Better Watch Out!!!

So, as soon as I condemn Mashuptown for not posting a good mashup in ages, a great mashup appears in my pocasts folder the very next day.  And it's a Christmas mashup to boot!!  So, in an effort to help you on your way to the holidays, I give you The Ramones and the Jackson 5!

Get your own playlist at snapdrive.net!

On the first day of Christmas, Party Ben gave to me...

...5 cool mashups!!!  Okay - I should have made that the 5th day, but I couldn't wait that long! I've long since written off my used-to-be-favorite site for fresh mashups, Mashuptown.com, since they haven't posted anything good in ages.  Then I got a note from Carla in the Great White North and she linked me to Party Ben's site and a fresh, funny mash that needed a listen.  While there, I discovered a number of other Party Ben creations that made my day.  Here is a list:

• Single Ladies (In Mayberry) - Beyonce/Andy Griffith Show Theme
  
• Tender Umbrella - Rhianna/General Public
  
• Rehab (Can't Help Myself) - Amy Winehouse/The 4 Tops
  
• Hella Dare - Gorillaz/No Doubt/Deep Purple
  
• Genius of London - Tom Tom Club/Fergie

Since I'm such a sharing guy, here you go!!  (You can find the downloads at the Party Ben site.)


Get your own playlist at snapdrive.net!

This is not the blog you're looking for...

I have been adding friends like crazy on Facebook as of late (though not as many as Jean) and have noticed that many of my extended family have blogs.  "You should check out our blog" they say.  So, I did.  I didn't get what I expected, although maybe my expectations were not realistic.

I realize that there are many different kinds of blogs, and in general they contain what people think about things or cool things they have come across (see Our Lady Of Perpetual Hell) , info about culture or music or movies (see Pop Candy), or just random crap.  I try and post about thinks I have encountered, or things I like, that others might enjoy or be horrified about.   Get what you get, I suppose.  So, in an effort to see what other people like or feel strongly about, I ventured out to see what they had to say.

What I got was much like going to any family party.   A lot of pictures of kids, or vacations, or weddings, but not a whole lot about what they really thought inside or something cool they wanted to share.  (Okay - so now I may have pissed people off.  That was not my intention, I was mearly expecting something entirely different.)  I guess sharing those fun things is good, but mix in a good "this is what I think about that" posting in addition to those cute kids.  I can always catch up with you at the family Christmas Party or on Facebook.  :)

With that, I am adding a new link to my list of a friend that works with me.  She has just started her blog and there aren't many items there, but they are interesting.  (Found out something I didn't know about her.)  

Quick Notes

I was going title this "Quick Thoughts", but those of you who know me know that my thoughts are rarely quick.  Maybe my wit on occation, but not my thoughts.  So here you go:

• Movie Review:  Quantum of Solace - I really liked this one and am continually happy that these "Bond" movies are less and less like the Bond movies of old.  I kinda liked those movies at the time, but now can hardly watch them.  This one, like most critics have pointed out is more like a Bourne movie than anything else with it's pacing and filming, but the movie was exciting!  Pay full price.
• Movie Review:  Eagle Eye - Again, thinking about this one, it was much like the Bond movie above.  A thrill ride with a learn as you go plot.  Really a fun movie and an interesting idea.  (Not an original one, but a good one.)  Pay matinee price - but see it on the big screen.
• And this is one reason why I love golf.
• Oh - and this was a great article by one of my favorite blogs.

More coming soon!!

Election Day in a Red State

Just got done with casting my ballot, so I thought I would share some non-partisan thoughts.

