That's My B

2011 College Football Season

2011-09-25T20:05:00.003-05:00

We are in a brand new college football season and like any other season there are three teams I follow closer than others. The University of Alabama which looks to be on the path of another excellent season and how they do in certain games will determine National Championship caliber team or just another good season. The University of Alabama at Birmingham is my alma mater and they look to be heading to a bad to mediocre season. The last team is the University of Memphis and unless something drastically changes they are going to have another disastrous season.

Alabama has beaten to bad teams, one mediocre team in Penn St and this past weekend the badly beat the first team that might have been a challenge for them Arkansas. I watched Most of the Penn St game and all of the Arkansas game, and I have been very impressed with what I have seen. Next week is another challenge in Florida. If they get by Florida, they should handle the rest of their games, with LSU and Auburn being the biggest games left on the schedule. They have an incredible defense again and if they can score enough points they will be in the running again. Two years ago they won all the close game and last year they lost a few of them. Last year's season would have been good for most teams but a bit disappointing for Alabama.

The UAB Blazers have been blown out two games and lost a close game to East Carolina. Looking at the schedule, they appear to be better than Memphis and Florida Atlantic, but outside of the it is a stretch to say they will beat any other teams. I do not get to watch UAB up here very much but I follow them as closely as I can, and this year we are going to the Memphis game here in town. In the past few years UAB has been flirting with getting enough wins to make a lower tier bowl, but usually comes up short. Considering they are currently 0-3 I think winning 5 or 6 games would be a successful season. I would love them to get the point where they can win 8 plus games a year.

The last team I tend to follow is Memphis. I have a closer connection to Alabama and UAB, but I live in Memphis and there are a lot of people I know that live and die with the team. Even for a team that has not a huge football tradition the past couple of seasons have been hard for Memphis. Outside of beating Middle Tennessee State and Austin Peay Memphis has lost all of their games and have been beaten badly in most of those games. This year they have another game versus Middle Tennessee but other than that based on what Memphis has done so far the rest of the season looks bleak. So far this year Memphis has scored 44 (27 of those against Austin Peay) and had 154 points scored against them. You are not going to have a good season with that kind of ratio. Since I have lived in Memphis most seasons go like this, early in the season the fans are saying that year will be different, but after a few weeks of disappointing losses or more recently getting blown out, the thoughts of most Tigers fans turn to basketball very quickly. Like UAB fans I think most Memphis fans would like to see consistency out of their football team. Outside of a few good seasons when DeAngelo Williams was here Memphis football has been mediocre to bad. The future does not look good but with some commitment and money from the school and winning a few games to attract some fans back, there is a way to make Memphis a success in football.

2011 Cooper Young Festival

2011-09-18T13:56:00.004-05:00

Dabney and I had a long day at the Cooper Young Festival this year. Running Gag got a booth so we could market the group and possibly recruit some new members. Dabney and I got there about 6:30 and it took about ten minutes to get through all the traffic of other people setting up. Our space was in the parking lot of the Beauty Shop restaurant. It did not take long to set up the table and tent. We had stickers and cups to give away plus a sign up sheets to get email addresses. After that was probably the hardest part of the day. It was still a couple of more hours until people starting showing up, so we were just kind of stuck there waiting. They festival opened at 9 and people starting trickling in. At first it was mostly the other vendors tricking out what else was there and then other people starting coming in as well. At first we just had the cups and stickers and I think we made it a little too easy to overlook our booth. I had Amanda run me home when she got there and we added some items and made our booth more eye catching and it looked like this.

This gave the booth a little more zip and having the other Running Gag people provided some more energy. Once the other people got there Dabney and I walked around some and got something to eat. I find it interesting that is a lot vendors that works the festival every year. We bought a couple of things, got some food, and returned to the booth. Some of the other Memphis improvers came by and said hi. There was also other people that we knew that came by. Overall we also saw the wide variety of people that you see every year at the festival. This one young girl came by and kept playing that game where you stack cups and unstack them as fast as you can. She kept doing the same thing over and over. Then she had a friend and they were racing each other as to who could stack and unstack the cups faster. I was getting to the point where I was trying to figure out a nice way to tell her to move along, but she got bored and moved on. Maybe because of the obnoxious orange color or that I hate UT so much but it seems like I saw a lot of people wearing University of Tennessee gear. By 2:00 it had already been a long day, so soon after that Dabney and I left. Dustin, Amanda, and our new member Mike took over running the booth and tore it down at the end of the day. I think it was a very successful day, we got a lot of names and hopefully we have the start of the next phase of Running Gag.

Chicago Trip: Mass Transit

2011-09-15T20:15:00.002-05:00

One of the great things about being in a city like Chicago is that have real mass transit, where you can easily hail a cab, grab a bus or train. You can easily get around a city without a car. When we were in Chicago Jana got us CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) pass. We took a train back from the improv show and the next day we took a bus to the lunch. Unlike Memphis there was a cross section of people using it. In Memphis people use mass transit because they have no other option, but the mass transit sucks and people have to work around it. In big cities mass transit is a viable option because there are multiple ways of getting around without using a car. Some of it is simple mathematics you have a lot of people crammed into a relatively small amount of space. If those people are living in high rise apartments that can make parking very difficult and expensive. I am envious of cities that have real mass transit and being able to use it without it being a giant pain in the ass like it is Memphis. I understand there are certain things that make mass transit in Memphis difficult, but I think it could be better than it is.

Chicago Trip: Sirius Radio

2011-09-14T20:45:00.002-05:00

One of the problems we had when we traveled to Florida was with the Sirius radio was we kept having to change the channel because as we traveled stations kept bleeding and made it very frustrating. It seems like every time we got a channel set it would not last long. So before we left for Chicago I checked to see if there was a way to get a more consistent single. Best Buy said they could said they could set up so that it would be on one channel only and it would be wired directly into the radio and not wirelessly through an open channel. I felt it was worth not to deal with consistently trying to find an open station. We did it and when we were traveling there was no problems with the radio, there was a strong and clear single the whole way.

With that taken care of the only issue was what station to listen to. Dabney really likes the 80s station, that features all 80s music and has the original M TV VJs as the hosts. The play a wide variety of genres with pop, rock, metal, rap, R&B all from 80s. They tend to play the hit music instead of more obscure songs. You could get Madonna, Springsteen, The Police, Prince, Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, etc. The station I like is similar but has a little different spin on things. First Wave plays alternative and new wave music from the 70s and 80s. The went with genre of time period so you get a mix of hits and more obscure tracks. Between the two stations there is a lot of crossover but I think think there are specifics of the stations that each of us prefer. So we took turns of playing of our stations and I think it worked out well.

Improv Olympics

2011-09-13T20:27:00.003-05:00

One of the conditions of going to Chicago was seeing some improv. The first choice was IO or Second City and we chose IO. The second choice was an improvised Shakespeare show or long form show featuring two teams, Wonderba t and Revolver. We chose the long the form show. After we ate dinner with Dabney's friend Jana, we met Alison and Josh who got us seats right by the stage. After a bit of a wait the show started.

The first group up was Wonderbat, and the performed an open long form set similar to what we have been doing with Running Gag. They had good energy and they did a really good job of letting scenes develop. They had strong characters and made strong offers. The main part of their set was based on Halloween. Some parts worked better than others but overall I really liked what they did.

After Wonderbat finished both groups got on a stage and did the game A Day in the Life, where they take an audience member ask what they did and perform what was described. I have seen this preformed before but the IO guys did it a little differently. I was the volunteer and after I described the day of going from Memphis to Chicago they asked questions about my life, Memphis, and other information. I talked about Memphis, my life with Dabney, and some other things. Based on the information they gathered they did a series of open scenes based on it. It is in a sense it was kind of like the Wiseguys Storyteller format. Although I did not perform being able to get on stage and being involved with the show was very excited. They did a really excellent job of what I told them, and they worked in specifics of the information.

After A Day in a Life it was Revolver's turn. They performed A Harold which is a long form format that started at Improv Olympics. You perform a series of scenes and and periodically come back to them. I guess it must be an IO thing, they start with a group where they all perform together and develop an idea from there it breaks down into the scenes. They started off where one guy is a robot and a lot of their scenes were based on the root of robots. Of the two groups I preferred Revolver they were a little bit sharper and the performers were a little more polished. They were very comfortable with each other. After Revolver performed both groups came back out and performed a game of Freeze Tag. It was a good game to end things.

I was very excited to see improv in Chicago. I was more encouraged by what I saw than intimidated. I felt like the things I saw there were things I could do with Running Gag. I picked up a couple of things that we can try, and I was encouraged by the idea of Running Gag doing long form over short form Who's Line style.

Chicago Trip: Lambert's

2011-09-12T20:31:00.003-05:00

On the first entry about the trip to Chicago, I want to talk about eating at Lambert's in Missouri. Lambert's is a country cooking restaurant about 2 hours north of Memphis on the way to Chicago. I have heard about the place for a long time, but have never gone there before. Dabney and I decided to eat there as part of the trip. Dabney said she ate there before but it had been a while ago. We got there about 11:30 and the place was already packed. We were seated and somebody came by and offered some fried okra even though we had no dishes or anything. The way Lambert's works is in addition to huge servings they have these homemade rolls they famously throw to people, sometimes across the room. They also walk around with pots of fried okra, fried potatoes, black eyed peas, and couple of other dishes. We looked at the menu and it was mostly fried foods, but they also had meatloaf, steak, and other hearty dishes. Dabney and I ordered and while we were waiting one of the guys threw a roll at me. I caught it and realized how hot it was. We split the roll and it was pretty tasty. About that time our plates arrived and they were large plates covered with food. While we were eating they were walking around offering more of the sides. When you talk Europeans about America one of the things they tend to talk about is how much Americans eat and how their serving sizes are so huge. It was a mind boggling amount of food for a restaurant that was not a buffet. We both left with to go plates because there was no way we were going to eat all that food. We left Lambert's a lot more full than we arrived and continued on to Chicago.

Looptacular

2011-09-07T22:41:00.002-05:00

Looptacular

This is something I found on The Nerdist site the other day. A girl named Josie Carlwood uses a guitar, keyboards, and a computer to create a cover of the Gorillaz sound Feel Good Inc. I am sure people do stuff like this all the time, but to see someone do this life and in person. The way she is all the tools to create the Gorillaz sound by herself is so awesome to see. One big difference is that is a rap section that is more aggressive in the original, but Josie is able to keep it in her style but it still sounds good. I think it is fun and exciting. I am very impressed by all the trial and error that must go into learning how to use all these tools together to make something.

Three Day Work Week

2011-09-05T21:42:00.002-05:00

I have a three day work week this week. Monday was Labor Day, Dabney and I spent the day chilling, watching movies, and just enjoyed being together. I have to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Then Friday Dabney and I are heading to Chicago for Dabney's Math get together. Dabney and I had an excellent day today. Hopefully we will have a good but short week starting to tomorrow, followed by a trip to Lambert's followed by heading North to Chicago.

Commitment

2011-09-04T17:16:00.002-05:00

I have been working on eating better and making a commitment to changing the physical aspect of myself. I have been doing this for a couple of months, and it has not always been easy. It has not been difficult in the obvious way though. I have not been tempted by eating unhealthy food or things I shouldn't. It has been the energy it takes to do this. I am not good at doing things half way, I need to be all in or not all. I guess that is why I have problems with follow through because I know the energy it takes to do something properly. In the case of losing weight and eating better I know it is a long term project and it happens a little bit a time. There is a lot of waiting and being patient enough to take it one step at time. I want this to happen faster but it simply can not happen faster. Your logical brain can say it did not take a few weeks to get this way, so it will not take a few weeks or months to fix it. It can be very, very hard to accept these terms. You want to be smaller, you want to be able to wear different clothes, and it can be a very frustrating process. I just have to be happy with the progress I have made, I have to remember that each step gets me a little bit closer to my ultimate goal. It just takes a lot of energy to do this, and my brain keeps thinking about this. It makes difficult to start other major projects when this is my current major project. I am going to work on multi-tasking and making this is one of the things I am working on.

Low Country Boil

2011-09-03T21:26:00.002-05:00

Rusty McSpadden had us all over a Low Country Boil. It involves a large pot of water with shrimp, crab, sausage, corn, and potatoes. I have never had this but I have been to plenty crawfish boils which is basically the same thing with mudbugs instead of shrimp & crab. The whole gang was there and everyone seemed to have a good time. As usual there was ton of other food there. When you have that big group shared food thing, there is a fun communal aspect to it.

Sekisui and Atan's

2011-09-02T20:54:00.002-05:00

I have been eating more sushi lately. There are two places that we have been getting sushi from. Atan's was originally a Chinese restaurant but they bought the space next door, and expanded adding a hibachi grill and sushi bar. Dabney does not eat sushi, but there are things that she can order from there. The sushi is not quite as good as Sekisui but it is a good compromise. Speaking of Sekisui they are the number one sushi place in Memphis with several locations. They have my favorite sushi roll. It is called a Nasville roll. They take a roll with spicy crawfish inside and seared tuna on top. The nice thing about Sekisui they have a full sushi menu, but they have a full Japanese menu and wide variety of small dishes to choose from as well. There is a variety of options that are not sushi. It is a little expensive, but the food is really good. I have enjoyed eating more sushi, and like the fact that both places have options for Dabney.

Spinach & Bean Tacos

2011-09-01T22:13:00.002-05:00

I had a kind of strange leftover dinner tonight. Dabney had a girl's night out with Stacy so I was on my own. I started off cooking some onion and mushrooms. I added some leftover spinach that had onions and mushrooms in it. After all that heated up some I added some leftover chicken and some fresh spinach we had. When the spinach cooked down, I added a can of red beans. So I had this kind spinach & bean Mexican mix. I put that on some flour tortillas with salsa and cheese. It was very tasty and I enjoyed it very much. I was tempted to go somewhere and grab a quick bite but I came home and made myself dinner. I was almost wooed by Central BBQ and of course the one time I decide not to eat there, no people were waiting in a long line coming out the door.

Improv Choice

2011-08-31T20:26:00.003-05:00

When Dabney and I go to Chicago we are going to go to Improv Olympics and catch a live improv comedy show. They have two theaters and in one theater is a group called Revolver who will be performing a Harold, which is a style of long form improv. I have never really seen a true long form like that performed. As someone who does improv it would be very interesting. IO is where The Harold started. In the other theater is something Improvised Shakespeare. The group will take a suggestion and then come with a play in the style of Shakespeare. This would be fun to see because it is a performance based on a specific style and format. I am still thinking about which one I am going to do, but I have a couple of weeks to think about it.

Awesome Nerdist Show

2011-08-30T21:08:00.002-05:00

Bryan Cranston on Nerdist

Bryan Cranston from Malcolm in the Middle and Breaking Bad did The Nerdist podcast recently and it was amazing. I was not a big Malcolm fan but Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows. I had listened to the long form interview Bryan had on the Kevin Pollak Chat Show, so I knew he was an interesting person to listen to talk about acting and life in general. The talk with Chris and the guys was really fun and relaxed. Bryan really appreciates his position of being two very popular shows that are very different. He is more concerned about performing and entertaining people than being famous or being in the limelight. Having that attitude gives him a very zen look at life. It also might be he has been able to be on good shows, because he would rather be on a well written show than being on some big blockbuster or making a lot of money. Bryan also talked about acting and being to find the emotional core of the character. Hal on Malcolm was afraid of everything, and Walter White on Breaking Bad was depressed and so depressed he simply shut down from life. The character has evolved from the early days of the show and really like seeing how he has changed over the seasons. Bryan is the heart of a really good show. There are some really funny parts too. It was a very good listen. Good job guys.

Sandwiches

2011-08-29T20:06:00.003-05:00

One of the things I have been missing with the low carb is cutting out bread and specifically sandwiches. To me there is nothing satisfying than a really well made sandwiches. Po Boys, Cubans, subs, cheesesteak, BLT, chicken salad, club I love them all. I have not really had as much problems with sweets or fried foods, but no sandwiches has been a bit harder. One of the things I have been doing is substituting tortillas for bread. Making some wraps and tacos. All you need is something to help get the food to your face with sauces and other goodies, not just meat. It is funny that the winner of the Next Food Network Start has a show about making sandwiches. Also there is brand new slider restaurant that just opened in Midtown. There always challenges when doing something like this, and my challenge is cutting back on sandwiches.

