ModestGeniusXL

Giving Thanks

Isn't funny how it seems like it took so long for Thanksgiving to get here then it just flies by like it only lasted a few minutes?  Or was it just me that felt that way?  I had been looking forward to the trip to Bloomington to see my family for the past month.  Then I get there and before you know it it was time to return home.  Glad I was able to get my fill while I was there.  Which is probably why it went by so quickly.

I wouldn't even know where to start with how great everything was so let me go with the most obvious:  the food.  Of course it was off tha chain.  I had to hold myself back from posting about it on Facebook.  Not because it was average, but because I was getting tired of seeing everyone else post about their own feasts.  I didn't want to contribute to the carnage.  But more than the dinner was also the great breakfasts.  I forgot how good Mom's breakfasts are.  And that was even without her epic sweet rice.  All of that capped off by some of her impeccable chocolate cake.  Which I had to share with everyone else.  One of these visits I'm going to get a cake that's all mine.

Mom wasn't alone with the bomb cooking though.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the awesome cornbread that Teandra made from scratch (with the help of Jiffy).  Cornbread....ain't nothin' wrong with that!  She even contributed to with a breakfast of her own one of the days there.  She had my mouth all watering for the hashbrowns she was making until I saw the plethora of peppers and onion in them.  I just had to take everyone else's word that they were good.

I didn't realize it has been so long since I had been there until I saw how old Pepper (the dog) had gotten since my last visit.  That dog years aging is no joke.  It was sad to see him looking like he was on his last leg.  He's hard of hearing, can't hardly see and has arthritis so bad that it looks like it hurts for him to walk.  Despite all that, he still managed to have a pretty upbeat demeanor.  Just much more subdued and much more slower.  I couldn't help but wonder if he'll still be around by the next time I come to visit.

Don't think that I didn't hit Black Friday sales while I was there.  Okay...Black Friday sale in my case.  I wasn't trying to stand in line at 5pm to catch the midnight doorbuster sales.  Was it really worth all that to save an extra $20 - $30?  Sure, I missed out on getting G that 24" HDTV for $75 at Best Buy.  But I was able to get a 19" one just as good at WalMart for not much more.  I can't lie though...I really wished I would have gotten that Best Buy deal.  Although I'm sure if I looked hard enough I could find one just as good online for a comparable price.  And it wouldn't require having to wait 6 hours in the cold.

Easily one of my favorite parts about the trip was all of the pictures I was able to take.  I set up an impromptu mobile studio in Mom and Dad's basement and had a field day.  I could have easily sat down there and shot all day long if all the fam were up for it.  Only Josh was extemely gung ho about it.  I had to almost pry him from in front of the camera.  I'm just happy that I was able to talk Mom and Dad into some couple photos.  They ended up giving me my favorite shots of the trip. 

The prime example of the days flying by was the fact that I didn't get done some of the things I wanted to do.  One of my frat brothers had recently moved to Bloomington (well...Normal which is pretty much the same thing) and I meant to hook up with him while I was there.  Didn't happen.  Was going to try to squeeze in some random shoots of folks that I know in the Bloomington area that I'm not related to.  Didn't happen. What DID happen was I was able to get tons of photos of the family.  Enough for two photo albums.  But you'll just have to settle for one now: Thanksgiving Shooting 2011.  Stay tuned because you'll see part two coming very soon!

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

O the Randomness...

When we say we miss an artist that's passed (like MJ) is that really accurate?  I mean they are still around in their music and videos so what is there to miss?  It's not like any of us really knew them personally

They've really got "Fast and Furious 6" in the works??  Now that I think about it...I'm okay with that

I still have no idea what Kanye meant by he would have married Kate and Ashley if he was Chris Williams.  Who's Chris Williams??

Despite the fact that plenty of other folks have been bashing it, I'm rather fond of that ticker that The Book has recently added

Someone pointed out that only nosy people like it.  Well there you go!

If I see one more hip-hop artist/group trying to make a come-up in Des Moines...where's all the R&B local talent??

