Happy Birthday Blog!

Five years ago on Friday, June 24th, 2005 I created this blog and made my first post. I just wanted to take a moment to thank all the people out there, my friends, family, and lurkers who continue to read and to comment on occasion. What started as an exercise to cure my boredom at work has really grown, especially over the last year with the bulk of my posts coming from 2009/2010. I plan to continue to create posts as long as I'm interested, which means more useless information or opinions about video games, politics, or random things my friends and I do.

Mostly I write for my friends and usually it involves something they were a part of! In no particular order I want to thank the following people for their support and for the craziness they involve me in, which is my biggest inspiration:


















Thanks for all the memories of the past five years! Here's to five more!

Top Chef: Lunch Lady

Late post today, I actually had to do some work this morning. Gasp!

The second episode of Top Chef: DC brought a couple of interesting challenges and less drama than advertised, I can't believe the Bravo marketing machine would do that! Quick fire challenge: Siamese twin sammich challenge! Each contestant had to draw knives to see who they would partner up with for a sandwich challenge. Two people make the best sandwich they can for White House Chef, Sam Kass. Easy right? Oh wait, there's a twist, each contest has to wear one apron basically only making one half of their body functional. I'm surprised that no one lost a finger. Team Angelo and Tracey won the quick fire challenge with a flounder marinated in fish sauce sandwich with spicy sriracha mayo, pickled red onions and herbaceous salad. Maybe Angelo can't lose (it's his third win). They both gain immunity for the elimination challenge.

The elimination challenge took us back to school. All the contestants were divided into teams of four and were asked to make a nutritious lunch for a group of fifty kids at their school with a budget of $134.00. That's $2.68 per child, supposedly the same budget public schools have per child! Team Arnold, Kelly, Lynne, and Tiffany ended up winning the elimination challenge with braised pork carnitas tacos, roasted corn salad with cilantro lime vinaigrette, black bean cake with whole grain and sweet crispy potatoes, and caramelized sweet potatoes and sherbet. Their food looked the best of all the teams in my opinion. The four chosen for elimination from the bottom of the losing teams were Ed, Kenny, Amanda and Jacqueline. Jacqueline was picked as the worst and sent home for the two pounds of sugar she made, I mean for her banana pudding.

Some random thoughts about episode two:

I'd really like to write a more complete recap but I just don't have it in me. I usually just watch the show in real time and then write about what I can remember the next day. Hopefully the recap portion of my posts will improve when there are fewer contestants to keep up with.

Ed: "It is what it is." Ugh, I hope we don't have to hear this all season, again!

Angelo's "liquid love" and "sex on a plate" made me throw up a little in my mouth. Sounds like he's proud of his special sauce.

Based on the previews last week I was hoping to see a knock down drag out cat fight between Arnold and Kelly. Yeah they had a little disagreement over who was hogging the credit for the team effort but it was blown out of proportion methinks.

Apparently Tracey's a lesbian. Who would've thought?

Why couldn't I have went to a grade school that cooked with alcohol? Amanda is an idiot for cooking with sherry when they could've used the money to help bolster the other components of the team meal.

Does anyone think that Angelo would really sabotage his teammates because he had immunity? Should we just refer to him as Douschelo from now on?

Tomato is a fruit not a vegetable. Best snarky comment from the judges.

Gail likes Vodka! I knew there was a reason she was my favorite.

Based on Top Chef history, what was the biggest reason for Jacqueline's demise? The fact that she made a dessert or the fact that she's a caterer?

Next on Top Chef... Expect more drama that never really happened.

I was prepared to give my "Bye Felicia" award to Ed but upon further reflection I think the judges were right and Jacqueline was the proper choice. First of all she didn't fight for a bigger piece of the budget, I mean the team bought sherry for the love of jeebus! Secondly, even I can make banana pudding! Jacqueline, bye Felicia!

Next chef out? Stephen.

Can I Bum a Smoke?

An interesting article that Dann emailed me last night:

"NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- New York City smokers already pay the highest cigarette taxes in the nation, but a new state law will push those taxes even higher this summer.

The state legislature on Monday approved a bill adding a state tax of $1.60 to every pack sold, effective July 1. The bill, which was signed by Gov. David Paterson, will raise the state tax to $4.35 per pack. That makes the Empire State's tax on smokes the highest in the nation.

New York City smokers pay an additional municipal tax of $1.50 per pack, for a current total tax of $4.25 per pack. That's the highest state-local tax whammy in the country, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Chicago is the runner-up, at $3.66 per pack.

This new tax increase means that smokers in the city will pay $5.85 per pack in taxes. This drives the average local price up to nearly $11 per pack, according to some estimates.

The tax hike is aimed at generating an additional $440 million in 2010-2011 tax revenue to support healthcare programs.

The bill also requires that cigarettes sold at Native American reservations be taxed. State Sen. Jeffrey Klein, a Democrat representing parts of the Bronx and Westchester County, said that taxes on reservation-sold cigarettes will provide the state with $150 million in revenue during the remainder of 2010, followed by $500 million in annual revenue thereafter.

This will be a financial hit to tribes like the Shinnecock Indian Nation in Southampton, where several stores sell tax-free cigarettes.

'We've had very preliminary talks with not only Gov. Paterson but the Spitzer administration, so we knew this was coming and we're following it closely,' said Randy King, chairman of board of trustees for the Shinnecock Indian Nation, which was recently recognized by the federal government. 'We're just going to take the information back to the tribe and see what direction we get on how to approach it.'"

