Music

Thursday Morning QB makes a good point about the music that is around these days. As some of you readers may know, I am holidays yet again. So I decide to sit here and play a little Madden this morning and perhaps listen to a little digital radio. What do I hear? A remake of possibly the worst single ever, More Than Words. Now I am sure you all remember this horrid piece of dreck from Extreme. Why, oh why, did somebody need to remake this song? Someone show find Frankie J and put him (or them) out of misery. There is no clearer sign of the upcoming apocalypse is remakes. Herbie The Love Bug with Lindsay "The Cokehead/Bulimic" Lohan, anyone?

VK is vomiting.

Radio

Hello faithful readers. Sorry I have been away for the past little bit but I have been sick and not very chatty. However, due to some complaints from readers lamenting the lack of updates I will post something that has been bothering me for a while.

I hate local radio. I don't mean talk radio on AM. That is not so bad and it serves a function. I am talking FM - 91.7, 92.5, 97.9, 100.3, 102.9, etc. The other day I had to drive somewhere and I figured I would listen to the radio. Now normally I listen to The Team 1260 but I don't care for any of the local programming. I turn on the radio for the 10 minute drive. I heard a commercial so I changed the channel, it was another commercial, another channel, yes another commercial. I clicked on 7 different radio stations (on a Saturday afternoon) and they were all playing commercials. During the 10 minute drive, I did not here one song even though I was scanning through the stations. This is ridiculous.

This is why I will be the first in line to buy either XM or Sirius when they become available in Canada. The morning shows are juvenile and for the most part the playlists suck. Do yourself a favour. Stop listening to local radio. If you must, try CBC Radio 2. Yes, its classical, but at least you won't hear a freakin' ad selling mustard at a car dealership.

VK

Happy 36th Birthday Vegas Sam

My Name is Domino Harvey...

Olive Garden

The folks were in town last night and they wanted to go to the Olive Garden since they don't have one where they live. We piled in the Trailblazer and drove on up the road to dinner. We get to the restaurant and walk in. The friendly (if not slightly peppy) hostess proceeds to tell VK Sr that the wait would be 20-25 minutes. Of course, we agreed to wait. Herein lies my issue. Restaurants that don't take reservations should not be allowed. I find it ridiculous to make people wait to sample their product. Could you imagine going to Best Buy and being told to wait outside until a salesperson could help you?

I have an idea to alleviate this problem. If a potential patron wants to make a reservation, have them leave credit number. The restaurant tells the patron that their credit card will be charged "X" amount if they don't show. That way, the owner of the establishment in question can take an advance reservation with the risk of lost revenue. I think if I ever own a restaurant I will put this rule into effect.

Despite having to wait, the dinner was good and I had a good time.

VK

A Brand New Day

No, this is not a reference to the hauntingly beautiful Celine Dion album of a few years ago. (Sarcasm entirely intended.) No, I am referring to the fact that I am over my Yankees and their wonderful choke-job. Next year will bring better things.

Tomorrow night is poker night. We are welcoming a new player so that should be interesting. IEX guy will be bringing cash and will be leaving it with me. The nights festivities are taking place at bengals place. No word on whether or not Mrs bengal and bengal, Jr will be there.

My folks are visiting. It is always good to see them and I am sure they enjoy their visits. Last night I think they were bored though. I was watching TV while they hung out. My mom played on the laptop and dad read a book. Ah, what the hell. They are retired.

Indian Assassin watched 24 episodes of Lost in 4 nights. That is a lot of Lost. However, as you all may recall, I did the same thing on my September vacation. Speaking of vacations, I am looking forward to my last vacation time of the year next week. I am off from 1130am on Oct 20 to Oct 31. I look forward to doing a whole lot of nothing. IA and I will be playing a lot of PS2 football and hockey.

Today, I have been reading peoples blogs. It is really interesting in the type of information people put out there about themselves. I am sure in many cases they use anonymous identities but I sure found some interesting sites. I also read about the new Apple video iPod. I will certainly have to buy one. It would be great to watch last nights TV on the bus on the way to work.

