Blockbuster is starting a new stalking campaign

Okay, not really but it sure seems like it. So Friday night my wife's friend had an extra ticket to go see Spam-A-Lot. This meant I was alone for the evening to eat whatever I wanted and to do whatever I wanted. So I did. Headed to Blockbuster to get a couole Xbox games and then out to Steak N' Shake for some grub. While at Blockbuster I was browsing their horror selection as I often do to see if anything cool came in. The place was packed to the rafters and they had this poor girl running around trying to let everyone know about their awesome Online service. I tried to avoid her because I really didn't want to be rude and tell her what I thought of the service.

Well she found me. I tried really hard to just say no and be done with it but she was pretty energetic and persistant. She asked me if I was okay. I said yes. She asked if she could help me find anything, I said no. She asked if I wanted to try something out that would get me a free rental in the store that night. I said, no thanks. She asked me to hear her out and I said that if it had to do with BB Online, I am not interested as i just canceled my account the past week. I hoped we could leave it at that but she was astounded that someone could cancel such an awesome service. She asked me why and I really didn't want to explain. There were people all around us and I just didn't feel like explaining it to her so that all could here making it harder for her to approach everyone else after hearing my true and disheartening story. But she kept digging. I explained that I can never get my movies that I request even if they are available and she said she had a great answer for that. Of course it was the standard answer I got from everyone else at Corporate so she offered no hope. She kept telling me how she would get all her movies and I told her that she was lucky. I also added that the movies I want are probably not the same movies she wants. She kept telling me about the Total Access where you drop your Online movies off at the store and choose more but I again told her that neither the store nor the online program carried my movies so there wasn't anything that would work for me.

She eventually gave in and let me go but you could tell she felt like a failure. She had been getting people to sign up all night and she decided to go toe to toe with a non-believer and lost. Sorry lady. I tried to let you off easy.

It's been awhile but I have stuff to rant about!

So I have been pretty quiet on here lately. I apologize to the 2 people who may be reading this blog. Today I have two things that I have gone through the last month that I want to rant about. One of them I forgot till I received an email yesterday. So let us begin the ranting!

Blockbuster Online

We were enjoying our subscription to Blockbuster Online, for about a month. Then, for reasons that are still unknown, things went sour. I had placed all the movies we wanted to see in our queue and each time they sent a new one out it would be the one that was like 15th in the queue. Nothing at the top of our queue, which were the movies we were really wanting to see, would ever show up. Yes, they all said "Available" in case you were wondering to yourself. Early on I sent an email out to ask why I was not getting things in my queue in order. I was told that "available" does not always mean "available" and then was given a coupon for in store use. Great. That makes me happy. Not.

I let it go and then things just didn't get better. I would send a movie and they would take 4 days to get me another one, sometimes a week, and still ignoring the top 10 movies in my queue. Then they created their new Total Access promo. This is where you can drop off your online DVD's in store and they will send them back for you and you can pick out replacements right there on the spot. Sounds good. But the problem is that we got the Online subscription because out store doesn't carry a lot of titles we are looking for. We want to see Seasons 3 and 4 of Scrubs. Our store only carries Season 1. There are a bunch of horror flicks I want to see but my local store does and will not carry them. So this new feature is pointless. If I want to get a new release then maybe but I want to see off the beaten path type movies.

So I email them one day a couple weeks ago.

I have had this issue before but now my patience is wearing thin. I got the reply last time that Available does not mean it is actually available and then got a coupon. Okay, well now everything that I have had in my queue at the top has been available yet I get movies 15 places down on my queue. Every time. Is it because the movie is available but my warehouse doesn't have it? Will it ever have it? Are there movies that I will just never be able to get? I like the ease now of having the ability to go to my local store and drop off and pick up but the problem is that my store doesn't carry the majority of the titles I want to see. I want to see Scrubs seasons 3 and 4. My store only carries Season 1. I want to see Supernatural, my store won't carry it. I want to watch a bunch of classic horror flicks that my local store does not carry. Sleepaway Camp 1,2,and 3 have been "Available" the day I put them on the list. Yet 2 is the only one I have ever received, which is dumb since it is the middle movie of the trilogy. So I return that in hopes that one day I will get the first one and then I will add 2 back on my list and try again. But it should not be this way. Sorry to say, but we didn't have this problem when we used Netflix. I don't want to go to Netflix for other reasons, but if I am actually never going to get to see the movies I want to see even when they state "available" for weeks on end, I will have to leave and go there.

Their wonderful response;

Hello Steve,

Thanks for contacting BLOCKBUSTER Online Customer Care.

I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you, Steve, on sending additional titles to you. I have checked and verified your record in our customer database and found out that you have not enough queue slots for additional shipment. I would like to follow up on the movies "Before Sunrise", "Shopgirl", and "Ichi the Killer."

You can always view your rental list by signing in to your account and going to "My Account" and clicking on "View Rental History", which will show your current list of shipped movies as well as what has been returned and checked back in.

I hope this information helps, Steve. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.


Always here to help,

Aileen
Customer Care Associate
BLOCKBUSTER Online

Wow, that has nothing at all do to with anything I asked.

My reply back;

Okay, you totally missed the point there. This isn't an issue of what movies I currently have. I never stated that as an issue. My issue is that movies I have in my queue that are listed as "Available" never get sent. Ever. Sleepaway Camp has said "available" for over a month or 2 and yet it has NEVER been sent to me. If I send back the 3 movies I have out right now, I suspect I will get movies that are like 10th,13th, and 15th on my list. I want to know why that continues to happen. Please feel free to reread my int ital complaint as it is clearly stated there. What is the point of having an order in the queue if you are randomly sending me movies? You may as well get rid of the queue and just send me what you feel like sending me since you haven't followed my queue order since...forever.

Her reply;

Hello Steve,

I'm sorry to learn we haven't shipped the DVD you've requested, Steve. Our goal is to ship your movies as quickly as possible in order to meet the expectation of 1-3 business days for delivery. We review all "Available" titles in your Queue, and determine which movies are in stock at your nearest distribution center that can be delivered in about 2 days. If your requests are outside the 2-day shipping window, they will be skipped over for other DVDs further on your list.

Unfortunately, we won't always be able to send your movies in the exact order you specify in your Queue. When we're ready to ship your next selection, we consider your Queue priorities and our current inventory. If your top picks are not in stock, we will send something else so that there are no service interruptions. Even though some of your selections may have longer waits than others, I suggest keeping your movies in the order you would like for them to be shipped.

I understand it's frustrating when we don't send your first choices, Steve. We're currently reviewing this process in order to improve in this area. I appreciate your patience as we work to provide you with the best service possible. Please let me know if you have any additional questions, and I'll be happy to help if I can.


Always happy to help,

Aileen
Customer Care Associate
BLOCKBUSTER Online

Okay, that seems like a poor way to run this kind of business. My response;

You say "we won't always". How about saying "if you have something in your queue and regardless if it says available for months, we probably really don't have it so you will never get it." With what you are telling me compared to the service I have received I think you guys have a problem that needs to be fixed ASAP. You never really answered my question or you can't because they won't even give you the actual answer but it seems many movies I wanted to see, (THAT SAID "AVAILABLE") were what, not at my
distribution center? Will it ever be? Do I need to wait 3 yrs? I waited 2 months or so, that is quite the wait. Not a wait I would expect from a business like this.

I really want to let it go but I just can't believe that I have wasted money for this product. I have had to wait over a week for titles, I have had to send back titles because you wouldn't send me the first one in the series. Just horrible.

My account has been closed. Before Sunrise, Ichi, and Shop Girl are already on their way. I opened a trail Netflix account yesterday. Funny thing was is that I put the top three movies I have in my BB queue that said available and put them at the top of the Netflix queue and they were also available there. They had this one shot to win me over. Come into work this morning and open my email and there they are, all three movies are shipped. Just like that. I will tell everyone I know how your system works. I suggest letting someone know that they need to figure this out and figure it out fast.

And that was true. Since signing up to Netflix I have received everything I have asked for that BB would not send me. On top of that, I sent 2 DVD's back Monday morning and got my replacements from Netflix in the mail Wednesday. That is beating Blockbuster by 3 days.

Well she got tired of me and had Regina take her shot;

Hello Steve,

I understand how frustrating it may be not to receive the movie that you have prioritized the most, Steve. Please know that movies are shipped based on several factors other than Queue priority, such as the number of copies in our inventory, the number of distribution centers provided with the copies, your proximity to these distribution centers, the demand for the same titles, the rate that the discs are being returned in good condition, and the postal service’s schedule and performance. Thank you for your understanding regarding this matter.

I am very sorry to know you have chosen to cancel your subscription. I have reviewed our customer database, and your account has already been successfully canceled as of December 7, 2006. Please remember that if you wish to avoid further charges to your credit card, BLOCKBUSTER Online must receive your movies no later than 30 days past your membership end date.

We value you as a customer, so I'd like to offer you some other plans I think you might be interested in:

* 2 at-a-time, unlimited rentals plus one e-coupon good for free in-store movie rentals for only $14.99 plus tax per month. If you agree to try it today, we'll give you 50% off the first two months!

