UnderRoos and Afros

IT"S ALIVE IT"S ALIVE!!!!

2009-06-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

The Afro is back and you know it could never be wack, the Afro is back, do you remember the AFRO!!! To the tune of "The Fatboys are Back!" - The Fatboys

2006-12-19T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sifl and Ollie - Beatbox

Gotta luv puppets. This is from the Sifl and Ollie show back in the day.
RickyP getting silly fo shizzle

Shearing the Sheepishness

2006-10-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

About a week ago I sent out a letter almost everybody I have an email address for. For the last year I have been thinking I wanted to donate to a worthy cause. I sent it to people who I thought might be ok with getting such a letter.
I took me a while to get it together and I interviewed a few friends first to see what they thought. I felt a little weird or sheepish asking for donations. That feeling was replaced with "Damn, my friends are cool!" The response has been awesome and so now I am blogging about it and extending the offer to anybody else that knows me and might read this. Most of all remember my offer to hang out. I am fun to be with and dang it, people like me... most times

What's up my Peeps,
Let me start by saying "Hi" to some of you I haven't really seen since football started. My 4th graders are 5-0 and my 3rd graders are 4-1. We recently won the Pumpkin Bowl and have pretty much beat everyone in the city. We have 2 games left and I am excited about them. The folks are doing fine and the Punkin (My great niece Lenee) is getting bigger by the day plus she is 4 now, I am getting old. I also wanted to say a big thanks to all of you for your support and well wishes over the last kind of tough and scary year and throughout the years we have known one another. This year I wanted to do something for others during the holidays. I wanted to volunteer on Thanksgiving Day and serve food, but for reasons that some of you may know I need to be close to the house on the holidays to help out. So I thought that what I couldn't give in time, I would try to give in donation. I plan on making a donation to the 2ndHarvest Food Bank. I volunteered there a couple weeks ago with people from work and I liked the organization. So I am sending this email to see if you would like to help my donation grow into much more. I am asking that you donate what you can. $1, $5, $10 dollars or whatever you want to send. I will even collect in person if you like and we can hang out. Just so you know in advance, I will not be handing out receipts. I will not be turning this in for my own taxes.This is just an impromptu thing that I wanted to do. If you need a receipt please donate on your own. I would also like to see all of you before the holidays start. So whether you want to donate or not, let's plan on getting together. You know I miss you and the great smile you always give me when we see each other. I had to throw in something sappy to tug at your heart strings. When and If I get emails back saying yay or nay on the donations I can give the breakdowns on what our total donation amount will do. I do know that a $1 dollar donation can get $9 dollars worth of food for 2ndHarvest.
So I hope to hear from you all soon.
Love and Happiness - from the Al Green song , oh yeah, I almost forgot Thanks!!!
RickyP

Exit: light, Enter Night, Take my hand, Off to never neverland - Enter Sandman - Metallica

2006-10-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah, Ricky rocks out every once in a while
This post is about rocks of another kind. Well, not really rocks, it's more about how our new building hates me. There have been several times when I have gone to use the facilities and the stalls have been tore up. I mean really tore up. State fair, day five tore up.
I think our plumbing is from the stone ages. I can't even say stone ages because at least back then could push junk into a big hole. So sometimes it's bad. That magically, was not the case today.
Today the bathroom was immaculate. I walked in and picked my stall. I sat down, using the paper shield of course, never ever go bareback on a public seat unless you are having a bean burrito emergency. I get settled and the lights go of with a click. Some of the lights in our building are motion sensitive. I had been in the stall just long enough to sit down basically and then click. I told you it doesn't like me. I don't know how it didn't pick me up, a man of my size walking into the bathroom, but there I was sitting in the dark. Don't worry ( I know you were concerned) I was able to finish the business at hand and complete the rest of my day unscathed.
For those of you thinking bathroom stuff is a risky topic, I am sorry. I blog about life man, raw and unfiltered (kind of). As I like to say at lunch time, I blog about the circle of life.

Rock-a-bye Punkin

2006-09-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Shhh!! Uncle Ricky is Punkin sitting tonight. I introduced my niece to the wonderful world of Play-doh this evening. We made snakes and dogs and a bear (oh my, I couldn't resist) that ate Boots, Dora's sidekick that we also made from clay. We finished the evening by watching Chicken Little, which turned out to be the knockout punch. 20 mins in and it was lights out.
When I woke up she was playing with knives, gasoline and matches. Ok, bad humor I know. I need to roll that way sometimes, cuz I am hardcore and from the streets. I have a weird sense of humor. She actually fell asleep.
Anyway, it was a pretty cool Friday night for a guy who a few years ago would never use up a Friday night babysitting.

I Like Free Stuff

2006-09-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hello,
I went to the Twins game tonight for FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! They decided to win in my honor. Way to go!!
Good night!!

Working in coal mine, going down down down - The Devo version

2006-09-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

I volunteered at a food bank tonight.
The work was not tedious in the least bit. It felt good. The title of his post came about from me sharing a moment during the work we did tonight with another volunteer. We even sang a bit of the chorus and he knew the deep voice part of the song too. "I am so tired...how long can this go on!?!" :)
The company I work for has a two week period during the year that they set up company sponsored volunteer events. Tonight we volunteered at the Second Harvest Heartland Food Bank.
The Harvest workers were cool and were very organized. We loaded close to 4100 pounds of food.
I tried to liven things up by having people sing the Flintstones theme song and when that didn't work I tried "Baby Got back" by Sir Mixalot, no takers on the singing but I saw a few people moving their booties. There are not many things I will skip practice for, but this was a good cause. By the way both our 3rd and 4th grades teams are 2 - 0!!
Since a little before my last B-Day I have been thinking I wanted to find another way to give to others, more details on that later. I have some ideas, but I need a little time for the ideas to ferment.

Monday Night Football
It was handled with class and made a lot of folks happy. Now let's fix the rest of the city and make things right by people who were shafted big time.

And now for something completely different....
The Larch

Is it Worth It?

2006-09-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

I love football. I like to watch, play and coach it. Monday night's game in New Orleans upsets me a bit. I am torn. I love the sport, but I can't help but think about the parishes that are still in disrepair. It cost 185 million dollars to repair the Superdome after the damage from Katrina. They removed the mold, the water marks, got rid of the stench and whatnot. Why can't they help the displaced people (not refugees) from New Orleans get their homes back into shape? Why is the 9th ward still a wasteland? Why is it taking so long for the insurance claims to be settled? Why are they still finding dead bodies in homes that were marked clear? Why did it take so long for help to arrive?
It just makes me sad and angry. I can take tomorrow night's game two ways. One: It kind of helps restore another piece of normalcy and pride perhaps to the people who are living there and in other places waiting to go back home and Two: Our priorities may be a little out of whack. We are one of the richest and most powerful nations in the world, we can mobilize to help victims of earthquakes, tsunami's and any disaster, but we dropped the ball big time in our own backyard. We still haven't fully recovered the damn ball.
If you get a chance, please watch Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke. It's a documentary about the victims of Katrina, their stories and struggles to survive and how it's still going on today.
I love football, but I can't make up my mind about this.

Kindred Spirits

2006-09-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

Try as I might, I couldn't hold off the inevitable. Another year in my life has passed. It made me a little Grumpy McGrumpster. The little things in life and my daily wanderings were ticking me off. Not very like me to get irritated by the little crap. "I really wish you would stop eating like that, all that chewing is bothering me" or "I can hear your nose whistling, please stop" or "Do you have to walk in front of me slowly?" Yeah, frickin grumpy :)
I have not been real sure what I wanted to do with my birthday. A group of friends gets together at a restaurant of the B-day persons choosing (which I always enjoy, good food great friends), but I was not sure I wanted to do that this year. I thought about asking for donations to a charity instead of dinner, but I thought it might be a little weird. I wanted to do something different, but I didn't know what the different was. I still don't know. I do know that I don't want the next one to be the same old same old and it's up to me to make sure that doesn't happen. It shouldn't because I have a whole year to plan for it. :)
There is the good chance the naked office thing could happen, but I am leaving that up to the lottery. I win that baby and it will be "Ultimate Mocha" all over the office. Next up: Why this post was entitled "Kindred Spirits"

Tonight I had the perfect "meet somebody at the store" experience. You know the one. You read about them in dating books, see them on Oprah and hear about them from some braggart who wants you to believe he is a stud. You are at the store and you make small talk and great things happen. I was just about to grab something off the shelf and instead I was beaten to it
Me: I see you grabbed the last one
Chris: Yeah, I'm a sucker for these
Me: Me too, what did you think of the others?
Chris: I couldn't get enough. There were so many to choose from
Me: I know and they keep getting better.....

After some more small talk we realized that we ran in some of the same circles, knew a lot of the same people and we even frequented the same establishments. When I attended the "Cloud", Chris was there too. We talked about the Carpet, the Press, The Lake George Beach Club and the Trader and Trapper all the places that people hung out. Chris knew the owner of Granite City, a place I used to go a lot.
Chris grew up in Minot and I had friends there too. Wow this is pretty cool. I don't usually talk to strangers, but this was really fun. It made my day. The only thing that could make this better would be if Chris was a Christine or a Christina.
Chris just happens to be a forty something year old guy who collects even more stuff than I do. He was not creepy, stinky or maladjusted. We talked about our collecting passions, how a lot of people don't understand it and how much fun we have continuing to be big kids. His girlfriend wants him to sell his stuff. We talked about how some of these things are old friends and that makes them hard to part with. We talked about our "first time". Mine happened when I was just 10 yrs old. His was around 12 yrs old.
I remember it well. It was a summer day. We had just gotten into trouble for messing with my friend's sister (even then I was after the ladies). We decided to go up to my friend's room. He pulled out Avengers 161, cover by my then soon to be favorite artist George Perez. I have been hooked ever since. By the way, I met George Perez a couple years ago and he signed a copy of Avengers 161 for me.
Chris and I stood in the aisle at target for about an hour and a half just yakking about books, collectibles and the "hunt". We shared our tips for hunting and finding things others dare not go after. It was pretty cool. It's nice to find that person that totally understands your passion. We shook hands and went out separate ways, but before doing so he let me have the item. My faith in the human race is restored. Thanks Chris maybe I'll see you at Fallcon

I am gettin' so hot, I mo take my clothes off - props to Nelly

2006-07-31T19:41:00.000-07:00

Damn!!! My AC is on the fritz. It's too hot to post.

2006-07-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

King Holiday - The King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew(1986)

This video features some stars of RB from the 80s. I dedicate it to my current employer for adding MLK day to our company holiday list. Now I have no excuse not to do something cool that day. Thanks to the big "O".

Lookin' back on when I was little nappy headed boy - I Wish - Stevie Wonder

2006-07-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

Kind of a different title for the topic of family reunions. The reunion had me thinking about when I was a kid around family, so his song beat out the obvious. I get tired of hearing that stinkin' "We are Family" song by Sister Sledge, especially when your aunt insists that you stand and sing it with her at every big family get together. I love my aunt, but the song gets old. :)
We had a family (my mom's side) reunion this year, a big one. We had people from all over the states come up. We had people drive up from Shreveport, LA. Those cousins were 15 people strong driving up in a mobile home. They had a blowout along the way and had to wait for a wrecker. A wrecker to y'all Nothern or city folks is a towtruck. Anyway, instead of complaining or whining or getting all upset while they waited, they broke out the grill and the fryer. The fryer. They grilled and fried catfish on he side of the road, well a little bit a way from the road, but that's my family. We make lemonade out of lemons baby.
You don't mess with the Bell Tripplett Johns Mitchells and everybody else on the tree. Those are the four major names from which we come on my mom's side. Our family genealogist can trace our family back to 1799 and follow us up to today with a few gaps here and there.
We watched some old incriminating videos of everybody from past reunions. I forgot about the pink Generra T-shirt (hyper color of course), wayfarer sunglasses, acid washed shorts and the hightop fade( think Kid of Kid-N-Play).
I also decided that even though some of them used to get on my nerves, I love them. Everybody was happy to see my mom. She even broke it down on the dancefloor. She's an excellent breakdancer and you should see her moonwalk. It was good to see her having a good time. I think it was a little shocking to some folks because they hadn't seen her in a few years and they remember how um... Feisty, yeah that's the words I will use, she used to be, but everyone made her feel at ease and she said she had a good time. That's all that matters. Oh, dad and I had fun too.

2006-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Dr Katz - Aquaman - Dave Chappelle

This clip is a few years old and is one of my faves. There are a few folks who have been able to disable me by quoting stuff from this clip. Watch and enjoy. Real posts later this week.

2006-07-18T21:53:00.000-07:00

Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals

Tonite's Old School is brought to you by the letter M and the Number 1983

2006-07-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Venture Bros: Duh duh duh...

One of my favorite Adult Swim cartoons is back on the air for a new season. This intro comes into play after the boss (A villain called the Monarch, that will explain the butterfly suits) of these henchmen tells them to get the crew back together and return to the lair which just happens to be a floating cocoon.

Happy 5th of July!!!

2006-07-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Pops!!!
One the smoothest guys on earth was born today. He taught me most everything I know and never lost his temper. Ok, maybe twice on the temper thing. Once when someone hit our new car at a stoplight, just hours after we picked it up and once when I was 5 or 6 years old lighting candles in my bedroom just after we had moved into the then new house (honestly, what teacher in their right mind lets kids make candles in kindergarten).
Dad has always been good for a joke, has a ready smile and supported me in all my endeavors. He has the patience of Job, taught me how to drive and what a good person should be and why that is important. He taught me to judge a person on their actions and not what they look like. He taught me not to do a "Half assed job :) " you do the whole thing and do it right. He taught me how to be teased and to tease. He teaches me everyday to enjoy life. He hardly ever complains, which in light of events the past few years is huge, he always finds a way to make things funny
I am so glad he's my dad and not yours. Happy Birthday Pops, I love you!

Girls on film... 2 minutes later... girls on film - DD

I am writing this as I watch the Duran Duran Greatest hits DVD. They really tried to be avant garde with some of their videos. It's cool to look the vids from back then and see why I dug the 80's so much. The DVD contains a few uncensored videos they did back in the day. One of which is Girls on Film. Now I know why it was banned from MTV. Lots O'nakedness, mud wrestling and suggestive scenes. I don't how I would have handled it as a teenager. Probably the same way I did tonight, giggling a lot. Did someone say boobies.? hee hee

If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere.... Imagine the Chairman of the Board singing that line

New York was pretty cool. I got way too little sleep and got to hang around a movie shoot. I was really proud of Vic and what he does. He works hard and has his $h!t together. I was very very impressed.
The planes ride home was eventful. I was driven to the airport from the set Mercedes Benz style, which was pretty cool. I got to the airport early because I was not sure how long the drive from Harlem to JFK would be in rush hour traffic (Mr paranoid) so I took precautions. Turns out I could have probably walked to the airport and still made my plane. It was delayed, but I getting ahead of myself. I need to tell you the story behind "Damn yo boots smell!!" George Clinton once said "We want the funk! Give us that funk!" He did not have this man's funky nasty stinky sewer boots in mind. If you haven't taken a plane in a while I will explain something to you. When you are going to your boarding gate, you have to pass through security, To pass through security you have to take your shoes off. My man took his boots off and sent them through the machine. I have not smelled anything that close to death since drove my old Chevy Citation behind a garbage truck with no AC on a hot humid summer day in very slow traffic. It's so bad that after a while you begin to taste it.
It was so bad that when my boots came of the belt I said to the Homeland security folks that it's not my boots, mine are brand new. I thought they were going to hit an alarm and say we had all been poisoned like some bad replay of 24 (one of my fave TV shows, by the way I finally finished this season over the 4th and it rocked). If they locked you in a room with those boots you would tell Jack Bauer where Hoffa was buried and about the time you ate peanuts out of the bin at the grocery store. They didn't do that but they did however spray the whole area with air freshener (I am not joking). It was so bad it followed me up the hallway to the gates. Please my brotha if you read this: WASH YOUR STINKIN FEET AND PUT SOME POWDER IN THOSE BOOTS!! or better yet burn them before they ban you from the plane.
Oh yeah, and some guy had a seizure 45 minutes into the flight, no not from the smell. They called for a doc or a nurse and there were a couple on board. They took care of him and he was fine. I was a little nervous at first when they pulled out the oxygen tank and the defib, but when I found out it was a seizure, I relaxed. That's all for tonight.

Friendly Neighborhood.........

2006-06-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Spiderman 3 trailer!!!!
It looks really good. You have to see it for yourself. If you are a fan you are going to be pumped!!
You might even have to bite your hand like I did so you don't scream.

Another geek note.
Check out Meerkat Manor on the Animal Planet. They follow the Whiskers (Named by the docu people) tribe of MeerKats led by Flower, the no nonsense matriarch. It's kind of like a soap opera with animals. It was pretty interesting and held my attention for sometime. I hope Shakespeare survives his snake bite. Otherwise I'll have to pour some out for my homey.

New York, New York big city of dreams.... GrandMaster Flash

That's right, I went to NYC to hang out with Vic while he directed a movie. More to come later. He are some teasers.
Something happened on the plane ride home.
Damn yo boots smell
Craft Services and why it's a good thing.
Raw food.
Scarred shins
Lobster legs
Tekken 5: the return of the beatdown part two
How to carjack a cab
and finally, No Sleep til Brooklyn

One last thing... Guess who's back?
That's right Superman Returns!! I'll give a report later.

This title makes no sense....

2006-06-06T22:51:00.000-07:00

Don't start collecting anything if you haven't already. Someday you will have to come face to face with your stuff and do something with it. Let the liquidation begin?
I will probably need some consoling from trusted friends when I start the purge. I have been talking about it for a while trying to get the gumption to let things go. It's hard for a collector. You think about Superman #1 going for hundreds of thousands of dollars and think what you are holding could be worth a mint..just give it time. The minute you let it go, BAM! The price will shoot up and there you are saying the phrase "I used to own/have one of those". While the CNN reporter is talking to some guy who found it at a garage sale for 50 cents.
Don't worry I am not getting rid of everything, just culling the herd and redefining what I want in my life. :) Does anyone smell a mid-life crisis burning?

