This is actual footage of a tornado forming. Pretty amazing stuff.
kare11.com : Minneapolis, St. Paul
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
"Back in the USSR" or "The War of the Rings" or "Don't be 'Putin' that in your Pocket"
Damn, those Russian's are slick. Here's hoping that this incident doesn't start WWIII.
For Putin, it's a gem of a cultural exchange - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Patriots - Sports
Update: According to this article, Mr. Kraft sets the record straight and says that he did intend to give the ring as a gift. I am not so sure I buy it. If it is true, is that a slap in the face to the palyers? Debate is now open in the comments section.
Regardless, I know that I will sleep a little bit better knowing that WWIII has been averted once again!
For Putin, it's a gem of a cultural exchange - The Boston Globe - Boston.com - Patriots - Sports
Update: According to this article, Mr. Kraft sets the record straight and says that he did intend to give the ring as a gift. I am not so sure I buy it. If it is true, is that a slap in the face to the palyers? Debate is now open in the comments section.
Regardless, I know that I will sleep a little bit better knowing that WWIII has been averted once again!
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Live 8
I am doing my part to get the word out on "Live 8". Technorati is trying to get 100,000 blogs to comment on it, so here is my entry. More details to follow...
Monday, June 27, 2005
I am a Statistic
I completed this survey of people who keep blogs. It was interesting and pretty short. If you keep a blog, fill it out and help the research.
Ian
Ian
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Mother sets fire to daughter's rapist
Oh the questions this conjures:
- Why would a convicted rapist get a three day pass from prison?
- How does the mother go into a bar carrying a container of gas, get close enough to pour it on this guy, and light him on fire?
- Why hasn't someone given this woman "The Hot Mama Award" for excellent defense of her daughter and service to the public?
Friday, June 24, 2005
Tom Cruise is nuts!
Well if anyone was on the fence about it, Tom Cruise is officially our newest crazy celebrity! Watch the second half of the clip. It's not what he is saying, but the manner in which he says it that puts him over the top!
Congratulations, Tom. I was rooting for you!
'I'm passionate about life' - Today Entertainment - MSNBC.com
Congratulations, Tom. I was rooting for you!
'I'm passionate about life' - Today Entertainment - MSNBC.com
CNN.com - High court OKs personal property seizures - Jun 23, 2005
I don't know what is more scary, the fact that this ruling really impacts homeowners and once again puts commerce over quality of life, or the fact I am agreeing with Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, as well as Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
Brrr, I just got a chill!
CNN.com - High court OKs personal property seizures - Jun 23, 2005
Brrr, I just got a chill!
CNN.com - High court OKs personal property seizures - Jun 23, 2005
Muppets move to center stage for Movies.com - Yahoo! News
Now this is a celebrity endorsement I can get behind. Waldorf and Statler are just what the movies needed.
Now if we can get the Swedish Chef on The Food Network, I would be more apt to tune in!
Muppets move to center stage for Movies.com - Yahoo! News
Now if we can get the Swedish Chef on The Food Network, I would be more apt to tune in!
Muppets move to center stage for Movies.com - Yahoo! News
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Hermes Apologizes for Oprah Snub - Yahoo! News
Okay, I am seriously disturbed by this article. Take a second to read it and then come back.
So Oprah arrives at a store a full 15 minutes after it closes and is denied service. Apparently, they had a shindig they were prepping for, and basically the inconvenience of letting Oprah and her entourage shop was not as important as said shindig.
You would think that would be it. Any other person would have moved to the next shop and be done with it. But here is Oprah's version of Turtle (from HBO's Entourage, if your not watching it, you should be) Gayle King throwing down the race card and comparing it with the movie Crash. Gayle King is a no talent "journalist" who used to anchor the news in the Hartford, CT market. Apparently she and Oprah have been friends for years and she is always on Oprah's coattail.
And King reports that Oprah says it is one of the most humiliating moments of her life? Really? Get a grip on reality. Be pissed that you were denied access. You believe it was personal decision not to let you in? Ok. But to be humiliated by this? Please! You think this was a racial incident? That is an insult to anyone who has been REALLY discriminated against. Your "humiliation" is that your stature wasn't enough to cause the rules to change. You know what, Winfrey, tough shit. To compare your "plight" with the situations in Crash is so offensive. Your company actually is calling it her "Crash moment"? I think your reaction to this will go down as your biggest humiliation. How skewed does your perspective have to be?
It must be those $6500 handbags.
As always, comments are welcomed.
So Oprah arrives at a store a full 15 minutes after it closes and is denied service. Apparently, they had a shindig they were prepping for, and basically the inconvenience of letting Oprah and her entourage shop was not as important as said shindig.
You would think that would be it. Any other person would have moved to the next shop and be done with it. But here is Oprah's version of Turtle (from HBO's Entourage, if your not watching it, you should be) Gayle King throwing down the race card and comparing it with the movie Crash. Gayle King is a no talent "journalist" who used to anchor the news in the Hartford, CT market. Apparently she and Oprah have been friends for years and she is always on Oprah's coattail.
