I just watched…

The season premiere of Alias. HOLY COW! Now that's what I call a kick start to a season. So, did they really kill off Sydney's beloved? It surely wouldn't be the first time a death was faked on that show. I think virtually every character except Marshall has "died" at least once. But ya' know? There was a sense of finality to this one... he was after all shot approximately 117 times.

Tomorrow brings with it the release of Serenity. I seriously can't wait until I see it again. Run, don't walk to the nearest Cineplex and get the extra large popcorn… you're gonna' need it.

Damn if the TV networks managed to schedule more shows I wanted to watch at the same time than my current recordability situation allows. I have the ability to record two shows at once and watch a third recorded show, but what to do when there are three shows? Hah! I laugh at such a trivial problem. If I split my cable signal to connect one of my VCRs, I risk weakening the signal too much and all the reception could go to pot. So -- I simply disconnected my Internet access for the one hour I needed to record the third show. I got to watch everything and can go to bed happy.

Speaking of happy, Smallville's season premiere didn't suck either! That will be worth following as well.

As long as I am on the topic of TV, ABC's biggest-hyped new show "Invasion" only gets one more week to pull me in. The first two episodes were marginal at best. Can't put my finger on why -- maybe it's because CBS's "Threshold" is doing the Alien Invasion thing infinitely better, and it has Carla Gugino. Who? Silly, silly people (pic size <400kb).



I am going to go to bed and work on a crossword puzzle before I drift off to sleep.

Remember, there is always two sides...

— I got this from a friend, tis' humorous. For your consideration only, not my opinion —

Things I have learned from watching the news on TV during the last eight days:

• The hurricane only hit black families' property.
• New Orleans was devastated and no other city was affected by the hurricane.
• Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down.
• New Orleans has no white people.
• The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident.
• When you are hungry after a hurricane, steal a big screen TV.
• The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New Orleans. Now the city is welfare-free, has no looters and no gangs. They are in your city.
• White folks don't make good news stories.
• Don't give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, instead bitch because the government hasn't given you a debit card yet.
• Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts.
• Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give you money for being stupid.

— Dr. Ken Callis Department of Psychology • Southeast Missouri State University • Cape Girardeau, Missouri

One side of the story...

He sat in his easy chair with a book in one hand, a soda in the other, and a plate with a sandwich precariously perched on one knee. His faithful dog sat at his feet, quietly watching, secretly hoping for just one crumb. As the sandwich slowly disappeared, so too did the dog's wishes.

The TV was on, the game being one of the more boring of the season, and so he paid little attention to its doldrum existence. The only time it got his interest was during an occasional commercial, at which time he would glance over the top of his book, hoping to catch a glimpse of a beautiful girl advertising beer or shoes or clothes or cars or tampons or even the National Inquirer. Yes, Leonard liked women. But unfortunately for Leonard, women didn't reciprocate the feeling.

Not to say that Leonard didn't have his luck with women, there were a few encounters with the gentler sex. For instance, he remembered vividly the day when sweet Alice from down the street treated him to lunch; and to this day there hasn't been anyone in the world who could make a better peanut butter and jelly sandwich than Alice's mom. Then there was the time when he took Robin Metzger roller skating, and boy did he have fun. He still can recall the way she touched him as she pushed him into the wall every time he got near. Yeah, Leonard was at times quite a ladies man.

But even as he remembered these, Leonard still was haunted by the times Lady Luck, or any lady for that matter, stepped in and made his life miserable. Cindy Pullingame stood him up seven times in seven days. Marcia Wilson broke his nose when he asked her to accompany him to the movies. Then, not being satisfied with that, she broke his best friend's arm, and to this day, Joe hasn't regained full mobility. And the worst, the absolute worst date in recorded history, short of Delilah's hairstyling date with Samson, occurred when Carla Norris turned out to be Carl Norris. And to think he actually liked her… him.

These are the memories that will haunt Leonard until the day he dies.

Why is it that women love to treat Leonard so? Is it because of his looks? No, Leonard is actually quite handsome. Is it because of the fact that he's poor? No, Leonard can get just about anything he wants. Is Leonard a jerk? No, he is rather charismatic, in truth. But Leonard has one problem, and it is the driving force in his ongoing losing battle with women. Yes, Leonard likes Barney.

Leonard tries to move the arm of the G.I. Joe sitting on the table next to his chair, and the arm again falls off. Damn that Cindy Wilson! He's going to get her one day, just wait and see.