1. They should not have quite so many old people running things at the polling station.  After being placed in the wrong line twice because the lady didn't bother asking me what letter my last name started with, a neighbor of mine hollered to me to come into the correct line.  Bless their souls, just let them hand out the "I Voted" stickers and leave it at that.
2. Gone is the age of voting in private.  I kinda liked the old school red, white, and blue striped voting curtains that made it so you didn't feel like someone was looking over your shoulder when you were voting.  Now with the new electronic machines, you simply have a touch screen, with 8" pannels that extend at a 45 deg angle away from it.  So pretty much, while I was waiting in line I could see exactly what everbody was voting for if I wanted to.  I chose to look at the cute baby in the carrier that his dad had placed on the floor.  :)
3. Why do they even allow you to vote a straight ticket?  Talk about voting for lazy people.  I admit that I have been guilty of doing this in the past - mostly because I was lazy and didn't really care about taking the time to read about the different cannidates.  This is particualarly damning if you happen to be a person that is running as a democrat in a "Red State".  Doesn't matter what you say or who you are - if no one is listening you are going to get hosed by the straight party vote.  :(
4. Dang it is hard to get non skewed information.  I've gone back and forth on issues like our recent city bond vote because of things I've heard from this or that person.  Finally got some info this last weekend that answered my questions.  (I won't tell you how I voted...)

So, an election has come and gone, and now I get to listen to predictions for the rest of the day and look at all the people displaying the "I Voted" stickers in a sad attempt to get validation that they did the right thing today.  sigh

Trunk or Treat!!

Yikes!!  Now that I write that title it sounds like either you get a treat or you get stuffed in the trunk!!  Nothing as morbid as that though.  Saturday night was the annual "Trunk or Treat" party at church and it was loads of fun.  Instead of (or in addition to) going from house to house, everyone backs the cars up to the sidewalk around the church and kids get to go from car to car getting candy.  The kids looked cute - so I thought I better post some pictures!!  

Brooke as "Miss America"
Chase as "Red Power Ranger"
Tyson as "Skeleton"
and Parker as "Thomas the Tank Engine"

Pandora-monium!!!

I was working late last night and needed a music refresh in a bad way.  Since no one was around, my cube neighbor, Lance, had turned up his collection of hair metal up and we were jamming.  How did he have such a grand array of face melting rock?  Turns out he didn't own it - he was enjoing the tunes via Pandora.

I was intrigued.  Turns out that the Pandora site works like an online radio station - except you get to control the type of music that is played.  I needed to try this out right away!!  When you go to their site for the first time, you are invited to create a login and enter in an artist that signifies what genre of music you want to hear.  Just to try it out, I entered in one of my favorites:  Good Charlotte.  I must admit that I was puzzled at first when the first song played was not Good Charlotte, but instead, Blink 182.  Ooo, that song is good too!!!  Then came Good Charlotte, Foo Fighters, and Yellowcard.  This is awesome!!  I wanted to make sure I got some Green Day in there too, so I added them to my station selection, and up came Green Day and then The Ramones.  Heaven!!  

So far so good.  I thought I would mix it up a bit and created an additional, seperate station based on Erasure.  (Jean has influenced me over the years.)  After Erasure, I was treated to Depeche Mode, and then New Order.  

That is all I had time for last night so I look forward to listening all day long.  There doesn't seem to be an end to what you can come up with.  Create a station for any mood you are in, and you can switch on the fly.  The UI is good, clean, and easy to use.  Most of all, the music jams.  And if you are like me, and only buy stuff you really, really like, it can be a great way to hear some other stuff that you forgot about or haven't heard before.  Oh, and what if you don't like the song playing?  Give it a thumbs down and you won't hear it again!!  

Eeek!! I got bubble gum on my shoe!!!

Been a while since I posted, and it has been even longer since I posted any music.  So, it's time to get your bubblicious pop on and check out Mutya Buena.  Once a part of the Brit-Pop group "Sugababes", she split from them in 2005 and released her first solo album "Real Girl" in 2007.  

I stumbled on her while checking out similar groups via Last.fm and love the sugary sweetness of it all.  So, for your listening pleasure, I give you Mutya Buena's "Real Girl" and "B Boy Baby (Feat. Amy Winehouse)".