And King reports that Oprah says it is one of the most humiliating moments of her life? Really? Get a grip on reality. Be pissed that you were denied access. You believe it was personal decision not to let you in? Ok. But to be humiliated by this? Please! You think this was a racial incident? That is an insult to anyone who has been REALLY discriminated against. Your "humiliation" is that your stature wasn't enough to cause the rules to change. You know what, Winfrey, tough shit. To compare your "plight" with the situations in Crash is so offensive. Your company actually is calling it her "Crash moment"? I think your reaction to this will go down as your biggest humiliation. How skewed does your perspective have to be?
It must be those $6500 handbags.
As always, comments are welcomed.
"Come Hear Uncle John's Band" part 2
The next day, we broke camp and made it to the festival a little past 10:00 am. We got a much better vantage point under the willow and settled in. I was much more committed to the music as I felt I had seen everything the night before.
Most importantly, my parents were really enjoying themselves. They are so committed to doing things as a family that I fear they just go to humor us. I think we pushed the limit at Falcon Ridge last year, with the heat and the huge hill climbing, but Clearwater never went above 80 degrees and it was very relaxed.
A few highlights of the weekend included:
We departed Croton Point park at just a little past 8:00 on Sunday night. Thankfully the Falcon Ridge lineup looks to be much more well rounded. I can't wait for that one!
For the rest of the pictures from the weekend, go here.
Ian
Most importantly, my parents were really enjoying themselves. They are so committed to doing things as a family that I fear they just go to humor us. I think we pushed the limit at Falcon Ridge last year, with the heat and the huge hill climbing, but Clearwater never went above 80 degrees and it was very relaxed.
A few highlights of the weekend included:
- Seeing Pete Seeger everywhere. My mom even talked to him. He then sat down on a blanket a few feet away. I got the following pictures:
- Performances by "Black 47" and "The Bacon Brothers". Here are some "Black 47" pictures. I didn't take any of "The Bacon Brothers"
- The biggest highlight was, of course, "The Indigo Girls". They rocked! They are two of the best musicians out there. The came out on the stage with their two acoustic guitars, but it sounded like they had a full band backing them. We had every intention of leaving a couple of songs early to avoid the inevitable traffic jam, but couldn't pull ourselves away until their last song. If you have a chance to see them live, don't hesitate. There stage presence and energy makes their shows an event to experience. Here are a couple of pictures:
We departed Croton Point park at just a little past 8:00 on Sunday night. Thankfully the Falcon Ridge lineup looks to be much more well rounded. I can't wait for that one!
For the rest of the pictures from the weekend, go here.
Ian
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
"Come Hear Uncle John's Band" part 1
The whole family kicked off our music festival season with the Clearwater Festival in Croton-On-Hudson, New York this past weekend. This was my second trip to the festival (you can read about my first adventure here) but my first with the entire family.
Overall the music was weak, with the highlights being my new favorite "Black 47" and the "Indigo Girls" (of course). An honorable mention goes to "The Bacon Brothers", but in all fairness, I did doze off during their set. We set up camp under the willow tree far in the back, and it was just soooo comfortable.
The overall festival was a lot of fun. To start at the beginning, we camped at Harriman Park, my dad, Brian (Brother-in-Law), and I leaving Friday to set up camp. My mom and sister joined us on Saturday morning.
That Saturday morning, as I was coming back to camp after taking a shower, a deer was in our campsite! It made no move to scamper away as I approached. It kept looking at me while it searched out picnic table for food. Finding none, it moved to a neighboring site and was hand fed by the occupants. I got my camera and took the pictures below:
Deer in neighbor's campsite
Posted by Hello
Deer in our campsite
Posted by Hello
Deer (I have named him Arzt)
Posted by Hello
After that, we headed out to Croton Point Park and set up our blanket under "The Willow"
"The Willow"
Posted by Hello
The first day was spent meandering around the park, checking out the vendors, walking through the renewable energy ten, and listening to music. The lineup for Saturday really had no one exciting emerge. I liked a lot of what I heard, but I didn't want to rush out to buy a CD or anything. Buy the end of day one, we were only sticking around to see a potential Pete Seeger sighting. Pete Seeger is a hero to my parents and he is affiliated with this festival and often will sit in on a song or two with different performers. The second to last act was Mike Seeger, so we figured the possibility was high that Pete would make an appearance during Mike Seeger's set.
We were right, and happy to see him pick his banjo for two songs, we packed it in and headed to the only place that makes sense when you are camping with the pickiest eaters on the face of the planet: The Mall. To quote Joliet Jake Blues, "This mall's got everything", including a "Macaroni Grill" which meats all of our dietary constrictions.
We then headed back to camp and were pretty much asleep when our heads hit the pillows.
To be continued....
Overall the music was weak, with the highlights being my new favorite "Black 47" and the "Indigo Girls" (of course). An honorable mention goes to "The Bacon Brothers", but in all fairness, I did doze off during their set. We set up camp under the willow tree far in the back, and it was just soooo comfortable.