He bobbles the plate on his knee and for just a moment, the dog's hopes and dreams are about to become a reality, but Leonard is too fast, and he quickly recovers the sandwich. Leonard gives the dog an evil look, which causes the dog to cower. Leonard then smiles and tosses the remainder of his snack to his loyal companion. The sandwich never touches the floor.

"Mom, is it time yet?"

"Almost, dear."

"You won't forget, will you?"

"No, dear."

"Thanks, Mom."

Leonard continues to read his book, but his patience is starting to dwindle. He looks at the television, and his heart races when he sees the gorgeous woman selling his favorite product. "One day," he murmurs to himself, "One day just me and her are going to...MOM, IS IT TIME YET?"

"Yes, dear."

Leonard races to the television set with lightning speed, then remembers the remote control is on the table by his chair. He dashes back, flies into his seat, and changes the channel. "Good morning, boys and girls..."

Leonard quietly resolved to worry about his problems at another time. Maybe when he turned eight. Yeah, when he turned eight, he and that girl on TV were going to sit down and have some Trix together. He'll be older then, and she won't stand a chance.

A Time To Drool...

OK, well at least admire breathtakingly. Her name is Jen Hilton. She publishes new photoshoots weekly on her website.

A Time To Cry...

We looked around nervously. The small building at the head of the line might as well have been the gateway to hell, or maybe a dentist's office; I always get those two mixed up. As we stood there, a hundred of us, we checked and re‑checked the object over our faces. We tugged at the straps behind our ears for the fiftieth time, maybe even the fifty‑first. We couldn't risk a leak. We sealed our masks again and again, all the time hoping the person in charge wasn't ready until we were. I double checked my sleeves and made sure they were pulled down as far as they would go. They said it burned the skin and I believed them. Even though it was a cool day, the sun hidden by clouds, I was sweating. Then the drill sergeant gave the word, and the first ten men entered the tear gas chamber.

I waited patiently in line, my eyes never straying from the door. A small wisp of smoke floated out through some unseen crack in the building. It seemed like those men were in there for an eternity, even though in actuality it was only about a minute. The sergeant had explained to us that we were to exit the building from the other side, so what happened next did wonders for any amount of deluded self‑confidence I had built up. Vinnie Armstrong, one of the "tough guys" in the company, and also the loudest, came bursting out of what I had dubbed in my mind as the point of no return. "I can't breathe! I can't breathe!" Over and over again he screamed, tears streaming down his face. He was partially running, partially flying; or so it would have seemed by the way his arms vigorously flapped in the air. He ran up to some of the drill sergeants, who looked at him impassively, not really interested in his problems. The ninety of us were laughing rather jovially, although our protective masks were somewhat muffling the noise. However, We didn't laugh long. The other nine men come into view from the other side of the building, throwing reality right in our faces.

The men were coughing, with tears streaming down their anguished faces, their noses running profusely, their bodies doubled over as they staggered along the path away from us. Immediately, ours eyes locked back on the now infamous doorway as the next victims hesitantly shuffled inside. It wasn't fun anymore.

As I awaited my turn, I kept trying to convince myself that it wasn't going to be so bad. After about five minutes, most of the men had almost recovered. "I can handle this," I told myself several times. But when I lifted up my mask to get a quick breath of fresh air, I realized what had caused Vinnie Armstrong to temporarily lose all of his dignity. The scent in the air was faint, but it was enough for me to quickly re‑seal my mask. Stinging my nostrils, it was like sniffing pure alcohol combined with a week’s worth of dirty socks. The skin around my face and neck was slightly burning. At this point, I decided that maybe I should have gone to college instead. I moved up in the line.

Eventually, it was time. To this day, I don't remember any light penetrating the open doorway. The command was given, and all my life's wrongdoings were about to come back and haunt me. I took a step and asked God to forgive me for every time I hit my little brother. I took another step and begged forgiveness for the time I stole that candy bar. "Forgive Me!" was my unspoken cry as I entered into purgatory.