* 1 at-a-time, unlimited rentals plus one e-coupon (2-day rentals not included) good for free in-store movie rentals for only $9.99 plus tax per month. If you agree to try it today, we'll give you 50% off the first two months!

Remember that all of our plans now automatically include our new Total Access program free of charge! Click on the link below to learn more if you are not familiar with this spectacular offer.

http://www.blockbuster.com/totalaccess

If any of these plans interest you, please let me know and I'll reactivate your account with the new subscription starting on your next billing cycle. If not, then I'm sorry to see you go and hope you reconsider in the future!


Always here to help,

Regina
Customer Care Associate
BLOCKBUSTER Online

Those deals are crap and not anything an upset customer is going to go for. Give me a break. So I canceled and I though all was good to go. But they keep hounding me. I got this email last night,

Dear Steve,

We received your request to cancel your BLOCKBUSTER Total Access™ membership.

But before you go, we hope you'll check out five great reasons other members are staying with BLOCKBUSTER Online®.

Reason #1: Never Be Without a Movie
The next time you change your mind or change your plans, you can get a new movie – FREE – right away. With BLOCKBUSTER Total Access, you simply place an online DVD in a return mailer and exchange it for a free in-store movie rental* at one of our 5,000 participating BLOCKBUSTER® stores – talk about immediate gratification!

Except your stores don't carry what I want to see.

Reason #2: Way More Movies, Same Low Price
Free in-store movie rentals are in addition to the number of movies allowed out at a time on your plan, giving you more movies at the same low monthly price.

Still not worth it since I can't get the movies I want to see through you or the store.

Reason #3: No More Waiting! Movies Arrive Faster
With BLOCKBUSTER Total Access, as soon as you return a movie in-store, your Queue frees up and your next available DVD ships right away.

No. The time I send a movie back and the time I get one averaged 4-5 days where Netflix is taking 2 days, plus they are sending me what I want



Reason #4: Coupons Good for FREE In-Store Rentals
Each month you receive e-coupons good for FREE in-store rentals – something you can't get anywhere else!

Funny, I get free rental coupons from mailers and from my Rewards card

Reason #5: Access to In-Store Special Promotions and Coupons
BLOCKBUSTER Online members are always the first to know about special offers and promotions, such as these in-store holiday prices at your local, participating BLOCKBUSTER store:

* Popcorn singles: Get two for $1.49
* $5 Gift Card: FREE with $50 Gift Card purchase
* Previously viewed DVDs: Buy 2 for $20 and 4 for $20 (select titles)
* Pre-owned games: Take 25% off
* Games: Rent two for $10 (PS2, PSP, Xbox and Game Cube)

No coupon required. Special prices good through December 31, 2006.

Click here for additional terms and conditions.

What advantage is there to knowing that. They have had the 2 for $20.4 for $20 deal running for over a year at my store and I never saw an email about it while a member of the online junk. This is lame.

If you'd still like to cancel your membership, do nothing. But if you'd like to give BLOCKBUSTER Total Access another try, re-activate your membership now and we'll send out your next movie right away!

No you want. It will take 4-5 days and it will be a move you decide to send.


So, don't join Blockbuster Online unless you only watch new releases.

It was terrible! I feared for my life!

So I walked out of my house this morning and right there in front of me was a Dove. Yup. A Dove. The viscious creatures that haunt our State. Dove's the size of golden retrievers with scary fangs that always seem to be dripping blood from the last child it killed for fun. Thank god someone in our State is doing something about it by adding a proposal to our voting slips come November 9th. Proposal 3 will be on Michigan ballots and a vote for yes will allow us to protect our homes and family from these carnivorous beasts by shooting them at will. If you live here in Michigan then you know damn well how menacing these songbirds can be if looked at the wrong way. Some even attack completely unprovoked. So please, if you get the chance, vote Yes! on Proposal 3 to save our children!


*This has been brought to you by the People to Stop Stupid People From Shooting Their Foot Off While Chasing a Harmless Songbird.*

Pine Tar Can Cure Cancer!

Yup, you heard it here. After the the last couple days following the Tigers win in game 2 of the 2006 World Series, it has come to my attention that Pine Tar can and does some amazing things.

I will preface this blog by stating that I have no concrete proof that Kenny Rogers did in fact have pine tar on his person Sunday evening in the 1st inning. He claims that is was a mixture of spit, rosin, and dirt he uses. Fine with me since the umpires and the Cardinals did not want to investigate.

So what cool things can pine tar do?

Well obviously it can allow you to hold onto a bat. Baseball players use it for it's sticky like qualities to help them get a good grip on the lumber. Some players even admit to putting in in their gloves to help them catch balls. Pitchers have been coming out of the woodwork saying they use it in cold weather to help them feel the ball and grip it better when pitching.

Other fun stuff you can use pine tar for:

-Hanging up posters of Kid Rock in your room

-Place some on a teachers chair before class and watch the hilarity ensue when he/she tries to get up later in the day

-If you have a nasty cough, pine tar can be used as a expectorant.

-Cut yourself shaving, pine tar can be used as a antiseptic

-Have a show horse? Well, name it Pine Tar.

Monthy Home Game -- Month 2

Yes, the home games are back. Missed month one as it took place while I was in DC. The Grand Prix has started up again and I came into month 2 with a whopping 2 points. 1 Point for each missed game. Time to get back in the hunt.

The first game was a big one with 14 players registered. This is nice since the more players, the more points and money to be had. We had two new guys with us this night which usually means they will win since the new guys traditionally do.

Started out on the main table and just played a new style. I usually play ridiculously tight in these games but I decided to open up my hand selection tonight. Play more suited connectors in later positions and make more aggressive post-flop plays. The biggest hand before we were down to 10 players and moved everyone on to the main table was when I entered a pot in the SB with 9h 6h. Mark was the player to my left to likes to bully me. He took his chance to play back at me and raised it another 80. I called hoping for a good flop. Board came 96J. I checked knowing full well that he will bet out. He did the expected and bet out 75. I re raised to 300 and he thought for a minute and called. The turn was a blank. I bet 150 and he called. River was a blank and I took some time and fired out a measly 200 bet hoping he would take it as a sign of weakness. I guess he did as he called and I flipped my two pair and he mucked.

Once it was down to 10 the game changes. You go from playing with 5 or 6 at your table and then you have 10 so I need to tighten up a bit, especially since the two new guys were now at the table and the one directly to my left was the chip leader making some huge calls and folds from what I was told.

Few hands in I had ATs in MP and raised. New guy on my left called and couple others and we went to the flop and it came AT3. Nice Aces up. It was checked to me and I bet half the pot and new guy called quickly and everyone else folded. Turn came a 6. I checked hoping he had something juicy like AQ or AK and would fire out but he checked. River came a blank and I fired out a big bet and he called. I showed my Aces up and he mucked and muttered a "good hand".

Two hands later I get dealt 77 and limp as I usually do with small to medium pocket pairs. I believe we had about 5 callers and the flop came 3 6 T. Checked around to the new guy who bet out a 100 into a 300+ pot. It folded back to me and I decided to pay the 100 to get lucky. I did, as a 7 hot the turn. I checked and he bet out a little bigger and I raised. He thought for awhile and called. river was a blank and I bet out a small amount to give him a chance to call and after going in the tank he did and I flipped my 77 and he mucked with a more annoyed "good hand".

I was now the chip leader and was feeling good. Later on I made a mistake in a hand. I had AsTs again and raised preflop. My only caller was my new friend to my left. Flop was looking good with Ac Td 4d. I bet out about half the pot and he called quickly. For some reason I put him on two diamonds right away. My experience, and it could be deal wrong, when someone bets quickly in a situation like that, they are on a drawing hand. Turn came the Qd. I became passive and checked and he fired out a nice size bet. About 2/3rds the pot I believe. I went into the tank. I was about to call but I talked myself out of it. Many times playing I will make calls knowing that I am beat and this time I decided not to do it. I folded my AT and they flipped over and he was about to muck his and decided to show me his Ad 9s. Bah! He still had 9 outs to the nut flush so that will be my reasoning. lol

From there nothing really happened. I was in an out of pots, maintaining a good stack in relation to the competition. It was now 4 handed. 3 get paid. Two regulars and the other new guy. This guy acted as if he was some pro player and he was far from it. Complete ass and a complete donkey. Plus he wouldn't shut up about the Tigers game that was on. He was the quintessential poker star/Hall of Famer Baseball Manager. He was new to this game and trying to run it. All night long he wanted to change the rules and act like a jerk if someone did something he thought was wrong. Frank, father of Kevin, who playes with us once in awhile doesn't stack his chips. This isn't a casino, it's a night with the guys. We never cared. The new guy just wouldn't shut up all night about it. He was being rude and confrontational with him and it just didn't sit well with me. What an ass. My favorite moment was when I was in a hand and he was in the BB he tried to get all bad ass on me and said how many chips you got left. I replied, "A lot more than you". He got angry and said there was no way, his stack was larger than mine, and I had to point out the 4 purple chips I had that equaled more than the 14 black chips he had in front of him and he just folded. What an ass.