Get your own playlist at snapdrive.net!

In a world where a gaping hole was left...

Sad day today.  As much as the death of Heath Ledger left a hole in Hollywood, I was more saddened by the death of Don LaFontaine.  Yes - you know him.

I'm pretty sure that he will have an instant job as the voice of God soon.  

Go, Miniman, Go!

If you know me at all, you know that I have an incredible love for all things Lego. I have had Lego in my life since I was 3 starting with brick sized building blocks. (They came in a whopping 3 colors back then, but they still are holding strong as my kids play with them to this day.) In the late 70's, they introduced the Lego mini figure, and they have been a staple for Lego sets ever since. Most recently, they have added adaptations of the mini figure featuring Star Wars (I'm in heaven), Indiana Jones, and even Batman (I'm in a higher heaven).

Turns out that it is the 30th anniversary of the mini figure, and to celebrate, Lego has launched the Go, Miniman, Go website. I loved the video included (Carla - you will especially like the hockey segment):


They are even having some contests for original videos featuring the minimen and prizes include vintage lego sets. I wish I could get my hands on some full sets of the original "Space Lego's" from back in the day. No birthday or Christmas was complete with out adding to my collection.

Ahhh - the Power of a Dollar

We are full force into soccer now. All three boys are playing, and this is Chase and Parker's first year. (They are on the same team.) After the first week and a half I was frustrated with the inability of anyone on the team to put the ball into the goal, or at least to kick it in that direction. So I pulled Chase aside and told him that I would give him a dollar if he could score a goal. Less than 2 minutes later he broke out of the scrum, took it the length of the field (all 20 yards of it), and "He shoots - he scores"!!! Good thing I had a dollar. :)

Now that's a Hybrid!!

I totally understand the hype behind the Toyota Prius, and would love to own a hybrid someday. The problem is they are UGLY!!! When they start making them look like this on a regular basis, I will be all over it.

Snide Remarks - Bike Curious

One of my favorite blogs to read is "Snide Remarks" by Eric D. Snider. A California native and former Utah resident, Eric has had his articles and movie reviews printed in newspapers, magazines and on the web. Needless to say, he has some great stories about his time in "Happy Valley" and his writing is hilarious. I found this choice article about biking today and thought I would pass it on. :) Enjoy!!

The Parent Trap

It is funny to me how you can go for a very long time not thinking about a particular topic, event, or idea, and then all of a sudden it pops up everywhere! I found that happening to me the last week with "The Parent Trap".

First, the kids were watching TV and the Disney Channel showed the remake of the movie staring a pre "I'm-a-bad-singing-crazy-alcoholic-nasty-maybe-lesbian" (allegedly) Lindsey Lohan opposite herself as the split apart twins. Not really a bad remake in my opinion, which also stared Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as the parents.

I didn't think too much about it at that point, but I admit that I always start thinking about the original version staring the ever so cute Haley Mills as Sharron/Susan. One of the best things about it was the inclusion of the song, "Let's Get Together" - a song I find myself singing in my head everytime someone says, "Hey - let's get together sometime". :)



Classic. So then this week I am bumping around trying (with mad hope) to see if the Go-Go's are going to be playing a show somewhere near me this year. I never figured that out (Dang!!) but when I followed a link to their MySpace page, low and behold there was a track to be played - "Let's Get Together"!!! 'Oh - please let it be that song!!!', I thought, and was filled with giddiness when it was! Turns out they recorded the song for the Disneymania 5 cd. I immediatly went to iTunes and there it was sandwiched between The Cheetah Girls, Miley Cyrus, and Hayden Panettiere's version of Cruella De Vil. (As a side note - WHAT??? I never knew that the Heroes cheerleader sang!!)

Get your own playlist at snapdrive.net!

No problem dropping $0.99 for that - what a treat!!!

Randomness? I think not - Aliens? Maybe....