Look!! Up in the Sky! It's a Bird....It's a Plane...It's my Dad!?!

2006-06-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

A lot of who I am today comes from my crazy parents. The Superman Returns commercial came on this evening and it sparked a discussion. Yes, we talk about current events like the war and how to save the planet, but we chose a lighter fare tonight.
My dad was explaining how if he were friends with Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego he would know it was him. The conversation would go something like this:

This scene takes place at the daily Planet company picnic.
Dad: Hey Clark, C'mere (He waves him over)
Superman (as Clark Kent): Yeah Dicky? (my dad's nickname growing up and would sound totally normal in a Superman comicstrip) Great picnic huh?
Dad: Look, I know you're Superman.
Superman (as Clark Kent): No, I'm not, don't be silly. I wear glasses and Superman doesn't
Dad: I don't believe no one else can see it! You are Superman! and with that he reaches out catching Clark by surprise and knocks off the glasses.
The normally docile Clark kent turns into a somewhat angry Superman with glowing red eyes.
Superman (as Clark Kent): You know my secret, I can't let you live! (he looks around to see who may be watching)
Dad: You can't kill me you're Super eeeyyyahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
He grabs my dad and throws him into the Sun (Imagine Bug Zapper noise here)
The End
Thanks to Pops for tonight's posting. I added a little imagery. You had to be here for the full effect of the joke, but it was fricking funny to us. My mom giggled quite a bit. :)

Fo Shizzle that sh*t was off the heezzy!!

2006-06-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

I saw a movie with the folks (peace out to pops for picking this one) today. It's called District B13. It takes place in France in the year 2010. There is a city so bad that the French government has walled it off and abandoned it. In itself it sounds like a boring future movie with cheesy effects and bad dialogue. Au Contraire Mon Frere!!
This movie was really good. The story was good and the acting was cool, oh and don't let me forget it was subtitled sorry for those of you who don't like to read .
Luc Besson (Leon, The Proffesional) produced it, don't worry there wasn't a long operactic scene the middle (see The Fifth Element...another excellent Luc film.)
What set this film apart from many others with that sort of plot was the stunt work and action. The actors were using Parkour Free Running. A style that uses the surrounding as your personal playground.
These guys run off roofs, jump through open windows and climb things like you and I walk our lazy butts around normally. They have been featured in commercials and some Alt videos on MTV. One of the main creators of Parkour is one of the main characters in the movie. The movie has some stupid henchmen or as a friend of mine calls them "the soccer team", a bunch of guys running around only to be hit and duped, still all in all a good fun movie. A delight to discover on a day when I didn't really want to see a movie. I recommend this one and give it four Rickys out of Five. Check out the websites very interesting. The district B13 website is pretty cool.

2006-06-03T00:26:00.000-07:00

Star Wars Geeks

Someday I will film one of these in my basement. :)

2006-06-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

More Than Meets the Eye...

Check this out.

Pieces of ramble.....

2006-05-31T19:15:00.000-07:00

Things you would never do as pedestrian that people will do as a driver.

1. Walk up behind someone so fast and so close to intimidate them out of the way.
2. After said move, yell an obscenity at them as you pass.
3. Cut somebody off in the Starbucks or Caribou line and give them the finger when they complain.
4. Throw a half sandwich down as you walk through the skyway.
5. Crowd someone into an obstacle as you walk down the street.

Things people do driving on city streets as well as when they are pedestrians.

1. Stop in the middle of the street and hold a conversation, thereby blocking the street.
2. Window shop.
3. Talk on the cell phone and wander to and fro, blocking the flow of traffic.
4. Talk to the person next to them while oblivious to their surroundings.

X-Men 3
I thought it was ok. I have seen it twice, missed the final after credits scene both times and had to watch it on YouTube.
YouTube is very addicting and I advise you to limit yourself to two or three hours. Back to X3..
It was directed by Brett Ratner, he did a decent job as it would be hard to follow in Brian Singer's (director of X1 and X2) footsteps. Brian left the X-franchise to direct Superman Returns.
The new X-movie has lots of characters and cool effects. Good fight scenes and snippets of things to make us geeks smile from time to time. It may leave first time viewers and occasional geeks a little confused as to who's who. Also the story was a little jagged. It's still very well worth a watch and has some funny parts.

12 blocks, hmn... gotta be some kind of record

2006-05-30T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hello. Just got pulled over again tonight. I was visiting a friend in Edina and on my way home I got pulled over. I turned onto York from 76th. The cop sped around the corner behind me and then fell back and followed me for 12 blocks before pulling me over on 64th and Xerxes avenue S.
I felt like O.J. Simpson in the low speed chase. Well, it turns out that the larger part of my left tail light was out. The blinker was fine, the little red half corner piece was fine and was lit, but the larger part was out. It was a legit stop I suppose in the long run, but 12 blocks. Makes me think of a song by N.W.A.

The last time I was pulled over was December. I was on my way home from a friend's wedding on an unfamiliar road. I was in the wrong lane and the road change was coming up quick. So I put on the blinker, quickly changed lanes into the correct lane and was pulled over about 30 seconds later.
This time the cop said he couldn't tell who was driving the car. I hate being paranoid about the cops. I hate it that every time one gets behind me I am worried about being pulled over.

Following the law and being a good citizen has it's perks, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to dance on the darkside of the force. I mean look at Vader. He could do cool tricks and scare the crap out of people, so what if his face looked like a melted cheese pizza. I could live with that if I had the power of the force.
Hey! If they could put skin over Luke's robotic hand, why couldn't Vader get a skin graft for his face? All that tech and Vader has to live with a bad complexion. Maybe Vader didn't get his face fixed as a form of penance. He was mostly evil, but still somewhere deep down inside he was the little Anni we all knew and loved from the Phantom Menace. Up yours Admiral Piet!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming......

2006-02-12T20:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, I love some crappy movies. I like to watch them by myself or with an understanding friend. I watched one of those a couple weeks ago called Riki-Oh, The Story of Ricky. It's based on a Japanese anime. It has super gore in it. It's so gory it's ridiculous, which makes the gore funny and not gross. There are characters that hit people so hard their heads explode, people get kicked across rooms and my favorite, the shower scene, every prison movie should have one. Rent it. Have I ever steered you wrong?

Curse you evil graffiti writer!

Tonight I called a far away friend I had not spoken to for a bit, nothing bad, just both busy and we needed to catch up a bit. Anyway, I told him about some events that had transpired recently and we talked about other things as well. I got a bit riled up again. Not too much, but just enough. We talked about trust. How do you know who to trust, especially in the wake of the crap that took place? Well, I don't know for sure, but you do what you can.
So I was semi stewing again and I pulled up to a corner and looked over to see some graffiti on a building and it said "4Give". Was it a message? Was it the heavens giving me guidance? I don't know, but it was corny at the right time and made me smile. I don't really get into the whole "message from above" stuff, but it was one of those moments where I go hmmmmmnnnn. :)

Godzilla is attacking the city!!!!

There are two things in life that keep the little kid inside me alive. One, comic books and two Godzilla. I received more of the latter from a friend returning from Japan. She brought me some Gojira Dese (Godzilla for the non-geeks) love. Just so all of you know...Godzilla is real. :)

Slept on it....

2006-01-21T12:09:00.000-08:00

I took a step back and slept on my thoughts from yesterday.
After reading the post again, I thought some people may get the idea that I am out for revenge. That is not the case. The advice for anyone willing to listen was not to be taken as I am going after someone else, it was to tell people to watch their own backs and watch out they may be next. Now, I did not get on the Paranoid bus that left from Conspiracy Station, just be more vigilant. Beyond money, beyond family, beyond friends you have yourself. Keep yourself happy without hurting others, keep your eyes open and you should be ok.
All I was trying to say in the anger filled moments last night was to make sure you are sharing the same reality as everyone else.
"You won't like me when I'm angry" That is one of my favorite lines. It's from the TV show the Incredible Hulk. I don't like me when I am angry. I am a bit of a control freak, not that I want to control anyone else. I don't like to be out of control. Everyone has the point where they just get beyond themselves. I reached that point yesterday.
See, rants are just that. Getting beyond yourself. You vent and get it out. I vented and it felt good. I spoke to my father about things this morning. He had some good advice. I love that man. We shared some stories and laughed. Laughing is something that this family does a lot. In the face of fear, death and other parts of life's BS.

Smiling Faces, Smiling Faces tell lies and I got proof - The Temptations 1971

2006-01-20T21:18:00.000-08:00

I am mad as hell. I have been stabbed in the back and my character has been besmirched. I have been slandered. The bad thing about it is that I can't really say anything back just yet. It comes from sources I didn't expect. Just like the song says, "Beware of the handshake that hides the snake"
It's hard to believe someone would do something so lame and not have the guts to say it to my face. I come from a place where if you have something to say to someone, you say it to them, but I have integrity, I have character and I want to believe people are good. Shame on me.
I am ranting tonite. I know good people are out there, but unwittingly I have let some people who now don't deserve my respect pull the wool over my eyes. I didn't land on Plymouth Rock, it landed on me. (That made me smile) back to the rant...
My advice for anybody willing to listen...
1. Watch your back
2. Watch your back
3. Watch your back
4. No matter what you think...you are next.
5. Rant every once in a while it does a body good.
It sucks that my first post back has to be a rant that people won't get or they will think "He's lost it" Well I have not lost it. I am okay. In fact I think I gained something. My eyes have been opened. Most people have never really seen me angry. It usually take a lot to get me there. Well, I have been f**ked with and now I am pissed. My next course of action is not as clear as I would like. For a long time I have been a bit of a planner. Somewhere along the line I let the planner go away. Well time to bring it back. Time to take action. I made a promise and I am going to stick to it. It may have been a stupid promise, but I will honor it and let it run it's course. Stay tuned the ride could really bumpy....

Here comes a PSA (Public Sanity Announcement)

2005-10-23T19:26:00.001-07:00

The spammers have launched an attack on my blog. So from now on to post here you will have to use the verification word. I know it's a pain, but let's see how it goes. Thanks and keep reading. New posts are coming.

Here comes a PSA (Public Sanity Announcement)

2005-10-23T19:26:00.000-07:00

Blowouts and Blowhards

2005-10-17T18:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend and the weekend before that, my boys the Jimmy Lee Jets have beaten the opposing teams by a combined score of 130 - 0. That is not an exaggeration, nor is it an untruth. They are unbeaten this year and have worked hard to get there and had a lot of fun along the way. Just ask them.
Now, at the last tournament in Oakdale we were invited to, we beat all five teams to take the trophy. Then it started.

1. "You have older kids on your team" Our kids meet the age guidelines for 3rd graders and under. We meet the weight reqs for running backs and linemen.

2. "Your kids are so physical" I thought this was football. A game where you tackle and block each other by using your body, hands and PHYSICAL strength. We do not allow cheap shots or taunting.

3. We DO build student athletes.

4. We DO tutor kids that need it.

5. We DO have the "Ticket to Play" program. Each player must take a sheet to school to be filled out by their teacher that says what kind of week they had at school. If a bad report comes in, they get to dress in their uniform, go to the game and stand next to me as my waterboy the whole game. They DO NOT get to play. If their parents come to us and say they have been out of line, they DO NOT get to play.

Basically these people are saying we cheat. Our kids come to play and are prepared to play. Some of them have come out and been with us since they were five years old. We teach the fundamentals, we teach fair play and we teach them to be good sports. They shake hands with the other team after a game win or lose. We DO NOT celebrate at the other team's expense.
It's really sad that when you are beaten fairly and by better teams that people want to start looking for ways to cheapen your win.

Part Time Quest to be a Super Villain

2005-10-11T19:12:00.000-07:00

I was going to joke about something my Dad and I were talking about. There are Red light cameras placed at various intersections all over Minneapolis. Mostly in areas that seem to have a high density of us so called minorities (everybody knows we are responsible for the most crime). Oh, I forgot there is one downtown on 11th and Hennipen.
Anyway, we were joking about running the lights in the middle of the night and we joked about an elaborate plan to drive through the light, trip the camera, wearing a mask and giving the finger and doing it all over the city. So my post was going to be me pretending to plan for doing just that, hence the name for this post. Then I started to think about what I was going to write and then wondering if I could get into trouble for even joking like that especially in the format I was going to use for the joke. It was to read like a prep list.
Well, most of you folks that know me, would also know I would be kidding, but I can't control who reads this blog. In light of the world events over the last few years. I decided that I should not write it out in the list format. Some over zealous coocoo might think I was serious and "turn" me in or "drop dime" as they used to say back in the day. Sucks that I have to be paranoid about stuff like that. I am not creating the Anarchist's Cookbook, I just wanted to be funny, but I don't want to be telling jokes behind bars to Bubba my cellmate and joke critic. I wonder if this is what the Muscovites felt like years ago, worrying that a neighbor would turn them in for saying the wrong thing.

Stupid, dumb, Jack@$$es
I am now starting to be invaded by some dorks saying things like I saw your blog and if you come check out my blog "blah blah blah, you can blah blah blah blah" Spam is evil. I didn't go to any(internet paranoid by nature :) )I don't even like the real Spam. I would rather eat headcheese... wait, no I wouldn't!
I wish I could find where these people live and drop my old magazines and newspapers in their house, preferrably with diapers and fishguts wrapped in the papers.
Go away evil spammers.

Yep, I'm a little worn down by this cold, sniffles and sore throat.

It's the Geek we all know and love!!!

2005-10-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

First Item
Check out the movie The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi
If you like Samurai's, swords and cool stories of revenge, check this one out. If you don't, you ain't no geek. The swordplay is very good, there are funny parts and some cool revenge. The main character is played by one of my favorite Japanese actor's "Beat" Takeshi Kitano. He's got some other stuff that is pretty good to watch as well.
When you get a chance, check out Sonatine. You may also see him on the Spike TV show, Most Extreme Elimination Challenge(MXC), as one of the hosts. Originally, it was a Japanese game show from the 80' early 90's, but now some folks have revoiced the show and it's really funny. I blogged about it last year.

"Here I Come to Save the Day!!!" Mighty Mouse

In my quest to create the perfect cool superhero to write a book about and launch my career in the comic industry, I have created many characters. Some very good, others really really bad.
One of the bad ones is called Centipede Man(The Human Centipede)
His Powers:
The ability to run as fast as a Centipede does proportionately (60 to 70 mph)
Climb walls
Crawl into to tight spaces
And the coolest power of all: The ability to drop his legs and grow new ones. This power would be used if he were captured or crawled into to space that was just too tight. He could also use the legs offensively, by dropping one and throwing it.

Scene 7 The Bank Lobby

Officer Jensen: "Thanks again for foiling the crime CM." The officer shifts nervously back and forth eyes darting around the room.
CM: "You are welcome Officer Jensen! All in a days work!" He says in a bellowing hero voice. He also notices the officer looking around and avoiding eye contact.
CM: "What seems to be the matter officer?"
OJ: "Well, it's the leg thing. It really grosses everyone out, we never know what to do with them after you're gone. They just keep twitching and wiggling. Last week one of them kicked the Chief"
CM: "I uh, I never thought of that. What do you do with my um..(he whispers) legs?"
The scene pulls back and the room is littered with Centipede Mans legs.

See, not such a good hero. That one's almost as bad as The Amazing Sea Cucumber, one touch of her slimy skin and you become delirious. In real life this happened to a friend cleaning his salt water fish tank. He touched his Sea Cucumber and the slime was on his fingers and he somehow ingested the slime, by it getting on the beer he was drinking. He went a bit delirious and then took an unscheduled nap.

"This town needs an enema!" The Joker, Batman 1989
I think I am going to look for a new template to brighten this place up and start adding some pics. Don't hold your breath. Life's been pretty busy and getting busier. If any of my Web geek friends out there have any suggestions I am open to anything.

Cake Tip

2005-10-04T16:03:00.000-07:00

After a recent conversation with a friend I disclosed a few old cake tips to her I read in a book.

Cake Tips: The Art of Loving your Cake By Rachel Delouise Paulson
Cake is never too old to be eaten. Should there be mold on the cake, cut it off. The rest is still good to be eaten.

Cake Tip 32
Should the cake become stiff or mature as it is called in the industry, you may invoke other means of revival. The best way to revive a mature piece of cake is to place it in a microwaveable dish with lid, add two teaspoons of water and microwave on high for 17 seconds or less, depending on the size of the piece. The steam from the water will revive the cake long enough to be eaten. You may want to add the steamed cake to ice cream, and this will also mask the maturity of the cake. Bon Appetit!

BETTER THAN CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-10-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

Today for lunch dad showed me something really cool. He kicked his leg out. Still have a ways to go, but we're all so happy. I told him to sit back down when he tried to moonwalk, one dance move a day is all he is allowed.

A mind is terrible thing to um, to um.........

2005-10-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

We had a huge storm a week and a half ago. It came in two waves. When the "EYE" of the storm passed over I went to the grocery store. While I was in the store everything was calm and peaceful. The moment I came out of the store with my stuff in paper bags(the first and last time I use paper) the heavens opened up. I was soaked, the bags were soaked and some of the stuff in the bags was soaked. I drive to the house, back up to the garage and get soaked some more unloading things. I unpack the groceries and realize I left a bag at the store. I go back, get soaked again, check the carts, go in the store and ask if anyone has seen my stuff. Everyone says no and I proceed to buy eveything I think I lost in the bag.
Get soaked going from store to car again and from car to house. I get in and there is the bag I thought I left behind. I decide to take my pruned up water logged skinned self up to my room and have some ice cream, it would have been better if I had some cake.

Let's hear it for the boy(s) Denise "Nece" Williams

Yesterday was homecoming for my boys at Jimmy Lee. I managed to get out for the games. Both the 3rd and 4th graders won their games. We beat our main rival, Frogtown. It was really good to see how much all of the kids have improved since I last saw them. They were all pretty happy to see me which made me feel even better. It means my yelling was missed. :) We also received coach jackets from the Rec Center. All in all, a very good day.

