Oh blessed day!

Today was a beautiful day in the world of football. The Lions beat the Bears as I knew they would. They even had a league record-breaking 4th quarter scoring 34 points. The Cardinals also had an incredible game against the Steelers. The game was one of the hardest fought games I have seen in a while. From both camps.

Friday night Kristin, Jenna, and I went to my cousin Tamara's wedding reception. It was held at a place called Ashley Manor. Twas a very nice venue, and the food was great to boot. Jenna and I got to have our very first daddy-daughter dance. Jeremy also danced with his daughter, Hailey. The photographer thought the spectacle was cute, so she dedicated a good amount of her disk space to the dance. We got home kind of late only to wake up at 0-dark-hundred the next morning.

Saturday started early. The Quest Center participated in the annual Zoo Walk for Autism (guess where?). They asked for those of us who donated to try to represent at the walk. We had a good turn out, and with those of us who own a Quest Center t-shirt wearing said, we had one of the larger groups. It was good potential marketing as well. There were a few thousand people in all, so there is a better than average chance the school may be getting a phone call in the near future from one of them. The temperature never broke 81 degrees. Nice.

After the Zoo, we got lunch and took Jayden to his class. Because we were at the reception on Friday night, Jayden and I missed our graduation ceremony to the next level. At the end of Jayden's class, they gave him his demo opportunity and he recieved his first colored belt. For the kids, they get camoflage belts with a solid strip running through the middle. The first in the series is camo/yellow. It was a very proud moment for me, and Kristin also got to see some of what he has been learning. I expect that I should be getting my graduation deal after class Monday night.

After Jayden's class, I raced them home, then went back to the dojo to participate in the sword seminar. Since the sword is a traditional weapon, everything we learned was from the traditional Ninjutsu we rarely see in To Shin Do. My legs are still hurting a little bit from all of the knee bending. But lately, I am always up for a good workout, so I welcome the pain. It means I did something good for myself. In time, that pain will be non-existent.

In the evening, I met with Mike, Jeff, John, and Steph for a late dinner. I haven't seen them in a few weeks, so it was a most welcome outing. I didn't talk much though. My brain was so fried by the end of the day that I was having a hard time even expressing my thoughts with basic vocabulary. After dinner Mike, Jeff, and John went to see -itis (a band) play. Though I was invited, I was entirely too tired to go all the way to N. Phoenix. Steph was also exhausted, so I offered to take her home so the other guys wouldn't have to backtrack - it would have set them back by about 40 minutes (20 each way). Steph rewarded me with a Mexican Coke. It is the kind with actual sugar, not the high fructose corn syrup. This is always a welcome treat.

Today (Sunday) was fairly laid back. I did a butt load of school work, watched some football, then went to a park for a barbecue. It is my father in law's birthday, and we all thought it would be fun to have an outside party. We were wrong. As the sun set, the direct blast from its rays was smacking us in the face making it unbearably hot. I found it hard to eat. Speaking of eating, I am actually very hungry. To that end, I am taking my leave.

Ready for some rock and/or roll?

It is that time again to post the rock anthem that will get you through another week. I know I usually try to post my anthems along with personal news of substance, but I simply do not have the time right now. There are events unfolding right now that would probably take a lot of time to discuss. As is the case with my life generally, these are all great things. I will certainly post on them soon. Probably Sunday.

Anyway, it is time go get rockin' With Dokken. This is a live version of their best song...ever, "Tooth and Nail". Crank it up!

I am a day late, but...

Yesterday, Nightwish's new album was released. From what I have heard of it, it sounds pretty decent. They have reinvented their musical style. This is good considering they have a new female singer. The following is a video of one of their new songs called "Bye Bye Beautiful". The second video os of their ex-singer Tarja Turunen. Now we know what she has been up to. You need to give it like 45 seconds, but then she come in with a stupid song. And despite what the lyrics may say, it is not contagious. I can't believe I am saying this, but I would rather hear Tori Amos' version...

Twas a fluke

What a black day for football. Even though I expected in my heart of hearts that the Lions would lose, the gap by which they lost was unnatural. Their defense is too good for that to have been a normal outcome. However, the Eagles did win, and now I owe a Coke to a particular prick who shall remain nameless.

The Cardinals stumbled their way to a near win against the Ravens after putting one Kurt Warner in for Matt Leinart late in the game. It seems that when one quarterback fails, the other excels. I submit the following solution: use Kurt warner until he starts to suck again. Then put Leinart in. Switch back when he starts to suck hard. Repeat.