The room's only luminescence came from the light filtering in through semi‑painted windows, giving the room a burnt yellow tint. In the center of the room, a man wearing a protective mask was standing over a small table where a canister was spewing forth a horrendous fog of death. We stood in two lines, our protective masks serving as our rock of Gibraltar. Then the unknown soldier at the table told us to discard our masks. I was not having a good time. Immediately, the fumes attacked mercilessly, causing every neuron of my sinuses, every optical fiber, and every inch of exposed skin to scream as one. I was supposed to stand there until he asked my name, rank, and serial number, and I wasn't first. Hours passed until he asked me the question that offered salvation. I answered in one incoherent blurb and started to bolt for the door. There I was stopped and told to slow down. If it would have been possible to laugh, I would have. Instead, I waited for my captor to allow me my freedom.

Fresh air has to this day never been more welcome. Not being allowed to touch my face (this irritated the skin even more), I walked out, arms poised in front of me as I tried in vain to protect the cheeks that Aunt Louise loved to pinch. I coughed, cried, sneezed, and burned all at once for the next two days. When I had finally recovered, I was placed back into normal time by some unseen hand. Only several minutes had actually passed.

There hasn't been a time either before or since that seemed as grueling as my trip to the gas chamber. Even now, whenever I am asked to do some strenuous activity like moving a piano up three flights of stairs, I think back on those ten minutes and cheerfully grab a leg.

Last night...

I re-connected with an old friend I hadn't seen in over 10 years. So long in fact, I had never even met her 10-year old daughter and husband until last night. It was truly a lot of fun, and I feel fortunate to have her in my life again. She was the girl I used to talk to about... well... girls. Whenever I wanted a female perspective, she was the one I called. It is a shame we lost touch for so many years...

Hmm... I wonder if it was intentional and she now has to re-locate her family and change her number and get the restraining order and...

Nah.

And by the way Kristin, I believe the word you are looking for is Work.

Friday....

French for "Get me the Hell out of the office!"

Another hour and a half and I get two days off. Go team.

Review time...

My latest gig as a drummer is for a local production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Check out the link for the review... If you were thinking about seeing it, don't worry. The comment about the music balance was addressed by the 2nd night.

Last night's LOST was only 4 minutes long! Thanks ABC!

Not to worry...

Next year, when Season Two of LOST is released on DVD, it will be cheap. Why? Because it will fit on one frickin' disc!!!!! COMMERCIALS, COMMERCIALS, COMMERCIALS!!!

FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING HOLY!!!!!

I am as big a fan of ABC's LOST as the next guy, but I swear to the Powers That Be there is actually more airtime devoted to commercials than the friggin' show!!!!!! JEEZY CHREEZY!!!!

Uh Oh...

I work at the help desk for a large company... got here this morning, and the phones were dead. Can't wait to see how THIS is going to play out...

Other than that, just another Wednesday... French for "The weekend is still too far away."

How does it work?

OK, I give up. I am apparently missing a piece of the puzzle – at times I feel like Ralph Hinkley in the Greatest American Hero... yeah, this analogy will work just fine.

For me, that show was one of the best of my childhood. I recently saw the entire first season on DVD, and as an adult I can see the "cheez" factor (so much so you need to spell cheese with a "z"), but I saw something I hadn't seen before – a parallel between Ralph and myself. When Ralph put the suit on, he was imbued with amazing abilities, the whole superhero shtick. But damn if he didn't lose the instruction manual... twice. All those incredible powers, but with just a few grasps as to how he was supposed to use it.

Now I am not proclaiming to have any super powers, but I have been told – by more than one person, and some even of the opposite sex – that I am a great guy. This isn't bravado, this is an epiphany – so go with it and don't ruin the moment... I apparently possess a lot of the traits which are considered very desirable in a boyfriend/husband. But apparently I lost the instruction manual, because I am not making a whole lot of progress toward that goal. See the Ralph Hinkley comparison now? I even used to have the hair!

Now I laid this out once before in an earlier post, and I am not going to make a habit out of self abasement. But let it be known I am continuing to look for the manual. If you have seen it, email me with a copy... any format will do, I am a computer guy.

I saw Flightplan this evening... WOW! It was intense. Well done storytelling, for me a little reminiscent of Blood Simple by the Coen Brothers, still one of the best mysteries I ever saw. Please be careful when reading reviews of Flightplan, as it would be very easy to give up some spoilers, even ones that are unintentional. Suffice it to say, if you have enough money for only two movies the rest of the year, consider this one of them. If you only have enough for one... it's gotta' be Serenity. Only 11 days until it's official release!