B-movies, not just garbage, but a necessary evil and pleasure

The B-movie is something I relish. It helps you distinguish good movies from crap. Who doesn't want to see Anthony Sabato Jr. fight the Man-Shark., half man, half shark, all terror.
Don't forget movies like Plan 9 from Outer Space or Them, the giant ant movie. Some of these movies are so bad you have to watch them twice, just to be sure it was as bad as you thought. This weekend I watched a movie called Danger: Diabolik. I would classify it as a B-movie, but a good one, there are a few. The main character is Diabolik, a super suave cat burglar with a secret lair and drives one of my favorite cars. The Jaguar E-type is probably one of the coolest cars ever created. It looks a bit like a squashed and stretched Volkswagen. Anyway, the movie is about the police trying to catch him and him outsmarting them at every turn. Rent it when you need a break, to geek out. Every body needs to geek out.

"Gonna sleep with the light on!" LostBoys 1987

2005-08-24T10:34:00.000-07:00

Yes, boys and girls even big kids have nightmares. Last night I had one that scared me enough to turn on the light. I don't remember what it was about, but when I opened my eyes in the dark room and I could still see the swirling creepy faces moving around. I believe the next words out of my mouth were "Bleep this!" and then I turned on the light. After the light came on I was asleep within 2 minutes.
I think a commercial for this new Exorcist movie creeped me out. It had the demon faces in it and people with their mouths and eyes replaced by dark spots. That look and the moving jerky "The Ring" walk always gets me creeped.
Tonight, I sleep with a teddy bear.

Everybody walk your body, Everybody walk! - The Time

2005-07-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

Mom and I went for a walk Wednesday night around the neighborhood. I forgot how many cool older homes that are right next to where I live. People are taking care of the homes which is cool and we have a good neighborhood association. I would like to see more of the absentee landlords leave but, until I can win the lottery I have to put up with them.
It's nice to be reminded that the "Deadly Northside" is still a place of beauty and a place where people care regardless of how the media portrays the "hood".
Yes, there are people that make it bad and Yes, you can go two blocks one way and find crappy houses and two blocks the other and find beautiful landscaping, gardens and boulevard plantings. It's the city, it's real and it's my home.
It's too bad you don't hear about the neighbors coming together to clean things up every year, it sucks you don't see me or the other neighbors cleaning up the streets as we clean our yards or walk our dogs. It's too bad you don't see people coming together regardless of race to make sure the park renovation is what we want. It's too bad you don't see the families having a picnic in our newly finished park almost every night this summer and picking up after themselves and making sure it's just as clean as it was when they found it.
I will admit there are spots I don't go into because I know it to be "rough", but these places are pockets and do not represent the whole. I'm ranting. Sorry. Back to the walk.
Ok, I found the lost train.......
When we first moved to the neighborhood everything was green. We had a huge green canopy from the Elm trees that made everything look warm and forest like. Then the Dutch Elm disease set in and the City cut down most of the big trees and planted new ones. It's taken 20 something years but the canopy is finally returning. It looks really nice. Mom enjoyed the walk. It was a good day. I have fun making her laugh and just being silly.

Be Good - Rufus D. Pearson Jr.
Be good to your momma
Love her
Be good to your momma
Hug her
Be good to your momma
Remember, no matter how big you get
She can still stand on a chair and knock you out
Be good to your momma

An excerpt from the collected musings of Rufus D. Pearson Jr's "Woman! Where is My Hat!?!"

BTW...
The blogger has messed with me again. Back when I went to NYC it ate my posting and this week it gave me an error message saying that it couldn't post the entry that I tried to post. So Wednesday I fixed what it said and posted the blog again. So I had two somewhat identical posts. I changed a few words from Monday to Wednesday to protect the innocent.

Mid-week Meanderings

2005-07-27T11:23:00.000-07:00

Help!! My seatbelt is eating my face!
I was driving in to work Monday morning. When I am at the stop lights I tend to look around me and see who else is driving to wherever.
This morning I looked behind me and there was a man of considerable size with the seatbelt across his face. It was going from left to right and squished his face into a weird smile. His face was becoming redder the longer this went on.
He attempted to lean forward towards the glove box and the seatbelt would give him no quarter. It really looked like something on a hidden camera show. I was hoping to get Punk’d or have my ride Pimp’d but no camera crews came rushing out and the light changed. He finally got the seatbelt to the right spot after driving for a bit. What the heck was he doing? I love the things we people do. Life is the best situation comedy.

Paranoimia, Paranoimia – See Art Of Noise
Thanks to the state of the world today I fell into the “Be Ever Vigilant” trap. I was leaving the ramp and walked past a Beemer with the gas cap open and looking really weird. There was a strap holding the cap on, the gas door was mostly closed, but there was something else that looked like a wire that didn’t belong in the gas area so I let the Ramp Manager know to check it out.
It just seemed odd enough to say something and if I hadn’t I would have felt strange about it all day. I don’t think I am paranoid, but more apt to be alert to things that seem out of place. Last week I went to a movie (I know, big surprise) and I had my work bag/satchel with me. This would not be strange, but as I dug through it looking for the gum I thought I stashed in it, I started thinking about the London bombings and how the eyewitnesses said one of the bombers was looking through his bag before the explosions took place. I looked over at the guy a few seats away from me to see if he was watching me. He was enjoying the flick, not paying me any mind, but it made me wonder about stuff like that. I will admit that right after 9-11 I was a little on edge as were most people whether they will admit it or not. Being a bit on high alert during the weeks following 9-11, I was a little disturbed by a woman asking a guy to watch her bags while she went to the bathroom during a movie. It was about a month before Christmas and the Mall Of America was a place that was supposedly threatened at one point. It was hard for me to concentrate on the movie until she came back.
I started to think about how people live their day to day lives in countries that have bombings on a fairly regular basis. I can’t believe you would ever get used to it. I guess you have to live, so you do just that. You live.

"Get a f@#$ing job!"
That is what the driver of a car turning a corner yelled at the person with the sign soliciting cash from passers by. It was Saturday, It was stinkin' hot. It made me angry.
It's not that I haven't thought the same at times with less ferocity, but I would never try to debase another human being that way. I really thought the shouter was a coward. It's easy to yell things as you pass by from the safety of your car. It would have been braver to stop and hand the person a sandwich or keep your mouth shut and drive by.
I volunteered at St.Stephen's shelter for men for three years as an overnight volunteer. As an ONV I did a mail call, handed out towels, job duties and hung out. We spent our nights playing cards, talking, watching TV or reading.
During that time I came to understand some things about some of the homeless men there. Some are there because they made bad choices, some for addiction, alcohol and drug, some for mental disabilities and some because they were one paycheck away from the street.
What ever the reason, I never lost sight that each of them was a human being and wanted to be treated as such. The main rule at the shelter was "Respect Everyone"
It was hard to go to the shelter some nights and in the end I eventually burned out. It always serves as a reminder to me that anyone could end up there and things aren't always as bad as they can seem.
I try to think of that when I am whining about things, that my life could be different, I could be on the short end of the stick. I am glad I am not. I believe that everyone going through something tough is in their own private hell, be it larger or smaller than the next person. You just can't give up and you shouldn't ever lose sight that you will get through it.
I don't always give and I don't always act super friendly to people coming up asking for things, but I do remember they are a person. I still see some of the guys from the shelter here and there. Some are doing well. The shelter has advocates that work to help these guys find housing and jobs and check in on them.
All I am trying to say is that remember these folks are people too, no matter what. Don't take any abuse form them either. Don't think I am asking you to like all of them or hug them or anything like that. People struggle in this life for various reasons, why make it any harder than it can already be.

Motto - Langston Hughes

I stay cool, and dig all jive,
That's the way I stay alive.
My motto, as I live and learn, is
Dig and be dug, in return.

An Open Letter to My Fellow (Male) Co-Workers

2005-07-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Fellow (Male) Co-Workers,

It has come to my attention that there are some problems plaguing our facilities. No doubt you have noticed what I am referring to. Our restrooms are becoming the stuff of nightmares. The MN State Fair doesn’t start until the end of next month and yet we are all being subjected to the fairgoer bathroom.

Some of my British friends call going to the restroom “Splashing your Boots”, please do not take this literally. Even though the soles on my shoes are between me and the outside world I still don’t want to stand in your leavings. Nor do I want the person after me to think I have no aim. May I suggest that if you can’t aim, you try sitting down. I hear it’s all the rage in Europe. I will talk about sitting down a little later.

Also, if you could do me a favor and make sure you flush next time. I do not want to flush for you and have your urine mist spray all around me. Sounds pretty anal, but think about it. That cool breeze you feel when you flush is nothing other than mist. Let’s call it a Mister Misty. I could really do without that.

No one has seen a Bigfoot or a Yeti in the city limits for quite some time. So it strikes me as odd that a couple would take the time out of running through the woods, mountains or posing for blurry photos to come to our floor to use the bathroom. It could happen but, I doubt they have the proper badges to get in. This leads me to my next point.

Hair and A$$ dandruff (I borrowed that one from a friend). After you are done reading your book/newspaper, answering your phone, blogging or dropping the kids off at the pool, I beg you. When you look back to see what you left behind, that you also take a moment to look at the toilet seat and give it a quick wipe. I don’t know what you are doing sitting down without a toilet paper shield, that’s your business, but don’t make it mine by leaving Klingons or Cousin It behind on the seat for me to get to know. I think it’s pretty nasty that one might sit down and get up with a butt moustache.

Simple things these are. As Yoda might say. If you are smart enough to create Struts, business objects and dirty V.O.’s, you can make sure each visit to the restroom is an enjoyable one for everyone.

Just a few more simple things:

One: DO NOT stand right next to your co-worker if there are more than two stalls and there is enough for an empty stall to divide the both of you.

Two: Same goes for the sit down stalls. Nothing worse than a Crap Crowder if there is an empty to divide the two of you.

Three: Courtesy flush. Thanks

Four: WASH YOUR HANDS!! I would be able to save more trees and stop stretching all my shirts if I felt I could use the doorknob knowing that we all did.

Thanks for listening.

There are two things that separate us from the animals, One, we stopped flinging our poo a long time ago and two, we have opposable thumbs. – Rufus D. Pearson Jr.

Blistering Heat 1, Me 0

2005-07-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

The weather kicked my butt yesterday. I had my first bike ride in a year and I chose what seemed to be the hottest day so far. I was not trying to be macho in the least bit, but I was thinking how bad could it be.
Well, let's prepare for the ride by being out of shape, sleeping about 4 hours of light wake up off and on type sleep the night before and only eating banana for breakfast. Yep, that would about do it. I did drink a ton of water on the ride because of the way I sweat I can easily dehydrate and we don't want that again. I did that in High School during our "Hell Weeks" of 2 a day football practices. It was August and we had just finished some drills. The coach sent us to get water to the North and I decided to walk South. After the coach called my name a few times, I turned towards him, spoke Swahili and collapsed. They rushed out to me and had to carry me over to the water. My legs had curled up underneath me and my arms had turned to jelly. After a while I was fine, but I now make sure I get more than enough water in my system
I was really ok on Saturday's ride until we started doing the inclines about 2 hours into the ride. My bike riding muscles having been neglected for more than a year were telling me in no uncertain terms they were not happy. Plus you add in the sweating like I'm selling sweat for millions and you get tired. You could feel the heat coming up from the sidewalk as you rode along.
I had to stop a few times on the last leg of our ride. My buddies were very accommodating understanding my wishes not to push it too hard under these conditions. Overall, I had a very good time. It was nice to ride along the river from Eagan to downtown St.Paul and circle back along Sheppard road to HWY 55 and back to Eagan. If you are going to ride, please go and get yourself a Twin Cities Bike map. This helped us choose our route back and gave us ideas for another ride. Even better is that they are free and free is good.
I feel pretty lucky today, no cramping, not sore except for the "taint". The "taint" is a little chaffed, which is what I expect every biking season until I build up a "callous". The pros use Udder cream. I may pick a little up.
I figure I will try to get out a little ride tonight when the temp goes down. I built up so much heat yesterday in my core that my forehead was hot to the touch as late as 12:00am.

Bad Boy Having a Party

2005-07-01T21:06:00.000-07:00

Luther Vandross passed away today at the age of 54. He had a stroke about 2 years ago and never fully recovered. He is one of my favorite R&B artists. Luther had a string of hits in the 80's and 90's. The title of this blog entry was one of my favorite songs. His music was what we partied to and slow danced to as well, when slowing dancing was in. I would advise checking out his music if you like good Soul/Pop/RnB. I was asked to do senior spotlight's in our high school newspaper and one of the things I said was that I would love to have a voice like Luther. His name is one of those names you just say and people know who you are talking about. He is well worth listening too and will be noted in history as a class act and a great artist. Rest In Peace, Luther

Nothing

2005-06-30T22:20:00.000-07:00

Hi. Today was a good day. No Black issues. Just being me and hanging with some friends. Is that so much to ask? Well, I could ask for a queen to my throne, but I will settle for a good day with lots of laughter, unless you know a really good queen. I chuckled in a manly way after I wrote that.

Geek Injection
Fantastic Four comes out in the next couple weeks I hope it's good. If you want to read about superhero related news check out Superhero Hype

Crap crap crap..I should have gone to bed.

2005-06-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

I should have gone to bed, but instead as I like to do, I checked the news one more time. I found this article on CNN about a new stamp that the Mexican Government has issued. Why didn't I go to bed!?!
I get tired some days, tired of the focus on my skin, my heritage. Tired of trying to fight the crap that makes the modern age seem like a backwards civilization. Tired of people locking car doors, clutching purses and watching me as I walk through the store. Tired of worrying about these things. Tired that I have to think about this stuff and and even talk about it.
I am proud to be who I am. I am a person first and then I am Black, African American, Chocolate Rick (Thanks Moriah), Ultimate Mocha (Thanks Mollicita).
I did learn something that I didn't really know and I will look into. That there is a small black community on the Southwest coast of Mexico and that Africans outnumbered the Spanish in Mexico during the early colonial era. Going to bed now, I'll let RUN take us out of this entry.

[Run]
We're gonna tell ya somethin that'll put your mind in a swirl
God bless the next baby that comes in this world
The world's full of hate discrimination and sin
People judgin other people by the color of skin
I'll attack this matter, in my own way
Man, I ain't no slave, I ain't reelin no hay
Written a deposition, in any condition
Don't get in my way cause I'm full of ambition
I'm proud to be black (and I ain't takin no crap)
I'm fresh out the pack (and I'm proud to be black)
SO TAKE THAT!!
RUN-DMC "Proud to be Black" Raising Hell 1986

Tempest Fugit

2005-06-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

It's time. You know, I know, we all know. It's time to start doing what we said we would do. It's time to start that thing we talked about the other day. The thing you discussed with your boss, your sig other, your friend or yourself.
It's time to explore the possiblities. This is not an ad for Valtrex or some other drug. I am being semi serious here. It's time. We are far too smart to keep putting these things off. So do it, start doing it, find out about it. What is it going to take to do it? Oh, and sometime during the process of doing it, eat some cake. You will thank yourself for it.

A Sienfeld Episode

2005-06-28T20:04:00.000-07:00

I am embarking on a six day respite from work. I am not leaving town, I am just going to hang out. I have some small easy win projects I want to get started. I need to buy and build a grill for pop's birthday and get rid of the old one, the one that burned the hell out of my marinated chicken breasts. The grill that recently defiled my potatoes. The grill that almost removed my eyelashes and brows making me look like that kid from Powder, only the negative version of him.
I am going to dance over the grave of that grill. The grill has character, ignore it and it will burn you. Pay attention and it will tease you by under cooking your cherished meat. I can no longer master it. I have cooked many a good meal and been praised on high by the masses who have supped from my golden tongs, but now is the time to slay the fire-breather. It burned my hotdogs.
Some how this post has taken on a life of it's own, hence the title that I just attached to this entry. Most times my title comes first because I am thinking about something. Tonight I started blogging to see where I would go and here we are. You and me. All alone. Let me dim the lights a little. Are you comfortable? Can I get you anything?

Sometimes when I blog I think about that kid in class that would make the fart noise or burp really loud to get attention. I want to write inflammatory things. Some days when I am crabby I want to yell and shout about nothing. Then the rational side of me takes over and this is what you get. Mainly coherent and not very provocative, which to me is ok. The Internet is forever and I remember that every time I write here. I try to write about the things that make me happy or make me think and in turn I want to make you laugh, smile or think without being preachy, pompous or the "expert". I like being who I am. I find myself switching between a story telling style and a conversational style. I hope that makes it interesting.

Last thought about nothing
When was the last time you skipped like when you were a kid? The skipping issue came up on a recent date and with my great niece when I was watching her the other day. After a few feet of trying I remembered how to do it and remembered how much fun it was before turning into an adult crushed my skipping dreams. :) Please try it and do it at a moment when you would normally feel embarrassed. Like in the Skyway downtown or perhaps when you are walking around the lakes.

Though you try to break my spirit I remain strong and resolute

2005-06-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Ding dong the tooth is dead, the wicked tooth is dead. I had the root canal today. It was pretty uneventful. I came in, they doped me up, put a dental dam in my mouth and went to town. They ran a "Number 6" *** on the wicked abscess tooth and saved the day. Long live dentistry and the good people who practice it. Three cheers for those warriors in blue smocks
Hip Hip Hooray!! Hip Hip Hooray!! Hip Hip Hooray!!
Ok, done with that. Oh, by the way. Don't make fun of your friends when they come back from a full session of novocain, it's not sporting

***Rent the movie Blazing Saddles, it's one of my faves and contains many good lines.

MPR and Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it

Thank goodness for MPR. I don't always listen but when I do I always find it entertaining and a lot of the time informative. Tonight as I drove for Ice Cream( I am entitled, it was a rough day..see the above paragraph). Tonight they were talking about the Korean War and during the section I happened to hear they were discussing the desegregation of the American troops and how the military begrudgingly did it.
A major thought during the two previous wars (WWI, WWII) held the viewpoint that "The negro soldier is a cowardly sort and should not be allowed in major combat. There are a few exceptions, but overall they are not fit to battle on the front lines" When I hear things like that I tend to laugh and think of all the "inferior" Negroes who raised some of these folks children, cooked for their families, created and invented life/time saving devices and served them in many ways. I also look back and think how could people be so naive as to think they were so much better than another person. I digress a bit and my job here is not to get all soap boxy and whatnot. This pain medication is good. I am wandering aimlessly around this topic. I think I will write more on this later. I guess I am using this space as a "journal" sometimes and incomplete thoughts are ok from time to time. It's my blog and I'll do what I want to.
The point of this little diatribe is something I always try to impart to friends and family and that is to open your eyes/ears to new things, don't forget where we came from, and think about how you interact with others. Before you pass judgment think about why you feel the way you do.