So I was watching the Patriots/Chiefs game on Monday Night Football and thought for a minute that Brady was scared of the Chiefs because of what they did to him last time they played.  Then he quickly got over it

Speaking of which, no I haven't intentionally been omitting my "Hail to the Chiefs" posts.  Let's face it..there just hasn't been a lot to talk about recently regarding their abysmal performances

Now my Cyclones on the other hand...MAD props to them for upsetting the #2 team in the country this past Friday night!  Still mad that I had tickets to the game and didn't go because I thought they would get blown out.  That's what I get

Never thought I would see the day when a Ford Taurus was considered a premium vehicle.  Next thing you know Taco Bell will be considered gourmet dining #obscureDemolitionManreference

I'm still baffled at why the window washers were cleaning the exterior windows at the office while it was raining outside

I don't think it was a coincidence that most of Marc Anthony's back-up dancers in his recent American Music Awards performance looked like J-Lo

The new Verizon phone has beats by Dre on it??  That's what's up.  Almost makes me want to switch to Verizon and get rid of my iPhone.  Yeah....right...

Can't believe Zombie Burger stopped selling onion rings.  What's a burger joint without onion rings??  Which reminds me...guess I better get that restaurant out there before I forget about that too

Watching those old shows like "The Big Valley" and "Bonanza" always cracks me up. Those cats are walking around dirty, dusty wild, wild west roads all day long and never have a speck of dirt or dust on their outfits

Everytime I look at Madden Football I laugh at how far video games have come since the days of M Network. How many remember that Atari gem?

Was that Amber Rose I just saw starring in a high-end alcohol commercial?

Read that MidAmerican Energy suggests keeping the thermostat at 60 degrees during the winter. I don't know about them but I like keeping warm during the winter

Saw photos of the new auditorium at my alma mater. WOW! Can't wait to see it in person. NHS has come a long way since "The Pajama Game" in the gymnasium

Dear Mickey Ds: It's probably not a good idea to have the hard of hearing employees taking orders

I wonder what the over/under is for number of food-related posts we'll see on The Book today.  Mine included

If they will gossip with you then best believe they will gossip about you

'Nuff said

 

 

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

Plenty more Thanksgiving break pics in the works but here's one to tide you over for now...

Faster

I'm not sure what's worse...the fact that I've had this movie for about six months now and just now getting around to watching it or the fact that I watched it almost two weeks ago and just now getting around to the review.  I would have probably spaced off the review even more if Mom hadn't asked me what new movies I had seen lately.  Oh yeah...this was one.  So let me give y'all the 411 about it...

The plot is Driver (The Rock) has been locked up for 10 years.  Now that he's getting released he has one single goal on his mind:  to get revenge against all those responsible for the death of his brother.  But with with two men on his trail - a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) just days from retirement, and a young egocentric hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) - it's making things a little more difficult.  Not impossible for Driver...just difficult. 

Okay...let me get a couple of random things about this one out of the way right quick.  First of all, whoever did the artwork for the dvd cover of this one needs to be fired.  Does the Rock (yep...I will keep calling him that as opposed to Dwayne Johnson.  He will ALWAYS be the Rock to me) really look that awkward with his build?  He just doesn't look right for some reason.  It looks like a Joel Grimes picture gone wrong.  Like someone got carried away with the Photoshop.  That may have been okay on a flick that is supposed to be all artsy but this was just a simple action flick.  There wasn't any need to get that carried away.

Secondly, did anyone else find it interesting that the Rock did two movies with the name "Fast" in the title so close together?  And not that much longer after his divorce.  And both of them being action flicks.  It's like he's doing his best to get away from those kiddie films he had done prior to that while at the same time trying to send out a subliminal message about his newfound freedom.  Okay...maybe I'm stretching a bit on that latter part.  However, as to the first part I'm all for it.