Chicago Trip

2011-08-28T15:36:00.002-05:00

In a couple weeks Dabney and I are traveling to the big city of Chicago to see one of our internet friends run in a marathon. There is a good number of her internet specifically a group called Math. So there will be a convening of the Math people and families in the Chicago to help support their fellow poster. I think it will be very exciting to be in Chicago for a couple of days and I am excited that Dabney will get to meet some of the people she has shared and talked with online for so many years in person. The one bad thing is that our schedule is kind of full so we will be limited in the Chicago things that we can do, but oh darn I guess that just means will have to go back to Chicago at some point. One thing I will get to do Chicago is see an Improv Olympics show. So we get to see some real Chicago improv. Other than that on Saturday there will be a big group Italian meal, and then on Sunday we will be going to the marathon. After that we probably heading back to Memphis. More on the Chi-town fun later.

Giving up on a dream

2011-08-28T14:20:00.002-05:00

Everyone has dreams - a dream career, an ideal partner, the perfect day. It can be something small or something huge. In the end, it doesn't even matter what it is because it is just yours. Two people can want the same thing, but I think it is rare for two people to have the exact same dream with the exact same intensity.

The funny thing about dreams is that you can think the dream is gone. You can think you gave up on it a long time ago, but it is just lurking. Ready to come back and be front and center, when the smallest crack appears.

Every now and then, though, you have to give up the dream. You have to say out loud to yourself and to others, this is not going to happen. You have to mourn, but then you have to be okay with it. It is hard and sad, but I think if you come to the other side of it, you are better. You find a new dream. A new goal. Something else to strive for. It doesn't lessen the previous dream, but the excitement of the new dream helps you heal.

So, here is to a new dream. A new something I never knew was out there. Something that makes the old dream disappear for good. Bring it on!

Google+

2011-08-27T20:47:00.003-05:00

I have been on Google+ for a couple of weeks and frankly I don't quite get it. I understand that it is a variation on Facebook, but I still trying to see how it is more awesome than Facebook. I don't have a ton of friends on + yet, but I am trying to add too many people. I am trying to keep the people in my circles to people I really know instead of acquaintances or people I know second hand. I am trying to keep my Google+ uncluttered but because of this I may be missing some of the parts of the program. I need to explore other avenues of Google+ like playing some Angry Birds. I don't want to rush and add a bunch of people just to add them.

Slacker Weekend

2011-08-26T23:21:00.002-05:00

Now that the Running Gag show is over we don't have anything planned for the weekend. I think we are going to have a nice quiet weekend with nothing much today. Tomorrow we are going to go and get some lunch, then go to the Kosher Kroger and get some supplies for the weekend. If we get food for the weekend we don't really need to leave the house again until we go back to work on Monday morning. I think it will be a good weekend for some slack.

Running Gag & Wiseguys

2011-08-25T21:28:00.003-05:00

On Friday night the three remaining Running Gag members will be joining up with Joe, Austin, and Warren from The Wiseguys for a show. It will be the first show with so many members gone from the group. The first big exodus happened last Summer and this Summer three of the remaining members have left. Running Gag is at a crossroads, and it will be interesting to how the group will change over the next few months as new people come into the group. We are in the process of recruiting new people to join. As far as tomorrow night's show it is always fun to play with The Wiseguys, and think the show will be good and we are going to have a fairly big crowd because of the tie in with the CBU Honors Program.

Update - We had a great show. There was a crowd of about 50 people. Everybody had a good time, and it was pretty fun evening. I got to play Paula Dean in one scene which was pretty fun. Joe, Austin, and Warren all seemed to enjoyed performing with us, and the audience was into the show.

Ready Player One

2011-08-24T20:03:00.003-05:00

I am listening to an audio book called Ready Player One written by Ernest Cline and is read by Wil Wheaton. It takes place in the future where the economy has collapsed and people have found solace in a game called Oasis. The game is like a combination of the internet and a MMO. The genius inventor James Halliday has died and upon his death he released a message saying he has hidden an easter egg in the game and the person who finds it inherits his vast fortune. The main character is Wade Watts is trying to solve the puzzle and win the prize. One of the fun things about the book is Halliday a huge fan of 80s pop culture, video games, and comic books. The clues to the easter egg is thorough knowledge of 80s pop culture. I have only listened to part of the book so far, but I have really enjoyed it, and Wil Wheaton has done a great job of reading the book. I can't wait to see how it comes out.

Eureka

2011-08-22T20:37:00.002-05:00

I have enjoyed the show Eureka on Syfy since the show began a few years. The concept of the show is that in the 1940's a town was formed for the smartest people to be able to work on their projects in privacy. The show is quirky and fun, well written with some good characters. I can suspend my disbelief most of the time. However there is one major flaw with the show that I have a hard time getting around. The basic formula of the show is something screws up in the town and they spend the rest of the episode trying to fix it before the town town blows before something terrible happens. It is variation on the X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer monster of the week model. The problem I have with all this is these are supposed to best and brightest but yet they fuck stuff up. For uber smart people they do some really dumb things. Does it always have to be about something going wrong? They have had a few story arcs that have used ongoing stories, but the vast majority of episodes have been the F-up of the week problems. It appears the show is coming to an end, and I will be curious to see how it all comes together.

Gardening

2011-08-22T18:06:00.003-05:00

I have attempted gardening for the first time this year and I have to admit the results have been mixed. The good is Greg gave us a window box for herbs. Last year he pre-planted some seeds. One of the things he planted was some garlic chives and they just came back in the spring and actually are doing better this year. We also planted some sage and rosemary. Overall the herbs have done well and we have enjoyed using the fresh herbs for cooking. Now for the not so good. We have two pepper plants and tomato plant and the results to say the least have been disappointing. The tomato plant had three little tomatoes we picked and used that were great. The problem now is they produce flowers, but the little flowers will not become peppers or tomatoes. I do not know enough about gardening to know what I am doing wrong. I am pleased with the results of the herbs, but I was really looking forward to eating the plabano peppers that I grew on my own. Hopefully there will be enough time to grow some peppers before it starts getting cold.

Nerdist Writers Panel

2011-08-21T13:20:00.002-05:00

I know I have become a total pimp for Chris Hardwick and his Nerdist Industries podcasts. Chris has a space at a comic book store called Meltdown and the space is called NerdMelt. One of the things they did at NerdMelt was the Nerdist Writers Panel. It was a series of discussions with some of the top tv writers in the business. Each panel features four writers from various genres drama, sci-fi, sitcoms and so forth. It covers topics such as how did you get it started, was is your process, what is it like to be in writer's room, and what is like to work with JJ Abrams & Joss Whedon type show runners. I find the show is fascinating. Although I am pretty sure I will never be a professional television writer, but to hear discussions of the creative process and the idea of working with others and working toward a collective goal is very helpful and informative. Also with writers of some of my favorite shows like Buffy, Angel, and Lost, I get some of the behind the scenes view of what it was like to work on some of these shows. Even when they talked to someone like Jeff Greenstein who worked on show like Friends, Will & Grace, and Desperate Housewives I enjoyed because it is still about process and being creative. My very favorite was Jane Espenson who wrote on shows like Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, and Torchwood. If you look at some the episodes that Jane wrote for Buffy she played a hand in the goofy but fun nature of the show. This can be seen in an episode called Band Candy, where all the adults devolve and start acting like goofy teenagers. It is that kind of fun that marks her episodes on the show. Even though Jane was my favorite, I still found interesting things that all the writers had to add to the discussion. It is a very good podcast and I have listened to two of the three episodes and just downloaded episode three.

Fajita Challenge

2011-08-20T13:42:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday Dabney and I some folks over for a birthday cookout. I cooked fajitas for the grill. I have made fajitas for the two of us but I have no cooked so many different items for so many people. There was skirt steak, chicken breasts, portobello mushrooms, red & pablano peppers, and some pineapple. So I was dealing with different cooking times for all the items. If you look at the picture you can see the progression of what I cooked. I started with the chicken because that was going to take the longest, then the skirt and peppers. I wanted a nice char on the peppers because I was going to peel all of that off. The last things I put on was the mushrooms and pineapple because that was going to take the shortest amount of time. I had the hotter side of the grill on the left and the cooler on the right. So as things got ready I would move it over to the right of the grill. I think everything turned out good. I think maybe a couple of the smaller pieces of chicken got overcooked but otherwise things turned out well. Everybody enjoined the food and there was not a lot of leftovers. Most of the leftovers we were able to use the next week for lunches and dinners. So I am very pleased with how everything came out.

Bourdain versus Dean

2011-08-20T11:11:00.002-05:00

Anthony Bourdain in his books and on television have never been shy about poking fun or out and out mocking Food Network stars. The most pointed comments are for people like Paula Deen, Rachel Ray, and Sandra Lee who are not professionally trained chefs and tend to use a lot of canned foods in their cooking. Paula Dean has fought back against this and it has become a very public feud.

Bourdain vs Deen

Admittedly Bourdain can be a pompous ass and a generally cranky bastard. In fact one might say that Tony has made a career as a professional chef being lovable but cranky guy. One of the things Bourdain seems to disdain his people he does not feel worthy of his respect. In his travels on No Reservations he deals with plenty of people that are not classically trained cooks but stills respects them for doing what they do really well. So based on that what is his major beef with Food Network and it's mix of professional chefs and other chefs with variety of backgrounds in cooking and food. They have a found a wide a broad based audience and I can see with a professional chef like Tony that can't be seen as a good thing. However I think there are more people that can relate to Rachel or Sandra who will make something that average home cook is willing to try over a more difficult gourmet dish that would prove daunting. As someone who has watched multiple hours of Food Network over the last few years I can see the justification for both points of view. On the one hand you need eyeballs on your shows to be able to exist as a network, but if you work to hard to reach the lowest common denominator you sacrifice a higher goal. So you need a mix of entry level cooking that just about anybody can do and something that will challenge you too. I find it an interesting discussion and like I said I find merits in both side of this.

Poker

2011-08-19T20:54:00.004-05:00

Going to play with the guys tonight. At one point I was considering playing poker on a more serious level. I think I am pretty good at poker but I am not that good. I think I am good enough to play in a lot of home games but I would need to seriously work on my game if I wanted to go down to Tunica on a regular basis. I will see how I do tonight. I just need to mix up my game and keep them guessing as to what I am doing. I need watch my opening and try to avoid chasing hands. I am feeling pretty good about my chances tonight.

Update
Results of the poker. We played three games.
The first game was a five dollar five card draw game. I have not played five card in awhile and I was a bit rusty. It is an awkward game and kind of slow. I didn't get many good cards and did not get into the flow of the game. I won a couple of pots, but I did not win enough. Syd ended up winning the game.
In the second game we played a ten dollar hold em. I felt more comfortable playing hold em. I have not played in awhile and was a little bit rusty. I was playing pretty good but found myself down and couldn't seem to catch a break. I was knocked on a mistake I made. I was in a hand with Ted and Syd. Ted made a large bet that put me all in. I called and Ted had thought he had a straight but he did not. I thought I had won the hand but we both forgot that Syd was in the hand. Syd had trips and it knocked me out of the game. Ted and I were focused on each other and forgot Syd was in the hand. After that Ted and Syd chopped and we moved on to the third game.
In the third game we played another ten dollar hold em game. I was more consistent in the third game and was able to have a stable stack of chips through most of the game. I caught some cards and was able to catch a few pots. I finished second to Austin and chopped with him. There was one hand that probably made the difference in the game. It was done to me, Ted, and Austin. I was in a hand with Ted. On the river I had two pair and I did not know what Ted had. There was a straight draw and a flush draw on the board. Ted went all in and forced me out of the hand. As it turned out he had a pocket pair of kings and would have beat him with the weak 2 pair. If I had taken the chance I would been in much better shape and probably won the whole thing. It really came down to one decision and I came down on the wrong side.

Painting

2011-08-18T21:15:00.002-05:00

I have been asked by wife to paint something for her.It is been almost 10 years since I have done any serious painting. Other people have asked about painting and I have wanted to but I always manage to put it off. I even bought a new easel but that did not help with doing more painting. So I am putting it out there on the internets. Before my birthday on November 6 I will paint something. I have everything I need to paint except a new canvas but that will be fairly easy to fix. I think if I light this candle it will not be just one painting but several paintings over the next few months.

Thank you Nerdist

2011-08-17T21:14:00.002-05:00

I have been listening to Chris Hardwick's Nerdist podcasts. In addition to being a really fun listen it has been and inspiration for me. Hardwick and co-hosts Jonah Ray and Matt Mira have gone with the idea of you have to keep moving forward and keep putting content out there. They have what is called hostfull episodes, where instead of a guest they talk with each other about what is going on with their lives. It is in these episodes you find out what makes the guys tick. They encourage each other. For instance, Matt Mira has been hired to work on the G4 show Attack of the Show, and by doing this he is able to quit as day job as a tech for the Apple Store.

While the podcast started off as something it appears they are getting noticed. There is going to pilot version of The Nerdist on BBC America. It may turn into something more but it is very encouraging that they are getting noticed. As a fan of the show I am very excited for them, but I am also grateful for the show because they have shown me what is possible and what I can do if I just put myself out there. You can't do it for fame or fortune but if you do put yourself out there good may happen. You just have to do it.

Austin and Stacy

2011-08-16T21:53:00.002-05:00

Our friend Austin and Stacy are now engaged. The relationship is based on Dabney and I coming together. Two years ago at Dabney's birthday party they got together and have been a couple ever since. Now they have moved to the next level. It is fascinating to watch how this whole thing has come together and how they have developed as a couple. I am very happy for both of them and wish them all the best.

Dexter vs Breaking Bad

2011-08-15T20:21:00.002-05:00

There two shows I enjoy very much that explore the darker side of things. Dexter the story of blood expert who is also a serial killer who hunts serial killers and Breaking about the story of Walter White a high school chemistry who finds out that when he is dying of cancer starts making crystal meth with a former student Jesse Pinkman.

I really liked Dexter in the early season, Michael Hall does an excellent job in the roll however I think the show has developed a formula for each season and other than some for variation from season to season it has fallen into a pattern of sorts. I think I have just become a little bored with the show, They can still throw some wrinkles in but I think it is about to start wrapping it up. There are only so many variations that they can come up with for Dexter.

I have really enjoyed Breaking Bad from start. We see progression of Walter White from teacher dying of cancer to crystal meth maker. One of the things I really like about it, is that while Walter has changed in a lot ways there are still some aspects of the character hasn't changed. There is a fascinating study of how an otherwise law abiding citizen who was stuck in a dead end job to becoming of the best makers of meth. Bryan Cranstron does a superb job of giving Walter all the complex layers. It is looking like the show will run a couple more seasons and I will be curious to see where the show ends up.

Food and Emotion

2011-08-15T04:07:00.002-05:00

In the past month or so I have been working very hard at eating healthier. I have been trying to avoid sweets, fried foods, breads and overly starchy foods. By doing that I feel like I have gone through a detox of sorts and my head feels very clear right now and I have made some discoveries about myself in the process. I have had a problem with food most of life. I have been fat and I have been thin, but in the past several years I have been bigger than any other time in my life. It's nasty vicious circle of getting fat because you overeat which makes you depressed and what do you do when you are depressed, you eat. Over time it just gets worse and worse. Like any other junkie you are killing yourself and you know you are killing yourself, it's just that you don't give a shit and if you do give shit you feel helpless to stop which is probably worse because then you feel guilty about it. In the past couple of weeks I have been able to cut some of those emotional ties that I have with food. I have not had many cravings or urges that I must have a certain kind of food. By not having those cravings I haven't felt like I have been denying myself. By saying I can't have that piece of cake you are denying yourself that cake, which gives the power to the cake, and sets up bargains that you make with yourself like if I am good for a few days I can have that piece of cake. I guess that is why most of us are on that constant yo-yo with weight we give all the power to the food. When you stop trying to eat healthy the bad habits come back very quickly and soon you are back in the same fix again. This time you feel a little bit worse and little more helpless and beat yourself up more. It is a terrible feeling to go through this. So instead of saying I can't have the cake I have been trying to say I don't want the cake. This gives you the power and not the food. I don't want a certain and seems like with a lot of things now I can take it or leave it. It is very freeing and I feel like I have my control of life because of it. When you think about it I think most of treat food like a teenager treats alcohol, you don't care whatever cheap ass beer you are drinking because you just want to get hammered and you just want whatever it is that get you there the quickest. We eat fast food or go to buffets because it fills that need fast and cheap. You want that rush, you want that grease running down your chin as you plow through a couple of Big Macs, basket of fries, and ginormous vat of soda. The things we do with food is just as depraved as Charlie Sheen on a weekend bender with a bag of blow, a case of bourbon, and a couple of hookers. So I am trying to break some of the emotional connections to food, and I am trying to break some bad habits that go back to childhood. By doing this I am in no means saying that I am better than anybody. I am just doing what I need to live a longer life. I am not a young person any more and I simply do not want my remaining days to filled with pain and sickness, which is what I am heading for I don't make this changes in my life. Like the 12 steppers, I take it one day at a time and today I feel better about myself than I have in a very long time.