Something totally irrelevant and cool to me...gotta get back to geeking this blog out...

Toybiz, maker of Marvel action figures..not dolls, has created the ultimate drool causing figure as far as I am concerned. They have seven different figures that each contain a piece to build Galactus Devourer of Worlds. Galactus had a herald he would send out to find worlds that would satisfy his hunger and that herald use to be none other than the Silver Surfer. The Surfer came upon Earth one day and Galactus wanted to eat it. The Surfer fell in love with an Earth woman and teamed up with the Fantastic Four to save the earth. The only way the FF was able to stop Galactus was to threaten him with the Ultimate Nullifier, a weapon of unimaginable power.
Have I lost you non geeks yet?
He is really cool looking and I want one. Each figure in the series contains an arm, leg, head or torso piece. Neat way to get folks to buy all the figures and a good way to get us geeks to try and find all the pieces. Maybe I will post some pictures of Galactus trying to eat my head or other pics of Galactus items from my collection.

Making Lemonade with the lemons I have been given

2005-06-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

I have an abscess. It is not fun. Less fun than an abscess is the root canal that will follow on Monday. Life after the root canal or what I like to refer to as the Oral Torture Session should be better. Let’s hope.

Strawberry lemonade

I was driving home after my emergency dental visit this morning and entered an intersection on a yellow, another car followed me when the light turned red and the newly installed red light runner camera snapped it’s photos. I will wait to see if a ticket comes.

The other car who ran the light behind me was a car for a Security Guard company. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Holy Glad it didn’t suck Batman!!!

2005-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

I saw Batman Begins and it was very very good. They were careful to pay attention to what makes Batman, well, Batman. The story, action and acting were good. They also gave some nods to the past without getting campy.

One of the best parts of the movie was the fact there were no nipples on the costume. I don’t know why they thought his suit needed nipples back in Batman Forever but, Batman would have kicked Joel Shumacher’s butt for putting non-functional nipples on the suit. They should have at least fired darts or sleeping gas. Honestly.

They used a lot of the elements I like about Batman. I thought the fight scenes were done well. A friend complained that the cuts were too close. Meaning you didn’t get to see the action as well. I thought it was fought in true Batman style. Quick, decisive, stealthily and butt stompin’. Just like Batman from the books. The fight scenes didn’t have the feel that they were poorly choreographed like some other movies that use quick cuts to hide crappy fight work.

There was no neon freeze rays, no stupid neon suited thug morons, just some straight up butt whooping and crime fightin’.

The story followed the batman year one feel and I was very pleased. Gordon looked like Gordon and they didn’t change too much of what happens in the Batman mythos for the movie’s sake. I totally endorse this movie and it gets the UnderroosnAfros seal of approval.

I need to find a cool logo seal for my newly created seal of approval. I’ll see what I can do.

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream!!

Next to cake being my favorite dessert, free Ice Cream ranks pretty high.

Last night was free scoop night at 31 Flavors. It was way cool. Super hot night, a good friend and a good flavor. I hadn’t had a sugar cone in a long time and it was awesome. It was fresh and tasted like it was from my childhood. I remember when 31 Flavors was one of the top Ice Cream shops. We used to think it was special to go there as kids. They used to have a cone that was upside down in a cup and it had candy on it so it would look like the face of a clown. They also added frosting to give it a collar and to design the cone to look like a hat. I got that every time we went.

"You Killed My Teachaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"

2005-06-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't it be cool if karate fights just broke out on the street for no reason. You are walking along carrying some groceries or a bag of popcorn and you see him/her. They walk towards you and just before they pass.... Hiiiiiiyaaaaaa! The person leaps at you yelling their focus word. You have to yell something to focus your "Chi" or your "power" for the lay person. You yell "KAZE NO YO NI HIYAKU!!!"*
The battle rages for a good five minutes, neither side bowing to the other's skills. You jump on cars, leap through the air and run up the side of buildings. Your popcorn is scattered all over...then you deliver the blow that stops them in their tracks. They look up at you from the ground. You reach out to help them up. You bow to each other, no honor lost. Not this day. They hand you 2 bucks for your lost popcorn and you continue on your way, satisfied in know that you once again defeated another street master.
You're welcome for the smile I just brought you. Please pass the smile on to someone else.

* I didn't make up this phrase...it's from my childhood

In the Gutter

2005-05-31T18:08:00.000-07:00

No, it's not my mind although some might argue and I don't mean I am feeling blue. I was working today on the roof. The gutter on the back of the house was overflowing during the last Monsoon season.
So it was up to someone to get on the roof and take action. Looking around I noticed that there were no other volunteers so I took matters into my own hands. I armed myself with a ladder, nails, hammer, the garden hose, a long sticked squigee, some gutter cover mesh, and an assistant (big ups Pops).
So I break out the brand new ladder, get Pops to hold it steady and head for the roof. The roof is a magical place. It's close to the sky and far away from the ground. It's a place where treasures can be found like the 1974 issue of the Brave and The Bold featuring Batman and Superman. I'm not saying that was up there, but it is a magical place.
The gutter was a full blown mosquito farm. The water up there had the look that swamp look to it. At any moment there could be a croc waiting to grab me by the arm and a drag me under. I got over my croc fears and forgot that I don't like to stick my hand in water with gunk in it. I don't even like it when food is floating around in my dishwater, so I was very proud of myself when I stuck my hand in the gutter drain to unclog it. I pulled out gunk like never before, leaves, pine cones ( not the big wooden Xmas ornament kind, just the small ones) and branches.
I pushed the hose into the drain and still no luck, plugged like a mother scratcher. I became inventive and turned a coat hanger into a drain snake and dug around. Success!! The water began to drain, but then it slowed to a trickle.
I had thoroughly cleaned out the gutter up top so there was only one place to go, Down.
I used the "snake" at the bottom of the gutter and rescued a golf ball and what at first I thought was a dead bird, but it just happened to be a couple of pine cones wrapped in some skanky leaves and twigs. Then it was like a giant zit popped, the water gushed and all is well.
The long sticked squigee was used to help roll out the mesh and then I nailed it down, that was the easiest part of the mission. In the other gutters I rescued a few more of the neighbor kid's balls and toys and threw them away. No way was I giving back the main reason that I was called to the roof.

Short, Sweet and a little Salty

2005-05-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

It was brought to my attention that when I do blog, I blog big time. Like a Tsunami of thought, the words spill from my mind onto the screen and fill up the page. I can't help it, sometimes they just flow, so you end up with one of my huge blogs. I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I wrote down in words, how wonderful life is, that you're in the world. Sorry, musical tangent. That sneaky Elton john dropping lyrics in my head.
I pride myself on being mostly optimistic even in the face of impending doom.
"Hello Doom, pleased to meet ya!"
I just feel that things will work out if you have faith in yourself and the strength to go on. I don't waver much from that belief and most people who know me would agree. I also think that because I am that way, it shocks folks when I hit the "yuck" spot. I don't like the yuck spot. I would much rather be in the good spot, but I guess I need the yuck spot to realize when the good spot is good.
I am babbling tonight. I think it is sometimes hard for me to decide what I want the world to know about me. The Internet is forever and I want to be careful about what I put down here for public consumption.
By now I have told everyone I know about being in NYC and how much of a good time I had. The only thing I missed was Marvel Comics, but I can't say I missed it when I had the Uber cool private tour of DC Comics!! I know people who know people. :) I always wanted to be able to say that.
Ok, I will end the "short" blog with a list. You can hum this list to the tune of "Need You Tonight" by INXS. This would be the part where

Michael Hutchence is saying the words to the drum beat.

Memorial day
Eat and Play
The Punkin says "Uncle Ricky lets sway!"
Car delay
New Friend away
I love South Park when they say "Tim-May!!"

Shoes off
Feet in the grass
My mother giggles
grilling with gas
The Sith rocked
Vader burned his a.....
Batman Begins on that I can't pass

That may be it for the rhyming styles of Mikey H.
June will be a busy month. I have some weddings to go to, a couple of tux fittings (always a groomsman never a groom) I think I have been in about 10 weddings. Best man twice, a groomsman 18 times and an usher about 27 times.
The Batman Begins movie. Some major bike riding and a couple of big brother days and as well as some Uncle Ricky days and hangin' with the folks. Oh, and I am going to try my hand at landscaping..I will do it in babysteps.
Plus, I need to do something I have been kind of dreading. I know I need to get started, it's just that I don't want too. I don't feel like doing it. If I don't, then I will have dropped the proverbial ball. It causes me a a little distress and I worry about the comments and at the same time I could tell people to kiss it. I guess sometimes I worry too much.

It really did get lost in Yonkers

2005-04-28T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hi,
This post is to explain the last post. The blogger chewed it up and I am not pleased. It was a long post and took some valauable vacation time to do it. I will post again this weekend and include the info from the lost post. AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HULK SMASH!!!

Lost in Yonkers a.k.a. The Manhattan Project

2005-04-23T16:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya!
Greeting from the Big Apple!!! I arrived on Thursday and we have been going non-stop. I am getting about four hours of sleep a night and getting lots of Tekken 5 time under my belt, mainly after we get back from running around Manhattan at 4am. If you don't know what T5 is, you better ask somebody.
Vic had to go into work Friday so I was left to my own devices. Aww yeah!!! I decided to go to the Intrepid museum out on Pier 86.
I looked in the phone book to make my plans. I used the

The reports of my blog's demise were greatly exaggerated

2005-04-18T20:51:00.000-07:00

Two months.... sixty days. A whole mess of hours. Far too long. Also tonight's entry will be raw and unspell checked So, let's recap.
Sing this to the tune by Billy Joel "We didn't start the fires!"

buyouts
bidding wars
Sin City
Warm weather
Cleaned up the garage
Cleaned up the bike
had a blind date dinner
What the Bleep do we know!
made a new friend
Saw Stomp's World beat at the Science Museum
Lost some more weight
Ate some cookies last night
The move
The mattress
Command and Conquer
Rise of Nations
BF 1942
Trying my hand at becoming a villain
Trying the Superhero thing
Democracy Matters
The 36 Hour Day
Ivor "The Conqueror" and Mrs. Conquered...Welcome back
Had good thoughts about people
Decided that I can't save the world
Thought about my limitations, strengths and how I relate to others
Decided I need to have as much fun as possible
Let everyone know that if I am vegged out to pull the feeder
The Pope passed. R.I.P.
Thought about cake, ate cake and desired more cake.
Ok, it didn't all rhyme and it was hard to sing the whole thing. I do like that song and the video with Marlee Matlin in it. No promises. The only promise I will make is that this blog willl be like that old hoodie or sweater that you can't get rid of. It just keeps hanging on and getting funkier.

Chocolate covered Apple
Guess where I am going. I am headed to ENYCE (NYC...New York City). I am going to persue my dream of becoming a male super model.
Lost weight...check,
haircut before I leave minniapple...check,
clean underwear.....um....oh yeah...check.
Maybe I'll be discovered and become the "football buddy" in commercials. At any rate I am going to hang out with my buddy Vic. I like to think of Vic as my crazy side and me as his calm side. So far he has been the only person to get me to do the robot in an afro wig with a boombox, in Uptown during rush hour, in a crosswalk while being filmed. Yes, I was wearing a furry vest like they did in the 70's.
I am looking forward to hanging out and doing whatever comes to mind. I might even tell ya about it when I get back. You know my track record with writing lately so don't hold your breath. Maybe I'll meet "her" while I am there. Doesn't that happen in the movies? We'll both be reaching for the same piece of cake and touch hands and BOOM!!! The next sixty years are the happiest of our lives.
The one thing I am going to try and do is visit Mecca. The offices of Marvel Comics. You guys forgot I was the "Coolest geek you know" and maybe if they're lucky I'll visit DC Comics as well. Everyone wants a visit from the Pope, but few are chosen.
Last thought for the night.
According to Nostodamus, If a black Pope is chosen, it will signal the end of the world, you have been warned!!
Or something like that, there was some other stuff about a wolf and whatnot. Some other stuff about a bush and the son of a bush and the desert black rain that will be slick on the skin and thick. I only took the part that suited my needs. :)

My Acting Career or My So Called Acting Life

2005-02-16T19:51:00.000-08:00

You didn't know this, but at several times in my life I have done some acting. Nothing I was ever paid for and my biggest most famous local role was as the opening credits guy for my buddy Vic's (Bestalbino)
old improv group The Bad Mamma Jammas. The show was run on cable access and was pretty funny. This was around 93' - 95' or there abouts. I discovered some old tapes of that and started watching again. If you are nice I might show them to some of you. The copies have some weird wavy stuff going through them but the shows are funny. I will see if I can find a clear one.
I was dressed as man from the 70's with a huge afro and we spent a day in Uptown shooting me dancing in various places and talking to people and yes of course I was doing a really bad robot at one point. I've led a pretty cool life, at least I think so, and continue to have very creative and cool friends. I mean that about all of you.

The Coolest Thing About Today Being Valentine's Day

2005-02-14T20:16:00.000-08:00

Listening to the radio this morning I heard this coming from the speakers....
A man's voice, very deep and take off on Barry White, Some super smooth baby making music, Barry White style.
So I am thinking it's gonna be an old school cut, the kind that takes you back to the bump and grind, when they played slow jams at the clubs and I would take a honey out on the dance floor, look her in the eyes, do the patented RickyP cheek caress, which always inspired a giggle or at least a smile and we would dance. I was shaken from my glow with this line.
"Hey Baby, that's right I said baby" "Let's talk about your baby and lactation" The next line was "Did you know breast feeding you baby is the best way to help develop their immune system and protect them childhood illnesses?"
I felt like someone had just ripped the needle off the record with the "VREEP!!!" noise.
I was laughing so hard I couldn't breathe. It was a PSA(Public Service Announcement"). It had my attention and I hope it caught some of you mothers out there too. Ignore what Morris Day of The Time once said in a song,
Morris: Honey, Don't you EVER try and breast feed no baby!!
Woman: Why Not?
Morris: Neva mind (Morris Day cackle soon followed)

Cupid, can you help a brotha out.......
HalleNaomiCharlizeJanetTyraHillary(not the cute one, but the smart one) failed to how up for dinner again this year. I put my heart out like I do for Cupid every year, right next to the Hershey kisses you are supposed leave for the tiny cherub and every year he disses me. Oh yeah, I know some years he's brought the occasional pretender, but he's dropped the ball again. Well, there's always next year.

You know, I haven't geeked in a while. So I will tell you about a show I waiting to come out. It's called Robot Chicken. I don't know the premise of the show, but they use Mego action figures from the 70's so it can't be all that bad. They are going to do it stop motion animation style. Should be funny or really stupid. It will be on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The cartoon programming of discriminating adults. I do recommend it if you have the means.

Where is Rufus when I need inspiration?
I can't find his other book of love poems at the North Central Bible College library,
Yo Love is Like a Pick in My 'Fro, 1972 Bantam Press Publishers
The only excerpt I could find was from an archive at the Downtown Mpls Library

Happy Valentine's Day Baby
A love expression by Rufus D. Pearson Jr.

Happy Valentine's Day Baby
I put on my best red velvet suit
I pick out my fro
The scent of Afrosheen permeates the air
I climb aboard my platform shoes
I walk to your house, I am going to take you to the stars
Baby, You are my Starship I've come take you up tonight and I won't be late
I ring your bell
You come to me, your afropuffs bouncing as you walk toward me,
my favorite silk dashiki adorns your beautiful body
your face serious, your lips full and sensuously parted
You say the words
You say the words
I'm late, only two days late, no wonder the candy was half price

Rufus was the man. Sometimes misguided, but still a man who tried. Not mine but somebody's hero. The 70's were a funkafied magical time.

Jerome: Rick
Rick: Yeah
Jerome: Seventeen
Rick: So baby what's it gonna be?
The Honey: Chili sauce
Rick: Oh lawd

I stole that last part. Some of you will get what I am talking about and will laugh at the reference. Others will wonder if I spend to much time sniffing glue.

Sunday Feb.13th Declared Gordon Parks day in the city of St.Paul

2005-02-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Today was a celebration of Gordon Parks. Parks is a noted photographer, poet, director,composer and writer. He was also known for directing two of the Shaft movies in the 70's. Shaft, was one of the first Black Action Heroes,one of the first with a huge budget and the soundtrack netted Isaac Hayes an Oscar and the honor of being the first African American to win an Oscar for composing.
Parks was also the first African American to take photos for Life Magazine
The celebration was at the Ordway and the house was packed. He is still very much alive, but was unable to attend today's show. By the way, front row seats are cool most times, except when they are showing pics on a screen, my neck hurts. :) Did I mention the Ordway was in St.Paul? Do you remember what else is in St.Paul, let me remind you. Only the stinkin' best cake in the Twin Cities, that's right Cafe Latte. Yes, I had chocolate cake and I did hear the music too. If you don't know what music I heard, you will have to check my post archives and you can find out.
The music was a mix of songs composed by Parks, songs that helped the narrator tell the story, and songs that part of the era being described. There were also a few actors on stage to help with the story. I enjoyed myself and thought the whole thing was very interesting.
A few years ago I had the chance to see Gordon Parks speak in person, he spent a good number of years living in St.Paul and many of his family members still live here and were at the celebration. His story is very interesting and inspirational without being preachy. I don't like preachy.

