Thursday, April 27, 2006

National "TV Turnoff Week"


In an attempt to promote this glorious week where we are supposed to take a journey of self discovery and try something new, TV Turnoff Week, I thought I would make a quick note.

If you live in New Mexico and happen to think you see me invading your TV set during a UPS Store commercial, don't fret or get concerned. It is no doppleganger. Fortunately or otherwise, that is me playing the boss in the advertisement. I haven't seen it yet and more then likely will never see it as it plays (I will have a copy on DVD) because it will be playing only on Comcast and Cableone cable in New Mexico. If you live in New Mexico and have one of these cable providers, then you might catch it if you watch your basic cable channels (like CNN or ESPN).

Anyway...I thought I'd let you know so you are not surprised. That way you can laugh with me, not at me.

Monday, April 24, 2006

And the Oscar for best tobbaconist goes to...


Wait a second. Did he just say tobacconist!?!? What the hell does he mean. Well my smoking jacket wearing friends, let me tell you. This weekend I was lucky enough to get to work on a wonderful short film here in Roswell, New Mexico, USA. I was brought on as an acting coach and worked with the director and actors to help the acting stay as close to the directors intention as possible.

But a funny thing happened on the movie set. One of the characters in the movie was required to smoke a ciggarette and then flick it at the camera. Problem was...he never even held a cancer stick before, let alone tossed one. So, as the guy outside smoking, I was naturally asked to become the smoking coach. During the shoot, we went through more then a pack of ciggarettes trying to film a scene that will probably end up about 2 minutes max on the screen.

I don't know how many films hire a tobacconist, and I am sure I am not the first, but, I have to say, it is the pinnacle of my movie career to date. Give me my Oscar, you Hollywood curs!!!

Friday, April 21, 2006

A good thing?


Recently, I was talked into getting a myspace account. For those of you who may not know what myspace is, it is a place on the web for people to show that they have friends, make business connections, find dates, or just plain screw around. Well...I pretty much don't bother with stuff like that, but because it seemed so many people I knew were up and running there, I figured what the hay.

As a big surprise to me, I quickly realized a wonderful thing about it; you can be reconnected with people you haven't heard from in forever (this might not always be a good thing). I had a chance to talk to an old friend of mine who I haven't been able to contact in years. So now I am a believer. The rest of it still seems kind of goofy to me, with the only other benefit so far being reading the rants and oddities from a certain friend of this blog who shall remain nameless.

Have a good weekend

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Alaska


As this semester winds down, I have started giving some thought to what I should do with some of my vacation time this year. The one thing that keeps popping in my mind is Alaska: more specifically, an Alaskan cruise. I have been out there before, but never on a ship.

I have been doing some research on it for the last couple of weeks and have found incredably cheap cruises in the latter part of May. The only problem is that the prices are based on double occupancy. The cost for one person to go is about the same as two.

So my first question is, any of y'all wanna go to Alaska with me in May? A 7 night all inclusive (except airfare) is as cheap as 700 bucks! Don't get me wrong, I can find someone to go with, but I want to have fun. Let me explain. There are certain women that I could get to go, but, and sorry if any of you are reading this, I don't want it to be a romantic trip...i.e. I don't want to have that kind of expectation/pressure on my vacation. I want to go and just enjoy the hell out of it.

Anyway, I figured I would throw that out there today. I might go regardless, but it sure be a hoot to go with a friend willing to chill out, eat good food and ride the waves for a week.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

We're 100!

O, do not forsake me, my indolent friends
O, do not forsake me though you know I must spend
All my darkest hours talking like this
For I am one hundred posts* old

One hundred posts old
Sure, you think that's old
One hundred posts old
But what do you know?
In my darkest hour I'm talking like this
For I am one hundred posts old

Oh, some have forgotten the flower of speech
And walks through the garden where I go to defend
Misbegotten notions while talking like this
For I am one hundred posts old

One hundred posts old
Sure, I'd say that's old
One hundred posts old
But what do I know?
In your darkest hour, my indolent friends
We'll be one hundred posts old

*lyrics are from They Might Be Giants song Do Not Forsake Me with one hundred posts being substituted for one thousand years. Now go buy a TMBG CD!!!!

So yes, All's Well That's Roswell turns 100 post old today, so raise your glass and reflect on the great times we've had through 100. Ah the memories...

The coffee talk
The music reviews and discussion
Gettysburgh and Billy the Kid
Tivo and Me
Batman driving in JFK''s car
The cigarettes
The comics and comic movie reviews
The tick quiz (part one)
The Vinagarones, scorpions in bathtubs, tarantula's, etc...
The Zombies
The cries for help
The Some Don't
Chile Cheese Festivals
The Aliens, oh the aliens!
The dragonflies
The Yankees and Cowboys hate mongering
The Staple Gun
The Klingons get married
The Importance of Being Earnest
The Exploding toilets of Las Cruces
The non-existant evil in the world and why you don't have to sell your soul to the devil
The space catapult
and especially the great comments from those of you who take the time out of your busy schedule to take a peek at whatever ridicolousness I might throw out there. Thanks. Here comes the next 100!

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

If it's broke, fix it!


Allrighty, back in Roswell again. This time after being stuck in Dallas for a day and a half extra because my Sunday evening flight was cancelled. Reason: The plane was broken. That was the only technical reasoning we were afforded as we were asked to leave the plane. Of course it was the last flight that evening and I couldn't get a flight early enough on Monday to get to Lubbock and drive home in time for work, so, I just got home.

