As promised, here's another Top 20 list, this time I'm counting down my all-time favorite Disney animated films.
As with all my Top 20 lists, this only lists MY favorites, not which film is necessarily the best. Any & all comments are appreciated!
(I apologize for the brevity of the comments. I'm trying to get to bed at a decent hour.)
Honorable Mention: Fantasia, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Toy Story, Incredibles, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Mulan & Brother Bear.
#20 Sword in the Stone Just a movie that has always stayed with me, even though I can't remember actually watching it. Very strange.
#19 Pocahontas I just watched this for the first time this past weekend. This makes the list simply for having one of the greatest Disney sidekicks ever, Meeko the raccoon. Awwww...
#18 Home on the Range A decent, recent movie, but this is on the list because it was the first movie Payton saw in the movie theater.
#17 Bambi I love me some Thumper!
#16 101 Dalmatians Ewww, Cruella DeVille. I was working at the Disney Store part-time when the live action version of this was released. I hated that job.
#15 Lady & the Tramp Who can ever forget the classic spaghetti eating scene?
#14 Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs My Aunt Linda collects all things Dopey. My favorite dwarf would have to be Sleepy, for obvious reasons.
#13 Monsters, Inc. This movie made me realize that everyone associated with Pixar is a genius. The little things you pick up while watching this movie is incredible.
#12 Rescuers Down Under The late John Candy provides a voice for this movie. What more needs to be said?
#11 Little Mermaid This is a movie I only discovered on video, a few years after being released. I realized then that I missed watching classic Disney movies.
#10 Sleeping Beauty The image of that spindle, Malificent & her dragon alter ego are all burned in my brain as images of evil.
#9 Aladdin See #11. This may be Robin Williams' greatest role.
#8 Beauty & the Beast I'm guessing that this is Payton's favorite Disney movie. I enjoy the story greatly & love hearing Jerry Orbach's voice.
#7 Finding Nemo Again, Pixar hits another home run. The beauty of the colors in this movie are fantastic.
#6 Rescuers
R-E-S-C-U-E Rescue Aid Society Heads held high, touch the sky You mean everything to me
In a fix, in a bind Call on us anytime We'll appear from nowhere Mighty are we
R-E-S-C-U-E Rescue Aid Society Honesty, loyalty We pledge to thee
#5 Lion King Now this one I saw in the theater. James Earl Jones baby!! This is a classic & I'm sure Elton John has a lot to do with that.
#4 Fox & the Hound I saw this one in the theater too, at Fishers Island, on a summer night a long, long time ago. I remember wearing my very first pair of Nike's that night. They were white & because they were new, they helped light the way back home. (I can't remember what I had for dinner last night, yet I can remember that like it was yesterday.)
#3 Cars Never mind Disney, this is one of my all-time favorite movies period. I've seen it probably seven or eight times now & it doesn't get old. The 360 game lets me drive around Radiator Springs 'til my hearts content. I prefer to do it at night, when everything is lit up.
#2 Robin Hood I don't think I can pinpoint a specific reason why I like this movie so much, other than I feel like I'm 5 years old again whenever I see it. Simple nostalgia.
#1 The Aristocats It's about cats! Of course it's going to be #1! I'm eagerly anticipating the release of the special edition DVD later this year. "Everybody wants to be a cat..."
---- As for myself, I will be helping out Joe Cuff in a pinch on Wednesday, filling a roster spot for his softball team. I haven't stepped into a batters box since 2002 and that was for only one game. I haven't played truly competitive softball since the late 90's. This could be ugly. Hopefully the knee will hold up and I'll play in the outfield, greatly reducing the risk of my jaw fielding another ground ball.
---- I'm back into the baseball card collecting gig.
As a kid, I loved my baseball cards. I can look at an 1980 or 1981 Topps card and be instantly transported back to those years, at the Mystic IGA with Dad, picking up a rack pack during a grocery shopping trip.
I didn't get too many cards in the next few years until the collecting bug started again in 1985. In 1986, in 7th grade, I joined a baseball card collecting club in school and that was that. I was in deep. My collecting peaked in 1987, as I have tons & tons of 1987 Topps, Fleer & Donruss cards from that year. (Which for the record are basically worthless, since the rest of the world has tons & tons as well.)
When Upper Deck jumped on the scene in 1989, baseball card collecting started to become too difficult. All the companies produced too many different sets, too many inserts and I couldn't keep up, let alone afford all these new cards.