Soapbox: Washing out your mouth!!
Black History Month....
I sometimes joke about how Black History month takes place during the shortest month of the year, why? Why does "The Man" do that to us? (wink wink) All jokes aside. It's more important to me that American History becomes way more integrated and that "The Month" becomes more of an extra celebration and not the only time we hear about the struggles, inventions, and triumphs of African Americans. In fact, one of my greatest wishes is that we would all stop seeing color and start seeing people. I hope that in my lifetime we will see less "Black Lawyers", "First Hispanic Doctors" and "First Women Presidents" and just see people for people and the contributions they have made. I think a lot of my friends know that when I tell stories, color does not come into it unless it is an important fact to the story.
Just like I asked all my male friends about the going to the doctor, I would ask that all of you keep your minds open and be ready to accept new cultures, new differences and new opinions. Hold close to you what you believe and recognize that it may clash with others and that's alright. I like the differences, it makes life interesting. Now I may sound all huggy and whatnot , but I am human and I make mistakes and get set in my ways. I have to remind myself not to close the "book" try something new or hear a new side to an issue. I guess I am just becoming a little more mature, but I still love my cartoons and comics.

More soapbox....
Paranoimia, a song from the 80's made famous by a talking head called Max Headroom and recorded by The Art of Noise. My next rant is not about either one of the stuff I just spoke about, it's has to do with my own paranoia.
Several times over the past few weeks, I have had to ride the parking ramp elevator alone with a woman. Now this in itself does not make me paranoid. What makes me all freaky about it is what goes on in my head. Here's the situation. I get on the elevator and she is already on it, the floor I need to go to is pressed so I do nothing, but wait for my floor to come. The elevator stops, the doors open. I beg for her to be going to the other side of the ramp by taking the door on the left, because I need to go right. Crap!! She's going right. Then comes the battle. Do I hold the door open for her letting her go through first and then hope she goes a different way from me or do I go through the door first and risk being the rude guy ( I like to be chivalrous sometimes)?
She goes through my held open door and is going the same way. Now we are walking the same direction and I am behind her. The whole time I feel like she might be thinking "this guy is behind me!!!" So I cross to the other side of the lane and make noise to let her know where I am. I usually make Moo noises or hum the "Jaws" theme. Just kidding. Well, last week my car and the woman's car were parked next to one another and I walked all the way there and she was a bit freaked I think. When she still saw me coming to her direction she gave me this look like "Oh my god! What are you doing!?!" and jumped in her car pretty quick until she saw me get in mine. How should I have handled it? Suggestions? I am tired of feeling like the parking lot Stalker. :) The whole parking ramp thing helped to add to my sometimes crabby mood of late. I am not totally crabby just having one of those times when you have less tolerance for stupid stuff that would not bother you other days. Don't worry I am ok.

Funny as @#$^!!!

2005-01-31T21:34:00.000-08:00

I had to go back and watch my friend Vic's take on the Sprite commercials where they use rappers to sell the soda. Please watch the video when you get a chance. Cracks me up everytime. This one is officially endorsed by Popperjac and the makers of funky things to play with. As my man George Clinton would say "Free you mind and your Ass will follow!"

Do You See What I See? Yes I know Chrismahanahkwanzika is over

2005-01-31T21:11:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night I was getting ready to go out. I showered, shaved and put on my favorite cologne. I had some extra time to kill so I started playing with my niece who I like to call my little Punkin. She got the name Punkin because she had a big head when she was little. She has since grown into her head. Anyway, back to me looking good and ready to go out. Man, I was looking good! Did I say that I smelled real good too? MMM, mmm, mmm. Ready to hit the street.
I don't know what game we were playing this time, but we played for a while and then it was time for me to leave. I bent down to give Punkin the good bye hug, this hug is always preceded by "Where are you going, are you going to work?" I answered "No, I am going out with some friends" she said "Oh" So I kept bending down to her and she looked up and pointed, "Uncle Ricky, you have a booger in your nose!" What a stud muffin I am . Punkin to the rescue again

Hulk Smash!!!!

2005-01-24T20:27:00.000-08:00

Grrr! Grrr! Rassa Frassa stinkin' frickin double grrr!!!!!!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2005-01-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

I asked for it and got it, only I didn't want this much on Poker night. We had to cancel our game. I don't like cancelling fun stuff. Let me cancel a meeting at work, a dentist appointment, a fiancial shaming at the hands of my financial advisor, but please don't make me cancel something fun. I look forward to these nights. I wish it would have snowed on Sunday night.

"More Cheese with your whine sir?"
So instead of a good night of taking money from grown men without a gun (this time). I settled for a movie that I would have loved in let's say, 80'/81' , but by today's standards it was crap and I knew that before going to see it. I was snowed in downtown Mpls and decided to stay down there rather than fight with people who can't remember how to drive when it starts to snow.
Assault on Precinct 13. Woooooo ! Hooooooo! The acting was ......... the story was.....
All I can say is "WOW!!!!!". Wow, what a bunch of crap that was. Stay away unless you are trapped under a huge rock, sick at home, or betting your friends on who's going to survive and you invented a drinking game for every five bullets shot during the movie.

Frommage, for the Port ( check that spelling for me would ya?) or King me
I went to the dentist this week to get my gold fronts put in. Me and Flavor Flav on the hype tip!
Gotta have my bling bling for the ladies. Actually, the dentist got his wish. He is going to put crowns on some teeth way in the back that he has been wanting to do since I was a much younger man. He had to wait for me to get my wisdom teeth out, I held him off as long as I could.
Anyway, I had the worst dry heaves since I was in college. I tried the Nitrous gas. People were doing that crap in college. I remember the little yellow and red bottle, I was too chicken to try it then, so I figured "hey what heck" It's a controlled situation and the hygenist was cute. The assistant straps the gas hose over my nose and I start making with the deep breathing. Then the other assistant puts the numbsticks in the back of my mouth and the world decided at that moment to punchme in the stomach and force nothing out of me, but really bad noises and eyes rolling in the back of my head. It sucked, I heaved for like 2-3 minutes which might as well have been a month from the way it felt. I will be forever known as the Gagger.
They do have really cool flatscreen monitors to watch TV as the dentist uses his best Jackhammer to dig through my gums for oil. Once I stopped heaving, the vist wasn't so bad and went off without a hitch. Eating the last few days has been a bit of a pain. My mouth is sore.
I watched a movie Bottlerocket, the Daily Show and some commercial for a unbreakable ladder.
Oh, by the way, I have the best dentist in the Twin Cities!! I recomend his office to all of you.

Broomball on Saturday night or else....
Last Saturday "The Man" decided it was too cold to play. You would think this was Florida or something. Minus twenty degrees is not too cold. Well, this week we are playing for sure, even if I have to shovel the ice off myself. I need the workout to get hungry for the best pizza in the Twin Cities besides Punch or Pizza Nea. The name speaks for itself: Tasty.

Hey out there and you know who you are. The only thing standing between me and what we talked about is the same thing I told you before. So why do you keep trying? If the "mouse" found the cheese and ran with it, could the beaver be far behind ? I mean honestly, who throws a shoe?

Go Team Venture!!!!

The World Was Saved Today!!!!!!!!

2005-01-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

That's right folks. Today the world was saved from the Evil Chip Clip Monster (me), by none other than Hero Girl(my great niece). The 29 month old super cute heroine could be seen removing the clip from her great grandmother and great grandfather and then dispensing hugs to heal the chip clip wounds.
Uncle Ricky is the inventor of many games, some can be found in your favorite toy stores. I know you all remember: Blanket Monster from the Deep, Is that my Uncle or is the table talking to me? and A Wiggle bit me a Wiggle bit you. It was in that tradition the Chip Clip Monster and Hero Girl were created.
Tonight's episode started with me showing my niece how to open the clip and clipping it to my shirt. "Does it hurt?" was her question to me and I answered by going "NOOOOOOO!!!" and grabbing her shirt and clipping it to her. She giggled and then we started the game. Every good superhero needs a cape and I hooked her up. The old towel as a cape saves the day.
So, I would clip the chip clip to my mom and she would pretend to be hurt and my niece would run over and pull the clip from her shirt with a snap, she then hugs the clipped person and runs away.
Now, you must be thinking, this is a pretty docile game with hushed voices. WRONG!!!! First I need to make a lot of noise while I attack my mom or dad with the Chip Clip. Then they pretend to be hurt, complete with moans. I have to do double duty at this point, I need to scream for Hero Girl to save them and then try to grab her before she can save them. She wins everytime. She hugs them and me and gives me the Chip Clip and says do it again. She then runs back to her chair and pretends not to see the clipping take place. Sometimes she forgets the hug. Then I ask, "What did you forget?" and she and I both scream "THE HUG!!" then we all get our hugs. There was lots of giggling tonight
What a great game. Better than PS2's San Andreas .
By the way, Hero Girl is a big girl who can put all her books away in the book tub!!

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr!!!!

2005-01-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

What if you lived in a place where the laws of the land only applied to you if they were meant to keep your freedom suppressed? All the books taught you that you were the same as everyone else, yet you still could not take advantage of the very things you were promised at birth.
So in effect you lived as a second, third or even fourth class citizen in this place. You were told where you could eat, drink, live, and who you could be friends with.
All of you know that happened right here in our country and continues in many others. Please take some time today and reflect on where we have been and where we are going.
I don’t always take or get today off in honor of Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, but I like to think about the things he stood up for and his universal message of peace.
I think back to the events that took place in the early nineteen hundreds in America with African Americans and I see that struggles that people went through. I speak to relatives and ask questions about “What was it like then?” and “Did that ever happen to you?”
The sad part is that someone could ever think another person is lesser solely based on the color of their skin
I think back to things that happened to me as a kid, how Northeast Mpls (or Nordeast) was off limits and if you went over there you were chased back. I had friends that lived over there and spent many a summer day riding top speed to their houses and back home to get over the Broadway bridge as quick as possible.
I had a chance a few years ago to visit the Lorraine Motel where Dr.king was assassinated. It was very interesting and if you are ever in Memphis please check it out. It was as uplifting as it was sad and disturbing. A very good place for reflection on historic events and being thankful for those who went before you.
The “I have a Dream” speech is still really powerful to me and makes me think on how things might have been if my predecessors had not stood up and dared to dream. .
I know sometimes I use the tagline “Keeping the Dream Alive!” when I sign-off on emails as a funny thing, but every time I do, I think about all we have gained as African Americans and as Americans in general. So it’s important to keep the dream alive and to remember who you are as a person and to treat all people with respect. The same respect you would afford a loved one or a close friend.
I feel like I am babbling so I will leave now, remember…
Keep the Dream Alive!!!

Still can't find the book by Rufus?

2005-01-15T12:26:00.000-08:00

Try the Northwest Bible college bookstore under the category: Poets

Curse you nostalgia, you evil mutha scratcher!!

2005-01-14T23:10:00.000-08:00

I was minding my own business, killing some time at Cheapo (Hey D, I made it out without spending a dime). When "IT" happened. No, I wasn't accused of shoplifting. "IT" happened.
The moment when a song or a scent can send you reeling back 20 years. I have an ex-gf who used to wear a scent from Bath and Body Works that would stop me in my tracks. I can never go near that store again, a woman at work was wearing some recently and let's just say I don't like the furniture nor the the Feng Shui in the Human Resource department.
I never understood "IT" so clearly before. "IT" never hit me so hard before. The creeping hand of nostalgia grabbed me by the back of my neck and "made me it's son" (a term I learned from one of the British guys here on my project a while back) Now I know what the grownups were talking about. I was caught in a moment and had no choice but to think about events from twenty years ago. I should also admit that I recently have run into two friends from back in the day and I have a reunion coming up next year, so I was ripe for nostalgia's picking. I ran screaming from Cheapo, but not before I was called sir by the new millennium Goth Chic at the front counter with the retro purple and red hair.
It was actually kind of nice, don't tell anybody, but I just had the event flash back through my mind. The feelings that race through you are weird and cool at the same time. It started in my stomach and ended up in my head. It just made me stop and think. It also made me dig out some music that I had placed in the "Dust jams" bin. I wanted to complete the feeling and enjoy it. I am glad it happened. Thinking back on my sordid past helps me to guide my future.

Patience makes perfect.

2005-01-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

One thing I have learned in my life is to be patient. I can without any prompting, pick the wrong checkout line. It's a real talent. I get these intuitions about a certain line and skip it to go into another lane just as they are going on break, calling the manager or have decided to help the customer in front of me count out their life savings in pennies. I don't get mad or upset about it, it kind of makes me laugh, I just wait there thinking about how I could be leaving the store about now. Watching people who came into the store after me, shopped for their whole family and the neighbor down the street and they are leaving the store with two full carts while I am still in line trying to purchase a pack of gum, the sugar free kind of course. So if you go into a store with me you pick the line no matter how much I object just pick the line and put me in it.

Mall Meltdown and props to the grown-ups
During the holidays I was at one of the Malls doing some shopping. I was about to leave after picking the wrong checkout lane again, when I walked past a really small McDonalds with a pretty big line. I was thirsty so I decide to get a soda. Waiting in line was a couple and their three kids. Each kid was in various stages of the "Meltdown". I mean a full blown meltdown.
I felt bad for mom and dad who were trying to handle it the best they could. They finally got the food and sat down and then the roof came off. The kids had the wrong meals, somebody got somebody else's chocolate milk and it was on. There was nothing mom and dad could do, but try and switch the food around while the tears and screams of "that's mine give it to me!!" rang out.
I love being an uncle, those meddling kids get out of line and its back to mom and dad. So to you parents out there, much love... and much respect.

Below Zero - I ain't scared cuz I'm one bad mutha... shut yo mouth, I'm just talkin bout Shaft

That's right, I'm bad. I am too cool to be cold. We have played broomball outside in the weather for free, we don't get payed like the pros do, it's all about the love. It's supposed to be -20 this Saturday night. This is our 15th year and we have played in worse weather. I think the coldest weather we played in was about 30 - 40 below. All you have to do is bundle up, cover your skin and start running around, you'll warm up eventually. Well, "The Man" has decided to dictate when we can play. The Man has a new rule that if the temp goes below minus 25 they close the park and don't turn on the lights. I been fighting the man my whole life and now they are trying to take away my broomball.
Rise up with me against the man! Show The Man we ain't scared of no cold weather and when we are done, we're having hot cocoa with those little tiny marshmallows and some graham crackers. Who's with me?

Another selection from Rufus D. Pearson Jr's book, A Smile Cracked My Lips. Available at Borders bookstore and the Northwest Bible College bookstore.

Baby it's Cold Outside

Baby it's cold outside
I know what you saw
It wasn't me
I know what you saw
It wasn't me
You see what had happened was
It wasn't me
Aww baby it's cold outside
Can you just throw down my pants
Aww baby it's cold outside
It wasn't me

Where? Oh where has my Underdog gone? Where oh where can he be!?!

2005-01-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!!!
I didn't make any resolutions this year, I just decided it's time for some lifestyle changes. I am going to try and reduce the sugar in my life, watch what I eat....go into my mouth. I couldn't resist a corny joke. I will be watching what I eat, but I do not want to diet. I do better when I can eat what I want. I just want to make better choices and I have been. I will admit a lot of this has been brought on by a recent trip to the doctor. Since then I have lost 11 pounds (let the cheering begin...and there was much rejoicing ....yay!!!!) My goal is to hit 200 by the end of 2005. Twenty more pounds to go. I was at 250 about a year ago and now I look damn fine. If you know me you know I am mostly kidding. :) I am not that conceited, although I do look good ;) Damn good, no really.

Topics topics topics.....
I really have not felt like writing or reading anyone's Blogs lately, I was tired, had the flu and I felt like giving it a rest. I would much rather write when I feel good about doing it. I had to question some things that I have been thinking and even some things I believe in. Now you folks know I like to keep it light, so I am not going to go into detail right now. Don't worry I am not hiding some depressing secret or anything like that, some things are meant to be kept to myself, because like Herpes, the internet is forever. Ask a fellow blogger friend of mine. I put his name into a search engine and came up with a website he maintained in college 7 years ago. Also with the Wayback machine, if you put in an old web site, this thing can find them.
I have had a lot of stuff running through my mind lately. I have been thinking about my life, relationships (friends and women, not mutually exclusive but just two different categories), where I want to go with my career, things I want to do and my parents. I think the holidays put me in a reflective/introspective sort of mood. You know the whole "who am I?" sort of thoughts.
I want to try some different things this year. Any suggestions?

Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64 - The Beatles

I don't do the things I do for accolades or pats on the back. I just try to do what I feel is right. I have had a few incidents recently where I have been able to help folks, strangers and it felt right. The part that sucks about it was I never feel like I can just jump right out and help. I always have to weigh the situation. Is someone going to freak out because I am a brother? Is she going to freak out becuase I am a man and it's night time? It sucks that I must think about those things, but it's my reality. I DO NOT PULL THE RACE CARD. I like to think if something happens to me, it's because of the situation and not my race. The race stuff is for another day's thoughts. I want to finish my original thought first. :) I have helped these people because I see my mom and dad in each of them and I hope that if my folks needed help somebody would step up and help them. If we all help each other a little bit life can be pretty cool. The hardest thing for me to come to grips with is that you can't help everybody.

Happy Chrismachanukwanzaka!!!

2004-12-25T20:15:00.000-08:00

Hey All Happy Holidays!!!
Here's what I received today from Santa,
Rock em sock em robots, Micronauts and G.I.Joe with the Kung Fu grip...... wait a minute that was '78
An Easy-Bake oven, a Barbie make-up head and a five speed bike with a Banana seat ......sorry that was Xmas '72
I received some cool DVD's and some gift certs, some books and Seal's Greatest hits a very good haul.
It's not about what I got from folks though as much as it is about the thought. I am thankful for my family and my friends(most of whom I consider family anyway, because most of my extended family is crazy). Thanks for the cards and stuff. I luv ya all! Yes, I am manly enough to say I love you all. How 'bout them Bears!!