I'm not sure if I would continue to smoke if a pack of cigarettes cost eleven dollars! I've smoke for nineteen years thus far, though I did stop for a period of time but the weight gain was too much for me to handle. I remember years ago when I lived in Enid, America, that I was adamant about quitting if cigarette prices ever reached three dollars a pack. Yeah, that worked out well...

So is a massive sin tax the way to get people to give up smokes? Does it matter, will people feed their addiction regardless? If the cost of cigarettes did prevent people from smoking, what happens to all the lost revenues? What other sins can the state tax? Should I switch to heroine?

Guest Post: Blog

I asked several people who've read my blog over the years or who have blogs that I read to do a guest posting here as part of my blog's 5th birthday celebration. Only Dann responded. Lame. Hey, I can be bitter, look at the name of the blog! Anyways, here's Dann's contribution. I want to thank him for taking the time to write a posting for me and for reading and commenting over the years! --Dave

Blog

So, Dave asked me to do a guest post to his blog to celebrate its five year anniversary. I've been trying to come up with an idea for several days now. I was trying for something witty or profound, but I keep hitting a road block. I finally decided that I would say something about the blog and how times change.

A great many things have changed since David started this blog. Some for the better, some, not so much. Some people have left our lives. Some have moved away, some have passed away, others, well, just moved on. People come and go from other people. Some grow apart. Some have disagreements and choose not to hang any longer. For some reason, people can lose touch with one another. It's really sad.

One of my favorite things about this blog, is looking back through all the old pictures and memories. And, yeah David, there are some great ones here!

But, just as some people move out of our lives, others, come into them. New friends mean new memories to be made.

Here's to looking forward to those new memories and five more years of Bitter Party Of One. Congratulations Dave, You're the best! Love ya!

Chicago!

I've been working on a new sale with a Chicago office at work and it looks like I'll be headed there next week! Does anyone have any suggestions on what I should do while I'm there? I'll be working during the day so whatever exploring I'll be doing in the city will have to be in the evening. Here's a list I have so far:

Chicago Cubs Game: I'm not a huge fan of baseball but Wrigley Field and the Cubs are too historic not to go see. Plus it will make Jaclyn jealous!

Skydeck Chicago's The Ledge: "The Ledge brings an exhilarating new experience to the Skydeck. At 1,353 feet up, The Ledge’s glass boxes extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper’s Skydeck on the 103rd floor, providing never-before-seen views of the city. An unmatched view is not all the Skydeck offers. From the moment visitors arrive they enjoy interactive and educational attractions that not only highlight the iconic landmark, but also celebrate Chicago’s sports, architecture, pop-culture, history, food, music and people."


Boystown: Chicago's gay district. I've been there before and no other similar district I've been to can compare.

Suggestions or thoughts?

We Are Family (is that clichéd?) (Repost from 6-28-2005)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. Since it's Gay Pride week here in Oklahoma City, here's my first ever post about the yearly event. It seems like a really long time ago, I hardly ever see Miles anymore:

PRIDE!

Saturday and Sunday I celebrated Gay Pride weekend with some friends. After the fall of civilization that was gay marriage (or lack thereof) in Massachusetts I was glad to see a good turn out in OKC. We started the morning off with Dim Sum brunch at Grand House followed by a stroll through Memorial Park. Missing this year at the park was the three-story blow up bottle of lube; we figured it wasn’t present this year since everything is about family and the children these days. The booths were interesting and there were a lot of diverse people in the crowd. We signed a lot of petitions, took lots of free crap, and entered every drawing we could find. I still don’t know what I’m going to do if I win that Grill Master 3000. Other than the sweltering heat and Miles singing and dancing we had a good time.

Sunday I went down to the strip and hung out with Miles again at the Park until the parade started. Once again the turn out was good but the heat was overbearing. I didn’t stay out too long after the parade; trying to pack into Angles with 25,0000 sweaty people for free draw beer isn’t very appealing. It was good to run into a lot of people that I haven’t seen in a while, and I had a blast with all the festivities as I do every year. I’ll post some pictures of the parade a little later today or tomorrow.

Fuck David Barrett: The Revenge! (Repost from 6-16-2006)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. I've picked on David Barrett a total of three times over the years on this blog (well I guess now four). Since Pride week is next week I thought this would be a good choice for a repost:

So this post should have been done in April at the time of David Barrett's birthday but it took a little while for me to get a copy of the picture. Jenny came up with the awesome plan to have us all wear the "fuck David Barrett" tee shirts and as you can see David has the "fuck me" shirt. It was a riot. This weekend kicks off the beginning of gay pride week in Oklahoma City and I believe this picture encapsulates what gay pride means to me: my friends, especially Dann, Butters, Barrett, Jenny (a.k.a. Jimmy), and Kim. Our commonality and diversity is what makes our friendship and community strong. Take away the parades, the victories for equality, and the defeats and all that's left is my friends, my family and the bond we all share. I love you guys!

What exactly is Butters looking at off camera? And what's Dann doing to Randiva to elicit such a happy response?

Happy gay pride week OKC!

Last post of the day. Everyone have a great weekend!

