Wed 16 Jan 2008
Well, its time. This will be the last entry on the bUGLYbLOG. Thanks for the memories. If you need to reach me, shoot an email over to velvet ‘at’ bugly.com.
Mon 31 Dec 2007
If you have 23 seconds to burn, this is the movie for you. Pure genius!!
Thu 27 Sep 2007
Congrats to the Oakland Raiders for beating the Browns. I’m not going to lay too much praise for the win since most liken beating the Browns to winning an arm wrestling match against your nephew who’s in 2nd grade. However, with the win we are now 1-2, and quite possibly could be 3-0 since we’ve led late in all three games. But, before I go and talk smack to a Cardinals or Rams fan (sorry Mike), its important to remember that we haven’t exactly played the cream of the crop (I rise to the top - House of Pain baby). Frankly, if you lose to a Kitna lead team (Lions), it’s normally suggested that you quit football altogether. In addition to taking one on the chin from the Lions, we were also able to squeeze in another screw job by the Bronco’s (but we did learn how to screw others as we pulled the same crap on Cleveland that Denver pulled on us). No matter, Shanahans days are coming. It won’t be too much longer. I gotta think his contract with Satan is coming due sometime soon. Anyway, go Raiders! And oh yeah, can someone put out an APB for Jerry Porter? What happended to this guy? Brady Anderson anyone?
Thu 27 Sep 2007
Bust You in the Chops (September Edition) - What has happened to the Iceman (Chuck Liddell)?
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial ArtsNo Comments
Chuck Liddell is not done…I am a fan of Chuck Liddell. I love to watch him fight. I like the knockouts. Up until the Rampage Jackson fight, it was almost a given that if he was fighting, he was going to deliver a knockout (regardless of the opponent). Then Rampage knocked him out. Sure, he wasn’t face down sans his mouth piece, a la Keith Jardine in the Houston Alexander bout, but he was stunned and most definitely on the verge of being Gonzaga’d (referencing the CroCop fight here). This past weekend he made his first appearance back in the octagon since the knockout and ended up losing for the second straight time (a first in the storied career of the Iceman). Keith Jardine out pointed him for most of the fight and earned a split decision victory, one that probably should have been unanimous. With all due respect to the Dean of Mean, Liddell should have knocked this guy out in the first round. Jardine is not Randy Couture, he’s not Vitor Belfort, he’s not even Gumby (aka Jeremy Horn). So, what gives?
Well, it’s one of two things in my opinion. Either he is going through a Roy Jones type career culmination or he just doesn’t care that much anymore. When I say a Roy Jones career culmination, I am talking about the third Tarver fight (October 2005). Tarver had brutally knocked Roy out a year earlier and it appeared that he just wanted to survive the third fight. I saw this fight live on tv and it was difficult to watch. Roy ran most of the fight and never appeared to want to sit and exchange with Tarver. This was the same fighter who had beaten James Toney, John Ruiz, and the Executioner (Bernard Hopkins), and here he was seemingly running from Tarver. This was the end of the great Roy Jones Junior. With respect to Chuck, I don’t think he was afraid to get back in the octagon. He’s been knocked out before and come back strong (referencing the first fights with Rampage and Couture - both ending in TKO’s), so I’m just not buying that he was nervous or worried about getting K.O.’d.
Therefore, my guess is he just doesn’t care anymore (or doesn’t have the desire to do what is necessary to win at the UFC championship level). Chuck’s looked a little pudgy recently, he’s shown up to an interview a little loopy, and lets face it, he is getting paid win, lose, or draw (For the record his base salary, as reported over at mmajunkie.com, for the Jardine fight was $500,000 - while the winner, Jardine, earned a paltry $14,000). Bottomline, he just didn’t seem prepared, either physically or mentally (poor gameplan), for the fight. Will I watch his next big fight? Yes, but for his own legacy he needs to bring it. My guess is that a significant percentage of the mma fan base (talking about the new folks here) have only seen Chuck fight twice - both resulting a loses. Obviously Chucks better than this, but times running out for him to show the newbies what all the fuss is about.
Wed 19 Sep 2007
Tuesday’s Mass Media Update - Sorry for the slight delay….
Posted by velvetmantis under Mass MediaNo Comments
bUGLYbLOG’s recommended places to punch someone if they cut you in line at the local BestBuy
1) In the breadbasket. In the event you get arrested, be sure to use the term “breadbasket” in your written statement.
2) In the neck. If I could go back in time, like way back, I’m talking second grade here, I would punch the first kid in the neck who gave me crap about wearing generic parachute pants (They were made by Panasonic…..yep, the same Panasonic that makes crappy electronics made my parachute pants.) Anyway, I think it would be cool to be known as a neck puncher. I bet it would have improved my draft position in kick ball games……
Captain of the first team: I’ll take Wanda
Captain of the second team: Okay, I’ll take the Neck Puncher
3) In the coconuts. To be honest, I have never been a fan of the coconut puncher. Most of the time I was the one getting punched in the coconuts. I think the worst time I ever got punched in the coconuts was in third grade. I was walking to the water fountain and Scott (no clue what his last name was, but I’m pretty sure his dad was also his great uncle) socked me in the juju beans (synonym for coconuts). It wasn’t pleasant to say the least. Even more displeasing than getting punched in the gorgonzola’s (another synonym for coconuts) was explaining to my female teacher, Mrs. Bowers, why I was hunched over crying while holding my bumbo’s (synonym numero tres for coconuts)
bUGLYbLOG’s recommended tunes fo the week, fool
Public Enemy’s How You Sell Soul to Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul- Chuck Dangerous is back again with another hit record. Sure, this one ain’t Fear of a Black Planet or It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, but as always Chuck has made another record that’s timely and relevant. And the beats are still there. Check out “Harder tha you think”, “Can you hear me now”, and the albums title track.
“YOU DONT STAND FOR SOMETHING,YOU FALL FOR ANYTHING,
HARDER THAN YOU THINK, ITS A BEAUTIFUL THING”
Pilot Speed’s Into the West- I recently went and saw the new Kevin Bacon “Death Sentence” movie. It sucked, but the soundtrack was pretty cool. Anyway, Pilot Speed is one of the featured artists on the soundtrack. They sound like Coldplay and/or Snow Patrol and the lead singer is a dead ringer for U2’s Bono (albeit with a slight lisp). If you can iTunes it, listen to “Barely Listening”, “Alright”, and “Ambulance”. The Black Angel’s are also on the soundtrack. I will probably give them a listen later this week, as long as I don’t get covered up with punching people in the neck.
bUGLYbLOG’s recommended pants comments for the week
1) Anyday you have to wear pants is a bad day. I think this is my new motto. I need to win the lottery. My promise to you is that I will never wear pants again if I win the lottery (except for the occassional funeral or when I want to go shirtless).
2) The next time I get a call from a phone sales dude or dudette, I am going to break in this new routine. Here’s how its going to go….
Telemarketer: Hi, are you interested in blah blah blah
Me: Guess why I’m not wearing shoes?
Telemarketer: I dunno, why?
Me: Cause I had to remove them so I could take off my pants. (After this comment I will remain silent until they hang up)
Tue 19 Jun 2007
…………………………………….’………………………………
Wed 25 Apr 2007
Inverted rubber – Rubber that contacts the ball with its smooth surface, and is glued to the rest of the bat with its pimpled surface. With a larger contact area, this type of rubber generally produces more spin than pimpled rubber, although some rubbers are designed to have the opposite effect.
buglyblog comment: It’s no surprise that table tennis is not often discussed in public. I feel uncomfortable typing the phrase “inverted rubber”.