I don't know about you but I was personally getting tired of seeing the Rock playing in those bubble gum movies.  All that mess like "Tooth Fairy" and "The Game Plan" were watering down his image.  Folks like me that remember him too fondly from his WWF (yes...back when it was still called that and was actually still fun to watch) days didn't want to see all that mess.  He needed to get back to his roots of doing the high adrenaline joints.  Especially since he's getting older.  It's not like he's going to be built like a tank forever.  Might as well get these type of movies out of his system while he still has the physique to pull them off.

"Faster" wasn't without its major flaws.  But then again, what action flicks don't have those?  Some of you may remember that I've mentioned this before when it comes to these type of movies.  You just have to accept the fact that there will be moments that are rather incredulous.  It comes with the territory.  You're just supposed to accept it and take the movie for what its worth.  Like the fact that dude had been locked up for 10 years and nobody thinks to keep better track of him upon parole knowing his history and potential motives.  Or the fact he even got released after only 10 years after his purported troubled history while locked up.

As far as revenge films go, "Faster" was definitely one of the better ones.  Yes, I may have been a little biased since I am a Rock fan.  And there's also something to be said about the fact that it had been so long since I've seen one of these type movies that I had perhaps just been yearning to get one back in my system.  Still, I was rather digging how they put this one together.  Especially how they went ahead with the "R" rating rather than the now more commonly accepted "PG-13" that too often hampers a movie's potential.  Mainly, I'm just glad that after waiting so long to see it that it wasn't a waste of time.


My rating:  B

Random (XL-Images) Pic of the Day

Yeah...I know I've been slipping at hittin' y'all up with some new images of my work.  Guess that means I need to do quite a few of these to bring you up to speed a bit.  I'm okay with that...

Things to Be Grateful For

My Nightly Viewings

Thanks to my now sporadic posting it seems like it wasn't that long ago that I posted one of these Grateful entries.  Oh well.  It only seems fitting anyway since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  O how I wish it would hurry up and get here.  Can't wait to see the family in Bloomington.  But I digress...

It's always difficult doing one of these tv postings because different shows air at different times of the year.  The summer showings are now over so we're into the fall line-up which is markedly different.  Plus, there's already been some casualties which included some shows I was starting to get into.  Well at least one anyway.  RIP "The Playboy Club".  Was pretty sure with its content that it was going to last much longer.  At least not a regular tv.  So here's the best of the rest of what I currently view...

15. Death Valley
Did it really take this long for someone to come up with the brilliant idea to cash in on the zombie craze as a comedy show?  I'm surprised the creators of "Shaun of the Dead" didn't try this.  Or maybe they did?  This show goes the extra step of incorporating werewolves and vampires too.  Complete with a task force assigned to keeping them all in place.  Plus, since it's MTV they don't hold back any gore.  And believe it or not, it really is a comedy

14. Parks and Recreation
This was originally much higher last season.  Thanks in large part to just the intro on that one episode where Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) appeared to remove his own tooth.  That's how epic it was.  But that was last season.  It has fallen off a bit this year.  Not enough to leave my watched list though.  Bit players like Aziz Ansari keep me coming back for more

13. South Park
Hard to believe it's been on for 15 years now.  I still remember when there was a rumor that they were going off the air after their third season.  Glad that turned out to be false.  Cartman and the boys just never get old.  And the best thing with it being animated is that they never do have to age even though we do.  Yet they continue to keep their topics timely.  Is it too early to be cracking jokes on Penn State?  Not if you're South Park

12.  The Sing-Off
Like any talent show, this one can be really hit and miss from week to week.  The one group that shines one week may not be as good the next week.  However, there is always at least one standout performance.  And it's always acapella.  Their worst show is still better than any other "talent" show out there on their best day.  Plus, the Dartmouth Aires performance of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was just flat out legendary

11. Grimm
The premise alone had me hooked.  So all those Grimm fairytales we heard as kids weren't actually fairytales but rather true stories?  The creatures in the stories really exist among us and the Grimm family has been around for centuries to keep them in line?  I can get with that.  Even if the special effects are a little shoddy.  I'm guessing they'll improve as the show goes on.   Or rather hoping