The 2001 Topps set was pretty cool and I amassed almost the entire Series 1 set for that year. I've picked up some cool Mookie Wilson cards as well as Roberto Clemente cards over the past five or so years. However, I now have a new focus.
I've narrowed my collecting to acquiring every Mets Topps card ever produced. I picked up a fantastic checklist on eBay & have been figuring out what I have & what I need over the past couple of weeks.
I managed to score a couple good deals on eBay and I hit a card shop and a card show (that was a blast from the past!) the past couple of weekends. There's nothing like digging through the common bins, finding a bunch of cards you need and spending less than $20 for your treasures.
Right now the process is fairly easy, as I need lots of cards. Save for 2001, I had practically zero cards from 1991 through the present day. Thankfully, these cards are cheap. Going back through the 70's & 60's will be a little more challenging, although there are bargains to be had.
I'm enjoying it and hopefully I'll be able to keep crossing off more & more years as the summer wears on.
Shady Glen was a treat for me a looooong time ago and it had been too long between visits before rediscovering it a couple of years ago. Mom likes their coleslaw, but that can be substituted for extra crispy cheese. Besides the cheeseburgers, I remember the lime sherbet coolers, which I'll get occasionally.
Shady Glen also makes their sodas the old fashioned way, with soda water & syrup. The cherry Coke's are made with real cherries. Good stuff!
BYDTWD was an rousing success! Payton had a blast & I'm pretty sure she didn't drive everyone completely crazy. Seriously, she kept busy for most of the day by helping out with a large project. The rest of the time was spent coloring, drawing on the white boards, going to the bathroom (three trips) and helping me out. I can't wait until next year. That's my girl, closing the sale!
Thursday is Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Yes, Payton will be joining me at the office for the day. This should be interesting. I'm confident she will be fine, but you never know.
If I remember my camera & can find a way to grab the pics off it while working, I will try & post some pictures during the day. If not, they will be posted tomorrow night.
I'm not going to write a long-winded write-up on Jackie Robinson. I most certainly can't do justice to him or his accomplishments. I will simply try & share some personal thoughts.
As a history buff and a sports fan, I'm fascinated with Jackie. His courageousness helped change not only the face of sports, but of America. He started the civil rights movement, which unfortunately had to be started. This is nothing new. Everyone should know this.
I don't think a big enough deal could be made with regards to Jackie's accomplishments. I thought MLB did a fantastic job this year, but would like to see a celebration every year.
A quick nugget to touch on his nobility. His plaque at the Hall of Fame makes no mention of his breaking the color barrier. This is his doing. He wanted people to know that he earned his way to the Hall of Fame based on his baseball skills, not his social achievements.
I'm also a big fan of his widow, Rachel. She lives right down the road in Salem, CT, and I would go to great lengths to be able to meet her someday.
- That title is my lame attempt at trying to be creative. This will be my standard post title when I have no general theme and just want to post a bunch of nonsense. Even if you hate it, at least I didn't rip off Mike DiMauro, right Mike? :)
- I attended a wake tonight for an old acquaintance. He died unexpectedly the other night. It was obviously horrible and the weather while waiting to enter the funeral home was almost scripted. A cold drizzle fell into a sharp wind. Thankfully I was near the front of the line when the doors opened. The same can't be said for the hundreds of people who lined the street. Let's hope that's the last wake I'll have to attend for a long time. RIP Mike...
- I'm amazed at how quickly this whole Imus thing escalated. It went from an afterthought last week to a firestorm today. At least the story is a little more relevant than the Anna Nicole mess, which I paid zero attention to. I find it quite funny how MSNBC & CBS Radio make it seem like they made a moral decision when it boils down to cash, plain and simple. They were happy to release statements and then suspend him until the advertisers started pulling out. CBS should've at least waited for the radiothon to end before pulling the plug. Who knows, maybe this will help raise more money.
- I'm watching "The Andrea Doria" right now. "GEORGE: Oh, right! (Shakes her hand) Right! Hey, hey.. I love the floors in here. It's like a gymnasium in here! Try and guard me! (Dribbles an imaginary ball)." I love me some Seinfeld reruns.
- There's waaaaay too much Easter candy lying around here.
- This site will be down a reader next week. Have fun at Disney World Eric!