I am looking forward to going to see Domino this weekend. Keira Knightley is hot.

VK is done for now.

Oh the pain.

My beloved Yankees lost last night in a terrible fashion. Shoddy pitching by Mussina and bad fielding by Crosby cost the Yanks a trip to Chicago. I guess there is always next year. Biggest disappointment was A-Fraud. Terrible hitting. Too bad we can't get rid of him.

Back to my depression.

VK

New York Yankees

Tonight is game five of the ALDS and I am getting more nervous by the minute. In fact, I am off of work in 20 minutes and heading out to get some comfort food. That's right, Wendy's is offering the Bacon Mushroom melt again.

I will enjoy one of these and then settle in for a night of unbearable stress. Mussina was sharp last week. Are two games in a row too much to wish for? Of course, by 8pm I will be screaming at the TV and Marmie will be looking at me like I went insane. By 930, it will all be over and I will either be laying in bed crying myself to sleep or contemplating the Yanks staff against the ChiSox.

I guess the real thing that gets me through this whole ordeal is that the Red Sux are already shining up the clubs and the Yanks are playing.

Speaking of sleeping, I had a nightmare last night. Wanna hear what woke me up at 3am this morning. Here is what I heard in my dream, "New York starting centrefielder, Johnny Damon". George, say it ain't so.

VK

Happy Thanksgiving...

Another holiday is upon us. Last night I went to my good friends, The Stormin' Mormon's, house for Thanksgiving dinner. What a meal. There was turkey, potatoes, and all the fixin's. It was a great meal with great company. Too many highlights to mention.

The Yankees pulled it out of the hat last night. Tonight they play the final game of the series against Anaheim. I am a little nervous about this game since I left my lucky hat at the bosses house. I hope he brings it in today.

This weekend saw Indian assassin, The Professor, and myself head out to see the new Al Pacino movie, Two for the Money. It was pretty okay. An interesting story but I thought was a little too neatly tied up at the end. I wish that American movie studios would take some risks every once and a while. Oh well, what can you do. This weekend, the Indian assassin and I are heading out to see the new Keira Knightley movie. I hope it is as cool as it looks.

This weekend there was a terrible earthquake in Asia. I have seen reports that there have been 20000 killed and many more wounded by this. Where is the outcry for support and financial aid from the press? I have a theory and some may disagree with it and may even find it offensive but here it is: Pakistan is not somewhere North Americans or Europeans visit so there may be a feeling of "Oh well, not our problem." Plus, Pakistan is perceived as a nation of terrorist supporting crazies. The south Pacific tsunami hit a nerve since it affected places that we like to vacation at but who wants to visit the northern mountains of Pakistan? I feel that this disaster deserves the same amount of attention as the New Orleans flood but it never will. Its a shame that we treat one group of affected people differently than others. But you can do something about it, contact the Red Cross and make a donation.

VK

And sadness sweeps across America (and maybe Canada)

VK Asks:

If these two kids can't make it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

On the upside, there are rumors of a Britney Spears, uh, sex tape floating around. It is coming to a Kazaa site near you (pun sort of intended). Okay, maybe this is sad news too.

Life just keeps getting better...

First the Yankees win the East and then we are informed of this great bit of news (okay, maybe not great but good?). What does this mean? Yes, it's Cocaine Girl (see below) on the big screen. Good times!!

NFL Quick Thoughts Week 4

1 The Colts appear to be the best team in the NFL.

2 Eli Manning is starting to look like the QB the Giants wanted when they traded for him.

3 Gruden has to drive Caddilac less (and may be forced to with the hammy injury).

4 Skin's - no "O" but the defence is very impressive. Not sure about benching Arrington though.

5 The JP Losman experiment appears to be over, Holcombe should spark Buffalo offense.

6 Pat's first home loss in 3 years. End of the dynasty?

7 Nice to see the Saint's play well at "home".

8 LT, best player in the league?

9 Cincy let the Texans stay in the game for too long. Overconfidence? Yep!


And did I mention the Yankees won the AL East?