To all who continue to read my take on the world, thanks. For those new to the experience... What took you so long? And thanks to you too. Leave your comments, as they make it more fun. I promise not to delete anything that is expressed thoughtfully and eloquently.

Monday

New week, new outlook. One of my side gigs is as a spokesman for Sacticket, the online media division of the Sacramento Bee. I host movie screenings and such under the name "Bam Bam". Tonight's screening is for FlightPlan, the new Jodie Foster pic. I will post my review.

The babe pics over the past couple of weeks have emphasized the face, because that is what I am most attracted to. But let's not kid ourselves, the whole package is sometimes unbelievable. This week I present Nikki Cox, most recently of Las Vegas on NBC. (Notice: large download, ±900KB)

Another Saturday night...

I just got home after performing the opening weekend of Hedwig. This show is really well done. For all intents and purposes it is a one man show, and Kevin Leonard does a really good job of carrying the show. Gotta say, us musicians don't suck... 11 songs in a little over 2 weeks (with no sheet music)? That's pretty good.

I have been performing for over 30 years in one capacity or another, and my parents and my best friend Ken have been my staunchest supporters. The rest of the family has seen the occasional show, with some Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins seeing even fewer. My other friends are just not into theater, so with the exception of an amazing... AMAZING evening in July when I filled 15-20 seats with friends and family they continue to be the silent supporters. My friend Ken, who admittedly isn't into theater, much less Musical theater (he has always been into film, and there is no zoom lens on the stage) has seen probably 75-80% of the work I have done over the years simply because he wanted to support me. That's awesome.

The conclusion I get from this is I perform simply because I love it. I don't do it to impress my friends and family, I do it because there is a true sense of accomplishment when you play that piece just right or sing exactly the right note or make the audience cry with the delivery of a line. That is a natural high. You can truly feel the energy between you and the audience when you have captivated them and they are glued to every aspect of what you are doing.

When making a movie you lose that, but there is a different high. It is the high of the anticipation of the finished product. You have to be truly "in the moment" on film, because you work out of sequence and if you aren't "there," it will ruin the continuity of what you are trying to accomplish.

Though I am feeling better, I thought I would close with a picture taken of me long ago which pretty much sums up how this week has left me feeling:

One for the record books...

That is my summation of this week. I just awoke from my fifth night in a row of rather insufficient sleep (something I normally don't suffer from) and it's 30 minutes before my alarm clock even goes off.

What do you do when someone close to you, someone who you have known longer than you haven't known them, decides they don't want you around anymore? Regardless of the reasoning, or lack thereof, it hurts a lot. The weird thing is, you have to adjust to not having that person in your life. On an intellectual and emotional level, I see it as re-training not unlike the physical training an amputee must go through.

There are routines in your life that have involved this person in one capacity or another for years and that have become second nature. An email about this, a phone call about that, the getting together to experience the other – all things you now have to say to yourself, "nope, gotta' find someone else". Now, given our society's 50% divorce rate, it is very obvious I am not the first to have to deal with something like this. But there are differences: 1) I wasn't married, 2) the other person hasn't died, 3) the decision to terminate the relationship wasn't mutual, and 4) the whole thing goes against "guy structure".

The "guy structure"? Yep. You see, it is a well known fact guys process things differently than women. Men drive a lot more from a position of intellect (or lack thereof in a lot of cases) first and emotion second and women are driven by emotion first and intellect (which is considerable in some cases) second. This is why for the most part two guys can have a huge fight, punch each other out, then find themselves laughing about it an hour later over a beer. It is very rare that we allow our emotions to guide our actions to such an extreme as to terminate a friendship. We just aren't built that way, and I have 40 years and plenty of buddies I can present as proof. The oddity here is until now, I would have also held this friendship up as proof as well. We have our share of arguments over the years, and a ton of them have been about things so trivial I honestly and truly can't remember what they were about, because once we had made up and put it behind us, it was no longer important. That's "guy structure". Of course there are extremes, and I am sure we can find examples where this isn't the case - where the fight or argument reached the point where there is no laughing and beer on the other side. But honestly, to all the male readers, how often does this happen?

I am not being sexist about this, but it is true. A friend of mine pointed out to me (and he comes from a position of dealing with his wife) that an argument from a guy's perspective is simple because it is about who is wrong and who is right. An argument from a woman's perspective is about how upset she is over the other person's wrongdoing.