Anyway, he was playing on a shortstack and he just wouldn't go away. I was in the SB with 55 and decided to push all in on him. He called excited and flipped over his Ax. I don't even remember, like a 6 or a 7 I believe. My 5's hung in there and knocked him out. He shook every one's hand except mine. I love people like that.

From there I got messed up in a hand with a weaker kicker and eventually busted out in 3rd. Made a nice little profit and got some good points to get myself back in the hunt.

Game 2 was 9 players as most left to go watch the rest of the Tigers game at home. Only the ass new guy was playing, the other guy left. Within 5 or 6 hands Kevin and the new guy got into a raising war preflop and ended up all in with Kevin holding AA and new guy holding KK. K spiked on the turn and Kevin was out. He was pissed but kindly congratulated the new guy and shook his hand and the new guy wouldn't shut up about how crazy that was and he knew he was up against AA but he had no choice and how crazy it was. I could tell Kevin was getting annoyed. Just shut up, you won, Kevin now is the dealer for the next 2 hours probably, and you won't shut up about the hand. He wasn't making too many friends.

I was playing pretty bad. I was busy watching the Tigers game and being annoyed by the new guy to even care. About 6 people left and I was down to 700 from the starting 1000. Blinds were 100/200 and I was in UTG+1. New guy was UTG and raised. I grabbed my chips and said, "All in, 700". Immediately he gets all uppity and swearing about what a dumb play it was. I just kept staring at the TV ignoring him. It folded to him and he was still grumbling and then said in a cocky way, "Well I gotta call" and I flipped over AK while not looking at him at all. He threw his AJ out with disdain and I held on to double up on him. Never said a word to him but he was trying to talk to me about my play.

I don't remember much but I ended up in 4th on the bubble and watched as Matt got heads-up with new guy and literally dominated him. It was just sick. I was positioned to see every hand Matt had and it was just like he said, "shooting fish in a barrel." Matt raised all but I think 2 hands the entire time heads up. Seeing a flop was rare, as new guy folded 90% of the time he was raised. It was hilarious. Good to see Matt win it.

So I got some points and should be up in the top 5 with 4 months (8 games) to go.

My Whiny Poker Post

I hate to do it but I need to vent and this looks to be the best place for that. I know I can play this game. There is no question I can. Sure I have some leaks but all players do, but for the life of me I can't seem to win a damn thing. My first year playing was great. Made decent amounts of money but this year has been atrocious. Still way ahead of the game but not making the stack larger, only smaller.

Today for example, playing a Triple Shootout and doing very well until one hand while heads up I raise with A6 and he pushes. He was erratic and loved to come over top of everyone all game long, so I called and there it was Q3. Of course he hits a 3 at one point and takes a large lead and I can't crawl back.

I have made some good decisions, played some good TAG poker the last couple weeks and I have been getting railed by instances like that. Yesterday I was the chipleader in a 180 SNG from hand one till about close to the 2nd hour. Cards were falling, donkeys were pushing when I had the nuts, etc. Then one play I get crippled when I went in a 4:1 favorite. I end up finishing 2 off the money. Bah!

I know I can play this game and I know that the donks are my friends in the long run but in the short run it is killing me and my bankroll.

Horror Month --- Pumpkin Karver

Wow, this movie was really, really bad. Not in the good bad, the bad bad. The whole thing was sooooo bad. I can't even put into words how bad this was. The acting was atrocious and the writing was horrid. Sometimes you can get away with it if it is at least humourously bad, but this was just disgustingly bad.

Sisters boyfriend pretends to attack her on Halloween and her brother kills him before they fond out the prank. Years later he still has issues and goes to a party out on BFE with his sister and the boyfriend "seems" to be back and seeking revenge.

Horrid movie. Nothing makes sense. The scenes don't matchup well, people show up and are never seen again, the dialogue is terrible. DO NOT WATCH THIS.

Horror Month --- Stay Alive

Watched this over the weekend between Game 3 and 4 of the ALCS. The movie this time is a new movie that came out on DVD the past week called Stay Alive.



I don't know how I feel about this movie. At first I thought I liked it but as each day passes I begin to think I actually don't like it. This movie seems to be Final Destination meets The Ring but with video games. I liked the former but hated the latter so maybe that is my problem. Basically a guy plays this underground video game on his PC and then shortly after dies the way he did in the game. His buds get a hold of the game and realize what is going on and do what they can to stop it. At first it really drags you in and is very interesting, then it dies. Rent it if you want but if you won't be missing anything. I am sure it will be on TNT or TBS in a year or so.

TIGERS WIN!!! TIGERS WIN!!!

Not much to say, the pics speak for themselves. When Maggie hit the ball I immediately jumped from the couch knowing right then and there we were headed to the World Series.

Tigers vs. A's in the ALCS -- Game 3

Well tonights game was supposed to be at 8pm but sadly Fox does not believe that the Tigers are good enough and they need to make sure that for the rest of the series that NY gets the primetime slot. They claimed that it was because of the weather but that was BS. Also there is rumors that the World Series will still be NY Yankees vs. the NY Mets regardless of what happens in the two CS series.

Now let's discuss the game. I made sure to set up the DVR to start recording it at 4pm and I made sure that I ignored all radio and internet so that I would be able to get home from work and not have any clue what the score was. Amazingly I was able to make that work. My wife screwed up and at about 4:45 she called to ask if she was supposed to be watching the game on ESPN.com. She finally realized that she shouldn't be watching but was spoiled for the 1st inning. Sadly for her 2 of the total 3 runs the Tigers scored were in the 1st. Again, Kenny Rogers like a week earlier came in and pitched a 7+ inning shutout. This post season he has pitched 15 innings and given up 0 runs. This from a guy who was expected to continue his career choking in the post-season. Jonesy came in for the save in the 9th and lucky made it less dramatic as game 2.

The Tigers have now won 6 straight and on their way to hopefully sweeping the A's today in Comerica Park. The game is about to start so I need to end this. Go Tigers!!!!

Horror Month --- Triple Feature

Had some time on my hands last night so I watched 3 movies that I will give short reviews for. The Hazing, Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers, and Hostel.


First one I watched was The Hazing. I DVR'ed this the other night just for fun and actually enjoyed it. It was a very campy horror film but enjoyable.



The premise of this film was 5 college kids, 2 girls, 3 guys, pledging for their respective Sororities and Frats. Their final "hazing" was to go out on a scavenger hunt for items on Halloween. After they had collected enough items they were to spend the night at a local hanuted house and if they could last till morning they would have completeled the task and they all would have gotten in to their frat/sorority. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong.

They split up into two groups and head off to get the items which turned into a wonderful music montage. One of the items was a book of incantation that was worth 20 points of the required 50 they needed. One group went to the professors house who allegedly had the book. What they find is that the Professor was a crazed murderer. Once the professor was "dead" they hi-tailed it out of there and to the haunted house taking the book and a staff so as not to leave fingerprints.

The professor didn't die but was rushed to the hospital. As the kids were hanging out doing what kids do in horror movies, the professor left his body at the hospital and headed to the house to use the book to enter one of the kids bodies. From there it is a gory mess of death and demons.

The movie was entertaining and the two girls were pretty attractive. Tiffany Shepis is a big horror movie actress and played her part well. Parry Shen, from a lot of TV shows, stars in this as well and does a good job. Good for a rent on Halloween.

The next movie in line was Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers. Sadly Blockbuster Online sent me this instead of the first Sleepaway Camp even though it says available. But that is another blog all toghether. I have been holding off watching it till I saw the first one but I decided to just watch it.



Wow, now this is a classic horror flick. Camp, killer, kids having sex and doing drugs, and decapitation. What more can you ask for in a horror flick from the 80's right? The acting in this film was absolutely horrid. Horrid to the point of pure entertainment though. Watching the making of/deleted scene/outake section of the DVD was hilarious when the director touted the main character, Pamela Springsteen, as a great actress who showed great emotion. Really, just watch it for the acting if nothing else.

Anyway, enough about that, the movie takes place at a camp in the woods. Right off the bat you find out that Springsteens character is the killer. Damn, I guess I needed to see the first one. As each camper does something that she finds immoral, she kills them in various ways; power drills, drowning them in a outhouse, decapitating them, slitting throats, chainsaws, and guitar wire. It was pretty entertaining but as you probably can tell by now I am easily entertained. If you like the old slasher flicks like Friday the 13th and such, you will love this movie. I suspect the whole series is good. Hopefully I will get 1 and 3 next week.


Last on my plate is Hostel. This is a Eli Roth film (Cabin Fever) that is actaully pretty good.




This movie is about 3 backpackers in Europe finding their way to Slovakia where things take a turn for the worst. According to Roth, he got the idea for this movie from hearing/reading about a place in Thailand I believe where people would pay money to torture and kill people. So people would be kidnapped and then some tourist would come and pay $20K to kill them. Basically this movie is all about that but set in Slovakia.

I am a big fan of Roth's Cabin Fever, and I am in the minority on that one I believe. He did really well with this movie. The acting is good, the look is great, and the sense of terror is outstanding. If you like movies like Saw and Saw 2 then you should enjoy this as it seems to have the same look and feel.

Getting a Telemarketer to Hang Up On You

I am still a little shocked that I just got hung up on by a telemarketer. He seemed angry but I was actually not being mean. It was all so surreal to be honest. Phone rings and I answer it.

