The 2000's - and whats next

Happy Holidays to all! I hope everyone had a wonderful Hanukkah and Christmas. My five year old loves it at this time as most kids do. She is especially lucky in that she gets both a Hanukkah and Christmas. She seems very comfortable with both celebrations. Its organic to her and she embraces both with such enthusiasm. Being a 5 year old digital native, she is also very comfortable with computers. Don't you wish you had such ease with a computer the first time you ever used one? For her, using a computer was like my first trip to the playground. No one had to tell me what to do, I just played. That's how my Daughter is with technology. The first time she pried my iphone from me, she just KNEW how to use it. Have you given any thought to the impact of technology on our lives in the last 10 years? Its really amazing. With our phones and the internet, many of us now have "friends" all over the World thanks to social networks... many we have never met. (probably never will) I expect this to continue in a big way. More and more friends (1000s of them) as we build our personal Network with people who share the same likes and dislikes as us... and the friends we have known?, we may connect with them more, but less in person. Speaking to my Nanny, she felt she is "more" in touch with her friends, calling and texting, but I told her there was a time when you hung with your friends endlessly, in person. Our very definition of "friends" and "close friends", oh boy that's going to change, if it hasn't already. Even the modern design of most streets (made wider so 2 fire trucks could pass each way) in some suburbs took away the natural connection with your neighbors. (Think when you were a kid, you knew everyone pretty much on your block) I barely know my neighbors today. So now we are making connections and friendships so easily over the Web leaving our shyness at home, and the time of these interactions (some lasting only seconds) with lots of strangers the World over. Think of the long range impact. "Face to Face" might be reserved for family, very important business affairs, and the closest of friends. (and even that will go away - I'm waiting see one of my friends get married online" Seriously, this stuff is coming (for those who cant make it to the wedding in person please visit John and Jessica get married.com ) Our definition of face to face may be with Avatars and not in the flesh. Yes, technology had its biggest impact on how we interact within society over last 10 years and it seems it will only be more so in the next 10 years. So I know... I only focused on one aspect of technology's impact over the last decade. And yes we will make more connections, and yes, it will redefine our friendships, but with new technology we also we will find ways to live much much longer (Only if you are very very rich). I do think the impact of Stemcell research over the next 10 years will be mind-boggling. In 20 years, growing organs for replacement will in common almost commonplace for those rich enough to afford it.

I think in addition to saying goodbye to face to face friendships, say goodbye too to all Newspapers and Magazines in paper form. And everyone knows about the death of the Newspaper, but did you know, we will also see the beginning of the end of meat consumption? (and it may take 30 years but its decline will begin). Its going to get too dangerous (Swine flu is not the end, but just the start) and it will become too expensive for most. (strangely enough as it began, when meat was only consumed by the very rich) In this decade we will see the 100 dollar Steak and the 20 Dollar hamburger. Meat substitutes (many today are amazing) will go mainstream as "becoming healthy" really healthy becomes the next big status symbol. Older people will look younger and younger people will look older as the environment takes its toll on those who fail to take care of themselves. There will be a further divide not only between the rich and the poor, but between the healthy and the unhealthy. Living healthy is a lifestyle choice and healthy lifestyle will be marketed and product-ized of sorts as boomers get even older.

I think the one thing as I ramble through my thoughts about this decade and the next is, the 2000's took away our ability to be shocked. Nothing seems shocking anymore. After 9/11, Katrina, Tsunami's, earthquakes, Virgina Tech, The bailing out of AIG and other financial institutions that helped caused the financial crisis, and then to see everyday people lose their homes (with no bail out), the events in and around War in Iraq and the 4,282 US Soldiers and Sailors who have died in combat, its very difficult to shocked by anything anymore. And I don't know if we are just numb to all of these events, but I think most of us are just about ready for anything.

And with that, lets say goodbye to the double OOs and say hello to the next decade~!

Peace to you and happy 2010!

Good Times!

Good Times! I was watching reruns of this hit show from the 70's and couldn't help but think of how desperately America needs another "Good Times" kind of show. You know, a family with some legit struggle, real struggle... ALL the time... and making the best of it. I think Caucasian folks in particular need this the most. My Dad told me this week that in NYC "White is the new Black". The struggles that Black people have known for far too long, now belong to a new class of people, and I'm not talking about "Rosanne" either. Some folks I know are struggling for the first time in their lives, and they need lessons on living "day to day. This is nothing new to us. Just ask people in Detroit. Detroit has been in a permanent recession since the 60's, maybe earlier. Double digit unemployment? Nothing new. This recession feels like a depression to some because they never felt struggle. Enjoying simple pleasures, like playing monopoly, the board game and not MONOPOLY, buying and owning 2 or 3 real homes (odd how that felt normal - the summer home, the winter home yada yada)... appreciating non material things like your health, and not getting a shoppers high from blowing thousands on a pair of shoes (ok, a couple of nice pairs of shoes) with your Amex Platinum Card. What was great about "Good Times", was we could relate, but we were never as down and out as they were. My Mom once said, look, you got it better than JJ (Jimmy Walker, the ultra skinny dude on the right in the Blue hat) you should thank your lucky stars you have it so good". Guess what? I bought it. Why not have a show of a once prosperous family that fall victim of the economy and find happiness with each other. But instead of a Super poor family in Good Times, how about a Madoff like family? (without the crime thingy) I was thinking about the remake of "Fun with Dick and Jane" with Jim Carrey, Téa Leoni. The only problem with that movie, just like real life, Dick and Jane lost stuff, but the stuff is what gave them happiness. Some of us have not let go of the "stuff" it seems. The great American Consumer's appetite for more has taken some serious hits, in the last year and a half, but like the creatures in "night of the living dead" the shoppers come back from the brink, looking for SOME way (like Layaway), to get more stuff. (and ok, maybe not layaway, that involves patience). And lets not pretend that a recovery is just around the corner. Pa-lease! I see this thing lasting another 15 or more years. Its going to take a long time to get this economy back in shape. The tricks that propped up American Consumption for so long (Cheap credit, corporate thievery in the stock market, and an ultra inflated housing market) those gimmicks are mostly played. I'm not go any further on it in this blog the ills of the Nation, but its crazy ugly. What the Country needs is to see the cast of say Dynasty, or Dallas, pulling themselves together, and getting by on less and having fun along the way. I'm serious, the Country needs this. There has to be a reason people are lining up to see Sarah Palin. She has that fallen from grace, going from Vogue to Rogue thing going for her. Ok, that just messed up my blog...nevermind the thought.

Just imagine, A family that had it all (or so they thought) and found it all by losing it all and having each other. Loving each other for who they are and not for how much money they make. I'm sure JJ Walker would say DYN-O-MITE! to that. I know I would. Its a good lesson for everyone. Good times!

Health Care for all....what is there to debate?

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan plans to increase the rates for about 163,000 people under certain plans by an average of 22 percent. Blue Cross is also increasing certain supplemental Medicare policies held by about 210,000 Michigan seniors by an average of 4.7 percent.

In Southern California, The billionaire chairman of Los Angeles-based Mercury Insurance Company is sponsoring a ballot measure that would legalize surcharges of hundreds of dollars for automobile insurance, penalize good drivers for accidents that are not their fault, and lead to more uninsured motorists. Under the proposal, aimed at the June 2010 ballot, people who stop driving for more than three months or were previously uninsured would be forced to pay more when they restart their insurance. These include laid-off employees, recent graduates, retirees forced back to work, people buying insurance for the first time and residents who move away from cities with good mass transit systems. Such surcharges are currently unlawful under the 1988 insurance reform law, Proposition 103, but Mercury has repeatedly violated that and other state insurance laws.

