Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Contagious!


Contagious came out yesterday and I ran out and got my copy for the signing Sigler is doing in Houston an the 15th of January.  I'm about a quarter of the way through it and so far I'm loving it!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

A Really Bad Idea

I have been purposefully avoiding any political rants until now, but I would like to think of this one as a public service announcement. Obama recently released his economic plan that included the possibility of taking $10,000 penalty free out of your 401k. On the surface this sounds great. When you really stop and take a look at it, this is a really bad idea. Here are my reasons:

- The majority of the people that need help ie. the ones who were duped into getting a house they can't afford won't have 10K in a 401K much less a 401K to draw from.

- This will give the opportunity for a lot of people to be tempted into doing something really stupid with their financial future.

If people who really needed it were the only ones to take the money out it wouldn't be that big of a problem, but that assumes people are good with money and that is why we are in this situation to begin with. If people take money out of their 401K now, even without a penalty they are really taking out much, much more. We will end up with a bunch of people that will retire and have no social security or 401K to rely on. They will all be crying for the government to come and bail them out and once again it will be the responsible people that end up paying for the morons that didn't manage their money well.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

A Little Perspective or "Shut up! You spoiled little brats!"

This was sent to me via email. It was credited to Jay Leno but after a little research I found that it was actually written by Craig R.Smith. Although it wasn't written by Leno I feel that the message is a really good one.

'The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the President.

In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, 'What are we so unhappy about?''

A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?

B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?

C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?

D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?

F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?

G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.

H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

I. Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.

J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.

K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.

L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?

Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it......are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the 'Media' told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it.

The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an 'other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans?

Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and when criticized, try to defend their actions by 'justifying' them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like OJ. Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Things IKE taught me…

This is from an email that has been going around Houston:

Coffee, frozen pizza and even rice can be grilled on a BBQ grill.

Hot pockets taste pretty good deep fried on the outdoor cooker!

My car gets 23.21675 miles per gallon, EXACTLY (you can ask the people in line who helped me push it).

He who has the biggest generator wins.

A new method of non-lethal torture- showers without hot water.

There are a lot more stars in the sky than most people thought.

TV is an addiction and the withdrawal symptoms are painful.

A 7lb bag of ice will chill 6-12 oz Budweiser's to a drinkable temperature in 11 minutes, and still keep a 14 lb. turkey frozen for 8 more hours.

There are a lot of dang trees around here.

Flood plain drawings on some mortgage documents were seriously wrong..

People will get into a line that has already formed without having any idea what the line is for.

Cell phones work when land lines are down, but only as long as the battery remains charged.

Hampers were not made to contain such a volume.

If my store sold only ice, chainsaws, gas and generators - I'd be rich.

Waterfront property can quickly become someone else's fishing hole.

Tree service companies are underappreciated.

I learned what happens when you make fun of another states' blackout.

MATH 101: 30 days in month, minus 6 days without power equals 30% higher electric bill ?????

Drywall is a compound word, take away the 'dry' part and it's worthless.

I can walk a lot farther than I thought.

It is a great time to teach the children the fine art of gambling (penny ante poker) card playing.

You can never have too many gas cans!

If you fill the bathtubs with water, the water will not go off.

Seven (7) dogs that do not normally live together still do not get along during a hurricane…they have no comprehension of sharing.

Neighbors are much more sociable when they are sharing a generator.

Two-year-old canned beets taste better than you’d think.

Just because it is dark and you are in the privacy of your bedroom doesn’t mean we can’t hear what you are doing in there because our windows are open too.

What looks acceptable by candlelight in your bathroom will scare you when you look at yourself in the mirror at the office.

Peanut butter and jelly is a perfectly acceptable meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the same day.

Don’t shun those who use Tylenol PM or Advil PM to get through 11-hour nights.

That neighbor who knows how to use a chainsaw is your new best friend.

Ice is a form of currency.

Coming home from work with a pizza and a charged-up laptop so the kids can watch a DVD makes you a hero.

Hair can dry without a blow dryer, but it may not look the way you planned.

The storm treasures your kids are finding really belong to your neighbors.

Baseball caps go with any post-hurricane ensemble.

You can’t train yourself not to flip on light switches when entering a room.

It’s easier to ignore a dirty floor when you can’t see it.

A new opening phrase when seeing someone: “Got lights yet?”

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

I'm very thankful!