Pimples – Rubber that contacts the ball with its pimpled surface. Produces different effects on the spin compared with inverted rubber due of the reduced contact area and flexibility of the pimples.
buglyblog comment: Terrible term, equally terrible definition. As a group, we ping pong players are not the most attractive assemblage of folks*. So why throw gas on the fire with this term? Couldn’t it have been called Spinners or Bespeckles (found this using the ole thesaurus biznatches)?
* For perspective, ping pong players are not as narly as those guys from Best Buy’s Geek Squad, but still a little more trollish than your average Chess enthusiast.
Third ball – The stroke hit by the server after the opponent’s return of the serve. Because the serve can be used to make attacking difficult for the opponent, the third ball is frequently the first strong attacking stroke in any table tennis rally.
buglyblog comment: Third Ball. It’s two more than my buddies college roomate.
Mon 2 Apr 2007
Ohio State loses once again to Florida in the (insert any sporting event here)
Posted by velvetmantis under GeneralNo Comments
I have a feeling that the collective Buckeye nation will not make an appearance on any of the sports talk shows across the nation for the next few days. Unfortunately, coming in second is worse in the eyes of the average sports fan than not even making it (get ready for the Buffalo Buckeye comments). It is further compounded because the Buckeyes have lost twice now to the same Florida univeristy on the championship stage. Oh well, I think its great. Outside of the Yankees and Lakers, there is no other team I hate more than the Buckeyes. Anyway, this game would have been over with about 10 minutes left if the officials wouldn’t have given Greg Oden a free pass on the defensive end. Don’t get me wrong, Oden was the best player on this night, but come on. He could have fouled out half way through the second half, but that doesn’t make for good t.v. apparently.
Wed 28 Mar 2007
Techn0l0gy Sux - “Eat More Sugar Babies” Edition
Posted by velvetmantis under Misc DebrisNo Comments
I went to the movies this past weekend and saw “Zodiac”. I wanted to see “Wild Hogs”, but it was sold out almost an hour before show time. Something that was surprising to me was that “Wild Hogs” appeared to attract a significant portion of Knoxville’s motorcycle dudes. I never knew they, the motorcycle dudes, were so punctual. Anyway, when I got there I decided to get some Skittles and a Coke (in case your asking, I am in peak physical shape - I take my pong seriously folks). You’ve seen movie candy. It always comes in some huge box. Unless its your first time purchasing movie candy, you know the big box is just a ruse.
The first time I got shafted by the illusion of the big box, I think I was probably 9 or 10. It was at the Grove Center Theater in Oak Ridge. For the next ten years I made a point to stop by the gas station next door and get my candy before any movie trips (my buddy Jack’s step brother got nailed for trying to bring a 20oz coke into the place, they actually patted him down as he tried to enter.) Well, now I am an adult and my wife thinks smuggling candy into the theater is obnoxious, not smart or crafty (the words I use to describe it). Getting to the point… I decided to have a candy-off. I wanted to basically perform an analysis between movie candy and their gas station counterparts. Lets get started…..
Example A - Movie Skittles (4 Bucks, ~170 Skittles, Tasty)
Example B - Gas Station Skittles (79 cents, ~92 Skittles, also Tasty)
Example C. Empty Sugar Babies Bag - Not Really Relevant but I like Sugar Babies
This concludes my in depth analysis. Yep, thats it. Just some pictures. To be honest, I got kinda bored after I took the pictures. I was actually getting bored taking the pictures. I actually did count the Skittles in each package, but I forgot to write the totals down. Again, b/c it was boring. I have since eaten all the Skittles. My dog helped. My dog likes Skittles. My wife does not like my dog to have Skittles on the carpet. I forgot this piece of information. I told my wife I had no clue why there was a rainbow of colors on our bonus rooms carpet. I don’t think she believed me. I continued to deny my involvement. She had no real proof until I told her I gave our dog some Skittles (I forgot I was trying to hide this information - and I thought it was a cute anecdote to share with her). I am not allowed to give Skittles to the dog anymore. I am also not allowed to pull my pants up real high and mimic the guy’s voice from the movie Sling Blade. That isn’t really related to this story.
Tue 27 Mar 2007
I finished it….finally.. Anyway, here it is. It’s a table/bookshelf and is composed of three separate pieces. The table top rests on top of two bookshelves. I used some crappy pine (and I mean crappy - finding a piece that wasn’t warped or chewed up was more difficult than building the damn thing) from my local Home Depot. I built the pieces individually, then slapped some stain and polyurethane on each piece to finish the job. Its far from perfect - but it works great and is very sturdy.
Wed 21 Mar 2007
Whenever I go to one of those sit down restaurants where you have to get your own soda (i.e. where they just give you an empty cup), I always struggle with choosing a lid. That is because whenever you select a lid, in most cases you have to touch 3 or 4 others. Obviously my problem isn’t with the lids I touch, but the lids others have touched before me. I always picture some guy with lepracy and a bad sinus infection fumbling through the pile of lids minutes before I pick mine out. I think this will one day force me to give up all beverages.
Sun 11 Mar 2007
I went to the grocery store this evening to get milk and some cat litter. When it comes to cat litter, I make my decision based on one factor only, price. Which ever one is the cheapest is the one I come home with. I never even look at the label or the particular brands features. Honestly, it could be shards of radioactive glass in a plastic tub and I wouldn’t know till it came time to fill up the box again. Tonight, however, I did take a peek at the label as I picked it up to put it in my shopping cart. It was called Kitty Pride cat litter. I find it ironic that the cheapest cat litter has the word pride in its name.
So, Captain America is dead. I’ll tell you, I never really was a comic book kid growing up - too much reading was involved to get me interested. I did collect Usagi Yojimbo for a bit and occassionally I would grab an Iron Man (just thought his armor was cool looking) or Groo the Wanderer. As for Spidey, Hulk, or Captain America though, they just never appealled to me. I find it strange that this Captain America thing is such a huge deal. His death was covered on MSNBC for goodness sake (I probably shouldn’t be too surprised, there isn’t a day that goes by where there isn’t a story about Anna Nicole Smith’s death). Reading some of reactions on the various webzines has proved to be entertaining though. Here is my favorite comment (posted by Mr. Designer on Wired’s “Marval Comics Feel My Wrath!” comment section):
“I’m glad he is dead. Even when I was young I thought Captain America was a boring douche bag. ”
Priceless.
Fri 9 Mar 2007
After lunch today I had to go over to the local bookstore and pick up a book for my job (Gorilla Suit: My Adventures in Body Building by Bob Paris). I walked in, made my selection, and proceeded to the checkout counter. Just as I was walking out, an old lady walked in and attempted to get the attention of one of the bookstores’ employees. Here is the conversation that took place between the two:
Old Lady: Excuse me mam…
Bookstore Clerk: (Turns around)
Old Lady: Oh, I’m sorry, Sir…
Bookstore Clerk: You had it right the first time.
Let’s dissect this. The old lady begins the conversation with a simple “Excuse me mam”. As the clerk turns around to assist, the old lady, thinking she had made a mistake with regard to the clerks gender, attempts to apologize with a “Oh, sorry, Sir”. At this point the clerk advises that the old lady “had it right the first time”. All of this taking place in front of me and three of my coworkers that were in tow. So, not only has this clerk been accosted by way of gender misclassification by the old lady, she was done so in front of four witnesses. Now heres the cherry on top, the clerk still had to help the old lady with what ever she was needing in the first place.