Dance 10 Looks 3

I was texting with my niece yesterday and she said she wanted to get a shirt for her 18 month old daughter that said on the front "I'm not gay" and on the back "Yet!" I responded she could also try "I'm not gay but my girlfriend is" or "Dance 10 Looks 3." She didn't understand the last quote, in reference to "A Chorus Line." Today's youth! All of this got me thinking about inappropriate shirts that children are forced to wear by their parents. It's rare to find anything truly offensive here in Oklahoma unless you consider religious shirts about God, Jeebus, and talking snakes offensive. So I'm asking, what is the most offensive shirt you've seen some poor slob dress their defenseless child in?

Here is my contribution, though it isn't anything I've seen, just something I found online.

I would totally buy this collection if I had an evil offspring!

Palin Endorses Fallin

From the Daily Wipe:

"The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee announced the endorsement Thursday on her Facebook page, describing Fallin and two female congressional candidates she also endorsed as 'liberty loving "Mama Grizzlies."’"

"Mama Grizzlies," Christ!

I can't believe that Palin didn't endorse State Senator Randy Brogdon, Mr. Oklahoma Teabagger!

I have no doubts that Mary Fallin will be the Republican nominee in the fall and mostly likely our next Governor.

The contest on the Democratic side for Governor pits Lt. Governor Jari Askins against Attorney General Drew Edmondson. I've no clue who I'm going to vote for in the primary next month but I'm leaning toward Edmondson.

Mary Fallin for Governor

Randy Brogdon for Governor

Jari Askins for Governor

Drew Edmondson for Governor

Nintendo 3DS

Anyone that knows me or has read this blog for any amount of time knows I'm a video game nerd. Mostly I play Nintendo systems and of those mostly the home consoles, that being the Wii currently. I do currently own a Nintendo DS and I've owned just about ever hand held system since the debut of the GameBoy. While I enjoy many of the core games on the hand held systems I never get too excited about their release. I'll buy one when I get around to it and mainly use it for travel. That all changed with this:



Because of this:


Animal Crossing for the Nintendo 3DS! I must have this game. Imagine how much time at work I could've wasted working on a new town instead of wasting time reading and browsing the Internet! There's basically no information about the game as yet other than a few screen shots. I doubt the 3DS will launch with the game but if it does another camp out at Best Buy may be in order.

Check out the specifications of Nintendo's new 3-D hand held system here. Including Animal Crossing there seems to be a lot of quality games in development for the system.

Top Chef: D.C.

Another season of Top Chef and another round of recaps every Thursday. Hang with me on this one readers, it's been a while since I did a Top Chef posting and I've got a killer hangover! Another warning, I'm not even going to try to discuss all of the contestants, it's going to take me a couple of episodes to remember who everyone is. So with all that out of the way, my Top Chef D.C. recap:

The quick fire challenge consisted of a marathon of sorts where little by little contestants were eliminated gradually. The legs of the marathon: peel ten potatoes, brunoise ten cups of onions, break down four chickens, and then cook a dish using those ingredients. After each leg of the marathon the slowest contestants were eliminated until finally they were down to just four chefs left for the actual cooking. Oh and here's the twist, win the challenge and bag 20,000 dollars! Sweet. The four contestants left were Angelo, Kevin, Timothy, and Kenny. Angelo ultimately wins the first quick fire challenge which, if history repeats itself, means that he'll be around for a long time in the competition.

On to the elimination challenge! The challenge is to simply cook a dish to represent where you're from. I like these kinds of challenges, free of any bizarre foods or rules, simply cook. The top four of the first elimination challenge: Angelo, Kenny, Alex, and Kevin. The bottom four: Jacqueline, Stephen, John, and Timothy. Angelo wins again and John is sent packing.

First episode observations:

Holy shit are Padma's bubbies huge! I take it she's still breast feeding? Look out Gail, there's a new sheriff in town.

I like the addition of Eric Ripert as a judge. So long Toby Young, you will not be missed!

White men can't cut. Look at the final four of the quick fire challenge.

Are the girls going to be a bunch of weak sisters for the second season in a row?

Did one of the girls slice her hand open during the quick fire challenge? We were on our fourth bottle of wine at this point, it was hard to concentrate.

I get the impression that Jacqueline has some skills but her Chicken Liver and Port Wine Mousse looked like ass. I thought it would come down to either her or John going home but I picked John at the last moment as did all of us watching, if I recall correctly.

I think the best candidate for villain so far is Angelo. He's definitely got the hair! My friends and I last night are kind of on the fence over this. We'll see how it plays out. He didn't show an obvious level of douschebaggery that was apparent from others in previous season such as Mike Isabella, Eli, and Marcel to name a few.

My final four predictions in no particular order (sorry ladies):

Angelo
Kenny
Kevin
Arnold (Just because he's fabulous!)

Finally I want to present the first ever "Bye Felicia" award. I'll hand this out every week to the contestant who I think should have been sent home even if they weren't. Luckily this week I agree with the judges, John should have been let go. Bye Felicia!

_______

Once again, this year, some friends and I are going to try to have Top Chef night every Wednesday. Basically we rotate to a different house each week where the host prepares a meal while the others bring drinks. Up first this week was Dann. His menu:

Insalata Caprese (Fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil)
Chipotle and honey glazed salmon
Parmesan dusted roasted asparagus
French Boule (classic hard-crusted French peasant bread)
Blueberry Scones

Wine (7 Deadly Zins, St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc, and couple of Rieslings the girls brought, I can't remember the brand)

I have to say, I was quite impressed with the meal. Who knew Dann could cook? Some pictures of the food and the night:

The Chinese New Year Has Gone to the Dogs (Repost from 1-31-2006)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. Another fun one about the Chinese New Year. Actually I just like it because I get to pick on Timmy's culture!

