My Least Favorite Holiday

I didn't realize how much I disliked Halloween until today. It just gives people the opportunity to drink and to dress up like prostitutes. Really, the only difference between Halloween and any night out is you get to see half-naked women at the beginning of the evening.

My Two-Cents on the Kevin Smith Flicks

Zack and Miri Make a Porno comes out tomorrow, and of course I'm going to check it out. I've been a fan of Kevin Smith's for some time now, but I do feel like I've outgrown his brand of comedy over the years. With that being said, I'm still really excited about this flick.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno in HD


The release has me thinking about Smith's body of work, and I posted my thoughts about the films after I watched Clerks II a few years back, and I wanted to re-visit my reviews:

I was inspired to put together a list ranking the films of Kevin Smith after watching Clerks II earlier today. My affection for Kevin Smith movies has lessened since I graduated from high school, but I still find them entertaining. So, here is my list of Kevin Smith movies:

1. Chasing Amy: This film is still my all-time favorite movie. This flick started my love for movies. The reason I love Chasing Amy is because it is so real. Ok, a comic book writer converting a hot lesbian may not be "realistic", but there are some real emotions involved. Also, I love the fact that the movie ends on somewhat of a down note. To quote Mr. Smith himself, "It ends on such a down note. I mean, that's what life is, a series of down endings."

2. Jersey Girl: I don't understand why Jersey Girl was crucified by critics and moviegoers. I thought this movie was really good. I enjoyed Kevin showing his more grown-up and sensitive side. Also, I was happy to see Kevin move away from the View Askewniverse. Too bad it didn't last.

3. Dogma: I was surprised to see Kevin pull of a fantasy-type movie with some action and special effects after a string of indie flicks. I feel he pulled it off. The writing is genius, the story was creative, and acting was pretty good (except for Linda Fiorentino). I feel that Ben Affleck give his best performance as Bartleby.

4. Clerks II: I was unsure about this movie because I didn't think a Clerks sequel was needed. I was also upset that Kevin reverted back to his old ways after trying to move forward. He was able to make it work though.

5. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back: I think of JSBSB as a guilty pleasure. It's no more than Kevin's homage to himself with a silly heist caper added in for more of a mainstream feel, but there are some laugh-out-loud moments with some cutting Hollywood satire. I'm also amazed how well Jason Mewes did carrying this flick.

6. Clerks: The movie that started it all. I appreciate what Clerks accomplished and how it helped change Hollywood. I didn't think it was all that great because of the lack of a strong storyline. I feel it's just a movie filled with dick and fart jokes with a little bit of pop-culture thrown in there. It's an ok movie, but not his best.

7. Mallrats: I will never understand why people love Mallrats. I just don't think it's very funny.

My Giddiness Ensues

It feels like ABC is already showing Scrubs more love than NBC ever did. Hell, ABC is even creating webisodes, and NBC couldn't even show episodes in order.

I can't wait for the new season!

My Dream Girl

I've always thought of myself as a guy without a definite type. While I do prefer brunettes over blondes, I wouldn't say that's enough to classify a "type". It hasn't been until recently that I realized that I do in fact have a type.

My type really doesn't involve anything physical, meaning things like boobs really are not that important. I've realized that I'm attracted to goofy girls. By "goofy" I do not mean socially awkward or head cases. I mean those girls who do things their own way, can be a little nerdy, and know how to laugh at themselves. That's hot.

What's even better is goofy girls can be super hot and not even know it, thus making them even hotter. I've known and seen some girls who are very attractive, but they know it. They have that, "I'm hot shit" attitude and they flaunt it. That's a huge turn-off. Give me a girl who isn't conceited or superficial. Someone who can say, "Screw it. I'm going to be me!"

And if they're the innocent type, then I'm a goner. Now, I don't mean the prudish type. But I'm a sucker for a girl who is a little naive (not in a bad way) but can also hold her own.

So, if I had to describe my ideal woman, that's what I'd say. I guess that's a type.

My Here or There

The one common theme that can be seen throughout my blogs is indecision. Apparently, I have trouble picking a life path and sticking to it. For example, I was positive that I would be headed back to Texas when I was done with graduate school. It only made sense since my family is there, and I would like to start settling down sooner than later. Then I started questioning if that is the right next step for me.