Not necessarily as interesting as the story above, but I also found out they have a bathroom at the Radio Shack where I live. Why is this? The Radio Shack store sells things like batteries and transducers, why do they need a bathroom. Don’t give me any of the crap like “where are the dudes who work there supposed to go to the can?”. The bagel shop next store, that’s where. Anyway, I was there to buy a new soldering iron since my buddy Doodle broke mine and lost my solder. Just as I was bending, at the knees, to grab some high tech silver bearing solder, one of the Radio Shack employees came shooting out of the bathroom, which to my surprise, was right behind me. The door hit me in the keister and nearly pushed me into a stack of Digital Soldering Stations with Detachable Stands. As the guy came out he immediately went to his manager to talk about…well..hmmm.. I wasn’t sure. All I heard was his manager telling the guy he couldn’t go home but that was sorry he was feeling bad.
Well guess who rang up my purchase? Yep, the sick guy. So, in addition to my new soldering iron and solder, Radio Shack attempted to throw in a case of the stomach flu.
Fri 2 Mar 2007
Thursdays Bust You in the Chops - UFC 68 Predictions
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial ArtsNo Comments
Well, its the Friday before UFC 68, The Uprising. I am pumped up! I haven’t been this pumped since earlier today when I jetted from work after lunch. Actually, around 6 o’clock this evening I was also equally pumped when I discovered a can of mini ravioli in my pantry. On to the predictions:
Rex Holman vs. Matt Hamill - I am pulling for Matt here, but his last performance was pretty bad. I know nothing about Rex Holman except that he’s buddies with Sean Salmon. Hopefully Sean didn’t give him any tips on defending a head kick. Even if he did, I don’t see Hamill launching any kicks to the noggin. This one goes the distance. Hamill in a split decision
Renato Sobral vs Jason Lambert - I say Sobral all the way. Unless he suddenly develops Wanderlei Silva’s propensity for getting knocked out, I think he will walk through Lambert. By the way, the UFC needs to put some marketing behind Babalou. He’s the real deal. Sure, he got knocked out by Chuck, but that was a bad matchup for the guy and Chuck was and is still the champ. After he walks through Lambert, how bout a lining him up against Tito, Evans or the Dean of Mean? Sobral in a 2nd round submission
Matt Hughes vs. Chris Lytle - Lytle got robbed in his bout against Serra. Does anyone know if the UFC used real judges for the TUF finally, or was it some UFC flunkies? Oh well, Hughes is going to hurt Lytle. Not a good matchup for Lytle. Lytle can’t expose Hughes with strikes like George did, and Hughes will win the ground battle decidedly. Hughes in a 2nd round TKO
Rich Franklin vs. Jason Macdonald - This is the second most interesting bout of the night. Rich got his nose pushed into his cranium by the Spider in his last fight. It was probably one of the most one sided title fights I have ever seen. So, how will he respond coming of the loss? Well, lets look at what happened to the Axe Murderer last week at Pride 33. He was coming off a brutal KO from the hands (actually leg) of CroCop and he proceeded to get knocked out again. I am picking the upset - Macdonald in a 3rd round submission
Tim Sylvia vs. The Natural - Hmmmmm. I did not want to see this fight happen. Randy is just too old and Tim is a big big man. Now that its a done deal and going to happen, I think Sylvia is going to walk through Couture. He’s just too big. At the weigh in earlier today I think the dude had 40 pounds on Randy. Sylvia in a 2nd round KO
outtie.
Fri 2 Mar 2007
bUGLYbLOG’s free advice for the professional man..
- My last job was downtown. One night after work one of my coworkers, lets call him Mark (completely made up of course), decided to hit the bar down the street before heading home for the night. After probably a few more drinks than he originally planned for, Mark was back at the office alone, and hungry. To make a long story short, he found a turkey sandwich in the company frig and ate it. It wasn’t his sandwich. Being a little drunk, he thought it would be funny to construct a letter from a fictional character called the “sandwich fairy” and place it in the empty sandwich bag. When I arrived the next morning, unaware of Mark’s actions from the previous night, crap had already started to hit the fan. The owner of the sandwich, a lady in her mid forties, was nearly in tears as she reported the incident to the branch manager. Apparently her husband had made the sandwich for her as an expression of his love. She, just as everyone else in the branch, knew that Mark had done it. The branch manager, who also knew without question that Mark had done it, confronted him and asked if he had eaten the sandwich. Mark said no. He never caved. Never even floundered for a moment. I think he even tried to appear appalled with the accusation. This was the least perfect crime ever. A couple days later I asked him about the incident. He mentioned that it was a pretty good sandwich. It’s never a good idea to try and cover up eating a co-workers sandwich by leaving a letter in empty bag signed by the sandwich fairy. It is, however, a good idea to deny you ate it even when everyone in the office knows that you did.
bUGLYbLOG recommended tunes for the week…
- Meds by Placebo - I picked up the Meds CD this week from my local Best Buy. I got the version with the three bonus tracks, which also happened to be cheaper than the one without the bonus tracks. This is one of those CD’s that you can play beginning to end and be satisfied. I have some favorites, like “Because I Want You“, “Infra-red“, and “Meds“, but the whole album is great. Even the bonus track “Running Up That Hill” is great.
bUGLYbLOG sports desk update…
- How bout the Vols! We are 16-0 at home for the first time since 1975-76, we have a player of the year candidate in Chris Lofton, we are essentially guaranteed a trip to the big dance, and we have only one senior. Aren’t we a football school?
- There are some boxers that may have used some steroids. Get outta here…
- I still have four years of eligibility left - let the bidding begin.
Mon 26 Feb 2007
Fridays Techn0l0gy Sux “The 128 = Horsecrap Edition”
Posted by velvetmantis under Techn0l0gy SuxNo Comments
Deals with devils. That is what you, the listener, are engaging in when you buy from the big music boys - Sony BMG, Universal, Warner, EMI, and quite possibly in the near future, Apple.
What? How can you say that? Apple represents all that is good and pure and hip and is everything that the big four are not. Well, it’s not the DRM. Sure, that’s a major pain in the buttocks for alot of you, but all I have to do is burn it as a DRM free Audio CD once I buy it (which is perfectly legal). No, the downer for me starts and ends with number 128, as in 128kbps. See, when I buy a song from the iTunes music store, it comes in one size…one flavor…it comes as a 128kbps AAC file. My ears aren’t what they once were, but come on, 128kbps. So, for the convenience of being able to get the album I want on demand without leaving my house, I have to give up the tangible CD and CD insert, and take a hit on sound quality. I am no lawyer (if you are a regular bUGLYbLOG reader, this obviously is a huge shock to you), but it appears that the recent kiss and make up session between Apple Computer and Apple Music (the Beatles company) may pave the way for Apple being a bigger player in the music industry. What I don’t want to happen is for Apple to sign deals with artists to release their content exclusively on iTunes (they do this already with Live Sessions EP’s). Talk about horsecrap, what if the only way you could get Biz Markies “The Biz Never Sleeps” was via iTunes at 128kbps sound quality. I mean, seriously folks, that is borderline criminal. Please Apple, change your ways before you become one of them. Deals with Devils….
“So I came to her room and opened the door
Oh, snap! guess what I saw?
A fella tongue-kissin my girl in the mouth,
I was so in shock my heart went down south
So please listen to the message that I say
Dont ever talk to a girl who says she just has a friend”
Thu 22 Feb 2007
Thursday’s Bust You in the Chops #4 - “The Tommy Gun Edition”
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial ArtsNo Comments
Every man has a right to make a living (of the legal persuasion of course). This is true whether you’re good at flipping burgers, changing tires, or mopping floors. I read this week that the Tommy Gun, Tommy Morrison, is going to box again. Boxing is apparently his profession of choice, and honestly he was a good boxer (46-3-1 ain’t to shabby, including a heavyweight title fight win against George Foreman). However, this is the same guy that ten years ago allegedly tested positive for the HIV virus. I say allegedly because he’s denying it was a positive test. Anyway, boxing isn’t chess. Blood can and probably will mix, regardless of the lack of skill Tommy or his opponent will bring into the ring if and when the fight goes off. So, what kind of horsecrap is this? It’s not like this is going to be a blockbuster fight with a huge-mongous payout. The kicker, per Tony and Michael of ESPN’s PTI, is that the fight is going to take place in West Virginia (< -- please click this), the only state that doesn't require mandatory blood tests before boxing matches. I am disappointed in Tommy, but I am most concerned with his opponent. Regardless of the payout, it's not worth it. If the guy wins, he has beaten an almost 40 year old guy who hasn't fought in 10 years. That's not going to get you a title shot and it may prevent you from ever finding another guy who will get in the ring with you. If you lose, well, you've lost to a 40 year old guy and may have contracted the HIV virus as a bonus. Don't do it. Please, somebody step in.