Me: , how may I help you?

Him: Hi, this is Sean, can I ask who the Propery Manager is, please?

Me: , What can I help you with.

Him: Can I speak to him please.

Me: I am sorry he is not in, can I take a message.

Him: When do you expect him in?

Me: He doesn't work in this office, I can take a message.

Him: He doesn't work there? Please tell me how I can get a hold of him.

Me: No he doesn't, I can take a message and forward it to him for you.

Him: (long pause) I don't really have a message.

Me: (waits)

Him: So just tell me how to get a hold of him...

Me: Sure, leave your message with me and I will gladly forwa--

Him: *sigh*

Wow, that was easy. He was clearly getting frustrated with me but I was being totally honest with him. He doesn't work in this office, he works from home. I am not giving this guy who fails to tell me who he even works for my boss' home number. Pfft, no way. All he had to do was give me a number and I would have emailed it to my boss. Oh well. That was fun.

Horror Month --- High Tension

This was a great thriller/slasher film. It had a great look and a little twist at the end.



This is a french film that won a few rewards at some European Film Festivals. The basica story is two college friends going home for holiday and soon after getting there the terror begins with a knock on the door. Lots of gore, decapitations, and screams, but the look and feel just grabs you and never lets you go. Due to the twist at the end I do not want to give too much away but I strongly suggest any and all horror fans to see this movie. In my opinion this is what a horror film should be like. This is a good one for a cold Halloween night!

Tigers vs A's in ALCS -- Game 2

Well it was an odd day in baseball alst night with the tragic death of Yankees pitcher Lidle. Mets/Cards game was rained out and the ALCS would be the only game going this evening. What a good one it was.

Verlander came out sloppy in my opinion and quicky gave up a run. In true Tigers fashion that run was made up in the next at bat. By the 3rd inning it had looked as if Verlander was finding his stuff and his breaking ball was starting to work real nicely but nothing seemed to be able to stop Milton Bradley last night has he jacked one out of the park to make it 3-1. It felt like it was going to be a battle all game long. The A's needed this win and for the most part played like they knew it. But again the next time the Tigers get to bat they make it 4-3. You gotta love and respect the reliencey of this team. They extended the lead to 7-4 and by the bottom of the ninth it was 8-5. Jones was our closer and started off getting the first guy out. Then it all fell apart. 2 outs, bases loaded, and the Big Hurt at the plate. I was pacing like you could not believe. But Jones got Thomas to pop one up and we took a 2-0 lead going back to Detroit for games 3,4 and 5.

It was another hard fought game and Leeland quieted some critics. With the injury to Sean Casey he moved our SS Guillen to 1st base and put Perez in the lineup and then took out Thames from the DH and put in rookie Alexi Gomez in his spot. When all this was found out many people in the area were up in arms. Perez has shown us nothing in terms of hitting since we got him from the Cubs. Gomez is a rookie who had about 100 at bats all season. But in true Leeland style Gomez ended up with 1 HR and 4 RBI's for the night. Perez didn't do much but his sacrfice bunt helped get us tied at 1-1 early on in the game. Other than that he was non-existant. We will see what happens Friday.

Go Tigers!

Tigers vs. A's in ALCS -- Game 1

Last night the Motown Kitties faced off against the Oakland A's in Oakland for a chance get into the World Series.

Big talk around town was Leelands choice to start Nate Robertson against the A's ace Zito. I personally had no issue with it but I guess I could see both sides. Supposedly Kenny Rogers is good against the A's in Oakland and he won't be playing at all over there. Robertson had a poor outing in his last game of the season and then a sub par performace in Game 1 of the ALDS but it wasn't that bad. Nate has been on of our most consistent pitchers in the 2nd half of the season. I thought he had a chance to do well. Zito on the other hand is supposedly a great pitcher and one to be feared.

Well it sure started as expected. Nate found himself in some jams early but luckily got out of them and Zito sent down the first 8 batters with ease. It was looking to be a long night if it kept up but thankfully my boy Inge hit a homer and that started Zitos; demise. By the end of it all it was 5-0 and Zito on the bench. With the 5-0 lead Nate found himself in another jam with men on 2nd and 3rd and no outs. Leeland came out to the mound as he has done som many times this season, said some things and then walked off. Nate then struck out the next 3 batters. It's just amazing how many times I have seen Leeland do just that and get the same results each time.

It was great to see Brandon Inge get back into form. He had a horrid ALDS but started off the ALCS with a homer, double, single, and a walk. Hopefully he can keep it up. Sadly we lost Casey mid game to some kind of calf injury. I haven't heard anything more than a sprain so I can't pretend to know when he is coming back but for sure won't be playing in game 2. I guess Perez will be playing and that isn't too comforting. He has done squat all season and I would rather see Infante play since he has a bat that connects with the ball. But we will see, you never know what might happen.

So tonight is Game 2 with Verlander on the mound. Winning tonight would put a strangle hold on the series with games 3,4, and 5 at Comerica Park. But the A's are a good team, should be a good one!

Horror Month -- The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

Watched a little of this movie last night after the Tigers game. I have watched it a couple times before and loved it. This is a remake of the original Wes Craven The Hills Have Eyes from 1977.



I have seen both movies and can say that I found this one to be the best of the two. Maybe that isn't a common opinion but I thought they did an excellent job of remaking this movie which can be quite a task. Most remakes fall short, this one rises to the top.

There is nothing special about the story. Family heading to California by way of the Nevada desert and get tortured and killed by mutants from past nuclear testing. The family gets stranded in the middle of the desert after crashing their truck and trailer into a rock. Little did they know that the people in the hills caused the wresck and would soon be terrorizing them. After a few killings the people in the hills take the baby and thus begins the heroic efforts to save the child.
This movie does a great job of pulling you in and keeping you interested throughout. I still love it after numerous viewings.

The original is a cult hit and this one might be even better. Check it out if you can.

October = Month of Horror Movies

I don't know what to watch on Halloween. My wife despises horror movies and I absolutely love them. I could watch horror movies everyday all day. I watched one the other night that was just hilarious. It was called Monster Man. Not a real creative title, not did it really go well with the plot but the movie is worth watching if you enjoy cheesy horror flicks.



The basic premise is two guys heading through the south (inbred areas) so that the main character can tell some chick he loves her before he gets married. His sidekick is your usual loud and obnoxious friend who will sit in a diner and piss off the locals. Well on their way down the road they get harassed by a unknown person is a hilarious looking monster truck.



They eventually get run off the road by the truck as it vanishes down the road. Later on they stop at a gas station. As the main guy takes a piss the monster truck pulls up and he heads to the restroom. As he is in there the obnoxious guy takes a piss inside the truck as the main guy gets a good look at the "monster".

Later they pick up a beautiful blonde who seems to be attracted to the main guy despite the advances of the obnoxious guy.

I won't spoil the ending but it gets pretty gory by the end.

What I found odd though about this movie was this. For the first half they really tried hard not to have foul language. They used "A-Hole" all movie even though the movie was rated R. Sure there was gore but they seemed to never swear, except once. And the sex scene was fully clothed. Just odd I thought. So if you get a chance to see this, do so.

Tigers vs. Yankees ALDS

What a great week to be a baseball fan. My Tigers started off its first playoff run versus the hands down favorite to win it all New York Yankees. Prior to game one the National media were unanimous in their belief that the NY Yankees would pound on the fluke Tigers in 3 straight games. No one could compete against the awesome lineup NY had. But sadly this is baseball and they do not play games on paper but they actually let the teams play each other and see what happens.


Game 1

I was pretty geeked to finally watch the Tigers play in a post-season game. I had all the faith in the world that they would win it in 5. For a few innings things were going ok. We were holding them off the score sheet and we were getting some hits on Wang, who I believe is the only real threat the Yankees bring to the mound. But then things started to crumble when Nate missed played an easy ball to the 1st base side of the mound and soon after it was 5-0 in NY's favor. But one thing you would know about the Tigers if you watched them all year is that they do not give up. I think most teams that got lambbasted in the media like the Tigers did prior to this game would have folded after being down 5-0 but the Tigers play a full 9 innings. Before you knew it the Tigers came back to make it 5-3 and the game was on. Sadly though they couldn't mount a comeback and lost to the Yankees 8-4 with Jeter going 5-5 and the savior of the world. Blah blah blah.

I was pretty upset after the game. I really thought we needed to win the first game to set the tone and make all the people in the country realize that we deserve to be there and are no fluke. But come morning I was pretty good. Series surely was not over and Verlander was to pitch game 2 and I was hoping he would come out firing. The Yankees don't do very well against power pitching and I hoped Verlander could keep it close so we could bring Zumaya in.

Game 2

Game 2 was Wednesday night but it never happened. Due to rain the game was postponed. As with anything there is always some bit of controversy and that night it was the fact that the Yankees were told of the game being postponed till the next day and the Tigers were not. So there the Tigers are warming up, getting ready to play, as the Yankees are jumping in their cars and heading home. Some people were making a big deal out of it because Verlander was getting ready in the bullpen but I saw an interview with him that night and he said it was probably good due to the fact that now he knows how it feels to get ready for a big game and the next day should be easier.