Dabney's 40 by 40

2011-08-14T22:38:00.002-05:00

Today is my 39th birthday, which as my friends have been so kind to remind me means that I am one year away from 40. The way I see it, my 30s have been better than my 20s and my 20s were better than my Teens, and so I only have good years ahead of me.

However, the way to ensure that they are good years is to lay a good foundation. So, tonight I came up with 40 things to do before I turns 40. I will post my progress and keep everyone updated as I go.

Here is the list:

Dabney's 40 things by 40

Drink no carbonated beverages for one month
Eat no bread for one month
Drink 8 glasses of water a day for a week
Find a water aerobics class
Buy a complete outfit at least one size smaller
Donate blood
Stop biting my nails without using acrylic tips
TCB by going to the doctors - full physical, ob/gyn, eye doctor, and dentist
Put more money into savings
Build up a travel fund
Go to New Orleans
Go to one Non-Memphis restaurant from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
Read three books outside of the Fiction / Romance genre
See 10 classic movies that I haven’t seen before (off AFI List of best movies)
Find a hobby
Find a place to volunteer regularly
Contribute to a non-profit organization
Send a secret to Post Secret
Go to one live music event (besides the Papa Tops)
Get a more consistent morning routine
Have more patience with people
Learn one new skill
Get our closet organized
Get our basement organized
Finally get our wedding pictures framed
Buy something new for the house
Learn to cook three new dishes
Bake something to give as a gift
Get rid of 40 things I don’t need any more
Throw an actual dinner party, not just a cookout
Get dressed up for a fancy date with Glen
Rent a hotel room locally and have a glamorous date night
Take a cute picture with Glen at least once a month
Surprise Glen
Decide on (redacted) and be comfortable with our decision
Send an actual birthday card to everyone in my family
Send someone some flowers
Have one party where we use the fire pit
See my family more regularly
Go on a picnic

Wish me luck!

Midnight in Paris

2011-08-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

I saw the movie Midnight in Paris today and there was something in that movie that spoke to the romantic in me. Owen Wilson's Gil was in modern Paris, but was longing for the Paris of the 1920's. Through the magic of the movies he was transported to 1920's Paris. Gil has a blast meeting the great artist and writers of that time like Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, Picaso, and Dali. He also meets a young woman named Adriana, and ironically she longs for the Paris of the 1890s when the impressionists were knocking around. Adriana's complaints about 1920's Paris were very similar to Gil's complaints about Paris of 2010. It brings to life of how you can romantic notions about times and/or places. However the romantic notions about something usually involve a perfect life where an artist spends all day working on his art and does not have anything to deal with anything other than being an artist. But when you think about it is often the day to day battles of life are the things that will drag you down and makes life hard. Gil was making a living as a Hollywood screen writer but longed to be a novelist preferable living in Paris. I can so relate to those feelings, and when I was studying art history, I could the idea of living in 1890s. This movie made me think about those notions and made me appreciate being in the here and now. I see the place I am currently in a new light and I want to make the best use of the time I have now. In addition to enjoying the movie, I feel like I learned something today. Thanks Woody.

Type A Personalities

2011-08-13T15:09:00.002-05:00

I always thought type A personalities had something wrong with them. The constant drive, challenging themselves, always wanting perfection, and an internal clock that was always ticking away. Just the thought of it just made me tired. I never understood why or how somebody could be like that. I have spent years fighting that urge. I felt no reason to pursue life that way. Now I am trying to get my life in order I understand that thinking. To me it is kind of like a shark you must keep moving or die. You have to have goals, you have to have something to work on, something to focus on. I find the things I have been working on I think about a lot. It is not something I even want to do, it just happens. If I can get my personal life in order, I can then expand that idea and work on other things. For me my life has been I wish or I want to do ____ but really it should be I will do _____. I am not saying I have never done anything or accomplished anything, I think it is more like having short goals and once I accomplish that goal I relax. Once you relax, you stop moving, you get soft. Maybe that is what drives the Type A people, they know or instinctively know that they can't stop. I don't think I have that attitude or mindset naturally but I think I can learn from that. What I need to work on is getting beyond doing things like that on short term basis. It's not one goal or plan but a series of goals and plans. That is probably why even hugely successful people come up with new goals or plans. I guess that is why I have started blogging on a daily basis, something to focus my energies on.

Podcasts

2011-08-12T19:47:00.002-05:00

I have taken to listening to podcasts at work. It helps make the day go by faster, and is often more interesting than just listening to music. Most of them last from one to two hours. It started when I started listening to my friend Andy Flemming's Mostly Comedy podacst and it lead to others. Not shockingly my taste in podcasts tends to run towards politics, comedy, movies and general geeky culture. I have a few current favorites are The Nerdist, The Nerdist Writer's Panel, WTF, The Morning Stream, Film Sack, and Doug Loves Movies.

The Nerdist and Writer's Panel is under the Nerdist Industries podcast network. Chris Hardwick is the host of the show with Matt and Jonah. They have natural ease either when they guests or just talking amongst themselves. One of the new shows they have started is series of discussions with some heavy hitters in the tv writing world and after the first one I really liked it.

WTF or What The Fuck with Marc Marron this may be one of the hottest podcasts out there. Marc has some fascinating conversations with some heavy hitters from the comedy world. He is afraid to go into touchy subjects like stealing material. Marron had turned the side project into a career boosting break through.

The Morning Stream and Film Sack are two shows from Scott Johnson's Frogpants Studios collection of show. The Morning Stream features Johnson and Brian Ibbott in lively Monday through Thursday podcast that talks about news, movies, sci-fi, comics, and what is going in their lives. It is very funny and I enjoy listening to it every day. They also are in a weekly movie show called Film Sack. They do wide variety of mostly bad movies with a heavy dose of sci-fi movies. The four guys all watch the movie and talk about it. They all have a fun time talking about the movies. Frogpants has a fun collection of shows and those are two of my favorites.

Lastly is Doug Benson's Doug Loves Movies. Comedian Doug Benson does a show mostly about movies featuring various comedians, actors and Hollywood types. It features a Name That Tune style movie game called The Leonard Maltin Game based on the reviews by the film critic. His shows tend to be shorter but are very funny.

Birthday Weekend

2011-08-11T21:04:00.002-05:00

Day 2 of writing.

We are heading into Dabney's birthday weekend. I have her present and we have birthday party set. I hope she likes the present, I think it is something she wants. Saturday we are having some friends over a fajita fiesta. We are grilling skirt steak, chicken, and portobello mushrooms on the grill. Sunday night I am taking Dabney out to dinner at favorite place, P.F. Chang's. All in all I think it will be a fun birthday weekend. All we need to do is get through work tomorrow.

Writing

2011-08-10T20:19:00.002-05:00

I have been a lazy blogger I run hot and cold. I have always kind of been in that way. Even when I was writing journals pre-computer. I think I will try and write every day for a week. If I make for a week, then make two weeks and so on.

My life right is I am working hard to healthier, it has not been easy but I think I feel better for it. The big thing I am trying to do is not eat fried food and fast food. Not exactly no carbs but cut down on my intake of carbs. I have noticed I get heartburn less which is good. I am not sure about my job situation. Things seems to be going well at Optimus. I have been able to do more than I have in the past, but it is still not the most exciting job in the world. I would like to find something else but there is not much out there for me right now. I am happy with Running Gag but we are at a crossroads. We are down to three people in group and I am not sure where the group is going. I still really like doing improv, but I am not sure where I am going with it right now. I am not trying to change my entire life, but right now I am trying to take it one step at a time trying to make myself a better person.

Grizzlies

2011-05-03T20:22:00.003-05:00

It has been an amazing few weeks to follow the Grizzlies fan. In the first few years the team the team was here in Memphis I got a Power Pack and usually saw a few more games more games every year. I experienced the joy and agony of the team making the playoffs only to make a quick exit every time. I even went to the first playoff game played at the Pyramid against the Spurs. That game was a perfect example of what happened in the playoffs those years. The Grizzlies played about as well as they could and played the Spurs tough but in the end the Spurs managed to win the game on the way to a sweep. In the post Gasol era I kept track of the team but not with the same fervor as previous years. There was glimpses of what the team could be but overall there was too many bad moves from management and too many frustrating losses and collapses by the team. There just didn't seem to be any hope that the team was every going to be mediocre at best and laughing stock of the NBA at worst. Then something magical happened in the 2010-2011 season. The season started off OK as they slogged through the fall and early winter there was some good wins but there was some bad losses. It always seemed to be one step forward and two steps back. Until the calendar changed to 2011, with the new year the wins started stacking up. Unlike the previous year when the Grizzlies had a similar record but faded badly at the end of the season this team kept fighting and winning. Coming down to the end of the season the Grizzlies knew they were going to play the Lakers, Spurs, or Mavericks. The team basically did not try to win the last two games so that the knew they would be facing the Spurs who were the top seed. As the playoffs started the hope was don't get swept and at least make the Spurs work before they went to the next round of the playoffs.

Then the real magic started with the playoffs. The Grizzlies outplayed and out hustled the Spurs and won game 1. It was amazing to see the team win after so many years of frustration. The Spurs won game 2 but the Grizzlies made them work for the win and they still looked to be in good shape for the next two home games. I was at game 3 and the Fed Ex Forum was loud and electric. The sold out crowd was showing it's love for the Grizzlies. The key moment of the game was late in the game the Grizzlies were up by two and needed a basket badly to make it a two possession game. Zach Randolph had the ball as the shot clock ticked down, Zach let fly a three point shot and there was a moment where time froze. The shot went in and the Forum erupted in that moment. San Antonio called time out and all you heard was a chant of Z-Bo from the crowd. The Grizzlies went on to win the game and make the series 2-1. Then it was time for the critical game 4, if the Spurs win it is all tied up and it becomes a 2 out of 3 series with the two of the games played in San Antonio. It was another exciting game and the Forum crowd was pumped up again. In the two wins there was the three pointer by Shane Battier in game one and game three there was the aforementioned Randolph three. In game 4 there was another big three. With a little under 5 minutes to go Battier his a big three pointer from the corner to put the Grizzlies up by an amazing 20 points that caused the Spurs coach Greg Popovich to wave the white flag and pull their starters. With a 3-1 stranglehold it went from maybe they can win a couple of games to this Grizzlies team could shock the world by beating the top seeded Spurs. Game 5 was in San Antonio and looking back it is ok because the Grizzlies won the series but at the time it became a question of is this where the Grizzlies lost the series. The Spurs hit two miracle shots in the waning seconds to tie up the game with the tying shot as the clock ran out. The Grizzlies ended up losing in overtime setting up a crucial game 6 in Memphis. Most people thought the Grizzlies had to win game 6 to avoid a win or go home game 7 in San Antonio. I watched the game on tv and unlike the first two games the crowd at the Forum was nervous and tentative. It was if the entire city was trying to will a game 4th win out of the Grizzlies. It was going to be successful playoff run no matter what but blowing a 3-1 would been a hard way to go out. The game came down to crunch time and the Grizzlies kept feeding the ball to Zach and he hit big shot after big shot. when the dust settled the Grizzlies won the game and the series in front of the home crowd. It was on to round two against another young and upcoming team in the NBA the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like the lst round the national media all said the Thunder would win the series. Sure the Grizzlies beat the old and slow Spurs but this would be different. In game one the Grizzlies came out with the same intensity and swagger and ran the Thunder out of their own building. Zach and Marc Gasol combined for 52 points. The home crowd went from rowdy and excited to stunned silence as the Grizzlies kept attacking and making shots. Between the game clincher on Friday and the thrashing of the Thunder on Sunday it was one of the exciting weekends I experienced as a Grizzlies fan. All day Monday I just felt good.

Right now I am watching the Grizzlies battle it out in game 2 and if they win this they will have a stranglehold on this series. It feels really good this time. In the past Grizzlies could play their best game but still couldn't catch a lucky break playing against teams that were better than them. This time it doesn't matter as much about what the other team did, if the Grizzlies play their game they have a good chance of winning. No matter what happens versus the Thunder this has been an incredible run by the Grizzlies, and as Chris Herrington from the Memphis Flyer has said this is the first time Memphis has experienced true playoff basketball.

Update - A couple hours later. It is looking like the Grizzlies will lose tonight and head back to Memphis tied up 1-1. The Thunder are hitting on all cylinders tonight and the Grizzlies can't seem to get going. This is the first out and out bad game the Grizzlies have played in the playoffs this year. No matter what the Thunder have to win one in Memphis.

Two Bridges

2011-01-03T21:23:00.002-06:00

In the past few weeks I have seen the two new movies that Jeff Bridges has starred in. The two movies couldn't be more different. Tron Legacy was the sequel to Tron and True Grit was a remake of the the John Wayne movie made by the Coen Brothers. I was really looking forward to Tron Legacy and thought True Grit was going to be pretty good. As it turns out it was the exact opposite, True Grit was an incredible movie and Tron Legacy wasn't very good.

The Coen Brothers created a rich movie filled with great scenery and excellent acting performance. Bridges does an excellent job playing Rooster Cogburn, the iconic role John Wayne made famous. There was many levels to the character and Bridges relished the playing him. Much of the movie is the interplay between Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Stanfield the young actress who played the lead character Mattie Ross. The Coens wrote some great dialogue and they did not fall back on some of the overly witty back and forth that highlight some of their earlier work.

Compared to True Grit, Tron Legacy just seems empty and hollow. The movie has some incredible visuals and interesting action sequences, but the characters are not developed and the story is almost non-existent. Bridges does well with his duel roles in the movie, Flynn and Clu. As Flynn, his role in the original, he is a mix of Buddhist monk and the Dude and has Clu a demented cyber version of Flynn he is loud with no depth or feeling. There is a 2-D and a 3-D version of the movie, but I don't think that makes a difference. While the 3-D would make some the action look better, it does not cover up the giant plot holes. It is a disappointing that the movie wasn't better, they have literally had decades to think about what a sequel to Tron and this is what they came up with. Jeff Bridges is one of the greatest actors of our time, but there is only so much he can do with this, and as we saw in True Grit he has the chops to do a lot of things.

Project Glen: 1-3

2011-01-03T21:13:00.002-06:00

The last couple of weeks in December have not been good for me. Too much in general, booze, sweets, and food in general. I am going to start back in earnest this month. All the parties and things like New Years Eve. I have gained back a couple of pounds. I am still in positive overall but I need to get back on it and get back to where I was and continue on. I am not going beat myself up too much but fun time is over and now it is time to get back to work.

Year in Wrap Up - Glen

2010-12-28T22:12:00.002-06:00

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before?
I tried to do different things in the kitchen.
For instance I made homemade gravy at Thanksgiving.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn’t really make resolutions; I did make a to-do list that was not successful with.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Dabney’s brother Bill and his wife Cameron.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Good friend Lauren.

5. What places did you visit?
Birmingham, Al and Jackson, Ms

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010?
More motivation.

7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 20, got married

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Pulled the wedding off with little in way of problems.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Did not try harder to get a new job.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Had a bad cold I couldn’t shake but nothing else.

11. What was the best thing you bought
Blu Ray Player

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Dabney’s Mom Polly did so much to help us get married.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
The President and the Democrats in congress giving in too early and too often.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Getting married and the cruise for next year.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Spending a week in the Bahamas with Dabney.

