Shane Life

This blog has MOVED

2006-01-09T07:39:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, Blogger just hasn't been cutting it. I've moved my site over to my shanelife.com domain and am now using WordPress 2 (genius). This page should redirect you within 3 seconds. If it does not, the new address is:

http://shanelife.com

Please update your bookmarks and feeds.

Thanks,
Shane

Blogger to Wordpress. Complete.

2006-01-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

I have to hand it to the dudes who wrote Wordpress 2. I just set up my new Wordpress blog (http://topfivedesign.com/shane) and it seriously took me less than 30 minutes. I've even got all my old posts from here moved over there.

So folks, in less time than I thought it would take, I am going to say sayonara to this blog. From now on, I will be posting all my stuff on my permanent PAID FOR domain. The style is OK right now, but I need to change it up because it is BO-RING. I'll get to it.

Next up: moving Alli's journal to Wordpress.

Seriously, I still can't get over how easy that was.

End of the Year Post

2005-12-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted in what seems like forever.

So I had an awesome Christmas. My wife, who rules all, got me a beautiful black ipod nano. I am having so much fun with it, especially since I lost my ipod shuffle about 2 months ago.

It is so stinking small.

Our parents went way above and beyond what we ever thought. We got enough money so that we can tile our kitchen (can't wait for that) and I got 2 pairs of shoes. And I love me some shoes. My parents got me some custom Nikes (or gave me money to do so) and my brother gave me some retro sneaks. I also got Season 1 & 2 of Scrubs...can't wait to watch. Awesome show.

And now, our friends are here for the new year...good times. I have made a decision this year (similar to last year's new year's resolution) that I am going to read 2 books a month + 1 this year. This will go from Christmas to Christmas. I have the list and I've actually already read my first book, A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. I've been waiting to read this for a while and I liked it a lot. More than How to be Good at least.

Next on the list is How to Lose Friends and Alienate People by Toby Young, a memior about the rise and fall of a British journalist on the New York and Hollywood social scene while he worked as a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. I'm about 1/3 of the way through it and it is pretty funny. I'll be blogging all my books so stay tuned.

Happy New Year and all that. Good times.

King Kong: Kong-tastic

2005-12-18T20:56:00.000-08:00

What a great movie.

Peter Jackson is so hot right now. So hot. Kong is awesome. Jack Black...best acting since High Fidelity (though he was hardly acting in that). Naomi Watts was great. Adrien Brody was...whatever.

A great 3 hours and 15 minutes of moviemaking. Good times.

The Apprentice Finale

2005-12-16T05:07:00.000-08:00

I don't know if it's that I'm enamored with Donald Trump's hair or that I just like a reality show that focuses on talent, rather than drama, but ever since the first season, I've been a loyal watcher of The Apprentice.

The 2-hour (semi) live season finale was last night and pitted Randal against Rebecca in a competition of charity events. I really enjoyed the finale a lot until the end of it (but we'll get to that a little later). Randal and Rebecca both had to overcome enormous obstacles on their final tasks...Randal's charity softball game was rained out and Rebecca's celebrity emcee, Joe Piscopo, backed out at the last minute.

Both made the proper adjustments and held extremely successful events. It started to become very clear as they made it to the board room that both candidates were very successful and it was possible that Trump might hire both of them.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Let's be honest. Randal was the odds-on favorite to win. Undefeated record. Impeccable education. Respect from his teammates. Yadda yadda yadda. NO CLASS.

First, I felt it was unnecessary for him to ask his fellow candidates who supported him and who didn't. Who cares what they thought? All of them were FIRED. And Alla was completely classless, showing her true colors, acting like nobody's opinion was more important than her own.

I thought that Rebecca showed incredible poise in the final boardroom and, in my opinion, should have won. Toward the end, Randal got a little cocky and a little complacent. He allowed his team to do most of the work while he sat back and got all the glory (I hate hate hate people like that). Rebecca came into the boardroom with fire, but she refused to make the boardroom about the weaknesses of Randal. Even when she was asked what his biggest weakness was, she turned it into a compliment, stating that Randal just tends to overthink things.

Randal, on the other hand, turned into Alla and started fabricating stuff about Rebecca that, frankly, wasn't very accurate. Not only that, but he had been extremely complimentary of her up to that point. When cornered, he lashed out. Now I understand the need to defend yourself, but I really don't think he had to do it negatively.

So Randal was hired.

And there was much celebration from the crowd.

Then, Trump calls Randal back to the table and asks him if he should hire Rebecca, and Randal, who has gained the respect of millions of people, promptly loses it by refusing to share the title.

Unbelievable.

What is worse is that I think that if Trump would have hired Rebecca first that she would have shared with Randal. But Randal wanted all the glory for himself, which really disappointed me. And now, even on the news site of the network that puts out the show, MSNBC, there are negative stories about Randal and his selfishness.

Overall, Trump really couldn't have gone wrong firing both of them, but then he takes the advice of his brand new APPRENTICE on who he should hire. It's no wonder so many of his companies go bankrupt.

It was cold, but it was worth it...

2005-12-06T07:52:00.000-08:00

I got to go to the Chiefs game on Sunday.

The later start meant that the game would end in the dark and with a forecast of...well...COLD, I bundled up, excited for the game.

And what a game. It started off badly, with Denver scoring on its second play from scrimmage. However, the Chiefs battled all game and Jake "the Snake" Plummer turned into his old self and managed to hook up with two different Chiefs for interceptions at key times during the game, one particularly in the endzone to Patrick Surtain.

During the game, I looked up to the jumbotron and read the words:

"Arrowhead is not what it once was. It has lost its mystique."
-Steve Young, NFL Countdown, December 4, 2005
PROVE HIM WRONG!

I've been to plenty of Chiefs games in my life to know that something like that is plenty to motivate the fans to bring the thunder. And that's what it felt like. It was so loud, everyone was yelling. And I lost my voice by the second quarter.

Young, you need to shut up. You haven't been back to Arrowhead since you got rocked there the last time. How about the Arrowhead mystique on Denver's 4th-and-2 play where the Chiefs needed replay to have the refs get it right (everyone in the stadium could tell he was short).

Sadly, however, I lost my cell phone in the parking lot and I think it got run over, so if you try to call me, you'll get a weird message...hopefully, I can fix that today.

Joey's Pizza?

2005-12-05T20:58:00.000-08:00

No, not a Friends reference.

It's a reference to another one of my favorite shows, which is unfortunately getting cancelled after the end of this season. Since my friend Sarah introduced us to Alias midway through Season 2, we haven't missed an episode of this show.

Season 4 SPOILERS AHEAD

With the onset of the season, it was obvious that Alias had lost some of its sheen...Sydney was pregnant, Vaughn's gone, Irina is nowhere to be found and we now have 2 new agents doing all the work (who aren't bad, it's just different).

Why couldn't they bring back WILL?

Oh yeah, that's because he had his own show to get cancelled before it even got a chance. I'll be totally honest, I'm a big fan of Bradley Cooper (particularly after his hilarious turn in Wedding Crashers this summer), so I really wanted this show to succeed. Fox didn't really give it a great chance, especially since it was off the schedule forever because of the stupid World Series.

TV is getting better. Less reality shows is always good. And there are some great new shows this season. Lost continues to be awesome. The Office is SO FUNNY. Scrubs is coming back. How I Met Your Mother is a hilarious new show. So we have that going for us.

But still. I will miss Alias. And I hope that the rumors aren't true. I hope that Fox can find room on its schedule for Kitchen Confidential.

WITFV30: This Exercise

2005-11-30T07:26:00.000-08:00

This last day of November, I'm really thankful for the thankfulness project (thanks, Rachel!). I have really enjoyed thinking about all of the things that I'm thankful for in my life. It's been a good experience this month, forcing myself to post every day (although they may not have been released exactly on the day)

It was fun though...and it was the most regular posting that I have done on here in a really long time. As a review, here's the stuff I was thankful for this month:

Free Stuff, Days Off, Alli, My Company, Chili, Burritos, My Computer, DVR, Fall, TV Shows on DVD, My Music and my iPod, My Dog, Technology, Our House, JJ Abrams, Good Books, My Friends, My Family, "Friends" (the TV Show), The Chiefs, Freedom, My Church, Thanksgiving, Lazy Days, My Camera, Life, My City, and Alli (Take 2).

So the project is over...Alli had the idea to maybe do something for the month of December where I reviewed a new Christmas movie every day...I like the idea, I don't know if I could watch and post every day. Might be kind of difficult. I haven't decided if I'll give it a shot yet or not, but keep your eye on here...there's a possibility I might move this site soon. Stay tuned.

WITFV29: Alli

2005-11-29T07:25:00.000-08:00

Now, I know I don't ever talk about my wife on here, but I have to close this month out by reiterating how lucky I am to have such an amazing wife.

Her business is starting to pick up and I'm very excited that she is doing exactly what she wants to do with her life. She's also beautiful and she's my best friend. I'm so thankful that I get to go through life with her.

WITFV28: My City

2005-11-28T19:24:00.000-08:00

Technically, I live in a suburb of Kansas City - on the Kansas side, but I consider the Kansas City metropolitan area my home.

I lived in Iowa from the ages of 1 - 4 years old (and also during college, sort of), but outside of that, I have always lived in the KC area. When Alli and I got married, we moved into an apartment in the suburb of Lenexa, then got a house in 2001 in Olathe.

Suburban sprawl runs rampant in Kansas City. Unfortunately, the metro is so geographically large that it is difficult for the city leaders to develop an identity because everyone lives outside of Kansas City proper.

However, that suburban sprawl does not prevent a fierce loyalty to our sports teams, particularly the Chiefs. In addition, there is an intense movement to revive the downtown area right now and I am hopeful that it is successful because I would like to see Kansas City return to its status as one of the premier cities in the country.

One of the things that I have always loved about the city is that it has all the amenities of a large metropolis, but the attitudes of the people are significantly less harsh.

Not only that, but we also have WINTER.

I'm a big "changing seasons" kind of guy. I couldn't live on a coast where the weather is always the same. It snowed today in Kansas City and it was glorious.

So I'm thankful for where I live.

WITFV27: Life

2005-11-27T18:20:00.000-08:00

I know.

It sounds corny. It's a corny thing to be thankful for. But this evening, I'm very thankful for it.

Tonight, we went to see RENT. I've been looking forward to this movie since I first saw the trailer, but as it approached the release date, I became more and more skeptical. Would a film be able to capture the incredible lyrics and music of the late Jonathan Larson?

Alli and I first saw the musical in 1998 (or was it '97?) in Des Moines at the Civic Center. The musical was touring and we had seen lots of advertisements for it in our small Iowa town where we were attending college. We had a couple of friends who had seen it and highly recommended it, so I got us tickets and we went to "the theater".

I was so taken by the story and the musical that I went out and bought the soundtrack. Alli got sick of me listening to it over and over again.

It's weird. I can't figure out what it is that makes me identify with this story so much. I've never been a starving artist like the characters in the movie and I've never been diagnosed, nor have I known anyone who was diagnosed with HIV. But this story rings true to me because the characters in it are real and they are dealing with real issues and real life. RENT captures the early '90s extremely well (as I remember them) even though the musical did not reach the stage until 1996.

What makes this story resonate so much is that the main characters create a family that is non-traditional, but functions as a support group and I think that everyone looks for something like that in their life. I'm fortunate enough to have that familial support in my life. Not only that, but I'm so thankful to have a life as blessed as mine is.

RENT is about finding life and love amidst the chaos of life and love. It's about struggling to find the one thing that makes everything worthwhile through it all. That thing may be different for others, but for me, it's love. And I am truly thankful for that.

WITFV26: My Camera

2005-11-26T20:30:00.000-08:00

A couple of years back, I got a digital camera for my birthday. It's an amazing camera, a Canon EOS Digital Rebel, and I love using it.

I haven't been using it very much in the past couple months, but we've gotten a lot of use out of it recently. We have some great Thanksgiving photos, like this one of my brother doing a spinning jumping kick for no reason:

Or this one of two of my cousins, Hunter and Carly:

Or this one of everyone who was at my parents' house:

But what is especially great about digital cameras is that you can take random strange pictures, like the one below and you can keep them as long as you have room on your computer.

I took my family on a tour of my new building at work today and we brought the camera along to remember some of the best moments. Like this great picture of Alli and Ashley coming down the slide:

I love my camera and I really enjoy taking pictures. I wish I had more time to spend with photography because I think if I wasn't a graphic designer, I would like to probably do that for a living. I always thought that being an Associated Press photojournalist would be a totally sweet job.

For now, I will just be thankful that I have a nice camera to take day-to-day photos with.

WITFV25: Lazy Days

2005-11-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm thankful for lazy days. Lazy days are the days in the fall when you can snuggle up on the couch, cover up with a blanket and watch as much TV as your eyes can handle. Alli and I did that this afternoon.

Her family is in town for the holiday weekend, but they were off at the car dealership all day with my sister-in-law picking up her new car (congratulations Ashley!). Since they were there much longer than they expected, Alli and I got to chill out and relax longer than we had planned.

And that was fine by me.

We caught up on The Apprentice episodes (bye bye Adam) that we missed last night, as well as Joey (Thanksgiving episode just not as funny without the rest of the Friends) and My Name is Earl (getting better as the season goes on, but still needs some work). Later, we watched 2 rented movies, Kingdom of Heaven (terrific flick) and Millions (odd British film that wasn't bad, it just wasn't great).

Overall...it was a great day of being lazy. That's what the day after Thanksgiving is all about...laziness.

WITFV24: Thanksgiving

2005-11-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

It's not just about the food today.

Okay, that's a big part of it, but it really isn't why I'm thankful for this day. I'm thankful today because I get to spend the day with my family, including my dad, who has been overseas for the past 6 weeks on business.

I'm also looking forward to the after-meal time of fellowship, games, and laziness that always seems to accompany this holiday.

But I'm thankful for turkey, too.

WITFV23: My Church

2005-11-23T20:00:00.000-08:00

When I was about 5 years old, our family began attending church in Olathe, KS, switching from the congregation we were going to in Mission. Being 5 years old, I don't remember it all that much, but I do know thatI still attend the same congregation today that I did 23 years ago.

When I was young, I forged friendships and relationships in that congregation that are still strong today and my family has been warmly accepted as a member of that church.

Alli and I had the opportunity to plan the Thanksgiving Eve service this evening and we were so thankful for the turnout and support that we received. It was a great experience for us in planning the service, but I really believe that the service was a good experience for all. I'm so thankful that we have a place where we can worship and that, in this country, we are free to worship as we feel best.

WITFV22: Freedom

2005-11-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

OK, before this sounds like a complete cliche, I want to say that I am so thankful that I live in a country where views and opinions can be expressed so freely and that there is not outright persecution for beliefs (although it may seem that way sometimes).

Today, I'm thankful not only for the freedom that we are provided in this country, but those who fight for that freedom every day overseas. Turmoil surrounds us and we oftentimes forget that there are people all over the world that are in the center of that turmoil, struggling to make sure that our interests and our freedom is protected.