So Thursday they got game 2 underway and things looked okay. Verlander got into some jams but came out of them nicely and the Tigers scored first to take a 1-0 lead. That all changed mid game when Damon hit a 3-Run jack to the upper deck to take a 3-1 lead. For a minute I was freaked. "Oh crap, here we go." But I was wrong and should trust my Tigers better as they quickly got the lead 4-3. Zumaya pitched an unbelievable 2 innings making each Yankee look like a minor leaguer. It was quite impressive. I loved how after each strike out the Yankee who was punked looked back at him on their way to the dugout as if to ask, "who are you?"

Now we are coming back to Detroit with the series tied 1-1. We could really cause some damage now.

Game 3

Game 3 was Friday and I was pretty excited. On my way to work my dad called to ask if I had gotten his email. He had an extra ticket and wanted to know if I could go. Hell yes I can go! After work I met him and some friends at Fishbones in Greektown. We ate dinner and then headed over the Comerica Park. I was so excited to be here. First playoff game in Detroit since '87. I had been to 6 other games this year and the atmosphere for them were great but it was clearly different tonight. We had pretty decent seats. 1st base side between 1st and RF.

The big talk was that Kenny would get shelled this evening. He has never won a post season game and has been killed by lineups. Not tonight. It was the most amazing pitching performance I have ever witnessed. He made this great Yankees lineup look weak and pathetic. Kenny who maybe gets 1 SO a game got 8 SO's in this game and was a force to be reckoned with. Watching replays of the game on TV was interesting as you could tell this guy was in the zone and on fire. He was out there to prove his critics wrong and he did so quite impressively.

The crowd was crazy. I think we were out of our seats for about 85% of the game and there was constant noise. If we were rooting out tigers on we were chanting "Steroids" or "Overrated" to Giambi and A-Rod. It was the single most exciting sporting event I have ever been too and I have been to many good ones. We ended up winning the game 6-0. Now we have the series lead at 2-1.

Game 4

Game 4 was Saturday afternoon at 4:30pm. Hopefully we could end it here and get ready to play the Oakland A's who swept the Twinkies the night before. Bonderman was on the hill for us and you never know what he is going to bring. My wife mentioned that Him and Rogers are very close and she expected him to feed off what Kenny did the night before. She was right. Bondo threw a perfect game through 5 complete innings. He was on fire. 23 years old and taking care of the Yankees high powered line-up like butter. Thankfully our bats were on fire and before you knew it we were up 8-0. The Yankees made a last ditch effort in the 9th with 2 outs to make it 8-3 but they had no chance against the Motown Kitties today and we won our spot in the ALCS!

The celebration was great. Seeing the Tigers head out onto the field and celebrate with the fans was nice to see. It has been so long since we could celebrate with the Tigers and with the way this state has been declining economically it was nice to have something to cheer about. Many have said the last two days that it was wrong of them to celebrate the way they did but I don't think so. They felt bad not letting us celebrate a division win and they wanted to party with us. It was great to see and I can't wait for the A's.

Go Get Em Tigers!

Another Right Taken Away

Well they have gone and done it. The process has begun to pull the plug on internet poker in the US. Good old Fristy did what all wonderful politicians in this great country do to get what they want, he attached the Internet Gambling Bill onto an important and much needed Port Security bill. The bill passed the house almost unanimously and then because of time constraints due to the session ending was passed by the senate in a vocal vote. So just like that the online poker has taken a nose dive.

Today reports are coming out from Party Poker and Pokerstars stating that they will be suspending all US based accounts on their sites the minute George W Bush signs the bill into law. So that is that I guess. I would have liked to see sites wait about a month or two when the actual rules and regs come out but I guess they are worried what might happen to them since the US seems to lose it's temper rather easily these days.

I don't understand why this has to happen. Just another right taken away from us. It is interesting to see diehard Bush fans and Republicans all pissed off over what just happened. I guess if it doesn't effect you, you won't feel the pain. But when it does effect you your eyes are opened wide.

I love playing poker and just don't have the resources around me to play anywhere but online. Yes, we have 3 casinos in Detroit and 2 have pokerrooms but each has their lowest limit at 5/10 which is not where I am at right now. 3/6 I can handle, 2/4 or lower would be ideal but they don't run it. They also have tournaments but they have such horrid structures that it is basically all in of fold after the 2nd round of blinds and I don't feel like wasting money on a coinflip. So I guess it leaves me with my monthly home game and pub poker. Hard to make millions with those options. :)

Well thanks again US Gov't for making sure I, as a 34 yr old, cannot enjoy poker. I appreciate you from stopping me from making money. Thank you and piss off.

Why So Much Anger in the World?

I have witnessed such unbridled anger this past week and I have to ask the question, why is everyone so angry? Most of the anger I witnessed stemmed from a blog of professional poker player, Daniel Negreanu. He made the mistake of thinking that he lived in a free country and posted his feelings on the current administration running the US and an opinion on the Iranian President.

All hell broke loose on his site, FCP. People were creating accounts just to rip him a new one over his "opinions". What I find most interesting is that the people who go off on huge hissy fits of anger are usually ones who are supporters of Bush. Is it just Republican nature to fly off the handle and deal with all opinions different then the their own with personal attacks and lots of screaming? I unfortunately have yet to meet a Bush supporter who can not debate the issues without getting overly defensive and not throw at least one personal insult toward the person or people they are debating with. Sure this may be a gross generalization, but in my experiences it rings true for me.

I, for my own reasons which will be possibly discussed at a later date, do not support our current administration. As an American that right and am happy to continue to have that right. People who support Bush for their own reasons have that same right and I would never tell them they do not, yet they like to tell me and others that we "have" to support our President. Sure, these are the same people who didn't support Clinton but why be so nitpicky right?

My wife works for a campaign and in the short time I have spent seeing it first hand I have witnessed her fellow campaign workers, the candidate, and myself be insulted, cursed at, and been given the finger by "proud" republicans. Wow, okay, you are proud, but also terribly classless. It is really sad that many republicans think that a good debate is a flip of the bird and a "Fuck off, Bitch!". Yeah, that really drives your point home. Just that attitude alone makes me not want to be a republican.

But the sad part is is that this country is horribly divided. My wife explained that our great leader said he would reach his hand across the isle and bring us all together. That doesn't seem to be the case. I guess Mr. Rove had more to do with that but as the President of the United States, you get to take the blame. Deal with it's probably in the job description.

Remember after 9/11 everyone was so nice to each other? Remember how we all got along, regardless of political affiliation or pretty much anything else. We were hunting for Bin Laden and things were not that bad. When did it all change? Iraq? I don't know for sure but that would be my guess. The minute we stopped doing anything about 9/11 this country took a turn for the worse in my opinion. Guess we are back to looking for him again but it's pointless now. Plus it seems to be a political ploy to help the failing republicans in Novembers elections. As stated in my profile, I hate people, the reason I do is because for the most part they are all stupid, so many will fall for this ploy. But I think they will still be in trouble come November.

Let's just be nice and respect each others opinions and views. How does my view being different from yours hurt either one of us? If you like Bush, go right ahead. I disagree but I won't rip your head off about it. You should learn to do the same. This is America, we are supposedly fighting for Freedom *snicker*. Let's not be hypocrites.

Pub Poker

Decided to go to one of the local sports bars last night and play some pub poker. Tried it a few months ago and enjoyed it and decided that the new season started I would try to make some of the games and see if I can't squeak into the top 100.

Game started at 7pm with 27 players on 3 tables. Seems everyone knows everyone and I was one of the new guys. Everyone was pretty cool and it was interesting just sitting back and observing them. One of the guys at my table was a would not shut up. He would critique every single play made at the table. He kept saying that he hated playing with terrible players but don't worry, none of us were that bad. Of course at this point I have yet to play a hand. He was good for some entertainment at least but his poker knowledge was not all that impressive. I had to at one point correct him on an analysis of one of his hands when he incorrectly calculated his outs.

So first hand I played was 33 in the BB. 3 players to the flop and it was pretty ragged. All checked to the turn and checked all around again. I took a stab at the river but got reraised and let it go.

About 30 minutes in I was down to about 2900 from my starting 3875. I was dealt JJ in MP. UTG who was on the final table the last time I was there raised to 800 when the blinds were 100/200. Folded to me and I called. Everyone else folded. Flop came 862. He bet He bet 500 and I reraised to 1200. He called. Turn was a 5. He checked and I bet 1800 and he folded after taking about 4 minutes.

Very next hand I am dealt As6s. Folded to me and I limp. Button calls and the BB (the guy I beat last hand) checks. Flop comes Qs 3s 4s. Flopped the nuts. BB checks, I check, and Button bets 800. BB thinks and calls, I take sometime and make a call. Turn is the 5s. BB bets 1000. I take sometime and then raise to 2000. Button is pissed and folds. BB calls. River is the 3h. He checks and I tell him I will put him all in and he calls showing a J high flush. I flip my cards over and scoop the large pot. Mr Poker can't get over how well I played the hand (though I don't think I did anything all that special. Not hard when you flop the nuts) and how I got all the value I could out of it. Top class play. LOL. Okay, whatever.