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?
Nothing comes to mind

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? happier
b) thinner or fatter? a bit thinner
c) richer or poorer? About the same

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Tried more kinds of dishes

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Eating too much food that was bad for me.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2010?
Brunch at Dabney’s brother’s house and dinner at her Aunt Mary’s

21. Did you fall in love in 2010?
nope already there

22. What was your favorite TV program?
The Walking Dead

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2010?
Had friends over and we played Apples to Apples

24. What was the best book you read?
Y the Last Man series

25. What did you want and get?
Blu Ray Player, Ipod touch, good knives, a cruise

26. What did you want and not get?
Xbox 360 Kinect

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
Inception

28. Did you make some new friends this year?
I met some new people but I am not sure about new friends.

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Finding someone that makes my life happier and more complete

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010?
Pretty much nothing new

31. What kept you sane?
Killing zombies on Xbox

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Olivia Wilde

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Trying to keep the wacko right especially the Tea Party folks at bay.

34. Who did you miss?
My friend Lauren

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010
Try to keep things in perspective and not let the little things freak you too much

Year End Wrap Up - Dabney

2010-12-27T22:43:00.007-06:00

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? I got married! I became an Aunt. Hosted my first Thanksgiving.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't even know what my resolutions were from last year. I want to make some for this year, but I haven't finalized anything.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Both My sister in law and stepsister did
4. Did anyone close to you die? My close friend, Lauren
5. What places did you visit? Birmingham, AL and Jackson, MS
6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? A real job that makes me happy and fulfilled
7. What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? March 20 - the day I got married, November 2 - the day Memphis got it right again
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Keeping my sanity
9. What was your biggest failure? Keeping my insanity
10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No
11. What was the best thing you bought? The wedding stuff
12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Glen - he is a wonderful husband, the Cohen staff - they are extraordinary, and the voters of District 9
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? The Tea Party
14. Where did most of your money go? Staying above water
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Being married to the love of my life
16. What song will always remind you of 2010? The Glee Soundtrack
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier
b) thinner or fatter? The Same
c) richer or poorer? Poorer
18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Enjoy the time I have
19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stress
21. Did you fall in love in 2010? More and more
22. What was your favorite TV program? Glee, Modern Family
23. What did you do for your birthday in 2010? Pool Party at Austin's
24. What is the best book you read? The Bridal Quartet by Nora Roberts (yes, it is cheesy, but I wasn't looking for smart books this year. I needed distractions.)
25. What did you want and get? An absolute rocking wedding
26. What did you want and not get? A Papa Tops poster for our Wedding
27. What was your favorite film of this year? Easy A
28. Did you make some new friends this year? Made good friends into better friends
30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? T-shirts and jeans of the unemployed
31. What kept you sane? Glen
32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? No one I can think of
33. What political issue stirred you the most? GLBT issues - DADT, Prop 8 Human Rights are not special rights
34. Who did you miss? The liberals in Congress
35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

I am going to get Glen to do one, too. Happy Holidays and here is to 2011.

Project Glen: 12-27

2010-12-27T20:30:00.002-06:00

I did not post last week, but in the past two weeks I have gained three pounds. Overall I am still in the positive on weight, but I have stalled some. I need to refocus and start working on making positive progress again. I can't be too down on myself there have been things like Christmas parties and lots of sweets that are not a day to day kind of thing. I just need to do the best I can this week and next week my life will return to a more normal routine. I am glad I started before the holidays but I feel a bit frustrated that I have hit a rough patch. I have a long way to go and in the long run it shouldn't make difference I just can't get so discouraged that I stop trying to lose weight.

Project Glen: 12-13

2010-12-13T20:11:00.002-06:00

I am keeping at it and having success. I lost another 3 1/2 pounds for a total of 15 pounds. I can tell I have lost weight and my stomach is a bit smaller now. So far nobody has really noticed so far. I think when I lose another 10 - 15 pounds it will be more noticeable. I am glad I started before the holidays started instead of waiting for January to start. I have been to a couple of Christmas parties but so far have not crazy with that. Usually around the office there is a bunch of cookies and sweets but so far this year there hasn't been any of that. I feel like I am making good progress at eating less. I have been really trying to listen to my body and not eating when I am not hungry. At this rate I will look better when we go on the cruise in March and also when Jacquie gets married in June. At some point I probably need to get some new clothes but I will just see how that goes.

Project Glen: 12-6 update

2010-12-06T19:51:00.002-06:00

As we enter into the second month of this project I am happy to report that I keep making progress on this. This week I lost 2 1/2 pounds and lost a total of 11 1/2 pounds. I guess the idea is not to lose too much too quickly, because if you do that it becomes too easy to gain it all back. Just to keep working away, keep away from cokes, fast food and other things that are bad for me. I have been working really hard on eating less. I don't do well weighing food or following some kind weight watchers plan. So I have been trying to eat less and not eating as much between meals.

An Iron Bowl for Bama Fans to Forget

2010-11-29T13:39:00.003-06:00

The showdown of Alabama schools known as the Iron Bowl took place the day after Thanksgiving. The game between Alabama and Auburn is one of the most heated rivalries in college football. It usually features close hard fought games where the records of the teams don't always matter in the game. There are certain games that stand out above the rest. Some examples are: Punt Bama Punt, Van Tiffin kick, the Bo Jackson games, and last years game winning drive that Alabama put together on the way to winning it all. The 2010 Iron Bowl will join the pantheon of games but it is a game Alabama fans will not want to be reminded of. The game went from a 24-0 Alabama knocking off Auburn kind of game to a 28-27 miracle comeback win by Auburn. Alabama blew some chances, gave up some big plays, and in the end imploded under the onslaught lead by Cam Newton. Alabama won all those close games, but this year came up short against South Carolina, LSU, and Auburn. So now the tables have turned and it is Auburn that has won all the close games and now only South Carolina and probably Oregon stand in the way Auburn bringing back the title to the state. While there is nothing to ashamed off and we still have the glow of the 2009 season the idea of the 28-27 Camback as it is being called now will living on in highlight reels for years to come just like Punt Bama Punt is going to be hard.

Project Glen: 11-29 Update

2010-11-29T11:42:00.002-06:00

Checking in the Monday after Thanksgiving, and the news is good. I did not crazy on turkey day, and got bit of help from having a head cold for the weekend and therefore did not eat very much. I lost 4 pounds this week for a total of 9 pounds. It was exciting to have some tangible results, it makes it easier to continue this. It can be difficult and it is easy to get discouraged. Because it is going to take awhile to do this, any progress is encouraging. Just keeping at it.

Project Glen: 11-22 Update

2010-11-22T07:45:00.002-06:00

I had a good week considering I had an office potluck on Friday. I just ate until I was full and did not go back into the break room. This was tricky because they bought Honeybaked ham and that is some damn good stuff. Overall I did a pretty good job of not over eating or eating between meals and the results were I lost 3 1/2 pounds for a total of 5 pounds lost so far. I have a long way to go but I am encouraged after a rough first week I am starting to show some progress. I just have to remember that is a long slow process and you go for cumulative results not the results from any one week. This is week is Thanksgiving a day you are supposed to give thanks and eat way to much, but I think I have a good handle on that and will try to approach the day in a sane way. We will see next week how successful I was with that.

My Update

2010-11-18T10:24:00.002-06:00

I am assuming if you are reading this, you have been reading Glen's updates about his project. I am so proud of him, and I am doing my best to support him.

As for me, I have come to realize just how stressed out I am, and have been for some time. For the past year and a half or so, my life has been a mix of highs and lows. I as laid off from my job at International Paper. I finally got a temp job, but it wasn't really paying the bills, so I stayed stressed out. I got married. Got a new job. The campaign kicked into gear. Lost my new job, and now I am working two days a week for almost no money, living off the same couple of hundred dollars for the past six weeks, and I have absolutely no idea when I am going to get some relief.

Money is the thing that stresses me out the most. If I have it, I worry that I am spending too much or that I am not spending it on the right thing. If I don't have it, I panic about when I am going to get it again. I am never really comfortable, no matter what the circumstances, but I, of course, am very uncomfortable now.

I have gotten to the point where I can't reach out. There are friends I have lost touch with, family who thinks I should call more, and networking that I am not doing all because I have just lost the confidence to just pick up the phone and talk to people. I talk to the people who call me, of course. I wait for the phone to ring for that next job interview, and I am so excited when the phone does ring. I am constantly applying for things online, and never hearing back about the opportunities I think should be fairly easy to get.

It is so frustrating because it is an awful circle. I need to get out of my house and do things so that I am not as isolated with my thoughts, but doing things outside of the house tends to cost money, which I don't have, so I end up more isolated and alone with my thoughts. As Glen will tell you, if I have too much time on my hand to think about things, it is not a good thing.

So, that is where I am these days. If I haven't called in awhile, give me a call. I am here, I promise. If I do talk to you on a regular basis, thank you. It means the world to me.

Project Glen: 11-15 Update

2010-11-15T07:52:00.002-06:00

Week two went better than week one. I lost about 2 1/2 pounds this week for a total loss of about a pound and a half. They say you are supposed to lose about two pounds a week. I just need to keep working at it. I had some people over for my birthday Saturday night. I tried not to eat and snack too much during the day because I knew I would eat a lot that night. I feel pretty good this week about what I have done so far. Overall I have done really well at cutting down on eating between meals, fried and fast foods. I basically have two meals a day lunch and dinner. I know I should probably be eating breakfast every day, but I have just never been a big breakfast type person. The thing I am trying to focus on right now is not eating just to eat and stopping when I am full. So far the not eating just to eat has gone pretty good, but the stopping when I am full has been trickier. I think this goes back to whole food addiction thing. You have that tasty plate of food in front of you and love the taste and sensations of eating it. You override your body when it says you are full and keep going. One thing I have been trying to do to combat that is eat slower. You enjoy the experience and savor each bite and also by eating slower you can get the sensation of being full and stopping when you need to. It is a struggle to do this and constant fight against self sabotage but I think the end results will be worth all the effort.

45 going on ..........

2010-11-13T09:07:00.002-06:00

This particular Saturday morning there has been a convergence of two events that has me in a reflective mood. Last night Dabney and I watched The Social Network about the creation of Facebook, and the focus is on Mark Zuckerberg who was the main creative force behind Facebook and is also the youngest billionaire in the world. This is colliding with later tonight I will be celebrating my 45th birthday with some of my friends. I feel like I am entering the next phase of my life, but do not have a fucking clue as to what that is or what I am supposed to do. I sit and wonder what the fuck happened to the last the ten or fifteen years of my life and that I should be further along towards something by now. However I am not further along and feel a bit lost. The world is largely driven by the Type A personality, the go getters with the drive and passion to get things done. As with The Social Network, even if they took liberties with some of the facts it does not change the fact those guys passion and drive made Facebook happen. I don't think I have had that kind of drive or passion for anything. I guess I am what you call a dabbler there are lots of things I like but there is not that one thing that I feel like if I was never able to do that again my life would not be the same. I don't think I can become a Type A person I think most people that are like that are just wired that way from the get go. However I think I can motivate more to move towards a goal, because there have been times in my life when I have been able to accomplish things, I just feel there is now one overarching this is my life or this is me. Actually in the past few weeks I have been in a pretty good place and feel satisfied where my life, it is just some of the changes that are happening in my life are going to take some time and that is what makes me feel like I have a few lost years where I didn't know what I was doing and just didn't care where my life was going. While you can not go back and beating yourself up too much about something like that is pointless and unproductive, it is hard to avoid sometimes. Maybe the answer just keep working on the things I can work on to make myself a better person. What can I do today to make myself a better person. When Dabney and I working on our wedding, she would get overwhelmed by the scope of everything we were trying to do. I helped her by breaking it down into smaller units of time. We do not have to have all this done, and by taking it one step at a time and working towards smaller goals, it made the big picture easier to deal with. Maybe I just need to work on the things I know I want to change and now worry about being the big picture so much. Like the 12 steppers say One day at a time.

Project Glen: Update

2010-11-08T09:17:00.002-06:00

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. I gained a pound, but I know what happened I ate too much over the weekend. It was my birthday weekend, my Mom was in town, and to put it simply I ate too much food over the last few days. Overall I still really good, while I am disappointed I did not lose any weight this week I still feel motivated and I did manage to drink less soda, cut down on sweets, cut down on snacking between meals, and tried to eat smaller portions at meals. I knew when I started at the beginning of last week it would be hard because my birthday this weekend, but that is over so I am just going to focus on the positive and move on from here. I know it is a process and I just need to keep at it.

Caught in a Frame

2010-11-08T08:13:00.002-06:00

The gay bar down the street from me Backstreet was shut down again this past weekend. Apparently people had been doing drugs in there, selling alcohol after 3 AM and serving alcohol to minors. ABC 24 came around and talked to people in the neighborhood about what they thought about it. I talked to the lady reporter answered her questions, and then that night Dabney and I watched the 10 PM newscast. It must have been a slow news day in Memphis because that was the lead the story. They framed the story in the most negative way they could, emphasizing the drugs and all the bad things. They did use a clip of me and I was saying they did do drugs down there, but they didn't use where I said they don't bother me and long as it stays in their parking lot they can do whatever they want. Looking back on it, I should have known that is what they were looking for. They asked if I knew about Backstreet getting shut down and when I said it was probably because of drugs the reporter got excited and asked if I would say that on the air. It is very interesting to me that it appears the reporter had already written her story before she left the building, and instead of actually getting reaction from the neighbors, she used video and statements that just supported her thesis.

Day Before the Midterms

2010-11-01T08:23:00.002-05:00

Obama is facing his first midterm elections and believe all the press out there is not going to be pretty. Unless some kind of miracle happens it looks like the Democrats will the House and barely hang on to control of the Senate. I have no idea what that will look like other than with such a slim majority I don't know how anything will pass the Senate even if does get through the House. I think these next couple of years are just going to be a complete cluster fuck. At some point the Republicans will actually have to do something and not just say to everything. Currently their only option seems to be the same one since Reagan of lowering taxes and deregulate, because taking all the regulations off the of the financial services and energy companies has worked so well up until now. I do know one thing after tomorrow I will not have to see any of those super political ads any more because I am frankly sick of seeing Haslam's face and Fincher's giant inbred clan of freaks saying what good Christians they are all.

Project Glen: Official Start

2010-11-01T07:59:00.002-05:00

Today was my first official weigh in. I have a long way to go to reach my goal, but the good news is I lost a few pounds since last week just by cutting down on what I eat. The way I see it now I think I can lose quite a bit of weight just by eating a lot less and cutting out fast food and soda. Other than Subway I did not eat any fast food last week. At some point just eating less alone will not cause me lose weight and I will have to work at more with activity and exercise, but for now that is not as big of a concern. I am really psyched up to start this, and I feel like I have the right mental attitude to start this. I already feel more empowered over food, by saying I have a problem with it. The mental blocks and getting starting are two aspects of weight that for now I have been able to deal with, and I should be able to lose weight, but then you have the real enemy and the one that makes long term weight loss difficult, sticking with a plan. One thing I am trying to do to combat this is not approach this like a diet where I can only eat certain things, but more of portion control and at first not eating really unhealthy things like fast foods and desserts. I would like to make where It's not like I am never going to eat fried food or sweets again, but more of not making them a staple of my day to day menu. In addition to eating less I am going to start working in eating more vegetables and healthy food. I know I can do this, and like I said I have long way to go, but hopefully by the time approaching my 46th birthday one year from today I will be whole new person.

Brunch with a Conservative

2010-10-31T15:50:00.002-05:00

I had brunch today with my friend Austin and his dad Lyle who is a hard core conservative. It got a heated in a few places, but I knew there was no way I was going to change his mind about anything, so I simply stated my side of the issues. His basic attitude was this is what is wrong with America and this how Democrats caused that to happen. It was not as much frustrating as informative in that I saw someone who had a completely opposite attitude on the nature of government and the form and function of said government. Many of the things he said seemed to come straight from Fox News, fear of illegal immigrants, Acorn, welfare, and all other abuses of the system, but unlike some people I know, Fox News merely validated his already existing attitudes as opposed to being strictly a source of information. You would think there are a lot reasons for this with generational and life experience being two obvious things that would lead to such drastic differences of opinion. I guess with someone like Lyle he sees America as a vastly different place that what he grew up in. While you could say there have been different programs that have helped equalize inequalities and provided a social safety net to certain groups of people, it has also lead to a lot of abuse of the system. For a lot of people of his generation all they see is the abuse of the system instead of people that have been helped. I guess in a lot of ways this is a microcosm of the national debate that is currently going, and some of the issues we face in the next few years. Right now both sides are dug in and we really need to find a way to work together to come with some solutions long term. It made for interesting conversation and greatly delighted Austin who likes playing devil's advocate with both of us and saw this as some kind of showdown of two people he knows with different views of things.