I'm also thankful that we have been so blessed as to allow Alli the freedom to pursue her dream as an artist. It's not always easy, but I have to say that it has been a blessing on both of us for her to be able to pursue her dream full time.

I'm thankful that we have that freedom and that she can do that.

WITFV21: The Chiefs

2005-11-21T20:45:00.000-08:00

The game yesterday was a big relief. The Chiefs did exactly what they were supposed to do and spanked the terrible Houston Texans. Larry Johnson was huge and I expect to see him restructure his contract in the off-season when Priest decides to retire.

Trent Green looked good. Tony Gonzalez had almost 100 yards receiving. Even so, my home team has a really tough schedule until the end of the year. (Nothing like the Colts, which is almost a complete cakewalk except for the Seahawks and the Chargers... It's funny how the NFL makes schedules.)

I've been a Chiefs fan ever since I understood football. I remember the great Chiefs teams of the 1990's with Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and the like. It's been a rough last few years and this might not even be the year for them, but they do have some great young players (Jared Allen, Larry Johnson) and I love watching them.

I tend to get pretty into the games, but that's only because I love them.

WITFV20: Friends

2005-11-20T21:12:00.000-08:00

Not my friends, but the TV show, Friends. I don't care if that makes me sentimental, but I loved that show and I still love it. I just purchased Season 10, completing our set of all of the seasons. Here's a list of my top 5 episodes:

The One with the Rumor (Brad Pitt Episode)
The One with the Prom Video (I'm a softie for Ross and Rachel)
The One Where No One is Ready
The One Where Ross Says Rachel
The One with the Embryos (Lightning Round)

Such a great show. I think that by the end, I was one of the only people who always wanted Ross and Rachel to be together. That whole thing with Joey...that was just lame.

But Friends represented a time of life to me. Alli and I always watched the show together (once we started dating) and it became a point of conversation. It was a cultural phenomenon, much like Seinfeld, except it was on TV longer and it had a point.

Great show. Good laughs. Good times.

WITFV19: My Family

2005-11-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

I have a great family.

It's a rarity to have a fully-functioning family like I do, but I have been blessed and for that I am thankful. I have a hard-working father who has always strived to do nothing but provide the best for his family. I have an understanding and caring mother who really raised us well and has always been a great friend to me. And I have an awesome brother who would lie down in traffic for me or any of his friends, he's THAT LOYAL.

For a lot of people, this would be plenty to be thankful for, but not only do I have all this, but I also have incredible in-laws. And not only are they great, but Alli's family and mine GET ALONG, which is even more incredible.

During this time of year, there's nothing that I'm more thankful for than my family.

WITFV18: My Friends

2005-11-18T13:26:00.000-08:00

I have been blessed with incredible friends throughout my life. Some of them I was born into because our parents were friends. Others I found along the way.

Oftentimes, men find it difficult to have really good friends. We all have "buddies", but sometimes true "friends" are a rarity because male-to-male relationships are so difficult. I don't know what it is about those that make them so difficult, but I have been blessed with great friendships.

When I was 3, we moved from Iowa back to Kansas and we shortly started attending church in Olathe, KS. One of the things that I loved about going to church back in the day was the friends that I had there. When we started attending, I had a bunch of built-in friends, a group of guys who were either my age or within one year of my age and that group was probably about 8 strong at the time. Over time, amazingly NO ONE moved away.

Our friendship grew and we became closer friends. It helped that our friendship was based in a church relationship and all of our parents became friends as well (if they weren't already). Almost none of us went to the same schools. But as we got older, our friendships got closer because we began to play on a club volleyball team together. While our team probably could have been better with other players outside of our group, the way we had it was the way we wanted it and what happened was remarkable. Almost all of us went off to the same college that all of our parents had attended and continued to play volleyball competitively.

After graduation (at different times), things seemed weird. We all still kept in close touch (some more than others), but our lives were changing as we made the adjustment into adulthood. One-by-one, we began getting married (standing in each other's weddings was fun) and settling down, not surprisingly in the same areas where we had all grown up.

As we have all gotten settled, our friendships have changed, but not for the worse, more for the better. All of us have spouses and they have been added to the mix. Our conversation subjects have gotten more grown up (sometimes) and we all seem much more responsible (at least most of the time).

The one thing that hasn't changed over time is that we can count on each other. Our friendship will last even if there are those of us that move away. I'm glad for that. These aren't really my friends, they are my extended family, and I'm thankful for all of them. You know who you are.

WITFV17: Good Books

2005-11-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

I wish that I had more time to read.

There are a lot of really good books out there, some I've read, others I have not. Currently, I'm reading Ogilvy on Advertising, a funny take on the world of advertising as told by one of the true pioneers and geniuses of the industry, David Ogilvy, a founder of one of the largest advertising companies in the world.

OK, so here is a list of my desert-island top 5 books:

High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy
The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

I get in reading moods. If I find a book that I like, I won't stop reading until I'm done. I read The Da Vinci Code in 3 days, I read Angels & Demons in 4...good page-turning books. When I was a sophomore in college, my family took a trip to Europe and since I can't sleep on planes, I read the whole time on the way over there. And on the train. And in our down time. And on the way back. By the time I returned to the U.S., I had finished 7 books. That's right, SEVEN. We were gone for just over 2 weeks.

So I'm thankful for good books.

WITFV16: JJ Abrams

2005-11-16T20:31:00.000-08:00

Seriously, is there a better television show creator out there?

The networks are littered with derivative cop and lawyer shows (how many different CSI's and Law & Order's do we need?) save my two favorite shows on TV, LOST and Alias. The constant between the two shows: creator, Mr. J.J. Abrams.

Previously known only for his creation of the dramedy, Felicity, Abrams has been all over the news lately with the runaway success of Lost, which was easily last year's best show (others might argue that Desperate Housewives could vie for that title, but this is my blog). I was a big fan of Mr. Abrams when I was introduced to the show Alias a few years back. He has great vision for plot lines along long story arcs (did you know that Lost was originally pitched as an eight-year show?) and what makes his shows great is not their creepiness (Lost's numbers or Alias's creepy 500-year-old Italian prophets), but his ability to make all of his characters interesting. They have a realness (even if the actors playing them don't...cough cough Michelle Rodriguez.. cough cough) and the dialogue is so natural that even though the liklihood of there being a crazy creepy hatch on a deserted island, you believe that the characters are real and that is how they would respond in that situation.

The same goes for Alias. Now, obviously, I don't know much about covert operations of the CIA (they wouldn't be that covert if I did, would they?), but, I imagine that Sydney Bristow is an extremely believable character, even if some of the stuff that happens to her is ridiculous (season finale last year, hellOOOOO). I'm actually really looking forward to his take on Mission Impossible 3. I don't envy him for having to work with the Crazy Couch Jumper, but I am looking forward to the movie.

Most importantly, I think that the emergence of shows like Lost has allowed decent SCRIPTED shows to return to prominence on our TV screens. I do love The Apprentice, but reality TV in general is pretty tired. For that, I am eternally thankful.

WITFV15: Our House

2005-11-15T04:17:00.000-08:00

Alli and I happened upon our house and this development by a freak accident. We were just driving around Olathe and found this random street at the back of a subdivision that was filled with new houses and lots. It was separate from the other subdivision and from what we could tell, the houses looked nice.

They were. It was really difficult for us to find any other house that gave us as much for the money as this one. We moved pretty quickly (maybe quicker than we should have, but we were only a year into our marriage...we didn't know much).

We were able to customize this house as much as we thought to at the time (but would have done more had we thought about it more) and we got a great house. I have two favorite parts of this house:

The master bedroom. It's HUGE. because our house is a front-to-back split, the master sits above the garage, which is nice since we have a really big garage. So our master suite gives us a lot of room and a great bathroom and closet.
The basement/movie room. This became our movie room once we bought our big screen TV (before we even had furniture to go in the room). We spend more waking time in this room than any other in the house and we love it. It's cozy and decorated with all sorts of movie posters and memorabilia. And it has comfy couches and a great TV.

Some might say we live out in the country and I agree...it is far, but we have very good highway access and we are only about 25 minutes from my work, give or take 5-7 minutes based on the Olathe lights.

We enjoy being in our house and we are very thankful to have a roof over our head.

WITFV14: Technology

2005-11-14T20:39:00.000-08:00

I feel a little like Kip with this post.

*singing*
I...love technology. But not as much as you, you see. Still, I love technology....

I've already lauded the praises of my computer and my ipod. But I'm going to need to devote another post to the genius that is...TECHNOLOGY.

I'm a gadget geek. I got it from my dad...it's not just because of my generation. Each new thing that comes out, I want to try it, to have it. I don't really know why...I just have an appreciation for things that make life a little easier (although do they really do that, or are they just really cool?).

Scott Adams in his Dilbert Blog had a funny post about this the other day. I won't even try to summarize because I'm not nearly as funny as that guy, but I will say this:

I like software.
I like hardware.
I like to upgrade things that don't really need upgrading. I think

WITFV13: My Dog

2005-11-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

Today, I'm thankful for my dog, Dreyfuss.

Dreyfuss is our almost-5-year-old mutt. He's a mix of labrador (or dane...we're not sure) and Husky (we think). His mom was a stray and there's a strong possibility that she "got around" while she was in heat because the puppies in that litter did not look very similar.

SIDENOTE: Did you know that a momma dog can have multiple fathers for her puppies in the same litter? I didn't know that until we got Dreyfuss.

We spoil this dog like a child, except we probably wouldn't continue to let a child sleep in our bed every night at 5 years old. But he smells just like a dog should smell...like corn chips.

When we first got him, he had problems, and a lot of them. First, they thought he had mange. Not so much. They tested him for every type of mange possible and they couldn't figure out why he was losing his hair. We even took him to a doggie dermatologist. Turns out, all he had was color dilution alopecia, something that we could do absolutely NOTHING about. That would have been nice to know before the hundreds of dollars in veterinary tests...

The Journal of Veterinary Science defines Color Dilution Alopecia as:

a relatively uncommon hereditary skin disease seen in "Blue" and other color-diluted dogs. This syndrome is associated with a color-dilution gene. The initial clinical signs are the gradual onset of a dry, dull and poor hair coat quality. Hair shafts and hair regrowth are poor, and follicular papules may develop and progress to frank comedones. Hair loss and comedo formation are usually most severe on the trunk, especially color-diluted area on the skin. Six cases of color-dilution alopecia are reported in 3 months to 10 years old dogs. The breeds of dogs are blue Doberman Pinscher, Miniature Pinscher, Dachshund, and Schnauzer. Grossly, extensive partial hair loss was seen on the skin. Histopathologically, the epidermis is relatively normal but may be hyperplastic. Hair follicles are characterized by atrophy and distortion. Heavily clumped melanin is present in the epidermis, dermis and hair follicles.

Dreyfuss also has allergies, which make this skin condition all the more uncomfortable for him. However, he never really complains and we treat him by giving him a rawhide bone EVERY NIGHT. Thank goodness we found that Sam's carries them in big bags for pretty cheap because our dog eats one per night. You might find that excessive, but you have to understand. This dog can be extremely destructive if he wants to be. Keeping him in rawhide makes sure that our things stay nice (there's a side story there about Dreyfuss and how he ate my digital camera, but that's for another time).

Anyway, he's a really funny dog. Any time that Alli and I are discussing something in a serious tone, he gets all worried and tries to stand between us. He's pretty smart, even if he eats his own poop.

Dreyfuss, even though you aren't reading my blog, I say this:

Good dog, buddy. Good. Dog.

WITFV11/12: Music and my iPod

2005-11-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

I want to give thanks today (and yesterday) for music. Music is an important part of who I am. I don't know what I would do without it.

From the time I was very small, I've always loved music. I'm pretty sure that I inherited this from my parents, even if I didn't inherit the taste in music that they would have liked me to at the time. But now, I think that they like to know what I'm listening to because my tastes have certainly changed and matured over the last 28 years. Not only that, but I have a strong appreciation for where the music of today has evolved from and over time, I've come to appreciate the work of early musical pioneers.

I've extolled the virtues of Apple's products before, but I don't know if there's anything that has helped me to realize my adoration for music quite like my iPod. I can carry almost all of my music with me on my 20GB 1st generation iPod brick OR I can use complex algorithms to fill my ipod shuffle randomly and just see what comes up. Sometimes I really like that randomness. It's like I have my own radio station that only plays the songs that I like, but doesn't discriminate styles like a normal radio station would.

You see, I want a soundtrack to my life. Woudn't it be totally cool to have a soundtrack that played in your head and helped to indicate when you should be happy, sad, melancholy, scared, etc.? I would love that.

Soundtracks are important, particularly in movies. Sometimes, they can have a dramatic effect on whether I really like a movie or not. And when I love a movie, there's a high likelihood that I'll buy the soundtrack too, just to re-live those moments captured on film. One of the most poignant I can remember in recent years is from the movie Almost Famous when Billy Crudup's character gets back on the bus with his band and Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" comes over the bus radio. It serves as a cleansing reminder to those on the bus that life is too short to hold on to grudges or to harbor ill will. Such a great scene.

What's so great about music is that it can serve so many purposes. Not only can it entertain on its own, but it can further enhance an existing situation if the music fits the moment. That's what music is to me. It's a seasoning that further enhances the flavor of life.

And for that seasoning, I'm thankful.

WITFV10: TV Shows on DVD

2005-11-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is something that is pretty inane to be thankful for, but let me tell you something: I never would have gotten into (nor would I have gotten Alli into) That '70s Show. But my brother bought Season One and Two and Alli and I have been working our way through them, episode by hilarious episode.

We actually own all 9 seasons of Friends that have been released thus far. And we own Seasons 1-3 of Alias (still haven't gotten Season 4 yet...trying to figure out when to make that purchase).

It's just that it is such a great way to watch TV...lots of episodes at a time, so if you have shows that have continuing storylines (like Alias), you aren't lost (by the way, how good is THAT show?).

WITFV9: Fall

2005-11-09T19:13:00.000-08:00

The leaves are changing, the weather is cooling off (finally), and football is on TV. It just wouldn't be fall without Priest Holmes going on injured reserve (and possibly retiring from football forever). It's a good thing I don't have him on both of my fantasy football teams. Oh wait, that's right. I DO.

Bad football news aside, fall is such a great season. The anticipation of Christmas and the New Year; Thanksgiving; Football; Eating chili. What else can be said about this terrific time of year.

Oh yeah.

IT'S NOT 80 DEGREES ANYMORE. And I'm thankful for that.

WITFV8: DVR

2005-11-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Volume 8
This evening, I am extremely thankful for my DVR. I never thought that I would be thankful for anything that I would ever receive from Comcast (mostly because I think that they are very very evil), but I am thankful for that.

Tonight, I was able to help my mom (with the assistance of my brother) paint one of the rooms in their old house (which is on the market right now if you want to buy it!) and I didn't have to miss The Office.