The overall festival was a lot of fun. To start at the beginning, we camped at Harriman Park, my dad, Brian (Brother-in-Law), and I leaving Friday to set up camp. My mom and sister joined us on Saturday morning.
That Saturday morning, as I was coming back to camp after taking a shower, a deer was in our campsite! It made no move to scamper away as I approached. It kept looking at me while it searched out picnic table for food. Finding none, it moved to a neighboring site and was hand fed by the occupants. I got my camera and took the pictures below:
Deer in neighbor's campsite
Posted by Hello
Deer in our campsite
Posted by Hello
Deer (I have named him Arzt)
Posted by Hello
After that, we headed out to Croton Point Park and set up our blanket under "The Willow"
"The Willow"
Posted by Hello
The first day was spent meandering around the park, checking out the vendors, walking through the renewable energy ten, and listening to music. The lineup for Saturday really had no one exciting emerge. I liked a lot of what I heard, but I didn't want to rush out to buy a CD or anything. Buy the end of day one, we were only sticking around to see a potential Pete Seeger sighting. Pete Seeger is a hero to my parents and he is affiliated with this festival and often will sit in on a song or two with different performers. The second to last act was Mike Seeger, so we figured the possibility was high that Pete would make an appearance during Mike Seeger's set.
We were right, and happy to see him pick his banjo for two songs, we packed it in and headed to the only place that makes sense when you are camping with the pickiest eaters on the face of the planet: The Mall. To quote Joliet Jake Blues, "This mall's got everything", including a "Macaroni Grill" which meats all of our dietary constrictions.
We then headed back to camp and were pretty much asleep when our heads hit the pillows.
To be continued....
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Batman Begins
I went to see Batman Begins last night and proved it just might be my favorite comic book adaptation yet. I won't spoil anything, but I will say that they got it right. Christian Bale did a great job as a tormented Bruce Wayne. Michael Caine was perfect as Alfred. In fact all the actors were perfectly cast (with Katie Holmes the only exception. Even though she did rub my head in a bar in NC, I do have to say she just seemed to naive to play a hardened assistant district attorney. She is a fine actress, but she didn't bring much to the part).
In my teenage years through my early twenties, I worked at a comic book store and at that time in my life, I read everything I could get my hands on. I loved the mythos of all these superheroes, in particular Batman. I remember my best friend in high school and I lining up for the first showing of Tim Burton's rendition of Batman and, with the old Christopher Reeve's Superman as my barometer, thinking, "wow they really nailed it".
Conversly, I remember a few years later seeing the Joel Schumacher version of the franchise and remember thinking how far it had fallen and was convinced that this would be the last Batman film for a long time.
But here it is, 8 years later and this film makes Tim Burton's Batman look campy. Years ago, I was really incredulous that Michael Keaton would make a good Batman, but after I saw the film, I thought there could be no better. Yet, Christian Bale does a great job capturing a young Bruce Wayne.
So before I geek out too much (too late), let me just say that if you are a fan of Batman, run out and see the movie. If you are a casual fan, add it to the list of summer movies you want to see, and go see it at your next opportunity. As for me, I can't wait to see it again.
In my teenage years through my early twenties, I worked at a comic book store and at that time in my life, I read everything I could get my hands on. I loved the mythos of all these superheroes, in particular Batman. I remember my best friend in high school and I lining up for the first showing of Tim Burton's rendition of Batman and, with the old Christopher Reeve's Superman as my barometer, thinking, "wow they really nailed it".
Conversly, I remember a few years later seeing the Joel Schumacher version of the franchise and remember thinking how far it had fallen and was convinced that this would be the last Batman film for a long time.
But here it is, 8 years later and this film makes Tim Burton's Batman look campy. Years ago, I was really incredulous that Michael Keaton would make a good Batman, but after I saw the film, I thought there could be no better. Yet, Christian Bale does a great job capturing a young Bruce Wayne.
So before I geek out too much (too late), let me just say that if you are a fan of Batman, run out and see the movie. If you are a casual fan, add it to the list of summer movies you want to see, and go see it at your next opportunity. As for me, I can't wait to see it again.
Monday, June 13, 2005
An Open Letter to the Michael Jackson Jury
Congratulations, your four months of jury is up and you can return to your respective lives. Before you do, I was hoping I could get one question answered. I have a feeling that if I don't ask, it might really nag at me, so I just better ask it. This has happened to me before, and I never asked the question. I have regretted it ever since. In fact, I really can't look at Orange Juice the same way.
My question is, "How can a grown man, who has admitted that he encourages children to sleep in his bed, ignoring any kind of social boundaries, be found not guilty on all the counts that he faced?"
I mean, ok, you might have believed the defense when they argued that the mom of the accuser manipulated the system to extort Mr. Jackson. So I can see there being reasonable doubt in the most severe charges facing him, but when it comes to the counts of attempting lewd acts and providing alcohol to a minor, can you truly find reasonable doubt? Witness after witness described the inappropriate manner that Mr. Jackson behaved. Can you honestly say all of his motives were just? Even if he was found guilty on the counts that carried misdemeanor sentences, a message would have been sent. But what message have you sent?