Project Glen Update

2010-10-29T06:22:00.002-05:00

I have been spending the last few days preparing for this year long project. Admitting that I have a problem is freeing, even if it is just admitting it to myself. Denial is a powerful force and it is not easy to deal with. However, I just have to take the bull by the horns and hang on for the ride. I feel like I am motivated and willing to take this on. My first goal has been to eat less and eat when I am hungry instead of eating for the sake of eating. I don't think I am going to every be that person that can just eat veggies and rice cakes, so I have tried to focus on cutting way back on unhealthy food. Right now that means sweets, fried food, and fast food. Dealing with a food addiction is like dealing with any other addiction you have to take one day at a time, keep a positive mental attitude, try to have some kind of support system, and if you do have a bad day or fall of the wagon do not beat yourself up too much. I am trying not to approach this like a diet, which is a short term solution that may succeed but you ultimately fail because you go back to old eating patterns and just gain the weight back. I want to approach this as a lifestyle change, and that changes I make now will serve me well the rest of my life. I simply must do this now, because if I don't I will die a painful and nasty death within 20 years. In addition to being healthier, looking better will give more options in doing acting and improv. I don't just want to be the funny fat guy. I had said I wasn't going to start until the first of November, but in many ways I started with that the blog post the other day. Over the years I have gained and lost weight. With me the mental aspect is crucial. You have to want to, and have you fight your own self destructive tendencies. I need to be able to find joy and motivation in something besides food. I think this will not only help me lose weight, but will improve my life in other ways as well. I just have to stick with this, don't get too down on myself, and don't let the old ways come back. Like they say one day at a time.

Project Glen

2010-10-25T03:53:00.002-05:00

Occasionally I have a problem insomnia when I simply can't sleep. I am having that problem now. Often at these times I will lay in bed and think about things, I have good ideas, but usually they fade and disappear like a dream the next day. However this time I do not want to let this idea go, so here I am.

To borrow a phrase from the 12 steppers, my name is Glen and I am addicted to food. There I said it and it is out there. I am not a big drinker, I don't do drugs or smoke, but boy do I love food. I think I would rather eat than do just about anything. Greasy, fried, sweet, salty there is not much I do not like. I hear people that are dealing with addiction and they way they talk about it is the way I feel about food. I think about it all the time. How can I make recipe better, what if I added this or that, or wouldn't be good to have some of ________. Now that I have said that I need to move on to the phase of this project and that is change the bad habit. Unlike some addictions I simply can not stop eating, but I want to stop the destructive nature and bad habits that got me where I am today.

Today is Monday October 25, 2010. In a little under two weeks on November 6 I will turn 45. By the time I turn 46 the following November 6 I want to be a different person. Before I met my wife Dabney I just didn't care about certain things, and even though I had lost and gained weight plenty of times in past I had been in a bad cycle that I could not break out of. Being with Dabney has made me a much happier person, and because of the that I am ready to move on and make other changes in my life. Over the course of the next year I want to lose 120 pounds, which breaks down to 10 pounds a month or even further 2 1/2 pounds a week. I am giving myself a week to prepare myself and want to begin the adventure on the first of November. I feel like I am stuck in a rut and there are changes that I want to make in my life and while I am not sure what direction I want my life to go I do know that I want to change the way I look. If I can change that for the better, what else can I do. It is something that I can not postpone any longer. I am not trying to live forever, I want just want to live a longer and healthier life.

I am not going to let this addiction beat me, and like most addictions it will be something I will have to deal with the rest of my life, but I can't just give up because it is hard. I have to change my approach to food. People like me seek solace in food, eat when you are happy, sad, bored, or whatever reason you can think of. To make it worse you feel bad about being overweight and you comfort yourself by eating more. It is the nastiest of vicious circles and one that is very hard to break out of.

I am not sure who will read this but somebody will and I just want to put this out there if for no other reason that to acknowledge this to myself. There will be good days and bad, triumphs and defeats but in the end if I stick with this I will be a better person for it. I will be begin Project Glen this week but right now I am going to try to go back to bed.

Footballn' in Bham

2010-10-06T15:55:00.001-05:00

I was in Birmingham this past weekend. Alabama was scheduled to play Florida and Auburn was playing Louisiana Monroe. Both teams won easily Saturday night and the buzz around town for both teams was very high. Unlike Memphis that has its various factions various for several SEC teams and those diehard few University of Memphis fans, football fandom in the Birmingham is pretty cut and dry. In seasons when one or both teams are down or having a mediocre season there is still interest but there is more talk of what is wrong or how can be fixed. This year both teams or good and there is already some talk of two undefeated teams playing each other in late November. Alabama fans are giddy with Sabin at the helm for the foreseeable future and a team kicking butt on the field, life is good. Saturday there were tons of Alabama shirts, car flags, and you could just feel the excitement in the air about the Florida game. The Sabin years have not been as much fun down on the Plains. The Auburn fans are showing their pride as well but unlike the Alabama fans there is more of a quiet confident but hopeful feeling about the team. Nothing would please Auburn fans than to be the ones that unseat Alabama from the top perch and this year Auburn has a pretty good team and relatively easy remaining schedule. Not living there for a while you can forget what a football mad town Birmingham can be, and Saturday I was reminded what it can be like. If both teams keep winning the stakes will be even higher for the Iron Bowl as the eyes of the nation turn to Tuscaloosa to see who will make the trip to the SEC Championship Game the next week.

Celtic Music in Jackson, Mississippi

2010-09-12T22:24:00.004-05:00

On Saturday afternoon drove down to Jackson, Mississippi to check out Celtic Fest and it would also give Dabney a chance to show me Jackson and Millsaps College. We arrived in Jackson and checked into the hotel, which was right next to Millsaps. Dabney showed me around the campus and after we drove around the neighborhood a bit. After a brief swim with Steve Steffens and a couple of cocktails we went to dinner at a nearby restaurant called Que Sera' Sera'. It was semi-upscale Cajun place. Dabney got Chicken Alfredo and I go a Blackened Ribeye. There was something Dabney did not like about her's and now she wants to try and make herself. My Blackened Ribeye was juicy and tender and aptly described by Steve as a Fred Flintstone slab of meat. After dinner we went back to the hotel room and saw some of the Alabama vs Penn State and Oregon vs Tennessee games. I was happy with the results of both (Alabama win and UT loss). By this time we had been in Jackson several hours and we had not seen or heard any Celtic music. Steve told us that most of the musicians would be coming back to the hotel and usually a jam session would break out. Sure enough at about 11:30 they all started pouring and started playing. One musician would start a tune and other would join in and would usually play about ten to fifteen minutes. People played, danced, drank, and talked. I got the feeling there was two festivals going on, the official one and the late night jam sessions. Dabney went to bed before I did, but I soon went to bed because tomorrow we would actually experience the festival.

After breakfast we drove over to the festival about five minutes away. Celtic Fest is a festival of Celtic food, dancing, and music held every year. There were several stages for music and dancing and several people selling food and merchandise. Steve and Lauren Hesse went every year, and was the first Celtic music festival they went to together. This is the first year Steve went without Lauren, and he was going to speak at a memorial for several friends of the festival that had passed over the course of the year. Before the memorial we saw a couple of bands and saw many of the people that we had been jamming away the night before. At about 1:30 we gathered at one of the music tents. It was very nice and three different people were memorialized. Steve did a really good job talking about Lauren and her passion for Celtic music and especially Celtic Fest. After that it was time for us to head back to Memphis. After hearing about the Celtic music festivals for a couple of years I finally got to see one first hand. On the good side I met some really nice folks and heard some world class musicians do their thing. On the not as good side I think I prefer my Celtic music a little punkier (Flogging Molly or The Pogues) and after awhile the music got a wee bit repetitive. Overall the good far outweighed the bad and it was overall a very positive experience.

On the way out of town Dabney and I hit a burger place called Five Guys. It is a chain place but there is only handful of restaurants around the country. Really good burgers and hand cut fries. Their basic burger is a double and they use really good meat with a variety of toppings. With the great burger meal finished our Jackson trip was over and it was time to head back to Memphis.

Herb Butter Chicken

2010-09-10T21:56:00.002-05:00

I tried making some herb butter. It had basil, rosemary, thyme, and oregano in it. I took some chicken breasts and put the herb butter underneath the skin and baked it. I had the chicken with a wild rice mix. The breast was nice and juicy with crispy skin. The herbs and butter added nice flavor to the chicken, but once you got through the top layer of chicken it does not have as much flavor. I think I need some kind of sauce or something that adds flavor. I made some plum bbq sauce that I had with pork, that might be good with chicken too. I baked it this time but it might also be good on the grill.

The Wedding Weekend Part 4 Tunica

2010-03-25T21:07:00.002-05:00

After several hectic days and the wedding, Dabney and I drove down to Tunica. We checked at the Goldstrike, went up to our room, and promptly went to sleep. We were going to do something but we just ran out of gas. I woke up before Dabney and watched some NCAA tournament while she slept. About half an hour later Dabney woke and we went downstairs.

We both got Goldstrike cards, which was one line. Then we walked over to the buffet line which was also backed up. They had a seafood buffet that night and that was a sight to behold. They buffet featured whole lobsters and crab legs. All these people were getting two lobsters at a time and big platefuls of crab legs. After we ate we wandered around that casino and gambled a bit. The casino was busy and all the tables were open and a lot of the machines were being played. It was just crazy, there was people everywhere. It had been a long day so we decided to make it an early night.

The next day we slept in, ordered omelets from room service, and got the Jeff Bridges movie Crazy Heart. It was a great way to spend the morning. The food was really good and we both liked the movie. In Tunica they have a small strip malls with what was supposed to be outlet stores, but from what Dabney and I saw there wasn't much savings on the stuff we looked at. We went back to the room for a bit and that night drove over to Harah's and had dinner at the Paula Dean buffet. There were pictures of Paula everywhere and the food at the Paula Dean buffet was really good. If you go I highly recommend the ho cakes which is like a cross between cornbread and a pancake. After dinner we went back to Goldstike and played some video poker at the bar and had a few adult beverages. It was going to be our last night in Tunica but it had been an excellent trip.

Monday morning Dabney had to get back to Memphis for a job interview so we checked and were going to eat breakfast at Waffle House. We drove over and the Waffle House was really busy so ended up going to Paula Dean's again. By the way I am good on the buffets for awhile. We drove back to Memphis and Dabney went to her interview at a non-profit agency called Knowledge Quest. As it turned out Dabney got the job there making it a perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

The Wedding Weekend Part 3 Sat

2010-03-24T03:52:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning I woke up at Austin's house, got dressed, and drove home. Dabney and her Mom had gone to get their hair done so I had the house to myself to get ready. It was in that time that any kind of nerves hit me. The impact of that this was happening after all the planning and hoping that everything was going to work. I checked the internet for a few minutes, took a bath, and got dressed. Austin was supposed to be pick me up because I only wanted one car at the church. He was supposed to be there at 9:30 but had not shown up. A few minutes later Bill and Cameron showed up with the cupcakes so I rode to First Congo with him. When I got there no Austin and Ted had not talked to him either. I was getting a bit nervous when he called and said he was on his way and showed up a few minutes later.

Steve Jones was wandering around taking some pictures of us getting ready. We had decided to try and get some pictures done before the wedding started. Dabney was still getting ready so we did some shots that needed me and not her. After that we did the shots of me seeing Dabney for the first time in her wedding dress. They had me turn around and face the other way and she called me and I turned around. She looked radiant and happy and just full of joy. Steve Jones captured that moment and so far it is everyone's favorite picture. After that we took a bunch of pictures of us with various family members. By that time people were starting to show up so we knew we did not have much time left. Some of the last pictures we took were of the wedding party and the flower girls. Which considering we lost Ted during the service was a good thing. We took the last few pictures, moved off and let the people come in and get seated. Then it was showtime.

The various people walked the mothers and grandmothers in. Then Dabney's Dad Dodson walked her in. It is difficult to describe the mix of emotions I was feeling at that moment. I was overcome with all this pure emotion and I just wanted to explode. We made it through the first part of giving away the bride and readings. During one of the readings I saw Jodi, Ted's girlfriend out of the corner of my eye. next thing I know Jodi and Syd are leading Ted out of the church. We later found out he had a heart flutter and sent his body into shut down mode but seems ok now. Uncle James had a program with the service and a page out of a newspaper with some thoughts written down. It was this bizarre combination of things and other than Dabney reminding him we needed to vows he kept things straight. Dabney and I had written our vows and we wrote them separately. Oddly enough our vows were very similar. I made it through the most of mine but got a bit choked up on the last line of mine which made Dabney a bit choked up for the first part of her vows. But we both made it through our vows. We exchanged rings and we were in the home stretch. There was a couple of more prayers and we kissed. This time when we did the walk out we were married. We stayed at the church for a bit longer, took some more pictures, and then we left the church as people blew bubbles and we left out in Dabney's car to drive to the Hi Tone. It was a massive relief to be through that part because we knew the Hi Tone part would be fun.

We got to the Hi Tone and Steve Jones took some pictures of us outside. We went inside and they were finishing setting up and there was already a mix of friends and family there. I got with the band to work out what time they would start. Once some people got some food, Dabney introduced the band and the Papa Top's West Coast Turn Around who we saw that fateful night at the Hi Tone a couple of years earlier started playing. Dabney and I mingled with the guests and got something to eat. The Papa Top's took a break and during that time Dabney and I fed each other a cupcake, Austin did a toast, and I thanked everybody for coming out. After their break Dabney and I danced to an Ann Murray song we picked out Can I Have This Dance. It was pretty awesome and it was wonderful dancing with her in that moment. A little bit later other people got up and danced and by that time people had started leaving. The Papa Top's said their last was this Charlie Daniel's song called In America but I knew there needed to be one more song. The infamous David Alan Coe song that has the sing along chorus. "Tell em you were Merle Haggard's bitch in prison. Tell em you think Billy Ray Cyrus is queen. Tell em you and David Alan Coe invented country music. You'll be the biggest star they've ever seen." We had the remaining 20 or 30 people singing chorus with us by the end and I knew that was perfect the ending to the party. After that people starting picking up the Hi Tone, Dabney and I went home to get ready to go to Tunica, because my Dad got us a room down there at the Goldstrike Casino. While we were getting ready they dropped some stuff off from the church and the Hi Tone, soon they left and we did too heading to Tunica, MS.

Last installment Part 4 Tunica.

The Wedding Weekend Part 2 Fri

2010-03-23T22:02:00.003-05:00

Friday was a crazy day because there was a lot of moving parts and people in different places. They day started with Dabney and Polly going off to get their nails and toes done. While they did that Polly's friend Karen and Stacy did some decorating for the Hi Tone. The projects did not take as long as Dabney thought they would and Karen ended up going to the nail place and Stacy went to her place to let her dog out. Polly's husband Greg had been helping Bill with a project that did not take long so he came back to our house and ended up watching some basketball with him. Dabney, Polly, and Karen got back and they left again. A little bit later my Mom showed up. She had a left Birmingham that morning and had come straight to our house. We had lunch with her and then Mom and I went to get our hair cut at Dabble's. When I got back from that Dabney, Katie, and Stacy were doing a makeup trial with the Mary Kay lady that would be doing the makeup for the girls the next day. After that we took some stuff for the Hi Tone and after that Dabney went to the church and I got ready for the Running Gag show, then went to the church for the rehearsal.

The rehearsal was for the wedding party, people doing readings, and the parents that would be seated at the beginning of the service. It also gave the remaining people like the Dads, my sister Jacquie and Dabney's grandmothers a chance to meet. We went through the entrance a couple of times, the readings and what would happen in the service. Dabney's Uncle James ran the rehearsal and got testy a couple of times when people got a bit too silly. However I think it was good because the next day everything went very smoothly. About halfway through the guy was going to play the piano for the service showed up. neither one of us had heard him play and had no idea if he could. I think Dabney and I both were very relieved to find he could not only play but play well. The rehearsal was very exciting because it was the first we saw all the moving parts in action and you got the feeling hey we are really doing this. The most exciting part was when we did the leaving the alter part and walking out. We knew when that happened on Saturday that we would be married. After the rehearsal I went to warm up with Running Gag and most everybody else went to Central BBQ.