The Quest for the Glazed Jersey

I think that most of you know that I have dusted the old bike off this summer and have started riding to and from work on most days. The reasons for doing so range from "It is just fun" to "I'm saving the environment (and money for gas - oil jerks!!)". I gotta say the going was tough those first couple of weeks, but now it is a breeze - unless I pair up with Ken (Bro in law and super biker extraordinaire) and he pushes me until I want to puke. ;)

The time came, though, when I wanted to test my riding and what better opportunity than the first annual American Fork "Tour de Donut". Biking - and eating donuts at the same time??? Sounds perfect!!!

The rules of the Tour are pretty straight forward. First, you ride a 7 mile loop. Then you have a chance to eat as many glazed donuts as you like, and each donut you eat earns you a 3 minute deduction from your total time. Eat 5 donuts - deduct 15 minutes from your time. (And no barfing allowed!!) Then, jump back on your bike and ride another 7 miles, then eat, then ride the final 7 miles. Total time and adjusted time were taken at the end, and trophies given to the various categories.

I gotta say - my first thought was, "Man - this will be easy!!" The first 2 donuts went down with no problem, but when I came around from the second lap I could only do just one more. Errrp I more wanted to finish riding the 21 miles than I did want to eat another donut. (Now, if they had been maple bars that may have been different all together. Mmmmm.....maplie goodness...

I did finish - and not last. You can see the results here, but I finished in 77:57 Minutes, and ate 3 donuts so I ended up at 68:57 Minutes total. There are two schools of thought on this race - either race fast, or eat many donuts. The winner actually took 71 minutes to ride, but shoved down 25 freaking donuts to end up with a time of -3:47 minutes!!! (Yes, that is negative!!!) Amazing feat. At any rate - I will for sure be trying to better my time next year.

The reeealy Dark Knight

(spoiler free)

Wow, where to start. I was unsure whether to believe the hype going into the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight. But go ahead and believe it. The movie is great, Ledger's performance as the Joker is truly insane, and when a movie keeps you guessing as to what will happen, I rank it as wonderful.

I must say that this is a dark, violent movie and a PG-13 rating is just about right - I wouldn't take anyone under 14 to it I think.

I give it a full ticket price with the added review that I will probably see it again - perhaps at the IMAX.

(Note: The movie was filmed in the IMAX format and then shrunk to fit a normal screen)

Wall-zzzzzzzz

Ahhh, summer. The time for sitting by the pool, camping, and fondly awaiting the latest Pixar movie for some great entertainment. Gotta say that the family and I were eager to throw down our money to catch this years movie, "Wall-e". (Unfortunately we ended up in the front row.)

The lights dimmed, and we were treated to a fantastic short, "Presto", about a magician and his overworked, underfed bunny rabbit. So dang cute, and hilarious too!! So a big thumbs up for that.

Then the feature started and we were presented with a cute little robot who had been left behind by the humans to continue on and clean up this messy little planet. Seems that we humans had consumed more and more and left things in a huge mess. As a result, the earth can no longer support life. So Wall-e goes on smashing garbage down into little squares and builds them in to huge towers of crap. But he also has taken on a life of his own, collecting odds and ends and enjoying family musicals. (Hello Dolly) Soon enough, a probe robot appears and seems to be looking for signs of natural life. A cute love story ensues, and eventually both are whisked away to a luxury cruise liner that carries the remains of the human race. Well, as human as they can be. Humans have had their every whim catered to for so long that they are all insanely fat and are totally oblivious to their surroundings due to the video screen/phone mounted right in front of them. (Cell phone anyone?) Of course there is a happy ending.

So really, it wasn't a bad movie, social commentary was pretty much spot on, characters were cute, animation of course was fantastic. The story was just a little boring - my kids were a little bored and I didn't blink twice when Parker needed to go to the restroom. (I even considered sneaking into Iron Man which was playing across the way.) I think that the action of saving the last leafy plant in existence came too late and was such a minor note that it just didn't ever capture my attention and take me for a ride. This is, after all, a summer movie.