I guess I just have one follow up question, "If you had the opportunity, would you let your 13 year old boy spend unsupervised time with Mr. Jackson?"
Thanks for your service to our infallible justice system.
My question is, "How can a grown man, who has admitted that he encourages children to sleep in his bed, ignoring any kind of social boundaries, be found not guilty on all the counts that he faced?"
I mean, ok, you might have believed the defense when they argued that the mom of the accuser manipulated the system to extort Mr. Jackson. So I can see there being reasonable doubt in the most severe charges facing him, but when it comes to the counts of attempting lewd acts and providing alcohol to a minor, can you truly find reasonable doubt? Witness after witness described the inappropriate manner that Mr. Jackson behaved. Can you honestly say all of his motives were just? Even if he was found guilty on the counts that carried misdemeanor sentences, a message would have been sent. But what message have you sent?
I guess I just have one follow up question, "If you had the opportunity, would you let your 13 year old boy spend unsupervised time with Mr. Jackson?"
Thanks for your service to our infallible justice system.
Bloglines
In a search to organize all of the sites I visit daily, I found this cool on-line tool to keep track of any sites that offer RSS.
Bloglines
What is Bloglines?
Bloglines is a FREE online service that helps you subscribe to and manage lots of web information, such as news feeds, weblogs and audio. Bloglines tracks the information you're interested in, retrieves new stuff as it happens, and organizes everything for you on your own personal web news page.
Check it out!
Bloglines
What is Bloglines?
Bloglines is a FREE online service that helps you subscribe to and manage lots of web information, such as news feeds, weblogs and audio. Bloglines tracks the information you're interested in, retrieves new stuff as it happens, and organizes everything for you on your own personal web news page.
Check it out!
The new and semi-improved "House on Stilts"
I wrote this post on the house on stilts. Well, it is becoming very apparent that if we don't do some minor (read:major) repairs in the near future, House on Stilts will become Pile of Wood. So, being the over enthusiastic people that members of my family are, we ignore most of the critical areas of "HOS" that need attention and decide to paint the porch. The idea is to move everything on the porch to the yard, clean from ceiling to floor and apply paint to every surface. We added the additional goal of being done by noon, 1:00 at the latest and get some beach in.
I enlist the help of honorary* family member Greg, and we set out early Saturday morning for a nine o'clock arrival in Matunuck, RI. We meet up with my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law at The Breakfast Nook. As with any adventure concerning my family, some wrenches had already worked into the grand plan. The major wrinkle was that the paint had not been acquired, so half of the group would drive the 30 minutes to the "local" Home Depot and pick out the paint, while the other half would remove the furniture from the porch and begin cleaning.
I am delegated to cleaning crew. We complete the task at noon, but the paint still hadn't arrived. My thoughts of laying by the ocean were fading fast. We waited just long enough for me to get the workings of the first sunburn of the season, when the paint arrives.
We trudge in and set to work painting the ceiling. Greg turns out to be a real asset, because he had a lot of experience painting. Under his direction, we make quick work of the ceiling. We take a break and ask for the paint to be used for the wall.
We are handed a quart of paint. This is clearly to small of an amount to do the job. So Greg and I drive to "Home Depot" to buy another gallon of paint. An hour later, we return and get back to work. It is now 3:00 and apparently the non-painters have decided that painting the ceiling in the cottage would be a great idea. I however do not see the merits of that idea, with the day waning and with it the possibility of even a pre-sunset stroll along the beach.
We finish the walls about 4:00 and the non-paint crew decide to put the trim on the window sills. I have no idea what went into the color selection, but "Pepto-Bismol" pink is never a good idea. This setback killed any thoughts of continuing painting the interior of "HOS".
Finally, it appeared that the painting chore was just about completed and that it was time to get dinner. I took a shower, and while scrubbing off all of the paint, I came to the conclusion that, if this painting exercise was any indication, I better come into some money quick and hire professionals or the House on Stilts is doomed! I will keep you updated.
*We use the term honorary, even though we are unsure of where the honor lies. We felt the original term of indentured servant to be too mean.
I enlist the help of honorary* family member Greg, and we set out early Saturday morning for a nine o'clock arrival in Matunuck, RI. We meet up with my mom and dad, sister and brother-in-law at The Breakfast Nook. As with any adventure concerning my family, some wrenches had already worked into the grand plan. The major wrinkle was that the paint had not been acquired, so half of the group would drive the 30 minutes to the "local" Home Depot and pick out the paint, while the other half would remove the furniture from the porch and begin cleaning.
I am delegated to cleaning crew. We complete the task at noon, but the paint still hadn't arrived. My thoughts of laying by the ocean were fading fast. We waited just long enough for me to get the workings of the first sunburn of the season, when the paint arrives.