Today the family and I went to the Quest Center for the Stinson's baby shower. Kristin did the cake pro bono as a way to market her business. She has some new interest in her handywork, and I predict she will have a few orders within the next couple months. Good times.

The rest of the weekend was nice and laid back. Life is good.

Anthem

This week, I have chosen one of two female fronted bands I deem worthy of my audience (the other being Heart). I give you Finland's Nightwish. This diddy is called "End of All Hope".

Oh,and yeah...Europeans like vampires...

You know what's nice?

Temperatures below 100 degrees. Two days in a row to boot. Is this the end of the abrasive heat???

Maury Povich would be disinterested

SO I met Kristin's brother on Friday. He is a very nice guy. He and I had enough in common to keep eachother interested, but I am not sure Maury would have any use for his story. Here is the basic rundown:

Kristin has known about him since she was about 12. He knew about her and her Dad since he was about 10. The reason they haven't met sooner? His step father was a bit of a jealous type and he wouldn't allow Luke to meet the biological father. Luke has since taken control of his own life and has made the appropriate efforts to meet the side of his family he has never met.

Not really talk show material, but it is a better situation.

Saturday and Sunday we spent celebrating Jayden's birthday. Jeremy and family came over Saturday, and Kristin's family came out Sunday.

My legs hurt from the Shadows of Iga class (traditional stuff) tonight. A lot of sinking on my knees. I also paid for the Kenjutsu (sword) seminar on the 29th. I am hoping that before or after that I can test for my next rank since I will miss the graduation ceremony the night before. Anyway, I am way excited for the seminar. I have always been pretty good with the sword and I enjoy it immensely. It will be well worth the $30 fee I am sure. Anyway, I am thinking about working toward my sword kihon certification. I will go into more detail about what that is when I have made a concrete decision.

Anyhoo, I am tired and hungry. I have a hankering for some popcorn. Yes. That will do nicely.

Oh and too!

So Mike....what is the Eagle's record? Oh yeah, 0-2. The Lions? 2-0. Hmm...I think I will take you up on that Coke bet.

GO LIONS!

Woot!

Jayden's birthday was today. He got spoiled (again). Among other things, he now owns a Nintendo DS. I can't believe I have been a father for 6 years already. It doesn't seem like it has been that long. Dag, yo.

As for the title of my post, both of my teams, the Lions and the Cardinals won their games. These weren't just any win though. These were divisional wins. That is like winning 1.5 times. The way the Cardinals played, I have to rescind my previous assessment of their season. I didn't see the Lions game, but from the highlights, I have the feeling they are up for a turn around season themselves. This is exciting.

Maury Povich would be proud

Tomorrow evening, I will be having dinner with the brother Kristin never knew she had. She heard fleeting rumors when she was about 12, but never really paid them any mind. Long story short, she is finally going to meet this guy (Luke). I am interested to see if there is any resemblence. If not, I will petition for them to do a DNA test on the Maury Povich show. That would be freakin' sweet. All jokeing aside, I am also anticipating this a little bit. He seems pretty cool based on what I know of him. I hope this turns out well so that I can finally look forward to a visit with one of Kristin's family members. Lately, all of the visits have been awkward with her maternal side of the family. Luke, by the way, is of the paternal side.

I was notified officially a couple days ago that Jayden and I are both up for graduation to the next rank at the end of the month. I already knew I was going to graduate, but Jayden's came as a pleasant surprise. I try not to interfere with things as they relate to the kids classes, so I had no idea of how they move up the ranks. Graduations take place on the fourth Friday of each month. I will miss the ceremonies as my cousin is getting married that day. I will likely make up my "test" the following day after class, or before (or after) the kenjutsu (sword) seminar being held that day. Next month I will be in the Masters Club and my traqining will be in a full circle at that point. Not only will I don the black gi, but I will be trained in many armed combative styles. As I go through these traininngs, I will go into more depth including the practical aspects of learning to use things like the bo, sword, and kusari fundo (chain with a heavy bolt on either side). I can go into that detail now, but I will reserve special posts for this.

The roof at work has finally gotten some new foam thrown on it. And though this process will go on for about a week, I can feel the relief knowing that should it rain from here on out, I have nothing to worry about. In fact, I may be able to even enjoy it. Thank God this monsoon season was a bust. I had a hard enough time with the little rain we did get. Here's to a damp summer '08.