Now, for a prediction in this weekends Pride 33 headliner between Wanderlei the “Axe Murderer” Silva (31-6-1, Pride Middleweight Champ) and the U.S.’s own Dan Henderson (21-5-0). Well, I have no idea. I know nothing about Dan Henderson except for what I have read on Sherdog.com. I have never seen Dan in the ring. I have, however, seen the “Axe Murderer” a number of times. I have seen him dismantle Quinton “The Rampage” Jackson twice, as well as seen his loses to Tito, Vitor, and most recently CroCop. He is the real deal, no doubt about it. He’s a striker like Chuck Liddell, but his style in my opinion is very different from the Icemans. When the bell rings, he’s a charger (except against Victor - lol), where as Liddell likes, or appears to like, knocking you out as you charge him. Anyway, the interesting this here is he’s a champ, but he had the living crap beat out of him in his last fight against CroCop (his head was cracked open). This is first fight since that butt whooping. How will he respond? I think I can relate. When I was in 4th grade I got in a fight where the guy punched me in the breadbasket. I lost. I also cried. Anyway a couple of weeks later I got socked in the garbage by this weird dude. I cried then too. So, I think Silva is going to go down again: Henderson in a unanimous decision.
Next Week - UFC 68 Predictions
P.S. - A couple of years after I graduated college, I stopped into a Taco Bell sometime before midnight and the guy who had punched me in the garbage back in forth grade was asleep in a booth. If I recall correctly he had a piece of rice stuck in one of his eyebrows. I didn’t cry this time. In your face!
Wed 21 Feb 2007
Top three bUGLY recommended books for the week:
- Killing Pablo by Mark Bowden. This is a great book about the extraordinary, if not violent, life of Pablo Escobar. The cash flow this guy was pulling in the 70’s from his cocaine empire was ridiculous (at his apex he was listed as the seventh richest man in the world by Forbes magazine). Read it!
- Nine Stories by J.D. Salinger. This is no “Catcher in the Rye”, but its still quite impressive. If you have a few minutes while kicking it in the Barnes & Noble Starbucks, grab this book and read the first story ” A perfect day for bananafish”. Ole Seymour will shock you, no doubt about it. To be honest, if my name was Seymour I’d probably end up doing the same thing.
- Cod: A biography of the fish that changed the world by Mark Kurlansky. I don’t know what to say here. I was getting ready to jump on a flight to Dallas, it was a small book, and I had recently watched the all day marathon of “The Deadliest Catch” series on the Discovery channel. I’ll call it the perfect storm for purchasing a book titled “Cod”. Anyway, a great read. I think I am going to read Marks other book titled “Salt” soon. By the way, who gets fired up about researching cod and salt? I bet he sucked at kickball as a youngster.
Top three bUGLY recommended links for the week:
- NOTCOT - “A visual filtration of idea + aesthetics + amusement”. What can I say here. I like to get the scoop on emerging trends, gizmos, and gadgets. I have a terrible sense of fashion (lying of course in efforts to sound humble) and have no eye for art, but this sight is visually appealing to me and they do have some pretty cool stuff on the site form time to time.
- UFCJunkie - A great site for all things UFC. This site is updated multiple times a day, and seems to get information either before or around the same time as some of the other mixed martial arts sites.
- bUGLYbLOG - This guy is pure genius. He’s funny, attractive, and can write the hell out of a childrens story. Whether your wanting to feel bad about you lack of creativity or attractiveness, or wanting to know what cool guys like to blog about, the bUGLYbLOG is for you. Oh yeah, the velvet mantis is an excellent speller as well, if thats what makes your head spin. I heard the dude invented corn.
The top three bUGLY sports stories of the week:
- The NBA all star game sucks. It is now officially on par with the NFL pro bowl. I realize the pro bowl is going to suck each year because there are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL, but what excuse does the NBA all star game have. Shaq was an all star. What gives, he’s played in like 4 games this year. Oh well, I think I remember Craig Hodges participating in the three point shootout after he had been booted out of the league. The Barkley vs Bevatta race was nice though.
- Go Vols - Nothing like falling right back off the tracks with a throttling by the Gamecocks. A total of 9 points combined from Chism and Crews is a little disconcerting. I realize they are freshman, but they dropped 20 on the Gamecocks the first time around.
- I heard a Hyundai won the Daytona 500 this past weekend. Okay, I’m lyin. I gotta say I have been more interested in Dale Jr.’s battle with his step mom than I have been with the actual racing. If Dale Jr. has a son and names him Dale, will he be Dale Sophomore? Don’t give me that “the third” crap, it doesn’t make sense. I expect that if Dale Sophomore has a boy, he needs to be referred to as Dale Freshman.
bUGLY bonus… I went to the Cracker Barrel tonight for dinner. In your face.
Mon 19 Feb 2007
Thursday - Bust You in the Chops - Belated Edition
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial ArtsNo Comments
Three questions the bUGLYbLOG would like answered:
- What if a guy got an artificial elbow due to a surgery, would he be allowed to compete since it could legally be used as a weapon?
My guess is this is a no. You really don’t want some guy like David Loiseau unloading on your skull with a titanium bow.
- How would the Royce Gracie of the early nineties fair against the guys dominating the UFC today?
We all know the Hughes fight was just a payday, similar to the Ortiz/Shamrock fights, but back in the day Royce was putting guys of all shapes and sizes asleep. I really can’t even make a guess on this one. And would it matter if he was allowed to wear the Gi?
- Who is a bigger has been, Ken or Frank Shamrock?
I think this is a draw. I don’t fault Ken for the payday bouts with Ortiz. For one, TUF made him look like a jerk, so I think they (the UFC) owed him. My feeling is Ken knew he was done as a fighter and just took advantage of a money making opportunity. Frank, however, doesn’t appear to know he’s done. The EliteXC fight against Renzo was a joke. He had no answer and decided to cheat to get out the bad situation. We’ll all know for sure after the Baroni fight. Scratch that, Baroni may not be the best measuring stick to answer this. I heard Baroni is cutting back to a pack a day in preparation for the fight.
Mon 19 Feb 2007
Techn0l0gy Sux - “You won’t see this in car and driver”
Posted by velvetmantis under Techn0l0gy SuxNo Comments
My sister recently got a new car and I thought it would be pretty cool to compare some of the vehicles we have owned in the past. I wanted to spark a sibling rivalry of sorts. Anyway, for this battle, we are going to compare her current car, a 2004 Mercedes SL600, to the car I used to deliver pizza’s in, a 1987 Chevy Sprint. Let the battle begin.
Performance
- SL600: 0-60 - 4.5 seconds, Engine - 500 hp V12, Transmission as tested - Automatic
- Sprint: 0-60 - Yes, Engine - 90 hp 3 cylinder, Transmission as tested - 5 Speed Manual
Advantage: SL600
Look and Feel
- The SL600 feels kind of like a roomy version of a Corvette when you sit in it. The sound system is nice, and the wood grain interior is plush. Oh yeah, the convertible top is suede on the inside. You could actually go to sleep driving this machine.