DVR is awesome. Skipping commercials is the bomb diggity. Comcast is not.

WITFV7: My Computer

2005-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Volume 7

Today, I'm thankful for my computer. I have this beautiful 20" iMac sitting in front of me right now. It's such a terrific computer with a gorgeous display and it RUNS MAC OS X.

It was a Christmas present to me last year and I absolutely love it. I would like to build a better desk for it, but that is down the road, when I have some spare time to figure everything out since I have a strangely shaped room.

There's a couple of things that I love about this computer:

Its beautiful form factor. I don't know if there has been a slimmer, more attractive computer.
It runs Mac OS X. I know I mentioned this before, but this is a wonderful thing.
The Bluetooth option. I don't have the internal Bluetooth, but I have a USB Bluetooth key, which allows me to use this very nice wireless keyboard and mouse. What's genius about them is that I was able to haul my computer to a mini-showcase for Alli last weekend and run a slideshow of all her work on my screen on our table. It looked very nice and super professional, almost like a TV.
The nice big screen. Brilliant colors. 20" widescreen. You gotta love it.

Now, don't get me wrong. If somebody got me a companion iBook laptop to go with it, I wouldn't kick that computer out of bed for eating crackers, but it would most certainly be my traveling companion (emphasis on companion...I wouldn't even get MS Office for it...I'd just rock iWork on it). This gorgeous machine in front of me will be my primary computer for a long time.

(Unless of course I get into music or movie production or something insane like that where I might need to get one of those slick new Quad G5's.)

So thanks, Apple (and more importantly Mom and Dad). I really love my computer.

WITFV6: Burritos

2005-11-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

Volume 6

Today, I'm thankful for burritos. And not really just any burritos, but Chipotle burritos.

I (heart) Chipotle. I've made this fact well known here on this little blog and I'm proud to say that I am a Chipotle-holic. What's not to love about Chipotle? Good, cheap grub. It doesn't get much better.

WITFV5: Chili

2005-11-05T15:06:00.000-08:00

Volume 5

Today, I'm thankful for chili. Tonight is our big church Chili Cookoff and I'm excited. I love making chili. I'm not afraid to say that mine is really good. One of the best things about chili is that there's almost always leftovers. And leftover chili is as good, if not BETTER, than fresh chili. Plus, the fact that I can make chili means that it's fall. And I love fall. It's by far my second favorite season after winter.

So here's to you chili:

I salute you.

WITFV4: My Company

2005-11-04T19:11:00.000-08:00

Volume 4

Today, I'm thankful to work in a company that is successful, stable and treats its employees right. I got to spend about 30 minutes today playing on a Segway, one of three that the executives bought us as a "house-warming gift" in our new state-of-the-art facility. Yeah, like the facility wasn't enough.

The facility has the following:

A dodgeball court
A fitness center
A twisty slide
An Xbox room
About 20 plasma TVs
Free Coca-Cola products (including Minute Maid juices and Dasani water)

Man, I work for a great company. We were named (for the second year in a row) one of the "Best Places to Work in Kansas City" by the Kansas City Business Journal.

Good times.

WITFV3: Alli

2005-11-03T21:35:00.000-08:00

Volume 3

Today, I'm thankful for my wife, Alli. I am more thankful for her than anything in my life, but I would have REALLY been copying Rachel on this if I'd put her first.

But she is first.

#1.

Numero Uno.

I have a wife who is not only loving, caring, intelligent, TOTALLY HOT, and completely in love with me, but she's also this completely talented artist. SEE. I don't know what I would do without her. She's the first person I want to see when I wake up every morning and the last person I want to see when I close my eyes at night.

Did I mention that she's HOT?

WITFV2: Days Off

2005-11-02T21:31:00.000-08:00

Volume 2

Today, I'm thankful for days off. Today was a good day. I took a long-needed day off from work. I've been pushing very hard lately with our company open house for our new building (which was last Friday and was totally sweet) so I rewarded myself with a day off (considering I have about 3 weeks built up...I needed to use it anyway).

Alli and I slept in, made breakfast, almost went to the Plaza, shopped for shoes, both bought a pair (her: brown boots; me: black slip-on work shoes), ate some food, watched some "That 70's Show" and just relaxed.

It was a great day and I'm thankful that not only I could have that day off, but that my wonderful wife has a flexible enough schedule to spend the day with me.

The Month of November - What I'm Thankful For, Vol. 1 (WITFV1)

2005-11-01T21:19:00.000-08:00

OK, so I totally stole this from Rachel (who stole it from someone else, but that's besides the point...)

I'm going to write one post per day (yeah right, let's see how that goes!) and I'll list one thing that I'm thankful for.

So here goes:

Volume 1

Today, I'm thankful for free stuff. We got to see another free movie tonight...Shopgirl. I like free stuff. It's really cool. Mostly because it doesn't cost anything.

Long time, no post

2005-10-20T16:16:00.000-07:00

This is kind of train of thought...it jumps all over the place. I apologize in advance.

*****

Sorry, it's a bit hectic with our company open house coming up. My company is in the middle of a big move right now...we are consolidating our three buildings into one, high-tech, centralized facility, which is totally sweet.

I've been in there since yesterday permanently and there is still a lot of construction going on around us, but it's nice to finally be in a centralized place. I doubt it will be a permanent home...this is only supposed to last for another 2 and a half years before we outgrow it. We have rights to the same size land directly adjacent to our new facility. Marketing departments are always the first to move.

*****

Saw a great movie last night...North Country. Incredible acting all around, but a really rough subject, sexual harassment.

This might not be a movie that I would go see normally, but I had a free pass and there is a lot of awards buzz surrounding the movie so we went. And I was glad I saw it. Good (albeit somewhat predictable) story, compelling characters and great acting. Charlize Theron continues to impress me with her acting skills. Not bad for a former model from South Africa.

*****

Chiefs looked decent last week against Washington. It will be interesting to see what they can do tomorrow night on the truncated time table against Miami. I'm hoping for them to really blow them out...for the offense to really explode like they haven't yet this year.

We'll see.

Proof

2005-10-05T05:15:00.000-07:00

Alli and I went to see Proof last weekend. Gwyneth Paltrow stars and is supported by Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jake Gyllenhall, and Hope Davis in this movie about...math. Based on David Auburn's award-winning play (in which Paltrow played the same role on the London stage), I wasn't sure what to expect from a movie about a mathematician gone mad.

However, in much the same vain as Good Will Hunting (one of my favorite movies of all-time, if not my favorite), the film is not nearly as much about the math ("sitting behind a desk and doing long division for the rest of my life" - Will Hunting), the movie focuses more around the relationships surrounding the main character, Catherine (Paltrow).

I'm not sure if I could do the plot justice if I tried to explain it. Hopkins plays the aforementioned "mathematician gone mad", her father, Gyllenhall plays (very well, I might add) a former student of her father's and her love interest, and Hope Davis plays Catherine's concerned sister.

Paltrow is a terrific actress and it is a shame that she hasn't done more in the last few years. John Madden, the director (who also directed her in Shakespeare in Love), gets the most out of Paltrow again and should again earn her a nomination from the Academy.

I really liked this movie. It has a very similar feel to Good Will Hunting without all the swearing (Note to Bravo, who is showing Good Will Hunting a lot lately: the movie is not nearly as authentic without all the swear words...just my opinion).

Proof succeeds as a film and I really enjoyed it.

IMDb rating: 8 out of 10.

Different Week, Same Story

2005-10-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

See below. The Chiefs embarrassment yesterday against the Eagles was a travesty. 31 unanswered points when your offense is supposedly the most productive of the past 3 years in the league.

Something ain't stirrin' the Kool-Aid...

Abysmal

2005-09-27T07:14:00.000-07:00

That Chiefs game last night sucked.

Here are the non-Chiefs I am blaming for the loss:

The Rock (why the Denver jersey?)
Geena Davis (I never really liked her anyway)
My buddy's new baby (before he was born, the Chiefs were undefeated...think about THAT)*
The guys that tried to carjack someone from my office yesterday, but were foiled by a stick shift (stupid criminals)
Ron Burgundy (he lent his nasty look to Jake Plummer)
Bradley Cooper (for leaving his Alias character of Will behind to be on a new show, which is pretty good)

*OK...not really, he's super cute.

you're in control, is there anything you wanna know...

2005-09-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post about this since Wednesday night.

Alli and I were able to make it out to Sandstone...ERRR...Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Wednesday for the Coldplay concert.

Say what you want about Coldplay...those guys are good. I've been listening to them for a few years now and I really enjoy their music (part of my "I love everything British" motif, I think). There are others who might say they are a bunch of wankers, but I think that they are one of the best bands in the world.

They certainly perform like it at least.

What an amazing show. Despite having to wait over an hour for the show (what was up with that?) after the less-than-great opening act, Coldplay delivered with an electric show that was well-performed, well-lit, and interactive.

Opening the show with the opening track ("Square One") from their latest album, X&Y was apropos (and really cool because they had this digital timer behind them during the song, which was sweet) and the show took off from there. Following "Square One" was "Politik" from A Rush of Blood to the Head (their last album). What followed was an eclectic mix of songs from all 3 of their albums (Parachutes being their debut effort). It was the set list that was peppered with their hits (Yellow, The Scientist, Speed of Sound), fan favorites (Green Eyes, Kingdom Come), and songs that should have been more widely listened to because they are just so stinking good (Everything's Not Lost, White Shadows, Low).

The show only lasted an hour and a half, which seemed a little short to me (especially since we spent almost that long getting home from the show), but then again, I could have sat there and listened to them all night, playing their entire catalog, covering Johnny Cash (no wait, they did that) and anyone else.

4 personal highlights of mine from the show:

Getting to take my camera in WITH telephoto lens (OK, so they didn't find it in my bag...what was I going to do, NOT use it?)
During "Low", they had everyone flash their cameras at once and they used it as a background on their screen backdrop...that was pretty cool.
White Shadows (this remains one of my favorite tracks from the new album...I love it)
The whole encore

#3 was particularly cool because during "In My Place", Chris "Mr. Gwyneth" Martin darted off the stage into the crowd and climbed up on top of the sound booth, which happened to be about 20 feet from where we were sitting. It was madness when that happened, but I managed to get a couple of pretty cool pics from it:

All in all, it was totally worth the hour-and-a-half it took us to get home. I would go see them again in a heartbeat, but I'd like to have a little better seats next time...just to be a little closer. Even still, the show was awesome. Probably jumped into the top 5 concerts I've ever seen (the other four? now that's another post...)

If you'd like to see more pics from the show, check out my flickr set here.

Full Set List:
Square One
Politik
Yellow
God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
Speed of Sound
Low
Don't Panic
Everything's Not Lost
White Shadows
The Scientist
Green Eyes
Kingdom Come
Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash Tribute)
Clocks
Talk
ENCORE
Swallowed in the Sea
In My Place
Fix You

hosting officially switched

2005-09-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

iPaska is evil.

We will no longer be hosting alliarnoldart.com or topfivedesign.com at iPaska. Apparently, they are run by an evil man who is now being investigated for tax evasion. Plus, the sites have been down for 2 days (NOT ACCEPTABLE). We have officially switched over to TextDrive and I am pretty excited about it. Not only is our plan comprehensive, but it also supports some of the most highly regarded web developers out there.

TextDrive was created by the guy who developed TextPattern, a commonly used CMS. Many other members of the company are considered the web's elite, including the developers of such projects as Ruby on Rails, Wordpress, and Basecamp.

I'm excited about the new host (although I'm a little bummed about the whole "out more money than I should be" thing) and I will keep everyone updated when I get up and running.

iPaska site down...

2005-09-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to figure out what is going on with Alli's site (as well as mine) for the last two days. Our hosting company (thus far) has been unresponsive to my requests for support.

Has anyone heard anything about anything?

I can't find any information on the internet. I have even contacted the datacenter that houses most of their equipment and they were extremely nice in responding, but had no answers for me, even saying that they themselves have not been able to get ahold of them.

I'm starting to worry a little bit and I may have to explore another hosting company very soon. For the site to be down for a little bit is one thing, but this has been more than 2 days now. Something needs to happen.

And quick.

The Color Purple

2005-09-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

No, not the movie.

I'm talking about the tendency of the media to classify someone as a "blue-state" person or a "red-state" person.

That's unfortunate.

See, I live in the bluest of the blue states, Kansas. I voted for George Bush because, to me, he was really the better choice of two candidates. John Kerry never inspired anyone and so I voted for who I thought would be the best for the job out of the two top candidates.

There's something inherently wrong with my reasoning, though: I'm purple.

I'm fiscally conservative (low taxes, small government, etc), but socially, I am at the very least a moderate, but I'm likely much more a little left of center.

Therein lies my dilemma (as well as that of many other people). Where is our political party? Over the past several months, the optimism that I maintained throughout the 2004 Presidential Race has been worn down. I realize that President Bush is probably doing the best he can, but the problem is that he (as well as any other president) usually has to answer to a strong lobby by his political party's strongest proponents. For Republicans, that happens to be the religious right of the country. Now, I consider myself a part of the religious part, but why do we have to be considered "The Religious Right". There are a lot of people that I know who are what might be considered a part of "The Spiritual Left." Do I hold my own Christianity above theirs? Absolutely not.

Until we are provided with a viable, middle-of-the-road political party, there will continue to be the bickering and name-calling that exists in Washington today. A third voice needs to be heard...that of the level-headed, whose allegiance is not necessarily to lobbyists or interest groups, but to the WILL OF THE PEOPLE.

I think that I am young enough (29 this year) that it isn't unreasonable for me to expect to see this come to fruition before I become an insignificant member of the polls. Unfortunately, the stranglehold on Washington by the red and blue parties doesn't really allow for purple. Independents are looked down upon and have trouble gaining a large stage unless they are either completely loaded or completely crazy.

The question that remains is:

Why is it that our country only seems to function under a two-party system?

I can't figure it out. This is AMERICA. The Land of Opporunity. The Melting Pot (mmm...fondue...). The Big Salad Bar. Isn't it a bit near-sighted for the Powers That Be to think that we are all represented by two major political parties?

It just feels like there are large chunks of the country that are relatively ignored because their demographic just doesn't fit into the system.

Until that happens, our country will continue to be sharply divided. I hope that someday we'll see the end of that division.

I've been tagged...

2005-09-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Brad tagged me with a meme...here's the concept:

1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five people to do the same.

My 23rd post, 5th sentence reads:

Now I'm not mad at these kids by any means...enjoy your youth, I say!

Hmm...

UPDATE:
I guess I'm supposed to carry this on. I'll tag Brian, brother Mikey D, Kevin (he won't do it...too cool), Char, and Alli (I would tag her if she had the 23 posts so far, but she'll get there)

Emmy Recap

2005-09-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

I'll do my best to re-cap the Emmys (even though I was mostly watching the Chiefs beat the Raiders in Oakland).