- Some things to look forward to here in the coming days: Some thoughts on Jackie Robinson Day Maybe a few more Top 20 Lists Current TV show patterns
- Remember, you can always keep tabs on me by following my Twitter page.
A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to take over a team in an NBA 2K7 online league. I had requested to be in the league when it started, but all the teams were taken. Once the season started, some owners left, thus creating the opening. I said sure, picked the Atlanta Hawks and was told to make up the games the previous owner missed as soon as possible.
(Just some quick background info. There was a fantasy-style draft before the season, so the rosters don't reflect their real-world counterparts. The games are played online with the Xbox 360, with results and statistics recorded on the league's fabulous website, located here. Each team plays three games per week, with each game representing "one week" in the season. My team had played three game and the rest of the league was pushing 20.)
I played two games right away and was destroyed both times. It was at that moment I began to wonder if I had made a sound decision. I was home sick last Wednesday and played four more games, all losses. I told the guy who invited me that this really wasn't fun and I know I'm not helpful to the league, being a pushover and all. He asked me to wait until I played him, since he's not that good either, and then see how I feel.
Before I had a chance to play him, I managed to win a game. It was a great game, one where I was losing early, fought back, took the lead, lost the lead in the fourth quarter, but held on and survived a last-second, potential game-tying 3-pointer to win 107-104. I felt a little better. Then I played last night and was destroyed again.
It's not the losing that bothers me the most. Sure, it really stinks to waste 45 minutes being embarrased, but it's everything else that comes with this league.
All the league members are now on my Xbox Live friends list. Before joining the league, I had maybe 20 friends, mostly all people I know personally. Now I have close to or over 50 and I don't know any of them.
Whenever I turn the machine on, I'm innundated with messages from these guys either looking to get our game in or to pester me about a trade. It's non-stop. Being in this league is more stressful than my job. The league feels like a job. (There is an option to "hide" and appear as if I'm offline, but I enjoy being connected to Xbox Live and seeing if other friends are on, etc.)
I hate to quit something I've committed to, but this is much more involved than I expected. Work is only going to become busier and busier the closer we get to summer and that means less time to play these games. I also want to play other games, not just NBA 2K7. I have lots of games that I want to play but I can't since I'm always being asked to get the league games in.
Any thoughts from my readers before I send off a message to the commish? Even though I'm 99% sure what I'm going to do, I'd like to hear some other thoughts.
I honestly plan on updating the site more often, especially since Eric said he will start checking. I have some post ideas & changes in mind, so hopefully I will get to them soon.
Guitar Hero II is amazing. I stink at it, but I enjoy the heck out of it. Whoever thought playing a Cheap Trick song on a fake guitar would be so enjoyable???
The Mets lost their first game of the year yesterday. I was hoping for a longer streak to start the year, but that's okay.
If you're looking for me today, I will be planted on the couch, enjoying the Masters in HD, which is one of the showcases for HD. Everything looks amazing in HD, but the Masters is extra-stunning.
If anyone is still paying attention, I apologize for the lack of posts. Quite frankly, there hasn't been much to talk about.
The past weekend with Payton was great. We saw Beauty & the Beast at the Garde & attended the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Mystic. The weekend went by much too fast.
Work has been crazy busy, so that leaves me no time to update.
This weekend brings about my annual fantasy baseball drafts. I'm proud to report that my teams won both leagues last year, something that would never be possible without Mr. Upson's help. Thanks Boss! (I also can't believe that this will be my 10th Tulip League draft. Wow.)
Back to school tomorrow night. Last week was Spring Break & it was fantastic. Oh well. A necessary evil.
For the past week, I've been attempting to download the HD version of The Departed from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Because it's in HD, the file is massive & I don't leave the 360 on long enough to download it all in one shot. I'm getting there though!
In the meantime, check out my Twitter page. Eventually, maybe by the time you read this, I'll have a funky little button on the right that will show updates.
I'm very much aware that the title of this entry is a rallying cry for many sports organizations (hi Cubbies!). This year, it's also one for UConn, one that us fans have used many times in the past. However, this year is different. For the first time since Jim Calhoun's first season at UConn, the Huskies will not be attending a post-season tournament. So, to help lift my spirits, here's a rundown of my Top 20 UConn games in my lifetime. As with all of my Top 20 lists, this is solely based on my feelings, not general consensus. Also, my lifetime basically extends back to the beginning of the Big East. I don't remember much of the Yankee Conference Huskies, so no comments regarding any omissions there.