- The Chevy Sprint had bucket seats. It floated a little. I drove into a big puddle (flood zone) delivering pizzas one night. The car floated for a good 15 to 20 seconds and then settled down slowly into the 3 feet of water. I remember sitting in the car and seeing a beef jerky wrapper float out my window.
Advantage: 87 Sprint
Resale Value
- The 2004 Mercedes SL600 is currently valued in Kelly’s Blue book at $80,165
- The 1987 Chevy Sprint is currently valued in Kelly’s Blue book at $245. This is fifty dollars more than a push lawn mower that my mom is currently trying to sell.
Advantage: 87 Sprint ($240 is only like $300 less than what it sold for new)
Winner: 1987 Chevy Sprint
Honestly, this was a classic car. It got something like 50 miles to the gallon, it made my pizza customers feel sorry for me which resulted in inflated tips, and it impressed the ladies. Okay, it didn’t get quite 50 miles to the gallon, it was more like 40. It could also out maneuver a U-Haul truck - this is a story for another day.
Wed 14 Feb 2007
I pretty much rule. Lets just get that out in the open first. Anyway, here is my idea:
A zombie movie set in Mexico. The cause of the zombie outbreak is pollution from American companies that moved to Mexico to avoid U.S. environmental protection laws. This is pure gold - I have no idea why I’m not a millionaire yet. Anyway, the pollution seeps into the ground and causes corpses to crawl out of their graves. It gets better. The zombies are pissed at the Americans because they somehow know what has caused them to come back from the dead. The movie ends as the zombies reach the American/Mexican border and an epic battle between the dead fellars and U.S. border patrol ensues. Here’s the coolest part - the movie will be titled “The Pacolypse“.
Tue 13 Feb 2007
The NBA All Hands Teams were introduced this week. First, I want to congratulate Josh Smith for making the third team. I beg of you Atlanta, please do not trade this guy. The first team consisted of Nash - G (7.74), Kidd -G (7.65), Ben Wallace - C (6.20), Duncan - F (4.80), and Garnett - F (4.06). The stats don’t lie, these guys are good. For all those folks who may have written Ben off when he left Detroit, he is still the man. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to see the numbers on some of the past NBA greats. I used career numbers instead of those from just one season.
First, the formula for the All Hands team.
Giveaways (average assists minus average turnovers) + Takeaways (average steals plus average blocked shots) + Finesse (average offensive rebounds minus average personal fouls) = X
Here is how the all time greats stack up:
First, Michael Jordan - G: (GA) 1.08 + (TA) 3.17 + (F) -1.04 = 3.21
Magic Johnson - G: (GA) 3.04 + (TA) 2.31 + (F) -.5 = 4.85
John Koncak - C: (GA) .21 + (TA) 1.69 + (F) -1.80 = .10
Moses Malone - F: (GA) -1.46 + (TA) 2.11 + (F) 2.75 = 3.40 (Moses was a man on the offensive glass)
Larry Bird - F: (GA) 3.16 + (TA) 2.57 + (F) -.59 = 5.14
Looking at the metrics which make up the final number, I think they need another category for Shooting guards. Otherwise Jordan never would have made it and current players like Carter, McGrady, and Kobe are going to have one hell of a time making the list. Wade being on the list is pretty impressive, since he is more like a shooting guard than a point. I wonder how Dwayne Shintzius woulda measured up?
Oh yeah - Go Vols! Beating Kentucky with the former all galaxy Vol forward Bernard King in the house.
Mon 12 Feb 2007
Top three bUGLY questions about science fiction movies.
1) Did Chewbacca shed? I don’t remember seeing a bunch of wookee hair all over the Millennium Falcon. I would guess that Han wouldn’t have taken kindly to wookee hair in the cockpit. Definitely coulda affected the Falcon’s resale value.
2) What’s the deal with everyone wearing the same thing in science fiction movies? There are a few exceptions, but for the most part it looks like everyone bought their clothes at the same place. And, most the time they are wearing the same outfit for the entire movie, even if the story takes place over several days, months, or years. I have a million galactic credit idea (million cubits idea for you Battlestar Galactica folks). Somebody should have opened a Gap or a Banana Republic, or even a J. Crew on Coruscant, Rigel VII, or Osiris. Forget running spice illegally all over the ‘dad blame’ galaxy. With Hans charisma and ability to look cool wearing leather pants (blackasylum.net’s opinion, not mine), he could have made a killing managing Ambercrombie and Fitch stores. You know Lando would have cut him a deal on some prime commerical realestate on Cloud City. How many ladies would be pining for Lobot’s affections if he had a nice weathered zipper hoodie to cover his cranium jewelry when not on the job. Talk about a confidence builder.
3) What ever happened to Pizza? Honestly, I can’t go a month without eating pizza, seeing a pizza box sticking out of a garbage can at one of my buddies houses, or receiving a pizza coupon in the mail. So, I ask you, where has all the pizza gone in the future (if Star Wars, Star Trek, Logans Run, etc.. are the future). Hell, what ever happened to Italian, Mexican, or even German food? The camera’s needed to follow Count Doku around a little more. Judging by his girth, he had access to some Italian food.
Top three bUGLY songs of the week.
1) Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones. I’ll be honest, the freakin promo commericial for the “Departed” DVD release has this song playing in the background and that’s what got me to buy it (stupid ear worm). I like to listen to this song while driving to the store to pick up similac and diapers. That’s is the way in which I roll.
2) Kings Crossing - Elliot Smith. Good stuff. His death was a terrible loss. Why is it that we have lost artists like Smith, Jeff Buckley, and Kurt Cobain, but Sebastian Bach is still cutting records?
3) Storm Coming - Gnarls Barkley. I liked Crazy enough to get the album, but this is becoming my favorite song on St. Elsewhere. Right before I get my Pong (as in ping, biznatches) on, I like to fire up a little Storm Coming.
That’s it for this week.
Sun 11 Feb 2007
Frank the Stank Shamrock, The Cabbage Man, and a Horse with Issues
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial ArtsNo Comments
I have the Showtime package. I have had it for about 8 months. Until last night I probably had logged about 6 hours total on any of the Showtime channels. Bottomline, I am of the opinion that it is a crappy version of HBO so I don’t watch it. Anyway, when it was announced that Showtime was starting a new MMA production, I got excited. Well, after seeing the debut in its entirety, the EliteXC, like Showtime, is a crappy version of the UFC.
First the good
The knockout from Charles “Krazy Horse” Bennett of Mr. Noons was sweet. Make no mistake, Bennet has some dynamite in those fists. Aside from the Horse being disrespectful to a fallen opponent, he was entertaining and I enjoyed watching him. Even more impressive than his knockout was his backflips off the top of the cage after the knockout. He sold some tickets to his next fight by way of his antics. Tupac’s got nothing on this thug.
Gina Carano beat the crap outta Julie Kedzie. The casual observer (me) could see Gina was winning the fight, but when it was all over by the looks of Julie’s face one would have thought she fought the Krazy Horse instead of Miss Carano. Gina on the other hand, looked like she had just gotten finished shopping, not fighting. If anyone was able to get a picture of Julie after the fight, send it to the guys over at The Smoking Gun. It would fit in nice with the Courtney Love or Yasmine Bleeth mug shots.
No A.C. Slater. I wish he would get in the ring with the Horse. I can’t stand Mr. Lopez. Again, what kind of loser cheats on his wife the night before they are to get married.
Now the Bad
Thanks for the cheesey intro’s Talk about some crap, the intro’s were major league horse crap. Nothing like a terrible sounds system coupled with fighters who looked like they were getting ready to take a nap (i.e. The Crow) as they walked in to really pump up the crowd. I was underwhelmed to say the least.