A few hands later the 3rd table broke putting us down to 18. I had about 12.6K at this point. I got into a hand with the new guy at our table who was the chip leader. I was in the BB and he was the CO. Play folded to him and he raised to 1200 (200/400 level). Folded to me and I called with KcJc. Not my favorite hand, but I wanted to defend my blinds and figured it was good enough to see the flop. Flop came Qc Jc 3h. I checked hoping he would make a continuation bet and I could check raise but he checked. Weird. Turn came a Kd. Now I have top pair J kicker, straight, striaght flush, and flush draw. I bet out 1800. He thinks for a bit and makes the call. Hmmm. Not feeling good about this, I need a big river. River came a 6h. Blah! I checked and he checked and I flipped my K and he showed AJ for the straight. If only a club hit. Oh well. Could have lost a lot more if I played it more aggressively. As that happened 3 people busted out on the other table and I was sent over there.

The chip leader was now at this table after busting 3 people with 2c3c. I didn't get the whole story but those were his cards he called 3 all ins with. Heh. I sat back from a playing a few hands to get some reads on players. Two were shortstacked and pretty much blinding themselves out. I saw one in the BB with 300 left with KQs and she checked it all the way and lost to a pair of 2's. So not a ton of skill going on here. I was down to about 6500 at the 400/800 level and put it all in with AKo. I got one caller who I figured for a pair on how fast he called and he flipped over AQo. Whew. That held up and I was back in business.

Finally we made it to the final table or 9 and I was sitting on about 10K with 400/800 blinds. Stole a few blinds early to help me out and finally got my chips in UTG with AJs. Sadly I got two callers, AQ and AK. The AK hit a pair on the flop and took us both down. I finished in 7th.

It wasn't too bad. I can play with these guys, everyone seemed nice. I was tired and didn't stay for the second game but will next time.

TV Land: Amazing Race & Studio 60

So the new fall season is getting underway and here are some reviews of two new shows and some comments regarding Wife Swap from last night.

AMAZING RACE 10

Ahhh my favorite reality show of all time is back with a new season and a new bunch of losers to watch run around the world being annoying, stupid, rude, racist, and plain amusing. Nothing much seems to have changed in the show. They did get rid of a team during a non pit stop activity but other than that it was the same great show that keeps winning Emmy after Emmy. Getting that Survivor, stop messing around and get back to what made that show good, not some gimmicky crap you got going on know!

Anyway, so it's early in the season but I will post my thoughts on all the teams.

Bilal & Sa'eed
Best friends from Cleveland. The new common theme in reality shows is to get Muslims on. They were okay. Little over religious for my tastes (and if they were Christians or Buddhists or whatnot I would say the some thing). I was curious to see how they would get through the whole race since it seemed they were strict followers of their religion since they wouldn't even shake fellow women competitors hands. Too bad they were slow as molasses and were the first to be knocked out.

Vipul & Arti
Married couple from Florida. Eh. Wife liked the guy and I was indifferent on him, hated the woman. No real reason. Just the way she presented herself. She was way to daintily and I have to say I don't like men who call their significant others "love" That's just weird. They were also very slow hence they were the second team to go home.

David & Mary
Here we go. These two are supposedly married from Kentucky. They seem to have left the part out about them possibly being brother and sister as well. Yes, I just said that. So what. So I guess they met working at McD's and fell in love. She has the self-esteem of a cow and he is as bright as a...well...he just isn't that bright. What should be interesting about them if they last long enough is to see how they grow together. They still seem to live in the world of the women is a slave and the man is god mentality. I don't predict them to go far but I sure get a good laugh out of them.

Duke & Lauren
Duke is the father of the Lauren the Lesbian. He seems to have a hard time with that as he broke down crying talking about his shame for his lesbian daughter. Should be interesting how they handle each other. They might grow on me if he can grow up but I doubt it. She seems cool though.

Dustin & Candice
Two beauty queens from Cali and NY. Not to smart, little ditzy, more air between their ears than airtime on the show for me to get a good read on them.

Erwin & Godwin
Bothers from San Francisco. My pick currently to win it. I like these guys. I have nothing bad to say about them. They seem intelligent and funny. GO TEAM!

Kellie & Jamie
Wow, nothing annoys me more than cheerleaders, especially southern cheerleaders. They spent the whole episode acting and clapping like cheerleaders. That is annoying. They are probably close to the Kentucky couple in terms of smarts. The blond one asked the brunette one if Sa'eed and Bilal worshipped Buddah after being told they were Muslims and the brunette didn't seem to know herself. Wow. They will get annoying fast and they possess no qualities that want me to keep them around any longer than they need to. The blonde though is by far the most annoying of the two. They didn't even know how to put the Mercedes in Drive. Wow.

Lyn & Karlyn
I started off liking these two but quickly changed my perception of them. They will be the major whiners of this season. Whine, whine, whine, whine...that is all I heard from them since about 20 minutes into the race. History has shown that whining about what other teams are doing is counter-productive and will hurt you in this race.

Peter & Sarah
Here is where I probably write my ticket into hell. I despise Sarah. Sure she is just a person on a TV show, but she irks me in so many ways. For one, she has an annoying personality. Yes, she has no leg, boo hoo. I know I should feel sorry for her but I refuse to since she seems to get around just fine. Missing a limb will not get you extra points in my book. If you bug me, you bug me. I like how in their intro she talks about her huge longtime crush on Peter. She really focused on that and her missing leg. He never once expressed his feelings toward her in his time. I find that hilarious. The site says they have unresolved romantic feelings for each other. Don't know what that means but my guess is that he is actually gay. That might make it hard for her to bag him. Just my opinion, not that there is anything wrong with that. She seems to bring up her missing leg often in the 90 minutes of episode one and if that continues she could really ruin this season for me. I am not going to feel sorry for her. She decided to run this race and almost got screwed by having to climb the wall and I had to listen to her feel even more sorry for herself. But baby, you chose this, so shut up and deal with it. My wife will get mad at me for posting this but I will say watching her run makes me giggle and I am 100% certain that makes me a bad person, but it is the truth.

Rob and Kimberly
Ahh, the typical elitist, better than everyone, fight with each other couple. Can't have an Amazing Race without this team. Two dating bartenders from LA. They will be fighting with each other all season long, let's just hope there race is short.

Tom & Terry
The Forehead Team. Gay couple from NY. That is all I have to say. Not rooting for them but I can handle them for now. They didn't get that much air time to judge them as harsh as I have judged others. :)

Tyler & James
Two drug addict models. LOL. I like them. I will root for them and Erwin & Godwin. Fun guys, seem nice, not overbearing, just looking to have some fun.

So this should be an interesting season. I wished I liked more of them but what can you do when you hate people as much as I do.

Studio 60
Well living in a house with a diehard Aaron Sorkin fan it would be hard not to watch this show. My wife is a West Wing junkie and has been dying for this show to premiere regardless of the fact she watched the pilot on youtube a month ago. As with many of Aarons work (West Wing, Sports Night) he tends to have similar events and storylines. Luckily he is an amazing writer and can pull it off well. Cast looks good, I like Perry and Whitford a lot and it seems they will be hilarious together. I look forward to the next episode and I hope he can make this as good as WW and be able to stick with it longer since his leaving WW killed the show for me. Check it out. You won't be disappointed.

Lions are teh Funny!

Ahhh, the Detroit Lions. If you haven't heard, yes, they are still an NFL team. Sure doesn't seem like it if you look at the last 15 years but they still are a pro team. So much has happened this year. New coach, new QB's, new attitude, new team. But after watching the preseason and the first 2 games of the year I have to admit, I see no difference. As my wife said, they might even be worse than last year.

We got a new coach who preaches discipline, focus, professionalism, respect, and hard work. Okay. So why are we committing 14 penalties in 22 minutes in the last game vs. the Bears? Why is your Defensive Line coach getting caught at a Wendy's Drive Thru in Dearborn, MI drunk and naked? We'll address that in more detail later.

We have selected 3 WR's in the 3 of the last 4 years 1st round of the draft. Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams. They cut Charles this year. They kept Mike though he hasn't played a down yet, and Roy is the main focus of the recent controversy in D-Town.

Let's look at Charles first. Chuck was a great player at MSU. He sadly broke his collar bone early in his rookie season. Then he broke it again the next year early. Last year he got suspended 4 games for toking up which he was in trouble before in the past. Then they stopped playing him and took him to court to get the signing bonus back. Then we get new coaches all around and early on they said he was looking great in practice. But then he never played much in the pre-season and was cut the week before the season started. No real reasons, just didn't think he was good for the team.

Roy Williams is probably the best receiver on the team, though that is not saying much when your second WR is some dude from the Arena Football League and the horrid XFL. Roy has a professionalism problem for sure. He means well but it all comes off wrong. He said last week that the Lions would win against Detroit if they played well. Well duh, Roy. That's how it should work. But the national media took it and cut off the last part and made it sound like he just said, "I guarantee the Lions will win next week..." Ahh, big difference without the "if we play well" part huh? Oh well, nothing new there, gotta make a story out of something. Of course the Lions played one of their worst games in recent history and fell to the Bears 34-7. Trouble is even with the score 24-0 whenever Roy caught a pass for a 1st down he would showboat a little. Now everyone is on him for that. I agree it is the wrong time to do that but I also think that he is one if not the only player on the team with any drive to do well. People are coming down on him hard and I think it might be unfair. As one guy said on the radio this morning, the NFL wants to turn these guys into robots who might break a 89 yrd TD run and afterwards just hand the ball to the ref and quietly go to the sideline. That is not a good thing for the game. Part of the fun of the game is the celebrations and the emotions. Now, being down 24-0 is not a good time to act cocky, but I don't think he was doing it for bad reasons, he just cares and is an excitable kid.