We trudge in and set to work painting the ceiling. Greg turns out to be a real asset, because he had a lot of experience painting. Under his direction, we make quick work of the ceiling. We take a break and ask for the paint to be used for the wall.
We are handed a quart of paint. This is clearly to small of an amount to do the job. So Greg and I drive to "Home Depot" to buy another gallon of paint. An hour later, we return and get back to work. It is now 3:00 and apparently the non-painters have decided that painting the ceiling in the cottage would be a great idea. I however do not see the merits of that idea, with the day waning and with it the possibility of even a pre-sunset stroll along the beach.
We finish the walls about 4:00 and the non-paint crew decide to put the trim on the window sills. I have no idea what went into the color selection, but "Pepto-Bismol" pink is never a good idea. This setback killed any thoughts of continuing painting the interior of "HOS".
Finally, it appeared that the painting chore was just about completed and that it was time to get dinner. I took a shower, and while scrubbing off all of the paint, I came to the conclusion that, if this painting exercise was any indication, I better come into some money quick and hire professionals or the House on Stilts is doomed! I will keep you updated.
*We use the term honorary, even though we are unsure of where the honor lies. We felt the original term of indentured servant to be too mean.
Tea for Two
I have always been very interested in the British culture. I have no interest in the royals or any of that, but since visiting Great Britain in 1992, I have an affinity for the culture, and consider myself pretty knowledgeable about their way of life. However, I was recently visiting author Neil Gaiman's site and he mentioned that, as an Englishman living in the US, the one thing he will never get used to what we pass off as tea. You can find his original complaint here.
Apparently adding a bag of tea to hot water isn't the proper way to make tea. After posting the above, he received a lot of questions as to the proper brewing of tea. He researched it and posted the proper way to make tea. Ever since reading the post and studying the references, I am determined to make tea the "proper way". I now need to find an acceptable tea pot and some Indian Ceylon tea leaves. And, while I am out shopping, perhaps picking up a life would be a good idea.
Apparently adding a bag of tea to hot water isn't the proper way to make tea. After posting the above, he received a lot of questions as to the proper brewing of tea. He researched it and posted the proper way to make tea. Ever since reading the post and studying the references, I am determined to make tea the "proper way". I now need to find an acceptable tea pot and some Indian Ceylon tea leaves. And, while I am out shopping, perhaps picking up a life would be a good idea.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
An Evening with Kevin Smith
My previous post got me thinking about the celebrity phenomenon. I don't know what it is about celebrity sightings that make them so fun for me. Normally, I am pretty anti-establishment and get irked at most mob mentality that celebrity stalkers display, but I have to admit that seeing a famous person is a cool thing to me.
Part of my job is helping student's entertain themselves. That is a very simplistic view, and I won't bore you with my thoughts and theories on how putting on events teaches students more about themselves than most classroom activities. I just bring it up because I get to meet all sorts of performers and every once and a while one of them falls into the "celebrity" column.
My biggest job related high at this point has been meeting film director Kevin Smith. In the spring of 2000, my students at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) decided to invite Mr. Smith to speak at the college. I have to admit that I was psyched about meeting him. As advisor, I would be able to not just meet but pretty much hang out with the guy, and in my book, there are few movies that I enjoy more than his Jersey films (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back).
I have to admit I was pretty nervous meeting him, but he was so laid back. He spent a lot of time with the students working on the event and was happy to pose for photos and sign autographs. He then went on stage and immediately opened the floor for questions. No prepared speech, just "Ask me anything" and the audience did, for 3 and a half hours. The only break in the questioning was a glimpse at his soon to be released (at the time) animated series Clerks.
By the third hour, I kind of wondered what other questions could be out there. My sister, who traveled down from Connecticut for the event, must have been thinking the same thing, because she whispered to me "What fries do you like better: McDonald's or Burger King". That killed me.
He then graciously stayed at the venue until 2:00 am, signing an autograph for any student who wanted one.
Pretty cool, if you ask me.
I took a ton of pictures at the event . Here are the two best. The one on the bottom is hanging in my office framed with an autographed photo that reads "Ian, Thanks for making sure I knew where I needed to be, Kevin Smith"
Kevin Smith signing autographs
Posted by Hello
Kevin Smith and me (on the right). The guy on the left is my former student, the soon to be famous Richard White.
Posted by Hello
Part of my job is helping student's entertain themselves. That is a very simplistic view, and I won't bore you with my thoughts and theories on how putting on events teaches students more about themselves than most classroom activities. I just bring it up because I get to meet all sorts of performers and every once and a while one of them falls into the "celebrity" column.
My biggest job related high at this point has been meeting film director Kevin Smith. In the spring of 2000, my students at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW) decided to invite Mr. Smith to speak at the college. I have to admit that I was psyched about meeting him. As advisor, I would be able to not just meet but pretty much hang out with the guy, and in my book, there are few movies that I enjoy more than his Jersey films (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back).