The Cabbage man either needs to lose some weight and focus on being a student of the mixed martial arts game, or give up fighting alltogether and set his sites on Kobeyashi.
Where did the real Crow go? What’s happened to this guy? Someone needs to tell him that he’s allowed to throw a punch before the last 30 seconds of a fight. Neither of these fighters looked like they had been in a fight after the final bell rang. Money has changed everything. I like seeing guys who like to fight and aren’t afraid of losing. Guys who would fight even if the money wasn’t there just to prove something to themselves.
Frank Shamrock is apparently a joke. I can’t stand the Gracies and was looking forward to Frank ceremoniusly retiring Renzo (I actually dislike this Gracie the least - if he wasn’t a Gracie I’d probably like him). Instead it seems like he might have realized he was beat and thought the only way to protect the potential revenue for his Baroni fight later this year was to get DQ’d. During his post fight press conference he tried to convince us that he had Renzo right where he wanted him. If having a Gracie with side control dropping bombs on your noggin is “right where he wanted him”, then Frank may just be the best fighter ever. I will say this though, the whole time Renzo had him pinned, Frank was throwing kicks to his mid section and did not appear to be tired or in any serious trouble. Oh well, I stayed up after midnight to see a 2nd round DQ in a main event. Thanks. I’m sure this is exactly how Showtime wanted to announce to the world that the EliteXC is a premier fighting league.
Outtie Five Thoutie…
Sat 10 Feb 2007
I like pretty much everything Apple makes. I own an iBook, and MacBook, a Mini, and two iPods. With that said, I’m am pretty much bummed over the whole iPhone thingy. Why couldn’t they release a version sans the phone. If they’d do it, I’m in. I’ll buy it today, right this minute, and with no reservation even though it would be version numero uno. I want convergence. I want my wide screen iPod for my iTunes content, but I also want a PDA capable of seemless syncing with iCal, Mail, and my Address Book. Additionally, I want a 802.x device that I can whip out at any of the and check email, surf the web, or make a skype call. I don’t want the horse crap phone with its horse crap voice and data plans. Apple, please hook me up. The current iPhone is a piece of crapple.
Why hasn’t anyone used my brilliance and come out with this yet. Everyday as I make my way down to the office dumper, I find myself wishing I knew the mileage on the crapper I’m about to use.
Speaking of my brilliance, what about this idea. People, this is a golden opportunity. Look me up. We could make millions together.
Anyone know where the closest Cyberball arcade game is? This is my all time favorite video game ever. I submit that I cannot be beaten in this game. Don’t let me get a titanium running back or it’s going to be a laugher. Kent Lui, where are you? I miss taking you and your sorry New York Thunder squad behind the wood shed at the our local Joker’s arcade.
The Sony Reader sux. Sure, spending ~$300 on a device that can store a $2 paperback sounds like a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to have one of these, but at $300 smackers, its as laughable as Kent’s cyberball skills. Yes, I am using laughable a little to frequent tonight. Here is my suggestion. Partner with one of the major brick and mortar book stores and put a book distribution kiosk in each one. Have the kiosk set up to allow customers to purchase electronic copies of any book that the store carries and then load it into their Sony Reader. I know its not this simple as I am sure agreements with each of the book distribution houses will be required, but come on, let’s save some trees. Can I get some sort of tax deduction for saying “save some trees”?
Well, I just saw a commercial with a chick sporting some mom jeans and that makes me not want to blog anymore.
Word to the Third.
Fri 9 Feb 2007
Thursday - Bust You in the Chops - The Sean Salmon Edition
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial Arts1 Comment
In addition to the “Tuesday Mass Media Updates”, bUGLY is proud to announce the “Thursday - Bust You in the Chops” segment. Without further procrastination, let’s get started.
First off, I found another good MMA podcast. It’s called Fight Opinion and you can subscribe to it via iTunes. This panel isn’t as entertaining as the folks over at the BeatDown (kudo’s to TJ and Josh), but they do produce a pretty good show. The one I listened to tonight featured interviews with the guy from UFCJunkie.com (awesome site for MMA news) as well as Sean Salmon (last Thursdays TUF Fight Night main event co-headliner with Rashad Evans). I feel like a turd for not remembering the UFCJunkie’s real name, but he was a good interview. He discussed how his sponsorship of Sean Salmon for the Evans fight came about as well as Sean’s continued future involvement with the UFCJunkie web site. His comments suggest it wasn’t a whole lot of money that was invested in the sponsorship and he went on to add that it has significantly increased traffic to his site. I have a feeling that others will try and mimic this type of business arrangement with the lesser known fighters. I also suspect that the cost to do so will also significantly increase (his website url got some major airtime during the show as it was printed in Sean’s shorts). Great show, but I’ll admit I didn’t finish the whole show though as it was a whopping 2 1/2 hours in length.
Segue - We didn’t have MMA when I was a kid. The closet thing to it was watching my neighbors, the Brisco boys, duke it out in their front yard. I remember shooting hoops with Rick one afternoon and without provocation Steve (aka “the Slimer”) came out the side door of the garage and shot Rick point blank with a BB gun. I never saw Rick, who weighed in at about 320 I’m guessing, move so fast. He punched through the interior door of the garage and proceeded to destroy his younger brother. I haven’t seen Rick or Steve in ages - where are you dudes?
Five Sean Salmon Factoids
1) Sean Salmon has an MMA Record of 9-2
2) Sean Salmon wrestled at Ohio State
3) Sean Salmon’s age in dog years is 203
4) Sean Salmon was the high school state of Ohio wrestling champ in 1997
5) Sean Salmon won the first round of last Thursday night’s fight against Rashad Evans
Five Salmon Factoids
1) Salmon has an MMA Record of 0-0
2) Salmon is the common name of several species of fish of the family Salmonidae
3) The Chum Salmon is also known as the Dog Salmon
4) According to Norse Mythology - Loki (the god of mischief and strife), after killing Baldr (the god of beauty and light), jumped into the river and transformed himself into a Salmon in order to escape punishment from the other gods.
5) Salmon gives me diarrhea sometimes.
How would you like to get your butt kicked by a dude name Loki?
Tue 6 Feb 2007
Three bULGY football factoids
1) Number of Univeristy of Tennessee running backs starting in the NFL? 3 - Cedric Houston (Jets), Jamal Lewis (Ravens), Travis Henry (Titans)
2) Number of SEC running backs starting in the NFL? 10 - Ronnie Brown (Miami - Auburn) Rudi Johnson (Cincinnati - Auburn), Joseph Addai (Indy - LSU), Fred Taylor (Jacksonville - Florida), Travis Henry (Tennessee - Tennessee), Duece Mccallister (New Orleans - Ole Miss), Carnell Williams (Tampa Bay - Auburn), Shawn Alexander (Seattle - Alabama), Cedric Houston (NYJ - Tennessee), Jamal Lewis (Baltimore - Tennessee). Deshawn Foster, another starter, played at Alabama before transferring to UCLA.
3) Number of times I’ve accidently walked into the womens restroom at a University of Tennessee football game? 1
bUGLY recommended business venture
Start up a womens magazine called Cuticle. Position it as the pottery barn for the working womens cubicle. Sell staplers, tape dispensers, and lamps at a ridiculously high price. Be sure to hire the jackass from Volkwagon who had the idea of putting a vase in the bug.
bUGLY top three recommended CD’s for the week
1) Combat Rock from The Clash - This is a no brainer. I pretty much can listen to this album any damn day. If you’re trying to get off coffee in the morning, just pop in Car Jamming and let it get you going (the drums are freakin awesome in this cut). Be sure to check out Red Angel Dragnet as well - its more spoken word than song but is still a must hear. And everyone has heard Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go, so don’t forget about them.