Mike Williams. Now there is a story and one that will grow as each day or week passes. His fellow teammates have stated to the media that they think he is doing well in practice. A lot of them expected him to play on Sunday vs. the Bears. Nope. No go on that. When asked in the presser on Monday you could tell there was some tension regarding Mike. Mike has stated he has no idea what he has done or what he is doing wrong in practice to not get the chance to play. Maranelli claims he has told him and he doesn't really care what the opinions are of the team on whether Mike can or should play. We did just sign Az Hakim last week which tells me that they made the decision to bag Mike but as this organization has shown in recent years, too scared to tell people what is going on without making it some elaborate production that only makes them look like a poorly run organization. If the Lions lose against the Pack this coming Sunday and Mike isn't playing, this issue will get heated really quick. So stay tuned next week to see what happens if you are interested.

Last but definitely not least, Joe Cullen, our wonderful D-Line coach. Mr. Cullen is quite the story around here. Everyday I hear something new about this guy. He was fired from Mississippi in 05 fro public intoxication. He allegedly used to throw up in front of his players to get them pumped up before games. On August 24th he was pulled over for drunk driving and being totally nude. On Sept 1st he was pulled over again when he blew a .12 (.08 is the MI legal limit).

Now, this is a coach. You are trying to get this team of lazy misfits to be more professional, disciplined, and respectful yet this is one of your coaches. Interesting thing is that the media didn't catch wind of this story until a week after his 2nd arrest. His punishment? 1 game suspension. Yup. That was it. Personally I would send him away for help and give him a clothes stipend and thank him for his work till that point. If the media hadn't picked up on this story I don't think the Lions would have done one thing. By the time the Lions reacted it was over a week after it happened and then they laid out the horrible punishment. If you look at what this guy has done and what Mike Williams is going through...how can you take this organization seriously? I don't know. But I am sure I can post more fun blogs about them as the season wears on.

My prediction: 3-13

Internet Gambling on the Hot Seat

As a online poker player I have been paying attention to the bill that is trying to be passed in the Senate against Internet Gambling. I personally am not for the bill passing for the obvious reason of not being able to do something that I love and have some skill at. But last night I saw 60 minutes was going to do a story on it and watched it (well sort of since I was online playing poker.

So the main argument this time was based on the fact that kids would be able to gamble online. That is a bad thing. Sure, so is drinking, smoking, and taking drugs, but no one seems to be trying as hard to stop kids from doing that these days. The thing they addressed was how a kid could take dad's credit card and jump online and start gambling. Well here are a few things I noticed about that senario. First off, when the kid tried to access poker sites he was not allowed on. That says something right there that the sites are doing their job in keeping people like that kid from accessing their site with a credit card. Secondly, the site the kid did get on looked to be GlodenPalace.com which is a "real" gambling site. By real I mean, not a poker site. Poker is defined these days as not "gambling". I believe, and correct me if I am wrong, but in states that do not allow games of chance, many actually have poker rooms that are legal because poker is recognized as a skill game, not a chance game. My point is that go after the right people. Go after the sites that offer slots, craps, and roulette, but leave the poker sites out of it. Now, some sites do offer both. Make the site pull the blackjack and crap off but leave the poker aspect in. I'm fine with that.

But one of my problems with this bill is the other reason and that is that internet gambling is used by terrorists to launder money. Oh give me a break. You keep saying it but not once have I seen one shred of evidence presented that supports that series. Maybe that guy I saw on Pokerstars last night with the handle OSBL4885 was Osama trying to win some money to fund another attack.

I understand we need to keep the kiddies safe. But this is ridiculous. Where is the parent in this equation? Why does the government feel the need to become the parent? The kid steals dad's credit card and then loses $500 on the slots. The kid should get in trouble for that by his parents. You may as well ban OnDemand on digital cable cause what stops a kid from going on there and buying porn every night. The parents will find out, just like they did with the gambling.

Stay away from the poker. It's just that simple. Feel free to block credit card access on those sites, I don't use a credit card so no skin off my back. Hell, do what Norway (or Finland or Sweden) did and start your own poker and gambling site. Get in on the action. Just leave us alone.

Poker Post

Not doing too much with Poker since I was gone the whole week. Played a couple $4.40 180's on Stars yesterday and finished 13th and 40th. I was doing well in the latter till I lost with AA vs. 66 when he hit a 6 on the turn after we both got all in after the flop came 284.

Watched some FCP guys play in the WCOOP #1 Limit Razz. Hanguk from FCP finished in 13th which was an amazing finish. I tried to stay up for the whole thing but fell asleep sometime around 1:30am-2:00am. Even got me in the mood to play razz but since I feel it is not a strong game of mine I only played a $1.50 SNG. Finished 3rd though for a whopping $.35! LOL. So good job Hanguk, you should be proud!

Today I felt like crap but had a craving for poker. Played a 45 man SNG and was top 3 from start till about 11 players left when I got my KK sucked out on by 78s who hit a straight by the river. Finished 10th. Played 3 6 Max SNG's tonight and won one, bubbled the other and dead last in the third after losing with KJ vs AA after flopping two pair. Oh well.

Also played a Moneymaker $2.5 Million Stage 1 and finished 306th out of 58xx and some. It was pretty funny,

But my head hurts too much to continue playing today. Just watch some football and keep an eye on a few FCPers in the WCOOP #2 $1.5 million tourney.

Also a shout out to Ray Powers who did well today in a FCP Protege Qualifier Event. Go get em in the next stage!

I Swear, I Could Have Smacked Her...

So after a 10+ hr drive home from D.C. I was tired and hungry. Liz really craved a Chicken Gyro from National Coney Island. So after watching the footage I taped all week and watching the end of the Tigers mauling of the Birds I headed out into the cold night for some good food.

When I got there it was rather busy, guess there was a HS football game and the place was crawling with teenagers. Never thought I would get old enough to be so annoyed with teenagers, but I have hit that mark. The gentleman in front of me orders his food and then they take my order:

Chicken Gyro Deluxe (w/fries)
Chicken Gyro Deluxe, no tomatoes, w/ cheese fries

That is it. Not too hard.

After they take my order they take the orders of the two women behind me. Then the wait begins...

As I am waiting I notice that one of the ladies behind me gets her food. She was the last to order. The gentleman, me, her friend, then her. Odd, but no biggie. I am watching the two girls deal with people and do their jobs while waiting. The one who took my order seemed okay. Little cheerleader type girl, slight attitude but not that bad. The other girl was pure emo. I am was not sure what emo was until I saw her. She was miserable and absolutely rude to everyone she talked to whether it was us or co-workers.

Finally the gentleman in front of me got his food and there was two of us left for waiting. Finally I see all out food hit the counter and the emo chick starts bagging it. But then...she stops. Cheerleader girl doesn't know how to use the credit card machine. So they sit there trying to work it out and get the customer on his way. Me and the lady waiting with me are now getting a little annoyed. It has been over 20 minutes and her friend got her food 15 minutes ago and it's getting cold waiting. Why they did hers first is beyond me.

So now they both have forgotten that two of us are waiting for food and start doing other things. The cheerleader is fixing her hair and the emo chick is talking to a co-worker about exchanging $50 in $1's. As they are working it out I step up and say "we would really like to get our food...can we stop what we are doing and do our jobs?" This prompts emo girl to look at me with great disdain and anger. I think she thought she had lasers in her eyes and was melting me with them. That prompted me to get angrier and I said, "Listen, get our food or get the manager, your choice..." Emo girl ignored me and cheerleader woke up and went to start bagging the food.

So things are looking up and I get my food without any more confrontation. But that would just be a dream I guess since next thing I know while talking to the other woman waiting, a bag of food gets thrown on the register counter by cheerleader. So the woman and I just look at each other...who's is it? So I ask...and then it happened...cheerleader girl snapped! In the most pretentious, rude, angry, sarcastic voice she whipped her little head around and said "that's yours...HAVE A NICE DAY!"

Wow...that was rude. My only response was to smile and ask for the manager. She repeated to me that I have my food and to have a nice day and I told her "it doesn't work like that, get your manager know!"

So the manager came out and I explained the situation to him and left.

Then I get home...

Two chicken gyro's both with tomatoes but both with no lettuce. No sauce either...

I am so sick of this common trend in customer service. I guess the only places I can eat and be treated normally by competent people is places where I will be spending $40 or more a plate.

DC Trip Day: 7

Well I am typing this as we are on the way home. We left DC around 10:30am and stopped in Gettysburg for a gander. Hard to get into it when you got a battlefield and then a KFC. Hopefully we will be home in the next 5 or 6 hours. Once I get behind the wheel we should make up sometime.