HONORABLE MENTION: March 19, 1993 vs. Jackson State (watching Lindsey Hunter drop 39 in a UConn NIT loss)
#20 December 6, 1986 Purdue 88, UConn 70 (HCC, attn. 9,155) UConn falls at home to the #4 team in the country. This makes the list because I was able to move down & sit directly behind the visitors bench, yelling like mad at Gene Keady & constantly calling Boilermaker Doug Lee, "Ugg Lee".
#19 February 20, 1988 Syracuse 73, UConn 71 (HCC) I'm at this game with my Dad, on his birthday, as we watch Jeff King throw a horrible inbounds pass in the final seconds of a close game, which leads to the game-winning points. UConn falls to the #12 in the country and we are devestated.
#18 March 24, 2002 Maryland 90, UConn 82 (Elite Eight at Syracuse) This makes the list because I was there & was hoping to watch UConn make the Final Four. Unfortunately, the fell to the eventual national champs, but I did get to watch Caron Butler go down swinging. In his final game as a Husky, he dropped 32 points, 26 in the second half, almost single-handidly carrying UConn to victory.
#17 March 24, 1990 Duke 79, UConn 78 (Elite Eight) March 24 seems to be a bad day. He Who Shall Not Be Named hits a shot at the buzzer to end The Dream Season. Memories of Tate George with a game-sealing steal falling out of bounds continues to haunt me. I'll share this picture of HWSNBN to make us feel better.
#16 January 26, 2002 UConn 100, Arizona 98 (OT, @ Arizona) No more losses on this list. This is unreal game from Emeka Okafor/Ben Gordon's freshman year. Mek should've had a triple-double, but the official scorer robbed him of at least two blocks. (He finished with 9)
#15 November 28, 1987 UConn 102, Maryland-Eastern Shore 63 (Field House) My first game at the Field House. Other than that, not too memorable. Even though UConn score 102 points, they made only two three-pointers, both by Greg Economou, not Phil Gamble.
#14 February 28, 1987 UConn 56, Seton Hall 54(HCC, attn. 8,130) Once again, the lack of fans allows me to sit directly behind the home bench. I sit one row behind suspended stars Cliff Robinson & Phil Gamble, who both sign my program. UConn wins it's 9th & final game of the season. This was the last season UConn failed to make the postseason until this year.
#13 March 9, 1996 UConn 75, Georgetown 74 (BE Championship Game, MSG) Ray Allen hits a running jumper to give UConn the lead. The Allen Iverson-led Hoyas miss two easy shots at the buzzer, leading to another UConn BE Tourney championship & a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney. That ended ugly two weeks later against Mississippi State.
#12 March 24, 2006 UConn 98, Washington 92 (OT) (Sweet 16 in Washington, DC) This one's for you Brian! UConn trailed by six with 1:55 to go in regulation and Rashad Anderson hit a game-tying three-pointer with 1.8 seconds left. They never trailed in regulation, moving on to the George Mason debacle two days later. Next please.
#11 March 19, 1998 UConn 75, Washington 74 (Sweet 16 in Greensboro, NC) Sorry Brian. Another miraculous finish, this time with Rip Hamilton hitting the game-winner after what seemed like 10 missed shots prior to that. My Dad was there to witness this beauty. Again, this set the stage for another Elite Eight loss to the hometown Tar Heels two days later.
#10 January 20, 1990 UConn 70, Georgetown 65 (HCC) This was a snowy Saturday night. Dad was there, but I was stuck in Torrington watching the game on a 5" inch black & white TV. I liked what I saw, as UConn jumped out to a big early lead, preventing the #2 Alonzo Mourning-led Hoyas from ascending to the #1 spot the following week.
#9 January 15, 1990 UConn 70, Syracuse 59 (HCC) Five days before the aforementioned Georgetown game, UConn squared off against the Orangemen on ESPN. Syracuse was ranked #5, which made this win one of the program's biggest wins ever at the time. We had great seats for this one, compared to our regular seats, so this was special.
#8 March 13, 2004 UConn 61, Pittsburgh 58 (BE Championship Game, MSG) One of the most amazing games I've ever been to. UConn trailed most of the game, but for some reason, I sensed they were going to win. Pitt shot the ball extremely well early on & UConn struggled. I was hoping the Law of Averages would take over & they did. Unreal atmosphere in the Garden that night.