Eng Vedda, Bing Sveda, Bing Bort Bort Bort!!! - The Swedish Chef

As some of you may know I was going prepare Lobster and Crab legs for dinner Xmas eve. Well, things turned out to be really good. I broiled the Lobster and brushed it with a garlic butter lemon baste. The crab legs I boiled in giant pots, thanks to a couple friends. I used some seafood seasoning and garlic salt. Everything got raves from the fam and we gourged ourselves. I can be a decent cook sometimes. Yes, I was blowing my own horn.

And now another selection by Rufus D. Pearson Jr. from the book titled: A Smile Cracked my Lips

Memory
I lean against her, she smiles down at me
I wait for the years to fall away,
wishing for time when we both were younger
a tear lands on her shoulder
she slowly fades away
I miss her

This just in.......

2004-12-16T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey Y'all. That's right I am back. I would like to promote the newest Blog I know and send you to his site. Pssst, he's funny too.

Doctor, Doctor, Can't you see I'm burning, burning! - The Thompsen Twins

It is my goal for 2005 to try and get all my male friends to the doctor. Why should I have all the joy of being poked and prodded when I can trick my friends into sharing the wealth. The best secret about going to the doctor is, THEY GIVE YOU CANDY AND ICE CREAM!!! ALL YOU CAN EAT!!!! I could also put it to you this way. Going to the doctor is like the old G.I Joe cartoon statement "Going to the Doctor is good and Knowing is half the battle, G.I Joe!!!"
I could also say it it like a Fox news headline "Find out why men are dying of stuff!"
See how empty that headline was? What are these guys dying of ? What is causing them to die?
Get your butt to the doctor if you haven't gone lately. Our stats as men going to the doctor are bad bad bad. I know, I know, there are a million excuses, "My doctor's hands are too big", "My butt sticks to the table when I wear the paper gown" and my favorite "Hey wait a minute, they're not handing out all you can eat candy and ice cream!"
Just so you know, I am not going to nag, nor am I going to ridicule you. I am just going to let you all know, that I want you to be my friends till the end of our natural lives. If any of you guys check out before your time I will be really pissed, but can I have your stuff?
I may ask you from time to time, if you've gone yet. What's your cholesterol, etc....
It's really none of my business, but like I said, if you leave before me, well, you know the rest.

What's black with pointy ears and kicks butt?
That's right you guessed it. BATMAN!!! The new trailer is in movie theaters and I am pumped to see the movie. I already asked my boss if I could have June 17th off.
I really do like being a geek.

Slow News Day and the Return of the Funkasaurus

2004-12-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

So I am still a little slow to post lately. I just haven't felt the juice or the ambition and have not been getting home early enough. Excuses excuses.

I went to the Vikes game on Sunday. I was a little upset at the game. Not with the fact that the Vikings lost, but the disturbing way the speakers in the Dome were swaying because of the wind outside. I have never seen Volkswagen size speakers move that much over the heads of so many people. I had to stop looking at them, watching them move that much was making me sick. My imagination as you know gets really wild sometimes as you may have figured out by reading my posts.
So I started figuring out all the ways the wires and chains could snap and which way the speakers would go if they came down. I decided I should stop that as well, it was making me sick.
Thank you Summa Tech( the Science Math Technology program in my high school) all that geometry and astrophysics and gravity crap paid off.

Sunday was a slow news day. You know how you can tell when a slow news day is happening? When the biggest story in the news is the high wind in Mpls. I was over a friends house watching the news and we both laughed at how cheesy the tag lines were for each reporter's live report.
"Blow me down and shiver me timbers" "Minnesota Blows" "Who needs a hairdryer, just step outside" As you can see those were pretty cheesy lines. No, they weren't said on TV, but were used to demonstrate the point.
Then we realized how nice it was to have a slow news day. There wasn't any mention of people being killed, no fires to report , just some power outages (I know 10,000 people without power is bad). I think a slow news day is just fine, even if I have to put up with cheesy reporters.

It was just my imagination...running away with me - The Temptations

The Exorcist, Damien Omen 2, Prince of Darkness. These movies all had one thing in common. Crows and crow elements. As I was driving Stinky(The Benz) home, down 7th street I was stopped at a light. I looked up and I was next to a Church that is near HCMC (remember the emergency room post?) Anyway, there were about a million and 2 Crows sitting on top of the church and in a barren tree across from the church. It was very creepy. I honked the horn and they didn't budge, not a one. They looked at me defiantly. I was glad when the light changed.

Last thought....
I was listening to KMOJ's old school Sunday night show. Now I know how my parents feel when they hear old songs and it takes them back. I am not saying that I am getting old, just saying I know how they feel. :)
They played some cuts that made me want to go back in time. Stuff I forgot I knew the words too. It made me feel really good inside, all warm and fuzzy, ahem! but in a manly way. (How 'bout them Bears!!)
I remembered my first High School dance. The slow cuts, who I danced with ( awwwww yeaaaaaahhh!! ) and the watching a big football player do the Popeye. A dance that we all did back then. I am sitting here trying to do it now and it's not working. Maybe a little Wiki Wiki by Nucleus would help. If you would like to hear some "Jam On It" let me know. I got the hook up.

Hodgepodge or Meatloaf thoughts - ground up and mashed together goodness

2004-11-24T19:34:00.000-08:00

70's Love Poem - By Rufus D. Pearson Jr. from the book: A Smile Cracked my Lips

OOOOOOOh Girl, Your afro is round like the Sun,
OOOOOOOh Girl, Your Koohlats are the color of Gold,
OOOOOOOh Girl, Your platform tennis shoes will allow you to reach for the stars,
OOOOOOOh Girl, Your tubetop is like a rainbow colored cornucopia ready to burst forth with fruit,
OOOOOOOh Girl, Do not run. Do not run.

I expect Rufus to pop up from time to time to share his book of love with us.

Turkeys getting Turkey
I was unfortunately at the Edina Cub Foods today getting some last minute things and killing some time while I was waiting for a friend to meet me. First of all stay away from the grocery store before holidays. Most people were nice. I said "most". The rest of the people were giving thanks for people to get the "heck out of their frickin' way!". I thought I was going to be giving thanks for being bigger than the guy in the parking lot doing 90 mph who almost hit Stinky (The Benz I currently drive). I yelled Happy Thanksgiving and waved, but when it came out of my mouth it sounded more like "You gas happy Navigator drivin' mutha scratcher!" The wave was on what networks call a 7 second delay (see Janet Jackson Superbowl appearance)
This was the same guy who was in the store and was obviously much more important than everyone else. He was crying about having to wait while the people ahead of him were being helped. There were about a half a million people in the store and the workers were going at a good pace, not being slow at all.
The holidays should not be stressful. People, please remember your family/friends will still love you even if you forget to get cranberries, so slow down, be kind to those around you and give real thanks.

Sean Connery: I'll take The Rapist for $500, Alex
Alex Trebec: That's therapist Sean, therapist

Sean Connery is probably my most favorite Bond. Those lines above are from an old Saturday Night Live skit. The Spike network is playing bond movies all weekend. I never get sick of seeing these movies.
Goldfinger is one of the cooler Bond movies, it has Oddjob the hat throwing bodyguard, Pussy Galore (dig that kooky name) and a a bad guy with jones for gold. Auric Goldfinger.
Favorite Line from Goldfinger is when bond has been capture by Auric and is strapped to a table with a "laser" cutting the table between his legs.
Bond: Do you expect me to talk?
Goldfinger: No Mr. Bond, I expect you to die.
How cool is that. none of that telling the whole world take over plan, Goldfinger was like "You can straight up and die Bond, up yours "

Favorite scene. Bond is chased by bad guys and one gets into his car. They drive for a ways and then Bond hits the ejector seat button and the guy flies out with a scream. It looks pretty funny and the scream they gave the guy was even better.

I also learned a new word just a little while ago. The word is Strawbabies. A Strawbaby is a fruit. People sometimes can them, they make Strawbaby flavored soda and my person favorite is the chocolate dipped Strawbaby. My great niece really likes Strawberries and that's what she calls them. "Uncle Ricky, can I have Strawbabies please?", don't forget to use the batted eyelashes when you ask me...it works every time. :)

I Want to Break Free......I Want to Break Free

2004-11-22T20:36:00.000-08:00

I am waiting. I am waiting for my chance to break free. You see it all the time. People breaking free, moving around, smiling. When am I going to lose my inhibitions?
I have decided I want to be part of an office moment where people just get up and and begin to dance. I want to race around the office in chairs pushed by project managers. I want my CEO to come down and breakdance in front of the elevator. When I make a good decision at work, I want people to come out of nowhere and dump Gatorade on my head and then we all celebrate with an endzone dance that makes the Ickyshuffle look like a waltz. I WOULD like to be a pepper too. Only I drink Diet Dr.Pepper not the regular stuff.
When is this going to happen? I go to work everyday , I pay my bills and dues. When are we going to break out in spontaneity. Maybe I don't drink enough Coke or drink the right beer. I am still waiting for the twins, I actually bought a Coors light, cracked it open, sang the song "I love football in the fall, refs that make the right call and...and twins!!!", nothing happened. No twins, just a funky beer that I don't drink.
None of my friends dance around with their Ipods, the Target dog is never in the store and thank goodness I haven't woke up with Burger King next to me, sounding like Barry White and offering me a biscuit.
I have watched these commercials with the optimism that one day these things will happen. Can you imagine just before the Thanksgiving holiday break , everyone in the building running into the skyway and throwing their papers all over? Peeling out and driving down Nicollett Mall hanging out of the windows.
I want to dive into the the wading pool at Peavey Plaza with a full suit on and have people join me. All wet and splashing and dancing with glee.
Maybe I can set up an event. I will call it a Planspoment. A Planned spontaneous Moment. I know what the word spontaneous means, but just ride with me here. We could all meet on the Plaza summer 2005. Wearing old suits, business skirts, business casual stuff items you don't mind being wet. We could do it during the summer music series, where there is sure to be lots of people. Bring your lunch, a book, a newspaper and look nonchalant. Just like you would look everyday. Then at a predetermined time we all drop our things and run into the pool and dance around. I can't remember what the name is for the gatherings that used to get organized by the web but, if someone knows please leave me a message.

The title of this entry is from the Queen song of the same name. Coke uses this during some of their before movie commercials. I think the before movie commercials are the root of all evil. I am there of my own free will, but I am trapped and forced find the "hidden" in the open Coke bottles. Listen to new songs by this Coke artist and watch the new Indie "Blair With Project" short by films students. Just give me the frickin'' preview and start the dang movie. Yes, I know there are more important things to rant about, but you can do that in your own blog. :)

Incredibly Good
Go see the Incredibles. It's an excellent movie. Written with so many people in mind that you really can't miss. Adults, kids, geeks, non-geeks, cool geeks like me (once again you can comment on you own blog ;) ). While waiting for the movie to start I overhead a father arguing with his geekspawn about Darth Vader. Hey Geekdad, your son was right. I can only hope some day my little one with have the right answer and make me proud.

"Tell Your Ma, Tell Your Pa, Gonna Send You Back To Arkansas Yeah Yeah Hey Hey!!!"
Ray Robinson a.k.a Ray Charles
Go see this movie. It is very very good. I will be digging out my Ray CD's yet again. I was really surprised by this movie. Jamie Fox does a dead on take of Ray. Through his joy and pain. There are parts that will make you wince, but overall you will see his genius. He proved them wrong everytime they said it wouldn't work. He made awesome music and really enjoy it.

Last entry R - 4804- N or Dreamland
One of my favorite things about being a bit of an Airplane geek is Area 51, where the aliens from ID4 (Independance day) live. That's right, Area 51. Pssst, the aliens don't really live there, they walk amongst us.
The Discovery Channel had a show last night about the area and what does or does not happen there. It was a decent show with some crazy folks, some scientists and some ex-workers. I like these shows and think it would be interesting to see what's there. I remember in the 70's there being a really crappy movie about Area 51. I am going to have to do some research and then hit the Nicollet Village video store for that cassette.
Do I believe in aliens? Not really. Do I believe there could be life elsewhere is the universe. Yes, in some corner a million and two light years from here something is sitting at their computer making an entry about life elsewhere.
Klatu Verata Nikto!!! <----- Look it up on the net.

Fun with E-R

2004-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

The promised emergency room story. It's not very interesting, it's grosser on a small scale than anything else.
I went to urgent care to get my knee checked out. It swelled up on me a few days ago. It didn't hurt, but this happened once before and I wanted to get it looked at. So I go to urgent care and they say we don't have any Ortho's there, they are all over at the emergency room.
The dreaded HCMC emergency room.
I thought about not going and trying another urgent care the next day being that I had dogs to take care of that evening. The dogs are another story for later. They were complete troopers. 17 hours in the kennel and no poop or peeing. They were very glad to see me though. I felt really bad for them, but I was stuck in the emergency room.
So back to the action.
I decided I wanted to see somebody, being that I am getting more mature (in leap years I am only nine and a quarter) and I am trying to take better care of myself. So I go in and see the desk clerk right away, I am interviewed and vitaled( blood pressure) all in about 25 mins or less, so I am thinking, cool I will be out of here in no time.
Ha ha ha ha aha aha ha ha. Sorry I was laughing at my own naiveteé .
They send me back to the waiting room where I sit for 20 mins and then they call my name to go back to my "room".
These rooms are divided by curtains and nothing else they should just call it a curtained off space or holding pen.
During my 2 ½ hour stay in my "pen" , I got to listen to a Russian woman who spoke very little English try to tell the E-R docs what happened and then finally they called a translator on the HCMC switchboard. I think they have a service they go through to get the translators. She had fallen and bumped her head and needed staples.
I also listened to a guy who was very drunk and very ticked off that they kept bothering him by taking him to X-Ray to examine the leg they thought was broken. They were asking him questions and he would answer, but very angrily until he told them to "F" off and let him sleep. So everybody cleared the room and left him alone.
When it was my turn, here's the gross part. They gave me a "dirty" sheet for my gurney and the gown didn't make me feel much better. The sheet had ringlets of dried blood on it. Almost like someone had set a coffee cup down in the blood and then painted the sheet. I dropped the sheet right away and went and got the nurse. She told me she was sorry and that it was totally embarrassing. I just thought it was nasty. She gave me new stuff which I put on and waited for the doc. The doc came in, twisted, pushed and pulled on my leg and decided it was probably a small tear and that a sports medicine doc should check it out. My leg then began to hurt after I left the emergency room, cool how things turn out. I go when there is no pain and leave with some.
Fun fun fun. Poor dogs had to wait for me to get there and release them. The worst thing about it, was I missed the whole geek out session we had planned for that evening. The best thing was I had my blood pressure checked, which people, excuse me, which more MEN should have checked more often. Hypertension is the "Silent Killer".
Slipped a PSA ( Public Service Announcement) in there on ya.

On much better note, we had our football banquet tonight. The kids were hyped to get the trophy and their awards. I have the traveling trophy here with me now and it gets to stay here until next season. They handed out plaques to the coaches and if you ask nice I will show you mine. They also had cake and it was way tasty.

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE !!!!!!!!

2004-11-01T20:06:00.000-08:00

GET UP, GET OUT, GO VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nuff said.

Ask Me Cuz I'm Old - The first Question

2004-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Here is our first two questions,
"How did Jaime Sommers become bionic?
What was the best toy of the 70s? (my vote is the Evil Kneivel stunt cycle)
sincerely,
A long time reader, first time posting"

Dear A.L.T.R.F.T.P.,
The Bionic woman a.k.a. Jaime Sommers was pretty cool. She became bionic after a skydiving accident. She was dating Col.Steve Austin, the Bionic Man, when the accident occurred. Her parachute tore and she hit the ground with such force that it shattered both of her legs, her right arm and damaged the right side of her skull so they had to give her a bionic ear..
The Bionic Man, doing what any person in love would do, went to his bosses and asked them to make her bionic as well. Although they only spent 4.5 million (glass ceiling was in effect) she was still pretty cool.
While Jaime was in a coma, they performed the surgery. When she came to and realized she was bionic, she was less than pleased at first. She soon came to accept her bionics and joined Steve for a few secret missions. Two of my favorite storylines were the Bigfoot and Fembot stories. The 70's rocked for creativity, if you don't believe me just look at the clothes people wore.

My favorite toy of the 70's has to be the Micronauts.
Although I did own pretty much all of the Evil Kneivel cycles, cars and vans, the wind up chargers and the cool bendy figures you could pose anyway you liked on or in the vehicles. Hands down the toys that brought me the most joy were the Micronauts.
With characters like Biotron, Microtron, The Pharoid, Space Glider, Time Traveler and the Evil Baron Karza, I couldn't get enough. My cousin and I played with these toys for hours. We invented adventures, secret missions, wars, rescues, and new sorts of things to do with them. Their parts(one of the main selling features) were interchangeable. Which lead to some cool combos of villains and good guys.
The vehicles all had darts or rockets that shot out from different spots or pieces you attached. You could set up figures and take turns knocking each other out. Some were motorized with tracks and you could remake the chariot scene from Spartacus.
I loved the Micronauts and had quite a few in a box in the garage. During the time I was away, my nieces found the box and did their very best to destroy and crush my childhood dreams. So I may have just a few scattered pieces here or there. Do not weep for me though. I still have my Prince Acroyear Micronaut and my imagination.

Geek Alert

2004-10-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday a few of us got together and geeked out online. It was a good time for all. There was lots of shooting, running, standing and getting shot. Nothing makes me giggle more than being run over in the game we were playing or yelling "Bootyjuice, Gonna get it on you!!" (Bootyjuice is my player name) after I shoot another player. We played Unreal Tournament 2K4. So if you are interested in getting owned or tasting a little smackdown let me know and I can hook you up. We are going to try and do it once a month. What I really need to find is a superhero skin for my character...I am going to do some research.

Football with my 3rd graders has been moving along nicely. We are 2 - 1 -1. Our players are getting better which each game. It is amazing to watch them "get it" during a game. This years team is really big into congratulating each other if they make a good play or score. We have a kid that is pretty big on our team and a running back that is very small. The small guy ran for a touchdown and the big guy lifted him over his head in celebration. It was pretty cool.
I had a kid who didn't understand that you should also look for someone to block after you block your first man, come back and block a man this week that saved our quarterback from being caught in the backfield and turned it into a 15 yard run. It's the little things like that that make it really cool to watch them.