2) Power to the People and the Beats from Public Enemy - This is a greatest hits CD pure and simple. Shut’em Down is one of the selected tracks. I used to love this song. In highschool I always wanted this to be my church league hoops team theme song. It would have been perfect except we didn’t play exceptional defense and we had a pretty spotty win/loss record. Segway - My favorite highlight for the season was stealing the ball, passing it to the coaches son, and seeing it slip through his hands in route in unplugging the scoreboard. I think we were down by forty at the time, but no one could remember the score. I believe that turnover ended up being a 20 point play for us. God Bless J.O…. Anyway, back to business. This release has em all - He Got Game, Fight the Power, Don’t Believe the Hype, etc etc. Go get it and shut your cake hole, brotha.
“I like Nike but wait a minite
The neighborhood supports so put some
Money in it
Corporations owe
Dey gotta give up the dough
To da town
or else
We gotta shut ‘em down”
3) Hands All Over from SoundGarden - This is not an album, just a single. I honestly can’t remember the name of the album this is off of, but it’s the one before Badmotorfinger. iTunes has it on the A-sides (greatest hits) CD. This is a great song and it shows the strength of Cornells pipes as good as anything else by SoundGarden or AudioSlave.
4) Bonus single - The Saint from D.I. - I can’t find this song or CD (team goon? I think) anywhere. I had it when I was in highschool and loved it. iTunes doesn’t have it, and I have not had any luck finding it at the Disc Exchange, ebay, amazon, or anywhere. If you see it, give it a shot. D.I. and The Exploited got some major rotation in the ole Chevy Sprint back in the day. Man, I am cool.
Sun 4 Feb 2007
I have to hate Rex by default for being a Gator, but I actually felt bad for the dude. He played terrible. He turned a 2nd and 1 to a 4th and 28 all by himself. He threw two bad picks and couldn’t handle the center to QB exchange. With that said, Rex didn’t hide at the end of the game and stood there fielding some asinine questions from the media. Give the dude a break. As I am writing this, Steve Young is piling on as well. Jackass.
Tue 30 Jan 2007
Tuesday Mass Media Update - On Monday
Posted by velvetmantis under Mixed Martial Arts , Mass MediaNo Comments
Three UFC Fights I would like to see:
Hermes Franca vs Sean Sherk - Well, this one is going to happen. I saw the replay of the Franca Fisher fight that went off (tip to TJ De Santis) last Thursday and sure, Hermes was a little reckless, but his strikes look heavy. When he finally connected with Fishers jaw, it was lights out. With that said, Sherk’s probably going to win this fight, but I would like to see Hermes land a couple strikes to see what kind of chin Sean has.
Forrest Griffin vs Rashad Evans - Rashad flat out cleaned Salmons clock on Thursday (he’s okay by the way), but before that kick found pay dirt Evans didn’t look like a real contender for Liddells belt. I’m not sold. I honestly only want to see this fight because this division is a little crowded right now. If Forrest loses, well that would be two in a row and although he’s a fan favorite, the big pay day will fall farther from his grasp. He may be relegated to Chris Leban status (interpret that anyway you want). If Rashad loses, I wouldn’t even expect to see him headlining a T.V. event, much less a pay per view. The reason I am talking money is because that is what the UFC appears to be about (which is fine). If you aren’t a marketable personality, your road to the top will be a difficult and probably unsuccessful one.
Heath Herring vs. Nobody - I listened to Heath on an episode of Beatdown and I was excited about seeing this guy fight. After Thursday nights fight, I am wondering if this guy should be in the WWF or something. This was probably the most underwhelming fight I have seen the UFC promote. Aside from his intro and crazy hair (both of which would translate well to the fake wrestling leagues), it was a bore fest. Josh Gross mentioned that someone from Herrings camp said he had a real bad knee injury 3 weeks before the fight (he was sporting a knee brace), so maybe that’s why he sucked so bad. Regardless, I have no interest in seeing this guy fight again.
bUGLY recommended music for this week:
“World Apart” by “And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead“ - I found these guys through LastFm by searching for groups similar to “At the Drive In”. Anyway, very good stuff here. My favorite cuts from this album include “Will you smile again for me”, “Worlds apart”, and “Let it drive”. Weird, but they sound like a mixture of Hum and Social Distortion to me. For instance, the vocals from “Will you…” and “Worlds Apart” sound similar to Social Distortions “Ball and Chain” hit, but “Let it drive” sounds just like the dude from Hum (Pick any song from “You’d prefer an Astronaut”).
This week in sports:
No joke, the NHL all-star game was this past week. Sidney Crosby may very well be the second coming of the “Great One”, and nobody is watching.
How many head coaches in the SEC have won a national championship as a head coach? 5 Fulmer - Tennessee, Spurrier - South Carolina (won at Florida), Tuberville - Auburn (I know I know, but he got ripped, so I’m giving him credit), Saban - Alabama (won at LSU), Urban Meyer - Florida.
Now, compare that to the Big Ten: 3 The Vest - Ohio State, Lloyd Carr - Michigan, Joe Paterno - Penn State
ACC: 2 Bowden - FSU, Davis - North Carolina (Won at Miami)
PAC Ten: 1 Pete Carroll - USC
Big 12: 2 Mac Brown - Texas, Bob Stoopes - Oklahoma
Is there any question that the SEC is the premier college football conference? I think not.
Kevin Garnett drops 44 on the Suns and ends their win streak. Wow! By the way, what ever happened to Troy Hudson. Did he go the way of Mike Bibby? (One good great playoff series and then never heard from again).
Bob Sanders - Terrible first name for a elite NFL difference maker.
RIP Barbaro.
Wed 24 Jan 2007
bUGLY top three recommended podcasts
This Week in Tech - I’m not breaking any new ground here. This is one of the more popular podcasts on iTunes and I listen to it every single week. The lineup of Leo, Dvorak, Norton, and Rose is my favorite, but its generally pretty good no matter who shows up.
The BeatDown - Lately this is the one I look forward to the most. I’ll admit it, I am all caught up in the mixed martial arts sport right now (I watch, I do not participate). The BeatDown is a weekly podcast hosted by Josh Gross and TJ De Santis. Each episode usually has a couple of interviews and a listener mail segment. Well produced and very informative. If you watch the UFC or Pride, its a can’t miss.
The Bitterest Pill - This is Dan Klass’s personal podcast. Dan is a great story teller and I enjoy/relate to his type of humor. I highly recommend his podcast about the “SnickerDoodle”. Good Stuff.
bUGLY top three recommended CD’s for the week
Killers by Iron Maiden - I picked this up this week at Best Buy. I loved Iron Maiden in junior high school. I think I wore out their “Piece of Mind” album one summer just listening to it while walking my paper route. Lousteau introduced me to Maiden and I am forever indebted. Anyway, I had this album at one point but lost it several years ago. Its a definite repurchase. The song “Purgatory” makes me want to be a drummer. Please take me away, take me away, so far away….
Wincing the Night Away by The Shins - I just picked this up tonight so I can’t really comment on whether or not its any good. However, the last two were excellent so I feel pretty comfortable advising my fellow reader(s) to go pick this one up. I want to admit that I had no idea who these guys were until I saw the movie Garden State. So, yeah, I guess I am jumping on the band wagon but at least I am handsome enough to admit it. They changed my life (wink wink).