10. Glee
They're slowly starting to come around this season.  At least they've improved their musical selections from last year.  However, I'm not too fond of how they're putting everybody in the same school now.  Now not only is Blaine (Darren Criss) there but so is Vocal Adrenaline's teacher (Idina Menzel).  What are the odds?  Pretty soon Rachel's old boyfriend with the amazing voice will be there too.  Actually, I hope they find a way to get him on the show more.  He made every song better and the better the music is the better "Glee" is

9. Community
Never thought there would come a day that this would be on a top 10 list for me when fellow Thursday nite line-up show "The Office" would be totally missing.  But that was before Steve Carell left the show.  As expected, "The Office" hasn't been the same since and the other Thursday shows have thrived since then.  "Community" has been the biggest benefactor.  That's in spite of the fact that a very much past his prime and no longer funny Chevy Chase keeps weighting the show down.  As much as I appreciate all the great moments he gave us in the late 70s and early 80s, the show would be much better without him

8. The Walking Dead
Something just occurred to me while watching this show...in the apocalyptic zombie future eventually the survivors are going to run out of ammunition.  And it should be happening sooner than later because they'll also be running out of gas without fuel tankers to replenish gas stations.  I wish the show would have took us to that time period to see how these folks manage.  I'm good with where they are though.  Although I do want to see more zombies and less anguished pregnant survivors

7.  How I Met Your Mother
This one has a unique distinction.  It sits at this spot because not only are the new shows making me laugh but I'm still discovering old episodes in syndication which is running concurrently that also has me cracking up.  The best thing about the show is it's never one person carrying it.  They all have their moments where one is funnier than the next.  Make no mistake though it's Neil Patrick Harris that remains the shows highlight.  Well him and Jason Segel

 6.  Harry's Law
I think the last time I did a list like this when "Harry's Law" was also on that I mistakenly left it off.  I could go back and check but that's too much work.  At any rate, this show came along just in time to fill that void that "Boston Legal" left.  I'm not feeling it this season as much as last though.  I don't like that the brotha and the blond chick are off the show already and it's only the second season.  Also, there also seems to be less focus on the neighborhood where the law office is located which made for some great storylines during the first season.  We'll see how it pans out though

5. Sons of Anarchy
I told myself I was going to check out this series when it very first premiered a few years ago.  I spaced it off and didn't.  Next thing I knew they were a couple of seasons in so I decided not to worry about it.  Then I kept seeing the buzz on The Book which made me change my mind this season.  Didn't care if I was coming in midstream.  Turns out it didn't matter a whole lot.  As a matter of fact, I probably picked the best season to tune in since they have Rockmund Dunbar on board as the town sheriff now.  Plus, how can you go wrong when you have Hellboy (Ron Perlman) as the gang's leader?

4.  Modern Family
They haven't slowed up yet.  Thank goodness.  I love how they come on the perfect night of the week.  Wednesday night the work week is half over and you need a little something to get you through those last two business days.  Well then along comes the Dunphys and the Pritchetts.  And every single character on the show is guaranteed to come thru with the funny.  Even down to the kids.  It's rare that a show does that.  I sure hope they can keep it up

3.  Happy Endings
I think I just realized why I like this show so much.  It's because these group of friends all have the same type of sarcastic personality as me.  It would be like hanging out with a bunch of me's.  They are like a new and improved version of the whole "Friends" format.  On a somewhat related but not really note, I still can't believe that Damon Wayans is old enough to have a son that looks as old as he does.  I thought when Damon Jr. first started doing his thing that he'd be trying to rest on Pop's laurels but he's actually very funny in his own right 

2.  Tosh.0
They are seriously killing me with these little short seasons they do of this show.  It will be on for about five weeks of new episodes then it's on break.  The good thing about that is there are new episodes throughout the course of the year in every season.  The bad thing about that is it still feels like the new episodes are too far and far between.  I've had to mess around and watch MTV's knock-off show "Ridiculousness" to fill that void in the meantime.  Trust me...it doesn't come remotely close to the hilarity that John Tosh brings every episode on his show

1.  American Horror Story
Someone tried to tell me that this was only going to be a 5-part mini-series type thing?  Maybe they meant that this was supposed to be one season only.  I can see that since the family is already trying to get out of the house.  In the meantime, this show has proven to be ten times better than I ever thought it would be.  If it was an actual horror movie it would be one of the best ones I've seen in quite a while.  I thoroughly enjoy how each week gets more intense to than the next.  I really hope they don't end this at just one season.