1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people's confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

You can go here for more information on the Chinese Zodiac.

We celebrated the New Year at Shimmy's mom's house with the traditional Margarita, egg rolls, and fish balls. Apparently it's also customary and good luck for the coming year to eat something green (I think it was spinach and cabbage). We had great fun learning our signs while Shimmy's mom read them out from her Mandarin book of Voodoo. I'm still convinced that the thirteenth sign was cut some years ago and that Dann was really born in the year of the Weasel...

New (and Old) Blog I'm Reading

It's been a while since I added a new site to the "Blogs I Follow" list. Look to your right. ------->

First up is Grape Seed, a blog I actually had on the list before. Since Casey has a new computer and is in the mood for blogging again, I though I would add her back on the blog roll. Normally I wouldn't be linking to a "mommie blog" but she's family, whatcha gonna do?

The next site I recently started reading is Things Republicans Hate. I know that Republicans pretty much hate everything so look for the site to be update frequently! Filed under "Links of Interest" to the right and down a bit. ------->

Response from Congresswoman Fallin

Last month I emailed Congresswoman Fallin about her vote on House Resolution 5136, The National Defense Authorization Act. Basically I wanted to know why she voted against the bill because of the provisions to eliminate the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law concerning the military. Click here to read my email to the Congresswoman. Here is the response I received:

"Dear Mr. (Omitted):

Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 5136, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011. Understanding your ideas and concerns is important to me, as it helps me to better represent you and the Fifth District of Oklahoma.

H.R.5136 authorizes approximately $567 billion for the Department of Defense in Fiscal Year 2011 and provides $159 billion in funding for current overseas operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. In addition, this bill provides essential combat protections to fully support the additional 30,000 troops scheduled to arrive in Afghanistan this summer, protects TRICARE from premium increases and from being affected by the health care takeover bill recently signed into law. It also provides critical benefits for our service members and their families, including a pay raise for our military personnel, whose salaries have consistently lagged behind the private sector.

We know the demand for quality mental health services for our uniformed men and women and their families is on the rise, which is why I offered several amendments to the FY11 National Defense Authorization Act. These amendments, which will improve testing methods for Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and tinnitus (ringing of the ears), will provide soldiers with faster treatment and relief from combat-related injuries, as well as improve the lives of those who have served our nation and minimize long-term health care costs for those veterans and our VA healthcare system.

While I am a strong supporter of our military and providing them with the resources they need, I had reservations concerning a provision which would overturn the military's longstanding 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy without first assessing its effects on military readiness. Therefore, I voted against final passage of H.R. 5136 since overturning this policy could ultimately jeopardize the well-being of America's armed forces.

This is an extremely controversial issue that deserves and requires careful attention and consideration. That's why an exhaustive study is currently underway to find out how any change in policy would impact unit cohesion, morale and readiness. I share the sentiment of many top military officials that we should wait until this study, which includes a survey of nearly 400,000 service members and their families, is completed until we consider any changes to the current policy.

While this bill contained important elements that are critical for the defense of our nation, as well as the care of our troops and their families, I believe our men and women in uniform and their families should have the opportunity to express their opinions on an issue that directly affects their lives.

To defend and protect America, we need the best-trained, best-equipped military in the world. For the brave men and women who have served our nation, this bill also enhances the benefits and services available to them and their families. I am forever grateful to those who have dedicated their lives to keeping us safe. As recent failed attacks on our homeland remind us, we must remain vigilant, proactive and forward thinking when it comes to defending our freedom.

Thank you again for taking the time to share your ideas and concerns. As the 111th Congress addresses the many challenges facing our nation, I hope you will continue to share your thoughts and views with me. However, due to increased security measures, mail delivery may be delayed for up to two weeks. Accordingly, I encourage you to visit my website at www.fallin.house.gov to contact me via email as well as find useful information about Oklahoma's Fifth Congressional District."

My goodness! I'm not sure I needed all that information to know why she opposes the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." I must disagree with the Congresswoman when she says we need an "exhaustive study" of the repeal. Haven't we already had Congressional hearings on the matter? Haven't we lived with this terrible policy for 18 years? That should be plenty of time for the military to determine it's got to go.

So I really didn't have much more to add to this story, I just wanted to post the Congresswoman's reply for those who were curious. I do appreciate her response. I've emailed a few politicians recently and she's the only one to reply.

Nintendo Games From E3 2010

Obviously there were other games shown by Nintendo at their E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) press conference than a new Legend of Zelda game. Below is a list of some of the games I find more intriguing with some of my thoughts:



Metroid: Other M. The game has been pushed back to August, probably not to overlap with the recent release of Super Mario Galaxy 2. I'm still on the fence from what I've seen regarding the gameplay. Half 2-D and 3-D gameplay. It's Metroid so there's no question I'll purchase the game, I just have doubts that Team Ninja can outdo Retro Studio's last outing in the franchise.



Donkey Kong Country Returns. Speaking of Retro Studios, they've been handed the keys to the Donkey Kong franchise. The Donkey Kong Country series on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System was fantastic. I look forward to playing another great game in the series by the great Texas developer!