#7 March 30, 1988 UConn 72, Ohio State 67 (NIT Championship, MSG) I listened to this one on the radio, laying in bed, while Dad was there. An unbelievable moment, UConn going all the way to win a title. I'm aware it was the NIT, but this is UConn we're talking about. They won 9 games the year before and had never sniffed the post-season since I started watching. Unreal.
#6 March 20, 1999 UConn 67, Gonzaga 62 (Elite Eight in Phoenix) Finally, UConn is over the hump. They made it interesting, but they finally proved they can make it to a Final Four. I was proud to be watching on TV with my Dad.
#5 March 25, 1988 UConn 72, Virgina-Commonwealth 61 (NIT Elite Eight, Field House) I remember this game like it was yesterday. It was a Friday night & Dad picked me up for school. This was only my second game at the Field House & it was for a ticket back to MSG for the NIT Final Four. It was ridiculously hot in that building, but also incredibly loud. According to many reports, it was the loudest home game ever, no matter the venue. Dust was falling from the rafters it was so loud. I would love to get a copy of this game. I was glad to be one of the 4,801 in attendence.
#4 March 22, 1990 UConn 71, Clemson 70 (Sweet Sixteen, Meadowlands) The Shot. Scott Burrell to Tate George with one second remaining. I'm afraid to say I didn't see the play happen live. I was too busy crying into a pillow. A game that UConn was in control of the entire time had slipped away in the closing minutes & they were going to lose. I couldn't bear to watch. I heard it, but I didn't see it. (Dad, you don't get off easy here either. You took Trapper out for a walk & missed it too.) This game made the Duke loss two days later that much more painful.
#3 April 5, 2004 UConn 82, Georgia Tech 73 (National Championship, San Antonio) This isn't #2 only because it was almost anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, it was still amazing, but after the game before and the fact they were always in control, knocks it down a peg.
#2 April 3, 2004 UConn 79, Duke 78 (Final Four, San Antonio) Whew. This was a barn-burner. Like the BE Championship game against Pittsburgh, UConn trailed late. However, some timely three's & clutch free throws gave them the victory. This was sweet given the opponent and the sense that UConn was the class of the country & deserved to win. A great game.
#1 March 29, 1999 UConn 77, Duke 74 (National Championship, St. Petersburg) I don't have to look any of that information up. I can remember what I had for dinner that night. (Chicken & rice, one of the only things I can cook.) This was something that I thought I would never see. To do it against the hated Dukies, when the national media had already crowned them National Champions, was simply amazing. A night I'll never forget.
I suppose it was prophetic that the same day Payton told me she played Freeze Tag & conjured up some old memories, that Mike tagged me.
Here is the definition of being tagged, blog style: "Turns out there is a game of Blog-Tag going around the blogosphere in which bloggers are sharing five things about themselves that relatively few people know, and then tagging five other bloggers to be "it."" (Source: The Jeff Pulver Blog)
Mike said six weird things, but since he didn't play by the rules & only tagged me, I'm referring to the rules I've found. Here are the five things about me you may or may not know.
1. I'm extremely goal oriented. I'm much more efficient at work if I'm given a deadline, a benchmark to shoot for. I suppose this is why I'm addicted to earning those achievements.
2. There is a stuffed animal that resides on my bed, which I may or may not cuddle with occasionally.
3. To go along with one of Mike's items, my iPod is also quite diverse. 2300+ songs, from artists ranging from Ace of Base, Backstreet Boys, Metallica, N.W.A., Doobie Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Olivia Newton John, Frank Stallone, White Lion to Tevin Campbell. Some interesting notes. 1st on the list is 2 Live Crew, last is ZZ Top. Most played song is "Higher" by The Game. Three different songs titled "Right Now" (Van Halen, Al B. Sure & SR-71), only one titled "Love Rears Its Ugly Head" (Living Colour).
4. I don't untie my shoes before putting them on. Slip on, slip off.
5. I'm a total homebody. I can't see myself living anywhere but Connecticut. More specifically, I don't like being away from SE Connecticut. I think I could do Baltimore, but I think I'm meant to stay in the Nutmeg State.