These are few two of MANY examples of how quietly Insurance companies are out (as much as they can) to minimize claims and maximize profits. The bizarre thing about this sleazy business is somehow in the Press, the current state of the Nations Health Care is being made to look as if it actually WORKS for YOU! I am simply dumbfounded by the tone of the National "Debate" on health care. Who are these freaks speaking up for the Insurance companies that are out to do as little as possible, charge as much as possible, and eliminate as many risks as possible? Who are they? A Government option will force the insurance companies from continuing their "mission statement" to rip off insurance policy holders as effectively as possible. "Big Government" is being blathered on right wing talk radio as a bad thing. Its NUTS, absolutely NUTS! Wasn't the strategic National response to Pearl Harbor "Big Government"? Wasn't FDR's New Deal "Big Government?" Those projects like the Hoover Dam, Tennessee Valley Authority, Social Security, the Interstate Highway System and don't forget the Space Program, yes Virgina, we got to the MOON with the help of "Big Government". How American and Patriotic is THAT??? And if we do not ALL participate and ALL pitch in, what is the opposite of "all"? Wouldn't it be "one person" and wouldn't that be a Dictatorship?

The fact that the press (and insurance companies, and right wing nut jobs) have convinced many that we should keep this rigged system as is, should be a wake up call. As the so called debate goes on, I think the masses will wake up to the facts and wake up to the truth, the Insurance companies don't care about you, only that your premiums and your Employer's premiums, are paid on time. That's it. They are in it for the money. No pretty ad can cover up the stench of these sleazeballs. Let your Congressman know where YOU stand. Let them hear your voice. scream louder than the loonies...and let's fight back!

Once we GET a public option, the next thing we should do is go after the FDA. The Food and Drug Administration is the flimsiest Government body ever. Its RUN by the Food Corporations! Colonel Sanders and General Mills call the shots baby! and there is no governance. Anything and everything that can fit in a tube, bottle or box, IS made for human consumption in the USA. I would say that 9 1/2 of 10 Aisles in the average grocery store are packed with ingredients that will kill you and end your life sooner than it should. These ingredients cause cancer, heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease. Its a mess! and the odds are stacked against the avg. fast food eating, grab some more chicken wings and beer American. The Worlds Greatest Country deserves better. Our kids deserve better. Don't you think? Preventative Doctor visits, diet and exercise, all the things suggested as the optimum American way of life, Corporations, are out to eliminate. There is more money in "treating" everyone for being sick. And if your not sick, there is a VERY strong media to convince people they just might be. Come on, who are you kidding? You HAVE to be sick, you ate Twinkies!!! Lots of them! They have a shelf life of 600 years!...its going to get you. Its Jet Fuel! There is NO money in a cure...the cash is in treating the symptoms. The big money is in the testing, but only after its too late. With so called "Modern Medicine" You would think things might get better, but the recession, (The GREAT recession) oh it set us back, big time. cheap "comfort" food "dollar menu baby!!!" Staying home and "cocooning" is in. Reality TV (which had nothing to do with the recession), the reality, many people stay in and watch people live so called "real lives" on TV (Who in the Hell is this "Kate" person anyway? and WHY don't they call HER the Octomom??? How did she get center stage on "People", and who reads this crap? You know who? Fat Americans, thats who!!! when in actuality, the new reality is a trip to the couch (is that couch paid for? ok that's another story)... a trip to the fridge, back to the couch and then back to the fridge... to the couch... to the fridge and off to the bed. (and the modern American cant sleep anyway) There is a pill for that, too!

When and where does it all end? I'm counting on you to do something about this mess. I'm sick of writing. This subject, ah it makes me sick to my stomach.

I promise a happy story next blog.

An iTunes kind of life?

Oh our ipods! Dont we just love them?! Me, I have a older ipod with over 9000 songs (yes Nine zero zero zero and counting). At first thought you would think that all this electronic access to music would be great for the music business, but we found out it actually hurt sales, and changed the way we buy music forever. I could go into all of the terrible byproducts of downloading music (the biggie being stolen music downloads), and this is has also hit the movie business, but I wanted to focus on one aspect.

See when I was a teenager, I went down to the record store. My little shop actually wasn't a record store, it was really a Smokeshop that sold records. The owners Son was really into music, and he gave his son some space to sell records, and over time the Son sold more records than his Dad sold pipes and cigars, but it still went by the smoke shop name. I spent a LOT of time in the smoke shop talking about music with the owners Son and anybody who would walk into the store and wanted to talk about music. The thing we were all trying to find was the next big band, and those hidden gems on the B-side of the records. This was SO fun. I remember running into the store to tell Sam (the owners son) about this killer song "Train in Vain" by the Clash. "Train" wasn't even listed on the record! A gem! later a HIT!

I guess since the music that came out in the late 70's and early 80's was so fantastic, for me, it was magical. Unlike today, there wasn't an easy way to preview music, unless you heard it on the radio, OR in the record store. (Off topic, I'm still waiting for that great recession music to arrive, as the way it has gone, the worse the economy the better the music (that is until now, and I have a few theories, but I digress) The records didn't cost much back in the day, and even a teenager could take a chance on a band you didn't know. Literally, I bought a record simply for the cover (and beautiful covers they were (sob)) or read about it in Rolling Stone. For me, Rolling Stone was the music Bible, the good book! I remember buying "Dire Straits" sight unseen. RS said it was good and that was good enough for me. "The Clash", "Blondie", "Talking Heads", "Devo" "PIL", "Cheap Trick" "The B-52's", "U2" and "The Cars" It seemed almost like a new must -have band came out every week! When I listened to all this wonderful music on my Sears Special record player and my Koss Headphones, all bought on McDonalds wages, I listened to ALL the music on one side of the record. flipped it and listened ALL of the flip side (aka the B-side). Looking back, some of the BEST music ever was found on the flip or B-side. It was too difficult to pick up the needle and go from song to song although, people did try (usually at parties). This was where you heard the big scratches (RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP!) when the person changing the song had been drinking too much and would utter something like " Oh you GOT to hear this song...Ugh let me find it") (Ah, you younger kids will never know how your Parents lived before The Internet, Facebook, ipods, iphones, Tivo, and cars with AC, OnStar, and Navigation. trust me, you had think on your feet every now and then. ;))



Fast forward some 35 years later and look how we buy and listen music today. Itunes sells music by the SONG! Little kids with Itunes accounts are cherry picking Jonas Brothers songs. (of course that may not be a bad thing). No really, this IS a bad thing. If at the end of the day, Sally Sue only buys so called "hit" songs, plenty of Artists works will go without a listen (Songs back in the day a person would discover on the B-side) Many of these songs became hits. "Train in Vain" a hit song by the Clash, wasn't even listed on the record! The only way you found it, was listening to the entire record. Who didn't listen to ALL of London Calling? Those who might buy it on iTunes and may not know better. I'm certain "Thriller" would not be as big had it been released first on iTunes...even the best selling record of all time is being cherry picked. Oh yes. When was the last time you listened to an ENTIRE record, er, gee, I mean downloadable collection of songs that would have been a record or CD?



The World spins just as fast as it did 40 years ago, but things "appear" to be moving much faster. In all this hectic living, are we cherry picking more than songs on iTunes? Are we not taking the time to listen to an entire conversation, message, Class or Meeting? Do we cherry pick some of what we hear and tune out the rest? We are missing out on some "life's" greatest hits! lifes greatest little moments....the B side. Immerse yourself into whatever your doing. Listen to the entire conversation. Stay until the end of the game. Buy the entire download! Listen to your kids! Finish the book! Be in the moment...and stick around and smell the roses, the coffee...you just might find a Gem!. :)

Good Happens!