Several of the people that went to the rehearsal went to the Running Gag show. My Dad, Sharron, my sister Jacquie and her boyfriend Dan had never seen me perform improv before. So I found that to be pretty exciting. It was for the most part a regular Running Gag show. We had part that dealt with the wedding. We played a game called Slide Show where the idea of going on vacation and taking pictures on the trip. There were two guys talking about the trip while Dabney and I posed with the rest of the Running Gag guys. The guys would turn around we would freeze and they would make up something about what we were doing. The show went well and after that everybody went home. I was spending the night with Austin so I went with him to the Mini Van show at the Hi Tone.

Ted, Austin, Syd and I were at the Hi Tone. the show was pretty uneventful. I got something to eat and watched Scott Banbury get thrown out of for being a jerk. We hung out for a bit and Jonathan the owner of the Hi Tone bought me shot. It was odd being the Hi-Tone the night before knowing there would be a different vibe and different crowd in there about 12 hours from that time. Close one o clock I hit the wall and told Austin I needed to go to bed and said that was fine and we went to his house. He blew up an air mattress for me and we chatted a bit. After that we called it a night.

Once again it was a busy productive day. Next the big day is here.

The Wedding Weekend Part 1 Wed/Thur

2010-03-23T21:18:00.005-05:00

While this all still fresh in my memory, I wanted to jot down a few notes about the weekend Dabney and I got married. For me the weekend began when Dabney got off work Wednesday night. I had been off that day but did not do much wedding related that day. I met Dabney out the Hilton to meet my Dad. Up until that time my Dad and Dabney had not met. We had tried a few times, but something came up. My Dad and stepmother Sharron were waiting for us in the lobby of the hotel. We got the initial meeting out of the way and chatted a bit in the lobby bar. We went over what was going to happen over the weekend. After that we all got in my Dad's car and we went to the Belmont Grill to have dinner. Dad and Sharron really liked the Belmont, it is a good place to take out of town guests that want a little local Memphis flavor.

After that we went home because we knew Thursday was going to be a long day. It was at that point Dabney realized she could not find her Social Security card. That meant in addition to going downtown we would have to go to the Social Security Office. We got up early and heading to Social Security. We got there at 8:30 but the office did not open until 9. I went to Chick Fil A to get a biscuit and by the time I got back the office was open. Dabney was one of the first people waited on. She got the paper she needed meaning one government office down and one to go.

Next we had to go downtown to get our marriage license. Our luck held because that there was not a long wait at that office either. The man took our information and our money and made us sign the big book. There was this huge book that people getting married had to sign. I am not sure how old the book was but they had a line for the male to sign but there was no place for a female to sign. We joked that was pretty funny "Don't you worry little lady the menfolk will take care of everything." Anyway we both signed the book and got our marriage license. that meant we were one step closer to getting married.

The next thing was a group lunch at the Hi Tone. It would Dabney's Mom and my Dad a chance to meet. The lunch was supposed to be a chance for people to get together and talk about what would happen during the Hi Tone reception. The lunch was productive and everyone like the Hi Tone's food. The meeting of the parents went well and during lunch Jack and Polly got a good chance to talk.

The only other activity Thursday night was a combined birthday for Sharron and Polly at Saigon Le. Thursday was Polly's birthday and Tuesday had been Sharron's. Saigon Le is one of Polly's favorite restaurants and features a nice mix of Vietnamese and Chinese food. We got some of the lettuce wrapped egg rolls that Polly always ordered when we go there. Dinner went well and everyone had a good time. Dad and Sharron picked us up for dinner so they could see could see our house. After dinner we showed where First Congo Church (wedding location) and CBU (Running Gag Improv location) was so they would know where to go. After that we went and after a long day felt like we got a lot accomplished. We settled in for the night because we knew Friday was going to be a long day.

Part 2 Friday.

Dining vs Eating

2010-02-08T20:40:00.002-06:00

Sunday Dabney and I ate at Paulette's, a French restaurant near where we live. It is an old and established place in Memphis. I have never eaten there before, but Dabney has eaten there before and really liked it. We ate there to celebrate two years of dating and wanted to go to someplace special. We had brunch there and by the people eating there, it was a group of regulars that have been going there for years and years. I had the spinach souffle crepe and it was amazing. There was the warm gooey spinach ins inside a light and tasty souffle. It was delicious, and when I took the first bite there was this explosion of flavors that combined together in my mouth. It was incredible and makes you realize how special eating can be. Too often we go for the easy or convenient instead of something really good. It's what I enjoy about cooking to be able to create things, and to combine different kinds of food in a way that touches all the senses sight, smell, and taste. It was an excellent way to spend an anniversary.

Two Years

2010-02-08T18:29:00.002-06:00

Two years ago, at this very minute, I had come home from work and was getting ready to go and see some friends who were having their cd release party at the Hi-Tone. I was hoping that a certain someone was going to show up at the show, but I wasn't sure if he would or not. I got dressed and ran by Huey's to see Duncan, who was working behind the bar. I grabbed a quick drink and double checked that I was wearing the right clothes.

Little did I know that night was going to change my life. The boy was there. We decided to make the jump from friendship to relationship. We are getting married in six weeks.

However, it is amazing to me how much is different. The house is not the same - we moved in together. The job is not the same - I got laid off almost a year ago, and I still haven't found a new job. I am not the same as I was that night, but I think I am better.

Don't misunderstand - there are days that I am terrified. I don't make the amount of money I need to. I don't have a job with benefits, which means I don't have insurance and I will lose money the days I take off to get married. It is terrifying to me and I have started having panic attacks about money.

What I do have, though, is the love of a good man. He is sweet and loving, and some days I do not deserve him. It has been two years since my life has changed, and I am loving every minute of it.

Frustrated and Disappointed

2010-01-17T14:23:00.002-06:00

Have you ever had one of those friends you knew the only thing you could 100% count on was that, if given the chance, they would disappoint you?

You know the one I am talking about. The one who when you truly need them isn't there, but saves the day just as you are about to cut them out of your life AGAIN?

I have a lot of friends who are supportive, compassionate, and caring. They sense what I need and they do their best to provide it, even if it is a silly picture to make me laugh. Yet, the one person who can provide the one thing I need more than anything right now is either too oblivious, too selfish, or too arrogant to give it to me. It cuts me to the core. I know I need to walk away and not let him/her be in a position to disappoint me, but I just can't. This person is a necessary evil right now. But the very minute that it is possible, I am going to give the good-bye speech of my life - I have been practicing it in my head for over a year - and I will walk away. Count on it.

Kicked Up Cookies

2009-12-27T00:06:00.003-06:00

Hey kids, I'm back and it has been way too long.

Dabney and I had to bring dessert for Christmas. We brought some cheesecake bars and chocolate chip cookies. I have been reading Cooks Illustrated but while I have several issues, I have not made many recipes from it. The chocolate chip cookie recipe is from Cooks Illustrated and what they did was take the traditional Tollhouse Cookie recipe and made some modifications. It uses melted butter, more brown sugar, and extra egg yolk. Also it has you mix together the butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg, then you whisk the mixture and then rest three times. The whisking and resting helped make a very smooth batter because the sugars broke down. We also added some craisins to the recipe, which we thought would add to the holiday feel of the recipe. It was interesting doing a variation on a recipe that made with my Mom when I was a kid. The cookies and cheesecake bars were very good and were a big hit at the dinner.

Labor Day Weekend Part 2 The Food

2009-09-08T21:46:00.002-05:00

Dabney and I had an interesting weekend in food. A lot of people grilled out Monday, but Dabney and I grilled out on Saturday. We made all kinds of foods on sticks. We some spam, pineapple and cherries. That was the starter and was very tasty. The main course was beef and chicken shish kabobs. I used a jerk sauce for the beef and made an Asian style citrus and garlic marinade for the chicken. We made up several skewers of the meat plus several skewers was tomatos, onions, peppers, and mushrooms. I also some made andouille sausage to be used later. Obviously that was a ton of food for the two of us and we had a lot of leftovers.

Sunday we had brunch at the Blue Monkey and then crepes and some sushi downtown at the Music fest. Which brings us to Monday leftover day. We had sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Dabney came up with the idea of sausage and grits. I made the grits with cheddar, Velveeta, butter,and heavy cream. Of course that combo of things could make just about anything taste good. I cooked the sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms, and some bacon together and then served that on top of the cheese grits. It was incredibly good if I do say so myself.

I really did not try any new recipes this weekend, but I do feel like I was creative this weekend. I tried to do something different than the same ole, same ole. Now I need to figure out what I want to try this week.

Labor Day Weekend Part 1 Music

2009-09-07T20:44:00.007-05:00

There were two themes in my Labor Day Weekend, music and food. Let's start with the music first. On Friday we went to Swanky's Tacos to see The Papa Top's West Coast Turn Around. It was a bit of weird night, because there was a not a lot of people there. Even though it was the not the usual crowd the Papa Top's were good form. They went through their usual selection of Honky Tonk favorites Dabney and I had a really good time.

2009 Memphis Music and Heritage Festival pictures.

The next musical day was the Memphis Music and Heritage Festival on Sunday.

The first band we saw Sunday afternoon was Two Way Radio. I have liked them ever since I saw them in Five Dollar Cover. They have a very unique sound that is a lot of fun. The singer and also keyboard Kate Crowder has a lot of energy and her positive vibe seems to be the driving force behind the bands powerful sound.

The next band we saw was Sonny Burgess & the Pacers. They were original rockabilly band that still tears it up on stage. It looks like they have been doing with this for awhile, but they had a good time playing and had receptive crowd including a few people dancing. They did the most up beat and peppy version of Folsome Prison Blues which I never really considered it a peppy song. Other than than that one slightly odd version of song they played a really good set.

After a sushi and Saki break the next band we saw Fitz's Ultimate Cooking Hookers. They are unique band that combines cooking and music. While the band plays a guy up at the front cooks up some great food that he gives out for tips. The cook maybe an Asian style chicken and rice. This being right in Dabney's wheel house she got some. Food and music combined in a great way.

Next was the second Papa Top's show we saw over the weekend. They opened with the regular non-peppy version Folsome Prison Blues which Chris always does well. This time had Chris Davis' twins dancing in front of the stage while the band played. The dancing was especially fun when the twins enacted the song Tiger by the Tail . It was kind of interesting seeing the Papa Top's in twice in one weekend.

The last act we saw was watching Jason D. Williams tear it up. It was a fairly short set but he scorched his way through an amazing selection of songs. He played with a great amount intensity and passion. The band had to really stay on top of things because they would start a song and would play bits and pieces of other songs and then come back to the original song. I had never seen Jason play before and was really impressed. All in all it was awesome day of music, food, and fun.

Memphis Mayoral Debate

2009-08-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have read a few things on a few blogs and on the Commercial appeal & Memphis Flyer sites about the debate and there seems to be a general opinion with some variation.

Current mayors Lowery and A C Wharton did the best. Maybe Lowery did better overall because A C played it a little too safe. Both men answered the questions smoothly and tried to make their case for mayor based on experience.

I guess of the people who actually have a legitimate claim to the job Carol Chumney had the worst night. A couple of people noted the sniping at Wharton. In general with these kinds of debates the person that goes out their way to take shots at other people never looks good.

Opinion on Jerry Lawler were kind of all over the place probably the more Republican leaning you are the more you liked him. He kept saying he was not a politician. Most of his answers seemed to come from the Republicans running for office handbook. Answers short on actual substance but a kind of gritty with a positive frame that with his help that better days are ahead for Memphis.

Charles Carpenter did fairly good job of separating himself from his connections to Herenton, but did little else that was of note. Although the funniest comment I saw on Twitter was that Carpenter sounded like Cleveland from the Family Guy.

Rev. Kenneth Whalum Jr. got some good notices but for the most part was unimpressive.
The one thing that many people noted was his refusal to address the incident where two lesbians were asked to leave his church. I guess it is not a good sign when your shiny black suit is more interesting than anything you actually say.

Councilwoman Wanda Halbert was able to answer the questions but the quality of her answers were in great dispute. I saw a few positive things about her but most of them were that she was not polished enough. When she answered her questions she looked into the camera and had this stiff robotic sounding voice. Like she had memorized her answers and was doing her best to get it all in.

Which brings us to Mongo and school board member Sharon Webb.

Mongo is well Mongo and was mostly comic relief. Although for his crazy talk and weird way of answering questions he does make a few points about the nature of the way the city of Memphis is run.

The response Sharon Webb was either the kind pity your "special" cousin gets or out and out mockery. It's really kind of sad that she actually thinks she could become mayor.
In the big picture though the only difference between Halbert and Webb is that Halbert was at least she able to answer most of the questions, but whether or not she actually understood all the words coming out her mouth was debatable. Sharon Webb makes me wonder how hard it is to get on the school board.

Compound Honey Butter

2009-08-25T20:50:00.002-05:00

I am going to try and do a weekly column where I try a new recipe each week. The first recipe was something pretty simple but very tasty. I have always been interested in compound butter and decided to try it. I used Alton Brown's recipe on the Food Network web site. His recipe called for a pound of butter cinnamon and vanilla. I did not want to make that much so I only used 1 stick of butter. I combined the butter, vanilla, and cinnamon in the food processor, mixed it up. and wrapped it up it the parchment paper. After that I put it back in the the refrigerator and let it harden up. The question was what did I do with this yummy honey butter. It was Sunday morning and we had decided to stay in and not go to brunch, so I made french toast and bacon. I happy to report that honey butter was a smashing success and made for some very tasty french toast. I am not sure if I am going to be able to try something new the rest of the week, but will try and do something next week.

Dabney's Birthday Weekend

2009-08-17T23:21:00.002-05:00

The weekend started on Friday the actual day of her birthday. That morning I gave Dabney her presents, which was a blue ring from Etsy and the game Bejeweled for her computer. She liked them both. We both worked all day, but I left work early and picked up some flowers from her. We had a nice dinner at the Majestic Grille. She did not know it but I had arranged for Noelle's brother Carter to give us a carriage ride. I called him while we were finishing eating and set it up. We ran into Pam and Rebbecca outside and talked with them a few minutes but there was still no Carter. Dabney suggested we go onto a carriage and said no. She then figured Carter was coming to pick us up. Carter showed and gave us a great carriage. Even though the surprise was spoiled a bit, we still had a great ride and night overall.

Saturday Dabney got her hair and nails done. We had some sandwiches from Heavenly Hoagie. We had some friends over burgers and brats. It was an awesome group of people and we had night of food and fun with a ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. We also shot fireworks off that Syd brought. I must a few too many Coronas Saturday because I felt like ass most of the day Sunday. Dabney got brunch from the Blue Monkey and had an fried peanut butter and banana sandwich. She said it was awesome and was nice enough to get me one when I was feeling more human. Chinese food from Atan's ended the birthday weekend. We still have Bill, her Dad, and Mom to celebrate with. Her Dad will probably be some time this week, and her Mom is coming into town week. So there is still a little more Dabney 2009 Birthday Festival to experience.

Oops

2009-08-16T17:14:00.001-05:00

One of the struggles that I usually have with my personal blog is that the minute life gets busy, I forget to blog, and then I have to catch everything up.

Glen and I went to Birmingham. I got to meet some people who knew him long before I did. It was fun to hear some of the old stories. It was also really nice to spend some time with his Mom.

I drove to Nashville and back in a day. I had a Junior League meeting, but needed to get back to Memphis for the Blondie / Pat Benatar concert. I am working on an interesting project this year with the League. Part of it has to do with educating people on online predators and bullying to protect our kids. The other part is education and advocacy with the Memphis Junior League Members to let them know what is going on in all levels of government that affect us, while staying non-partisan.

The Blondie / Pat Benatar concert was awesome. Both ladies, along with their bands, rocked the Mud Island Amphitheater. I heard all of the songs that I wanted to hear, and it the rain held off until the very end of the show.

I turned a year older this week. Due to the wonder that is Facebook, I realized that four other people I know have the same birthday that I do. One of those people was born the exact same year I was, the others just share the day with me.

Glen was awesome. He surprised me with the perfect date night on my actual birthday, and then we had a couple of friends come over last night for dinner. I have always been a proponent of celebrating multiple days, and Glen hasn't batted an eye.