Kirby's Epic Yarn. Who doesn't love Kirby? The little pink marshmallow guy who has the ability to morph into all kinds of things to complete his quest. Unfortunately I can't remember the last time there was a good Kirby game on a home system. Handheld systems have been the way for Kirby to shine over the years. I'm not sure about the design of the game, it reminds me a little of Yoshi's Story from the Nintendo 64, not a great game if I recall correctly.



Mario Sports Mix. I get it Nintendo, Mario is popular. He's been whored out on a lot of games this generation. That's fine, it's just that these kinds of games aren't really my cup of tea any longer. Perhaps if I had a group of friends to play with more often I would be more inclined to be excited about games of this type. As long as I have Wii Bowling for drunken after parties life is good!



Golden Eye 007. Now we're talking! Oh, it's made by Activision. We'll see. A remake of arguably one of the greatest games to ever hit any system. I'm down.

In conclusion, these are just some of the Nintendo games that caught my eye. There is a ton more to see at the official E3 page. I'm excited about what I've seen from Nintendo overall and I'm a little concerned. What's with the focus on 2-D games? While they can be fantastic, I want more epic 3-D experiences besides Mario and Zelda! I'd also like to see some new franchises or at least some that haven't been used in a while. Where's a new Pikmin game or a new Kid Icarus game?

Thoughts or opinions?

The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword Gameplay Initial Impressions

The video above shows more elements of the gameplay in Nintendo Wii's The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword.

The good:

• 1:1 swordplay motion tracking with the Wii Motion+ add on to the Wii remote as well as the ability to use items like the sling shot and bow without pointing at the screen; basically it's all controlled through the wand now.
• Control of the shield via the nunchuck attachment.
• The ability to determine what to do with bombs via different control motions, throwing, rolling, etc.
• The beetle item, allowing the player to send a remote drone out to help collect hard to reach objects and presumably for solving puzzles.
• The addition of a whip to the items list, very cool.

The bad:

• I'm still a little less than thrilled about the overall look of the game, at least in the forest areas that were presented. It seems a little too colorful ala a Mario game. Perhaps the graphics are cel shaded?

The ugly:

• A most likely release date of 2011! Really Nintendo?

The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword!

Nintendo just completed their E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) press conference. I'm just waiting on videos to come in around the net but here's a taste of the latest entry in the Legend of Zelda series, The Skyward Sword. Most likely to be released in 2011 (grumble, grumble) on the Nintendo Wii.



My initial reaction to this brief snippet was "meh." The graphics look a little more crisp than the previous game, Twilight Princess; however, it all looks very much the same and very, um colorful. There is a ton more media to be seen so of course I won't judge too quickly. Nintendo usually seems to know what their doing when it comes to one of their "big" franchises. More to follow...

Guest Post: Second Second Chances, or Seperated at Birth

As the celebration of my 5th year anniversary continues this month, in addition to repostings of classic posts, I've also enlisted the help of some friends who have had blogs over the years. I asked permission from Dann to repost one of my favorite postings from his blog. Unfortunately he rarely creates new posts anymore which is a shame as he had some very insightful and funny blog entries over the years. --Dave

Second Second Chances, or Seperated at Birth

Everyone has seen those segments on SNL or other comedy shows where the announcer displays two celebrities who at some awkward moment look a bit like one another. A “trekian” spin was applied to the concept in Episode 150 of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Second Chances", written by Mike Medlock and directed by LeVar Burton.

“Having already gone down the 'evil twin' route (with Data and Lore) but still wishing to explore ideas of doubles and doubling, the writers of "Second Chances" involve Riker in a plot that would later be exploded into the Gwyneth Paltrow indie film Sliding Doors. Once upon a time, young Lieutenant Will Riker was the last crew member beamed off of a planet as its distortion field intensified. Eight years later he returns to the same planet as Commander Will Riker and learns that he both did and he didn't make it off the planet. The distortion field caused him to split into two, one of whom made it and one who didn't get away. Like bickering brothers, once the two Rikers meet, they don't get along. One thing that helped Lieutenant Riker get through his eight years as a castaway was thoughts of his main squeeze at the time, counselor Deanna Troi. When Lieutenant Riker finds out Commander Riker chose career over romance, he sees it as a chance to make things right. Then again, maybe it's just in his nature to choose career first. Jonathan Frakes hams it up in his dual role, while the true second chance belongs to Troi, who quickly falls back into a relationship with the Riker who didn't leave her on purpose. She's the true heart of the story, even though the twin Rikers get all the screen time.” --Andy Spletzer

When last we saw "Tom" Riker (Deep Space Nine episode 55: "The Defiant"), he was thrown into a Cardassian prison for the rest of his life - but that's apparently not the end of the story, as this recent Earth sighting shows:

Will Riker, c. 2368

Tom (Will?, Dave?, The Debil?) Riker, c. 2005

Time anomaly? Wormhole? Yet another transporter accident? The answer's sure to be revealed in a future movie or novel, but remember, you saw it here first!

When It Rains It Pours!

There's some crazy flooding going on in the Oklahoma City metro area right now. Dann text me this picture near Douschapeake!

Pool Priceless

From a Facespace post by Justin yesterday:

Sunscreen...$9.00
Beach towel..$20.00
Beer Bust...$6.00
Good times with great friends...Getting pricey

True. So what else is there to do at the pool besides swim, drink, and soak up the sun?

Have your nails did!

Unfortunately we couldn't find last season's color!

Would you like some ranch with that? (Repost from 8-22-2008)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. Ranch dressing. In Oklahoma it's a side dish!