If you have cable and you have Cartoon Network you are doing yourself a disservice by not checking out the show Venture Bros. It's a parody of the Johnny Quest cartoon. The characters are matched pretty evenly(each character from the Quest series is parodied) and the supervillains are really funny.
Here is a short synopsis" "It's called "The Venture Bros." and at it's core it's kind of a parody of the old Jonny Quest cartoons from the mid-sixties, as well as The Hardy Boys and Tom Swift boys' adventure novels of the past. So it's got elements of adventure, spy, science fiction and even some comic book genre stuff. The Venture brothers, Hank and Dean, are fraternal twins; teenaged idiots who think, act and talk like it's the sixties (though it takes place in the present). They're the sons of Dr. Venture, a world renowned scientist (mostly world renowned due to the reputation of his late father, who though we don't see him in the pilot was about as cool as Doc Savage in his day) who can't really stand them. Doc pops "diet pills" like candy and reeks of failure and unrealized potential. Their family bodyguard, Brock Samson, is a former secret agent who responds to any and all crises with relentless, remorseless brutality. He's kind of a white trash James Bond/Steve McQueen.
In the pilot episode, the family travels to New York City because Doc is scheduled to present his latest invention at an international science convention at the United Nations. They are pursued by The Monarch--a megalomaniacal, butterfly-themed supervillain unworthy of James Bond or the Fantastic Four with a long time hatred of Dr. Venture--and a mysterious ninja, Otaku (which means geek in Japanese by the way rp footnote) Senzuri, who wants to get his hands on the Doc's invention. While Doc gives his presentation uptown, the boys get lost in the city's seamy downtown--meeting hookers, muggers and drug dealers as they flee The Monarch. And of course, no family science fiction action adventure story would be complete without supersonic jet airplanes, mummies, crocodiles and army guys."

One episode dealt with a one of the Venture brothers having a painful problem with what he called his "no-no's" At the end of the episode they do a public service announcement for the Scrotal Safety Society It's a good watch...set your TIVO's.

Posting will be slow for about the next 3 weeks and then should pick up a bit. Coaching makes everything a little behind (not complaining), just letting folks know.
I would also like to invite you to submit questions for me to answer in a series I will call "Ask me cuz I am kind of old" Questions can be about anything from the 70's and up like "did I have an afro?" to "what did I wear?" to "what did I watch for cartoons?" or even political questions such as "did President Carter's failure in Iran cause him to lose to Reagan in the 1980 presidential election?"

OOOOOO that smell, can't you smell that smell!!

2004-09-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

I made a half promise to myself when I decided to start blogging that I would try to leave the poop stories out of it. I can't, I have to share this story. I went into the stall to do my business and it was very stinky, when I got in there. I figured out why it was so smelly. The person before me, let's just say his name was Clyde left a receipt from a grocery store that was dated 9/26/04 on top of the toilet paper dispenser. So having no other reading material, I read the receipt. For those of you who are squeamish about touching things in the bathroom , I didn't have to touch it, I could read it from where it was.
One of the first items was dish soap the lemon scented kind, that could not have contributed to the offending odor. The next few items I am sure were the culprits.
Large Black Plums, Reeser's Bean and Cheese Burritos and the Reeser's Red Hot Burrito, and some sort of Raisin Bran. A lethal combo if you ask me. He eats the plums as a snack yesterday afternoon, the burritos for dinner and then a Raisin Bran breakfast. Then after a good lunch it hits him and all bets are off. The person who left the receipt used their charge to buy the groceries and therefore left their name as well, I changed the name to protect the identity.

On different note something that didn't stink. I saw the movie Shaun of the Dead. I thought it was pretty funny and had a couple of good scary parts for being a romantic comedy full of zombies. It has a good soundtrack and a very funny part with Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel's song "White Lines". There is a bit of "you should think about what you are doing with your life" but it wasn't heavy handed and it serves just to remind you to take a look at things every once in a while and re-evaluate. One a scale of one to four Pope Hats, I give this movie a solid three. I had fun , I laughed and I was startled a couple of times. The website is fun too I like the game they have and it's probably funnier if you have seen the movie.

The Grass is always greener....
By the way it's stinkin' fall already and it gets dark early. So do your yardwork before the Sun goes down. A word to the wise. I will be at work all day hoping the kiddies walking to school will leave my piles of yardwaste alone. I also did my share of killing West Nile mosquito's by inhaling them. Protein and it's free.

Last private thought...
Good dream Dazey, glad I was able to give you inspiration. Did you met any Crete-ins? Get it "cretins", man I am so funny, I am going to quit my day job.

Life is too short

2004-09-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

I was just telling a friend at work that I usually keep it pretty light as far as topics go on my Blog. I have to get a little heavy tonight. The weekend was a little stressful, in fact the last week has been pretty stressful. We had a really rough week at work and some folks won't be stressed about projects anymore. Had a little family stress this weekend as well.
I was on my way to football practice and talking to one of the coaches about all this stuff and through the course of our conversation I said I am just about getting to the point where I don't care to stress over things anymore because life is too short. I really want to stress out about stuff less.
I am trying to get to that point, but it is difficult. I was in a pretty good mood about pushing the weights off my back. My best therapy is talking to my friends and rationalizing things or at least organizing things in my head to better deal with them. I don't get down for long, thank goodness and I have a lot of people ready to listen to those moments, I feel really lucky to have so many of you.
So as we were talking (the other coach and I) I came upon a scene that looked like something out of a movie. There was a man standing on the HWY 280 & University overpass looking like he was about to jump. He was wearing a suit and had a backpack or a bag with him. He was on the other side of the railing. There was a woman talking to him from about 15 yards away. I immediately called 911 and spoke to the police, described the man and the let them know where we were located. I couldn't bring myself to stop and pull over right there. First of all the I was going to be the only coach at practice for the first half hour and second I didn't want to be a witness to something horrible if anything happened. I stayed on the line while the dispatcher told me fire rescue and police had been dispatched.
The fire rescue actually drove past me after I got off the phone.
That is the last I know for now.
I feel kind of weird about it all. I didn't really know what to do. This person was at the end of their rope and they were looking for help. It was all kind of surreal. I don't have anything more to say other than I hope he is ok and didn't cause any harm to himself or anyone else.

"Morituri te salutant" = Those who are about to die salute you

2004-09-13T19:37:00.000-07:00

One of my most recent adventures was straight out of Gladiator. I was taking a shower and just after I finished washing my hair, I heard this noise in the bathroom that sounded like a deck of cards being shuffled. I looked out and there was a two inch wasp flying around the light and smacking into the ceiling. Well being as manly as I am I decided the best course of action was to battle this thing the same way the early Greek's competed in the Olympics (look for early Greek Olympic uniforms).
I grabbed my towel and instead of wrapping it around myself I see Waspzilla on the wall and try to mash him into it. This thing was big and ticked off. I pulled the towel away and he dropped to the ground looking up at me with a menacing scowl...The type of scowl that makes a man's blood run cold. I knew I was in trouble. I had no armor, no leather, just tough well chiseled flesh ( like all Gladiators).
So back to our story...... The wasp leapt into the sky, right back up to the light and began to fly around. It swooped at me a couple times, by now I had dropped the towel and the wasp knew it was now or never. I looked around for something to defend myself and then I saw it.
The air freshener. I Glade Air Freshened his butt until we both choked on the fumes and he still wouldn't give up. He flew at me one more time and I let him have it full blast in the face. He fell out of the sky and to the ground. Once he hit the ground I let him have it for a full 20 seconds. He flipped onto his back, the crowd cheered and gave me the thumbs down sign.
I grabbed the towel I dropped and quickly dispatched him. I gave him a quick burial at sea and collapsed on the floor, spent from my life and death struggle.
I have a great life.

Help!!! I need somebody Help!!! I'll take anybody

2004-09-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was trying to teach my great niece Lenee a new song. We had just finished our session of what body part is that and what noises do animals make ( the Lion is her favorite and she makes the best face when she roars) When I remembered the Head and Shoulders song.

Head and Shoulders
Knees and Toes
Knees and Toes
(repeat)
You touch the body part as you sing the song. I think there are more words and that's where I need your help. What are the rest of the words? It was pretty cute teaching her the song and she picked it up really quick ( she's really smart :) )

The Smackdown

My 3rd graders did me proud today. We scrimmaged the 4th graders and they did really well. A lot better than we expected and only one player cried and that was a 4th grader after one of our 3rd graders laid a hit on him that was the best hit of the year. All the parents who were nearby hooped and hollered!! I was really excited to see the things we teach the kids sinking in and showing up in a game situation. We still have a lot of work to do, but they were pretty solid.
Practice ends everyday with a team chant.
Who are we?... Jimmy Lee!!!
Who are we?... Jimmy Lee!!!
What are we gonna do?... Hit!!
What are we gonna do?... Hit!!
When in doubt?... Fire Out!!
When in doubt?... Fire Out!!
Ready Breakdown!!... Let's hit!!!
Ready Breakdown!!... Let's hit!!!
Make em say Uhn!! Make em say Ahh!! Make em say nah nah nah nah!!!!!
Really catchy an when you've got 25 kids yelling that it'll give you goosebumps!!

Leftovers - Vacation thoughts two weeks after it's over

2004-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I like to take the train to Chicago. On the train I vegg out, reset the brain and contemplate my life or take a nap, sometimes one is more exciting than the other.
For some reason that I can't explain I am fascinated by the junk you see in peoples yards behind their houses, sheds and their farmland next to the tracks. It's amazing what people stick behind their houses and places of business.
The houses along the tracks have the most interesting things; half eaten cars, stoves, tractors, pieces of old houses, faded Big Wheels (TM), a mannequin and some nasty piles of stuff I couldn't figure out.
The thing that got me to wander down the road to philosophical thought, was close to the Milwaukee, WI. train station. There was a huge wood hull sailboat behind what appeared to be a large warehouse. This warehouse had nothing to do with boats as it was a ways from the water and there were no other boats around. The boat had a half built sort of leanto covering that housed it. Covering is a loose term, it was pretty dilapidated and the boat didn't look much better.
So my mind wandered like this post. I started to wonder if the owner of this boat is doing the "Maybe someday I'll go work on the boat", but instead they find something else to do and the boat continues to deteriorate. Oh no, could this be a metaphor for some of the things in our lives, I told you I like the train, you get to think....A lot.
Could this boat be a warning for what happens when dreams go neglected? Could it be a reminder of dreams partially realized? This person got the boat, but couldn't finish the dream of restoring it. What does it all mean? That is for you to decide. I could say something corny, like don't let your dreams get scuttled or drydocked, but I won't. Crapsticks, I just did.
I need to make sure my boat stays in the water.

Howdy Neighbor....
The train also allows for talking to strangers, something I am not so good at. Some people can travel by themselves for long periods of time and talk to anybody. I think my friendly face and demeanor invite people to talk to me. I have trouble when strangers come up and talk to me, I wonder why they are talking to me, what do they want? Most want nothing other than to talk. I can't believe how suspicious I get of other folks. I hear people talk of their travels through the country side and how they spoke to this person or that one or even shared their trip adventures with them. Can someone shed some light on this subject for me?

Oompa Loompa Loopity Doo... State Fair Food is good for you!!

2004-08-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

Not in this order...
Corn Dog
Chocolate Malt from the Dairy Barn, the only place to get one.
French Fries
Fried Clams
Sweet Potato Fries
Lemonade( Freshly squeezed by the women in the Austin Power's Go-Go Girl outfits) Coke Cheese on a Stick
Part of a Shish-Ka-Bob
Mini Donuts the Tom Thumb variety (the others suck) - Late night snack
Taco Bell
Low Cal dressing salad (you don't really believe me do you?)

I petered out after we had the malts...next year I will get the malt at the end of my day to save more room. I may go back to the Fair and if I do I will try the deep fried Twinkie, the deep fried Corn on a stick and the deep fried jelly custard donut.

I found it!! I found out what my special purpose is for!

2004-08-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Now that I have you attention. I found the movies I was talking about in my last post. The were put out by Bell Science. These movies starred big named actors of the time like Eddie Albert (Green Acres) Lionel Barrymore and directed by Frank Capra (It's a Wonderful Life)
The real name of the movie I was talking about in my last post is called Hemo the Magnificent.
It's about how our blood works and some other science facts. When I was a kid I thought they were really cool. Maybe your kids will too. The best movies out to the 50's educational movie series were the ones about personal hygiene. They always had two main kids. The narrator would start the movie off, "This is Billy, he always washes his hands after using the bathroom and before he shakes hands with a friend"
Can you guess what the other kid's name was? That's right it was Doofus. Doofus never washed his hands, never flushed when he was done and didn't comb his hair. When Doofus grew up he became a developer. Now before you get bent out of shape, it's just a joke, Some of my best friends are developers, the non smelly wash your hands type. :)

Well, the best thing that ever happened to food (besides cake) started this afternoon.
The Minnesota State Fair. There will be a posting about this. I eat my way through the Fair. It's my last blast of bad food before the fall hits. I am going to need a pile of Rolaids before this is all over. One question for you.... Is it Pronto Pup or Corn Dog? This question is as serious as Democrat or Republican. Choose a side.

I am taking a beating…..

2004-08-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Please don’t abandon me, I have not led you astray. The posts will return soon. That last post by Puff Daddy about bringing his son to the State Fair was the final straw, I am throwing a post in here from and undisclosed location. If you look at the time posted it will become clear as to where I am. J

I think we need more movies during the day like when we were in school. I really looked forward to science classes. I remember a series of movies that had a scientist (older guy, glasses) and a guy who asked him questions and they blended it with cartoons. It was made in the 50’s. I remember two of them , one was about blood, I think it was called The Great Hemos or something like that and the other was about the solar system. They were pretty funny and I can still hear the hum of the Bell & Howe projector.

Thanks to all the faithfuls that have harassed me to post or said they enjoy my ramblings. I didn’t realize that I was letting so many down by having a lax posting attitude. How can 50 million people be wrong? Well, rest assured faithful friends. I have not forgotten how to do this. I will return, triumphant with postings and you will rejoice the size of my ego.

Doing this in-between other activities is fun. Weeeee!

Teaser time…the next postings will talk about my trips, a lantern festival and remembrance, a question, and an observation or two.

I have not abandoned my postings

2004-08-17T22:01:00.000-07:00

I know it's been 3 weeks, but I have been gone (2 vacations) for a lot of it. I will have a sizable post tomorrow. Tonight I must sleep. I am cream crackered right now!!

Chucking rocks at Airplanes

2004-07-29T08:16:00.000-07:00

No I won't be throwing rocks at airplanes, I just couldn't think of a snappy title for today's topic.

Chucking rocks (Evolution decided to leave this in tact)
I work in a lab environment. We have about 12 people in a good sized room and we all have our own space, so please don't call OSHA. We have toys in our lab, a Zen garden (seriously), and a treat table with delectable treats from all over the world (look up Hawflakes). Getting back to chucking rocks though. One of my lab mates bought these puffy little balls from Target that we can throw at each other without causing harm or spilling drinks. There is little more satisfying than tossing the balls at an unsuspecting co-worker.
Which leads me to the time old tradition of throwing real rocks at your friends. I mean real honest to goodness rock from mother earth. Now, I don't know if I am about to be sexist but, ladies I don't think you know about this activity so much. Little boys will throw rocks at each other to try to hit each other. It's a fun game. I think this satisfies our need as nature's hunters to "hunt" things when we are young and can take a few rocks to the head. It develops your motor skills, dodging ability and pain tolerance.
It made me proud to see my neighbor kids throwing rocks at each other a few days ago and not my car or house. I wanted to go out and join them. I wasn't so much a rock thrower as I was a dirt bomb tosser. Dirt bombs are shaped like rocks but explode on contact for a much better effect. Less pain for the receiver and more collateral damage = fun fun fun.
You can find dirt bombs at construction sites or if they are tearing up the street in front of your house.
There were "rules" to chucking rocks. No head shots and stay away from the crotch. Other than that everything was fair game. Who doesn't remember the sting of the first rock hitting your leg and the thrill of tossing them back. Ahhh Youth. We didn't have Playstation, what do you expect!?!
BTW...the Playstation is still broken, so if you want to donate to the "Rick needs to numb his mind Playstation fund" please do. My birthday is right around the corner in September, still many shopping days left.
See ya after the Airshow which I am extremely excited about.

The Democratic Convention

2004-07-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

Is on TV so check it out. You should watch it even if you don't belong to the party. It's a good way to see what the party is about and make your own choice. It's that time of year to see what each candidate is about and what they stand for. Be informed, get involved or shut up! :)
Whew!, that took a lot out of me. It's easier to talk about semi funny stuff.

I am yelling at kids again...and they like it!!
Football has started again and I am excited. We only had five kids tonight, but we always start out slow. They were kids from last year and they have grown a lot. We had a good practice and reconnected. I am really looking forward to this season.
When I am out there with the kids, they are all I think about, no crap from work, no bills, and no mosquitoes. I have always thought it was important to give back and this is doing what I can. I urge everyone to find something they can do to give back, it doesn't hurt, it actually feels good. :) I know I sound like one of those commercials. I am a bit preachy tonight. It's part of my "What did you do last night?" line of questioning. About two years ago I asked a friend what he did last night or the night before or the week before that. Neither one of us could answer the question without a ton of thought. My time was just going away. So I decided I needed to try and do more with my time and then another friend asked me to come see a football game and I was hooked.
I learned a lot from the kids, about me and about parents. Parents can be fun, lots of fun. Remember we try our best with your kids, but sometimes they suck. Just kidding. The parents were cool last year and I hope they are the same this year.

About D@#$ Time

2004-07-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to adding links to friends sites or blogs. Please enjoy yourselves and add to the online community. Join the Wave......Join the Wave (those of you Old enough to remember ABC After School Specials know what I speak of.)

Check out ma homeslice, ma homeskin, ma grizzled nizzle of funk, Vic at BestAlbino.