Before I made this decision to move back home, I always envisioned myself making one more stop before heading back to Texas. Places like Colorado and Hawaii have always been appealing to me, and I would love to have the chance to spend some time there. I've even tossed around the idea of sticking around Portland for a few more years, but it seems like I'm at either one extreme or the other when it comes to this place. When the sun is out, I cannot imagine living anywhere else. When it's cloudy and rainy, I cannot understand why I stick around. Too bad it's cloudy and rainy half of the year. Maybe I just need to buy one of those UV headlamps.

So here I am again...trying to figure out what I want to do and where I want to live, and I'm not coming up with many answers. The only thing I know for sure is I don't know anything when it comes to what I want out of life.

My Loyalties are Torn

The 2008-2009 NBA season starts in less than a week, and I'm trying to decide which team to throw my support behind. For years now I've been a Spurs fan, and I still am, but there's another team vying for my fanaticism...the Portland Trail Blazers.

Now, it might seem like I'm nothing but a homer since I've lived in San Antonio and Portland, but that's not the case. Both teams have great potential. First, the Spurs are an established team with four NBA Championships, so they're always in the mix to win it all (especially since this is an odd numbered year). The thing with the Spurs is they're getting older by the minute, and it doesn't seem like they did anything to get younger.

On the other hand, the Blazers are a young and up-and-coming team. Greg Oden's healthy, they've added Rudy Fernandez, and they already had Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge. That's a stacked roster, albeit a young one. I'm not saying that the Blazers are going to win it all this season, but they're on their way.

So, the question is who to support -- a team on the downslide of its dynasty, or a the young guns with a really bright future? It's going to be an interesting season.

My Love for Chuck

So, it looks like Chuck is winning my New Favorite TV Show contest thanks to last night's episode. Although it did have some stiff competition from How I Met Your Mother. Check it out and see why I'm loving Monday nights.

My Aggies

My poor Aggies are really sucking it up this season. Now, being a Texas A&M football fan has never been an easy task, especially the last couple of seasons, but I had some high hopes for this seasons team. Yes, I thought the team that is 2-5 would be doing a lot better. Wishful thinking I suppose.

So, I'm convinced that Texas A&M is cursed because of a poor decision that was made almost 6 years ago. In 2002 Texas A&M decided to fire Head Coach R.C. Slocum, who had been one of the most successful coaches in Aggie history. The school was fed up because he was not taking the team to where they thought they should be. That may have been true, but Coach Slocum was far from a failure in College Station. Coach Slocum was 123-47-2, with 11 bowl appearances, during his 14 seasons with the Aggies. He never had a losing season. Compared to many college coaches, Slocum was very successful, but Texas A&M decided to let him go. Since then, the Aggies have gone 34-33 under Franchione and Sherman. Sure, Coach Sherman may turn things around, but it's not looking good.

I feel the way R.C. Slocum was treated towards the end of his tenure created some bad mojo for the Aggies, and I usually don't believe in curses. Then again, it is Aggie football.

My Dream Come True

There is something magical about an attractive Canadian woman playing hockey.

My New Man-Crush

Over the last couple of months I've been watching a lot of movies and TV shows starring Matthew Perry, and I think I've developed a hetero man-crush on him.

It all started when I watched all ten seasons of "Friends", and seriously, who doesn't like Chandler Bing? Chandler's just one of those characters that is easy to connect with because people see themselves in him. Out of all of the friends, he was the most realistic. People can relate to Chandler because they have jobs that they hate, or are a little insecure when it comes to the romance department, or constantly fill the sidekick role. The thing is you still cared about Chandler because he was genuinely a good guy, and part of his appeal was due to Perry's portrayal.

While on my Perry binge, I came across an independent movie called Numb, which is about a screenwriter who suffers from depersonalization disorder and is forced to face his affliction when he meets the woman of his dreams. The movie is in the same vein as Garden State but a little bit more mainstream. It's billed as a romantic comedy, which is a bit misleading because of its weighty subject matter. I immediately fell in love with this movie thanks to Perry's strong performance and the overall story. I'd recommend this film to anyone who enjoys smaller movies that deal with real personal issues.