So, here's where I stand – This has been a shitty week, but in that week I also had my first movie released nationally (and soon internationally), I open a show tonight that has some killer music that's going to be a lot of fun to perform for an audience, I have good friends and a loving family who stand by me always, I am not living on the street, the NFL season has started, and the fall TV schedule has enough shows worth watching that my DVR will be working overtime.
And finally, there are beautiful women in the world and we get to see them:

Blue...

That is me. Things have been just crappy this week, and I decided to do some editing with regard to some items on this site. No I wasn't hacked or forced to make any changes – it was something I did on my own.

I am processing a lot of information right now and I will post again when I have it sorted out.

NOW AVAILABLE ON VHS & DVD...

Fugitive Hunter... Yeah! Check it out and let me know what you think! Bring on the comments, good and bad.

If you don't know what I am talking about, you obviously haven't been reading this thing.

Have a great Tuesday.

Tuesday... French for "the day that new movies are released on DVD."

Good news...

I am a HUGE fan of Sin City, but when I heard the DVD had no special features, I resolved to wait before buying it. The good news is information on the "Special Edition" DVD, including release date and the included features, can be found here.

Monday... French for "crappy day which leaves a taste in your mouth not unlike that of a week's worth of dirty socks"...

Sunday stuff...

It's been a lazy Sunday. I woke up at 4:45am -- wide awake. I managed to get back to bed an hour later and got a few more hours of sleep. I woke up in time for the FOX NFL pre-show, NFL season premiere. Top it off with a week one win for the Redskins. Yeah!

Agassi lost in the US Open final... crap! But it was a heck of a tournament for him. I mean if you are gonna lose, lose to the best... Federer was a frickin' robot!

This week's beautiful lady is a model named Jennifer Korbin. Enjoy!

Interesting...

As those who have been following this know, I have my opinions, but rarely get political. My brother on the other hand... now that's a different story.

There is a very interesting article on his blog that I almost added to mine. He sent it to me originally in an email, and it was a little too long to post, so I am glad he did. It is really informative. You can find it here. Seriously... check it out.

Ohh... this email just arrived – cool! (edited for content)

Dear Fugitive Hunter Principals,

This is Larry (Producer) with some updated information that you may appreciate or that you may want to pass on to the folks you've been talking to about Fugitive Hunter--especially those in the Sacramento area.

CELEBRATION AND AUTOGRAPHS
Details
are not refined yet and notice is short, but I hope you can all make it to a DVD Release Celebration and Autograph signing upstairs at the PYRAMID ALEHOUSE
on SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 18 from 1:30 to 5:30 (or 6:00 or until the restaurant &
bar closes downstairs). I'm sure many of your fans will want to bring their copies of Fugitive Hunter for you to autograph. Among the details to be finalized Monday, is whether or not I'll be able to have several copies of the dvd on hand at near to resale prices for those who haven't yet purchased the movie.

TELEVISION NEWS
Following up on his earlier (2003)
interview with Wayne and RF, Jonathan Mumm interviewed John and me for this week's "Postcard" on Channel 10. It aired Friday evening and is scheduled to air again during the Sunday evening news cast and Monday's mid-day broadcast. I'd just as soon not mention it, but some of you may want to know about it.

John Jimenez produced a 30 minute program entitled "My Dinner With Audrey" that's scheduled to air at 5:30 on Saturday the seventeenth. I've been told it includes a reference to Fugitive Hunter and was well-received at an advanced screening.

MY SATURDAY SCOUTING REPORT
I spent quite a bit of time today scouting the Sacramento landscape to see what I could learn about Fugitive Hunter's release to the public this Tuesday. What I
found wasn't particularly heartening, so I encourage you and "your people" to
check before making an instore purchase:

Retail
Best Buy has received its shipment and will have them available. The Arden store will have 4 copies and the other stores will have 2. Folsom will not be carring it.

Circuit City, Good Guys, Target, WalMart, and Tower will not carry it; nor will Sun Coast, but they were quick to say they could order it. Unless they've reconsidered after I spoke with them, Dimples will not be carrying it.

Rental
Blockbuster has not received it and does not have it on order. Hollywood Video has received it and will have it available Tuesday. I only checked the one near me on Greenback Lance, but it was being checked in as I arrived and I got to see and touch the 2 display cases--yeah, a little corny. The employee was enthusiastic.

It is also available from Netflix.