Now, I need to tag five more people. We'll start with PJ, since he asked about it and obviously Brian. Now it gets tricky, since I don't have many friends that blog. So let's see who we can get. Brian Stucki, founder of the wonderful site, Life In The Office, come on down! Let's stick with The Office theme and shoot for the moon. Kevin Malone, Toby, Angela Martin, Craig, and last, but not least, Jenna. (I'm aware that's more than five, but I figured I'd up my chances of actually having one of them respond by inviting more.)
------ Here are two more Fishers Island pics courtesy of Patty. A little chilly over there the past couple of days!
----- Since I'm not working today, there may be another post this afternoon. Maybe.
So I was on my way to work this morning, driving in the monsoon down Route 2. As usual, I had to deal with my fair share of idiots on the highway. The difference today was that I could identify one of the morons causing the issues.
All members of the Connecticut legislature have special license plates, identifying their position. Hee hee hee.
I was unfortunate enough to be traveling behind the Chief Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Eric D. Coleman and his Chrysler Sebring.
Apparently, you don't need to know the rules of the road to represent the citizens of Bloomfield, Hartford & Windsor. This guy thought that the far left lane was the travel lane, ignoring the right lane, also known as the travel lane. Sure, he would jump over there occasionally, but he would jump right back in the passing lane, clogging up traffic. What made it worse was that the visibility was very limited due to the heavy rain.
On page 49 of the Connecticut DMV Driver Handbook, it clearly states, "Don't block the passing lane. Stay out of the far left lane and yield to the right for any vehicle that wants to pass." Seems fairly simple, but I guess graduating from Columbia precludes you from knowing this.
This wasn't his only faux pas. As he approached the Route 11 exit/split, he was still traveling in the passing lane. In order to make the exit, he cut across three lanes to make the exit just in time. Of course, there weren't any State Troopers sitting there today like they usually do, even though I'm sure they would've let a State Senator off with a warning.
Hopefully Senator Williams can learn the rules of the road soon before inflicting some serious injuries on an innocent driver.
-----
Yes Mike, I'm aware you tagged me. Look for my list of six weird things about me coming soon, along with my list of five others to tag.
Christmas, 2003. I received a copy of SOCOM 2 for the PS2. The commercials sold me, as I thought the game looked pretty cool. I played the single player game a few times, but wasn't thrilled with it. I also received the network adapter that year and had read good things about SOCOM 2 online, but I didn't know anyone else who played.
For the next seven months, the game sat in its case while I played Madden, GTA Vice City & NCAA Football. Then it happened.
I was contacted by a couple of buddies from my Foxwoods days, Aaron & Eric. In conversation, they asked if I played SOCOM. I told them I had the game, but didn't play it. They told me they were in a clan with other old pals from Foxwoods & invited me to join them.
From the very first night I played, I was hooked. It became an obsession. I was playing a virtual game of hide & seek with friends, twice a week, sometimes more. Thursdays & Sundays were SOCOM Nights. Nothing else. Even Red Sox fans gave up on the Sox during the ALCS in 2004 to play SOCOM. (I'm pretty sure some managed to watch a World Series game or two.)
The Geeks with Gunz clan was a machine. We played constantly and always seemed to have at least six, usually eight, players on a given night. New recruits were added. We tried to have a tournament. We bombarded each others emails with roll call for the coming night & recaps of the previous night's skirmishes. We even spent $100 on the useless hard drive that allowed us to play three new maps. Anything to expand the SOCOM universe.
Eventually, some players left us, including Aaron. He moved onto World of Warcraft, where he still lives today. The core of the group held strong under Zman's leadership, keeping up with the sequel, SOCOM 3, which arrived in the fall of 2005. However, the end was near.
In the spring of 2006, Sony promised new maps. They arrived in July. Then, SOCOM 3.1 was announced, titled Combined Assault. As the number of regulars dwindled to around four or five per night, the writing was on the wall. Combined Assault wasn't good enough to justify paying the money for and many GwG members were gaming on next-gen systems. There were a few stragglers, but with Zman finally purchasing an Xbox 360 this past Friday, the final nail was pounded into the SOCOM coffin.
Since Dean (PudClot) is the only idiot former member to buy a PS3, Geeks with Gunz is starting anew, this time on the Xbox 360. There are currently five former members actively involved with Rainbow Six: Vegas, a game that’s just as much fun as SOCOM was in it’s heyday, only better.