Here's what I saw:

Couldn't be more glad to see Everybody Loves Raymond off the air. I can't stand that show. Seinfeld was funny, Raymond was not. And Brad Garrett winning for Supporting Actor over Jeremy Piven for Entourage was a traveshamockery.
So so SO happy that LOST won the awards that it did (Outstanding Drama Series, Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series, Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore), Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series). JJ Abrams can be credited (along with Mark Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives) with the return of scripted television. Abrams' other show, Alias, is easily my favorite on TV, but this year, LOST really managed to capture my interest. Great show...can't wait for season two to start this week.
Not enough Ellen. She's funny. Let her do her thing.
Didn't watch the red carpet, but I heard that Kathy Griffin once again was delegated to the bridge and did not get to interview celebrities on the Red Carpet. Star Jones was down there and I CANNOT STAND HER. All she does is pucker up and tell people how great they are. She is so annoying.
Thought that the Brokaw, Rather, Jennings piece was cool, but Dan Rather annoys me. Brokaw was the most eloquent I've ever seen him.
Out of the 3 Desperate Housewives up for Best Actress in a Comedy, the one that I thought least likely to win, did. Really thought Patricia Heaton was going to win, but gave Teri Hatcher an outside chance.
I predict that with Raymond off the air now, Will and Grace will dominate in its last year next year. It will be interesting with Desperate Housewives up again and all the new shows this year.

Anyway, that's all. We shall see what the year brings.

P.S. I'm sore. Played volleyball last night for the first time in ages (OK, not ages, but at least since Corporate Challenge). Sore today.

Worst (early) movie of the year

2005-09-17T16:36:00.000-07:00

Without question, it's Lord of War.

I don't care whether it is based on a true story or not, Andrew Niccol really has a stinker on his hands. While The Truman Show (which Niccol wrote) was at least witty in its self-deprication, Lord of War is just plain depressing. And when it tries to be anything more, it's just more depressing.

I'm sure that Niccol thought that he was making some sort of statement against war or guns or whatever, but this movie was so littered with senseless violence (much like the real world) that you almost couldn't look at it.

Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune remarks:

"The film is morally unsettling on its surface, and then you realize the surface
is all you're going to get."

This film is brutal, both in imagery and just all around story. Unfortunately, it can't be saved (like Niccol's last penned film, The Terminal) by its star, Nicholas Cage (The Terminal was somewhat saved by Tom Hanks).

Cage does a serviceable job as the completely morally bankrupt Yuri Orlov, but on screen, he is completely outacted by a surprising Jared ("I'm pretty") Leto, who plays his brother and Ethan ("he was good in that one movie") Hawke, who plays an Interpol agent determined to bring him down. Bridget Moynahan does the best acting I've seen her do in this movie as Orlov's trophy wife. But the story is just depressing. It tries to be satirical and just isn't.

I truthfully almost walked out of it (and I almost NEVER do that).

My IMDb rating: 3 out of 10

Best (early) movie of the year

2005-09-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to seeing Crash last night. My brother bought it and after So You Think You Can Dance, we watched Paul Haggis's masterpiece film about a crazy night in Los Angeles. The film deals with relationships between black and white and latino and asian, between man and woman, between mother and son, between employer and employee, and between protector and protected.

What a powerful film.

Haggis, who was responsible for penning last year's Best Picture winner, Million Dollar Baby, writes and directs this incredible movie which features one of the largest ensemble casts in recent history. Not only does he direct them with skill, he manages to get lifetime best performances out of actors and actresses who I wasn't sure had much skill.

Don Cheadle (who is ALWAYS brilliant) provides a somewhat common thread through the movie as an LAPD detective. His quote at the beginning of the movie provides a strong statement and serves as the basis for the rest of the feature:

"It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In LA, nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

The supporting cast is terrific and Terence Howard, who finally got a starring shot in this summer's Hustle and Flow is powerful in his role as a television producer who struggles with his own rights and self-image as an African-American man. Sandra Bullock puts out her best performance of a lifetime (WAY better than her turn in 28 Days) and Ryan Phillippe and Matt Dillon are terrific as two sides to the Good Cop - Bad Cop.

What impressed me most was that with the multiple story lines that were going on during this movie, I never once got confused with what was going on. Haggis truly is a great screenwriter.

This movie really reminded me a lot of another movie last year that came out extremely early last year and was my clear choice for movie of the year last year, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. My fear is that because of its early release, Crash may suffer some of the same fate come Oscar time (Eternal Sunshine was largely ignored, despite being a brilliant, original, incredibly-acted film). And the question remains, who would you nominate. Almost all of the actors represent supporting roles (Cheadle really being the only one who could be justified as a lead actor), but I think that almost all of them should be nominated.

Truthfully, if Crash isn't nominated come Oscar time in some way or another, I'll be really surprised. I just hope that it doesn't get punished for being released early in May.

My IMDb rating: 9 out of 10.

Going to the Dentist

2005-09-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Could anything suck more? Now don't get me wrong, I love my dentist. He's an old family friend and a great guy. But the whole "cleaning" thing (or as I like to call it, The Chair of Gum Destruction)...I could do without it. At least with the instruments they use (metal? really?)...

But you do get free stuff...2 things of floss, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and some Listerine. Good times.

But not really.

T-minus 3 hours

2005-09-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

Until the Chiefs season starts!!!

Wish I was there to watch them smack down the Jets, but alas, I'll be watching the broadcast from the comfort of a couch.

I'm hoping that their defense is not an embarrassment this year and I think that they won't be...with the free agents we've added and a full year under Gunther Cunningham as D coordinator, they should be good to go.

We shall see...

New iPods!

2005-09-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

Apple continues to innovate. We thought that today was just going to be the announcement of the new iTunes-capable Motorola phone that everyone KNEW was coming out. Instead, they also announced the abandonment of the ipod mini line and replaced it with the ipod nano, a 2GB and 4GB version of the big ipod, only without the size. The new ipod nano is only 1.5 oz.

You read that right. 1.5 OUNCES.

Very cool stuff. Brian beat me to the punch when publishing this, but I thought about it right when it came out.

Moving Soon

2005-08-16T19:52:00.000-07:00

It looks like I'm going to be able to move my site sooner rather than later. I'm pretty pumped about that. Wordpress is one of the easiest installs that I've ever seen. I'm really excited to try it out. Alli's blog will likely be the first one completely up and running and then we'll get ours up and running shortly after that.

Word.

"Don't be THAT guy..."

2005-08-10T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have become THAT GUY.

You know, the guy who watches every reality TV show on the planet? This summer has unearthed a newfound obsession of mine...REALITY TELEVISION.

I resisted. For a long time, I really did. But when they make shows that are this compelling, you can't do anything to tear your eyes away from the TV.

Here's a little review of the shows that have caught my fancy this summer:

HOGAN KNOWS BEST
"WHAT'RE YOU GONNA DO WHEN HOGAN KNOWS BEST RUNS WILD ON YOU?" I really am ashamed to admit this. I truly did not want to like this show. It is simultaneously terrible and completely amazing. It stars Terry "Hulk" Hogan and the rest of his family (wife, son and daughter) and basically is about their life. Much of it lately is centering around his daughter Brooke and her striving to get a record deal. Hulk manages her through it with surprising grace and intelligence. Who knew? And he cares immensely for his family, which is very cool. It's pretty much a rehash of The Osbournes, but with people that I think are way more interesting.

BEING BOBBY BROWN
I was against this show from the start. That is until I was exposed to the CRAZY. The CRAZY is Whitney Houston who steals the show completely. Their relationship is both volatile and sweet and is some great television. I don't really set down to watch this show, but if it is on, I end up watching it.

Keeping with the same channel...

BLOW OUT
One of my friends told me that he was watching this show and I made fun of him. Well, consider this my public apology because this show is great. Jonathan Antin is one of the most explosive TV stars on TV since that dude Chris from the Apprentice. The people around him are hilarious and I just find the whole show pretty comical, but also extremely watchable. Now that Season Two is over, it will be interesting to see if it comes back. Maybe not, but with Jonathan, anything is possible and as big of an egomaniac as he is, I wouldn't be surprised...that guy loves himself an awful lot. Probably, Blow Out: The Baby is Born...

Also on Bravo is...

KATHY GRIFFIN: MY LIFE ON THE D-LIST
I have always thought that while Kathy Griffin was maybe one of the most annoying "pseudo-celebrities", she was also, BY FAR, one of the funniest. She had an HBO special a long time ago that I watched on a New Year's Eve that made me laugh harder than I had ever laughed in my life. I don't particularly like it when she is hosting stuff like Celebrity Mole or The Surreal Life (which, BTW, I can't stand), but when she is just being herself or ripping on celebrities, I am totally there. She is a riot and I like her show so far (one episode).

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE
I actually get a pass on this one because my wife has always been a dancer. She was captain of her drill team in both high school and college and even danced professionally for a basketball team after we got married. It's American Idol for dancers, but without Randy Jackson saying crap like, "It was a little pitchy." I can't stand that crap.

THE REAL WORLD: AUSTIN
I was totally over The Real World. I thought that after The Real World: Chicago, the show totally jumped the shark. It just got to be a big party with the pretty people. It was totally formulaic and you could predict the type of people that would be on every show. The straw that broke the camel's back was The Real World: Las Vegas. It was so disappointing that NOTHING REALLY HAPPENED when they were there. Just lots and lots of inter-roommate "relations" and your typical boring crap. HOWEVER, in my opinion, I don't think enough people give credit to The Real World for starting the whole "reality television" craze. When that show came out, it was huge and it still is. The reason is that they manufactured better drama than they can on normal TV shows because they make it look "real". I mean, it is "The Real World" for goodness sake...it MUST be real. This season has finally delivered with some serious drama. Plus, there's a dude from my hometown on it (albeit, he is the toolish Wes). The whole "Danny almost loses his vision" thing was CRAZY. I loved it. Brought me back to the show that I haven't watched since they went to Paris.

However, I don't usually catch it during its normal time because unfortunately, it conflicts with what is by far my favorite (and least embarrassing) show...

MIAMI INK
This is a legitimately interesting show. Premise: a guy owns and operates a Miami tattoo parlor with 4 of his closest friends. I don't know where these guys are in the KC tattoo parlors, but they are way more interesting (and surprisingly normal) than most folks I've seen. I have a new tattoo in mind and I want to go have it done by Chris Nuñez because I think he is the coolest out of the bunch. While the owner of the store, Ami, is a bit of a head case, I like the rest of the guys on the show and the stories of the people that come in to get tattoos are very interesting.

So that's all of them (I think). Pretty sad, isn't it. And that doesn't even include the home improvement shows that we watch, but we'll save that for another discussion...they don't really count.

People taking laziness to a new level

2005-08-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about these types of services?

I may be in the minority here, but I cannot imagine paying someone to rip all my CDs for me...that just seems lazy. I suppose that there are people who value their time that much that they will pay someone else to get all their music digital. I could see it if you are a busy person (with money to burn), but I just don't understand it.

I have over 7000 songs in my iTunes library and I have ripped every single one of them myself. (OK, maybe not ALL of them, but most).

Interesting aside regarding this. My hometown newspaper made a mistake. In reporting this, they said that it was about $1/song, but it is really $1/CD. More affordable, but still a little pretentious. I bet those companies are making a killing though.

Thinking about Wordpress

2005-08-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

I am planning on creating a blog for Alli's v3 site. In fact, what I may end up doing is using a CMS for the entire site. If I do that, I'll likely use Moveable Type. It's the largest free CMS out there and from what I've read, it's the most configurable when it comes to photos.

However, if I stay with a Flash-interface with a link to her blog, I might use Wordpress. From what I've heard, it is the easiest to install and configure. Other options? Possibly textpattern, but I doubt it.

Ideas? Brian, I know you use Moveable Type, what's that like?

The Dukes of Hazzard

2005-08-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of critics out there saying that this movie is everything that is wrong with Hollywood: A remake of a mediocre-ish (I always loved it) TV show with a watered down script and a lot of action.

First of all, tell me what's wrong with that.

I don't necessarily want to THINK everytime I go to the movies. Sometimes I just want to zone out and enjoy myself. And that's exactly what I did during The Dukes of Hazzard. I thought that Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott were pretty funny as Bo and Luke and Jessica Simpson was not too much of a distraction. I half-expected to be so annoyed by her lousy acting that I couldn't enjoy myself, but she did OK.

To be honest, what bothered me the most about the movie was that with Jay Chandraskar (or whatever his name is) at the helm, we were unfortunately subjected to countless cameos by members of the Broken Lizards comedy troupe (the morons behind Super Troopers, one of the most completely unfunny movies I've seen). I understand throwing something in there for your fans, but what Jay Chandrawhatever didn't consider was that people could care less who he is or what he directed...people were going to go see the movie who had no idea what a Broken Lizard was.

You have to understand that I was predisposed to like this movie. You're talking about a guy who for his 8th birthday had his mom bake an extra smaller cake and put it on top of the other one and then decorate it with orange icing and a rebel flag. I loved that show and I was entertained by the movie.

It wasn't the best I've ever seen, but at least it was better than Super Troopers. My IMDb rating: 6 out of 10.

62 Things About Me

2005-08-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Rachel, I thought that I would do something like this because I haven't blogged in a while and I need to do something besides PowerPoint. I came up 5 short of her list, but I might add more later...