What the fuck is the obession with ranch salad dressing? Is this an Oklahoma thing? I think not after doing some research at Bitter Waitress. Why is it that most patrons at a restaurant have to have a gallon of ranch with all food items?

"Can I get a water with lemon and a side of ranch?"
"I'll have the cheesecake for dessert with a side of ranch."
"I'd like the red snapper special along with a kiddie pool of ranch on the side."

FUCK.

One day I'll own my own restaurant and I intend to have a mini fridge at each table stocked full of FUCKING RANCH SALAD DRESSING so some poor server slob making $2.13 and hour doesn't have to run to the kitchen three hundred times a shift to get a side of ranch to go along with someone's FUCKING BURNT TO A CRISP WELL DONE STEAK WITH A-1 SAUCE!!!

Many thanks to the d-bags that have the common courtesy to request a side of ranch at the time their order is being taken! You've saved me a lot of time running my ass off for a 12% tip!

Sometimes food should be enjoyed without being slathered with salad dressing... another diet Pepsi?

The Informers

From the book cover: "In this seductive and chillingly nihilistic novel, Bret Easton Ellis, the author of 'American Psycho,' returns to Los Angeles, the city whose moral badlands he portrayed unforgettably in 'Less Than Zero.' The time is the early eighties. The characters go to the same schools and eat at the same restaurants. Their voices enfold us as seamlessly as those of DJ's heard over a car radio. They have sex with the same boys and girls and buy from the same dealers. In short, they are connected in the only way people can be in that city."

What the book jacket doesn't explain and what I didn't know is that this novel is a collection of short stories that loosely connect with each other. This confused me at first until I read some reviews online. Had I known this I probably wouldn't have bought the book but it ended up being a satisfactory read nonetheless. The characters are typical for an Ellis novel or story, vapid and mostly unlikeable. Though I say that, I'm a big fan of his writing style, specifically his ability to craft interesting dialogue between characters and his ability to tap into cultural references of the period, especially music, fashion, and lingo.

Most of the chapters or stories are worth the read with only a couple of clunkers thrown into the mix. Two of the later chapters can be a bit disturbing, another Ellis trait. A good, quick read that I recommend. Not as good as "American Psycho" but on par and a bit more polished than "Less Than Zero."

Jesus, Save Me From Your Followers! (Repost from 5-28-2006)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. Who could forget Joshua Jantz's crazy campaign literature:

I encourage everyone to visit http://www.joshuajantz.com/ and let Josh know what we think about his kOoKy politics. He can take the prayer for my salvation, wrap it up in a hedge of thorns and shove it up his ass. Thanks to Dad for the information!

Good news for State Senate District 46, he's running again! Check it out here. Feel free to give Josh a call, he's listed his phone number on the web page!

Dave's World (Repost from 6-24-2005)

For the next couple of weeks I'll be reposting some of my favorite posts over the years to celebrate the 5th birthday of my blog. To kick things off, my first posting ever:

So this is my first blog. My name is Dave... see title. Before I jump right into this thing here's some information my neice emailed me. I'm from Oklahoma and you know you're from Oklahoma if:

You can properly pronounce Eufaula, Gotebo, Okemah, and Chickasha.
You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are sissies.
A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel.
Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.
You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.
Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.
You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.
You measure distance in minutes.
You refer to the capital of Oklahoma as "The City."
It doesn't bother you to use an airport named for a man who died in an airplane crash.
Little smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.
You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.
You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.
You know cow pies are not made of beef.
Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.
You know in which state Miam-uh is and in which state Miam-ee is.
You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all in the same store.
Your "place at the lake" has wheels under it.
A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F350 4x4 GT is a status symbol.
You know everything goes better with Ranch.
You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.
You actually get these jokes and are "fixin" to send them to your friends.

Finally, you are 100% Oklahoman if you have ever heard this conversation:
"You wanna coke?" "Yeah." "What kind?" "Dr. Pepper."

Odds and Ends

I saw this video at Godless Liberal Homo. I thought for sure it was a Corn for Lt. Governor campaign ad until I saw the ending...

I also found some funny videos that link to Make Homosexuals Marry at The Gaytheist Agenda.

"To the 44% of Californians who think homosexuals should not be allowed to marry. Why would you support prop8 and spare them from a long, unforgiving, lifetime of wedded torment?"

Top Chef Returns Next Week!

Top Chef starts it's new season next Wednesday so that means I'll be blogging about the show again this season every Thursday morning. I look forward to reading all the other blogs that I read last year on the subject, hopefully everyone will still be interested in sharing their thoughts about Bravo's best show/series. To get acquainted with the contestants for this season, check out the bio pages on Bravo's website.

Speaking of Bravo, I tuned in last night for the finale of Top Chef: Masters, definitely not as entertaining as the original Top Chef series. After the season conclusion, Bravo showed the first episode of their new series Work of Art: The Next Great Artist. Normally this isn't the kind of show I would watch, mainly because I'm a complete moron when it comes to art. I know nothing about the subject matter and I don't have one artistic bone in my body. As it turns out the show totally sucked me in from the start. From Bravo's website:

"In each episode, contestants are faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. The weekly assignments are exciting, original and will challenge the artists' to push the limits of their technical skills and creative boundaries. Completed works of art will be appraised by our panel of top art world figures alongside a new celebrated guest judge every week. Through a gallery showing at the end of each challenge, these industry select dictate which artists have successfully mastered the subject matter and creation of their piece, as well as whose concept leaves the greatest impact."