The beauty and joy of next-gen and HD gaming can’t take away from the hours of enjoyment that SOCOM delivered the past few years. Friendships were made as were the memories. Here are some words & images to ponder as we say goodbye…
Trust me, I won't be wasting my time watching any of the NBA All Star Game tonight. I don't need to subject myself to a few hours of no-defense running & gunning. I may flip over to catch a glimpse of the Huskies in the game (Caron Butler, Rip Hamilton & Ray Allen), but that's about it.
All Star Saturday Night used to have relevance with me. It's ironic that the greatest moments of the event were back in the mid-80's when we only saw highlights at halftime of the All Star Game. Once the NBA decided to air the entire event, it seemed to lose steam. I would've loved to have watched Jordan rob Dominique & Bird dominate the 3 Point Shootout.
As bad as the dunk contest is now, I'm still fascinated by it. Last night's highlight (for me) wasn't Gerald Green imitating Dee Brown (it was cool). It was Dwight Howard slapping a sticker of himself way up high on the backboard. In case you missed it:
Too many times have I been hoodwinked by these morons who get paid to guess the weather. That's right, guess. Not "predict". Not "forecast". More like "take a wild guess at what's going to happen."
Sure, they'll try & tell you that they have fancy shmancy degrees, consult with dozens of computers, study charts and other data, then formulate a "forecast" as to what's going to happen. But lets be honest. They have no freaking clue.
They can nail the easy stuff. Any idiot can look at a satellite picture to see how the jet stream is working and figure out what's headed our way in terms of temperature and some precipitation. Any moron can look at pressure gradients and figure out how windy it's going to be. That stuff my cats can do.
I want someone to be able to say for certain that "XYZ state will receive XXX inches of snow during the following time-frame." We all know that's never going to happen.
I don't want to hear, "Well, warm air aloft worked it's way into the storm much earlier than anticipated, creating the sleet." Blah, blah, blah. You get paid to figure that stuff out in advance, not to tell us after the fact.
I've been a weather nut my whole life. I love all sorts of weather, especially extreme weather. Give me a thunderstorm, a hurricane, a nor'easter, a heat wave, a cold snap, a drought, anything Mother Nature can throw. I love it all. But today starts a change.
From here on out, I vow to never watch a local news "forecast" again. That's right, no more Brad Field, Garett Argianis, Bob Maxon, John Carroll & Bruce DePrest. Yes, that includes Scot Haney, my buddy. (NOTE, Geoff Fox has been on my you-know-what-list since 7th grade, so he's already had a lifetime ban, but that's a story for another day.) Dr. Mel too, although I wish him health & happiness.
I'll carry this to all weather "forecasts" as well, although I suppose I'd make an exception for Stephanie Abrams & Alexandra Steele, but that's about it.
Too many times I get teased & excited about an upcoming weather event that fails to live up to expectations and hype created by these talking suits. It's not going to happen again.
Anything I need to know about the weather I can find out as soon as I step outside or look out a window. "Wow, it's cold today." "Hmm, looks like rain." What more do I need??
Yes, I ripped off the name from the program on XM 41 Da Boneyard, but I thought it was appropriate. (Update: sadly, this channel as I loved it died during the merger. Sigh...)
If you know me, you'll know that my favorite genre of music is classic hair metal. What better way to honor Valentine's Day (a made-up holiday that I'm not fond of) by listing my Top 20 Hair Metal Ballads of all-time.
Granted, these aren't the greatest "love" songs, nor do they even have to be about love. They are generally slow & I purposely left off "power ballads", when possible.
I also tried to shy away from the more popular songs, although some may have slipped in. Again, these are simply my favorites, not what critics or other fans think are the best.
Please forgive me if I've omitted any obvious ones. This idea came to me driving home tonight, so I simply whipped through my iPod to find the songs.
**Special treat!! I was going to copy & paste selected lyrics for each song, but due to time constraints, that may have to come later.
In the meantime, I've found a way for you to listen to them! Click here for the playlist over at finetune.com. (NOTE, this playlist includes some honorable mention songs as well.)