I have resided in the Kansas City area for most of my natural life. For 3 years when I was little, I lived in Lamoni, Iowa and I returned 14 years later to attend college, where I would major in English.
I graduated high school 10 years ago from Blue Valley Northwest and I do not intend to attend my 10-year reunion. Not for $63/person!
I have been married for five years to Allison Ann Arnold.
We have a dog. His name is Dreyfuss because even as a puppy, he looked like he was a 70-year-old man in a little puppy body.
I like the smell of my dog. He smells like Fritos and I love it.
I go to the same church that I was baptized in.
I am a trivia junkie. I like to think that my brain contains the highest concentration of useless information in the region. I am particularly proficient in television and movie trivia.
Subsequently, my favorite board game is Trivial Pursuit.
I love game shows. Especially old ones like Press Your Luck, but my all-time favorite is Jeopardy. Before I die, I am going to go out to Los Angeles and do the "game show circuit".
For a long time, I just didn't understand what the big deal was about Macs. Then I tried OS X. I'm proud to say we are an all Mac household although I have to deal with the dreaded Windows environment at work. I've got a 20" iMac G5, Alli has a 17" Powerbook. Our wireless router is even an Airport Extreme Base Station.
I have worked for Perceptive Software in Shawnee, KS for 5 years, holding 3 different jobs and 2 official titles.
Currently, I'm a designer at the company, but I do it on the side too.
I am a sucker for movies. Anything really...I have very questionable taste...some people don't trust my opinion because they say I like everything.
The last movie I saw was Must Love Dogs. The best movie I've seen this year is Batman Begins.
My favorite actor is Jeremy Piven.
My favorite movie of all-time is Good Will Hunting, but I reserve the right to change my mind at any time. Rounding out my top 3 are Fletch and The Matrix.
My favorite TV show of all-time is Friends. Following close behind is Alias.
I watch too much T V.
I'm 6'3", but I tell people that I'm 6'4".
I have played volleyball since I was in 7th grade. I still play as much as I can.
I drive a Dodge Durango. I don't really have a dream car, but if I did, the Durango is not it. It works fine, but guzzles gas.
I'm a geek. I like computers a lot.
I have 2 ipods. One is a 20GB 2nd generation brick, the other is a 512MB shuffle. I love them both in very different ways.
I am a music junkie. I wish that I had a running soundtrack to my life, like in the movies...I've even got certain songs picked out. Right now, I would have "Reminder" by the Perisher s playing.
My iTunes library contains 7,220 songs and the most played song is "Warning Sign" by Coldplay.
My favorite style of music is sad, maudlin college piano rock (Ben Folds, Elliot Smith, etc.).
I like photography...my dream job would be to work for the Associated Press as a photojournalist.
I like golf. I'm not very good at it. I have a penchant for losing golf balls. Last time I golfed, I lost 8.
If I could, I would eat cheeseburgers every day for the rest of my life. That and Pizza Shack (Lamoni, IA).
The most recent vacation that I went on was to Santa Fe, New Mexico with Alli for our 5-year anniversary.
I am very particular about a couple of household chores. I prefer to load the dishwasher myself because I think that I can optimize the number of dishes in the washer better than most people. I also prefer to do my own laundry because I am very particular about how my stuff is folded.
I like my Playstation 2. I don't buy many games, but I enjoy mostly sports games like Madden and Tiger Woods Golf.
I am, predictably, somewhat enamored by this recent poker craze.
I have been to 8 countries outside the United States. So far, England is my favorite.
My dad travels a lot more. In fact, he's going to be in Korea in 2 weeks. Some times, he goes to places I can't even pronounce.
My brother lives with us and has since February. Prior to that, Alli's sister lived with us. In the 5 years we've been married, we have lived by ourselves for about 1.5 of them.
I think that the new Black Pepper Jack Doritos are GENIUS.
I have an English friend at work named Phil who I love listening to, but mostly because he can say words like "bollocks" and "wanker" and "tosser" and it sounds funny. When I say them, it just sounds weird.
Almost all of the friends that I grew up with live in this area. We still hang out. Not many people can say that they have friends that they still hang out with that they have known since they were 5.
I have a large tattoo that surrounds my right calf of a volleyball and a tribal design that spells the word "PERSEVERE". I have the design of my second tattoo and am ready to get it on my back.
I have no less than 10 e-mail addresses to my name. (Thanks, Gmail!)
I consider myself a decent web designer.
I have never had a broken bone, but I have had stitches in my leg and have had a cyst removed.
I cannot stand when people drive during the day with their lights on.
My favorite books of all-time are The Catcher in the Rye, The Lords of Discipline, and High Fidelity.
I am typing this blog post at a desk that I hate. I am determined to build my own desk in my oddly-shaped office and paint it red.
If someone gave me an hour-long shopping spree at any store I wanted, I'd probably go to either Best Buy or the Apple Store.
I can't stand Summer. It's too hot. I'm all about Winter. Give me football, chili and a sweater and I'm good to go. Spring and Fall are OK, but Winter rules all. It might have something to do with my birthday being in December, but I think I would still much prefer the colder months.
One of the reasons that we live in the Midwest is that I love the change of the seasons.
I cannot draw.
Or run.
Or sing.
I can act a little. I was the star of my middle school's production of "Up the Down Staircase".
I'm a decent public speaker. I was selected by my high school classmates to give a speech on Class Day. It was pretty good (I think).
My favorite smell is barbecue.
My favorite candle smell from Yankee Candle is "Buttercream". It smells like frosting.
I only get sick about once a year. This has been true my whole life. My parents rewarded my good health by giving me one "mental health day" each semester when I was growing up.
My legs are considerably shorter in proportion to my torso. My wife is a foot shorter than I am and has the same inseam.
If I had cosmetic surgery, the only thing I would have done is that I would have my back lasered.
States I have not been to: Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Delaware, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alaska, Hawaii. That's 17 states!
My favorite web site is IMDb.com.
I should have gone to bed an hour ago.

Drool

2005-07-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

The new Dodge Charger.

TASTY.

Wedding Crashers

2005-07-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

Maybe one of the funniest movies of the past 5 years.

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson (sans Ben Stiller THANK THE LORD) team up for an absolutely riotous buddy comedy / romantic comedy. There was a point during the movie that I actually thought I was going to choke because I was laughing so hard.

I read an interesting review that posed itself as a feature piece in GQ about Vaughn, Wilson, Stiller, Will Ferrell (whose cameo is actually pretty funny-WAAAAY funnier than Anchorman- but not nearly the funniest part of the movie), and Luke Wilson. Essentially, what the author of the article said was that out of all the movies that these guys have done together, Wedding Crashers is clearly the best. It went on to talk about how their movies are formulaic, but they continue to dominate the box office so why should these guys do anything else?

That's a good question. I, for one, am a bit tired of Ben Stiller and was pretty psyched to NOT see him in this movie. It was infinitely better because of it. Vaughn and Wilson have great on-screen chemistry and Vince Vaughn delivers his lines better than anyone. His timing is perfect and he gives his best performance since Swingers.

The supporting characters in the movie are terrific as well. Rachel McAdams shines and is an up-and-coming star who has finally shirked her teen-comedy jinx and is starting to get better and better roles. Christopher Walken was, well, Christopher Walken. I mean, he's Bruce Dickinson. And he's gotta have more cowbell. Newish-comer Isla Fisher is great as Vaughn's psychotic love interest and one of my favorite Alias characters, Will (Bradley Cooper) is so believable as the ultra-male, in-the-way, dominant boyfriend, that I almost disliked him.

Overall, I loved this movie. Sure, Owen Wilson isn't exactly believable as a romantic lead, but Vince Vaughn more than makes up for Owen's shortcomings in this flick.

My IMDb rating: 8.5 out of 10.

Happy Anniversary Alli!

2005-07-07T22:01:00.000-07:00

5 years ago today, Alli and I pledged our lives to each other. The day was perfect, the service was perfect, everything was perfect (it was a bit hot, but who's complaining?).

Now, 5 years along, my love for my wife grows every day. She is my best friend, the one that I lean on when things are rough, the one I count on for support, and the one that I can't sleep without.

So today, on the 5-year anniversary of our marriage, I dedicate this post to my wife. Here's some stuff about her you might not know:

She is a sucker for a good love story.
If she could have Chipotle every day, she would.
Her love for Chipotle is only eclipsed by her love for chocolate (and me, of course).
She is a talented artist, designer, dancer, friend, sibling, daughter, and wife.
She once had a hole the size of a quarter in her upper lip when she got hit by a golf ball while working as one of those beverage cart girls. Subsequently, the management company now requires all beverage carts to have protective plexiglass (woulda been nice to think of that BEFORE!).
She has been to the hospital TWO consecutive summers for issues that are still not entirely explained to us by doctors.
She can sleep anywhere.
She makes KILLER bean burritos.
She is a semi-vegetarian, but doesn't really like vegetables.
Her favorite type of food is Mexican (without question).
Her favorite artist is Georgia O'Keeffe.
Her favorite musician is Sarah McLachlan.
Her favorite actress is Gwyneth Paltrow.
She was a dancer in high school, college, and professionally...EVEN THOUGH she never had any professional training (she was good, too).
She has beautiful eyes.
She could easily be an interior decorator.
She likes coffee (I hate it), but not necessarily to wake herself up...it's more about the experience of drinking the coffee than it is about the liquid itself.
She has no idea how much I love her.

OK, so that was fun. Now, since it is our 5-year anniversary, I'm going to share 5 of my favorite memories with Alli (in chronological order, not a complete list):

Our Kansas City vacation that we took during finals week at Graceland where I kidnapped you and we went out on the Plaza.
Our kiss after we saw the movie Great Expectations.
Our wedding. As I mentioned before, there's really nothing I would change about that day. It was so wonderful and memorable and five years later, it is still fresh in my mind.
The night we decided to paint the basement at 8p.m. and stayed up late all weekend finishing it. That was fun.
Our trip to Santa Fe ranks very high on the list. What a better way to celebrate our 5-year anniversary than with a terrific relaxing trip!

Happy Anniversary, honey! I love being married to you and I look forward to making many many more memories.

London

2005-07-07T20:57:00.000-07:00

While I know that I can't begin to express the pain or suffering that anyone in England might be going through right now, I wanted to reflect for a moment.

I had the privilege of traveling to London with my family during the summer between my junior and senior years in college. I have always been intrigued by the British culture and my visit to London only enhanced my affinity for all things English (seriously...I just want to walk around saying words like "bollocks" and "wanker" all the time...I just sound wrong when I say them).

The people of London are courteous and kind, willing to assist the many tourist that visit their country. The same probably could not be said for our fine country and certainly could not be said for their main competitor in the Olympics race (yeah, Chirac...HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW!).

What I do know is that the people of London and of the United Kingdom will likely experience a similar rejuvenating patriotism that our country experienced in the months following 9/11. I hope that the leaders of the world respond respond rapidly to these terrorists. I know that these attacks will only steel the resolve of the free world to bringing democracy to the world and justice (whatever that may be) to those responsible.

I, myself, look forward to visiting England...hopefully sooner rather than later so I can pump some of those tourism dollars back into the fine English economy.

Cheers, England. We here in America wish you well.

Santa Fe!

2005-07-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Alli and I got back from Santa Fe.

What a trip. Over 30 hours in the car for 4 days of absolute relaxation.

After work on Tuesday, I went home to take a nap and woke up around 10 p.m. to leave on our trip. I wanted to get there early in the day instead of later, so Alli and I decided to drive through the night. It would have been better had I been able to sleep more on Tuesday after work, but we did it, only stopping for a brief 2-hour nap in the parking lot of the Colby, KS Wal-Mart at about 4 in the morning. Didn't sleep too much, but the eye rest was worth it.

Once we got into New Mexico, we decided to take a little detour through the mountains to the Northern New Mexico town of Taos. Taos is, in a way, like a mini version of Santa Fe. It is committed to the art scene and the style is very much the same. There is also skiing in the winter months and it even has its own share of celebrities (Julia Roberts, Donald Rumsfeld).

Taos itself wasn't that impressive, but the drive from the main Interstate (25 South) to Taos along New Mexico Highway 68 was amazing. Winding roads along the Cimarron river made the 3-hour trip completely worth it.

After lunch and walking around the town, we left Taos and drove down to Santa Fe, a short hour-and-a-half drive down the Rio Grande. More stops along the river to watch rafters and to take pictures of the beautiful scenery. Once we arrived, we checked in to our hotel and promptly took a nap, waking up to walk around the town and eat dinner at a subpar bar and grill because everything seems to close really REALLY early in Santa Fe (seriously...a lot of places were not open past 5).

The next day was devoted to the spa. Best massage I've ever had.

Friday was all about art. The first place we visited was the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. O'Keeffe is Alli's favorite artist of all-time so this was a real treat. A great thing about this visit was that I was finally able to figure out what my favorite O'Keeffe work is. Since Alli is enamored with her as an artist, it was important to me to figure out which one I loved.

"Autumn Trees - the Maple"
We also visited Canyon Road, Santa Fe's street of art galleries. Almost 200 galleries make their home on this one street (Santa Fe is the 2nd largest art market in America only to New York) and the work varies from traditional Native American art to landscapes to contemporary artists like Man Ray and Picasso.

It was neat to see a community that celebrated art as much as Santa Fe does. I know that it was inspiring to Alli.

Our hotel was fantastic. Not only did it have a terrific staff (most specifically, our concierge, Michael), but they include a free breakfast buffet (not continental...a full breakfast) and their hotel bar has pretty good food for the money ($2 chips and salsa, $4 burgers).

On Saturday, we woke up early and went for a short hike in the mountains. After that, we went to the Santa Fe Farmer's Market, where we saw a lot of really neat fresh stuff, like the raw honey that Alli bought, and the hippies playing hand-made instruments.

We also walked around the town and saw the oldest active church (and house) in America. It was a lazy day, a nice end to our trip that we rounded out with a visit to Tomasita's, a great restaurant where we had fantastic chalupas and really HOT chips and salsa.

The drive back went pretty quickly and was interesting because right before we got out of New Mexico, we saw a hot air balloon race. Then, when we were almost home, we hit a storm that was pretty tame, but had some spectacular lightning. It was a great trip...extremely relaxing, yet I was still somehow exhausted from it (possibly the 30+ hours in the car).

If you are interested in learning more, check out my flickr set from Santa Fe.

We're almost off!

2005-06-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

In less than 12 hours, Alli and I will hopefully be on the road on our way to Santa Fe, New Mexico for 5 days of relaxation, spa treatments, possible hiking (we'll see) and art galleries.

I'm really looking forward to this vacation. I need an extended break from work (especially considering I have a ton of vacation built up) and this marks the first time in 5 years that Alli and I have really done anything for our anniversary. I'm looking forward to the trip and we'll take lots of pictures and post them on flickr when we get back.

For now, SAYONARA!!!

Box Office Decline

2005-06-27T11:18:00.000-07:00

So, the box office is down for something like the 97th straight week.

I know of two reasons why:

1) MONEY. Movies have become way too expensive. To pay bloated movie budgets and actor salaries, theaters have been forced to raise ticket prices astronomically. Here in the Kansas City area (where tickets are probably lower than the rest of the country), the price of a normal adult ticket is about $8.50. Matinees will cost you $6.50. That's just too expensive. I remember the days when tickets used to be $1.75 for matinees (and I'm only 28). If you purchase a DVD in the first week it is out, it will cost you no more than $20. Plus, you'll own the movie for watching whenever you want, so it's pretty much the same price.

2) CRAP MOVIES. Has anyone noticed how the movies that are put out on a regular basis are unoriginal, derivative, and often just plain crap. More often than not, you'll get maybe 10 great movies out of the hundreds that are released every year. You'll might not even see all of them in the theater. Every other movie that comes out is a remake of some foreign film. I don't have a problem with re-makes, but when each one is some different take (actually...usually not even that different) on the last Japanese horror flick that scared the crap out of everyone...well, that's just lame. Hollywood is becoming more about excess than it is about art. Directors are becoming almost as big of prima donnas as their actors.

And for some reason they don't get it.

It's no wonder that America is disenchanted with going to the movies.

Getting Mad at Books

2005-06-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever read a book and then when you realize it's done, you get upset, because it's the best thing that you've read in a while and you can't be sure if you'll read something that good again soon?

Well I do.

I just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It was one of the best books I have read since High Fidelity. It was funny and sad and heartbreaking and familiar at the same time.

The book is very Catcher-in-the-Rye-esque, but modernized in its own way. The story is told from the viewpoint of a boy named Charlie who is 15 and is getting ready to start high school. In a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, he shares his fears, his anxieties, his feelings about love, life, loss, growing up, and family. He is surrounded by a cast of characters that everyone can relate to...the people that you went to high school with and can remember now, if only a far away silouhette of them.

