Amazing, just amazing...

Let me start by saying I am no fan of President Bush. Voted for Gore, voted for Kerry. Wasn't a fan of his father… safe to say, the Bushes, not a fan.

Okay, a little back-story. Remember a few years back, there was the investigation of the CIA leak? Well, former VP Chief of Staff, Lewis Libby, was among those who were investigated. And he was found guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice. He was accused of lying on how Valerie Plame became publicly indentified as a CIA Operative.

His sentence? $250,000, and 2 ½ years in prison, easily a fair sentence, no?

Well boys and girls, our dear President Bush commuted the prison sentence today. And also alluded to the fact that a full pardon maybe forthcoming.

Are you kidding me?

Seriously, having our agents identity publicly revealed, clearly a serious offense. I would use the term "National Security", but I am SO tired of hearing that in BAD event movies… it would only seem to be a joke in this case… anyway, getting off-topic. To have the President simply sweep the sentence under the rug, citing, that he thought the sentence was "excessive" is really suspect especially when Libby was sentenced under the same laws as other criminals… seriously.

This action on our President's part pretty much amounts to a slap on the wrist, condoning criminal conduct. And to even add further offense to the matter the President actually believes that the $250K still "leaves in place a harsh punishment for Mr. Libby." Really? Really Mr. President? I mean, $250K, couple of lectures, surely a book deal, fine is paid. For a former Public Service officer at his position, not so much with government salary, but supplemental income, I have to imagine that would be a drop in the bucket. So what punishment is Libby serving really?

Of course this action is getting harsh feedback from the Democrats, and shit, rightfully so. Among the left, Presidential hopefuls chimed in, Barak Obama stating, "…exactly the kind of politics we must change", and Hilary Clinton with, "…clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice." (I won't lie, I had to look up part of Hilary's comment. Go ahead, go over to Webster.com, I'll wait.)

But my favorite bit has to be from former Ambassador Joseph Wilson stating, "this administration is corrupt to the core," further adding, "I would only hope that Americans now realize, with this subversion of our system of justice and the rule of law in this country, just exactly how corrupt they are."

And honestly I couldn't agree more.

Now, if you want to know more, there're plenty of articles available on your favorite news channel online. Articles much more informative and speak more eloquently to this topic then I ever could.

But if you want some links, I like NPR.org:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11689369

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11658207

The Weinstein Bros, something called the Gotham Group, and a bunch of Koreans...

The Weinstein Company, The Gotham Group and the Chungcheongnam-do provincial government of South Korea are teaming up to produce and distribute animated feature films. The projects will involve talent represented by the Gotham Group (as well as others) and will use the state of the art animation facilities at The Media Center of Chungcheongnam-do. All three partners will act as co-producers and Weinstein Company will handle world-wide distribution, with some support from the Chungcheongnam-do government in certain Asian markets.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movies will be computer generated and the scope of the deal assumes production of six to ten films with budgets in the $40 million range for theatrical release.

As part of the deal, Weinstein has a first-look option for with The Gotham Group, which manages animation and family entertainment talent and content.

There was a story a while back where it was listed as the Korean Government was going to allocate a substantial amount of cash to grow their animation industry, simply not being content with being cheap animation labor for the rest of the world. So I'd have to say I am finally happy to see, what I assume, something that is a result of that. Even moreso that the films themselves will reach a global market.

Those of you who've seen true Asian cinema, not the shit they show on Saturday Morning cartoons. It can be really magical, and engaging pieces of cinema. Examples? Spirited Away, Grave of the Fireflies, Ghost in the Shell, Fist of the North Star (not the TV Series, but the original animated feature from the 80's), Akira, that's just a few animated pics. But then you got: The Promise, House of Flying Daggers, I'll put Natural City on the list... though it was weird... like Korean Soap Opera weird... trust me that's weird...

I could go on and on... safe to say I am definitely excited about the possibilities. Truly I think there is a misconception for Asian Cinema being low-budget "Ultraman" type fare. But really, so much more. So definitely excited, and you should be too... if you know what's good for you.