I give it a Matinee rating - mostly for the animation and the social commentary.

HULK SMASH!!!

Craig Sez:

Grab your lowered expectations and head on out to see "The Incredible Hulk"! Gotta admit that I was really unsure about this one - but came away pleasantly entertained. (Of course, I had to go see it by myself because Jean is still scared of the big green guy. To be more specific, she is more scared of the Lou Ferrigno version, who makes a nice cameo and does the voice work for the Hulk too. I digress.)

At any rate, the drama is not as lengthy in this one because you already know the back story, so you just buckle your seat belt and go along for the action ride. Just in case you did miss the first one, make sure you are on time because there is a 3 minute primer for you while the credits are running. Then is it where we left off with Banner hiding out in Brazil trying to learn how to control the beast and keep it suppressed. He is really working to find a way to rid himself of the gamma radiation and thus return to normal. Turns out that he may have to learn to embrace the sickness in order to rid the city of the new beast - The Abomination.

As for the CGI - it's nice to see a production company get thing right after seeing the terrible effects in Indiana Jones. Of course there is no hiding it is CGI - but that is okay because the guys that are fighting are as big as trucks. I think that where people have a harder time with the Hulk in general is because when he turns "super" he doesn't have the same personality anymore. When Iron Man goes out - he is still the same person - just with a suit and abilities, same with Spiderman.

So, my rating is "Pay full price" if you are a fan of the comic genre, or a "matinee" if you just want a good action flick.

Weight a minute!

Craig sez:
Slowly over the past few years my weight has crept up to an unhealthy 230 lbs and the usual side effects that accompany this have made me miserable. Last year some may remember that I even started to walk and play Wallyball in an effort to get in better shape. I am happy to say that my heart is healthier, and I feel like I have more energy, but the weight remains.

This year (starting 3 days ago) my company, Corda, is again sponsoring a fitness/wellness challenge. Rather than just having the normal point per mile challenge, they are trying to get everyone to achieve balance in their lives. So not only do I need to exercise, but I'm required (jokes) to take Jean out on a date once a week, drink 64 oz of water a day, limit my sodium, meditate, read (gosh!!), keep a fitness journal, and do service! There is also a list of things I probably won't do like no TV, no soda, and no junk food. I might - but it may take some doing.

So here I go, I'm proud to say that I am doing pretty well so far and feeling better about it. (Although I think I drank way to much water yesterday without eating and I wanted to puke!) I have a goal to drop to 185 lbs by the end of August which is about 3 lbs a week - doable I think if I can start eating right. I'm also starting to ride my recently refurbished bike to work (9 miles one way) 3 times a week. Anyway - you can track my progress at Fit Day if you are interested or if you just want to see if I'm slacking. Check back later for updates and to see what Jean is doing in her efforts to shed a few pounds!

Movie Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Craig says:

Opening day of the new Indiana Jones movie and, thanks to my place of employment, we were in attendance. I gotta say that after seeing the trailer for it I have seen my expectations of the film drop so I was pretty much ready for anything. And anything is what they gave. At first I thought, 'Man - this is cheesy', and it was. Then I remembered that aside from the first one, the others were pretty cheesy too. I also remembered that I was still in my teen years when the movies came out - and for that time it was the coolest thing on the screen. My how time changes your perception. Of course, if you have seen the previous films, then you must go and see this one on the big screen too, just leave your thirst for good dialog at the door and you will be fine. Turn back the clock and enjoy it for what it is - and take a 8 and 11 year old with you to watch their eyes soak it all in - and remember when that was you. I rate it: See it in on the big screen, but don't bother going twice.

PS - One thing my sister pointed out - maybe he is super smart by now, but it sure seemed that he figured everything out really easily. "Hmmm - lemme just translate this and we will be off okay?" Bad guys? No worries. Natives? Just show them the skull. sigh...