It's fast-paced (I read it in 3 sittings), and relatively short, but is a terrific read. I'm glad that I finally got around to reading it (although now I'm mad that I did because I'm sad it's over), considering that I've had it for about 2 years but have either read other things (all the Fletch books, all the Dan Brown books) or have been busy.

For those of you who are growing up and found yourself relating to Holden Caulfield when you read Catcher in the Rye (please tell me you've read that book), I really think that you will enjoy this book. It might even make you feel infinite (inside joke...read the book to understand).

Summer Movie Update

2005-06-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

So I've seen a couple of the movies that I wanted to so far this summer, and I have NOT been disappointed at all. Last week we saw both Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Batman Begins. Both were extremely entertaining flicks, like I expected them to be.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith was extremely fast-paced and not entirely what I expected. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt sizzle...their chemistry is...well...it carries the movie. Brad Pitt continually entertains me. He's more Rusty from Ocean's 11 in this movie than he is Tyler Durden from Fight Club. Clever and witty. He delivers his lines really well. Angelina Jolie is one of the best female action heroes in Hollywood. Not only is she pretty, but she also looks like she could very easily kick your butt.

Batman Begins was quite possibly the best superhero movie I have ever seen. The acting, which is normally one of the banes of superhero and comic book movies was fantastic. You couldn't ask for a much better cast...Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, and Katie Holmes all do terrific work. I can't wait for the next one and people are beginning to speculate as to who will play the Joker. Front-runners right now are Mark Hamill (who voiced the Joker in the animated series), Crispin Glover (who was at his creepy best in Charlie's Angels), and Paul Bettany (?).

I'm hoping to see at least one more on my list this weekend. Maybe the Longest Yard or something like that. Then next week, it's off to Santa Fe for our 5-year anniversary trip! I can't wait. We're going to take a ton of pictures so we'll have lots to share.

Happy Father's Day

2005-06-19T04:44:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite filmmakers in the world is Kevin Smith. You parents may not know him by name, but you might know about his movies (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Jersey Girl). His story is one of the good ones in Hollywood, he charged $28,000 worth of movie equipment on various credit cards so he could make his first movie, Clerks, which was critically acclaimed and earned him the career that he has now, making movies on his own terms. His voice is extremely unique, one that is snarky and clever, albeit extremely crass. You may not agree with a lot of his views -- I know there are many that I take issue with -- but he is one of the greatest and funniest storytellers on the planet.

Smith and his studio, View Askew, have a massive following, particularly in those of the 18-35 age group, particularly because Smith makes himself completely available to his fans, often speaking at colleges and comic book conventions, as well as posting on a regular basis to the forums on ViewAskew.com. Recently, he started a sort of online diary called "My Boring-Ass Life" in which he expounds on just that, all of the things that happen during his day-to-day life.

I've been reading it for quite a while now (see SilentBobSpeaks.com) and I normally wouldn't point discerning minds there because he can be pretty crass and use some colorful language, but on a day like today, I had to. 2 years ago, his father died very suddenly. It was a painful time for him, but in true Kevin Smith fashion, he writes about what he feels and his own life story. This post on his blog is about his dad and I wanted to put it up here today. My father has been an amazing influence on my life and I am always appreciative of the sacrifices that he and my mom have made to make sure that their family has always been provided for. He is the kind of man that people aspire to be like for their families...always supporting, always loving, always hurting for their loved ones when they hurt. He has shaped the man that I have become thus far and I hope to continue to become more and more like him.

I have also been fortunate enough to have married into a family with a great dad as well. He has taught me a lot of things as well and I am forever grateful that he and my mother-in-law gave me their blessing to marry their wonderful daughter. I don't mean to be a total sap, but I know this: the father-figures that I have had in my life are better than anyone could ever ask for. I am so blessed to have such amazing examples to model my life after.

One of the things that Kevin Smith did in his post was list all of the things that his father taught him, so I would like to do the same and highlight some of the things that my father and my father-in-law have taught me.

My father and father-in-law taught me:

That there is nothing more important than family.
That giving your wife flowers never gets old.
That we won't always agree...and that's OKAY.
That if a love for music is wrong, I don't want to be right.
That you can feel it when you strike a golfball in the sweet spot.
That most food that is grilled is better than most food that is NOT grilled.
That love always wins.
That I wish I would have stuck around to learn piano or at least some other instrument.
That you should always buy whatever candy/coupon book/ baked good a kid is selling if they ask you.
That, if you can, you should laugh until you lose your breath.
That those "computer things" are going to be HUGE.
That crying and caring deeply about things does not make you less of a man.
That honesty is always a good choice.
That a walk with God is much much better than one without Him.
That my brother will always be my brother and I should be continually aware of my influence.
That you should stand up for what you believe.
That when your father-in-law refuses help from his daughter to dig out a grease trap, help him and don't ask questions.
That the difference in our ages does not preclude us from being great friends.
That the difference in our ages also will contribute to many MANY misunderstandings.
That the things that you do, watch, and listen to should have "moral redeeming value".

Happy Father's Day, you guys. You are amazing in ways that I cannot even explain.

HOW Design Conference

2005-06-16T06:12:00.000-07:00

Returned late last night from the HOW Design Conference in Chicago. It was a terrific show, filled with great speakers and insightful instruction. Plus, it was in my favorite big city in the U.S. Chicago is a town that has done the big city right. One morning, as Alli and I were walking around after grabbing breakfast at the Corner Bakery Cafe, we visited Millenium Park, which currently has a photographic/historical display of Chicago and its development. What always impresses me about the city of Chicago is how they manage to keep this booming metropolis clean and green like they do. Their downtown is beautiful, with gorgeous architecture that is highlighted by more common green space than I have seen in a big city.

We did all sorts of fun stuff in our down time, taking an architectural boat tour of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River (which was a lot of fun, even if I did get totally hosed), visiting Navy Pier, trying some original Chicago pizza. We also stayed in this great hotel with a terrific view from the 33rd floor.

Now, there's the possibility that my brother might be moving there for work, and I'm really excited for him. Not just because this is a huge opportunity for him, but also because I want to visit him lots. Out of all the major cities in America, Chicago is the one that I would live in. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

It's already too hot outside...it's MOVIE TIME!

2005-06-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Summer is really only good for one thing:

MOVIES.

It's too hot outside (KC is already recording those scorching 90 degree temperatures), so what is there to do but sit inside and blog blog blog? GO TO THE MOVIES!

There is a lot of stuff that I want to see out there this summer. Some of it is already out and some of it is getting ready to come out. Here's a brief listing of what I think looks like a fun outing to the movies:

Let's start with what's out already...

Madagascar
I like Dreamworks, even if Shark Tale was lame. Shrek still remains one of the greatest animated features of all-time. The cast is good (even if it does include Ben Stiller in his 647th role since 2002) and I think the concept sounds funny.

The Longest Yard
Adam Sandler and Chris Rock remake the classic (so I've heard). Football is cool and this movie has cameos out the wazoo. While the reviews on this have been lousy, it looks like a movie I could get into.

Crash
Paul Haggis, who brilliantly penned Million Dollar Baby, debuts as a director in this ensemble starring just about everyone in Hollywood, but particularly Sandra Bullock, Brendan Fraser, Ludacris, Ryan Phillippe, and one of the best actors of this era...Don Cheadle. The buzz on this movie (I can't believe I just typed that) is huge and it has been way under the radar, but everyone I've heard from that has seen it has said good things about it.

Lords of Dogtown
True story about three guys who revolutionized skateboarding forever...sure there was a documentary about them in 2001, but I think this dramatized version just looks more interesting.

And now for the coming attractions...

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Despite all the extra-curricular news surrounding this movie, I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE IT. The chemistry between the two of them looks sizzling (unlike Brad and Julia in that awful movie about the gun) and lots of stuff gets blown up. Oh yeah, and Vince Vaughn is in it.

Batman Begins
LOOKS AWESOME. Batman drives a Hummer. Mrs. Tom Cruise and the dude from The Last Samurai. Word.

Bewitched
Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman in an interesting take on a remake of the classic TV show. Will Ferrell is genius and I am really interested in seeing Nicole Kidman in a comedic role.

Fantastic Four
Comic book movies are awesome. I don't care what they are...you have a really good chance of being entertained.

The Dukes of Hazzard
Because any movie that has both Stifler and Johnny Knoxville is going to be good.

Valiant
Looks like a funny animated flick with Obi-Wan McGregor as the main voice.

The Island
Say what you want about Michael Bay, but he can make entertaining movies (see Bad Boys I&II). This movie looks a little Matrix-esque, but with Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johanssen (and some other good actors), I'm excited.

Apple / Intel

2005-06-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

Snowballs are being thrown around in hell.

In a move that I can't really quite understand, yesterday, Steve Jobs announced that in the future, Apple Computers will be produced with Intel chips, abandoning their long relationship with IBM and their PowerPC chip.

I don't know why Apple would choose to do this, other than to increase marketshare more by going with a more widely accepted (and much cheaper) chipset for their computers...wait...I guess that's a pretty good idea.

And to be honest, I don't care. As long as OS X continues to rock the house as the best operating system on the planet, I will be happy. If they don't screw it up on the Intel boxes, they should be fine. I say, the more Mac users, the merrier.

UPDATE: Todd Dominey over at WhatDoIKnow.org has a great overview of the news. Explains a lot.

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith

2005-05-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

I should have reviewed this a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away...)

Star Wars Episode three was...
Dark. Dark. Dark.

Anyone heard this before?

The truth is that after all the reviews that I read, I can't do this much justice. So first, I'll direct you here, to Jason Kottke's review, which sums up my sentiments pretty well.

There are SPOILERS, so if you haven't seen and don't want to know, don't read on. Otherwise, feel free!

Here's the thing: anyone worth their salt knows what is going to happen in this movie. We've already seen the sequel! What is amazing about this movie is that despite that, despite knowing the absolute evil of Darth Vader from the original trilogy, you still find yourself hoping that he won't really turn to the dark side.

That was, I think, George Lucas' biggest accomplishment with the last movie. The rest of it was the same ol' same ol' - bad dialogue, excessive effects (why on earth did Obi-Wan have to ride the giant iguana when Grievous had a space-Harley?), etc. These are the things that we come to expect and accept about the Star Wars universe. These people do not live in New Jersey and hang out at malls having philosophical discussions while in the food court (see: Mallrats). No, they live in space and while they manage to create elaborate clone armies, they can't handle more complicated dialogue than, "You're so beautiful." "I'm only beautiful because I'm so in love." "No, you're so beautiful because I'm so in love with you." PUKE.

It was certainly the best out of the first trilogy. The action doesn't get much better than Obi-Wan v. Anakin/Darth going on at the same time as Yoda v. Emperor. I know that Natalie Portman is probably kicking herself for accepting this role back when she did. It was probably a good idea at the time, but she's a much better actress than is displayed in Revenge of the Sith. Victim of bad dialogue, just like Hayden Christensen.

My favorite character is still Obi-Wan. Ewan McGregor still channels Sir Alec Guiness very well and they give him some of the clever witty banter that he dropped in Episode IV when he was an old coot.

Overall, the movie was pure popcorn entertainment, but it was really REALLY GOOD popcorn entertainment.

IMDB rating: 8/10

Who's complaining?

2005-05-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

We just got back from seeing a sneak preview of Cinderella Man, Ron Howard's depression-era-based-on-a-true-story boxing movie starring Russell Crowe as James J. Braddock, a real life Cinderella story who brought his family out of poverty during the depression era on pure guts and courage in the boxing ring.

The movie was good (some of the best boxing in a movie I've ever seen) and if it weren't for Million Dollar Baby last year, I'd be heralding it as the best boxing movie since Rocky IV, but what I want to talk about is the era.

We have it easy. Our lives (and when I say "our", I mean "my generation"...those of us who range from early 20's to mid-40's) have been relatively uneventful in the realm of character building. While many of us (myself included) will never forget September 11, 2001, one thing I am beginning to realize is that while it has changed some of the ways that we interact with people and situations, it has not really affected our way of life; it hasn't shaped the type of people that we have become.

That's where our generation is totally different than any other before us. Nothing has happened thus far in our lives that has dictated major changes in how we live. The amazing Americans that grew up during the Depression and subsequently World War II were defined by events that they could not control. Many of those people came out the other side stronger and while the time was difficult and full of despair, it wasn't as if they were the only ones who were suffering. There were millions of people who were unemployed and had to sell all of their belongings. Families were torn apart as people did ANYTHING THEY COULD just to get by. It gives me mixed feelings: gratitude that I've never known that kind of suffering, but also guilt for having it so well.

I have a wonderful family, a loving wife, a nice house, and a dog who rocks. There are a lot of people who can't say that, but for our generation, these things are more common than not.

It's no wonder that we are often considered by our elders to be unappreciative for the things that we have. WE HAVE NEVER KNOWN DIFFERENTLY.

But the question is this: could we handle it if it were different. If we had to go through the struggles that those living during the Depression did, would we rise above it and move forward or would we wilt under the intense pressure and utter despair? I would like to think that there is something inherent about the human spirit that allows us to rise up when times get tough. I know that I am appreciative for all that I have and if it disappeared, I would do anything in my power to make sure that my family always had enough. I like to think that I got that trait from my dad. He's sacrificed a lot to make sure that my brother and I and the rest of our family has always had more than enough.

I hope that he passed that along to me like his parents passed it to him and their parents before them...

A comment on music

2005-05-24T08:54:00.000-07:00

Now, we all know that the RIAA and the music industry is pure unadulterated evil. Their continual persistence to put out crap while treating their artists like dirt and failing to fully embrace the digital music revolution has been well-documented and widely recognized.

But they don't seem to learn.

I'm a huge Coldplay fan. I even stayed up way past my bed time on Saturday just to catch them on Saturday Night Live. One thing I discovered was that their new album is going to be rights-protected when it comes out, virtually making it extremely difficult to put your songs on your iPod. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE. If you want to put the songs on your iPod, you can download the album from iTunes (pre-order available now), get a couple exclusive tracks and your music will be iPod-riffic.

Does it really have to be that difficult? Why can't I purchase the CD like I want to and then rip it to my iPod? I just don't understand why we have competing logic here! What is so difficult about this? iPods account for 70% of the mp3 player market, yet with CDs, we want to make sure you CAN'T USE YOUR IPOD.

It's just another example of the industry being out of touch with the consumer.

My bank got robbed today

2005-05-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Morons.

Do bank robbers EVER get away with it? 25-year sentence automatically. Stupid stupid stupid.

Annoying Thing of the Day: Touchless Carwashes

2005-05-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to describe how annoying touchless carwashes are, but let's face it: Rain gets my car as clean as they do.

For the longest time, I have been searching for a gas station to offer anything but these sorry excuses for a "wash" and I finally found one yesterday. Words cannot describe my glee when I saw the velvet touch brushes, hanging limply before I punched in my code to send them into glorious, spinning, soapy action.