-Well we made it home about 8:30pm. Long trip. Just finished dinner which I will blog about tomorrow. I hopefully got two rude girls fired tonight. Thanks for reading.

DC Trip Day: 6

Today was the rainy day. We headed over the Tysons Corner Mall and walked around ate lunch. We found a nice Japanese Bistro that we planned on having our Anniversary dinner. After lunch we headed to the Metro Station an headed back to the Capitol. Today we went to the House of Representatives. We stayed there for about 2 hours watching them waste our tax money debating about immigration measures. Republicans wanted to pass a bill to build a 700 mile wall in the south while the Democrats wanted a more comprehensive plan then just sticking up a wall and being done with it. I guess from the proceedings it was stated that a bill had already been passed in the HoR and the Senate that included this wall, more patrol, more detention centers, etc, but it was stuck in committee. So it was all a moot point and a waste of time, but cool to watch the process and see two votes happen.

Then we headed over to the National Musuem of Art and walked around for an hour looking at paintings from Cezanne, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Van Gogh.

After that Liz wanted to o to her favorite little store of Presidential memorabilia. After walking about 45 minutes she found it. Pretty cool store. Lots of old campaign stickers, buttons, and posters, Real White House stuff fro staff members that sell it to the store. From there we headed to the Federal Triangle M Station and headed back home.

We hung out a bit. We were pretty tired from all the walking we have done the last 6 days. I took a shower and then we headed over to the mall to eat dinner. We ate at Pauli Moto'’s Bistro. I guess it is a new restaurant from Iron chef Morimoto. It was really good. For drinks, Liz had Asian Pear Sake and I had a couple glasses of Hoegarrden. We had he crab and cream cheese spring rolls for an appetizer. For dinner I had Moto's Spicy Chicken and Liz had Angry Lobster Pad Thai .Both dishes were excellent. I really hope they bring one of these to the Detroit Area. It would give PF Changs a run for it'’s money and I donÂ’t like many of Royal Oaks Chinese restaurants.

DC Trip Day: 5

We got up and headed to the Metro station and took the M to Capitol South. We got to the Capitol and headed to the Senate Gallery. That was a cool experience. Saw many big names like Kennedy, Lieberman, McCain, Clinton, Kerry, Boxer, Lott, Stabenow, and such. They just got finished voting on something and most cleared the room and then a new issue was brought forward. Sen. Clinton yielded 2 minutes to Kerry as he demanded that civility be brought back to the Senate after some deplorable comments made the day before. When he was done Sen. Clinton talked of getting aid to those sick from the 9/11 aftermath due to poor conditions. Made sense to me. Sen. Harris from Maine argued that it was not fair only to aid people from NY but also the people who helped during the aftermath of the Pentagon. Sen. Clinton agreed but said that the Pentagon crews were all given respirators and garb that protected them while the EPA told NY they didn'’t need any of that as it was safe. But that if people that worked on the Pentagon were also effected then by all means deserved the same aid. Sen. Boxer also talked on behalf of helping these people saying that we need to do something to say thank you and we are sorry. I gotta agree.

We headed out for lunch and saw another Motorcade. This one was he Korean PM.

After that we left and headed to Chantilly, VA to the Air and Space museum. This is a different A&S Museum from the one in DC as it holds the planes that are too big. Here we say an SR71 Blackbird, the Enola Gay (dropped the bomb), and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. We didn't have but an hour and half to go through but it was worth it. Lots of cool planes to see and to see how large the Shuttle actually is was great. Once we got kicked out of there we headed back to DC to eat dinner at the Austin Grill and then head back to the Hotel.

DC Trip Day: 4

Today we woke up and headed out to DC to check out the National Archives. Here we saw many cool things like the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta. Pretty cool place but very small and not that much to look at. Just 3 small exhibits.

When we got outside we both saw that we had a missed call from my mom, who should be on a plane to Detroit. She left a message on LizÂ’s phone that said they got as far as Dulles. They left out of Reagan. I guess about 10 minutes into their flight the captain told them to prepare for an emergency landing. When landing the runway was full of firetruckss and ambulances. After sitting on the runway for sometimes they finally got to taxi to a gate and they were left to find new flights to their destination. From what she understands, one of the planes engines caught fire. She got home later in the day but it took awhile.

From the Archives we headed over to the Capitol to see when the tours were. On our way there we saw the Motorcade. Pretty scary thing actually. About 8 police motorcycles, then a few patrol cars, two limo's, and then a bunch of Secret Service vehicles and SUV's with the rear windows down with SS men with assault rifles pointed out the windows.

We got the info and then headed back to our car to move it closer and to fill up a another meter. We got a new spot and headed over to the Capitol again and then jumped into the next tour. You start the tour by going through an intensive search and then you get taln on a walk to the back entrance into the Rotunda. Very cool place as you can see in the pictures. The we headed to the Statue room where many famous people in history used to have desks. Like Andrew Johnson and Abraham Lincoln. From there we went to another room and then sent on out way. We headed to some Police officers and asked for passes to the Senate and House of Representatives and we got 2 of each. We decided to see them tomorrow as we had probably had our car towed by now. We got the the car to fond it was still there but there was a $100 parking ticket attached to the wiper. Bah!

We shrugged it off and then headed to the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial. Both were amazing and beautiful. After that we were tired and just headed back to the hotel and ordered Pizza and watched House.

DC Trip Day: 3

Today was the last day my Mom and grandmother were in town and so we had a lot to see before the sun went down. We started out by heading out to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington. Eh, nothing all the great. Some houses and his mansion. The tour was completely lackluster and done very poorly. We took a walk to his crypt and then headed off.

Next stop was the National Zoo to see the Pandas. Only one Panda was out but it was exciting for my mom since every time she has gone to see a Panda it was never there. I was sad to see that the Kangaroo I saw last year had passed away. He was quite old last year and he was gone. I was pretty bummed about that. Saw lots of cool animals and got some great video.

Liz and I are celebrating our 4th year anniversary on Thursday (day 4) so my mom and grandmother wanted to take us out to dinner. We headed off to Austin Grill. We loved this place last year and was very happy to finally find it on Day 3, even though we were looking for it since we got to DC. Had a good dinner there and then headed to see the White House at night. We go a parking spot near the back of the WH and headed over to view it. Then were promptly kicked out at as he was starting his stupid speech. Guess he worries of hecklers who are about 600 yards away from the window at night. Whatever. Glad I missed the speech as I heard it was same old same old GW.

After that we dropped them off and headed back to our hotel for a good nights rest to prepare for the busy upcoming days.

DC Trip Day: 2

Liz and Mickey got up and got ready while I lay in bed content not to be going to work. They headed off to breakfast while I sat and watched TV on our rooms large flat panel wall mounted TV. Once they got back we called my mom and headed over to pick them up. The main reason for our trip was to get my grandmother to the WW2 Memorial. My grandfather died a year and a half ago and never got see it. He was in North Africa during the war and this Memorial was very important to him. My grandmother promised him that she would go see it. We headed straight to the WW2 Memorial located between the National Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Liz and I visited the site last year but it was still cool to see it. It is a beautiful Memorial and located in the most perfect spot on the National Mall. One direction is the Monument and turn around and you have the large reflecting pond with the Lincoln Memorial at the end.

After seeing the WW2 Memorial we headed down the reflecting pond to the Lincoln Memorial and took some pictures. Then my mom wanted to see the Vietnam War Memorial. She lost many friends growing up in Nam and never got to see the wall till this day. They have books located all around where you can look up names and find out which section of the wall and what line they are located on. She looked up Jack Zoomsa? He was born 1 week before her and she went to Kindergarten through HS with him and he as the first person in her class to die. He is located in section W13 line 25.

We headed to the car which was quite the walk. Both my mom and grandmother had hip surgery and they were having problems getting around. But both did really well. My moms knee hurt more since her hip problems caused her to walk wrong for years before she had the hip fixed. But if she tried to do this a little over a year ago before the surgery she never would have done 1% of what she did.

It was lunch time and we decided to take everyone to the Hotel Washington. We ate there last year and figured everyone would enjoy it. After searching for a while we finally found it and headed up to the top floor outdoor restaurant. From there you can see the city and direct to our left was the White House. You are close enough to see the snipers stationed on top of the WH. During lunch we heard a helicopter coming by and there it was , the President coming back from NY after laying wreaths at Ground Zero. That was pretty cool to see regardless of my undying hatred for that schmuck.

Liz took off to take Mickey to the Bus Station so she could head back to Philly. It was cool having Mickey there. She is cool and funny as hell. Too bad we couldn'tÂ’t see her more.

Liz picked us up in front of the Hotel and headed out to the National Cathedral. Luckily Liz's father gave her a Garmin (navigation system) for Xmas or her Bday and it was the best thing we had on this trip. We never got lost once. The church is amazing. I am not a church goer but I might consider it if I was to get to go there every Sunday. It was also important to Liz and my Mom because it was the site of the West Wing episode "“Two Cathedrals".

From there we headed back to Crystal City where my Mom and Grandmother were staying. We dropped them off and headed back to our hotel is Falls Church. We ordered up room service for dinner and watched the Manning Brothers play.