We haven't really made any progress on the wedding lately. We aren't at a point where decision need to be a daily thing, except of course the stress of paying for it. It is unbelievable to me how expensive even the smallest thing can be in a wedding. It adds up so quickly, and is, frankly, overwhelming. I know it seems like we should just elope or something, but the idea of not having my friends and family there to celebrate with us is something I can't imagine.

The health care debate is raging around us. I don't understand the people who are going around the country only to disrupt citizens learning from their Representatives. I don't understand the fear of changing something that just doesn't seem to be working. As someone who is worried about my own insurance situation, I hope that we get a good plan, including a public option.

So, now you are caught up with me. I promise I will be back sooner, rather than later.

Crazy Uncle Pat

2009-07-17T02:53:00.003-05:00

For some reason MSNBC feels the need to keep Pat Buchanan around as a political analyst. When he is on he is usually the curmudgeony old uncle that the rest of the people have to shake their heads at times but for the most part get along with. However since the rise of Obama and his recent selection of Sotomayor as his Supreme Court nominee we have seen the darker side of Uncle Pat come out more. You know the family member that is fine until they get that third or fourth scotch in them and feel more free to tell you exactly what is on their mind. Buchanan has been on a tirade every since the Sotomayor pick has been announced.

Rachel Maddow got into a fierce discussion with him on her show Thursday night. Pat seemed to wax nostalgically about the good ole days in 1960 when the country was 90% white and 10% black and everything thing was just dandy. Since that time the Uncle Pats of the world have watched in horror as the power base of the country become more diverse, but to him it is not because the various minority groups deserved anything but that they used affirmative action to take things from deserving white people. Like his fellow cable talking heads Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity Buchanan only seems to see discrimination against the poor oppressed white man. In a piece he wrote for Human Events magazine Buchanan not only says that Sotomayor is a an affirmative action pick and deserves no respect from the Republicans on the committee. Of the thousands of cases Sotomayor has been a part of Uncle Pat and the Republican Senators only noticed the case where the white men lost out. In the same article also takes a broader view on race and says the Republican party on the whole should not worry about the Hispanic vote. That John McCain simply did not win enough of the white vote. This is a stunningly myopic and short sighted view of things, and while he may be right to a degree about the math in 2008 it will become harder and harder for Republicans to win with just white people especially in states like Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Heck even W saw that the GOP needed in the Hispanic vote in the future, but lost out when the hard liners won on immigration.

Buchanan and Maddow have been oddly tied together on MSNBC. According to Rachel it was his fire and brimstone speech at the 1992 Republican Convention that got her interested in politics in the first place. Before she got her own show Pat and Rachel were often put together on panel discussions and had several dust ups during the 2008 primaries. My favorite moment is when on panel with Rachel, Norah O' Donnell and Eugene Robinson of the Washington Post that the various movements and radical actions of the sixties accomplished nothing only to have Maddow point out that he was on a panel with with two women and a black man. Then again unlike somebody Chris Matthews, Maddow has no problem strongly disagreeing with Buchanan. When her show first started Rachel had Pat on several times but has not had him on as much recently. It was largely because of his piece in Human Events magazine that motivated her to have him saying she wanted to hear his side.

I started out with for some reason MSNBC continues to have Buchanan on the various shows. I think most people at MSNBC like Pat on a personal level and for the most part appears to be a nice guy. It is just at time likes this when that nasty racist bully streak comes out you wonder is really worth it to keep him around much longer.

What's Been Going On

2009-07-16T20:46:00.004-05:00

Now, we all know what can happen if you blog about your job. You can get fired or Dooced.

So, I am not going to do that. I will tell you that I have survived the first four days of working as a temp, even though my new bosses are requiring that I come in at 7:30 in the morning. If you know me well, you will know exactly how hard that is for me. So far all is good, and I am looking forward to going back next week.

Tomorrow, Glen and I are heading to Birmingham for the weekend. Some of Glen's friends from college are having a mini-reunion of sorts, and so we are heading down for that. I think it is always fun to meet people who knew your significant other before you met, and I look forward to hearing some new stories about Glen.

I turned in this quarter's disclosure this week. It was a very good quarter, and I hope we will build on it.

The wedding plans are picking up steam. We have a date and a location. We know that we are going to have cupcakes instead of a wedding cake. We also talked to a friend about making something special for the wedding. We will be making a lot more decisions over the next few months, which is exciting to think about.

In an awesome turn of events, my brother got engaged recently, and so I think it will be fun to compare notes and see the differences in our styles.

Everyone have a good weekend, and I will see you on the flip side.

John Edwards In Retrospect.

2009-06-23T20:07:00.002-05:00

In 2007 I decided to support John Edwards for president in 2008. I did some local volunteer work for the campaign mostly for when he came to Memphis and gave a speech at MIFA. I was very excited about the prospect of Edwards running. He was young looking with an attractive family and compelling life story. He was Southern which seemed to be a good thing because the last three Democratic presidents had been from the South. He had a good message and thought he had a good chance as anybody. The Edwards campaign never gained the traction it needed and like the rest of the field he dropped out by Super Tuesday. It was down to Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama and in the end Obama won the nomination and was able to flip the script, create a new electoral map and win the White House in November 2008. Obama beat all the odds against the Clinton juggernaut, and then the Republican candidate John McCain and the support of the right wing noise machine. Obama put the plan together and was able to survive the ups and downs of a very long campaign.

I am not upset that Edwards did not win the nomination. Given the affair story that recently came out which means the if he had won the nomination chances for disaster would have been very high. How Edwards thought that the news of the affair would not get out remains a mystery. Maybe it was simply ego and the idea he was working for the greater good and that would overcome any tabloid type stories. Of course this is the opposite of reality because it did become a tabloid story even though he came nowhere near the nomination. The story is not over because there are still bits and pieces of the affair details and what happened during the campaign that have not come out yet. In fact one of his former aides, Sara Nelson, is shopping a tell all book deal. It is so sad because he such a promising future, but barring a miracle of some kind it looks like John Edwards political career is over.

After the debacle of the Kerry/Edwards campaign there was the idea floating around that it would not have been so bad if Howard Dean had gone up against Bush in the general election. Dean probably would have lost too but there would been far less painful moments like seeing Kerry all decked out in hunting clothes or the windsurfing incident that made it laughable easy for the Republicans to make a campaign ad. There are no such regrets about Edwards 2008. This goes beyond the fact that Obama won. Barak Obama created a new coalition of voters that may help the Democrats control the next several cycles and create a generation of voters like Reagan did in the 80s. Even if John Edwards could have somehow become president, he would not have been able to create the realignment that Obama did.

There is one side note that brings me back to the beginning of the post. As part of my efforts to get the word about John Edwards I decided to visit a group called Drinking Liberally. There were a great group of people and I continued meeting with them. It was because of that I met Dabney who became my girlfriend and now fiance. So say what you will about the 08 Edwards campaign I did manage to get the love of my life because of him.

Witty Title Here

2009-06-18T19:32:00.002-05:00

A week has gone by since my last post, and not that much has changed. I am still trying hard to find a job. I am still getting distracted by all things wedding. I am still missing seeing people on a regular basis.

The other day Glen and I were talking about whether or not to attend the weekly Drinking Liberally at RP Billiards, and I told Glen that if we didn't go, I wouldn't see another person besides him until Friday. So, we went. Of course, today I ended up spending about 6 hours with my Dad and tomorrow, I am going to lunch with my former boss, so I will be seeing other people after all. I am still glad we went.

Drinking Liberally is a great thing. Not only is it where I met Glen, but it is a great place to go and talk to people who have similar political beliefs. Last night, we talked about everything from Iran to Cohen vs. Herenton to the email issues in Nashville. The Memphis chapter of DL has a lot of dips and peaks in the number of people who attend, and I am hoping now that summer is here, some of our former regulars will return.

For those of you looking for a little something different to do tomorrow night, Running Gag Improv is having its third anniversary show tomorrow night. It will be a good show, and is definitely worth the $5 admission.

I hope to see you soon.

Solitary

2009-06-10T15:59:00.003-05:00

One of the hardest things about not having a job is all of the time I spend alone. From the time Glen goes to work until the time Glen comes home, I am basically alone. I occasionally go to lunch or on an interview, but for the most part - I am alone.

I am not necessarily good at being by myself. I am not saying I need constant contact with people, but given several hours a day of time alone, I tend to go a little crazy. I think of things that can go wrong or I think of things that Glen and I need to do, and I start to panic a little. My mind races with thoughts and I don't have an outlet for all of those thoughts. When I am at work, my mind has to slow down in order to accomplish my tasks. I also am able to stop thinking by reading a book, but I won't find a job if I am sitting around reading a book all day.

Even the job searching is solitary. Most jobs you apply for are online. You submit your resume, and, in most cases, are rejected without ever even talking to a real person. There is no one to call and follow up with, there is only a random email address.

If you know me well, don't worry. This isn't a request to give me a call or anything. You all are doing your jobs just fine. It is just something I am thinking about today, while I am sitting on the couch with my cat, looking for a job.

Star Trek: Her Side

2009-05-30T21:44:00.002-05:00

The only Star Trek anything that I had seen before seeing Star Trek was a partial episode of the original tv show where Spock and Kirk had a fight ("Amok Time"). I saw that episode because Ben Stiller referenced the episode during some behind the scenes stuff for The Cable Guy, and then I happened upon it one day. I also follow Wil Wheaton on Twitter. So, I guess you could say I am not exactly the target demographic that this movie was aiming for.

However, Glen and I have a deal. I will go see movies that he wants to see, and, in exchange, he will see movies that I want to see. So, for every Star Trek, there is also a Sandra Bullock movie. It works for us. I saw the previews for the movie, and I thought it looked pretty good, so we went to see it last Friday night.

My overall reaction was that, while there were probably a few inside jokes or plot points that I missed; overall, the movie was a lot of fun. It was visually stunning, the plot moved along at a good pace, and all of the people were very pretty. The cast was strong. It ranged from relative newcomer Chris Pine as Capt. James T. Kirk to Winona Ryder as Spock’s Mom. The casting was right on target, including, but not limited to, Shaun of the Dead’s Simon Pegg as Scotty.

This is a good date movie for couples who are tired of the usual romantic comedies. I think all but the true hard core Trekkie will appreciate the movie. If there are sequels (ha), I think I would probably go see them, but it doesn’t make me want to get all of the old Star Trek movies out and watch them in order or anything.

Star Trek: His Side

2009-05-30T21:42:00.001-05:00

Dabney and I went to see the new Star Trek movie this past Friday and we both liked it. This is my view of the movie. As someone who has seen most of the orginal series and all the movies I was very familiar with the characters and major plots points. JJ Abrams managed to use the known world of Star Trek and re-invent some parts and add a few new elements.

As with the original it is all about Kirk. Chris Pine brought an energy and excitement to the role without doing a William Shatner imitation. In fact the whole cast brings a certain freshness to the roles such as Spock, McCoy, Scotty, Chekov, and Uhura. Zachary Quinto from the tv show Hereos did an excellent job playing Spock. In fact the movie has Nimoy playing old Spock and you have duelling Spocks. I also enjoyed Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead as Scotty. Overall they do a good job of using various catch phrases such as "I'm a doctor not a ______" and "I'm given you all I got Captn" without making the characters two dimensional imitations.

The story moves at a good clip, the movie starts off with a bang and utilizes the action well through the rest of the movie and as I said before it does a really good job of fusing the old and the new. By utilizing a time twist into the story it allows to use the same characters but to take them in different directions from the original source material in future sequels.

Thanks 5 Dollar Cover

2009-05-16T09:32:00.003-05:00

I would love to see Five Dollar Cover make the Memphis bands involved big stars, but I don't think that will happen. However, there is hopefully one major effect and it has happened to me personally. Dabney and I went to see Two Way Radio and Muck Sticky at the Hi-Tone Thursday night and are going to the Muck Sticky show in early June. This is probably something we would not have done before seeing Five Dollar Cover if for no other reason we did not know who these bands were. Other than seeing the Papa Tops a few times we have not really gone out to see bands in the time we have been together, but I feel like have I rediscovered the Memphis music scene. Within a short drive or walk of my house there are several venues that are featured in Five Dollar Cover and doing what they can to promote and support Memphis music. Thanks to Craig's efforts other people can see what is going here in Memphis, and I think this is as important for the people living here as well as other places in the country. It's easy to say Memphis sucks because there nothing to do here, but I think that is just laziness. In addition to bands and things like roller derby shown in Five Dollar Cover there is improv comedy, open mike comedy, trivia, karaoke, poetry slams, Indie Memphis movies, plays and tons of other things. Pick up a Memphis Flyer or Friday Playbook you may be surprised by what you find is going on.

I Can't Quit You

2009-05-14T18:55:00.004-05:00

When you make a commitment to watch a show there always seems to be a point where you are forced to ask the question "Why I am I still watching this show?". Currently the show I am asking that question is Heroes. It is show that started off great but as the series has progressed it has become bloated, confusing, and at times downright tiring. So as we approach a new season next Fall I am tempted to ask the question so what, but in the end I will probably end up watching the new season.

There have been two shows that I can think of where I have asked that question. Alias that had several major changes in plot and direction and for the most part got sillier and sillier as it progressed. Yet I ended up watching from start to finish. On the other hand I watched X-Files through all the twists and turns until I simply could not take it any more, and just stopped watching the show. However X-Files is the exception to the rule, usually I will stay with a show until the bitter end. The question is why do I do that, why is so hard to say this show is terrible and I can't take it any more.

I guess deep down in the end you come to like or love a show because of some combination of story, characters, or premise. However as the show changes a lot of times they change the factors that originally drew you to the show and in some case multiple changes. The logic side tells you this is pointless and time to stop watching, but the romantic side still remembers that love and somehow hopes it can return to the salad days of the first couple of seasons. So next year we will face new Heroes, the last season of Lost, and maybe another season of Fringe and Dollhouse. While I think Heroes is close to being a lost cause, but I have hope for the other three.

Kiahpalooza

2009-05-12T13:23:00.004-05:00

I went to a party/memorial for a friend this past weekend called Kiahpalooza and it was kind of a hippy version of the Irish Wake. In Spring of 2008 my friend Kiah Pickering got sick and after a lot of testing it was found out he had cancer. He was going to try and fight it but within a couple of months of that he was gone. The progression from seemingly healthy to dead was very disturbing to a lot of us. The funereal service was very nice but was not the way we wanted to say goodbye. Getting all dressed up and being in a church was not Kiah. We had talked amongst ourselves and decided a big party was the best way way to see Kiah off.

The name Kiahpalooza was decided on almost from the start because he had a party of the same name years ago. After some searching they found a place to have the party. It was in a small town east of Memphis in a town called Saulsbury, TN in a big open field. Many of Kiah's closest friends were there to enjoy a day of music, food, booze, and good times, and was the perfect way to memorialize him because he loved to travel and camp to see music. Most people seemed to have a good time and it did not get overly sentimental or sad. It was just a group of friends saying goodbye to someone they missed. The weather co-operated because it rained Friday and Sunday but the rain stayed away most of Saturday. Central BBQ donated some food and Saturday Dabney and I packed up the car, picked up the bbq and headed out to the event. To get to the place where the party was we had to drive on this long and very muddy dirt road. At one point we thought we become the victims of some elaborate prank but we reached the place where the party was being held. People were milling about and chatting, it mostly the people they had come Friday night to set things up. After we got settled a bit we set up our tent. The bands started playing late in the afternoon. We hung out, ate food, listened to music, and just enjoyed the scene. After the bands they had a girl twirling fire which was pretty interesting. They set a big sheet and showed one of Kiah's favorite movies The Big Lebowski but Dabney and I went to bed before they showed the movie. The morning we woke up and it was raining. From the looks of things a lot of people left over the course of the night. We drove back into Memphis and had breakfast with Austin, Ted, and Jode. We went home bathed all the field muck off and took a nice long nap.

Specter Spectacle

2009-05-05T16:38:00.003-05:00

So first, Arlen Specter wants to be a Democrat, but not a loyal Democrat.

Now, he is just waiting for his good buddy Coleman to rejoin him in the Senate.

The Democrats need to run someone against him in the Primary. I don't care what the promise was. Specter has not done one thing to help the party at this point. He doesn't even really get us to the Magic number of 60, because I guarantee for every issue that Specter votes with the D's on, there will be one of our Democratic Senators who crosses the aisle to support the R's.