Recently, I've been addicted to hulu.com because you can watch full episodes of almost any NBC or FOX show for free. Thanks to hulu, I started watching another Perry vehicle, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", and I was hooked from the start. I never watched "Studio 60" when it was on NBC a few years ago, but I'm glad that it still has a little bit of life thanks to the internet. I understand why it didn't catch on with casual fans because it wasn't mindless drivel that tends permeates network TV. It was a satirical, inside look about television, and I think that it's ironic that a show about how TV works never really worked on TV.

So, now I'm relying on Netflix for my Matthew Perry fix. Right now, I have The Whole Nine Yards, Three to Tango, and Birds of America in my queue to get me by. My man-crush hasn't gotten so bad that I feel the need to watch Serving Sara or Almost Heroes, but I did watch Fools Rush In...again.

My Two-Cents on the Baseball Playoffs

So, the Divisional Series have wrapped up and I think we have two interesting match-ups to see which teams goes to the World Series.

ALCS: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

I'll admit it, I've jumped on the Rays bandwagon because I seriously didn't think they'd make it this far, but I'm happy that they have. I'm a sucker for the underdog, and you can't get any more underdog than the Rays (so what if they won their division). It's even better because they're taking on a division rival that happens to be the defending World Champions.

My gut's telling me that the Red Sox will win this series, which would really bum me out because the BoSox are one of my four most hated teams (along with the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs). So, I might not be a true Tampa Bay fan, but I'm still going to root for them, and plus they could use all they help they can get.

NLCS: Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

I really don't have a horse in this race because I'm neither a Phillies fan nor a Dodgers fan, but this series has some old school charm to it. It's been forever since either team's been this far in the playoffs, so I'll be happy for either one of them.

If I had to pick a winner, I'd go with the Dodgers because of my west coast bias but they beat the Cubs, which in theory are better than the Brewers, so there you go. I'm just glad that both Milwaukee and Chicago got knocked out earlier after the screwjob that happened to the Astros, since both of these team ultimately came out ahead.

2008 World Series: Boston Red Sox vs. Los Angeles Dodgers

Again, this series would have some old school nostalgia since these two teams go way back, and it would make a lot of baseball fans (and MLB) happy. If this match-up does somehow occur, I'll be pulling for the Dodgers all the way. Again, there's some WC bias, but also I'm tired of hearing all the Boston sportswriters going on and on about how great their teams are. Then again, all of the gloating didn't help the Patriots, did it?

My New Favorite TV Show

With "Scrubs" on its way out, I'm in need of a new favorite show. Last season was the first time I really paid any attention to the television mostly because of my DVR which is a God send, so there are some potential shows that will eventually replace my beloved hospital comedy as No. 1.

The Front Runners

• "Chuck" - Out of all of the shows on TV right now, I'd have to say that "Chuck" has the best shot at becoming my favorite new show. I've been watching "Chuck" since it started on NBC, and I've been entertained almost every episode. For those out of the loop, "Chuck" is a mix of "Alias", "Scrubs", with a little bit of Clerks thrown in there as well. This show has the right mix of action, humor, and romantic tension. Plus, Yvonne Strahovski is HOT!
• "How I Met Your Mother" - At the start of last season, "HIMYM" was on route to becoming my new favorite show, but then season 3 ended on a relatively low-note. Season 3 was inferior compared to the first 2, especially when they had Robin & Barney hook up. Personally, that hook-up is when this show jumped the shark. So far season 4 has been a let down as well, but it's still early so this show still has the chance to redeem itself and to take the top spot.
• "Greek" - So, I'm usually not a fan of teeny bopper, tweener shows, but I really like ABC Family's "Greek". Now, I was never "fully" in a fraternity, so the Greek-life aspect of the show is kinda of irrelevant to me, but I do find the rest of the show entertaining. This show's just a funny take on college life in general with some charming characters involved in a good mix of drama and comedy.
• "Pushing Daisies" - I just started watching this show last weekend thanks to Netflix, and I quickly became a fan. I love the fact that this show is not like any other on any network today. Sure, it's quirky and too fairy-taleish, but it's got more going for it than most shows on TV. I like the storybook elements, and this show has good characters, charm, humor, and a little romance thrown in there for good measure. The second season opener was not on par with the first season, but I'm still hooked.