Good Times Are Here Again!

Baby Watch

Last night, Jennifer Garner of Alias fame let it slip that she was going to have a baby girl and this got me thinking about something that bothered me about famous people and their pregnancies. It seems the more famous the woman the less likely the baby is carried to full term. Now this is pure speculation on my part but the last few famous women who have announced that they are having babies and announced a due date have had the kids at least 2 weeks before the date previously announced. And the kids are usually smaller than normal babies. Can I back this up with solid statistics? No, but I certain of this point. Look at Britney's pregnancy. All the press reports said the baby was due late September, early October. Yet, baby Federline came sliding out on September 15th. Same with Julia Roberts (she maybe had an excuse because of twins). So why do these women possibly endanger their own children. I am convinced they are driven by an egomaniacal need to always look good. And let's face it, having kids can be bad for ones figure and flawless appearance. The fact that having babies before the due date is bad for the child probably escapes them. Besides, they are rich and famous, the kids will be fine. Now all of this is not to say that they will be bad parents. I don't agree with this at all. I am sure that the children will be loved just as much as another kid. Well, except for Britney. Anyone else think that this kid is just another fashion accessory to her. She and her husband have about 47 brain cells between the two of them. I give her 3 months and this kids will only ever see his nanny.

In other news, House is starting to become one of my favorite shows. And did anyone catch the season premiere of Lost? It was awesome.

Perogy Power is getting married this weekend. How exciting. I hope there is Ukrainian food at the reception. Hopefully I will have a photo to post next week. Good luck to Perogy and his lovely bride to be.

Yanks/Sox this weekend. I am stressed.

VK out!

NFL Quick Thoughts

Morning sports...

1 The Bengals are the real deal.

2 What has happened to the Indy offence? The D is carrying the team.

3 Flood or no flood, the Saints are sinking fast.

4 Griese looks like the QB Denver always thought he was.

5 Ronnie is looking like the future of the Miami running game.

6 I hate Steve Smith, he destroyed my fantasy team. And Jimmy Smith, huge catch against Jets.

7 Best running team in the NFL? The Falcons, no question

8 The Yankees won again. Has Bernie Williams played his last game in NY? I sure hope not.

More later.

VK

Angelina...

Brad and Angie are creating quite a stir down at the Mall. I guess people were not allowed to take pictures of the happy couple. If a person got caught they would be permanently banned from the mall. How does the mall enforce this? Do they use the surveillance crew from a Las Vegas casino? Maybe Big Ed Deline? Ridiculous. I firmly believe that celebrities should be entitled to their privacy when they are out in public. At least Canada is not as caught up in the Cult of Personality phenomena like the US.

In sports news, the Yankees have retaken first place in the east. I hope this continues but I am a little stressed about next weekend when the Yanks play the Sox. It could be a dogfight to the end.

TV premiere week got off to a good start. Las Vegas and CSI: Miami were great. Prison Break continues to shine. Arrested Development was as funny as ever and I also watched a show called Kitchen Confidential. I am not sure how long it will last but it was damn funny. SVU was okay and the premiere of NCIS was not that good. I found it a little weird.

Tonight I am going to go home and watch the first Lost episode of the season. I lent the DVD for season one to Thursday Morning QB and he has watched 16 eps in two days. Been there.

Finally, I would like to comment on the $400 being given to each Albertan by King Ralph. I don't agree with the payment as I feel it is shortsighted but I will certainly cash the cheque. Eastern Canadians are bitching and moaning about this. To them I say, "shut it". For years, Ontario and Quebec were the dominant provinces and they never wanted to share. Well, now that the shoe is on the other foot all we hear is "boo hoo". This windfall of oil money will not last forever but let Alberta enjoy its time in the limelight. The control of federal government will always be controlled Ontario and Quebec so we westerners will always play second fiddle.