Hurricane Ike has come and gone and we are still here. We made it through with minimal damage. Please everyone help the people around you, now is not the time to be an A-hole.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Gene Pool Gun (GPG)

We are in desperate need of a Gene Pool Gun (GPG). This is a gun that when used renders the target sterile and therefore no longer able to spread their ignorance and stupidity to anymore generations. Case in point:
My wife and a friend were at the YMCA getting dressed in the womens locker room after swimming and ended up in the room with a woman and her two 7-10 year old sons. My wifes friend pointed out that, you are not supposed to bring males over the age of Five into the ladies locker room and that would she please get them out. The lady was indignant and refused so my wife and her friend contacted management to prove to the lady that this was policy and when this was confirmed and she was also told that there was a family dressing room for this kind of situation, the lady responded that she new there was a family lock room but that she didn't want her boys to see her naked.... So what she was saying is that it was acceptable for her to bring them into the lady's lock room and see other women naked but not her. After some debate she still didn't understand what she had done wrong but finally management insisted that she leave with the boys. Even as I write this I can't believe she was A) that stupid or B) that inconsiderate. The sad thing is that she has at least two kids that she will raise and pass on these traits too them. Hence my reasoning for a GPG. I know it is a pipe dream but it would ultimately make the world a better place.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Emperor's New Clothes

A buddy of mine saw No country for old men this weekend and reminded and confirmed how much I hated the ending of that movie. Don't get me wrong the acting, cinematography, scoring and pretty much everything but the end of NCFOM was incredible. I pride myself on not being a film critic because I feel that most of them have reached the point of critiquing movies to justify there existence, but I had to say my piece. I feel the biggest problem with the movie was that it was a victim of its own greatness. The first three quarters of the movie were some of the best I have seen, but the ending (or lack there of) killed it for me. I know many of you are out there saying that I missed the point, that the ending had this great meaning on how the world changes and you don't have control over it. To that I call, "BS!", that may be true but the end of the movie was still very frustrating and disappointing. I felt like you had spent all this time developing these wonderful characters and then to have most of them die off screen in such random ways was a huge crock and chicken way to end it. It was like the writers got to the end and thought "I'm having trouble figuring out the best way to end this. oh, wait a minute. You know what we can do? Lets make this grand message and have all this random stuff happen to the characters and not really end the story.". I don't go to the movies to come out frustrated and annoyed. I couldn't believe a the critical acclaim that the movie received. As I said before up until the the "El Paso" scene I thought the movie was incredible and deserved the best picture award, but taking the movie in its entirety, which you have to do, I thought it was awful. Judging the movie without taking the end into consideration would be like saying "That guy ran the best 300 meters I have ever seen and even though he fell down before the finish line I think he should win the race." I named this post "The Emperor's New Clothes" because, I really feel that once a few critics gave out such amazing praise for the movie that everyone didn't want to look like the idiot that didn't see why the movie was so great. well I'm here to be the kid in the story and say "Hey the Emperor is naked!"

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Wii Fit

I bought a Wii Fit Last week. I started using it Three days ago. So far I like it and I think it has the best chance of getting me back on the active track. The reason I think this is because it appeals to my instant gratification gene. All I have to do is turn it on and follow the instructions, the Wii takes care of the rest. I like being able to see my stats without having to break out excel and create some elaborate spreadsheet. I will keep you posted on how successful I am with it.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Shotgun!

I was going to write down the rules for Shotgun, but I found a site that has already done it and done it well here. My only change to the rules they have stated would be to say that you should always invoke the "Line of site rule". I think it cuts down on any confusion.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

How hard is it?

OK, I really don't intend this blog to be a rant page, but people make it so easy to do. Here is a simple question that can be applied in many ways. How hard is it:

How hard is it to flush a toilet?
I can't count how many times I have gone into a public restroom to find that some inconsiderate moron has failed the simple task of flushing the toilet. It takes a minute amount of effort to accomplish the task of pushing, pulling, step on(for you germ-a-phoebes out there) a lever/button. No one wants to see what you have left behind, trust me.


How hard is it to use a blinker?
It is amazing how many people don't use there blinker/directional/turn signal/etc. More than likely the apparatus for initializing the signal is mere inches away from your hand. Not only is it rude not to use your signal it is unsafe. I am probably guilty of over using mine but I would rather give out too much information to the drivers around me than not enough. For those of you that are saving up that directional light bulb, guess what, as mentioned before I probably over use mine and have a car that is near five years old and has never had to have the blinker replaced.

How hard is it to throw away your own crap?
You were able to carry a full tray of food to your table but now you can't take your empty trash to a trash can? How freaking lazy are you or is it that you are just a douche bag that thinks "it's the workers job to clean up after me"? Have a little consideration for the people coming after you.


How hard is it to park in the lines?
If you cannot drive your car well enough to place it between two white/yellow lines, you shouldn't be driving. When you park like this, you screw up the whole system potentially because everyone else that parks after you ends up having to adjust to your poor excuse for parking. Then some poor mom who has her kids with her has one hell of a time trying to get her children into her car because there is no room to get the stroller in and the doors open. When you buy a vehicle that is too big for normal parking spaces you have given up the right to park close to a store and should try and park in the back, where you are less likely to inconvenience everyone around you.

How hard is it to thank someone?
This one really pisses me off because it is just plain old common courtesy and there is no excuse for not thanking people for doing things for you. Your body doesn't have a limited amount of "Thank yous" in it, so why not give them out. Just because a person is paid to take your food order doesn't mean they don't like hearing that you appreciate the effort they are putting forth. IF somebody lets you in to a lane when you are driving it doesn't take much effort to throw up a little "Thank you" wave.