Airports, don't you just love 'em?!!? And the best part is, they wouldn't give me back my luggage unless I cancelled the flight and bought a new ticket. I still don't get that. All I know is that for the second time in two trips I ended up having to buy some clothing.

Anyway...I wanted to send out a big thank you to all of you who listened to Nick, Anthony and I on Saturday night. I have received some responses that you can read from the last post and also some interesting e-mails not listed here. Hopefully you enjoyed the music.

That's it for now. I have enough paper work stacked here to keep me busy till my next trip.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Live and in studio

Saturday, April 8th between 10-12pm (central time), that's 11-1:00 east coast, Nick, Anthony and I will be playing 2 live 30 minute sets on UT radio. It is a thrill for me, as always, to get a chance to play with Nick and Anthony, but this is even better because it will be broadcasted live over the internet as well. That means all of my friends, family and relations can listen to one of our shows at the same time no matter what town you are in! Just go to the link and click on the bandwidth you wish to listen at and enjoy! Just as a disclaimer, the radio show is called "Cocked in the barrel" and it is a rap show. As most of you know, rap is not what we do, so you'll have to go through some stuff you might not like in order to get to us, but it'll be worth it.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Aye, only in Scotland


Ok, it's an unusual topic for a post, but for the last day or so I have been thinking about Scotland. No, I'm not thinking of heading out there anytime soon (though it is on the list), but I ran across an interesting article the other day that keeps popping in my head.

It seems that scientists in Scotland have received a boatload of dinero to fund research on a revolutionary form of space transportation. I know, we all have been waiting on some giant breakthrough in teleportation technology or worm-hole discovery, but alas, no, this aint like that. No, the scientists in Scotland are not looking into the future of technology, but rather a blast from the past (so to speak). They are working on a catapult. That's right, a catapult big and strong enough to send supplies to the moon! I'm shocked the boys at MIT and NASA haven't come up with this one yet, but if I was gonna guess where in the world someone would try to build the Apollo Sligshot (my name not theirs), it would be Scotland.

Now don't get me wrong, I have never been comfortable with the modes of transportation we have for ourselves. I'm not to keen on the fact that we pretty much drive around in, or worse, are flown around in what are pretty much large passenger carrying bombs, but putting me in a giant rubberband and sending me off to work, vacation or godforbid the moon!?!? Don't hold your breath (unless going to the moon...then hold your breath when leaving orbit).

After some serious thought on the space catapult idea, I started wondering about other, more practical, applications for this machine:

1. Banishment: While banishing our criminals/enemies is not as big a thing as it was in previous centuries, the catapult would be a great way to deliver this punishment (pun intended). Of course these things would be aired on the telly for all of us to enjoy. Just think of how great it would have been to turn on CNN and see Saddam get placed in the catapult right in front of his toppled statue in Iraq. They could have had a small child holding her favorite us commissioned Teddy Bear cut the cord and we could have seen the masses of Iraqis cheer and dance for joy. That would have been a sight.

2. Food Delivery: No, not Papa John's or Chinese food silly, but food sent to people in needy countries that we would like to help, but just really don't want to visit. How more humanitarian can you get? We could just load the catapult up, do the math for trajectory and let her rip. The food would fly over land and sea and there would be food for everyone. Never again would we hear arguments against helping these people. No real man-hours, no cost transportation or fuel and the best part would be nobody ever having to say thank you.

3. Military: Now you didn't think I would forget what if anything the catapult would really be used for, did ya? Of course not; if anything, I am a realist. I know they are not going to banish people with the catapult! Nobody would want to clean up the mess! And of course I realize we would never really use it to send food across the world. Where's the profit in that. The real use? The one and only use would be as a weapon. Yes...what the catapult was made for! But with this new super-slinger, just imagine what we could do. How about loading up the thing with thumb tacks and sending them off to Paris? That would stop the demonstrations on the streets. Imagine hundreds of thousands of thumbtacks falling from the sky on to unsuspecting Parisians! Or, we could load it up bombs and mines that would explode on contact. Think about it...we spend billions of dollars a year for this kind of stuff and most of the money is spent on deployment. Now we won't need to.

4. Pizza and cheesesteaks. I kid you not. Pack that pizza up and send it my way. Point that thing towards Roswell, Nm, USA and send me something from Angelos or La Fornos will ya!?!?

Of course there are thousands of other unique applications for a machine of this nature, but I think what I have here is more than enough to show a need.

Monday, April 03, 2006

Back in the saddle again


Hey folks. Just thought I'd send an not-to-insightful post to let everyone know I am back from my travels. I went to the CCCC conference in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and then on to Philadelphia for a few busy days of relaxations.

The conference was great fun. Not only did I get a chance to be put off by what many of my collegues around the country are doing in their classes and what great ideas they have for the future, but, I also got a chance to see some old friends and catch up. Chicago is a great city. I would love to be able to spend more then 3 days there.

Philly was fun too, but not enough time to see everybody! Hopefully this summer will afford me the opportunity to see some of my philly area people I miss when I only have a few days. The trip was started with aggrevation though as the airline lost my luggage for a couple of days. I had to get some clothes which in the long run isn't a bad thing. But the rest of the philly time was great.

Back here in Roswell, I had a good night's sleep and am bright eyed and bushy tailed at work. Of course, someone (I won't mention Doc Bender's name here) left a giant rubber spider on my door which scared me (it was dark!), but nothing else too exciting in the 24 hours I have been home.