Basically the first episode centered around getting to know the contestants who all brought a self portrait of themselves to the gallery. Each member was then paired off and was challenged to create a portrait of the person with whom they were paired. It was an interesting first challenge and so far I really like the show. It remains to be seen if I can stick with it for an entire season. Did anyone else out there in reader land see the new show? Anyone like it so far?

Who Will Pay the Piper?

Indeed. There are a few faces missing from this billboard, Ronald Wilson Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George Walker Bush.

What do we do about this government's out of control debt and deficits? Raise taxes? Yeah, that's always popular. Cut government spending? Maybe, where to begin? The majority of government spending goes toward entitlement programs and military spending. More popular choices: cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, or Military spending!

My choice would be a combination of tax increases and military cuts, of course that would entail ending our wars in the Middle East in the near future. If we really supported the troops we'd bring them home right now! That's my opinion, what's yours?

Link

It's Pool Season!

How do I know this? Not from the 90+ degree weather or because it's June. I know this because:

• Matt and Justin tell me it's so.
• I have patches of sunburn in random parts of my body from where the sunscreen began to wear off though I applied the spray evenly every hour. My left shoulder, right ankle, the left side of my belly, and my scalp itch constantly.
• I'm drinking cocktails or (gasp) beer from plastic cups.
• Everyone makes fun of my Speedo. Like the homeboy suits my friends are wearing are stylish!
• I'm drunk on Saturday afternoon. Oh wait... that's just a normal weekend!

Trying to even out my "farmer's tan."

Justin and his money pasties.

Felicia McBushy. Eww.

Lean Mean Thirteen

Either I've read way too many Stephanie Plum novels lately or "Lean Mean Thirteen" by Janet Evanovich is one of the weaker books in the series. Probably a little of both.

Despite having some amusing side stories about grave digging and exploding taxidermy, my heart just wasn't in this installment of Stephanie Plum's adventures as a New Jersey bounty hunter. The ending did help salvage the book a little. I have two more books to go in the series and then I can just read the new novels yearly instead of several throughout the year. Recommended if you're reading the series in order or a huge fan, otherwise skip it if this is your first experience with Evanovich's heroine Stephanie Plum.

Quote: Ranger to Stephanie: “Babe, you’ve destroyed a car, burned down two buildings, stapled a guy’s nuts, and you have sixteen stitches in your leg. Take a night off. Have a glass of wine, watch some television, and go to bed early.”

Car deaths: 1 (What's up with that? Though Stephanie did kill many buildings in this installment).

The Rules of Attraction

From the back cover of the novel: "Set at a small, affluent liberal-arts college in New England at the height of the Reagan 80s, 'The Rules of Attraction' is a startlingly funny, kaleidoscopic novel about three students with no plans for the future--or even the present--who become entangled in a curious romantic triangle. Bret Easton Ellis trains his incisive gaze on the kids at self-consciously bohemian Camden College and treats their sexual posturings and agonies with a mixture of acrid hilarity and compassion while exposing the moral vacuum at the center of their lives.

Lauren changes boyfriends every time she changes majors and still pines for Victor who split for Europe months ago and she might or might not be writing anonymous love letter to ambivalent, hard-drinking Sean, a hopeless romantic who only has eyes for Lauren, even if he ends up in bed with half the campus, and Paul, Lauren's ex, forthrightly bisexual and whose passion masks a shrewd pragmatism. They waste time getting wasted, race from Thirsty Thursday Happy Hours to Dressed To Get Screwed parties to drinks at The Edge of the World or The Graveyard. 'The Rules of Attraction' is a poignant, hilarious take on the death of romance."

I really wanted to like my third Bret Easton Ellis novel I've read this year more than I actually did. I enjoyed the writing style very much and the first person perspective of each chapter that was presented by a different character, mainly Lauren Hynde, Sean Bateman, or Paul Denton. It was interesting to see each character describe the same events but with different conclusions as to what really happened or to how people really felt. The novel is much lighter and more humorous than other books by Ellis that I've read and I appreciate that as a nice change.

Given all that I did like about the novel, it was hard for me to overcome the negatives. The actions of the lead characters through the course of a term at Camden become tedious over time. How much class cutting, bed swapping, partying, boozing, and drugging (typical college behavior) can one read about when there isn't a real path to a conclusion other than the end of the term. Definitely the death of romance! Recommended for Ellis fans, others beware.

Malcolm X Street?

I've never ran into a Malcolm X street in any of my many adventures in various cities. Have you?

Dallas Trip Part 3

After running around Dallas during much of the day Saturday, it was time to get ready for the night's entertainment, Wicked at Fair Park and clubs in the Oak Lawn area. We called a cab to shuttle us to the musical about an hour before curtain call. About thirty minutes from the start of the show there was still no cab! In a panic we decided to make the seven mile drive ourselves. It took 45 minutes to make the short drive, the traffic was absolutely insane. I kept expecting to run into construction or a traffic accident but none appeared. I got the impression that traffic downtown is always like this in Dallas. I'll never complain about driving cross-town again in Oklahoma City. To add insult to injury, Mel, who drove us around all day, suddenly didn't want to drive us in a stressful situation. I got to drive. Bitch.

Luckily so many people were late to the show that the theatre postponed the beginning time by about twenty minutes. We only ended up missing the opening song.