Online
I am sure it will continue to be available at Amazon, and I noticed today that DeepDiscountDVD price ($16.72) was not advertised as a presale price, so I guess we'll find out Tuesday whether that's a presale or permanent price.

My impression is that after the first quarter or so, Lions Gate will discount it or pass it off to a discounter and that's when it might actually show up in discount stores like Target and WalMart. That's something new to learn, so we'll see how that goes as time goes on.

Larry Sherman

How cool is this...

Ok, well for me at least this is very cool. I just left my local Hollywood Video where I was picking up some soft porn...err Disney films and I decided to ask the clerk if they were going to be receiving this film called Fugitive Hunter on September 13th. I am thinking she is going to check a computer or a book, but she walks over to this file cabinet and opens up this huge drawer and starts scanning the mass quantities of DVDs inside. She pauses and says "Yep."

I can't believe it... it was right there. "Can I see it? I promise I will give it right back." She relents and I got to finally hold a copy of the DVD with my first film role. Only 3 days left -- pick one up and tell everyone "I know that guy!"

My name didn't make the credit list on the DVD packaging... oh well. To John Jimenez I say Congratulations! I know this means far more to you than me and it has been a long time coming!

Side note -- One of the people I am now working with, Matt, used to work with me way back in the day (about 6 or 7 years ago) and we have been getting re-acquainted. I got the opportunity to go to his house and play some Texas Hold 'Em. One of the other players there was his Dad Guy, who showed up with these small publicity handouts. Turns out his wife works with the producer of this local film opening next week called "Fugitive Hunter". It took us about 5 minutes to convince Matt this wasn't some practical joke, and Guy was equally stunned that I was in the movie. Also, Matt had just shown the trailer of the movie to one of his other guests!

To keep the surrealism of the night theme going, another old co-worker George was there. I hadn't seen him in since I had left New Horizons. We started chatting and I mentioned working for the Legislative Data Center, to which George replies "My Dad works there." Now, there are more than a few hundred employees working there, so I am completely stunned when he tells me his dad is Ruel Jones! Yep, I worked there right next to him, and we had lunch together more than once. Tremendously nice guy!

I am thinking about playing the lottery today.

I'm sorry...

But I had to turn on the Word Verification setting on this site. I was getting annoying SPAM Comments.

I still want your feedback, that's part of the fun of this thing, and you can still post anonymously, though I hope you at least drop a name. But now when you add a comment you will have to type in the word displayed on the bottom of the window first to ensure the comment isn't being automatically generated by a script somewhere.

Thanks for understanding.

Quote of the Day...

Incompetent people can hurt themselves with a rubber mallet in a sandbox, given enough opportunity to explore their options...

If you know who wrote this, chime in! Friggin' Hysterical!

All I can say is...

HOLY COW!!! Serenity, the new Joss Whedon film based on his short-lived but beloved TV series "Firefly" is one of the best films of the year! I just got home from a sneak preview, and it was truly astounding! What a great piece of storytelling. I will see this at least twice more in the theaters. It officially opens September 30. I want to see it again tomorrow.

If you haven't seen all 14 episodes of Firefly, you really should before watching the movie. The movie is a continuation of that story. You can get Firefly on Netflix or Amazon, or the best price I ever found, DeepDiscount DVD. Thanks to John and Kelly for introducing me to that site!

In Honor...

...of this weekend's kickoff of the NFL season, I present a joke from my sister, who more often than not helps prove that the women in my family have no sense of humor. So this is a rarity, and though not side-splitting, it should bring at least a chuckle.

Blonde at a football game–

A guy took his blonde girl friend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience."Oh, I really liked it," she replied, "especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents."

Dumbfounded, her date asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I saw them flip a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback!' HeLLLLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's only 25cents!"

So...

Almost forgot to post my weekly babe. This week I present Marisol Nichols, most notably seen as Audrey in Vegas Vacation. I love this pic.

Perspective

I just read a report stating that the number of victims from Katrina could reach 10,000. That is over three times as many people as were killed on 9-11. I remember how we as a nation rallied to help and support those who needed it, and we did it with pride. Just because this was caused by Mother Nature and not some self-righteous zealots does not make this any less tragic. Please, do what you can to offer aid, if not physical then economical, and don't let yourself forget.