Jalamanta by Brant Bjork - Excellent excellent album. I have to give credit to the folks over at Lastfm for this find. I think I heard about Lastfm on Boing Boing or LifeHacker or maybe even Digg. Anyway, its a social music site where you can enter a band you like and it (the site) will return with a list of artists that you may want to check out. Anyway, I entered Clutch and it returned Brant Bjork. Definitely check it out. My favorite cuts on the album are “Let’s Get Chinese Eyes” and “Toot”.
bUGLY top three questions from the hit T.V. show Heroes.
When did schizophrenia become a super power? Nikki really got the shaft. One guy got the power of flight, another got invisibility, and she got multiple personalities.
The cheerleader (Claire) has the power of invincibility. So far we have seen her jump off a tower, take a stick to the back of the noggin, and put her hand in the garbage disposal; each time resulting in a quick heal with no side effects. Is she invulnerable to heart disease and high cholesterol too? It would be a bummer to survive a plane crash but stroke out after eating a cheeseburger. We’ll know for sure if we catch her downing a Crestor in a future episode.
What super power does the cheerleaders father have? I can’t seem to figure this one out yet, but from the looks of the guy my gut feeling is his super power is being a pervert. Don’t be surprised if this guy makes a cameo on NBC’s other hit, perverted justice. I’m starting to think he wants more than just the list of genetic misfits from ole Mohinder.
Bonus Question - What’s up with Nathan Petrelli’s dew? I just don’t understand what’s going on there. His character is supposed to be a rich guy but he looks like he gets his rug cut at Super Cuts.
Outtie Five Thoutie…..
Mon 15 Jan 2007
Well, I built a Cigar Box Ukulele over the weekend (Base pic). I have no idea how to tune it, so it sounds pretty crappy. I like it anyway. I built some Cigar Box Guitars last year (1st, 2nd), but I think the Uke is a bit cooler since it has the same amount of strings as the store bought versions. I also measured the distances between the frets to resemble the real instrument.
I think the cost to build it was under $12. That includes the wood (a block of red oak from Home Depot), the strings (from elderly instruments), the cigar box, and the piezo transducer (from Radio Shack). Yeah, this one is going to be electric. The only reason it isn’t yet is because my buddy Doodle still has my soldering iron.
I wonder if the guys from Static-X need a Ukulele player….
Sat 13 Jan 2007
Overrated does not do you justice. You play in a horse crap conference, you play a horse crap schedule, and you have a horse crap coach (the vest makes Hal Mumme look conservative). Not really much more to say here.
I would also like to thank ESPN for their horse crap coverage of college football. Believe it or not, there are other conferences than the Big Ten. Stop. Before you even think about it, Notre Dame sucks too. No joke, I watched the Sugar Bowl and I am almost certain Charlie Weiss ate his offensive coordinator half way through the first half. Watch the replay. It was either Michael Haywood or a line judge, I can’t be too sure. Also, late in the second half he appeared to be eyeing one of the ball boys.
The BCS sucks as well. However, I can’t complain too much because I’m pretty sure the flunkies up in Bristol would have found a way to crown Wisconsin as the National Champs without it.
Enjoy the off season.
Sat 13 Jan 2007
Madden Football (The Early Nineties)
Posted by velvetmantis under The Silver and Black , GeneralNo Comments
I have a suggestion/request for the fine folks over at EA sports. I would like you to re-release Madden 1993 for the Xbox (and the PS, PS2, PS3, and the Wii). I have no idea what goes into game design, but I don’t think I am asking for much. Just update the rosters and slightly sharpen the graphics, but leave the game play alone. I will buy this. I am certain that I will not be alone in this purchase. This is the game I cut my teeth on. There is no sports game, past or present, that in my opinion is more fun than Madden on an old Sega Genesis (nod to EA sports NHL Hockey on the same console). Do it. Please. Oh yeah, don’t forget to have Bo Jackson on one of the classic teams. Would there be anything more cool than having Bo Jackson’s Raiders play Michael Vick’s Falcons on the classic version of Madden’s? I submit that there is not.
Oh yeah, don’t even think about leaving out the ambulance that would drive on the field to pick up injured players. And if somehow you actually consider fulfilling my request, give us a stat mode. I can pretty much guarantee Bo will annihilate any and all rushing records that exist today.
If you do this I will pledge to also buy one of those horse crap games you currently push and no one buys (Streets Football, Streets Basketball, Streets Soccer). Hell, I’ve already supported that crap you call Arena football (you should be embarrassed for that piece of garbage - I would honestly rather rake leaves than play this game).
Tue 2 Jan 2007
Support Tennessee Products - Colonel Littleton Knives
Posted by velvetmantis under GeneralNo Comments
This Christmas I got a knife made by the Colonel Littleton company in Lynnville Tennessee (Population 327 - between Chattanooga and Nashville off of I-24 I think). The knife I received was a No. 2 Foxfire knife. Per the description listed on the Colonel Littleton website, the knife is three inches long, has a bone handle, stainless steel blade, and solid brass bolsters. Its well made and makes a great pocket knife. Each knife comes packaged in a brown cardboard box which includes a leather inlay and a small brochure that includes the Colonel Littleton story. I have carried small Case and Gerber pocket knives in the past, and this one isn’t much different from those. However, it does feel good to support a Tennessee company and the knives are pretty damn cool.
I don’t know anyone who’s gotten knifed before. Does that happen anymore? It seems like all I hear about is either people getting a gun pulled on ‘em or people getting the crap kicked out of ‘em. I wonder if criminals who are handy with a knife get pissed by the lack of exposure. They can still take comfort that they aren’t one of those the throwing star guys. Talk about a useless skill.
Tue 2 Jan 2007
The Raiders have secured the number one pick (Thank you Detroit) and the Bronco’s missed the playoffs - Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to me. Now, the only thing that could make this any better would be a guarantee that Brady Quinn will be a great NFL quarterback.
How bout them Vols? Once again we were able to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Another costly fumble coupled with four quarters of sloppy play on the offensive side of the ball sealed our fate. Does anyone think this years team is any better than last years? We finished 9-4, but if not for a sensational defensive stop on a two point conversion against Air Force and a nice stand against Kentucky late in the game, we could have finished 7-6. I have to say Eric has looked alot, and I mean alot better than last year, but without a running game, he can only do so much. No lead is safe when you can’t milk the clock. Before we open up the purse strings, and I say we because the fans are who ulitmately pays, lets see if Cutcliff can fix the running game.
I went to Atlanta to see the Hawks participate (in my opinion they didn’t play) in a game with the Cavs on the 27th. Pretty much this was a home game for Cleveland and Lebron - Ridiculous. The highlight of my trip was not watching a passionless Hawks squad (minus an injured Josh Smith - the only Hawk I care to see play) get mauled by what appeared to be a mediocre Cavs team, but was seeing the human highlight reel, Dominique Wilkins, in the Lennox mall the following day. Why this guy is not in the hall is borderline criminal. Great Arena though!
2 Hawks Tickets (section 109): $120
Pretzel and Coke: $8
Hawks t-shirt: $25
Clevelands Anderson Varejao being compared to Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons on the jumbotron while he unknowingly walked back on the court scratching his butt: Priceless.
Thu 21 Dec 2006
During this holiday season if you find yourself about to blow a gasket on someone, instead of unleashing a diatribe of curse words and obscene finger gestures, consider calling them a butthole. I am bringing butthole back baby! Honestly, it’ll make you feel better. When you call someone a butthole, I think it does two things. First, it conveys that you think the person is a jerk or what they did was jerky. However, its tone communicates that you do not wish them to die. Secondly, calling someone a butthole may actually assist in calming the jerk down. Lets be honest, if you get called a butthole, at least some level of your subconscience will return to your childhood playground days. Instead of punching the person in the noggin, you’ll either cry, stomp off, or laugh. This is all part of my five year plan to clean up America’s collective mouth. This year its “butthole”, next year its “stupid head” or “doo-doo head”.