I have to admit I was pretty nervous meeting him, but he was so laid back. He spent a lot of time with the students working on the event and was happy to pose for photos and sign autographs. He then went on stage and immediately opened the floor for questions. No prepared speech, just "Ask me anything" and the audience did, for 3 and a half hours. The only break in the questioning was a glimpse at his soon to be released (at the time) animated series Clerks.
By the third hour, I kind of wondered what other questions could be out there. My sister, who traveled down from Connecticut for the event, must have been thinking the same thing, because she whispered to me "What fries do you like better: McDonald's or Burger King". That killed me.
He then graciously stayed at the venue until 2:00 am, signing an autograph for any student who wanted one.
Pretty cool, if you ask me.
I took a ton of pictures at the event . Here are the two best. The one on the bottom is hanging in my office framed with an autographed photo that reads "Ian, Thanks for making sure I knew where I needed to be, Kevin Smith"
Kevin Smith signing autographs
Posted by Hello
Kevin Smith and me (on the right). The guy on the left is my former student, the soon to be famous Richard White.
Posted by Hello
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
New York Stories
This past Saturday, my mom and I headed into New York City to see "The Glass Menagerie" starring Jessica Lange and Christian Slater. While I was excited for a day in the city, I have to admit that I was less than excited about the play. I head read some less than flattering reviews and it is not one of my favorite plays, but in the end I figured that the chance to see these actors is worth risking a matinee of bad theatre.
As it turns out, the play was really good. After the intermission, my mom finagles the usher into letting us sit in some empty front row seats (the house was only half full, and there were plenty of seats left empty in the orchestra). So there were under 6 feet away from famous people. I have no idea why that is exciting to me, but it was really cool to be that close to the actors. I mean come on, Jessica Lange was in "Tootsie"! And Christian Slater? "Heathers" and "Pump Up the Volume"! So he may be a little on the crazy side, grabbing women's asses in the early morning hours, but he was Clarence Worley for God's sake!
I digress... After the play we make our exit and see a small group hanging around the stage doors. We decide to join them to see if we can get a glimpse. All I really wanted was a picture for this site, but after 10 minutes, we decided to give it up and walked towards Times Square.
Times Square was busy so we turned down 44th street. On this street is the Belasco Theatre where Denzel Washington is starring in "Julius Caesar". My uncle, who works for Broadway.com took me to see it a couple of months back while it was in previews. Unlike "The Glass Menagerie" experience, seeing Denzel Washington did not make up for the torture of sitting in the tiniest seats ever installed in a theatre (I literally had bruises on my legs where the seat in front of me gouged into my shin). I honestly can't say if the play was good or bad as I had to go into a trance-like state to cut off the excruciating pain that these torture device seats were causing me.
Again, I digress... So here we are walking down the street toward the Belasco. There is a large crowd assembled outside the theatre. I figure they must be waiting to catch a glimpse of Denzel Washington come out of the stage door. Just as I though to my self that that will never happen, the crowd becomes animated and camera flashes start going off like crazy.
We rush to join the crowd and see that he is behind a barricade, signing autographs for people who were waiting in line. These people must have been to the show and were invited to wait in line for autographs. So we muscle are way up to the barricade and all I want to do is take a picture, again to add to this site, but his back is to us and all I have is my crappy camera phone, so I know he will have to be close if I want any clarity to the picture.
As the line for autographs is getting shorter, the anticipation grows. All of a sudden he moves to right in front of me and I manage to get two photos. My mom is trying to put a pen and paper in his hand when his manager says "Julius Caesar playbills only" as a general direction to the crowd.
So my mom, the ever resourceful one who is now directly in front of Denzel Washington says, "Would it be alright if I touch you?" to which he nods. He then adds with a grin, "That'll be fifty bucks!"
My mom replies, "It is worth it, I won't wash this hand ever again" to which he says in the definitive Denzel Washington voice, "I really hope you do!"
So not only did we get a chance to see Denzel Washington up close and personal, but my mom had a legitimate back and forth with the man. I on the other hand got the two photos posted below and a "Mom groping a strange man" story that I will be telling the grandkids!
As it turns out, the play was really good. After the intermission, my mom finagles the usher into letting us sit in some empty front row seats (the house was only half full, and there were plenty of seats left empty in the orchestra). So there were under 6 feet away from famous people. I have no idea why that is exciting to me, but it was really cool to be that close to the actors. I mean come on, Jessica Lange was in "Tootsie"! And Christian Slater? "Heathers" and "Pump Up the Volume"! So he may be a little on the crazy side, grabbing women's asses in the early morning hours, but he was Clarence Worley for God's sake!
I digress... After the play we make our exit and see a small group hanging around the stage doors. We decide to join them to see if we can get a glimpse. All I really wanted was a picture for this site, but after 10 minutes, we decided to give it up and walked towards Times Square.
Times Square was busy so we turned down 44th street. On this street is the Belasco Theatre where Denzel Washington is starring in "Julius Caesar". My uncle, who works for Broadway.com took me to see it a couple of months back while it was in previews. Unlike "The Glass Menagerie" experience, seeing Denzel Washington did not make up for the torture of sitting in the tiniest seats ever installed in a theatre (I literally had bruises on my legs where the seat in front of me gouged into my shin). I honestly can't say if the play was good or bad as I had to go into a trance-like state to cut off the excruciating pain that these torture device seats were causing me.