**********

Happy Labor Day America! Why does that sound like we just gave birth? Now I am as patriotic as the next guy– well with the possible exception of my brother who I believe actually cleans his guns with star spangled cleaning rags – and Lord knows I enjoy a paid day off as much as anyone else, but do we really need a day off to honor the fact that we work for a living? And, are those who are unemployed not allowed to celebrate (sort of like Jehovah's Witnesses and Christmas)? What would you do to not celebrate a day off, work? Interesting that the only two things I can say about the Presidency of Grover Cleveland is that he was the only President to serve two terms non-consecutively and that he allowed the labor unions to create this holiday.

I am off to celebrate in true fashion – by doing my laundry.

Troubling times...

Can you believe it only took people a day to register phony domains and setup websites for supposed aid to Hurricane Katrina victims just to make a buck? Anyone who knows me will attest I am not one for losing my cool (most of the thanks for that goes to my good friend Jeff – a story I might elaborate on one day), but few things piss me off more than a bully. If I hear about someone beating a child, a wife, or in any way abusing someone weaker than themselves, I go nuts. Though not physical, this "charitable donation" scam hurts not only good people who don't know any better but are trying honestly to help, but it also hurts the victims of this disaster who can't help themselves. That's called being a bully. I find it hard to believe that there are people who are so callous and self serving that they have no sense of human compassion whatsoever! Immediately following the 9-11 disaster, there were walking rectums auctioning off parts of the World Trade Center on EBay. How can anyone look at the footage from either of these disasters and think "Now HERE'S an opportunity to make a buck for myself!" I would love nothing more than to catch these kind of people alone in a dark alley. I think John Carpenter and Nick Castle had it right in "Escape from New York". By the way, I am not in any way suggesting we convert New York City into a prison. If we are going to do it, I think we should pick a city no one really cares about – like Redding.

I don't wish for for these idiots to get caught and put in prison. Why? Because then they get off. That's right. For the next 3 to 5 to 20 to life to however many years they get, we as tax payers get to completely support them! We pay for their room and board, utilities, clothes, laundry, gym membership fees, cable television and internet access, not to mention their medical, dental, optical, and psychological benefits! You want to put this into perspective? Consider this: Right now Charles Manson has better health insurance than me. Saddam Hussein has better health insurance than me. John Allen Muhammad and John Lee Malvo (the DC Snipers) have better health insurance than me. You want to know if I believe in Capital Punishment? Do I need to say more?

The eye for an eye approach is the way to go here. Intentionaly kill someone in cold blood, we kill you. An eighty five cent bullet versus the cost of guarding one prisoner. Do you realize that person who right now is standing at the intersection down the street holding up a cardboard sign saying "I can't make my life work – give me money – God Bless You" could end his suffering by picking up a rock and smashing someone in the head then sitting down and waiting for the cops to arrive? What fear of repercussion? He's gonna get a roof, warm bed, and 3 meals a day. He couldn't afford to go out anyway, so a prison yard is as good a place as any to hang out, and then HE gets better medical benefits than me. (Note to self: pick up rock after you finish here...)

I do believe we should pick a spot on this earth, quarantine it, and dump our human refuse there. Let them survive or die on their own, and the results should be well televised. You want Reality TV? Survivor – for real. Pull no punches and see if that doesn't start to scare some people straight. I am not completely heartless; there should be basic tools for farming, seeds for planting fruit and vegetables, a water supply, and livestock. Oh... and a library with books on how make it all work.

I am not one to stand on a soapbox about political or social issues. I believe there are enough people willing to share their beliefs and convictions in a public forum (whether I agree with them or not) that I am normally content to sit back and let these people speak their minds. As a performer I get my attention from entertaining others – providing escapism. So I apologize for my ranting. You want ranting? Check out my brother's blog.

A joke to close with: What do you get when you have two little green balls in your hand? Kermit's undivided attention.

Thursday evening

It's Ladies' Night! All over town women are getting half price on drinks and I am looking better by the Pint! Yeah... and I am home watching Celebrity Poker Showdown on Bravo. Guess I missed one...

The new job is nice, and very busy. I am trying to get used to working 9 to 6 – hours I haven't worked in a long time. It's not too bad, I am not the best morning person anyway... doesn't matter how many years I have been working 8 to 5, and it doesn't matter how much or little sleep I get – Before 10am I just feel... well... Bleah.

I will add another sample of my writing this weekend. I was going to just add one of the character backgrounds from the RPG campaign I created, but they are pretty long. However, if you are interested, let me know and I will start putting them up... maybe as attached Word documents.