I think it is obvious from one of my more recent posts which direction I am going with the anthem this week. Because the song is so groin-grabbingly badass in Guitar Hero, I am including the studio version of Extreme's "Play With Me". It seems a video was never made for this song, so you just get the song. Maybe it is for the best.

I believe it is the Eagles who suck, Mike...

In response to your last comment, I have to agree with one thing: the Lions beating the Raiders doesn't mean anything. The stats were great, but the true test will be when they play a real team of consequence. The Fox Sports pre game show hosts believe the Lions will be this season's surprise team. I hope they are right.

As for your precious Eagles, I saw that game. Arizona has a lot of cheese heads, so we get quite a few Packers broadcasts. I am sure you were stuck with the Skins game, so let me clue you in to something: the Eagles couldn't beat the Packers. That is sad. I was rooting for them too. Any loss the Packers get makes the Lions record look all the better. So I am disappointed in your boys. And Donovan McNabb may as well stayed home.

Ok, now for my official general football post. The games boradcated here in Phoenix were the Broncos at the Bills, and the Bears at the Chargers, and of course the Eagles at Packers. Of all the games I have seen so far, the most entertaining, by far, was the Broncos/Bills game. The last second field goal for the Bronco win was the stuff of legends. I couldn't believe it. The Broncos are my favorite team in their division, so I was happy with the outcome. To the Bills credit, they played a huge game. They did lose their man Everett indefinitely which sucks. I hate to see people's careers ended like that. What's worse is they think he may be paralyzed. The funny thing is that the hit he took didn't look quite that crucial.

Anyway, the Cardinals game is on, and they are looking retarded. I suppose I should get back to watching it. I am not optimistic about their season...

"Yeah, it's hard. In fact, it's EXTREME! ha ha ha"

That is what the loading screen says as you run into the final encore for Guitar Hero: Rocks the 80's. That encore is Extreme's "Play With Me", and I can say that this song alone is worth the price of admission. For those of you unfamiliar with the song, think "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure". Now recall the scene in the mall where the historical dudes are haising havoc. If this rings any bells then you know the guitar work is insane. I can beat it on hard (barely), but I only get about 80% of the way through the song on expert. That is where the already complicated guitar work gets ridiculous. This song WILL be an anthem one week. I will have to get myself a copy of the song as well. I don't know where any of my Extreme is.

I have decided to buy this game, but I am going to look to ebay to get a better price. The game itself has fewer core songs, and no bonus songs. It is like unto an expansion pack.

Anyway, I have this copy until next Saturday. So Mike, if you want to play this song now that it is unlocked, you are certainly invited out to do so. I am thinking Friday.

Got Chicken?

I think the summer sun has finally gotten to some of my fellow Arizonans. This morning, I made an errand run for the range to Wal-Mart to purchase supplies for our coffee stand. As I approached the doors, I was greeted by one of several ladies with a clip board. At first, I thought they were trying to get me to donate to some hippie charity. Wal-Mart is notorious for allowing that. Instead, the lady asked me if I would sign a petition to have the training of seeing-eye chickens on the ballot. I bellowed a hearty laugh when she mentioned it. I couldn't control myself. I instantly had the image of some blind dude walking around teathered to a freakin' chicken. So of course, I signed said petition because even if it doesn't pass (and it won't), voters can at least get a good chuckle out of it.

Oh yeas, I almost forgot the almost ten pages of information she showed me about how chickens are easier and therefore less expensive to train than dogs. She knew I didn't take her seriously, but she remained pleasant because a signature is a signature. Lucky for me, my signature is illegible at best anyway.

I utulized my free game coupon via my Blockbuster Total Access membership to procure the much anticipated Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's. I played a little of the demo at Best Buy and it seems solid. I have it for a week, so I will be able to determine if it is worth buying now, or waiting until later. Of course, anyone interested are invited to come savor the bliss that is 80's rock. Most of you live in other states, so that leaves Mr. Bahr.

Numb

First off, I would like to direct your attention to Mike Bahr's blog. If you don't read it regularly, I urge you to read his latest blog (at the time of posting). It is entitled: "Oh, we've already decided that". The post explains exactly why I think socialized health care is a load of crap.