Again, I digress... So here we are walking down the street toward the Belasco. There is a large crowd assembled outside the theatre. I figure they must be waiting to catch a glimpse of Denzel Washington come out of the stage door. Just as I though to my self that that will never happen, the crowd becomes animated and camera flashes start going off like crazy.
We rush to join the crowd and see that he is behind a barricade, signing autographs for people who were waiting in line. These people must have been to the show and were invited to wait in line for autographs. So we muscle are way up to the barricade and all I want to do is take a picture, again to add to this site, but his back is to us and all I have is my crappy camera phone, so I know he will have to be close if I want any clarity to the picture.
As the line for autographs is getting shorter, the anticipation grows. All of a sudden he moves to right in front of me and I manage to get two photos. My mom is trying to put a pen and paper in his hand when his manager says "Julius Caesar playbills only" as a general direction to the crowd.
So my mom, the ever resourceful one who is now directly in front of Denzel Washington says, "Would it be alright if I touch you?" to which he nods. He then adds with a grin, "That'll be fifty bucks!"
My mom replies, "It is worth it, I won't wash this hand ever again" to which he says in the definitive Denzel Washington voice, "I really hope you do!"
So not only did we get a chance to see Denzel Washington up close and personal, but my mom had a legitimate back and forth with the man. I on the other hand got the two photos posted below and a "Mom groping a strange man" story that I will be telling the grandkids!
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Full of 'Craps' part 3
Shaun and I step up to the table and plop down are entire budget for the event: $60 dollars each. We receive a handful of red chips and put down two red chips ($10) on the pass line and the sweat on our respective brows appears.
The first roll of the dice is a "7", which at this point in the game is a winner for us. We are now $10 up and I get cocky. The next roll is an 8, and the cycle begins. My money on the table is a wager that the an "8" will be rolled before a "7". While the odds are not in your favor, it is pretty close to 50/50 so I "bet the odds" and put another red chip down to back up the bet.
Shaun does not do this back up bet, which is significant. The primary objective is for Shaun and I to go home with exactly the same (or even better, more) money as the other. To end the evening with less money than the other person is an unbearable thought, so it is rare that we do not bet exactly the same. Misery loves company, they say, and I'll go one step further that success loves solitude. In all honesty, either of love when we are in the position to say that the other person made "X" amount, but I ended up with $10 more.
So here I am with more money on the table than Shaun and a "7" is rolled. So I am down $15, while Shaun only lost $10. Damn! This will mean I will have to be more riskier with my wagers to gain the lost ground. I vaguely am aware that Dennis is still with us and has chips burning a hole in his pocket. He says something about playing blackjack and he would see us later. I wave him off and get back to the table.
I lose a few re wages and I am down to $15. I am ready to hang it up, but Shaun (with significantly more chips than I) wants to hang on. I begrudgingly agree as the dice are handed to a new roller. She rolls the dice and this is where our luck changes. We are betting conservatively, no backing up the bets, no side bets. By the time her end runs, I am up to about $70 bucks in my pocket and I am feeling ready to take a risk.
She loses the dice and it is given to an elderly gentleman with the most perfectly coifed hair I have ever seen. He places the dice in front of him, meticulously turns each die so that his lucky numbers are facing up, and slowly lobs them down the table. A "10" is rolled and the cycle has begun. I back up the bet, which is risky, as a"10" is harder to roll than a "7". However the payoff is 2 to one on the back up so I am in. I also start making some side bets on the "6" and "8" to come in. Every time he rolls a "6" or an "8", I get $14 bucks, and that happens multiple times.
Shaun and I are on a roll, but the meticulousness of the old guy with the fancy hairdo is too much and I am getting annoyed at how long he is taking with each roll of the die. I point thus out discreetly to Shaun.
"He must put the same amount of time into his hair as he does rolling the dice!" I observe.
Shaun looks surprised and gives the guy a once over, "I really thought he was a woman".
At this point the guy hits the "10" we needed, and we continue a long steady climb to winning more chips. This goes on for a while; chips laid down, dice rolled, winnings picked up. It was a great feeling. After what felt like a long while, "The 'do" finally loses the dice and Shaun and I decide it is time. We had been at the table for a while and felt our luck could change at any moment and we had quite a good run.
I call for a "color in" (meaning your red chips are exchange for higher amount chips of different colors so you don't have a unmanageable wad of chips) and the tally comes to $163, a net profit of $103 dollars. Not my biggest haul but close. I anxiously await Shaun's tally to see if I will have to bear the shame of walking out with less then him.
The dealer says "Wow that is weird, you both have the same amount." I scratched my head. We hadn't been betting the same but in the end we had both leveled out. Ecstatic about the situation we turn and see Dennis approaching.
"Dennis, we are up $100 each, isn't that incredible? We had the best run!", I exclaim.