My Playstation2 is out of commission. It is probably Karma. I received a gift certificate for some work I did. Someone asked if I was going to buy candy for the lab and I said "Heck no, I'm buying a videogame (Driver3)" and I may have ended the statement with something like Mr.T would say like "fool!" I was very excited to get my new game home and the stupid controller port doesn't recognize my controller anymore. I am screwed, it could be worse I suppose, I could own a Gamecube. Next time I get a gift certificate, it's treats for the lab!! I don't want anything else to break.

Needed: Free Playstation2
I promise it will have a nice home and be cared for and nurtured. I will even name it after you.

I wonder what the law is on asking people to give you free stuff via the internet? Say things like "Send me your pennies so I can buy a new house and I will send you this recipe for Oatmeal cookies" or "My options tanked, please send me money to buy a new car"
Does anyone know the law? Something to investigate.

Nine days until Oshkosh!!

Seven until I start bossing kids around again! WOOOO HOOOOOO!!!

Laundry - The old fashioned way

2004-07-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

I can't think of too many things more fun than doing laundry and watching Kung Fu flicks from the 70's while you do it. I went to one of the best and my most secret videostore in the Twin Cities and picked out 5 Fingers of Death.
It has everything you need. A Secret style (the IronFist which glows red when the power is activated), the death of a respected teacher of martial arts, rival schools of Kung Fu, eyes being plucked out and damsels in distress. Plus it has that funky high pitched kneee knaaaw, kneee knaaaaw sound from the Kill Bill movies.
The cool thing about this movie is that I remember seeing it as a kid in a downtown Mpls theater on a Saturday afternoon. My older cousins would take us younger kids to the Kung Fu matinees. You can find this and other classic gems at the Nicollet Village video store on about 16th and Nicollet. Remember this is a secret so keep it hush hush.
Dryer sheets make your clothes smell springtime fresh...mmmm mmmm!!

Soapbox, quick and clean

2004-07-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

Friends forgive me, it has been almost been 2 weeks since my last post. My energy for this is coming back. I have been distracted a bit lately and have not either felt like posting or just returned home too late to do it.
I want to be serious for just a second and ask a question. "When was the last time you spoke with your parents, legal guardian, or parental figure?"
Easy question, but the answer may be hard. I know there are some people who don't get along with their parents, had a falling out, been disowned or whatever. It doesn't matter, get in contact with them today. Life is short. Talk about the old times, the new times, anything just talk. Extend the olive branch and any other cliche you can think of for this situation. Sometimes you have to swallow your pride. I know it may be complex, families are.
If you have a good relationship with your folks, don't be afraid to share your life with them. Once again, life is short. What I am trying to say in a round about way is, we don't know how long they will be around or in what state they will be when they are here.

Discovery weekend

2004-07-08T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, I haven't posted in a while, but I have a good excuse. I was tired. Not the kind of tired when you have a child to take care of. No, this is the kind of tired stupidity brings on.
I discovered Red Bull and Vodka and staying up way too late and getting up too early. Actually I started the late nights last week, by staying up to see Spiderman 2. After that I don't believe I went to sleep any earlier than 3:30 the whole weekend. I know, "Boo Whoo!! Mr single guy doesn't know when to go to bed" well you're right I don't, but boy howdy did I have fun!

We are Family, I got all my sisters with me - Sister Sledge

Sometimes I dread the family get together. Families can be weird. My extended family is no exception. Something was different this time, there was no arguing, no bad feelings,just a really good time. No, this is not where I discovered Red Bull and Vodka.
I was the Grill Master for the whole deal. I think my father snuck the torch into my back pocket when I wasn't looking as far as the grilling goes. It appears he has relenquished the "Kiss the Cook" apron. We celebrated my father's birthday and the extra day off. We played volleyball, cards and enjoyed everyone's company. What the heck was that all about. :)

Bad, really bad TV
MXC - Most Extreme Elimination Challenge
This used to be a game show in Japan during the 80's. The contestants had to run through mazes, climb things, dodge stuff and fall down a lot.
Spike TV (the first network for men) has taken the show and dubbed a comedic sound track full of bad puns, sexual innuendoes and bad play on words. This show is my secret pleasure. The show has two hosts and they call out the contestants names. My favorite part of the show is "Kenny Blankeship's Most Painful Eliminations" during this part they replay all the really nasty chills and spills. Possibly the worst thing I have ever watched on TV, but very very very funny. Check it out if you have cable.

Coolest thing I did today
I met a friend for lunch at the Baja Riverside Grill. That in itself, not too cool. How I got there was the cool part. I took the lightrail to get there. I jumped on at 5th and Nicollet and after 8 short minutes I was there. The food was average, but the company was good. The lightrail was on time, smooth and buying the ticket was very easy. It reminded me of being in Chicago. I wish it ran closer to my house. The light rail was frickin cool. I am going to have to ride it to Fort Snelling sometime.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY!!!!!!!!

2004-06-30T01:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the littlest biggest Spidey fan I know!

The sequel that has replaced my other number one sequel

2004-06-30T01:27:00.000-07:00

Spiderman 2 has replaced the Empire Strikes back as my number one sequel ever. I saw the midnite show and it was well worth the pain I will experience this morning when I try to get up...more later

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!! It Stinkin' rocked!!! You didn't really think I was going to wait until Friday did you?

Monsters, Alien Abductions, and I know what you did last summer

2004-06-28T20:39:00.000-07:00

I was coming home tonight and I decided to take the long way around the lakes. It's quiet and slow and a chance to feel like you are away from the city. So It's like 9:30 or so. It's getting dark and I cross over 394 and there are no streetlights turned on lining the parkway. Overhead trees and the lack of moonlight make it pretty dark back there.
Now, I have a pretty vivid imagination so I don't need any help concocting scary stories or thinking of wild scenarios whilst I drive through the wooded parkway. It was the perfect night for the baddies to get me, I left my cell phone at home and I was all alone.
I thought of Texas Chain Saw Massacre with Leatherface running out from the woods in front of the car, course he would have been hurting, because I wouldn't stop or swerve. There would be none of that "oh, lets stop and see if he's dead" stuff, I'll call 911 when I get home to see if he's dead.
Then I thought of the glowing light in the woods and the laughing children, you know that creepy giggle laugh they reserve for scary movies. When people hear that, why do they go and investigate? Why!?!
As you can tell I made it home safely, no aliens, no kids and no scary hooks on my car door.
Hold on a sec, did you hear that? I'll be right back....

What's red and blue and sticks to anything?

2004-06-28T20:13:00.000-07:00

26 hours until the answer is revealed. Some people are such geeks.

3 Days for some, 48 hours for others and counting down.

2004-06-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

Let's play Hangman. I have 4 coveted Gmail accounts to give out to the folks who can solve my hangman puzzle first.

_ _ _ D _ _ _ _ _ 2

Think you have it figured out? Contact me at riot27@gmail.com

Music and the “Joy in Repetition” (last Prince reference for a while)

2004-06-27T20:23:00.000-07:00

I was on my way to work the other morning and some old school rap came on. The song actually pumped me up before I had to go in to the office.
It was LL Cool J’s “I’M Bad!” It had the beats, it had the rhymes, it had the old school bravado and no bling-bling. I have a few favorite lines from the song. “I’m notorious, I’ll crush you like a jelly bean!!”,and “Forget Oreos eat Cool J cookies!!! …. I’m Bad!!”
How could you not get pumped up by that!?!
This prompted me to think about music and the effect it has on you. Back in the day when I used a Pterodactyl as the needle on my made of stone Technics turntable, before we would hit the clubs, we would put on the latest 12”(an extended play vinyl record usually a remix of a really smooth cut. These were played at 33rpm) practice some moves and get hyped for the night. Yes kiddies, we had CD players, but the 12”s were DJ records, the type played at clubs.
Sade, good music for holding hands. (wink wink, see last month’s picture for how I feel about that.)
Back to PG13….
Music has been an important part of my life ever since I can remember. Growing up around my house you would hear Al Green, Aretha, Teddy Pendergrass, Isaac Hayes (the voice of Chef on South Park), and any major soul artist you can think of. Parties were nothing but music and laughter, holidays were the same. There are quite a few songs that will take me back to specific moments in time. There are songs that I use to help spark the memories, so I can look back in my mind and see my parents and relatives dancing and laughing, those that are still here and those that have left.
Most days I listen to music while I work. My tastes are all over the map and I like it that way. Some days will even get themes. High Pitched Airy or Whiny Brits Day, Old School Cuts day, Funk You Day and Misc. Mayhem Day just to name a few.
I dig music and I can see the role it plays in my everyday life. I guess I need to stop being a hypocrite in terms of music. It used to be when ever I heard that Celine Dion song from Titanic, you know the one with the line that goes “Near…. Far….Wherever you are blah blah blah blah” I would scowl and think to myself, “Who would listen to this drivel?” Now I try to remember this may be a memory spark for someone, I don’t have to like it, but I should think that 50 years from now someone is going to remember they held hands during that song and I will probably throw up in my mouth a little. Remember kids…Celine Dion is evil and we should never speak of her again.

Midnight Train to Georgia or Fort Snelling

My friends from Arkansas came to visit this weekend. We spent time at the Dome for Twin’s Fest getting autographed bats and balls for his collection. The players were very nice and accommodating. Probably a little nicer than I will be when I am famous…signed head shots will be at least $30 dollars a pop. Anyway, after all the signing was done we hopped on the new light rail transit for the free Inaugural ride. It was pretty cool. I hope we get those cool train stuffers like they have in Japan to push the maximum amount of people into the train. Can you see Minnesota nice then? “ Holy jeez dere, ya just crushed my casserole!” “Oh, pardon me I didn’t mean to invade your personal space.” We might have to actually talk to strangers. I hope the light rail works out. We need the Airport and MOA links to open and then I think people will take the train more. One major drawback I already see is the availability of Park and Ride. The Minneapolis leg does not have any near the terminals, but you can drive to a designated Park and Ride, grab the bus and it will take you to the train. So you still have to drive somewhere, park, get on a bus and then transfer to the train, hmn... that makes me wonder if people will change their habits.

Now it's time to get serious!

2004-06-22T20:45:00.000-07:00

First things first. I forgot the most important part about being a super villain. The Minion!
Faithful, obedient, and ready to steal all the cake I command him/her to get. They get to wear a T-shirt that says "Thug 1" or color coordinated super villain underroos. Three squares a day and a spacious warehouse to live in and all they have to do is my evil bidding.

Tonight I saw a movie that should be nominated for the Academy award. I think I could easily say it is the FEEL GOOD hit of the summer! I cried, I laughed, I was really moved.
I think we can all relate to being the underdog at one time or another. You feel like you don't have a chance and people are looking at you and saying the same. You feel like you can't get up! Like there is no way you'll ever get through it, whatever "it" may be.
It's the story of a band of misfits brought together by a common cause, a like minded goal, a chance to beat the odds. The movie I am talking about is Dodgeball.
I recommend you see it! Go with someone who needs a good laugh or with whom you can enjoy the type of humor such a movie would bring about. Nuff Said!!

Maturity.
The quality or state of being mature; especially : full development

Now that we got that out of the way. Let me recommend a some of cartoons for your viewing pleasure. Cartoon Network has a block of time called Adult Swim. In that block there are a few that I like.
The First being Aqua Teen Hunger Force. A group of Fast food superheroes. Frylock:the brains of the operation, who just happens to be a supersized fry with a goatee. Master Shake:the smart alec of the bunch and yes he is pretty much a big frosty. The last member of the group is Meatwad:a piece of some kind of meat that can transform himself into different shapes like a hotdog or an igloo. They have a neighbor named Carl who they manage to kill quite a bit. It's very funny show.
The next one is Sealab 2021. It's a 70's cartoon that really sucked, but the folks at Cartoon Network stripped the cartoon and took the characters and added new scripts which are pretty good. One episode dealt with a character who, when her alarm clock went off woke up screaming "MUST HAVE A BABY!! GOTTA HAVE A BABY!" Then she interviewed all the men on Sealab to see who would be the best father. It's funnier if you see the show.
The last one is Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law. He takes the legal cases of super heroes and cartoon characters. One example would be Apache Chief from the SuperFriends. Apache Chief's power is the ability to grow super big and tall, he lost that power because he was feeling inadequate (in other words he couldn't...um..well..grow large anymore)So the SuperFriends fired him and he decided to sue them for discrimination. It was pretty funny especially when they had him talk to Black Vulcan another Superfriend 2nd stringer.
Well enough blabbering for tonight.

Hey, a big shout out to my hugger from across the pond!! Right back at ya!!

RASSAFRASSA stinking %^#^%*7 ARRGGHHHHH!!!!!

2004-06-21T21:29:00.000-07:00

My stupid links worked at one point and now they don't. I am too tired tonight too fix it.
Maybe, I will just become a supervillain instead.
They get to laugh maniacally, Wear big funky hats( not the same ones 70's pimps get to wear), say things like MU AH AH AH! or "When I have completed my plan, all the JELLO in the world will be mine all MINE!!!!!" Yeah, I may be a tad crabby.
Nothing in my early evening made me crabby, good food and a good walk.
Dang it!, Where's my hat!?!

Ok, maybe not real crabby just edgy.

2 points of fun news.
1. SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded manned craft to fly in space Monday, rocketing 62 miles above Earth.
2. The ship runs on HTPB (tire rubber) and Nitrous Oxide, so if it springs a leak instead of blowing up, the pilot just giggles a lot.

I will fix the links tomorrow and add more, but in the mean time entertain yourself by going to this site.
http://www.stupidvideos.com/
Look for Happy Doughboy.

Second Chances......"Let's Do it Again" - The Staple Singers - 70's Soul

2004-06-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

"We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends."
- Sir Francis Bacon

When does someone deserve a second chance? I used to think I was pretty forgiving. Now I am not so sure. I question the motives of others for transgressions against me or people they care about. When I say transgressions, I mean acts against the rules of friendships or relationships.
I am a pretty tough customer when it comes to friends. :)
I expect and demand a lot. I expect honesty, trust, loyalty and respect. Not a whole lot to ask. I will give those to you in return. If I do something wrong I expect you to call me on it and you should expect the same from me. Pretty simple list of demands I think.
So back to the main topic. When do people deserve a second chance? What are your limits? When do you say enough is enough?
For me, enough is enough when the drama gets too deep. When the time spent together is more detrimental than fun. I still don't know when a second chance is deserved. I guess I would like to have a second chance in certain instances. I know it's a personal judgment call, but I am becoming a curmudgeon. A few more years and I will be yelling at kids to stay off the dadgumit grass!
This is a real wandering post today. I think it may be the mood I am in. I drank some of that Coke2 stuff, not bad. So I may be a little cranky because of it. Please weigh in with your comments about forgiveness and second chances. I am anxious to hear what people have to say.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You, too? Thought I was the only one."
- C.S. Lewis

UnderRoos and Afros

IT"S ALIVE IT"S ALIVE!!!!

Shearing the Sheepishness

Exit: light, Enter Night, Take my hand, Off to never neverland - Enter Sandman - Metallica

Rock-a-bye Punkin

I Like Free Stuff

Working in coal mine, going down down down - The Devo version

Is it Worth It?

Kindred Spirits

I am gettin' so hot, I mo take my clothes off - props to Nelly

Lookin' back on when I was little nappy headed boy - I Wish - Stevie Wonder

Happy 5th of July!!!

Friendly Neighborhood.........

This title makes no sense....

Look!! Up in the Sky! It's a Bird....It's a Plane...It's my Dad!?!

Fo Shizzle that sh*t was off the heezzy!!

Pieces of ramble.....

12 blocks, hmn... gotta be some kind of record

Back to our regularly scheduled programming......

Slept on it....

Smiling Faces, Smiling Faces tell lies and I got proof - The Temptations 1971

Here comes a PSA (Public Sanity Announcement)

Here comes a PSA (Public Sanity Announcement)

Blowouts and Blowhards

Part Time Quest to be a Super Villain

It's the Geek we all know and love!!!

Cake Tip

BETTER THAN CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A mind is terrible thing to um, to um.........

"Gonna sleep with the light on!" LostBoys 1987

Everybody walk your body, Everybody walk! - The Time

Mid-week Meanderings

An Open Letter to My Fellow (Male) Co-Workers

Blistering Heat 1, Me 0

Bad Boy Having a Party

Nothing

Crap crap crap..I should have gone to bed.

Tempest Fugit

A Sienfeld Episode

Though you try to break my spirit I remain strong and resolute

Making Lemonade with the lemons I have been given

Holy Glad it didn’t suck Batman!!!

"You Killed My Teachaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!"

In the Gutter

Short, Sweet and a little Salty

It really did get lost in Yonkers

Lost in Yonkers a.k.a. The Manhattan Project

The reports of my blog's demise were greatly exaggerated

My Acting Career or My So Called Acting Life

The Coolest Thing About Today Being Valentine's Day

Sunday Feb.13th Declared Gordon Parks day in the city of St.Paul

Funny as @#$^!!!

Do You See What I See? Yes I know Chrismahanahkwanzika is over

Hulk Smash!!!!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

The World Was Saved Today!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Martin Luther King Jr!!!!

Still can't find the book by Rufus?

Curse you nostalgia, you evil mutha scratcher!!

Patience makes perfect.

Where? Oh where has my Underdog gone? Where oh where can he be!?!

Happy Chrismachanukwanzaka!!!

This just in.......

Slow News Day and the Return of the Funkasaurus

Hodgepodge or Meatloaf thoughts - ground up and mashed together goodness

I Want to Break Free......I Want to Break Free

Fun with E-R

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE !!!!!!!!

Ask Me Cuz I'm Old - The first Question

****Geek Alert****

OOOOOO that smell, can't you smell that smell!!

Life is too short

"Morituri te salutant" = Those who are about to die salute you

Help!!! I need somebody Help!!! I'll take anybody

Leftovers - Vacation thoughts two weeks after it's over

Oompa Loompa Loopity Doo... State Fair Food is good for you!!

I found it!! I found out what my special purpose is for!

I am taking a beating…..

I have not abandoned my postings

Chucking rocks at Airplanes

Geek Alert