See, in Kansas, we have bugs in the summer, and lots of them. They get caked on your car, and then baked into the paint in the humid summer months. Being the lazy...errrr...BUSY American that I am, time to scrub down my gas-guzzling SUV is not easy to come by. Plus, I never really get too excited with the unpredictable weather we've been having lately.

Having a wash that will actually wreak havoc to your paint job in order to make your car shiny is nice...I don't want my car babied...it needs a hardcore wash, not some sissy touchless crap.

Dear Blogger

2005-05-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the following things that you could do to make your system better:

- Easier customization of the sidebar
- Categories for posts
- Better compliance with Safari (where'd all my menu items go?)

Sincerely,
Shane

A co-worker of mine passed away

2005-05-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

I started working at my current company just over five years ago. I was the 18th employee at the time and our organization has since grown to near 200.

When I started, there were two members of the marketing team, myself and the VP of Marketing. Now, our marketing group is over 15 members strong. During my first few months, I sat near the support area because there wasn't really anywhere else to sit and during that time, I got to interact with a couple of guys that I wouldn't really have interacted with now, considering the size of our company.

Back in those days, our company was small enough that our storage room contained a ping-pong table. We had the space because we didn't have excess marketing materials or remaindered computer parts taking up all the space. Doug and I would go back to the back and play ping-pong a couple of times a day, just to get away from our computer screens for a bit. He was in charge of a bit of product support, but mostly he was our entire IT staff as well as QA and some facilities management.

Doug was a rough guy. He grew up in the '60s and he lived life to its fullest. During our many talks over ping-pong, he let me in on his life and experiences. I was very blessed to have that time with him, learning about the company from its earliest beginnings, but more importantly, learning about Doug and his own life.

Doug passed away on Sunday night from a long battle with cancer. I know that he fought it tooth and nail to the end, but unfortunately, that sometimes isn't enough. I know that his family will miss him very much. Even though he has been absent from work much lately, I always assumed he would be back. I will miss him. He is a link to the past for me. He was the first person who befriended me here at this job. He helped me to fit in, to feel comfortable, even if I was from that dreaded department of "Sales & Marketing" that caused him so many headaches.

Rest in peace, Doug.

Growl

2005-05-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Tiger is out and it's awesome.

Got my copy over the weekend and installed it right away. I had issues on my first install because I didn't unplug my firewire drive, something that I guess should have been understood. Once I figured that out though, the install was a snap.

The first noticable difference is the speed. It just seems to run faster than it's other large-cat-counterparts Jaguar and Panther. Programs load faster, the computer awakes from sleep faster and searching is faster. When I got my iMac G5, I was a bit underwhelmed by the speed of it in comparison to the grey and white G4 Powermac I was using before. This OS gets rid of my speed concerns.

Spotlight is awesome, but I am really looking forward to using it more as I get more of my stuff converted over to my Mac...I've still got a few PC leftovers that I would like to eliminate if possible. Getting those indexed in Spotlight so they are easy to find in the future would make things easier.

My favorite (albeit very trite) feature is Dashboard, the handy-dandy widget holder complete with all the stuff you use regularly, but shouldn't need the internet for (package tracking, yellow pages, dictionary, thesaurus, etc.). I recently downloaded the Yahoo! Local Traffic widget and it is cool...giving you live updates of traffic in your area. Very nice little feature.

Overall, I'm finding that I want to spend more time on my computer just because the OS is so pretty. At work, I'm stuck on this awful XP-laden Dell, and I long for walks in the park with a shiny Aqua theme and a functional Dock and Dashboard. It also makes me realize that I need a prettier home for my computer. I think I'm going to build a desk this summer. It might be a bit of a project, but because of the size and shape of the room, custom is the only way I can go.

One can wish...

It's been a while...

2005-04-20T12:20:00.000-07:00

I know that there are about 2 people who read this.

That's OK with me...it's not why I created it...this is more of an outlet for the stuff that clouds my brain.

Lately, I've been pretty clear. Business at Alli Arnold Art is booming, much better than we both expected it to be at this point.

Look for topFIVEdesign.com to come online in the next month or so.

Summer should be good. Couple trips planned. 5-year anniversary this July. HOW Conference in June...possible trip to Wyoming in late July. Should be a great summer.

Corporate Challenge is coming up and I'm pumped. I enjoy it so much. Good times.

Finally, a Fletch I can get on board with

2005-03-22T06:53:00.000-08:00

I know it's been a while. For the 5 of you out there that read this, greetings from the beyond.

Busy busy lately with the launch of Alli Arnold Art as well as topFIVEdesign. Still playing in my weekly poker game and still losing on bad hands. I would regurgitate last night's, but it's too painful.

Seen a few movies. Hostage is really dark...like a dark Die Hard. Hitch was funny. Predictable, but funny. The NCAA tournament has been abysmal for Jayhawkers like myself. Bucknell? Really? And these so-called "classy" seniors can't manage to shake the hands of the team that flat-out outplayed them? I expected more.

And then there's this. I have complained before about how I think that Jason Lee would have been great, but Zach Braff...he's so hot right now. Hansel. So hot right now. Scrubs is one of my favorite shows and Garden State was a terrific movie, one that should have been more acclaimed than it was last year. At least he won an Independent Spirit award and a Grammy for best Soundtrack. I think he is a rising star in Hollywood and I look forward to all that is coming from him. Would love to see him as Fletch. Or Ryan Reynolds. He would be good too.

UPDATE: Kevin Smith has confirmed that they (Braff and him as well as him and Weinstein) have spoken about it and all are excited about it...I am excited!

And work screeched to a halt...

2005-03-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

The internet is broken.

At least it is here at work. Since all of our work sits on a network drive (for backup purposes) and our e-mail system, which sits on the mother-of-all-network-suckages, Lotus Notes, is inaccessible. There are things that I could be doing, but not much.

Isn’t it funny how dependent we have become on this minor thing called the Internet? There are those out there who feel our dependence on technology may eventually be our downfall (hello, Terminator!), but I still think it’s a good thing.

Which is why, now that our network is back up, I’ll get back to the things I was working on. Have a nifty day.

Television Awesomeness.

2005-03-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

Brian says it best here.

JJ Abrams is the new Joss Whedon.

Although I was never a huge fan of Buffy or Angel or those shows, it was hard to deny their popularity or originality. I don't really want to see Jennifer Garner bust out in song like the Buffy musical (although she has sung on the show before), I would be more than happy for Alias to have the longevity that Buffy had over the years.

And LOST. What can you say about LOST. Such a good show. Brings me back to the first season of Alias in its originality. Chills went up my spine at the end of Wednesday's episode. The numbers bring back everything that was awesome about the Rambaldi storyline. While they've abandoned the crazy Italian Prophet this season on Alias somewhat, I expect him to come back in a big way during the second half of the season.

Sark on the loose? Awesome. This show needs more Sark.

Iron & Wine

2005-02-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

Rarely do musicians come along like Sam Beam.

I was introduced to Iron & Wine on the Garden State Soundtrack (which won a Grammy...YAY!) and heard more on the In Good Company Soundtrack. Since I got it, I've been listening to the album, Our Endless Numbered Days, just about non-stop.

The bushy-bearded Beam's voice is haunting without being scary. I&W's music is reminiscent of James Taylor, melodic and mellow, consisting mostly of acoustic guitar supported by various instruments that merely serve to compliment.

It's just good music.

Buy his music here:
Our Endless Numbered Days
The Creek Drank the Cradle
Woman King EP (NEW)

Now this...

2005-02-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

First it was the Chiefs.

Now, for some reason unbeknownst to me, my Jayhawks are struggling to find wins, losing their third straight game last night (something that had not happened since 1994). I'm not worried so much about the streak...it's just a streak. What I'm worried about is the utter lack of urgency with this team. Well, that and the lack of a true scorer.

Langford could be considered a scorer, but when you are more of a slasher and you go to the line a lot and then MISS YOUR FREE THROWS, that doesn't really help. Simien was shut down by Kevin Bookout and Oklahoma couldn't miss in the first half.

15+ turnovers doesn't help much either.

So what's wrong with the Jayhawks. Self thinks it's the seniors' faults, but I think that the issue is that we still don't have a SOLID lineup that can be put on the floor and not screw up. While it was nice to see Giddens get out of his shooting funk a little bit last night and for Galindo to see some minutes again, both those players are absolute disasters on the defensive end of the floor.

I blame the NBA. No one cares about defense anymore. Except Kelvin Sampson and his Sooners who put the clamps down on the Jayhawks in the first half, thus eliminating their ability to score and destroying their confidence. They couldn't recover and now KU is 0-3 in its last three games.

NOT GOOD.

Million Dollar Baby

2005-02-20T14:55:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical when we went to this movie on Saturday night. Not only had I been ruined of the big climactic twist by a CNN.com story, but it just didn't seem like a great movie. It seemed a little boring.

Man, WAS I WRONG.

Million Dollar Baby ranked up there with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as one of the best films of 2004. I'm not just saying this because everyone else in the world is saying it. I would be the last person to do that...to AGREE with critics, BUT...I can't help it.

I've never been a huge Clint Eastwood fan. I never really understood what the big deal was about him. I think it all started back when Unforgiven won all those Oscars. I just couldn't figure it out. How could a western movie be that good?

Million Dollar Baby is carried by Hilary Swank's unbelievable portrayal of Maggie Fitzgerald, a white trash, down-on-her-luck, cliche who wants to box for Clint Eastwood's Frankie. Frankie sees her as an annoyance. I don't want to say too much about the movie because I think that it is a story that is better told on the screen than having someone relay a summation to you. I said before that I thought that she would win and she probably should, but that doesn't mean I still won't be pulling for Kate Winslet. Swank already has one!

I think that I might want to revise my previous Oscar nominations. I still don't think that Clint Eastwood should win. Hilary Swank was right when she said that he put out the best acting of his career. Unfortunately, his career is marked with spaghetti westerns and movies like Dirty Harry and Every Which Way But Loose (in which his co-star was an orangutan), so I still don't think he deserves it here. BUT, I would probably revise my Best Supporting Actor pick to be Morgan Freeman. Freeman provides a similar voice as he did in Shawshank Redemption as Red, but I think that he stretches himself a little further here and it's time for him to be recognized and I expect him to as well.

After watching Million Dollar Baby, I'm really pulling for it to beat out Sideways (which I think is still the front runner, despite being a complete travesty as a movie) for Best Adapted Screenplay. Million Dollar Baby was much more uplifting than I expected and it even had comedic moments, which were well-timed and extremely appropriate.

Now, the question: should Clint Eastwood beat out Martin Scorsese for Best Director? That's a tough one. The Aviator is a movie in scope that Oscar appreciates, but it would be hard to ignore just the almost perfect filmmaking that Eastwood achieved with Million Dollar Baby. This one is a coin flip.

In additon, I also think that Million Dollar Baby is probably the strongest Best Picture contender out of the group. I've seen 4 of the 5 now (with only Ray left to see) and Million Dollar Baby was, in my opinion, the best (although I wouldn't be upset if the Oscar went to Finding Neverland or The Aviator). Both had their merits, I just thought that Million Dollar Baby was spectacular.

IMDb rating: 9 out of 10.

Grammys

2005-02-14T09:54:00.000-08:00

I thought that the "awards" show last night was actually pretty good... FOR A CONCERT. When did the Grammys stop being about the awards and start being about who they can get to perform. I mean, sure, it was cool to see Gwen Stefani, the Black Eyed Peas, Maroon 5 and Franz Ferdinand performing on the same stage AT THE SAME TIME...

BUT

I really get irritated when people are walking down the red carpet and being informed by Joan Rivers or Star Jones or Suchin Pak or whoever that they won an award. That just doesn't seem right.

However, there are too many awards...too many lifetime achievement awards. Everyone gets one. Watched the show with my wife and brother and right before Album of the Year, he says, "I bet Ray Charles wins...he died...he's going to win." I tried to argue with him, but I really couldn't. It happened last year (is that when it was?) with Warren Zevon and I'm sure it will continue to happen in the future.

I also think that if you perform, you are guaranteed at least one award. I don't think I saw anyone last night that didn't win an award that performed. They hand out so many awards that even Britney Spears won an award. Don't know why, but she did.

Don't get me wrong...the performances were pretty cool. "Across the Universe" was interesting and the opening was one of the better openings I've seen, but I still don't understand how the Grammy's are judged. Maroon 5's Songs about Jane came out on June 25, 2002 (no, that's not a misprint...that's according to Amazon.com). Yet last night, they won BEST NEW ARTIST.

Huh?

Then you have the pompous president of the RIAA up on his podium pimping whatsthedownload.com to the masses, like their Napster, subscription-based model is going to work...YEAH RIGHT. At least they pimped iTunes in between performances...that was smart, considering that more people download their legal music from the iTunes Music Store than ALL THE OTHER STORES COMBINED. iPods rule.

At least the Oscars are only 2 weeks away! Happy Valentine's Day!

1 Giant Leap

2005-02-11T11:56:00.000-08:00

I'm in the process of converting all my e-mail into Mozilla Thunderbird, a totally sweet open-source mail client from Mozilla. I've commented on Mozilla's other product before, but that's not what this is about.

I found an old e-mail that I had sent out to a bunch of my friends about a CD that my dad's old company produced when he worked for them. The e-mail was dated 5/5/2002, so that gives you an idea of how old this is...however, I still think it's relevant and I wanted to share it. The sites that I list are still available and the CD/DVD is out as well. Check it out if you have a chance.

BEGIN TRANSMISSION
At the risk of sounding sentimental or cliched, I want to tell you guys how proud I am of something that my dad is a part of. For several months, my dad has been telling me about a project that his company, Palm Pictures is working on called 1 Giant Leap. Since he introduced it to me, I cannot stop thinking about it. I truly believe that if it takes hold, 1 Giant Leap could be a revolutionary step for our world.

In a time where trust between nations is at an all-time low, the 1 Giant Leap project is a shining beacon of what our world could be. The project, which is headed by Faithless member Jamie Catto and his friend, Duncan Bridgeman, is a trek across the world that ignores boundaries, skin colors, and religions and studies the concept of "unity through diversity".

The CD part of 1 Giant Leap was released this month, but I have been privileged to be listening to it for several months now because of my dad. Ever since I first put the plain black disc into my CD player I have been entranced by the music. To think that something so beautifully written can be also be so fantastic to listen to is best summed up by one of the review I read on palmpictures.com: "1GL is more than a fab record (which it is) and more than a thought-provoking film (which it is). It is-and no apologies here to those of you with sensitive bull detectors-a manifesto for a better world. And you can dance to it."
--Daily Express

I believe that the quote above says it all. The album contains world artists working together in a progressive movement of sound and rhythm. The way in which is was created allowed a drummer from Africa to collaborate with a sitar player from India. What results is a unique sound that I don't think has been created before. Certainly not with such a positive message.