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIAH!

I searched and searched for a good picture of Diah that I could use that was actually one of mine.  I can't believe I couldn't find a single one.  The ones I really liked were either too old (as in taken last year) or there was someone else in the photo.  I could've been triflin' and cropped out the other person and/or people, but I don't like the way that looks if they're too close.  It's just tacky and y'all know I'm anal about things like that.

Therefore, I had to go with this photo instead.  It's one that I found out her Facebook page.  No clue who took it.  It just looked like it was in the style of what I often do with my poses and lighting.  So whoever took it was on to something. 

What this reminded me of is that I need to get some updated pics of my baby sister.  Yet another reason why I can't wait to get to my folks for Thanksgiving weekend.  I'm going photo happy.  Everyone is getting their own personal photo shoot.  Whether they want it or not.  Just don't tell Mom I said that.  That way I'll always have photos to pull from my archives for everyone including Diah.

But enough about that...so yeah, today is Diah's birthday.  She said something about this is another celebration of her 21st birthday?  It's not the first time I've heard a woman say that.  Still not sure I understand the urge to want to stay 21.  That age was just okay to me.  But now 35 is quite tha bomb.  Wouldn't mind being that age forever.  Wait..I'm doing it again.  Got off track and started talking about myself.  See how easy it is?

Anyway, I'm wishing a very special birthday to the best baby sister a brother could have.  And when I go visit for Thanksgiving she's going to get one of her best belated birthday presents ever.  My presence!  HA!

Things to Be Grateful For

Must Be the Music

Well I had a little bit of free time so thought I'd give this weekly entry a triumphant return.  Mainly because there are some really great tunes I've been bumping lately that I had to share with all of you.  Don't get used to this though. I can't promise I'll keep this weekly entry up either.  Therefore, seeing this one today is something to be thankful for in and of itself...

RE:  Your Brains - Jonathan Coulton
This would have been perfect if it were around Halloween.  That's when I first heard it.  The song is flat out awesome as it's sung the perspective of a zombie.  I don't even care if Halloween is past already. I will STILL bump this one on the regular.  I also love how the YouTube video that coincides with it is a variety of clips from World of Warcraft.  Just a little sidenotes for all you fellow WoW geeks out there.

Lotion - Greenskeepers
As long as we're on the kick (if you can really considers two consecutive selections a "kick") of the strange, might as well parade this one out there.  Again, another artist I've never heard of in my life. Happened to catch this one also on Turntable as I was in the 80s room.  Not even sure if it's really an 80s song, but it plays off the 80s classic "Silence of the Lambs".  Not suitable for work, but definitely worth listening to if nothing else than for the sheer entertainment value.

Hold My Hand - Committed
I can't believe I forgot to mention these cats before now.  Their debut cd dropped around a month ago and it's straight fire.  They were one of the groups that won one of the seasons of "The Sing-Off" so you're getting a cd where the entire thing is acappella.  I don't know how you can listen to this and not be amazed at their talent.  Easily a modern day Take 6 which is just what the music industry needs these days.

Commander (Urban remix) - Kelly Rowland
For a while there I was afraid that she would have one good cut off her new cd.  That would have been a shame because I think I've mentioned before that she was always my favorite part of Destiny's Child.  It's good to see her doing her own thing putting out quality music.  True, she'll sill always be in Bey's shadow, but as long as she makes music like this then she can stand on her own.