Wow, its been light years since I wrote in my blog. I've been truly struggling to come up with something I felt was worth writing. I wanted to write about hard work and faith. You know, we are in such a "Haves" and "Have Not" Society. I know so many people who are doing just fantastic right now in the midst of this Global Recession, and I know people who are having a very tough time. I wanted to be encouraging to those who are having a tough go at it, to lean on your faith. I mean LEAN! I'm amazed how the combination of effort and faith results in the incredible and Amazing . You must have both. Every day, every task, every situation, You have to give it 110 percent. You must give it your all. My Soccer Coach (Mark Hilty) told me and my teammates to "Leave it ALL on the field" He said if we could run off the field at the end of the game we didn't work hard enough. So give it your all, and then pray like crazy and believe in the positive possibilities...the unlimited abundance. If you cant see it, if you cant picture the optimal outcome, how can anybody else? You gotta have faith. Especially when you get setbacks. Don't quit. Don't give up. Faith and works...its works. In the end you may not get exactly what you want, but a light will be set out, and a path will be made... and you will get exactly what you need. I wanted to give a few words of encouragement. Whatever it is you are seeking, it may it be closer than you think. Chin up, smile. Appreciate the sunshine, your family, and your friends.

Good Happens!

A note to my Grandmother.

Once again I have been slow on the Blog front, and I want to apologize to the wonderful people who have reached out to me to tell me they enjoy my writing. Its quite a joy to get that kind of feedback and it's greatly appreciated. Ive been thinking a lot about my Grandmother. She was such a special influence in my life, perhaps a little more so than with most. She was more like a "Co-Mom" to me. At one point I lived just across the street from her for about 8 years growing up. Ruth Ann gave me some tremendously valuable lessons. Not all of them I took to heart, but most of them I did. She was really big on learning, and she cut zero slack on school. I had no choice but to produce, "or else". (I never found out what "or else was, nor did I want to know". My Grandmother grew up during the Great Depression. She owned two homes (the other was a rental) and was comfortably retired at 63, after being a Superintendent at a Reform School for Girls for over 25 years. She did quirky things like Christmas shopping in June (all of it). She would always give me one of the best presents, and even better, I always got it a day before Christmas. (I never knew exactly why she gave it to me early, but I loved it). I know this is sounding like she was just spoiling me, but that really wasn't the case. Because of her, I worked nights and weekends at McDonalds. She made a big deal out of the value of work and money. My Grandmother was always pretty focused on whatever she did, and at 82, she hardly lost her edge. She was a tremendously fun person to be with, and she loved her Grandson. When I got a VP promotion, it was pretty much a joint promotion. She was extremely proud and even at this stage of my life, continued encouraging me to "keep on keepin on". She did everything she could to live in her house until she could no longer, and moved to a Assisted living center. She wasn't there long before she passed away. I was so sad and torn up about losing my Grandmother that I convinced my wife to "pull the goalie" so that we might have a kid. Before her death, for whatever reason, I had this "logical" (like Spock on Star Trek) view of kids as a line item expense and way too much trouble. I wasn't a "kid" type of guy at all. But losing my "Rock" made me so want to be a parent and grow the family. 14 months after she passed away we had a baby girl. I guess you could also say that I became "The rock" for my family. And Since we were married in Italy, and since Rome was our favorite city, we name her Romi (Rom-ee) The R is also a nod to Ruth Ann. In a lot of ways my Daughter has a little "Ruth Ann" in her. She is pretty focused, a hell of lot of fun, and she loves her Dad. Now the reason for this blog, I wanted to share with her some of things that has happened in the six years she has been gone and let her know I miss her. So here is my note to you.

My lovely Grandmother. We miss you SO much. I know you are in heaven and hope they are giving you a glimpse or two of your Great Grand Daughter. (tell me she isnt a chip off the old block). She knows all about you and knows you're in heaven. She is a GREAT kid (see her picture). She is so bright, and kicking butt at Montessori school. She is also at 4 an amazing swimmer. She can swim an entire length of a pool. She has this built in "will to win" She doesn't like to be 2nd in anything (almost to a fault). Every time I look in her eyes, I can see you. More big news. I know you wont believe this but America has its first Black President! You would love Obama and his family. Its like the Cosby show moved into the White House. The Country is going through some very difficult economic times. Epic/Depression level stuff. This President could not have a more difficult job. I would say work is tougher for most everyone now, including me, but I am doing my best to "keep on keeping on" like you taught me. But truly, I wish you were here so you can see this changing World. The World is changing Grandma. and its getting smaller. I can watch TV on my mobile Phone. I have buddies all over the planet. Oh yeah, and I stopped eating meat of any kind. I can no longer have your famous chicken. The last thing I'm going to leave you with, and its a bit of a shocker. They are going to cancel your favorite soap opera, "The Guiding light" after 72 years. Maybe they wont do so in heaven. I miss our "small talks" SO very much. You are in my heart, always and never forgotten. Love, your Grandson.

New pitcher to the field of dreams

Just a kid. 22. Hard working pitcher from Silver Springs Maryland. The kid really loved baseball, and had a gutcheck journey to the bigs. It began with some seriously bad luck as he injured his elbow just before the 2004 MLB prep draft. The injury dropped him from a projected 10th in the 1st round all the way to 413th in the 14th round! Nick had to have tommy john surgery, and a ton of therapy to get back to form. A lot of kids would have quit after falling so far off the baseball draft radar. Not Nick. They guy kept working, kept at it. Bobby Knight said it this way "Most people have the will to win, few have the will to prepare to win. Nick was a winner. He did what it took to not only make it to "the show", the guy made it as the number 3 pitcher into the Angels starting rotation. In his first game of the 2009 season, Nick pitched six innings, giving up no runs, striking out 5, earning a no decision. A solid start to a long season. Then, the next morning, a drunk driver speeding in a red Toyota Sienna minivan runs a red light, hitting a gray Mitsubishi Eclipse in which Nick was a passenger. The Mitsubishi then crashes into a telephone pole...and just like that. A wonderful kid and his two friends are dead. Senseless. When you hear this stuff on the news, you go "so sad" so so tragic". I couldn't shake Nick's sudden death. What struck me about this was the sheer randomness of it all. So random. That could have been anyone of us. Later I was thinking "what if"? What if, they stopped and had coffee, or what if? Nick couldn't find his wallet and took an extra minute or two to find it, thereby missing the speeding idiot drunk driver ?. What 30 seconds, few minutes could have kept the two vehicles from colliding. Gosh, how does this stuff happen? Its tragic EVERY DAY! drunk drivers kill. Everyday, someone just as special to someone, dies or is badly hurt from a drunk driver. When will we get serious about drunk drivers, really serious? When will the madness end? Rest in peace Nick. And if they play baseball in heaven. If there really is a "field of dreams", Boy, their team just got better.

Free thinking

Once again folks, I have been struck with "writers block". I have started numerous stories, but never got them to a state where I felt they should be published. I just didn't like them. Darn, if I was a writer in a newspaper, I would be toast! I'm like a lot of people, kind of frozen...kinda like "wow" all this crap is going on "bad stuff...really bad stuff". All I want to do is eat snacks and watch "the View". Today, I had to comfort a friend today who felt like she was about to be let go from her job, even though there wasn't any specific event or series of events that would suggest she was going to lose her job. (except the "News" talking about all the jobs that are being lost) People are scared. I do have some friends who are oblivious to all of this negativity, and are living like its 1999. They are truly above the "Debbie Downer" mindset and are not too concerned about anything. We really do seem to have two very different Worlds. Every day I try to convince myself I am not going to be a "part of the mess" Forge ahead and move about without worry. What will worry do for me? Nothing. There is no comfort in worry. Yet some days I can do it, and some days I cant. Friday I spoke to a guy that gave me some advice. He said "Don't embrace pop culture. Don't engage in "the mess", it will only mess you up. You know what? The guy is right. You have to pull back and rethink things and come up with your "own" plan. Too many of us are rolling with the herd... from birth to death, we are manipulated like puppets. Free thinking is real freedom but few of us ever pull it off. I've felt I have been a free thinker, but honestly, my mind and my thoughts are too polluted with the "World" I have been caught up with things which are not important in the big scheme of things. All is not lost, but I have to get real and get imaginative. In the end, I truly need to do my own thing. What about you?