Today I spent about 7 hours or so on the roof (again). I was battening down the plywood covering the skylights to protect them from the potential storms that will be rolling this way over the next couple days. As it turns out, there was no good way to perform the task placed before me, and much of the drop cover I was sealing had flown clear off many of the skylights. When it was all said and done, I managed to only satisfactorily seal up the skylights directly over the showroom and the electrical units on the range itself. This was the most important part, but in all about 25 skylights got covered. And now, I have a nasty sunburn and a numb right foot to show for it. Why is my foot numb? Well, I was crouched and sitting on my heels for the lion's share of the day, evidently hyper-extending my ankle pushing my toes toward my shin. So, now the top of my foot all the way to half the height of my shin feels like it was injected with novocaine. Needless to say, Jayden trained then we came straight home.

Interestingly though, Kristin may be offered a job at the dojo a couple days a week. Turns out the admin wants to lower the days she is there to three per week, and she told Michael to ask about Kristin. He just wants to meet her first. Kristin will be coming out on Saturday anyway, so the timing is perfect.

I have to be honest, I haven't given a whole lot of thought to the anthem this week. In fact, as I type this, I still don't know. Give me a sec to find something...

5 minutes later:

Thanks for waiting. So I am going to go with a tune I covered back when I was in high school. This song is unbelievable fun (or so I recall). Please do enjoy this week's anthem, "Got the Time?" by Anthrax.

Message from the Mexican Tourist board

Yup...this about sums it up.

http://www.kerman94.com/mexicotourism.html

I am coming down with a cold. This sucks.

Bad choices?

I was messing around online when I came across the trailer for the next Batman movie to be titled "The Dark Knight". The trailer shows you nothing, but leaves you thinking the Joker will be a total bad ass. Then I saw the cast list. Heath Freakin' Ledger is the Joker. After going back to the trailer, I came to the same conclusion - the Joker will be a total bad ass. Once again, Warner Brothers made an interesting decision with their Batman casting. They did, afterall, cast Christian Bale as the protagonist himself, and to my surprise and delight, he was the best Batman ever. So maybe I will enjoy Heath Legder's performance with the same pleasant surprise.

WB did make a potentially fatal move though. The Joker won't be the only big name villian. Aaron Eckhart will grace the silver screen as the schitzo Two Face. I am not sure they remember how bad the Batman movies of the 90's became with this formula of putting too many bad guys in. I also notice that Two Face was in the same movie as The Riddler. Is it just me, or doesn't it seem that the Joker and the Riddler are pretty much the same character?

I dunno...the last movie was so awesome, I would hate to see them screw it up by reverting to the ways that forced them to redo the Batman franchise to begin with.

On to another subject...

About ten and a half years ago, I hurt myself training. In fact, that has a lot to do with why I have just barely gotten back into it. The technique is called "ganseki nage' (lit. "throwing the rock"). It is a throw that I had done about 600 times previously, but for some reason when my instructor at the time demonstrated it on me, I broke my fall with a firm stiff arm to the mat. Ouch.

Tonight after my regular To-Shin Do class, I participated in the Shadows of Iga class. This class focuses on traditional Ninjutsu (save for the bow in). The technique we forcused on was, you guessed it, ganseki nage. It was nice to revisit my old friend. My left arm joint started to throb at the mention of it. It has been a fear of mine to go back and have it performed on me, but I bit the bullet and just did it. It was as invigorating as I remembered it, and even more so since I broke my falls appropriately.

YAY ME!

More Observations

1. Hot Fuzz was every bit as good as it appeared. Although the second to last scene had me asking myself: "What the hell?"

2. My computer science class almost seems like a waste of money. I took a test today and found myself answering tough questions like:

"To navigate on the web, place the cursor on the desired link and _________.

a. Move mouse up and down
b. Click left button on mouse
c. Click right button on mouse
d. Move mouse from side to side"

I looked it up, and apparently I would click the left button. Here I was moving the mouse up and down like a jerk. It is a good thing I paid $300 for this class.

Oh well, at least it is an easy A. Between that and the fact that I have to take the course as a part of my major's core, I suppose it is money well spent.

3. I am quite good at Tiger Tails.

4. Never tell your kid you are taking them to Disney World eight months beforehand. Trust me.

5. "The Flintstones" is by far the best cartoon series of the 1950's and 1960's. To that end, I have posted a video for your enjoyment of an episode they have not aired for decades, and never will. All I can say is that Barney is a bad influence...