Defying Gravity, my favorite song from Wicked.

The touring production of Wicked was excellent. Technically it was a much better show than what I saw in Tulsa last year and each member of the cast was superb. I'd highly recommend seeing the show in Dallas if you have the chance, it will be playing until the end of this month.

After the show we drove back to the hotel to call a cab to go out for some drinks. Again, it took forever for the cab to arrive. Luckily while we were waiting we were entertained by an argument between a woman and a man over how their cars were parked in front of the hotel. Basically the woman was stuck behind the guy's car while his wife was checking in inside the hotel. The poor lady, her husband, and her kids only wanted to get by so they could park and go up to their room. The asshat, with Louisiana plates, refused to move his SUV. An argument ensued and the lady told the man that he "obviously wasn't from Texas" and the man told the lady while moving toward her, "bitch, get back in your car!" All of us waiting for the cab thought it might get ugly and that the possibility was there that we would have to step in to break up an altercation. Calmly the lady went inside the hotel and called the police. The response time by Dallas PD was amazing, they really should talk to the cab companies! By the time we got out in Oak Lawn it was around midnight.

Only having two hours to go our drinking really sucks. In the infamous words of Jaclyn, "we have to hit it hard!" So we did. The majority of the time that we went to the bar to buy beers we also ordered a round of shots. By the time we headed back to the hotel around 2:30 AM I was feeling pretty good. Some pictures from the bar hopping:

Mel, the Captain, and Dann showing the deuce at JR's.

I just love big cities! View from upstairs at Woody's.

Last bar of the night, The Mining Company. Starting to look a little rough...

3 AM Whataburger!!

The clubs were so much fun, mostly I think because of the great music. I grow weary of the same old scene here at home, especially the lack of good dance music. Where in Oklahoma City do you hear Wamdue Project? Maybe at the Park when Timmy is working, maybe...



Actually, the best part of the entire trip was just hanging out with some good friends. Dann and the girls are so much fun to be with, I bust a gut everytime we hang out no matter where we're chillin'! Best quotes from the trip:

"Did he give you the deuce?"

"There are walkers for days!"

"We have to hit it hard!"

"The last time I was in Texas, Al Gore was President."

"Release the Kraken!" Apparently the slang the kids are using these days for dropping a deuce.

"Mecca." Mel referring to Texas Stadium.

This was my first trip back to Texas, excluding airports, since George W. Bush was elected President (I banned Texas after they gave us such a moron leader). I now look forward to going back to the land of steers and queers in the near future, hopefully for more than just a day!

8: The Mormon Proposition

Good luck finding it in Oklahoma City after June 18th.

The documentary seems to tell us what we already know, the Mormon Church spent a shit ton of money to help assure the passage of California's Proposition 8. I ask you dear reader, what is more disturbing:

Gay Marriage:

• Believing two consenting adults should be able to enter into a union that most other Americans enjoy even though they are the same sex.

Or

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints:

• Believe in mandatory tithing to the church.
• Believe that Jesus Christ, after his resurrection (I know also crazy), visited the Americas.
• Believe that God created multiple worlds and each world has people living on it.
• Believe in magic underwear. Need I say more?

These are just a few examples of the nutty views Mormons believe. Perhaps our country or states should adopt a law to keep churches and their views separate from government. Oh wait...

Trip to Dallas Part 2

While in the West End Historic District we found via GPS that we were near Dealey Plaza, the site of the assassination of John Kennedy.

According to Wikipedia, "the plaza is named for George Bannerman Dealey (1859–1946), an early publisher of The Dallas Morning News and civic leader, and the man who had campaigned for the area's revitalization."

What I found most surprising about the infamous area was how small it was. The old Texas School Book Depository and the Grassy Knoll are much closer to each other and Elm street than I had thought.

Some pictures of the area:

The old Texas School Book Depository now the Sixth Floor Museum that occupies the top two floors of the seven story building.

There are two X's on Elm street that mark the location where shots hit the Kennedy motorcade. Creepy no?

Even creepier was us having our picture took on the marks in the middle of the street:

Mel and Jaclyn.

Dann.

Me, definitely a weird place for a photograph.

The triple underpass.

The Grassy Knoll and Bryan pergola.

Dealey Plaza.

Is the giant "Grassy Knoll" sign really necessary?

If you want to see what's going on at Dealey Plaza right now, check out the Dealey Plaza Cam.

Trip to Dallas Part 1

Every time I drive into Dallas, Texas, I'm reminded of the opening music for the television show "Dallas."

Anyhow, Dann and I drove to Dallas on Saturday morning to meet Mel and the Captain with the main purpose of seeing Wicked that night. Since we arrived in the early afternoon we were afforded some time to check out some of the downtown areas of the city.

We headed to the West End Historic District to see Bodies the Exhibition. I had seen the exhibition before when it was in Oklahoma City and while I think it's definitely something that should be seen, I'm not so sure it's worth a ticket price of 22 dollars.

Some pictures of the buildings around the West End:

The Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in Dallas at 921 feet and 72 stories.

Renaissance Tower, features cross bracing in the form of two large "X" patterns behind each facade.

Fountain Place, clad in green glass and sculpted into a prism.

Reunion Tower is a 560 foot tall observation tower.

Something I really enjoy about visiting other cities or even in my own is to learn about the local architecture both old and new. I wish I had more time in Dallas to check out other buildings downtown. For more information about the buildings in Dallas, click here.