment right now is... there's one just about every 200 steps. From the front step of my hotel, there's 4 Tim Hortons I can easily walk to. How do these guys do it?

We will begin boarding shortly / Nous commencerons à embarquer sous peu

Arrived safely in St. John, New Brunswick CANADA this morning... 2:00 AM to be exact.

What are you doing in Canada you ask?

Its work related... so I won't bore you with any of that stuff right now.

All in all, the trip is going ok. The biggest hiccup to report thus far is my missing Luggage. I got word this evening that it's on a plane from Toronto and it should be delivered to my hotel this evening... *fingers crossed*.

The city of St. John is beautiful. I just got in from a lengthy walk around town... As luck would have it. Tonight is the first shitty nite (weather wise) that St. John has had all year. So I didn't stay out as long as I had liked too...

Complicating things further is the ATLANTIC time zone that the city of St. John is in. That's an hour ahead of EST.

Anyhoo... it's almost 10:00PM here and I'm feeling really burned out. I'll write more tomorrow.