VK

Thank Goodness

With all the hurricane and war worries, it is so good to see that Tyra Banks has her priorities in order. And I quote "I'm tired of this rumor. It's something that's followed me forever," the supermodel said Tuesday on "The Tyra Banks Show." I know I feel that the weight of the world has been lifted from my mind now that I know. What's next? Is she going to admit she doesn't have many brain cells?

Fall TV Preview

This is probably my favorite time of the year. NFL is back, baseball is coming down to the post season and the new TV season starts. Every year I invest my time into a series only to see it get axed by the network. Which of the following will be cancelled? Not sure but these shows are what I will be watching this fall (the new shows are bolded):

Sunday Night

Simpsons - duh
West Wing - Hopefully it continues to improve like the end of the last season. It has struggled.
Desperate Housewives - I liked the show at first but I found it became repetitive. I will try ti again for a while but I suspect I will tire of it.
Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Cool show and Chris Noth is coming back as Det Mike Logan.
Rome - See my previous posts.

Monday Night

Arrested Development - Funniest show on TV. If you have not seen it, watch it.
Prison Break - Love this new show, could be the new 24. See previous posts.
Las Vegas - See Vegas Sam, nuff said.
CSI: Miami - This is my favorite CSI. Caruso is the best overactor since Shatner.

Tuesday Night

Rescue Me - Great stories and good acting.
Over There - New Iraqi war show from Bochco (NYPD Blue). Violent but poignant.
Commander In Chief - This is new and I may only watch it once. It looks like it could be interesting.
House - I had never watched it until the season premiere this past week. I may have to watch this instead of Commander in Chief. It seems pretty good.
NCIS - I did not watch it last season but watched the summer re-runs. Good stories and a great dynamic between the leads keeps bring me back.
L&O: SVU - I have watched it for 6 seasons, can't stop now.

Wednesday Night

LOST - My favorite new show from last year. In fact, I watched the whole season again on DVD during my holiday. Ask me to lend the DVD to you, you won't regret it.
Invasion - I am sucker for Sci-fi so I will see. Threshold (on CBS) was better, see Friday night list for more on Threshold
Law & Order - Still entertaining after all these years.
E-Ring - Like Commander in Chief this show will get one viewing. I suspect that this show will be cancelled before Xmas.

Thursday Night

The OC - You all know how I fell about this show.
Alias - Last season was pretty good but I have concerns. Garner is knocked up and still a spy? WTF?
CSI - I am not the biggest fan of this show but I love Vegas. Gotta watch.
ER - This show pisses me off every season. It keeps getting worse and worse, yet I keep watching it. I guess I just hope it will get better someday. Unlikely, this will probably be the last year for it.
Night Stalker - This will likely be cancelled but I kind of like spooky shows.

Friday Night

Numb3rs - Like NCIS, I did not watch this last year but caught it during the summer. This is probably the smartest show on US network television.
Threshold - I watched the two hour series premiere on Friday night and it is excellent. Aliens, spooky story and a hot lead actress. I am not sure if the premise is sustainable over time. I would hate for this show become like V. Check it out.
Bernie Mac - Bernie Mac is hilarious and this show is pretty entertaining.

Saturday Night

Nothing except SNL. No Tina Fey for a while so no VK until she is back.


As you can see, I like my TV. Thank good for VCR's and PVR's. Let me know if there something you watch that is good and I am not watching it.

VK

NFL Quick Thoughts Pt2

1 Culpepper looked horrible.

2 Leftwich could be the toughest QB in the league

3 Houston could be the worst team in the AFC.

4 Cadillac is the real deal.

5 Harrington may have finally run out of time.

6 Brady finally showed he is human.


The afternoon games should be fun!

NFL Quick Thoughts

For the morning games...

1 I think I may have been wrong about Minny

2 The Colts D is waaay better

3 Peyton Manning is trying to hard

4 Maybe Big Ben is better than I gave him credit for.

5 Two weeks in and what team could be the best in the AFC? Bengals?

6 McNabb to Owens. Are they talking yet?

7 SF really stinks even though they won last week

More later

VK