I urge all of you, if you get a chance, to check out their web site, www.1giantleap.tv/ or go to the Palm web site, www.palmpictures.com and check it out. If you see me, ask to listen to it because I have it with me almost all the time.

I realize that this might sound a bit cheesy, maybe a little overbearing, and a bit preachy, but the timing for this project could not be much better. Our world is becoming increasingly cynical and negative and the 1 Giant Leap that we can take is towards a better environment for all of us.

I am extremely proud that my dad is a part of this project and I truly believe in it. I am hoping that you might take an interest in it because I truly believe that this is might be just what we need.
END TRANSMISSION

Custom Murals and Paintings

2005-02-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about my wife is her amazing artistic talent. Beginning next Wednesday, she will be venturing out entirely on her own to be a full-time artist. She will be painting custom murals for children's rooms and businesses as well as selling her own paintings and pastels from her web site (which I designed!):

www.AlliArnoldArt.com

I am so excited for this new opportunity for her and I am certain that she is going to be successful. If you have the time, visit her site and check her out. If you are in the market for a mural or painting, check her site out.

Super Boring

2005-02-07T05:03:00.000-08:00

The score wouldn't suggest it, but I have to say that Super Bowl XXXIX fell WAY BELOW MY EXPECTATIONS.

I'm not just talking about the game. The commericals were weak, save maybe the one where the girl walks in and the guy is holding up a knife and her cat that is covered in marinara...funny stuff. The game was a defensive battle, which is undeniably boring. And just when you thought that the Eagles were actually going to give the Patriots a run for their money, the Patriots went and did what they always do these days, which is WIN SUPER BOWLS. There is something intangible about them and I don't know exactly what it is, but I'm beginning to believe that there might actually be something to people calling Bill Belichick a genius, because hey, if the shoe fits...

If I have to see one more commercial about 24 or American Idol, I'm gonna puke.

Half-time show was lame. Paul McCartney is old and not sexy at all...he is the anti-Janet Jackson. I'd rather have had a Half-time show that was just Napoleon Dynamite dancing.

Finally, a Sitcom Worth Watching

2005-02-04T06:12:00.000-08:00

One of the funniest guys in Hollywood is finally getting his own sitcom.

While it is highly likely that he never wanted one and that's why he's never had one, I still think it is good news...something to look forward to in this bleak TV world, laced with derivative reality shows and stuff that just doesn't live up to the hype.

I'm talking, of course, about Jason Lee.

Lee, whose antics stole the show in nearly all the Kevin Smith movies that he acted in, is going to star in a show called "My Name is Earl" in which he plays a low-rent crook who wins the lottery and uses his limited (but highly effective) intelligence to right former wrongs (if that sounds like I copied it, I basically did from the NewsAskew web site.

Sounds great so far, although I'm still mad that he isn't playing Fletch in Smith's Fletch Won.

Elektra

2005-02-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

Alias is easily one of my all-time favorite shows. The storyline is always interesting and it is well-acted by a fantastic cast, led by Jennifer Garner in her breakout role as Sydney Bristow.

Elektra was NOT Alias.

JG is still quite a butt-kicker, but the movie lacked the strong support of other characters. The only name was Goran Visnjic, of ER fame, but even he was, well..., blah. I just felt that they could have done more with the characters and I was disappointed with how far it strayed from her Daredevil character (yes, I liked Daredevil...I'm not afraid to admit it).

The fight scenes were cool and there were a bunch of ninjas, which was totally sweet, but I just didn't buy the guy who had all the tattoos that turned into animals. Or the blatant Poison Ivy (from Batman Forever) ripoff. Or the Stone guy (who still dies rather easily). The only cool evil dude was the main one, and even he was a little lame...just really fast.

I was a bit disappointed...thought it could have been better, but I didn't have very high expectations. Considering that...

IMDb Rating: 5 of 10.

The Avitator

2005-01-31T07:58:00.000-08:00

Much better than I expected.

I'm not a huge Leo DiCaprio fan, but he was phenomenal in this movie. Much better than in Gangs of New York. I expected this year's Oscar race to be Jamie Foxx's to lose, but after seeing The Aviator, I don't know if that will be the case (Ray is on my rental list).

While the movie was long, it was gorgeous and had a great cast. Cate Blanchett (another so-so actor, in my opinion) was fantastic as Kate Hepburn and John C. Reilly did what he does best...support the big names with a solid performance.

I really think that The Aviator may finally get Scorsese his long overdue Best Director Oscar, but we will see.

IMDb Rating: 7 out of 10.

Oscar Nominations

2005-01-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

So the Oscar nominations came out this morning. They were good and bad. The Academy continues its love affair with all things that Clint Eastwood touches (yeah, that's right, the "Dirty Harry" guy) and Million Dollar Baby came up with six major nominations (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay). The Aviator suprisingly came up with six major ones as well (Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Director, Original Screenplay). I haven't seen either of these movies (nor many of the others that were nominated...I live in the Midwest...some of this stuff isn't even out yet), but below is a list of all the nominations and my opinion on who will win and who should win.

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR

Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS

Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL

Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Clive Owen - CLOSER

I've only seen two of these movies (Collateral, Sideways). Alli saw another one of them (Closer). We are going to see the Aviator before the Oscars and I would like to see Million Dollar Baby too. Nobody really impressed me all that much, although Alli said that Clive Owen was good and I like him so we'll say that he should win it, but my guess is that Thomas Haden Church will win it...I can't understand all the buzz about Sideways...it was terrible in my opinion, but my opinion doesn't really matter.
WILL WIN: Thomas Haden Church
SHOULD WIN: Clive Owen
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: James Garner, The Notebook

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR

Laura Linney - KINSEY

Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS

Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA

Natalie Portman - CLOSER

I've only seen Sideways, so I can't really judge this flick. I thought Natalie Portman had a great year though. Would have liked to see her nominated for Garden State, but alas, Garden State was pretty much ignored, unfortunately.
WILL WIN: Natalie Portman
SHOULD WIN: Natalie Portman

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

THE INCREDIBLES

SHARK TALE

SHREK 2

This one is easy. Shark Tale was overrated and Shrek 2 takes multiple viewings to appreciate. The Incredibles stands above the other two and could have contended for Best Picture this year. Pixar continues to dominate everything else.
WILL WIN: The Incredibles
SHOULD WIN: The Incredibles

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

BEFORE SUNSET

FINDING NEVERLAND

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES

SIDEWAYS

This is an extremely interesting category. I really really want Before Sunset to win this category. I haven't seen a movie with better dialogue this year. Finding Neverland would be another good choice, and then you have both Million Dollar Baby and Sideways in the category.
WILL WIN: Sideways (unfortunately)
SHOULD WIN: Before Sunset

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

THE AVIATOR

ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

HOTEL RWANDA

THE INCREDIBLES

VERA DRAKE

I really want Eternal Sunshine to win this. It was, in my opinion, the best movie of the year, certainly worthy of more accolades than it got. I wonder if people are just sick of Charlie Kauffman's craziness (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation), but to ignore this movie is a shame. I also think it was a travesty that Garden State was completely overlooked.
WILL WIN: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
SHOULD WIN: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Zach Braff, Garden State

DIRECTING

Martin Scorsese - THE AVIATOR

Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Taylor Hackford - RAY

Alexander Payne - SIDEWAYS

Mike Leigh - VERA DRAKE

Another interesting category. Scorsese certainly has the sentimental vote considering he got shut out for Gangs of New York by convicted felon Roman Polanski. I would think that this is his year if Clint Eastwood were not in the category. I think that they are the top 2 choices with Payne being the dark horse.
WILL WIN: Clint Eastwood
SHOULD WIN: Martin Scorsese

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA

Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND

Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR

Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Jamie Foxx - RAY

I really think this category is Jamie Foxx's to lose. Johnny Depp was terrific in Finding Neverland, but he is always terrific. Look for him to get nominated next year for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Don Cheadle is a dark horse in this category. Such a terrific actor and it's good to see him finally getting some recognition. Leo, better luck next time...
WILL WIN: Jamie Foxx
SHOULD WIN: Jamie Foxx

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Annette Bening - BEING JULIA

Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE

Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE

Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND

My favorite, Kate Winslet, doesn't have a chance. Hilary Swank is going to win, but with all of the nominations that Vera Drake received, I wouldn't be surprised to see Imelda Staunton win. She's my dark horse.
WILL WIN: Hilary Swank
SHOULD WIN: Kate Winslet

BEST PICTURE

SIDEWAYS

I'm so unbelievably irritated that Eternal Sunshine didn't get nominated that I want to puke. There has not been a more original movie in 5 years (and probably won't be for another 5). This is a hard category to pick. I am really crossing my fingers that Sideways walks away with nothing and I really think it won't win this one. However, out of these movies, I've actually only seen one. I have no idea how to judge this, but I'll do my best.
WILL WIN: The Aviator
SHOULD WIN: Finding Neverland
SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOMINATED: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Overall, it was a pretty good year for movies. I don't think we'll see the utter domination like last year's Lord of the Rings, but if it will come from anyone, it will likely come from The Aviator. I really think this is Martin Scorsese's year and everyone knows how hard he worked on it. But no one really knows. This is just knee-jerk reaction right now. We'll see come February 27th.

Sidenote: The Razzie nominations are out too. Sucks to be Halle Berry...

Golden Globes Re-Hash

2005-01-18T14:32:00.001-08:00

While I wish that Sideways would not have won a single award, I can't say that I was too upset with the people that won awards or where everything went. It was nice for a change to not see domination by one or two movies. While I wish that Jennifer Garner would have won an award for Alias, I can understand why she didn't because Season 3 wasn't really the strongest season (from what I've seen so far, I would consider her a favorite this year).

Leonardo DiCaprio finally gets some recognition, but I highly doubt he'll win the Oscar this year. No one is stopping Jamie Foxx.

Overall, the show was pretty boring...nothing super-exciting, but Robin Williams acceptance speech was certainly a highlight (as was Jamie Foxx's). Overall...a decent awards show, but they didn't really give us any indicators as to how the Oscars will go down. But that's a good thing.

In Good Company

2005-01-14T18:15:00.000-08:00

In Good Company represents the beginning of the evolution of Topher Grace. The That 70's show star has decided to leave the lucrative sitcom next year and focus on his movie career.

His first significant starring effort, In Good Company, is extremely strong. Scarlett Johanssen is continuing to impress me. While I didn't really like last year's critically acclaimed Lost in Translation, I still thought that she did a really good job.

The person that was most impressive was Dennis Quaid. I've never really thought too highly of him as an actor (mostly I thought of him as the guy that Meg Ryan dumped for Russell Crowe), but that break-up has turned out pretty well for him. Meg is getting botox and starring in bad movies while he is enjoying a renewal in his career.

What I liked most about the movie was that it seemed real and personal. We can't really expect less from Chris and Paul Weitz...the writer/director brothers who brought us last year's About a Boy (Hugh Grant at his all-time best) and American Pie (despite its crudeness, American Pie was one of the best teen movies of the last 20 years). They bring life to the characters and tell a story that you might have heard somewhere.

Overall, I really liked it. There are those who will lament the ending (including some that I went with) but I thought it fit perfectly.

IMDb rating >> 8 out of 10

Totally sweet.

2005-01-11T12:50:00.000-08:00

So Apple, in all its glory, announced some pretty exciting stuff today. Steve "The Ego" Jobs stood up at Macworld today and showed off his amazing new products. What it must be like to work in Cupertino...Apple is the innovation of cool right now.

The following 3 announcements will be landmark for the next several months in technology.

Mac Mini
Apple's first attempt at really attacking Dell's stranglehold on the entry-level home user market. The iMac G5 was great, but this really is slick and the pricing makes it really compelling. To get a Mac for only $500 is pretty amazing. Most people already have monitors, keyboards, etc. and this gets them the cool factor without smacking their wallet with a rubber hose.

ipod shuffle
Mac's entry into the flash-memory-based music player market is, like the ipod, better than anything else out there right now. Small and sexy, this player also is super-competitive in price, enabling you to get a 1GB player for only $150. With an additional version at 512MB, this player will go a long way. Expect to see it soon at a Bally Total Fitness near you.

iWork
Apple finally updates its long-outdated Appleworks suite with something tangible. Featuring Keynote 2 and a new program, Pages, Apple allows you to have the most used functionality of Microsoft Office, while allowing you to only spend $80 on it instead of $400. With the same design team working on Pages as worked on Keynote, you can expect that it will be just as strong of a product.

Notice a common theme?

Price.

Apple finally has heeded the call of its critics and started to lower its prices because isn't that really all that consumers care about anymore? These 3 products enable Joe Schmo to become a savvy home Mac user because Apple has designed programs that they think people will use and are functional and simple, yet powerful enough for all levels of users.

That is a good thing.

Authorized Personnel Only

2005-01-06T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you have yet to get on the Alias train, last night was a great time to hop aboard. Starting with a new department, new storylines, yet keeping the same great characters, the best TV show is off and running with a great story.

Last night’s episode did not disappoint (although it seemed like it had a lot of commercials). From what I heard, it cost them $3.6 million to produce the 2-hour premiere and it was totally worth it.

The beginning was strangely familiar to Phase One of Season Two (the episode after the Super Bowl), but I know that they were trying to get more people to watch the show (which worked…the ratings it received were quite good with the lead-in from Lost). Regardless, the rest of the show was sweet and no episode would be complete without something that is completely out of left field and last night was no different (see: the reason Sydney was crying).

I can’t wait…only another 148 hours until the next episode!

BlogAid

2005-01-04T08:49:00.000-08:00

BlogAid.org.uk

I know that it isn't much (particularly with my readership), but I am pledging that all of my earnings from Google Adsense or Amazon Associates will go to aid efforts for the areas affected by the devastating tsunami and earthquake in southeast asia.

Credit goes to Andy Budd for thinking of this. As of my pledge, there are 123 bloggers who have pledged to give their advertising and affiliate dollars earned to the tsunami efforts. While that may not seem like a lot, every little bit helps.

The devastation that has been brought to that region is incomprehensible. There is much to do, but more than anything, faith can restore hope. I pray for the people who have been affected by this tragedy.

My New Year's Resolutions

2005-01-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions always seemed a little silly to me. Why do we need a new year to start bettering ourselves? That being said, it is still a good time to figure out what you want to do with the next year.

My Resolutions:

Watch less TV (this excludes ALIAS, which starts its fourth season in a short 52 hours!!!!)
Read more (I have tons of books that I have bought in the past couple of years but have never gotten around to reading them...must read those)
Build stuff (this will start with a desk for my home office...I have the plan figured out...just need to buy the materials and get my drill fixed)
Improve my design skills (this means finally finishing reading the QuickPro guide to Flash MX 2004 as well as the other design books I have to read)
Lose weight (cliche, I know, but hey...I gotta do it)

Beauty in breakdown...

2004-12-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

Finally got to see Garden State last night.

Totally worth the wait. Zach Braff delivers in his first feature with a story that is gentle, heartfelt and real.

Fantastic acting and story. One of my top 5 of 2004...