The Middle of the Pack

• "The Simpsons" - I've been a Simpsons fan for a good portion of my life, so it's hard to say goodbye to the show, but it's no secret that the series has been struggling for too many years. Even the movie couldn't reinvigorate my love for this show, but I will be tuning in every Sunday with my fingers crossed, hoping that it can recapture some of its original magic.
  
• "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" - I used to be a big "CSI" fan, but I've lost interest over the last couple of seasons, mostly because it was up against "The Office" and "Scrubs". Also, I was not happy that they had Grissom and Sara together at the end of Season 6. That was the beginning of the end for me. Season 7 was sub-par as well mostly due to the fact that Grissom left for sabbatical or whatever the reason was. Now that "Scrubs" is no longer on Thursday nights, I might head back towards "CSI", but this show is on its last legs and should be done once Grissom is gone for good.
• "House M.D." - "House" is another old favorite that has lost some steam. I really started to lose interest when they tried to introduce the new team in season 4, although I liked how the hiring process took place. It made sense to introduce a new team, but viewers really got attached to Cameron, Chase, & Foreman so any change is not going to go over well. Add the fact that the new team is pretty weak in comparison, and that's not a good sign. Despite the inferior new team, there are still some redeeming qualities that will keep me watching, just not as many.
• "Reaper" - This little fantasy dramedy had some potential early on, but mid-season it started to get formulaic and boring, then it ended on a pretty high-note. I'll be checking in to season 2, but I'm not happy that it's coming back mid-season so I might be hooked to another show by the time it is back on the air. There's also a chance that it will be going up against "Scrubs" which is not a good sign.
• "Fringe" - "Fringe" is one of the few new shows this season that has peaked my interest. This show is very J.J. Abrams which can be a good thing and a bad thing. I liked "Alias" but could never get into "Lost", and this series is in the same vein as both. Right now, it has some promise but we'll have to wait and see if it has lasting power.

Barely Hanging On

• "The Office" - I didn't start watching "The Office" until last summer thanks to Netflix Watch Instantly, so I was able to catch up on the first two seasons in a few days, and I was hooked. Season 3 was just as good, and then Season 4 happened. Season 4 was just horrible with only a minimal amount of laughs, and some episodes were actually painful to watch. I decided to give "The Office" one more shot, and so far Season 5 is just as lackluster.
• "Heroes" - Season 1 was engaging, Season 2 was a bore, and so far Season 3 is just all over the place. I know that "Heroes" is a show that is supposed to be complex, but right now I don't have the patience to put up with this show.
• "Family Guy" - For some reason I keep giving "Family Guy" another chance to convince me that it's a funny show, and every time it fails. It's just not funny.

So, there is a lot of competition for my TV heart, and while some may have the inside track, I'm always on the lookout for some good food for my DVR, so if there's a show that I should be watching (aside from reality TV...I refuse to watch reality TV) let me know.

My Trip Down Memory Lane

So, I was flipping through the channels, and I came across VH1's "Behind the Music: New Kids on the Block", and I was compelled to catch the tail end of it. Now, I was never really a NKOTB fan growing up because I have a penis, but the show did get me thinking about my all-time favorite music group while I was growing up, Boyz II Men.

Now, I'll admit that I was a HUGE BIIM fan when I was younger. Some of my fondest memories can be linked to a Boyz II Men song. I remember buying CooleyHighHarmony and taking it to my fourth grade class to show it off. I remember performing "End of the Road" at a lip sync contest when I was in the sixth grade. I remember listening to II with my first girlfriend. To say that Boyz II Men had an impact on my adolescence would be an understatement. They were quiet simply, the best ever!

Unfortunately, I stopped paying attention to Boyz II Men after their Evolution album because I thought it was lackluster. I also remember when Shawn Stockman did his solo thing, and I was convinced that was the end of the group, so I moved on. It wasn't until I bought their greatest hits album, Legacy, that I realized that they had released three more albums.

Today, I can't say that I'm still a true fan since I stopped listening to their music religiously, but I still appreciate what they did and how they impacted the music world. They were responsible for some of the greatest music of the 90s like "End of the Road", "On Bended Knees", "Water Runs Dry", etc. Now that was some good shit.