The start of a Dream Season - Sounders FC

On April 19, 2009 at about 6pm, 32,000 fans came out for the very first Seattle Sounders FC game as a MLS club (They played the New York Red Bulls). This was no ordinary kick off. Quest Field, the home of the Seattle Seahawks, was converted to a full on regulation Soccer Pitch, that look amazing. The fans came out in green and blue, and each had a Sounders FC Scarf, compliments of the team. It was a sea of scarves in the air waving, so impressively, you would have thought you were in England, or Spain, or Brazil. What in the world was going on here? Soccer has been the ugly stepchild of American Sports. Forever it seemed like the Big 3 (Football, Baseball, and Basketball) would rule America for the next 225 years, and in all likelyhood it will, BUT perhaps things are changing a little. Seattle has gone Soccer Mad. If they keep winning, things will really get crazy. It's interesting to point out that right now, there are more Sounders season ticket holders, than there are season ticket holders for the Seattle Mariners baseball team. And oh yeah, the M's will have their sellouts, but with only 16 home games, compared to 81 for the M's, the Sounder's games seem more special to me. The M's will have a little competition, and OMG, the nights where both play, will be a zoo! -

Fast forward to July 2011! The Seattle Sounders are STILL big and winning even more games this year. Tomorrow they host a friendly with Man United! Man Fricken United! Arguably the most popular team on Earth! Amazing, the Sounders ownership has kept this franchise on the right track. Let's hope they continue to pull all the right levers!

Death of a Newspaper

I have been reading the Seattle PI since January 1993. Not a super long time compared to the 147 years the paper has been around, but its not a short period of time. So much has happened. The PI has been my personal companion the entire time I have been in Seattle. Nothing else has made it with me this long. I'm one of those goof balls that "saves" newspapers. I didnt save them all, but I did manage to keep a paper every time something "big" happened. I pulled some of these old PI's out to look at today, and wanted to share a few headlines. June 28, 1999 "Dome goes out a winner!"Ms beat the Rangers 5-2. Dec 20th 1998 "Impeached!" Then, President Clinton was impeached and the PI gave us 6 pages of coverage. Oct 8, 1995 "The Magic never ends!" M's rally to beat Yankees to force a deciding game. The M's had never been in this position before. For Seattle, this was crazy and insane all at the same time. Yes, the Sonics had won a Championship in 1979, but the baseball team had never made it to the playoffs. This was silly, wonderful, stuff and the PI covered like we lived it, in a very fun and celebratory way. Not like the New York Times was covering the Yankees...they were stuffy. We lived it up and the PI lived it up with us. Like a friend, the PI was there to tell everyone who would pony up the 25 cents, the entire story....all the details. Oh, but I didn't just collect the paper when they had made it to the payoffs. I saved a paper from September 21st, the day the M's pulled into first place tie with the Angels with a 11-3 win over Texas. The M's went on to beat the Angels in a one game playoff. (I was there for that one). My Oh My, one of the best days of my life. The PI put together special editions to celebrate it over and over. I honestly think the PI helped keep the Ms success story afloat to allow the city council overturn the stadium vote, making Safeco field possible. Maybe Safeco field is was the house that Griffey, and the PI built. Now years later, I can look at these papers, and it all comes back to me. I just don't know if going online to see old editions will have the same feeling. Probably not. But this is the World we live in. I "get" news real time now...it comes to me over my iPhone or my blackberry, or on Twitter. Reading the paper in the morning is merely a ritual. I already know whats in there, I just wanted to see how the PI was going to cover it. The impressive thing about this, is the PI writers always kept my attention. I wanted to get their spin on things. September 14th "10 trying to board jets in NY held" A Nation, still shell shocked, is desperate to make sense of the unthinkable. March 1, 2001 "6.8 SHOCKER". Strongest quake in 50 years. The PI was there to help us sort through these big stories with details, not sound bytes. At the end of the day, you cant beat a paper for getting the details. No TV, Radio, or Twitter Tweet can compete with a great writer. Whats sad about this, is people seem to be finding comfort with knowing less. The headlines alone seem to suffice. The sound byte IS the story. No wonder a company like Enron or World com could get off the ground. By 1999, America had moved clearly into "sound byte" Territory. Details were fuzzy, but it was ok, the "bigger picture" was clear as day.

Maybe there is a bigger price to pay for losing our local paper, and other cities losing their papers, and I hope I'm wrong. Either way, I'm going to miss Seattle PI. I'm going to miss it a bunch. The PI was always there. Come Wednesday, it wont be in the driveway, but instead, it might be in my inbox.

I don't know about that.

The year of being MAD!

Aren't we PISSED OFF!!!.....at Something? Oh yeah, let it rip, we are angry. This is the year of being MAD! We are so mad at a lot of stuff in 2009. Mad at work... Mad about Pay freezes, or worse, the sense we are not going to make as much as we did before...or worse Mad because we lost our Job. Mad because we cant FIND a job. Mad because we cant get the money for school. Mad because our homes are worth a lot less (remember bragging about all the equity we had?) and no one wants to buy them. Mad because we cant pay the rent....cant pay our bills. Mad about the Stock Market collapse. Mad because (for some) our taxes are going to go UP AND deductions are going away. Mad because now retirement just got put off until like... never. Mad because our 401K now looks like a .4b. Mad because we cant do all the things we did a few years ago, like buy a latte. We are mad because we cant SPLURGE like we used to. Like a little kid on a big giant financial TIME OUT.... this sucks wind! Put into to the corner and shut down from our crazy spending sprees. WTF I thought that card was good!? Ok, so maybe it was Nuts to buy a new car EVERY year. Or a HOUSE every 2 or 3 years ( Think about that one) Buying Stuff...Shopping Nordstoms/Barneys/Tiffanys/Prada - Living La Vida Loca! ....That's what the weekends were for... Ugh! That impulse weekend trip to Vegas just ain't in the cards. The annual girls week trip... the week with the Guys ...cancelled. The family trip to Europe...Ugh, no. Even the trip to Grandma's house was a little "lite" at Christmas time. Family Reunion? Sorry, cant make it. Everything is being scaled back. So quietly, we are boiling inside. Steaming about this F***ing economy and waiting to explode about something or on somebody, with the realization this is way more than a recession. Worse, this thing ain't going away anytime soon. So we are mad at anything and everything. The person driving slow in the right hand lane. The CIO who just walked away with 300 Mill... A-Rod... The Octomom.... The Bachelor... we are even pissed off at the weather. Normally, we can tolerate a little snow, a little rain, but this year, the weather seems worse (and maybe it is) and it does because we don't feel good about everything else. We just want to sleep this off and call it a bad dream.