The greatest experience EVER!

So I see a chiropractor, who doubles as a acupuncturist. Now, he also has people who do massage therapy. And given my bowling snafu, he recommended the massage, and I'll try anything once, so I said yes.

Just got back.

HOLY CRAP...

GREATEST

THING

EVER...

EVER!!!!

Man, I haven't been touched like that since grade school.

And an added plus for the evening, the pins are out of my back! Totally not going to feel all paranoid about doing sit-ups.

Seriously though, if you live in KC, look up Doctor Robert Williams, and Integrative Health Care. Amazing holistic love for the body and soul.

But yea, past couple of days been a little rough, this was a great way to start the week and say goodbye to that drama.

Oh Zach...

So I am up late working on some shit, and the TV is playing in the background. And what do I hear? Zach Braff's (Garden State) voice. And what was he pimping?

Wendy's hamburgers.

I don't know about you, but I don't know how to process that.

[insert title here]

So this weekend has completely sucked on so many levels I cannot even begin to describe it you. And I guess I won't... there are just some things you don't blog, you know? Well, unless you're completely trashed, and make stupid decisions and write really angry blogs (and if you visited this page before noon yesterday, then you would've gotten the gist). But you sober up and delete the anger.

I do know one thing, I'm tired of being angry... and in no small way sad. It's true I'm there, I can admit it. And news of this weekend really hasn't help that disposition at all.

Definitely haven't hit bottom. That's a long way down I hope to never see.

How do you cope? I'm open to suggestions. I just do a lot of drinking, and if you know me, really know me, that amounts to A LOT of drinking to achieve the desired effect. Never a good idea I guess. Didn't help matters that you realize from the people in your life to whom you would call for support is very small in relation to the people you know. That's never a fun realization. And the people you call can't help, not from a lack of wanting, just conflicts get in the way.

I just find myself at a loss. Wasn't it Shakespeare who said something like, "...a man unmended and unmade..." Well I'm pretty sure William had it right.

Apologies if this was a terribly "emo" blog. Like a bit of gas, I really didn't want to keep this tucked away. And Web 2.0 seems like all I have left.

A bit of suck to be sure.

Anyway, I guess I should get the day going.
Later.

Competition: the aftermath...

Bowling on Saturday totally SUCKED!

So I have a bad lower back. More often then not, not a lot of problems. But sometimes it acts up. SO with that in mind, let me tell you what happened Saturday morning.

I get there in time to ready to be the ball, and kick some ass. Feeling good, ready to rock the faces off my enemies. I was in a very Klingon, "good day to die" mindset. Good place to be before a competition.

So I'm up to bowl. 1st frame of the 1st game. I throw back my arm, ball in hand, and I hear "poppoppop" in my back and I go down like a TON OF BRICKS! First fucking game. Usually acts up in the 3rd. Safe to say I sucked moreso then usual, and it was a long 3 game series.

Thankfully the entire team was bowling below average.

But man. So I sit here, achy back, hoping the chiropractor has an opening tomorrow.

ugh.

And in another exciting moment of geekness...

So I should preface this blog by saying I am a geek. Those of you who know me, this is no surprise. But those who don't? Well, if you think something is nerdy, chances are I am a fan: Star Trek, Stargate, anime, movies, tv, sci-fi, comics, video games, toys, LOST, Heroes, the list really goes on and on.

Anyway, with that in mind I recently started getting into podcasts for my iPod. And going off on the aforementioned interest in all things geek, a number podcasts I initially subscribed to involve movies, comics, favorite tv shows, etc.

All I have to say is "wow".

Listening to some of these podcasts... they really reflect the geek stereotype you often see poked fun at in sitcoms and such. You know, the nasal-congested, lisp ridden individual challenging you to who the better captain would be: Kirk or Picard. And as I listen to these podcasts, I can't help but ask myself, "Do I sound like this when I geek out?"

If that's the case, to the readers of this blog, if I ever fall into that role, SLAP ME, and remind me to keep it real.

Bless you Michael Moore...