HONORABLE MENTION Just Take My Heart, To Be With You, Carrie, Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's Gone, Damn Good, Alone Again, Slippin' Away, Cryin' (Vixen, not Aerosmith. Yuck!) Love of A Lifetime, When the Children Cry, If You Needed Somebody, Angel Song, It Ain't Easy, November Rain, Estranged, Deep Cuts the Knife, Tear Down the Walls, Love Bites, All I Want is Everything, Home Sweet Home, Every Rose Has It's Thorn, Silent Lucidity, I Remember You, Fly To The Angels, Love Song, Heaven, Now You're Gone, Miles Away
I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm, but it sounds like we could be receiving our first real snowstorm of the year Wednesday. I'm sure it will fizzle out or turn to rain, but I'm still hoping. ---- As tough as it is to struggle through a difficult season for UConn, the sting is lessened by watching Duke lose too. :) ---- Not much else to say, I just wanted to throw something up here so my three readers don't think I've forgotten about the blog. I have my follow-up doctor's appointment tomorrow, my first test tomorrow night and that's about it. I was quite happy to see Payton today. One day is too long not to get a hug from her, let alone five.
I survived my fourth knee surgery. This one is a lot different than my last one. I haven't even had to use any crutches. I used one last night for balance, but today I was just hobbling around. I'm able to bend my knee almost 90 degrees, but it's hard to keep working at it with the big bandage on.
When I walk, there is a horrifying clicking. I really hope that goes away because it makes me sick to my stomach.
I'm always amazed at the power of the anesthesia. I go from being wide awake, talking to the nurses, to opening my eyes, all groggy, feeling great. Pretty amazing.
I'm sure I'll be back to work on Monday, so I need to milk these next few days. ---- Here are some nice pictures of the Munnatawket & one of Fishers Island Sound, both looking north from Fishers. Thanks for sending them on Patty! Keep 'em coming!
Just a few more hours to go before my surgery. I'm looking forward to getting this over & done with. It will be nice to not have to worry about the cartilage tearing all the time. Plus, the few days off will be nice. Nothing like sitting around napping, watching TV & playing some 360 to help you recover. I will miss my Payton though. :( ---- Speaking of Miss P, this is what she wrote in her journal (yes, she has a journal) Monday night, with no prompting:
In football you can not pul down there fas mask and it is a foul.
Is my little girl going to be a football announcer?? I've heard John Madden say things much more obvious than that! ---- Speaking of my Xbox 360, there's a new way to keep track of my gaming. There was always my 360's blog (which is linked on the right), but that only gave a daily recap. (It does have some interesting statistics, but is limited.) My 360 LiveEye breaks down my gaming hour by hour, game by game. Pretty scary, but pretty cool too, at least to me. ---- My first quiz in English Lit? An "A". Sweeet. ---- Before I leave for surgery, here's a passage from one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, The Jimmy, (Top 20 coming soon!) that always pops in my head when I hear "surgery":
KRAMER: "So, you're heading home?"
JERRY: "No...Got dental appointment."
KRAMER: "Ah! what.. Tim Whatley?
JERRY: "Yeah!"
KRAMER: "Oh yeah.! I got a check up on Thursday."
JERRY: "Oh! How d'you like that?"
KRAMER: "You know.. You really shouldn't brush 24 hours before seeing the dentist."
JERRY: "I think that's eat 24 hours before surgery."
KRAMER: "Oh no, you got to eat before surgery, you need your strength."
(I haven't had anything to eat or drink since 8:30 PM last night.)
Last night’s loss was a tough one to swallow. We played the team we lost to in our first game of the year, the same game I broke my arm. That game wasn’t close, last night was.
We fell down 17-2 right off the bat. However, we battled back to tie it at 19, then took a 38-31 halftime lead. We eventually lost by 20, falling victim to their man-to-man defense & fatigue.
Personally, I was disappointed because of my limited mobility. The knee tweaked a little in the second half & I couldn’t move enough on offense to get an open look or even help others get free. I scored 15 points in the first half and only attempted one shot in the second, which I missed. Ugh.
I’m hoping that this won’t be an issue after Wednesday’s procedure. I have no idea how long the recovery time is, but I’m hoping to not miss too many games. It would be nice if we could work our way into the playoffs. (The top 4 teams advance.) ----- In other news, I continue to lead the weigh-in contest, losing another 3.5 pounds this week. I’m now down 17 since the start of the contest and am only 5.5 pounds away from my goal. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to officially weigh-in next Friday, as I’ll be home recovering & playing some Xbox 360. ----- After the fantastic reception I received regarding my Top 20 Atari 2600 Games, I plan on making a Top 20 list a regular feature here. I’ve already begun researching my next list and it shall be posted soon.