So. What now?, besides playing the lottery. (Oh come on, don't tell me you haven't bought a lottery ticket, a LOT of lottery tickets). My Dad says this is recession is a "good" thing..a time for cleaning house. Look, America (and it seems the World) got too carried away, as we have done many times over the years (late 1800's and of course the roaring 20's and the ga ga 80's). Caught up in a orgy of materialism and money worshiping. The Party was even BETTER than Prince said it would be in 1999, and we went BIG!... Sometimes, I feel like after those Towers came down, people said "Better get my living in, like TODAY!" and we all went a little crazy. We were all like George and Weezy on the Jeffersons, and baby, we were "Movin on UP!!! and UP and UP....and UP!!! In the end, the bills had to be paid, and boy the bill was a Whopper!!! There is not enough Tylenol in the World to cure this financial hangover.

BUT!.....I'm Optimistic for the future, and believe we are on the brink of a new age. A lot of amazing things are in store, and the opportunities will be many. The last thing we need is a downer attitude ( as easy as that is to have right now). Yep, we took a big hit, big as we have ever taken in our lifetime, but come on... we have to get off the mat, dust ourselves off, roll up our sleeves and get with the program!!! Being Mad isn't going to help anyone. If anything, be Glad. Be Glad you're alive! Be Glad for your friends. COUNT your blessings. Be Glad for your family. Be Glad for today. Be Glad for what CAN BE. Collectively we can have positive mojo, and the faster we will get out of this thing. Really. Be Glad! Spring is around the corner, and better times are ahead. ...and hey, lets enjoy these prices. Stuff may never be this cheap again

OSCAR TIME!

The Oscars. I read somewhere that The Oscars is the "Superbowl" for women. You know, I don't get that. I think men...and even straight men like me, really enjoy watching the Oscars. The Oscars IS a must see event for a LOT women AND men. I love it. Love the red carpet. Love the Kodak theater. I love the tension, the show itself. I especially enjoy some of the Oscar hosts. (Billy Crystal is my all time favorite). I promised my wife I would take her one day to see the Oscars in person. (We have been to the Kodak Theater, but not during the show). (And don't bet against me, I've been to some pretty big events...almost a Zelig kind of attendance to big events in my lifetime, but that's another blog for another day). I have had two decent chances to go in the last 15 years, and can count one acquaintance, Tom Whitlock, (who won an Oscar for co-writing the song "Take my breath away") as the only Oscar winner I have met in real life and "hung out with". Tom is a humble, down to earth, great guy. I met him first back in 93'. And not to veer off the subject of Oscars, I met a couple at a dinner last night who are the proud parents of a daughter who won an Emmy. She did the opening visual effects for the TV show "Dexter". They were talking about the care of the Emmy, and just how sharp the wings are on the statue. Cool stuff. But...back to Oscar. I will pull it off and go one Year. Winning an Oscar is a life changing event. If you think about the money and the eternal status that goes along with one of these things, its mind blowing. You can see why anyone in Hollywood, or beyond, would love to be one of the privileged few to give an acceptance speech and go through the roller coaster ride that is Oscar. To put your heart and soul into your work like ALL of the nominees have, and to NOT win, has to be a heart breaker, I dont care what they say. So much "Pop" goes along with winning the Oscar, that just being only a nominee has its rewards. You get the title of "Oscar Nominee"on all of your future work. I wonder if that "Nominee" tag, helps you or hurts these Stars? Is it a continuous reminder of what was missed? OR is it a "tip of the cap" for doing such an outstanding job, that they were in contention. Meryl Streep hasn't won since 1982! 6 Nominations and counting. I wonder what she is thinking. At least she has won. Kate Winslet has never won, and she has been nominated many many times. You gotta think this is her time. But, it may be Anne Hathaway moment. Her Ex Boyfriend however, will be listening to the Oscars on a radio... from Prison. Doh! Back to the show. The Oscars. Have you seen all the movies??? I hate watching the Oscars and being short on seeing all of the nominated movies. Its part of the fun. I haven't seen "MILK" or "The Reader". I will probably get to see "Reader" this weekend.

Ok. Soooooo here is my predictions on who will win, and should win. Best Director - Should win David Fincher for Benjamin Button. Who will win - Danny Boyle "Slumdog Millionaire". I just felt Button, even though it felt like "Forrest Gump" 15 years later, was slightly better than the rags to riches, fairytale like Slumdog.

(Toughest Category of the night because they were all so amazing) Best Actor - Should win - Frank Langella for his role as Nixon in Frost/Nixon. Stunning, simply Stunning. Who will win - Brad Pitt. (Since Forrest won, then so should Ben Button - Is that wrong?) Brad did a great job, and he is joined at the hip to another Oscar winner. Winning would make things around the house easier to deal with, no? Best Actress - Will and Should are the same here. Kate Winslet. I haven't seen the reader, but since didn't get nominated for Revolutionary Road, then wow, she must have killed it in "Reader" Kate was amazing in RR, and she is DUE! Best Supporting Actor - No drumroll for this one. Just think if Heath Ledger DOESN'T win? The worldwide Grown would be off the charts. Michael Shannon in Rev Road was just as creepy as Ledger's Joker...maybe even creepier...and he had no clown makeup. That would be a spooky scene. Its not gonna happen. You know, there is something to be said for giving the award to the "living" nominees. And no disrespect here, but the guy did kill himself. He took himself out of the game. No? Best Supporting Actress Should win - Tariji P Hensen. She was amazing in Benjamin Button. She is my dark horse pick. Who will win? Penelope Cruz??? She was just screaming in Spanish. So Naaaaa I am sticking with Hensen. Best Animated Movie - "Wall-e" Wall-E could have been the first ever Animated Best Picture. It was THAT good.

So who will win Best Picture? Should win I didn't see Milk, but Frost/Nixon was my pick for best Picture (and is not going to win) Will win? - The Upset of the night. Slumdog will lose to... Benjamin Button. Its going be a shocker!!!!

Enjoy the Show!!!

The JOY of Checking Out

Joaquin Phoenix is a REALLY good actor. "Walk the Line" is one of my favorite movies. The guy WAS Johnny Cash. But America is not talking so much about what he is doing on screen but rather what he is doing off screen. No one exactly knows. He says he has quit acting to do Hip Hop. Yeeeah Boooouy! His stint on Letterman is being called the most spaced out guest appearance of all time! Was it an act? Was he on DOPE? Its goofy...and its a very funny. Joaquin is living the dream... just "checking out" in a public way. I love that. I'm really surprised more of us haven't done this. I can tell you this. The guy is feeling NO stress...no pressure. The foot is off the gas pedal. Mr Phoenix is zoning...and I am SO jealous. I can't even zone out on the weekends... there is always a "honey do" or some unfinished work just waiting for me. That once in a blue moon "vacation" is no different, really, its just another exercise with barely enough time to just "chill". It seems its tough for most of us to just jump off the giant"wheel of cheese" for not even a moment. I think this is why this is such a big deal. The is guy is doing what most of us cant do... which is, step off the bus of life and CHILL~! Take a breath. ... take it all in and reflect. ...and to be completely misunderstood, like a walking "Stonehenge".

I say....stay funky!!

Somewhere, Andy Kaufman is cracking up.