"...that's what my films do, they show you the other side of the story that mass-media news doesn't show you. Which would be, well, you guys."


- Michael Moore, at a red carpet event commenting on his upcoming film, Sicko.

Competition...

So I signed up for something called Corporate Challenge at work. It's like a White Collar Olympics if you will. Anyway, the event I signed up for was Co-Ed Bowling. But the event was full. But the other day the organizers for our company asked if I would jump in on the Men's team.

I was all, "heck yea!"

You know, thinking it'll be a fun thing. Yea I was so wrong.

Yesterday I run into Ken, Ken is the guy who organizes the Bowling League at the office, a league in which I bowl. And he's telling me, "Yea, so I hear you're bowling on the Men's Team for Corporate Challenge?" He goes on to tell me, "Yea, I stay away from the Men's competition, bunch of fucking ringers, they all average 240-260. That's why I stay with the Co-Ed team."

And in case you're wondering, my bowling average... yea it's hit and miss, but it's about 115. Saturday's competition is going to be AMAZING!

So if you're in Missouri, bored around 9AM this Saturday, come out to the AMF in Lee's Summit, and witness a pride obliterating game. Serious.

oh man...

...so I just realized I may have had some BO today... that's just upsetting.

Bananas...

One funniest things I can think of is seeing a naive little white kid from the 'burbs talking in a ghetto slang.

It's one thing if it sounds natural. If in fact that child really relates to that speech, and attitude. But 9 times out of 10... yeah not so much.

Just funny. Mr. T had it right, "WEAR YOUR OWN LABEL!"*



*confused? Check out Mr. T's Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool!"

The Music...

Okay, so I'm looking for music to license for a project at work. Among other resources, we have this dump site that has an insane number of tracks. Now the descriptions on the tracks are pretty striaght forward, you know, "light guitar riff, female vocals..." blahblahblah, you get the idea. Okay, well, here's two I came across:

"Psychoanalysts and thought police unite in utopian treaty to rid the world of house music forever"

But wait, it gets better, description 2:

"A series of malfunctions have left the groove patrol stranded on a robot island. Slightly quicky but groovy"

What?

Bananas, just bananas I tell you.

Never again will I rent a car...

Okay so my car, my peppy little Honda Civic, it's been having some aches and pains lately. Namely the AC has been having troubles, and more importantly the "SRS" light came on, those of you who don't know "SRS" is the restraint system.

So I take it in to have looked at.

But rather then be an imposition to friends as far as rides and getting around, I thought it wouldn't be so bad to rent a car for a day.

Man was that a bad idea.

I normally never had a problem with Enterprise, I guess I always have been fortunate to get really, well, really "real" people. And oddly enough, in the case of the rental car industry, by "real" turns out to be "the ladies".

Sadly this time I got a dude, and it was a really slimy dude at that.

This dude, Greg, is by far your stereotypical Machismo Used Car Salesman, ooozing with overconfidence and testosterone, trying really hard to "get" me in that greek system "dude/networking" way.

I wanted to puke.

I kept telling this guy that all I wanted was a economy or compact car. Small and cheap was the name of the game. We get out into the lot, and he's all, "Allright bro, take your pic man, we got these Intermediates in stock..."

After the 10 billionth time I ask, "What you don't have any economy or compact in stock?"

"Oh no..." And as he is about to tell me a lie, a car pulls away to reveal a compact car, "...oh, I guess I do have one, my bad man." And after a moment, he continues, "...but bro, these guys, they are only a dollar more a day!"

Seriously, if it was going to shut this guy up, I relented to the Intermediate upgrade.

But it gets only better.

We get inside to finalize things, and he tells me, "Oh dude, those Intermediates are reserved, but I got a Dodge Caliber in stock, give you 10% off."

After he assures me it will be the same price, I agree to the Caliber. But now comes to the billing...

"Dude, I'm going to preauth $225 bro, cool?"