He replies with all sincerity, "That is great! I did well too at the blackjack table."
"Really, that is awesome. How did you do?", I inquired.
He opens his hand, reveals 1 $100 chip and 2 $500 chips and says "OK, I recouped my poker losses."
And as the excitement of making a quick $100 is suddenly replaced with a curiosity of what losing and winning $1000 in one day must feel like, I turn to Shaun and say, "What do you say we come back next week?"
We find Dan and head for the exit, stopping only to watch Dan place a wager on the roulette wheel. Dan has an annual tradition of coming to the casino and laying $100 down on either red or black at the roulette table. Up until this evening his record is 1 and 1. Tonight he puts his money on red and his record stands at 1 and 2.
The trip home is filled reliving the evening and congratulating each other on how well we did (and consoling Dan), but I think in the back of our minds we were thinking, "Next time I am going to turn my $60.00 into a thousand."
The first roll of the dice is a "7", which at this point in the game is a winner for us. We are now $10 up and I get cocky. The next roll is an 8, and the cycle begins. My money on the table is a wager that the an "8" will be rolled before a "7". While the odds are not in your favor, it is pretty close to 50/50 so I "bet the odds" and put another red chip down to back up the bet.
Shaun does not do this back up bet, which is significant. The primary objective is for Shaun and I to go home with exactly the same (or even better, more) money as the other. To end the evening with less money than the other person is an unbearable thought, so it is rare that we do not bet exactly the same. Misery loves company, they say, and I'll go one step further that success loves solitude. In all honesty, either of love when we are in the position to say that the other person made "X" amount, but I ended up with $10 more.
So here I am with more money on the table than Shaun and a "7" is rolled. So I am down $15, while Shaun only lost $10. Damn! This will mean I will have to be more riskier with my wagers to gain the lost ground. I vaguely am aware that Dennis is still with us and has chips burning a hole in his pocket. He says something about playing blackjack and he would see us later. I wave him off and get back to the table.
I lose a few re wages and I am down to $15. I am ready to hang it up, but Shaun (with significantly more chips than I) wants to hang on. I begrudgingly agree as the dice are handed to a new roller. She rolls the dice and this is where our luck changes. We are betting conservatively, no backing up the bets, no side bets. By the time her end runs, I am up to about $70 bucks in my pocket and I am feeling ready to take a risk.
She loses the dice and it is given to an elderly gentleman with the most perfectly coifed hair I have ever seen. He places the dice in front of him, meticulously turns each die so that his lucky numbers are facing up, and slowly lobs them down the table. A "10" is rolled and the cycle has begun. I back up the bet, which is risky, as a"10" is harder to roll than a "7". However the payoff is 2 to one on the back up so I am in. I also start making some side bets on the "6" and "8" to come in. Every time he rolls a "6" or an "8", I get $14 bucks, and that happens multiple times.
Shaun and I are on a roll, but the meticulousness of the old guy with the fancy hairdo is too much and I am getting annoyed at how long he is taking with each roll of the die. I point thus out discreetly to Shaun.
"He must put the same amount of time into his hair as he does rolling the dice!" I observe.
Shaun looks surprised and gives the guy a once over, "I really thought he was a woman".
At this point the guy hits the "10" we needed, and we continue a long steady climb to winning more chips. This goes on for a while; chips laid down, dice rolled, winnings picked up. It was a great feeling. After what felt like a long while, "The 'do" finally loses the dice and Shaun and I decide it is time. We had been at the table for a while and felt our luck could change at any moment and we had quite a good run.
I call for a "color in" (meaning your red chips are exchange for higher amount chips of different colors so you don't have a unmanageable wad of chips) and the tally comes to $163, a net profit of $103 dollars. Not my biggest haul but close. I anxiously await Shaun's tally to see if I will have to bear the shame of walking out with less then him.
The dealer says "Wow that is weird, you both have the same amount." I scratched my head. We hadn't been betting the same but in the end we had both leveled out. Ecstatic about the situation we turn and see Dennis approaching.
"Dennis, we are up $100 each, isn't that incredible? We had the best run!", I exclaim.
He replies with all sincerity, "That is great! I did well too at the blackjack table."
"Really, that is awesome. How did you do?", I inquired.
He opens his hand, reveals 1 $100 chip and 2 $500 chips and says "OK, I recouped my poker losses."
And as the excitement of making a quick $100 is suddenly replaced with a curiosity of what losing and winning $1000 in one day must feel like, I turn to Shaun and say, "What do you say we come back next week?"
We find Dan and head for the exit, stopping only to watch Dan place a wager on the roulette wheel. Dan has an annual tradition of coming to the casino and laying $100 down on either red or black at the roulette table. Up until this evening his record is 1 and 1. Tonight he puts his money on red and his record stands at 1 and 2.
The trip home is filled reliving the evening and congratulating each other on how well we did (and consoling Dan), but I think in the back of our minds we were thinking, "Next time I am going to turn my $60.00 into a thousand."
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