The Caveman and the Valentine

I've found a little game about a month ago to take my mind of "stuff" you know, things like paying bills and keeping my job... Online POKER! And this isn't a blurb on Poker, although I could tell you a bunch of stuff about the game that I have learned from playing it online these last 3 or 4 weeks, but I wont bore you with it. There is a connection though between Poker and Dating...many connections. That is, people see what they want to see. They really do. As we approach the Holiday that men fear and women love... Valentines Day...I guess, depending on where your love life is this time of the year, we have a movie coming out this weekend about going through life with the blinders on. We all do it...we see what we want to see. The shocker to many is really just coming to grips with the obvious (obvious to everyone but you). When He or She, is just not that into you. Now its not always the case. Sometimes people play a little poker and not try to show their hand too quickly, and play hard to get. When we see what we want to see, we sometimes come to this conclusion. We send out our "spies", (friends) to help us read the object of our affection, look for tid bits...and if we don't have the luxury of a buddy who can snoop for us, we draw our own, sometimes way off base conclusions on just how much so is into us. For those of us who are married, this intrigues us to share in the mystery of it all with our friends who are in this spot. I completely enjoy helping my Nanny read these guys she is dating, and helping her "de-code" all of the things they do and what it all means. I don't know why uncertainty of this sort is so much fun, but it is. Some mysteries we like. There is no mystery to Valentines Day. Its is one big giant, unavoidable WHACK! that women like to think will tell them EXACTLY where they stand...and I guess they are right. You cant blow off Valentines day if your dating, or if you are recently married. Few guys can take a Holiday from the V Day, oh noooo. I will let you in on a secret. 98 percent of all guys think its SUCH a scam, but we give in to all the baloney and buy the chocolates...the flowers...the tacky pink thong....the dinner of "insanity"...all of that to avoid going to the doghouse. The pressure and the stress for some guys is unbearable. I've seen guys do all sorts of goofy things for their girlfriends, using this day to "make up day" for their mistakes... (The Hail Mary) This ONLY works in the movies... and then I know guys who go in the other direction and break up with women just before Thanksgiving and don't date again until March. We call them Cavemen. Those Cavemen who brave the Holiday season with a girlfriend, they don't sweat Valentines Day... The Caveman V D strategy kicks in at about 4pm ON Valentines Day. I come from that school and I will see my fellow Cavemen at the card shop on the night of the 14th...the NIGHT of th 14th. , or even better, a Supermarket, where they sell cards, flowers and beer all in the same place! (Nirvana) Its so funny to go to the Card area to see all these guys doing the pseudo mad scramble over the cards that are leftover. They don't care what it is...they do a quick scan and buy it! Buy the card and check -the -box! Buy the flowers online and "check -the- box" Its out of the way...done. Over what? 5-10 minutes of fun in the dark? No wonder!.. And so it goes. Enjoy the card... the roses... the candy...enjoy the little teddy bear...enjoy it ALL. We love you! Really... we do!

Been there done that...No really!

My wife has finally agreed with me... I'm officially a Nut. See, I let her in on this hunch I've had for about Ten years, but never had the nerve to bring up. The hunch? I've been here before. No, I'm serious. I am 100 percent positive, this
is not the first time I have been on earth. I'm not
sure how many times I have been on the planet before, but I'm certain I was here (either in the UK (London) or the US (and East Coast City) sometime in the 30's and 40's. I may have even made it to the 50's. I simply have this connection with very old things, and especially with things centered just before and during WWII. Not exactly sure what I did for a living, but it involved a lot of travel. I spent a lot of time on trains. In dreams and with these "flashbacks" or is it Deja vu?, when I see old movies from this time. On a trip to Hawaii a few years ago when I went to Pearl Harbor, it seemed so much like I had been there before. Not sure if I was there during the attack, but wow, it just felt like I had been there. The same thing hits me when I go to New York. More Deja vu...I stayed up in times square on New Years Eve in 2001, and it hit me there as well. "I've been here done this before". Going to the Carlyle the night before to see Bobby Short play the piano... it was like wow, man I have been here before. Now I have only been to England once, and unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to go into to London, but I feel this connection, this vibe and it grows more and more as I get older

Its all so odd. I love this city I've never been to, and I only know it from TV and Movies and books...OR, who knows, maybe I did live there before and during the War. Maybe I did hole up in a place to avoid the constant Bombing...Or maybe (and I don't think this is the case), I was in the English Army. I do know that I rode a motorcycle and had the chance to drive a convertible...maybe it was mine. I have this HUGE reprint of the "Casablanca" Poster. Its once of my favorite movies....is it all so strange to think this? I guess the belief that some of us lived more than one life cant be as crazy as thinking a loving God will send almost 98 percent of us into some fire filled Hell, and reward a tiny few angelic peeps with a trip to heaven? Have you ever felt that you have been here before? Have you ever seen an old movie and thought, "Maybe I did sit around the radio and listen to all those shows, or grabbed bottles of milk from the from porch and put them in an "icebox"?.. "OR Maybe I did live without AC on hot summer night or stand in line and had a hot meal in soup kitchen"... "Maybe I did do the jitterbug or voted for FDR" Or perhaps watched a baseball game in old Yankee Stadium with Babe Ruth at the plate? No?, well I have. OR, maybe I'm like Michael Phelps, and I've hit the bong to many times this week. . ..Ugh..I wish. But really, I'm telling you... I've been here before. ;)

You want to move HERE???

Did you know that half of the U.S. Population would move if they had the chance? Try to guess where 38 percent of you said you wanted to live? Seattle!!! My city is the third most desired city for folks wanting to move. Imagine that... All I can say is...

Just what are you people SMOKING????

Seattle????

Let me let you in on some facts about this place. There is no such thing as GREYS ANATOMY HOSPITAL. It doesn't exist. Matter of fact the show is shot in L.A. Another thing, this picture on the left was taken during one of the 6 days when it didn't rain or lately SNOW. The weather is GREAT 6 days a year over the summer. We have a tradition of celebrating the 4th of July with umbrellas. Memorial Day? Rain. Labor Day ? Rain. Easter ?, Rain. Chances are REALLY good it will rain on your birthday. If you like wearing sweaters, then you will LOVE it here, as you can wear them almost all year. Employment??? We had about a GAZILLION layoffs in Seattle in the last few weeks, with Starbucks, Boeing, WaMu, and Microsoft, all had HUGE layoffs. No one has a Job in Seattle now so even if you could move here, chances are you couldnt find work to save your behind. Want a house? Home prices in the right neighborhoods will set you back close to a Million bucks. (The homes that have this "Frasier" view (I always called it the "Frasier view"), start at 3 Million and go up from there) and that's AFTER the recent drop in home prices. Before the price drop, I couldn't write down the numbers because I personally cant count that high. The "reasonable neighborhoods are about an hour a way from downtown, which means you will have a two hour commute because the traffic is some of the worse in the Nation. Sports? The Seahawks won only 4 games this year. The Mariners lost over a 1oo games last season. Our NBA team was so bad, they MOVED. The Washington Huskies in football lost every game they played this year. The Washington State Cougars won only one game...they beat the Huskies. We are the Anti - Boston of sports. We haven't won a Major Championship since 1979. Its LOSERVILLE Death. We lead the Nation in Suicides. We have owned that title for decades. Kurt Cobain (a native of the State) killed himself right here. The worst Serial Killer in history is Ted Bundy who was tried for 25 murders but had 10 other cases that didn't have enough Evidence to get conviction, but was said to kill anywhere between 25-300 victims...of course he is from here. Even the history of Seattle is DIRTY! Skid Row came from Seattle. Back in the day this was a city of Prostitution, Gambling and drinking. You can still tour some of these places in the "Underground Seattle tour". Gold Diggers came back from Alaska and blew their new found fortune right here. It was sin city before Vegas was around. Even our most famous schoolteacher is well... her name is Mary Kay Letourneau and she married an ex-pupil 10 years after she raped him when he was just 12. I blame this all on the cloudy days.

But Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! People are caught up in the "Sleepless in Seattle" fantasy. They think this place is like the set of "Fraisier" or the cult hit "Singles". Most people who visit, REMARKABLY, catch it during the 6 days dryspell, and they tell everyone how nice Seattle is, and make a big deal about our Space Needle (Yawn) our Mountains and our BIG Mountain (Rainier) Its a VOLCANO My friends and its going to BLOW! one day and its going to be UGLY)!!! or the Starbucks on every corner (and they are on every corner in YOUR town, too) or the local Salmon (they are disappearing and pretty soon will be all farm grown) you can treat yourself to at one of the many Seafood restaurants down on the waterfront. Its fantasy!!! Its not all THAT. You would have WAY more fun in Florida, or Hawaii, or Southern California. OR, the two cities that beat Seattle / San Diego (#2) and Denver (#1). Now I can see why someone would want to move to these places, but

Seattle?

To quote Tony Soprano... "Foggetaboutit!"

Private Jets and Fancy Toilets

Ah, to be in Banking. The Government has given you Billions. (45 Billion to Citigroup....FORTY FIVE BILLION DOLLARS!!!!) 45 Billion with no strings attached and no rules or even need to tell the American people what you're going to do with the money. The Person who sold Congress on this was a former member of Goldman Sachs. So this is like getting money for your pals. So Citi was on the way to the candy store to buy a 50 Million dollar Dassault Falcon 7X jet (pictured), actually they were going to buy multiple Private jets. The Detroit Automakers got burned at the stake for showing up to Washington in leased Jets. They agreed to not even lease Jets in return for their 14 BILLION dollar bailout. Is anyone outraged at the complete SCAM going on here??? Banks got 300 Billion dollars THREE HUNDRED BILLION DOLLARS and they are still not lending. When they do they get 8 to 36 percent interest. More on the higher side in interest on the backs of the poor with totally BS Credit Card "Adjustments". I have been a huge fan of Obama, and I appreciate that he supposedly personally made the call to Citigroup's Executives to halt their purchase of the private jet, but my questions is, WHAT ELSE are they doing???? If I was Obama, I would force them to lend, and I would force them to forgive some or all the debt and interest they have on Americans and do a one time "wipe the slate". Lets face, many Americans are NEVER going to get out of their debt to banks, and I cant blame it all on them. How can you pay your bills when you don't have a job? The downward spiral has only just begun. Had the Banks used FAIR terms and conditions, they would not have put so many consumers in a hole. Credit Cards and Real Estate was the "Golden Calf" for Banks. Banks like WaMu pushed the envelope of greed. GREED! In a post Reagan deregulated World, the Banks got a license to steal and rip people off ...and they did. I would also force them to make loans at 1% to 2% interest, not 8 to 36% Who says Banks have to make so much money on people??? The average margin in a grocery store is only 1%, why do Bank Margins have to be so high??? If the President is serious about changing the direction of this recession, its going to take SIGNIFICANT kinds of steps to get the Country going in the right direction. I would suggest the President also LOWER TAXES. I applaud the Republicans for fighting for lower taxes. I do not feel that Billions or in this case, Trillions of dollars in Government spending in more Government programs is going to do anything to effect what is going on right now. We don't need new Govt programs, we need regulation in the Banking industry. Banks have had a free pass to rip off consumers. The Banks are still scamming us. Its not rocket science. It doesn't have to "Take a long time to turn this around". America does want action. We want a fair deal. President Obama, go after the Banks and bring some real accountability to this bailout. Make them earn the Billions we gave them, and don't give them a penny more! Stop the wasteful spending going on RIGHT NOW. Do we really need to go into space right now??? Do we have to keep giving BILLIONS to Israel and North Korea???? Wise up! Put America on a real Budget and Stop printing money. Its obvious the Lobbyist, with their control over Congress are still running the Country. Congress is watching out for their contributors and not their constituents.

Its SUCH Bullshit.

Oscar, blows it...again!

I would like to thank the Academy...for nothing this year! What in the World is going on in Tinseltown? The Dark Knight and Gran Torino got hardly a nomination this morning. I happened to be in the city of Angels and was up at 5:32am to see the results live, and boy was I disappointed. The 15 years after Forrest Gump re-do "Benjamin Button" (and although I saw it as practically a remake, it is a good remake) got an astounding 13 Nominations. (and I am thrilled to see Taraji Phenson get nominated for best Supporting Actress) What interesting to point out about the Forrest Gump connection, Gump back in 1994, beat the modern classic "Pulp Fiction" for best Picture. Pulp Fiction is one of the best movies of all time. Now how many times have you seen Pulp Fiction? And how many times have you seen Forrest Gump? (I rest my case!) Could there have been a movie like "No Country for Old men" (which won best picture) or "Snatch" or "True Romance" the 100's of other movies with its roots ultimately from "Pulp Fiction"?????

So you Academy voters, I don't know how you came up with these picks. I cant be the only one so disappointed. Just like Quentin Tarantino was in 1994, Clint Eastwood and Christopher Nolan, this year... you was robbed!

Its all Good.

The 44th President of the United States was sworn in yesterday. An estimated crowd of 2 Million people watched in person, and Billions of people watched all over the World on TV. This was HUGE! Its going to look even bigger when we look back on it 100 years from now. Something changed yesterday. Even if you were not sucked into "Obama fever", something changed. I cant put my finger on it, but it appears the 800 pound gorilla fell off our back. Now, it doesn't mean that the economy isn't going to get better anytime soon, or the two wars we are fighting are going to end soon, but a wave of optimism hit us yesterday like a lighting bolt. America and the World got a good dose of, well, GOOD! That's it...We got a good dose of good. We have this beautiful family in the White House, and they are young and smart...and they are GOOD PEOPLE. Good people matter. At the end of the day, the World just wants to be lead and with, and work with, and live with, good people. The first family are good people. They are out to do good for America and good for the World. I am even more happy and hopeful about the Obama's being good people than I am about them simply being African American, because at the end of the day, had Obama been a black version of Bush, what would we really have to celebrate? This is why everyone can and did celebrate the new first family. This is not just a special day for people of color, its a special for day for everyone. All over the globe, people from all over, saw the America that IS the America that the World has loved all along... The America of hope. The America of opportunity. The America of equality. The GOOD America. God bless this family, and protect them, and give them the strength and the courage to do good...and God Bless America for making it happen.

Its all Good!

Golden Globes Update - Ugh! and Wow!

Its the show no watches on the last place network. 30 Rock is not even the best show on NBC on Thursday night, yet for some reason, critics fawn over 30 Rock and Tina Fey. Once again, she, and Alec Baldwin won Golden Globes. WTF? How does this continue to happen? This is THE MOST overrated show of all time!!!! Tina Fey is its most overrated star, followed by the one dimensional Fattest of Baldwin Brothers. He makes even Kevin Costner appear to have range. But back to Tina...she is not all that. I don't want to see her on another magazine cover (she was on as many covers as Obama!), telling us how "awesome" she is. She is DULL!!! Full of HYPE!!! Lets move on to something else. Can we even put TF's Palin NEXT to Chevy Chase's President Ford???? I think not. Its not going to hold up over time, because Palin is going to be long forgotten in a nano second, and we will be like (who was she mocking???).

The Tina Fey moment ruined my Globes Show. The 30 Rock acceptance speech by Tracy

Morgan was embarrassing. I was happy to see Kate Winslet win for her role in "Revolutionary Road" and that's about it. I felt Gran Torino and Mr Clint Eastwood did not get its due. Hopefully Oscar will notice. I'm going to have to see "The Wrestler" It will be interesting to see if Oscar bites, too. Man, I'm proofing at my blurb and I'm clearly not in the best of moods on this thing. I guess there is too much to be cynical about when your watching a bunch of "Stars" fawn over their work at an awards show... its an easy target.

But on a much brighter note, IMO, the best moment of the show was the Steven Spielberg tribute, and his moving, yet humble speech (receiving the Cecile B. DeMille Award). Steven Spielberg is an American Treasure. I cant imagine the movies without his movies...its unimaginable.