$225??? I was all, "FUCK YOU, ALL I NEED IS A DAY MAYBE TWO???" But he did a really lame job of getting my confidence that the excess cash in the preauth was a deposit of sorts, especially since any other time renting I always paid a $25 deposit. Again, this dude was slimmmmmmmyyyy.

But after looking over the papers, and I was confident it was a pre-autherization/deposit, not an actual charge, I get my car. Now, not too familiar with Dodge cars, just assumed he'd listened to me when I said "small and cheap". But appearently in the world of Dodge, "Caliber" means "Battletank":



I don't know if this picture does it justice. But the one I got was grey. Grey like a bullet. The dash was all heavy duty and shit. And when I sat in this thing I was so high from everything, I really felt like I was going into battle.

I really hated driving this thing, I kept calling the Body Shop hoping my car was done. Driving the tank was so nerve racking, I realy hated the car, and the guy that rented it to me. I couldn't get it back to Enterprise fast enough. It bothered me so much, it was so hard to get through the workday as the thought of renting this horrible abomination to the auto industry made my heart hurt.

But thankfully I got my car back. Nothing major as far as the SRS, the AC is fixed, and I couldn't be happier.

Never again will I rent a car, well, not unless insurance is going to pay for it.

Bleh.

damn you cheesecake...

So I never said how that cheesecake went. Well...



Not so good. My Chef friend, well I think he got it a little wrong on the 3 hour bake time.

It feels like I lost my rice cooker...

So I'm a gamer. Color me a nerd all you like, I make no appologies of my enjoyment of the sweet dear polygon. And my console of choice nowadays? The XBOX 360. You PS3 lovers out there, there is just no app out there right now that makes me want it. Anyway... I learned today the video card on my console burnt out.

ARRRGHHHH!!!!

Thankfully Microsoft is picking up the tab for the repairs, which is really cool. But it means I will be like 3 weeks without any Gears of War playtime.

Now I know there are more serious things to be worried about, but this little guy is like the icing on the cake.

Man. Man, just man. I feel like that time in college when my rice cooker shorted... I just don't know what to do with myself... I guess I'll read a book.

Bloodwork...

So I got my blood work back from the doctor, and all my shit is working normally.

Awesome.

Now where's that morning soda...

Birthdays and friends...

So I have a friend at work, and the first time I met her was on my birthday. Let me tell you about this girl, she's an Account Manager on the same team with me. Anyway, she and I really didn't know one another prior to my birthday. But I come into work on my birthday, and my desk is totally decked out in birthday decor. I mean, she really made a effort to celebrate my birthday, and I remember thinking it was such a sweet gesture. And she didn't even really know me. Since then she's took it upon herself to celebrate everyone's birthday on the team. It's a small gesture, but a special one.

So her birthday is coming up, and in a effort to celebrate her birthday, I decided to bake a cake, mainly cause I am not one for decorations. But I decided to bake a cheesecake to be precise. My first stab at a cheesecake was most definitely a resounding failure. But cross referencing a few recipes, including one from a chef freelance client of mine. Hopefully this time it'll work out.



This bad boy is in the oven now. Recipe from my client (which the majority of the instructions were pulled) calls for a 3 hour cook time. But man it smells good. I hope it comes out okay.

But I guess I should clean now...

Freestyle cooking...

So I got bored tonight and decided to freestyle a dish. Not a lot in the fridge, but we had some chicken, some sausage, and a shit-ton-o-veggies. So I threw in some heat, some sweet sauces and spices, and viola!



It was a little salty, but serving it over a bed of rice I think helped balance that out a little bit.

Anyways, that was my freestyle cooking for the evening.

Make sure you poo...

So those of you who don't know, the company I work for is based in the main building of a private airport. So, I have been going on this health craze a little bit lately, and another step in my little health explosion, well, I thought I would walk around the airfield for a little exercise.

Man I am sore today.

But the main lesson I learned from yesterday. If you're going to walk around a airfield, big or small, make sure you poo ahead of time.

the end.

really? REALLY?

Asian Excellence Awards? Awesome.

But really, is American Idol's Sangiay (sp?) really an example of Asian Excellence (top right corner)? I mean, COME ON!