This is like one of those high school chick flicks, that I love and Glen hates. At this point in time, the Democrats are acting like the shy girl who is asked to the prom by the quarterback, only to find out later that he only asked so that we would do his biology homework for him. Just because he asked us to prom, it doesn't mean we have to sleep with him later. But, if we do, and he then shows up drunk and will only honk the car horn from the driveway it is time to get rid of him.

If Specter is so fond of fair elections, then he shouldn't mind having to run in the primary. No one is asking him to tattoo a donkey on his forehead and only vote the party line, but we are telling him that if he can't stand with us, we can elect someone who will.

We don't need another Lieberman. We already have one too many.

Interesting Week

2009-05-04T11:11:00.001-05:00

The past week has had a quite varied set of activities and for the most part of have been a lot of fun.

It started Tuesday when I did trivia with Dabney and our team won again and getting ready to take on the best in the city for prizes and cool stuff. I think our team has a pretty good chance because we have a lot of areas covered with different people in the group. We play trivia at Tug’s on Mud Island and on five game winning streak, when you win you get a $50 gift card which makes for a pretty inexpensive night out.

On Wednesday Dabney and I went to Drinking Liberally and there was lots of talk about Arlen Spector becoming a Democrat, Al Franken trying to become a Senator, Tenn State Democratic politics and variety of other topics. For the most part it was the usual gang at DL, and we had a good time talking about this and that.

Thursday The Paridiso had a preview of the new Craig Brewer project Five Dollar Cover. It is a series of 15 5-7 minute videos that are about several Memphis musicians. We saw all the segments shown back to back and it was excellent. The project is all local with the crew, actors, and musicians all having local ties. In addition performing several of the musicians such Al Kapone, Amy LaVene, Valerie June and Muck Sticky play fictionalized versions of themselves. I would assume of the story draws from their real lives, but some is completely made up. I was very excited about this project. It does a really good job of showcasing the local Memphis music talent and the various venues in mostly midtown and downtown. I will be very curious to see how Five Dollar Cover will be received outside of Memphis. They will be showing it on MTV in 30 minutes blocks and will have web site with additional information and music from the performers. All indications are if this goes well it will be a template for other cities.

Friday I went with my friend Jubal downtown to see what turned out to be the only dry of Beale Street Music Festival. Dabney did not want to go downtown, which why Jubal got her ticket in the first place. Dabney is not into big crowds and something like music fest is a nightmare scenario for her. I have mixed feelings about big shows like that, they can be a lot of fun but they can be a big pain in the butt too. Jubal and I saw most of the set of Medeski, Martin, and Wood and a good bit of The Cult and G Love & Special Sauce. We decided not to stay for any of the later acts like Ben Harper or Steve Miller Band. For the most part of that group MMW was the group I wanted to see the most and since they were one of the first bands to play the crowd was pretty small. They are kind of jazzy jam band and were good for me because it is band I can listen to with my jam band friends without getting the urge to shove things in my ears like I do sometimes with the Grateful Dead or Widespread Panic. The Cult was interesting too even though it was pretty much setting the wayback machine for 1985 when The Cult was at the top of their game. I think a few hours without rain and a couple of bands that I wanted to see was about all the music fest I needed.

Saturday night Dabney and I met with Jubal, Elisa, and few others at the Young Ave Deli for dinner and beverages. The important thing to remember about going to the Deli is do not get in hurry because they are going to be slow if it’s packed or empty. A couple of the people complained and did not seem to get it when we said they were slow. All in all it was a good evening for me. I got to catch up with a couple of friends and also got to see game 7 of the Bulls/Celtics series (Celtics won BOO). There was some conversation but it got tricky at some points because it does not take much for Deli to get very loud.

Sunday was a pretty full day for me. Dabney and I met our friend Katie at the Hi Tone for Sunday brunch. If you are in midtown and looking for a good brunch place I would consider the Hi Tone. They have good food and reasonable prices and a bonus is the two times we have gone there have not been big crowds. So we ended up staying a couple of hours talking about this and that. That afternoon I had a Running Gag rehearsal and we had the second part of auditions we were having to get one or two more new members. I thought the people trying out did a really good job and I will be curious to see what the other guys think about how they did. I think we have a good chance to bring some exciting new blood into Running Gag. The day ended with our friend Liz Ricon throwing us a wedding shower at her apartment. Dabney knows Liz because they both worked on the 2006 Cohen campaign and I met her through Drinking Liberally. It was a bit odd because many of our political friends were out of town at Tennessee State Democratic retreat, but we still had a good time and it was very nice of her to throw us a party like that.

This coming weekend we are having a memorial party/ camping trip for Kiah, Kiahpallooza. All of us will be getting together on this big plot of land in Salisbury, TN. According to Kattie there is going to be at least 100 people showing up for this, and really I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye to our friend.

Endgame for Coleman

2009-04-29T10:15:00.000-05:00

My Dad lives in Minnesota and I have been a fan of Al Franken since his SNL days. So the ongoing Minnesota Senate battle has held my interest since Franken first declared he was going to run. Franken was trying to take the seat back from Norm Coleman who used the tragic death of Paul Wellstone to win the seat in the first place. The race has gone from a narrow Coleman lead to a narrow Franken lead. Coleman challenged the court ruling in Minnesota Supreme Court. The Coleman camp is claiming that civil liberties of Minnesota voters have been violated in re-count process. I can understand that thinking to a certain degree, but you look at the numbers which Nate Silver did (538 Coleman/Franken article), the math is not on Coleman's side. Unless something very strange happens Al Franken should be the next Senator from Minnesota. That leads me to the question what is Coleman looking to gain by the Minnesota and possible US Supreme Court challenge of election results.

Despite Coleman's claim of a higher purpose for his staying in the fight to the bitter end, this seems to be more about keeping Franken out of the Senate than the freedom and civil liberties of Minnesota voters. With Franken not being able to vote it becomes a defacto Republican vote, so that Coleman does actually to have to be in office. This may make a hero with the GOP and in certain conservative circles but is really the best strategy for keeping a long term political career alive. In the future will Coleman be seen as champion of a cause or just a sore loser who refused to let go or maybe it's just the simple fact that Coleman has no future and has no other choice but go all in on a long shot.

At this point it's just more of the waiting game. Al Franken tries to do as much as he can to be a Senator Elect. Coleman and his team keep making the claims of honoring the voters of Minnesota while pursuing their own goals. Gov Time Pawlenty is sitting on his hands instead of doing the right thing. Lastly the right wing noise machine keeps bitching whining and complaining about the scary notion of Senator Franken. It's insane but I guess if nothing else Al Franken as a great start to his next book.

Life in 24 World

2009-04-28T12:18:00.002-05:00

The conservative blogger Lorie Byrd has a post that like many other conservatives tries to justify that we tortured people in the name of safety.

The Handcuffs We Willingly Wear

In the posting is the usual justifications of Bush kept us safe after 9-ll, liberals don't get it, the Democrats in Congress knew what was happening and so on and so on. There was one passage that did catch my eye and I think really gets the heart on where the left and right disagree on the torture issue.

"Some Democrats, including the President, currently succumbing to the howls from their rabid base, may want to remember that even in a country that now takes its safety somewhat for granted, Jack Bauer is the hero of the television show “24,” not the villain."

Jack Bauer is the hero of "24". To most of the right the world is a big and scary like on "24" where the clock is always ticking and we are hours away from our doom, but thanks to big bad Jack doing what needs to be done we are safe from peril.

This overlooks that "24" was created by a conservative who believes in that style of aggressive foreign policy, and is based on the ticking bomb justification for torture that very rarely actually happens in real life. It also does not deal with two sticky points that the right overlooks or just dismisses. One we agreed as a country that would not use such techniques. Two torture is simply not the most effective method of getting information. You can not depend on this intel because it may be true or may simply be a way for the tortured person to stop what was causing pain.

So to all conservatives out there please put the dvds of "24" and join us back in the real world where America is the shining beckon of behavior again. Besides all the twisting yourself into knots to morally justify torture can't be good for your back.

Time to Shame Hannity

2009-04-28T09:35:00.003-05:00

Last week while interviewing Charles Grodin Sean Hannity of Fox News said he would be waterboarded for charity News Hounds Story and video. Keith Olbermann has offered $1000 a minute for each minute Hannity lasts being waterboarded Link.

This would be perfect because you would get all the right wingers who love Hannity and the people on the left that think he is a bloated windbag. We need to call Hannity on his bluff. If you look at the video you can tell his has no intention of actually going through with this. Hannity is a bully and blowhard, the only way we can get him to possibly go through with is if he is embarrassed into doing it. Stand up to Hannity and make him live up to his word. I would say this is a win win. Not only will some charity get money but all the people that don't like Hannity will gladly pay money to see that idiot get waterboarded and have to eat his words for change.

The Perfect Party

2009-04-26T18:49:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Glen and I went to one of those perfect parties. It was a crawfish boil that the hosts throw once a year. It had all of the perfect party elements - good food, cold beer, great music, and I was surrounded by friends.

As Glen and I were walking back to my car, I told Glen that the feeling at that party was the same feeling I wanted for our wedding. I want people to walk away saying that it was a great party. That alone will make me happy.

It is so easy these days to get caught up in the details of a wedding. The dress, the flowers, the band - it all gets so messy and competitive. Does it really matter in the end if your wedding costs $100 or $10,000? I hope not.

To bring the entry back to the party, it was so fun to see people I have met in so many different places gather in one place. From the people I have known for years to people I just met recently, it was a great mix of people. If you ever get an invitation to Regina's crawfish boil, I hope to see you there.

Guess Whose DVR

2009-04-23T22:20:00.002-05:00

There is a house in midtown that has two tvs and two dvrs, each one in a separate room.

Room A's DVR has the following shows:
1. Fringe
2. Bones
3. Good Eats
4. The Tin Man movie
5. Battlestar Gallactica
6. Dr. Who

Room B's DVR has the following shows:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. The Office
4. My Fake Fiance movie
5. The Hills
6. Greek

Guess who owns which DVR.

When it comes to politics, Glen and I are on the same page. We vote, usually for the same people. We tend to like most of the same food - although he doesn't understand my aversion to fish or chicken pot pies. Neither one of us are overly neat or messy. He cleans the kitchen and I do the laundry. We see eye to eye on almost everything.

However, if you compare our music, our movies, and our tv shows - you would say we are never going to make it. You can go through our dvd collection and pick out the owner pretty quickly. I prefer ABBA and 80s Pop to Glen's Punk Metal and Industrial (I don't know what that means).

I am not sure there is a point to all of this, except to say one minute you know exactly what you are looking for, and the next minute an industrial listening, sci-fi watching chicken pot pie eating boy comes into your life and everything changes.

Commercial Appeal sounds like The Onion

2009-04-23T08:27:00.002-05:00

cannabis-lovers-hit-overton

You know it's getting bad out there for newspapers when a story from the CA sounds more like satire from The Onion. I first heard about this story listening to the Chris Vernon radio show Tuesday.

This particular passage is very funny and yet a bit sad when you think where this is printed.

"Namely, smoke weed, play hacky sack, throw the Frisbee, dance badly and say "dude" a lot.
Then get the munchies."

What the hell is going on down on Union.
Anyway check out the article it's pretty short.

In Limbo

2009-04-22T17:21:00.002-05:00

Some time in February, I was told by my current employer that my job was being eliminated. It was nothing personal, they said, it was due to the economy.

It may not have been personal to my employer, but it was very personal to me. I had been working for this company for over 8 years, first as a temp, then as a full time employee. It wasn't a job I loved, but it was a job, and in this economy, that is saying something.

This should be the happiest time of my life. I should be trying on dresses and dreaming of flowers and centerpieces. I should be able to give an answer to the very simple question on everyone's mind: have you set a date? The answer is no. I haven't set a date because I don't have a job. I am not capable of job hunting and wedding planning at the same time. The wedding would be a shiny key distraction that I don't need.

But, it sucks. Oh, how it sucks. I am still currently "working" at my soon-to-be former job. None of my customers know, and so they keep telling me their future plans to keep me busy. They compliment me on my work, and all I want to tell them is that nothing I do for them matters. No matter how well I do my job on a daily basis, the end result is still the same. On May 1, I join the ranks of the unemployed.

So, I am currently in limbo. I have to show up for work everyday. I have to do the best that I can, and I have to keep searching for a job. A job that will pay me close to what I am earning now. I will have to endure the wedding shower that my colleagues want to throw me next week, because I won't be there to celebrate when the wedding is actually scheduled. Just know that every time I click on indeed.com or usajobs.gov, I am longing for the day, when I do the majority of my web surfing here.

I want to be Anthony Bourdain

2009-04-21T18:37:00.005-05:00

I did a top 5 on Facebook this morning and it was the 5 things I want to be when I grow up. I had National Geographic Photographer, Comedy Actor, Chef, and Cultural Anthropology for the first four. With that celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain popped into my head as a natural 5th. Bourdain became famous for writing books about the seedy underbelly of the New York resaurant scene. This lead to a show on the Food Network and then the Travel Channel called No Reservations, where he travels around to various places around the world sampling various cuisines. To me this would be perfect because he covers everything from to the fanciest uber chic places to food served off a cart or tiny back alley places. Bourdain combines a wicked sense of humor with a thirst for new and different experiences to make a very entertaining show.

Bourdain is a classically trained professional chef and it was his work as a chef that made the rest of his career possible. I have never seriously thought about being a chef but I do love cooking. I seem to have a natural instinct when it comes to cooking and do a lot of cooking by feel as opposed to a always using a specific recipe. I love combining flavors, textures, and different kinds of food. There is something very satisfying about cooking for others and they really like what you make. I can't imagine my life if I could not cook. However having said all of that working in a restaurant kitchen is a lot different than cooking in your own kitchen. If nothing else I would like to take some cooking classes so that I can add to the variety of dishes that I make.

While Bourdain himself is not a photographer his shows captures amazing images from all kinds of exotic from around the world. I have a feeling if I fortunate enough to be in a similar position there is no way I would not take a camera along with me. I do that now when I travel and it gives me a chance to capture moments of my trips. While I do no think I will ever be a professional photographer it will be something that continue to do and enjoy the rest of my life.

While Bourdain is more of performer being himself on his show as opposed to being an actor he uses his personality and humor to make the show watchable and entertaining. I have been taking classes and studying acting since college. I think in the past few years I have really grown as actor. I did some work with local indie movie makers and perform with Running Gag Improv. I really like performing and making people laugh. There is nothing better than finishing a show and knowing that you really nailed it that night. It can be a very tricky balance if you are not focused or into your performance can be off but if you are thinking too much and in your head your performance can be stiff and unnatural. At this point I am still working on my acting and doing improv. I do think there are some opportunities there to pursue this further but if nothing else it is something I enjoy doing as a hobby.

Last we have Cultural Anthropology. In fact I had settle on Cultural Anthropology because I wanted Food Anthropology in other words how and why people eat certain things. I think this is really fascinating and you look at shows like No Reservations you can see how the Spanish, French, English, and Americans going to other countries for various reasons have influenced their cooking. Such the influence of French cooking on various Asian countries during colonial times. Also it works both ways with Indian food becoming a staple in England for instance. I think it would be an incredible experience to travel outside of the states so I could try other kinds cuisines. However I want to travel anyway to be able to experience different cultures all around. I think No Reservations does this as well even though it is a food oriented show it not just Bourdain going to restaurants but he looks why people eat certain things and how food fits into their lives. How food unites people and that often food is a shared and communal experience. Someday maybe I will be will to travel like that and see something besides my little slice of the world.

That's What He Said

2009-04-20T20:11:00.000-05:00

From the moment Glen and I started dating, he has wanted to share a blog with me. Now that we have been living together for 10 months and we are officially engaged, we decided the time was finally right. Those of you who know us from our political blogs may be surprised to learn that we have non-political interests, but we do.

We are going to talk about a little bit of everything: politics, pop culture, television, and occasional wedding talk. I guarantee we will find ourselves funnier and more interesting than you will think we are, but I hope you leave a little more entertained than you were when you got to our corner of the tubes.

Together again for the first time

2009-04-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

Dabney and I have started a blog together. At first I was just going to add her to my blog, Leaning Left But Thinking Right. However I had been thinking I wanted to go in a different direction with my blog. In addition to politics I wanted to cover pop culture, fan boy topics, and just the shiznit that goes on in my day to day life. So together we will take on the world at least our little corner of it here in Midtown Memphis.