Upgrade/Downgrade

There is this show on VH1 called "The Best Week Ever." And every week they do a piece called Upgrade/Downgrade where they talk about anything and everything and give it a thumbs up or down.

Currently there is a Snoop Dogg single out which features the talents (see: popularity) of Justine Timberlake. Now, for Justin I believe this is a major upgrade. He is working with someone who hasn't been in a boy band and who has probably shot several people in his life. This move gets him major street cred.

However, for Mr. Dogg, this appears to be a major laps in judgement on his part. Working with a bubble gum pop king is no upgrade. It's a huge downgrade. It completely strips him of any street cred, tough-guy persona he had. He might as well start learning the "step/slide" and change his lyrics to "oh, baby, you tha one who makes me and you tha one who breaks me" and singing it in the most rediculous high-pitched voice.

Sports--

I hate Shaq! Everything about him completely pisses me off. He puts up points, there's no doubt, but those points he puts up are of the highest percentage on the entire court. And with him nearly a foot taller than most other NBA players this is not a major accomplishment. It's the same if I were to take on 8th graders on an 8.5 ft. goal and I only dunked the ball. Needless to say, if the Heat win the NBA championship, I will be disgusted.

A-rod. Three homeruns in one game, including a grand slam. He was one homerun away from hitting the homerun cycle. The last person to do that was Mark Whitten of the St. Louis Cardinals. Cheers to A-rod for doing it (even if all three shots were off the same pitcher)

Movies--

The Ridley Scott film "Kingdom of Heaven" comes out in just over a week. This movie is a fictional portrayal of the Crusades. The movie looks to be beautiful and carrys great talent with it, including Liam Neisson. Many "Critics" have deemed this film 'dangerous' and declare that it should be banned at this time, because it has an anti-muslim theme. Well, I'm sorry my friends...the Crusades were anti-muslim. They were the most anti-muslim events in history. The entire point of the crusades was to rid the world of muslims. These critics are idiots to say that we should ban a movie that contains important historical content. I'm sure if a movie comes out about the Civil Rights movement, these same critics will say that it should be banned because it's theme is anti-black.
--It's History.......It's Important--

I'm Spitting Mad

There was a devastating commutor-train wreck in Japan early this morning. Apparently there are still people trapped, but are able to receive water. Over 50 are dead and nearly 450 injured. This all happened beacuse a 23-year-old conductor was delayed at an earlier stop and was speeding to keep schedule.

These are the kinds of things I wish could be avoided.

To sports: Auburn University had a good showing in this years NFL draft. The San Antonio Spurs had a good collapse last night. Arsenal and Manchester United will be facing eachother on the pitch on May 21 for the FA Cup Championship. I will be watching live from a comfortable couch in a house in Belfast.

More Sport: I am running a 1/2 Marathon on Saturday, Apr. 30. For those who don't know that is exactly 13.1 miles. You might want to have a good look at my ankles before then because they will be gone after about 9:30am (CST) on Saturday.

Terrible

I saw a kid last night with "HxC" tattood on his neck.

I feel sorry for him.

Rio Grande

I spend at least an hour in my car everyday driving for work. During that time I typically listen to CDs or talk radio. Lately on talk radio they've been discussing the illegal immigrant issues. Here's where my confusion (igonrance) comes in. It is illegal for people to cross boarders onto US soil without a visa/green card/passport/etc.. If they are caught doing so, they are arrested or shot. However, once in the US they are treated as equals. In Tennessee (I know) they allow non-registered immigrants to receive drivers licences and many local companies hire them regardless of the fact that they don't speak english.

Now I agree with George W. when he says that many of these people are (for the most part) good for the economy, in that they are willing to work the lower-end jobs that many Americans aren't willing to work. Through these jobs they pay federal taxes, they spend money in the states and communites in which they live, and they fill a role in society that many are too proud to fill. For many Americans these jobs and lives are the lowest of the low, but for many of these immigrants this is a step in the upward direction...a better life.

Here's where it gets tricky. It is a crime for them to enter the US. It is also a crime to break into a house and steal property or murder someone. However, when you commit any of the latter crimes you are sought out by authorities and (hopefully) detained and sentenced to jail. When you commit the former, and if you do so succesfully, it is like a free pass. It's like the US is saying "Congratualtions, you made it past our Boarder Patrol. Enjoy your stay here and be sure to pick up your drivers license ASAP, even though you have no SSN or Birth Certificate."

I guess it is hard to seek these people out once they are in, but it seems that agencies like INS et. al. are not making many good efforts to either A) seek these people out and deport them or B) admit that they're short-handed and hire more people. With more illegal people paying federal taxes there should be a few extra bucks to hire some more help.

Now, keep in mind that I know all of this is a far fetch and my only real point is that these people are treated as equal once they've commited a crime when they should be punished. But I created this blog and I can talk about what I please.

Cavity

This morning around 8:30am (CST) Dr. Fesmire DDS injected me with nearly a dozen shots of novocain in order to numb my entire mouth. Four fillings later I am now cavity free.

Last night I went to Trevecca University to see Chris Staples play a show. Let me first start by saying that Chris is an amazing songwriter. That being said, let me discuss why Chris is amazing. Along with Sunny Day Realstate, Twothirtyeight (Chris's old band) made me realize that music that is not Jazz could be written without the typical three or four chord pop/rock sturcture. These bands made me realize that you can write a song and put random, odd notes in a song and make it beautiful. Radiohead's Amnesiac and Kid A were two other records that put this idea into perspective for me. Rock music is so weird to me sometimes. It can make you enlightened, depressed, joyful or mad, but when people can take music that most would say "doesn't work" and make it beautiful, they will rest in my mind as an amazing songwriter.

Now onto LeBron James. I refuse to refer to a kid who hasn't seen the age of 20 as "King". I do not and never will dispell his pure, God-given athletic ability. He is talented and gifted...there is no doubt. And who knows, maybe when he's 26 he will have become the greatest to ever play the game, but right now he's not. He puts up amazing numbers on a daily basis. He is the youngest person to reach 3,500 pts, 1,000 rebound and 1,000 assists. He did it two years before Kobe Bryant and Ervin Magic Johnson. That is somewhat impressive, however LeBron did it for the modern-day Cleveland Cavs. He is not only the go-to guy on the team, he is the only guy on the team able to do anything. I always like to look back on my soccer glory days and think what I could have done if my high school soccer team was crap. Being a decent soccer player I would have been the daily hero (much like LeBron). I would have scored all the goals, had many assists and done personally great things, but my team would have not made it to the playoffs and I would have never won any tournaments or titles. So where does that leave me. Well, personally, I would like to be one of many good athletes on a great team, than a dominant, stand-out athlete on a crap team. If LeBron played for the Nuggets right now, he would have not been close to the things he's accomplished. But he'd be pushing for a world title right now.

Over and out

A New Chapter

So, here I sit in a small, windowless office on the 14th floor in an office building in downtown Nashville.

Today the Catholics can celebrate (or get angry) that they have a new pope. The first German pope since the 11th century.

Tonight I will see Chris Staples (Discover America) play here in Nashville. I have been listening to his new record a good bit and I have decided that along with Dave Bazan, he is one of the current "indie" songwriters who consistently writes amazing songs. Songs that express more than what the lyrics say, but what each note of music is trying to convey.

This is the life I live. Get used to it.