I'm in Reno

or will soon be. I fly out tonight for Reno, NV, to bowl in the USBC championships. I'll also bowl in the Bowling this Month and Bowlers Journal tournaments. Because I will be out of town, and only have limited internet access, I am making this post as sort of a "out of town" post. Please don't get upset or disappointed that there will be no new content on here for about a week. Don't cry, it'll be ok. I'll update you on how Reno was and how I bowled upon my return. It'll be fine, trust me.

On the movie front, recent viewings include: Thank You for Smoking, Casino Royale, and School for Scoundrels. One of the three was really good, one was okay, and one was dumb...I'll let you figure out what order they were. As always, if you want more information, let me know and I'll enlighten you.

March Madness

It's the glorious time of the sports year when the NCAA men's basketball tournament commences. As usual, I run a pool and fill out a couple of brackets. Normally, I fair decently through the first round, but then quickly drop. It appears that trend may continue. I did really well through the first 3 days, but today's games hurt...a lot. I'm now down 1 final four team (Wisconsin) and another elite eight team (Creighton). Ohio State (my predicted champ) has had a couple of scares already. Yesterday had some of the best basketball games one could watch. They were really close and well played games. Today's were more of a blowout and not near as close.

The good news is Butler is playing some really good basketball right now. Up next for my alma mater is Florida (#1 seed). Purdue played Florida really tough, and UF didn't pull away until down the stretch. So, I am going to remain optimistically hopeful. On Friday, you'll find me somewhere near a TV watching the game (and you should too).


No more games until Thursday....it'll be a long wait.

300....frickin' sweet

I am not referring to 300 the perfect game (which is still frickin' sweet), but the movie 300. It is awesome and pure adrenaline. All I can think of to describe this movie is good. I had really high expectations going in to this movie, and was not let down. Unbelievable! The action is only surpassed by the aesthetic (good word, huh?) quality of the film. Ok, now that the excited kid in a candy store phase is over, let me be slightly more critical.

An apt description of the movie is Troy meets Lord of the Rings. Think story of Troy (fight to defend one's country, honor, etc.) and the action of the battles in LoTR and some fantasy. That was my guess based on the previews. After watching the movie, it was confirmed. It is a great mix. There is very little I disliked about this movie. For the ladies out there, you do get to watch ripped guys running around in leather thongs and capes. Plus the main character pretty much does what his wife says (like all wise men).

5/5 stars, A+ movie. Must see on the big screen.

Note: I've decided to move to the Blockbuster scale on my movie grades (5 stars). 1 = really hated, 2 = really disliked, 3 = okay, 4 = really liked, 5 = really loved ...1/2 stars take away the adjectives.

Note: If you don't like blood and decapitations, you might not enjoy this film. If you don't mind them, it's pure excitement.

Roller Derby

On Friday night, I went and watched the Denver Mile High Club Roller Girls roller derby "bout" against the Kansas City Roller Warriors All-Stars. Aside from having some of the longest team names in the history of any kind of quasi-sporting event, it was fairly entertaining. I pretty much knew what to expect having watched the old school roller derby on TV (Bay City Bombers anyone?) and even the occasional viewing when Spike TV tried re-introducing it (several years ago...it didn't last).

What was nearly as interesting as the bout itself was people watching? There was an interesting mix of people. From young (fair number or 7-12 year olds) to old (~65-70). From normal (ie. me) to the odd (that's the nice way to put it). It was a "cultural experience". If it were cheaper I would consider going again, but at $15, it wasn't that good.

My roommate assured me it was more fun to watch while drunk. I'll have to take her word on it. I can honestly now say that I have been to a roller derby.

PS - Denver lost to KC

"Dags...I like Dags"

The title comes from the movie Snatch (a surprisingly funny movie). For those of you who are completely unfamiliar with this film, I am referring to dogs in this post. In fact, I have been in charge of taking care of some dogs since Thursday night. My roommate was out of town this weekend, and asked if I could feed and water her dog. Since this required going nowhere and very little effort, I readily agreed. After taking her to the airport, our neighbor stopped by and asked for my roommate. I told her (our neighbor) that she (my roommate) was out of town. She (my neighbor) asked if I could feed and water her dogs. I said "uh...sure." So, this weekend I fed and watered a black lab and two golden retrievers.

Previously (ie a couple of weeks ago), a pharmacist friend asked if I could take care of her dog today and tomorrow while she was interviewing for a job. I said "uh....sure". So today and tomorrow I get to feed, water, and take out (ie, let her use the bathroom) a black lab mix. There is the possibility of repeating this experience next week, too.

I've never really considered myself a "dog person" (but I much prefer dogs to cats...I don't understand cat or "cat people"). If I were to be living by myself, I would probably like a dog around. When I own a house and have a yard, I will probably own a dog (primarily outdoors...I hate dog hair on furniture....and they get smelly). I guess I'll consider these experiences my trial/training period.

For you people who only read this for movies: Recently viewed, Flags of our Fathers (really good) and Zodiac (pretty good).