How hard is it to ____________? Feel free to fill in the blank in the comments section.

My point is if people would just put a little effort and thought into the things they do, the world might be a better place. I'm sure this has been said and discussed a million times but if this reaches just one person it was worth writing.

Yes I know 50% of the people who read the title thought "That's what she said"

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

I'm #1!


I went to Murder by the Book to get my copy of Infected for the signing on the 11th. As you can see by the card I am #1! (my mommy was right) The good news is that 2 & 3 were right behind me. The bad news is that the book store is really small and I don't know if it will be able to contain all the Sigler goodness.

Trailer for infected!

Friday, March 28, 2008

Cellphone Golden Rule

Don't be an inconsiderate prick! I will admit that from time to time I even catch myself talking too loud on a cell phone but the difference between me and most cell phone users is that I make a point not to annoy the crap out of the people around me. I know there have already been lists made on cell phone etiquette but judging from the people around me I don't think they have A) Read the lists. or B) Taken the lists to heart. Here is a quick review of some common courtesy things people should keep in mind when using their cell phones:

1) For the love of God please limit your usage while driving your car. There is a reason it is easy to spot someone talking on their cell while driving. Ex. When I'm driving into work I can predict who is on a cell fairly accurately because if someone is driving slower than the speed limit or can't keep there car in their lane its a good indicator. If you saying to yourself "I'm one of the people that doesn't have a problem driving while one the cell" you are more than likely wrong.

2) When you have the choice take your call to somewhere private. Ex. If you at a restaurant take the call outside or to the bathroom area, don't sit there and have a conversation at the table. No it is not the same as having a conversation someone at the table. 99.9% of people talk much louder when they are on their cellphones.

3) Get rid of the obnoxious ring tones! No, your cute little song is not entertaining to anyone but yourself. Your friends might have laughed the first time they heard it but I bet if you asked them to be honest now they would tell you your ring tone is annoying.

I was going to make a longer list but I realized if people just keep these few things in mind that would be a great start. Now for the second part of my plan. This is what I think has been missing from previous lists and rants about cellphone usage. If you catch someone doing these things (I know its harder in the case of the drivers),

Punch them dead in the face!

I really think if people punched other people dead in the face when they were being inconsiderate it might get the point across. Hey I didn't say it would be easy.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Free PDF of the entire Infected book!


You can download the entire PDF of Scott Siglers new book by clicking on the above picture. It will be available for three days. (until the release of the hard cover April 1st) Get it while you can! Then go buy the hard cover April 1st.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Is dissing something worth defacing your car?

OK I'm probably going to piss some people off with this one, but I can't contain it anymore. Why do people waste their time/money on stickers that single out an opposing school and deface their mascot. For that matter why do people do the same thing with rival car manufacturer's? I'm all for putting stickers on your car showing support for something you like or are proud of, but to actually go out of your way to put down something is just plain sad. On a related topic, how many stickers about the same thing is too many? I see on a regular basis people that have three or four stickers proclaiming there school allegiance and then a metallic emblem doing the same and then a license plate frame with the school on it and then a trailer hitch with the school logo on it and to top it all off the color of the car is the schools color. Yes I do realize that just by taking the time to write about this I am being almost as bad as the people that take the time to do these things , but I had to write about something.

If this made you mad you could always get a sticker made that puts down my blog. (I could use the free advertising)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Badass Leading Ladies

I was listening to a Lost Podcast this morning and they were doing a Top Ten cool/tough guys list, which inspired me to do this. I did a quick search and didn't find a list like this (I'm sure there is one) so I figured it would lead to a fun discussion. This is by no means a definitive list and is meant to invoke controversy. Have fun!
These are in no particular order:

Selene (Underworld, Underworld: Evolution)

Ripley (Aliens)

Clarice(Silence of the Lambs)

Sarah Conner(Terminator, Terminator 2)

Lara Croft (Tomb raider)

Jen (Zhang Ziyi, Crouching tiger Hidden dragon)

Charly Baltimore (Long kiss Goodnight)

Trinity (The Matrix)

The Bride (Kill Bill)

Jackie (Jackie Brown)

Alice (Resident Evil)

LeeLoo (5th Element)

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Hello World!

Hello world. Not sure why I'm doing this. I guess I don't want to put my ramblings on my Family blog. This is mainly a place holder until I can come up with some really cool and witty stuff. I am also working on the look and feel, so I need stuff to look at.

First official order of business, I AM NOT A WRITER! My grammar and spelling suck, I know this, so I don't need you to tell me.

As you may have noticed in my links section to the right, I have a link to Scott Sigler's site. He is "The" Author and Podcaster. Go here to read his bio. If you like Horror/Sci-fi/techno-thrillers, I would give him a try. His stuff also has a really good sense of humor. He writes some of the best character banter I have ever heard. I am constantly LOLing, (yes I actually laugh out loud, not the poser LOLing, you know people that constanly type LOL when they are not actually laughing) which gets some looks since I usually listen to his stuff when I'm at work.