Turn back the clock to 60's TV

As I looking at Gran Torino, I couldnt help but think about these old TV shows I saw as a kid in Detroit on (I think) channel 51. This channel played all the shows. Monkees, I dream of Jeanie, My Three Sons, and Petticoat Junction... and a local favorite, Sir Graves Ghastley. The dude had the original "Creature Feature" and showed great horror movies on Friday night or was it Saturday night. It was THE BOMB!!!! This guy was doing music videos years before MTV. I ate this stuff up.

If you remember the start of the Monkees http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0FUvLfxyp0&NR=1 There is this scene where they moved their feet in unison left and then right. I used to do this with my sister back when we got along. ( I would say we were maybe 6?). Thanks to the magic of U-Tube, you can see ALL of these show intros and go back in memory lane, too. Petticoat Junction?, Man I didn't have a clue what the show was about, but I knew three girls took their dresses off at the start of the show and I always wanted to see more. This may have been one of my very first of many infatuations with girls on film.

Too bad TV is not the centerpiece of pop culture. Now its the Internet. TV, with an additional 1000 channels, lost its consolidated audience. The consolidated audience moved from the newspaper, to the radio, then to TV, and then in all sorts of directions. The consolidated audience now sprinkled all over the place text, e-mail, and video. The crazy thing is information travels faster now than ever, so we all know about things... we just get our information from different sources. I wonder what will fill this massive TV void with my Daughter when its time for her to go back to memory lane? I guess Dora is big enough that kids will be able to talk about that... or I don't know, American Idol? I don't think its the same, but maybe it is... Maybe it is.

Gran Torino - Best Picture of 2008

Walt (the lead Character in Clint Eastwood's movie "Gran Torino") is a familiar one to me, so my absolute bias for this picture is from its roots . You see, I was born in this kind of neighborhood in Detroit. In my life I have met several "Walt's" and they have had a significant influence on me. Now perhaps nothing that I am saying here will make sense until you see the movie. I for one don't like going into a movie knowing too much about what I am going to see, so I am not going to break the movie down in detail for you. I don't think that would be fair. I will say that you absolutely should see it, and if anyone doesn't like it, (this is only for my super 6 followers on my blog), I will send you your money back. (that's a promise). We are in a tremendous time of change...a real changing of the guard so to speak. Just like when a high pressure system hits a low pressure system, you get a storm. Right now we are in the beginning of an cultural -economic tsunami that may take another 20 years to sort itself out. We are witnessing one of the great changes in time not seen since the 2nd industrial revolution. This movie really isn't about these changes , but you can clearly can see (and so well done) the collision of ideas and beliefs on some individuals in a city block. Walt is as American as apple pie...as American as his Gran Torino...as American as Archie Bunker. See this movie and you might see somebody you know.... or knew. I will do a real review for this come Oscar time.

But officially, this is my pick for best picture...and Clint Eastwood - Best Director.

The Overrated list for 2008

2008.... ba bye!!!! Glad to seee you GO! 2008 was one of those crazy crazy years. We had the meltdown of the housing market across the country, an expanded Global financial collapse and worsening recession, the likes we have never seen. Our 401ks became 4ks. Equity in our home became, well, what is equity again? Never mind. To cut to the chase, the shit finally hit the fan. Oh but it wasn't all bad.. We had a MEGA shift change in the Whitehouse, with the election of a young charismatic Senator from Illinois. There is also a real possibility we may have seen our last Bush of any kind in the Whitehouse. There was a ton of compelling stories, but in the hoopla was even MORE things that, in the end, really didn't matter. Things that were simply overrated. I'm going to take you through my list of things I felt were very much overrated in 2008 and in general. Lets start with this family to my right. The Palin clan came out of NO WHERE as the possible future leadership of the New Republican Party. For the life of me I can not explain their popularity. I would put Sarah Palin on the same level as Paris Hilton. (Maybe even a notch below). Todd Palin, who Sara proudly calls the "first Dude". There is nothing more to say, this is a easy target. I'm also going to leave the "kids" out of this one, too. Any fan of "As the World Turns" or "All my Children" needs to follow this family's stories online. There are some juicy things going on in Wasilla. So if Sara is overrated, then the mocking of Sarah is just as overrated. Tina Fey is not THAT funny. Her Star shot to the MOON over these repetitive impersonations she did on SNL. She can thank her lucky stars for the entire set of circumstances. It took her ALL the way to the bank even though SNL drove the skit into the ground. Also, few people actually watch 30 rock no matter how much they pimp the show - no one watches or cares, yet the network folks keep pimping it
because they think a show about a show is funny . No one is laughing ...no one cares , yet she gets awards ...and gets paid!!!

Music

Is there any band short of Vampire Weekend that can match the full on Blather of Coldplay? Coldplay was good back in the day, but the band has turned into a sad mix of Air Supply + Creed. Ive been wanting to say this all year... COLDPLAY SUCKS! Totally overrated. And to think Chris Martin is married to my crush of 10 years, Gwenyth Paltrow (who is not overrated), Ugh, it makes me sick. Its all a big bowl of wrong.

Lil Wayne - Please, the guy is overrated. My worst nightmare is my daughter growing up to like this drivel. The entire scenario scares me.

Carolyn Kennedy for Senator. This is Sarah Palin II. Worth north of a 100 Million dollars and heir to Camelot. Dont expect Tina Fey to be dissing on Ms Kennedy anytime soon, although I see every reason for SNL and Tina Fey to mock this joke of an idea. If the House of Lords does exist, then put her in and lets be done with it. Kennedy is not qualified to be Senator. The sooner we wake up to reality the better. This is EXACTLY how someone like George W Bush became President. Do we want to make that kind of mistake again????

Penn State Football.

There is NO WAY Penn State deserved to be in the Rose Bowl against USC. Penn State is simply not that good. They beat a "ok" Ohio State team that's much better today then they were earlier in the year. They then went to Iowa and got thumped. Penn State benefited from a very kind schedule and now they are paying the price. This is the first real top 10 team they have had to play all year and USC is taking them to the woodshed. Time for JoePa to call it a day. Thank you for your 120 years of service. The game is no longer played with leather helmets and they have this thing called the "forward pass". Oh well. I think they just signed JoePa up for 3 more years, so we don't have about Penn State doing ANYTHING for a while.

Dallas Cowboys and the New York Yankees - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Both Iconic teams for their leagues are spending HUGE sums of money NOT to go to the playoffs. Vegas had the Cowboys favored to go to the Superbowl. I even had them early on in my fearless Superbowl Predictions. They suck. The star is not shinning. The New York Yankees have not won it all since 2000. This pretty much means that unless they go from worst to first this year, they were all but a non factor the entire decade. That's amazing.

Movies

Lots and Lots of Bad/overrated movies in 2008. I'm just going to roll through the list The Love Guru, Step Brothers, 10,000 BC, Speed Racer, Australia, Drillbit Taylor, Smart People, Sex in the City (yes I said it... it SUCKED!!!) Rambo IV, The Happening (this movie was disturbing and yet so retarded all at the same time, I really wanted my money back) and last but not least.. Fools Gold.

To end my whine fest of all things overrated, Id like to add a few other things to my list. Carly Fiorna, Ford, GM, and Chrysler. Congress. The Senate. Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac. CNN, Nancy Grace, Dr Laura, Rush Limbaugh, Real Estate, The Nasdaq, Hybrid Cars, Green Products, The Chinese Olympic Team. England's National Soccer team. The LA Dodgers and Anaheim Angels. and last but not least... Snow.

Happy New Year! Lets hope the list is shorter next year.