Love on Top - Beyonce
Speaking of the queenpin herself...I couldn't very well leave her out of the conversation.  This song was a HUGE improvement from that horrible "Girls Rule the World" or whatever it was called.  That one alone almost made me stay away from her cd.  And I'm still not understanding what made her go with all male back-up dancers in the video for this one when she's been on this all-female band kick lately.  Regardless, I am totally diggin' the ols Jackson 5ive vibe this one has to it. 

Closet Freak - Cee-lo Green
I may have been a little late on this one.  The first time I ended up hearing it was on that new Sprite commercial featuring Cee-Lo.  Is it on his last cd and I somehow missed it?  It wouldn't be the first time it's happened since I tend to listen to cds only once.  Whatever the case may be, this latest cut by him was worth giving a few more listens.

Ni**as in Paris - Jay-Z and Kanye West
I had to save this cut for last just because of the name alone.  Typical of both Jigga and Yeezy, the name of the song has nothing at all to do with the song at all.  They could have really named this anything else.  But then it wouldn't have caught your attention, now would it?  The production here is increible.  Also just what you would expect from a Kanye song.  This joint sounds UNBELIEVABLE in a good sound system.  Plus, it features the most arbitrary Will Ferrell sample that is just icing on an already pretty darn good cake.

 

 

Pedophile State U

That's what they might as well change their name to.  That's all they will be remembered for from here on out.  And with as many people that were involved with the cover up, it also seems very appropriate.  But I may be getting a little ahead of myself.  As usual.  I won't rehash the whole incident as I'm sure you all already know about what happened.  Instead, let me touch on some very crucial points that I feel strongly about.

First of all, Jo Paterno absolutely had to go.  Just informing his superiors about the incident of one of his assistant coaches sodomizing a young boy was NOT acceptable.  He now says he wishes he would have done more.  Ya think??  His FIRST call and/or visit should have been to the police.  The fact that he didn't shows that he didn't view the matter as being that significant.  That is just highly disturbing to me.

Speaking of his superiors, the Penn State administration should be ashamed of themselves.  Even worse than that.  How can they call themselves human beings when they get information like that and the most they do is tell the pedophile that he is not allowed to have children with him on campus any longer?  They had no concern at all for the boy who had been violated.  OR for the fact that there could potentially be (and was) more.  So their lack of action contributed to his criminal ways. 

But neither the administration or Jo Pa's actions were near as bad as the grad assistant who caught the monster in the act.  I'm still in awe that the most he did was just tell the coach what he saw.  He witnessed this thing violating a little boy and did nothing??  That makes him just as much of a monster.  He should have went in there and pummeled that thing to a pulp then stayed with the boy until the police arrived.  Because naturally he should have called the police right then and there.  The fact that he still has a job is unbelievable.  He should have been the very first one fired.  Then the very next one arrested for being an accessory.  Yes..I said it.  An accessory.

Now as for all these Penn State students and/or Joe Pa supporters over there rioting over his firing?  Every single one of them are idiots.  Yep.  I said that too.  They're just further demonstrating Penn State's jacked up stance in the first place which was football is more important than doing what's right.  I'm trying to attribute what they're doing to their youthful age and not having enough intelligence yet to know they're actually being stupid.  I'm guessing that once they grow older and have children of their own they will look back on that incident and wonder how they could have been so ignorant.

I made a statement on the Book about how all of Penn State should be ashamed of themselves and for the most part received affirmative responses across the board.  For the most part.  There was actually one person who dissented saying they are innocent until proven guilty.  Um...NO.  Let's see if anyone with that opinion would feel if it was their child that had been sodomized.  Every one of them that knew something and tried to cover it up needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Anyone who thinks otherwise has some SERIOUS issues.  I won't even begin to tell you what I think should happen to the scumbag who committed all those heinous acts. 

What I don't understand is how the parents of these child en didn't know something was going on.  They couldn't tell their children were acting differently?  And if they did know, why didn't they do something sooner?  Whatever the case may be I hope the children involved come back and sue Penn State for millions.  And I hope they get every single penny.  It won't give them back their childhoods but it will make that den of moral ineptitude suffer like they need to.  May God have mercy on their souls because I know I sure don't.